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Jumbo Wins

Iris Jaffe, Elisa Kent Mendelsohn Professor of Molecular Cardiology at TUSM and executive director of the Molecular Cardiology Research Institute at Tufts Medical Center, has been appointed to the American Heart Association’s Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (ATVB) Women’s Leadership Committee.

Jason Hall, Benjamin Andrews Chair and professor of surgery at TUSM and chairman and surgeon-in-chief at Tufts Medical Center, has been elected as a Fellow of the prestigious American Surgical Association. This recognition is a testament to his dedication, expertise, and outstanding contributions to the field of surgery.

Lesley Inker, professor of medicine, has joined Tufts Clinical + Translational Research Center (CTRC) as Director of Business Strategy. In this role, she will partner with Yoav Golan, who will serve as CTRC’s Scientific and Operations Director. Together, they will collaborate to enhance the services and expand the reach of the CTRC with the goal of increasing clinical research capacity at Tufts Medicine.

Kap Sum Foong, assistant professor of medicine, recently completed his LEAP Fellowship and has been awarded and sponsored by Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) for the IDSA 2024 Leadership Institute: Rising Leadership Program. He was also selected as an Outstanding TUSM Small Group/ Lab Instructor for the academic year 2023-2024.

Brian Chow, assistant professor of medicine, will step into the role as Vice Chair of the Finance Committee for the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.

Research News

Trends in Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Amy LeClair, assistant professor of medicine, and colleagues at Boston University and UMass conducted a study, published in the journal Medical Care, to analyze response patterns to sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) questions in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. They found that self-reported sexual and gender minority responses increased over time, while heterosexual identity reports declined. However, nonresponse and indeterminate answers to sexual orientation questions rose, particularly among Hispanic respondents, older individuals, those with lower education, and Spanish-speaking participants. The study highlighted the importance of improving SOGI data collection procedures in medical settings, especially for groups with higher nonresponse rates. Read more.

Why the Most Prescribed Chemotherapy Drug Can Cause Serious Heart Damage

Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences researchers have isolated the immune cells that become overactive when patients take doxorubicin. The team’s findings appear July 17 in the journal Nature Cardiovascular Research. Read more.

IDSA G.E.R.M. Awards

Multiple faculty and student teams have received IDSA Grants for Emerging Researcher/Clinician Mentorship (G.E.R.M.).

Whitney Perry, assistant professor of medicine and Tufts MD student Sydney Ho with the project: Validation of a Clinical Prediction Model for Post-Transplant Infection
Alysse Wurcel, associate professor of medicine, and Tufts MD student Samuel Wilk with the project: Association of Race and Penicillin Allergy Label for People in the WI DOC
Poonawala Husain, assistant professor of medicine and Tufts MD student Ares Alivisatos with the project: Identification of novel drug combinations for refractory MRSA bacteremia

Shira Doron, professor of medicine, and Alysse Wurcel, associate professor of medicine, published a paper looking at Antibiotic Allergy Prevalence and Documentation Quality in Massachusetts Long-Term Care Facilities. Read more.

Lesley Inker, professor of medicine, recently published a paper on Drug stewardship in chronic kidney disease to achieve effective and safe medication use. Read more.

Atypical astrocytes in aging and Alzheimer's Disease
Total Anticipated: $4,145,880
Principal Investigator: Christopher Dulla, professor and interim chair of neuroscience
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Cytosolic DNA sensing instructs resident macrophage vitality and organismal and longevity
Total Anticipated: $2,674,538
Principal Investigator: Shruti Sharma, assistant professor of immunology
Sponsor: Hevolution Foundation Advancing Geroscience Effort
Enhanced genetic targeting of specific neuronal populations using a minipromoter and splicing hybrid approach
Total Anticipated: $468,126
Principal Investigator: Alexei Bygrave, associate professor of developmental, molecular and chemical biology
Sponsor: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Exploring the role of calcium homeostasis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth control
Total Anticipated: $30,000
Principal Investigator: Shumin Tan, associate professor of molecular biology and microbiology
Sponsor: Potts Memorial Foundation
Identification of opioid-related incidents in emergency medical service dataset using natural language processing
Total Anticipated: $200,000
Principal Investigator: Shikhar Shrestha, assistant professor of public health and community medicine
Sponsor: American Public Health Association
Mechanisms by which ICP3 Overcomes Vibrio cholerae Phage Defenses
Total Anticipated: $421,590
Principal Investigator: Andrew Camilli, professor of molecular biology and microbiology
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Multidisciplinary phenotyping of a novel humanized LOAD mouse model
Total Anticipated: $300,000
Principal Investigator: Giuseppina Tesco, professor of neuroscience
Sponsor: BrightFocus Foundation
Preclinical Regimen Design and Clinical Translation for TB (PReDiCTr-TB) Consortium
Total Anticipated: $332,951
Principal Investigator: Bree Aldridge, professor of molecular biology and microbiology
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health
Understanding bacterial/host potassium uptake and cholesterol interplay during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection
Total Anticipated: $100,000
Principal Investigator: Yue (Rachel) Chen, postdoctoral scholar, molecular biology and microbiology
Sponsor: American Lung Association
Alexandra Mendelsohn, Taisuke Sato, Ankita Subedi, Alysse G Wurcel, State-of-the-Art Review: Evaluation and Management of Delusional Infestation, Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2024 https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciae250
Wahlberg KJ, Infeld M, Plante TB, Novelli AE, Habel N, Burkhoff D, et al. Effects of Continuous Accelerated Pacing on Cardiac Structure and Function in Patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: Insights From the myPACE Randomized Clinical Trial. J Am Heart Assoc. 2024;13(1):e032873. PMID: 38156545
Habel N, Infeld M, Bernknopf J, Meyer M, Lustgarten DL. Rationale and Design of the PACE HFpEF Trial: Physiologic Accelerated Pacing as a Holistic Treatment of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction. Heart Rhythm O2. 2024; 5(1):41-49.
Espriella R, Wahlberg K, Infeld M, Palau P, Núñez E, Sanchis J, Meyer M, Núñez J. Differential Effect of Accelerated Pacing on Quality of Life, Natriuretic Peptides, and Activity Levels Across Left Ventricular Volumes and Ejection Fraction in Patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction. Eur J Heart Fail. 2024. PMID: 38124404
Lustgarten DL, Habel N, Sánchez-Quintana D, Winget J, Correa de Sa D, Lobel R, Thompson N, Infeld M, Meyer M. Bachmann bundle pacing. Heart Rhythm. 2024 Mar 27: S1547-5271(24)02281-1. PMID: 38552731
Infeld M. Accelerated physiologic pacing in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: An argument in support of therapeutic heart rate modulation. Heart Rhythm O2. 2024 May 20;5(5):327-333. PMID: 38840759
Infeld M, Lobel R, Hopper M, Habel N, Winget J, Correa de Sa D, Thompson N, Sánchez-Quintana D, Lustgarten D. JACC Clin Electrophysiol. 2024 Jun 5:S2405-500X(24)00358-X. Online ahead of print. PMID: 38904576
Chen B, Iqbal U, Desai SK, Gries J, Verheyen E, Xie M, El Halabi M, Gaines S, Weisberg I. The role of treatment of hepatitis C with direct-acting antiviral agents on glycaemic control in diabetic patients: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. J Viral Hepat. 2024 Jul 24. doi: 10.1111/jvh.13984. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39046172.
Alabdul Razzak I, Korchemny N, Smoot D, Jose A, Jones A, Price LL, Jaber BL, Moraco AH. Parameters Predictive of Propofol-Associated Acute Pancreatitis in Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia: A Retrospective Cohort Study. J Intensive Care Med. 2024 Jul 23:8850666241265671. doi: 10.1177/08850666241265671. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39043370.
Shin JI, Ballew S, Bosi A, Hjemdahl P, Grams ME, Coresh J, Inker LA, Carrero JJ. eGFR calculated from cystatin C: Implications for dosing of direct oral anticoagulants. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2024 Jul 19:gfae171. doi: 10.1093/ndt/gfae171. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39030050.
Kim, M.K., Su, G.S., Chan, A.N. et al. Mental health priorities and cultural-responsiveness of the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training for Asian immigrant populations in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. BMC Psychiatry 24, 506 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-05894-x
Boehmer, Ulrike PhD*; LeClair, Amy M. PhD†; Jesdale, Bill M. PhD‡. Trends in Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Data Collection. Medical Care ():10.1097/MLR.0000000000002036, July 11, 2024. | DOI: 10.1097/MLR.0000000000002036
Moon BF, Zhou IY, Ning Y, Chen YI, Le Fur M, Shuvaev S, Akam EA, Ma H, Solsona CM, Weigand-Whittier J, Rotile N, Hariri LP, Drummond M, Boice AT, Zygmont SE, Sharma Y, Warburton RR, Martin GL, Blanton RM, Fanburg BL, Hill NS, Caravan P, Penumatsa KC. Simultaneous Positron Emission Tomography and Molecular Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Cardiopulmonary Fibrosis in a Mouse Model of Left Ventricular Dysfunction. J Am Heart Assoc. 2024 Jul 16;13(14):e034363. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.124.034363. Epub 2024 Jul 9. PMID: 38979786.
Friedman S, Nielsen J, Qvist N, Knudsen T, Kjeldsen J, Sønnichsen-Dreehsen AS, Nørgård BM. Does surgery before pregnancy in women with inflammatory bowel disease increase the risk of adverse maternal and fetal outcomes? A Danish national cohort study. Am J Gastroenterol. 2024 Mar 25. Online ahead of print. PMID: 38376076.
Shah J, Trautner BW, Olmeda K, Laytner LA, Faustinella F, Paasche-Orlow MK, Grigoryan L. A survey of patient practices regarding leftover antibiotics reveals a potential source of antibiotic overuse. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2024 Jul 8:e0046924. doi: 10.1128/aac.00469-24. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38975752.
Bonomo RA, Chow AW, Edwards MS, Humphries R, Tamma PD, Abrahamian FM, Bessesen M, Dellinger EP, Goldstein E, Hayden MK, Kaye K, Potoski BA, Baño JR, Sawyer R, Skalweit M, Snydman DR, Pahlke S, Donnelly K, Loveless J. 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline Update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America on Complicated Intra-abdominal Infections: Risk Assessment, Diagnostic Imaging, and Microbiological Evaluation in Adults, Children, and Pregnant People. Clin Infect Dis. 2024 Jul 5:ciae346. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciae346. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38965057.
Ku E, Inker LA, Tighiouart H, McCulloch CE, Adingwupu OM, Greene T, Estacio RO, Woodward M, de Zeeuw D, Lewis JB, Hannedouche T, Jafar TH, Imai E, Remuzzi G, Heerspink HJL, Hou FF, Toto RD, Li PK, Sarnak MJ. Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors or Angiotensin-Receptor Blockers for Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review and Retrospective Individual Participant-Level Meta-analysis of Clinical Trials. Ann Intern Med. 2024 Jul 2. doi: 10.7326/M23-3236. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38950402.
Balian D, Koethe B, Mohanty S, Daaboul Y, Mahrokhian SH, Frankel J, Li J, Kherlopian A, Downey BC, Wessler B. Reproducibility of semi-quantitative assessment of aortic valve calcification and valve motion on echocardiography: a small-scale study. Echo Res Pract. 2024 Jul 1;11(1):15. doi: 10.1186/s44156-024-00050-3. PMID: 38946008;
Han HJ, Ouellette MC, Yeh JC, Dodge LE, Finlay E, Cullinan AM, Buss MK. Outpatient Training During Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship: A National Survey. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2024 Jun 28:S0885-3924(24)00841-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2024.06.017. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38945458.
Ghosalkar R, John K, Li J, Steinhauer R, Wessler BS, Patel AR, Downey BC. Indexing Aortic Dimensions Using Ideal Body Weight Significantly Reclassifies Aortic Dilation in Overweight and Obese Patients. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2024 Jun 28:S0894-7317(24)00322-5. doi: 10.1016/j.echo.2024.06.009. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38945411.
Friedman S, Thorarinsson CT, Wod M, Fedder J, Nørgård BM. Paternal Inflammatory Bowel Disease and the Risk of Pregnancy Loss. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2024 Jun 29:izae132. doi: 10.1093/ibd/izae132. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38944809.
Maitz T, Shah S, Gupta R, Goel A, Sreenivasan J, Hajra A, Vyas AV, Lavie CJ, Hawwa N, Lanier GM, Kapur NK. Pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of right ventricular failure: A state of the art review of mechanical support devices. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2024 Jun 27:S0033-0620(24)00097-5. doi: 10.1016/j.pcad.2024.06.009. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38944261.
Davis KP, McDermott LA, Snydman DR, Aldridge BB. In vitro identification of underutilized β-lactam combinations against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia isolates. Microbiol Spectr. 2024 Jun 25:e0097624. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.00976-24. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38916355.
Schlam I, Corti C, Sammons S, Mittendorf EA, Tolaney SM. Checkpoint inhibition for early-stage hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2024 Jun;24(6):511-520. doi: 10.1080/14712598.2024.2370395. Epub 2024 Jun 24. PMID: 38913933.
Heerspink HJL, Eddington D, Chaudhari J, Estacio R, Imai E, Goicoechea M, Hannedouche T, Haynes R, Jafar TH, Johnson DW, van Kruijsdijk RCM, Lewis JB, Li PKT, Neuen BL, Perrone RD, Ruggenenti P, Wanner C, Woodward M, Xie D, Greene T, Inker LA. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials implications of acute treatment effects on glomerular filtration rate for long-term kidney protection. Kidney Int. 2024 Jun 18:S0085-2538(24)00405-8. doi: 10.1016/j.kint.2024.05.024. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38901604.
Tuttle M, Sarnak MJ, Navaneethan SD. Therapeutic approaches for pulmonary hypertension in patients with chronic kidney disease. Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens. 2024 Jun 20. doi: 10.1097/MNH.0000000000001008. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38899951.
Foong KS, Fowle L, Doron S, Cumming M, Leaf J, Bolstorff B, Brandeburg C, Chen Y, Wurcel A. Antibiotic Allergy Prevalence and Documentation Quality in Massachusetts Long-Term Care Facilities: A Cross-Sectional Survey. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2024 Jun 17:S1081-1206(24)00372-7. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2024.06.019. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38897407.
US Preventive Services Task Force; Nicholson WK, Silverstein M, Wong JB, Chelmow D, Coker TR, Davis EM, Donahue KE, Jaén CR, Krousel-Wood M, Lee S, Li L, Rao G, Ruiz JM, Stevermer J, Tsevat J, Underwood SM, Wiehe S. Interventions for High Body Mass Index in Children and Adolescents: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. JAMA. 2024 Jun 18. doi: 10.1001/jama.2024.11146. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38888912.
Hanada T, Empitu MA, Mines GI, Ma Q, Omorodion IL, Link A, Schwake CJ, Krueger RM, DaRosa NS, Levin AE, Vannier E, Chishti AH. Identification of Babesia microti immunoreactive antigens by phage display cDNA screen. Infect Immun. 2024 Jun 17:e0021524. doi: 10.1128/iai.00215-24. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38884473.
Kaplan A, Ladin K, Junna S, Lindenberger E, Ufere NN. Serious Illness Communication in Cirrhosis Care: Tools to Improve Illness Understanding, Prognostic Understanding, and Care Planning. Gastro Hep Adv. 2024;3(5):634-645. doi: 10.1016/j.gastha.2024.04.003. Epub 2024 Apr 16. PMID: 38873184; PMCID: PMC11175167.

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Recent Events

Dean’s Medal Ceremony

On June 10, Tufts University School of Medicine recognized Peter Brodeur, PhD, GSB80, professor emeritus and former chair of medical education, by awarding him the prestigious Dean’s Medal. This accolade, the highest honor conferred by the school, acknowledges Brodeur’s remarkable 38-year tenure and his profound impact on the medical education of numerous Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM) students. Read more.

MD Class of 2028 Orientation

Orientation kicked off on Tuesday, July 23 for the MD Class of 2028. The four-day event introduced our newest MD students to the various offices and departments that make up the school, while also providing them with time to get to know one another. See more photos.

McKusick Lecture

The annual McKusick Lecture at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center was held on ##. Served as a welcome event for the Maine Track Class of 2028, during which they each received their stethoscopes. The lecture was delivered by Lisa Sockabasin, MS, RN, Co-CEO of Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness, who shared about the organization’s work and mission to provide community-driven, culturally centered public health and social services to all Wabanaki communities and people while honoring Wabanaki cultural knowledge, cultivating innovation and fostering collaboration.

2024 GSBS Relays

The Relays is an annual competition between the programs at the GSBS that is comprised of an academic portion and physical competitions. This year’s field day was held on Friday, July 19 and included events such as races, volleyball, and tug-of-war. See more photos.

Upcoming Events

2024 Tufts S2P2 - Summer Symposium for Pipeline Programs

The 3^rd annual Summer Symposium for Pipeline Programs (S2P2) is being held on Thursday, August 1, from 9:30am-5:30pm on the Boston Health Sciences Campus. The event is designed to connect and support current and former trainees at Tufts who have participated in our Pipeline Programs: Building Diversity in the Biomedical Sciences (BDBS), Pathway to the PhD (P2P), PREP, and IRACDA. Learn more.

Tufts CTSI Fall Junior Faculty Research Career Development Forum

Applications are now being accepted for the Tufts CTSI Junior Faculty Research Career Development Forum. These monthly, interactive, virtual 60-minute sessions support the biomedical research careers of early-career faculty at the K or career-development level. New this year, these interactive seminars will be supported by additional quarterly large group seminars with opportunities for networking and informal discussions. These will be held in person at the Tufts Boston campus with a virtual option. Get more information on the program and how to apply.

OEA Research & Innovations in Health Sciences Education Seminar

The Office of Faculty Development is offering a comprehensive seminar aimed at advancing research and educational innovations in health sciences education. Designed to help participants progress their educational scholarly projects or ideas, this seminar has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits. The seminar spans ten sessions, running from early September to early February. Each session will feature plenary discussions on the day's topic, along with consultation sessions where participants can share their projects or ideas with peers and receive valuable feedback. This collaborative environment is intended to foster growth and innovation in health sciences education. Learn more.

MaineHealth’s Fall 2024 Innovation Opportunities

Innovation Cohort, an 8-week program designed for care team members, offers expert mentorship, innovation, and problem-solving skills, and the Ignite Fund offers up to $20,000 for prototyping and testing your ideas. Whether improving patient care, designing medical devices, or optimizing processes, this program equips you to bring your solutions to life. For more information, visit the Innovation website.

Upcoming Faculty Development Programs

What we know about First-Generation and Low-Income Students and How to Holistically Support All Students in Medicine
Tuesday, September 10, 2024 from 12pm-1pm
Bridging the Gap Between Novice and Expert Learners: Strategies for Helping Students Develop Robust Mental Schemas that Facilitate Clinical Reasoning
Tuesday, October 15, 2024 from 12pm-1pm
Time Efficient Teaching
Tuesday, October 22, 2024 from 12pm-1pm
Leading in the Changing Landscape of Academic Medicine
Tuesday, November 12, 2024 from 12pm-1pm
"I'm Not Biased, But Everyone Else Is: How Our Cognitive Biases Impact Clinical Grading"
Tuesday, November 19, 2024 from 12pm-1pm

Learn more about Faculty Development Programs

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