April People Notes

Chad Anderson, D04, won the Student Clinician Program Award for the Best Overall Pre-doctoral Table Clinic at the School of Dental Medicine's annual Bates-Andrews Research Day February 27. Other winners were Sahil Sethi, D04, and Michael Proothi, D04, second and third place in the overall pre-doctoral competition; Abe Abdulwaheed, D02, Andrews Society Award for the Best Presentation by a Senior; Hani Eid, Bates Award for Best Postgraduate Research; Candice Zemnick, D02, Omicron Kappa Upsilon Award for Public Health Projects; Raymond Tsou, D04, Research Committee Award for Basic Science Research; and Julie Beasley, D03, Procter & Gamble Traveling Fellowship Award. top

Mary Alicia Barnes, fieldwork coordinator at the Boston School of Occupational Therapy (BSOT), and Mary Evenson, academic fieldwork coordinator at BSOT, presented a half-day workshop at BSOT on February 2 to New England area occupational therapists. Their topic, "Structuring Learning to Promote Professional Competence," was based on publications and presentations they have done nationally. top

Dr. Debbie Beasley, assistant professor of medicine, has been awarded two new four-year research grants totaling $2.48 million from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute for her research into the molecular basis of vascular disease. Beasley specializes in the cellular and molecular biology of vascular smooth muscle cells, a critical component of the walls of blood vessels. One project, titled "Autocrine Role of Cytokines in Vascular Smooth Muscle," focuses on understanding how a microorganism, Chlamydia pneumoniae, may contribute to the development of atherosclerosis. This grant is a continuation of her ongoing studies, which have been funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1992. The second grant, titled "Signaling Pathways in Human Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells," is a new project that will investigate how cell growth is activated by hypoxia, a process that may play a role in life-threatening conditions, including pulmonary hypertension. top

Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg, associate director of the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA), will receive the 2002 Achievement Award in Preventive Medicine from the American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM). In association with the award, he will deliver the Linus Pauling Lecture at the ACAM annual meeting, which will take place May 17-19 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. top

Bruce Boghosian, assistant professor of mathematics, has been awarded a three-year visiting fellowship by the United Kingdom's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. The fellowship will enable Boghosian to spend a portion of the next three summers working with colleagues at the RealityGrid E-Science Project, based at Queen Mary College, University of London. top

Dr. Jinkun Chen has been appointed professor of general dentistry at the School of Dental Medicine. top

Jayong Chung, a graduate of the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and nutrition doctoral candidate Pollyanna Chavez co-authored with Dr. Robert Russell, director of the HNRCA, and Xiang-Dong Wang, associate professor of nutrition and a scientist in the Gastrointestinal Nutrition Laboratory at the HNRCA, an article on "Retinoic Acid Inhibits Hepatic Jun N-terminal Kinase-Dependent Signaling Pathway in Ethanol-Fed Rats," published in Oncogene Basingstoke by the Nature Publishing Group in February. top

Dr. Bess Dawson-Hughes, professor of medicine, recently traveled to Venezuela and Colombia to provide training and education on various topics related to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of osteoporosis. She was invited to participate in this continuing medical education program for physicians by the Association for Health Research & Development, a nonprofit, academic institution that fosters continuing medical education and innovation in medicine. top

Anne DeBenedictis and Kim Hall from Human Resources and Mark DeGregorio from Computer Services delivered a presentation on "Paperless Processing for Student Employees" at the annual PeopleSoft Higher Education User Group conference in Las Vegas. In the presentation, they described Tufts' automated transaction processing and paperless pay notice, which were developed by Computer Services and the Human Resources Service Center. top

Shinju Fujihira, assistant professor of political science, has been awarded the Advanced Research Fellowship at the Program on U.S.-Japan Relations, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University for the 2002-03 academic year. top

Dr. Richard Glickman-Simon, lecturer in family medicine and community health, has been appointed medical director of complementary and alternative medicine for HealthGate Data Corp., an electronic publisher of health-related information. He will continue to teach at Tufts and serve as project director for the School of Medicine's new federally funded program to integrate evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine into the medical school curriculum. Glickman-Simon is also chairman of the western biomedicine department at the New England School of Acupuncture. top

Dr. Sheldon Greenfield, professor of family medicine and community health, is chairing an Institute of Medicine committee charged with helping the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality develop a report on national health care disparities. The report, intended to be an annual update for Congress, will include data on access, use and quality of care, factoring in a patient's socioeconomic status, attitude toward health, language, education and geography. top

Robert J. Haber, E79, G80, a senior vice president of Fidelity Management & Research Co. and chief investment officer of Fidelity Investments Canada, has been appointed to the Board of Overseers to the School of Engineering. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in chemical engineering from Tufts and holds an MBA from Harvard. He is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and of the Financial Analysts Federation. top

Nicholas Hays, N02, and Gaston Bathalon, N98, co-authored with Dr. Ronenn Roubenoff, associate professor of nutrition and chief of the Nutrition, Exercise Physiology and Sarcopenia Laboratory at the HNRCA; Ruth Lipman, assistant professor of nutrition and a scientist in the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at the HNRCA; and Susan Roberts, professor of nutrition and chief of the HNRCA's Energy Metabolism Laboratory, an article on "The Association of Eating Behavior with Risk for Morbidity in Older Women," published in the Journals of Gerontology Series A-Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences in February. top

John Horn, the technical director for 3M's Industrial Tape and Specialties Division and the Packaging Systems Division in St. Paul, Minn., has been named to the Board of Overseers to the School of Dental Medicine. Horn holds a B.S. in biology from Stetson University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in material science and engineering from the University of Florida. He is an industrial member of the Minnesota Dental Research Center for Biomaterials and Biomechanics at the University of Minnesota and previously was on the advisory board of the Biomaterials Research Center at the University of Texas-Houston Dental Branch. top

Dr. Margaret Howard, assistant professor of oral diagnosis at the School of Dental Medicine, received an M.P.H. degree from Tufts in December. top

Dr. Michael Kahn has been appointed professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the School of Dental Medicine. top

Dr. Karl Kraus has been promoted from associate professor to professor of clinical sciences at the School of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Gerard Kugel has been promoted to associate dean for research at the School of Dental Medicine. top

Dr. Wai Kee Lee has been appointed clinical instructor of restorative dentistry at the School of Dental Medicine. top

Kerry Maguire, associate professor of preventive dentistry, has been appointed to the University College for Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts. top

Lee McKnight, associate professor of international communications and director of the Edward R. Murrow Center at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, has been invited by Erkki Liikanen, a member of the European Commission, to deliver the keynote address, "Mobile Regions: Start It Up!," at the Third European Forum for Innovative Enterprises in Stockholm, Sweden, on April 8. The forum is organized by the EC's Innovation Directorate, and will bring together government, university and business representatives to discuss regional innovation systems and conditions for start-up firms. Visit the web site www.thirdforum.org for more information. McKnight was the panel chair for "Immaterial World. Property in the Global Information Economy" at the 43rd annual convention of the International Studies Association in New Orleans March 24-27, when he presented the paper "Hedging Light: The Emerging Role of Optical Markets in the International Political Economy" as part of that panel. He gave a tutorial, "Cybersecurity 911ÑA Call to Virtual Arms," to the Congressional Staff Seminar "Security for the New Century" March 15 on Capitol Hill. He gave a presentation on "Virtual Markets in Wideband Wireless Computation and Communication Grids" to the Fifth Conference on Virtual World Simulation and Computation in San Antonio, Texas, January 27-31. McKnight also has published or will publish the following peer-reviewed articles: "Best Effort versus Spectrum Markets" with William Lehr and Raymond Linsenmayer in The Journal of Regulation, Policy and Strategy for Telecommunications, Information and Media (March/April, 2002); "Show Me the Money: Agents and Contracts in Service Level Agreement Markets" with William Lehr in The Journal of Regulation, Policy and Strategy for Telecommunications, Information and Media, (January/February 2002); "Spot Markets for Bandwidth" with Pedro Ferreira and William Lehr in The International Journal of Technology Policy and Management (in press); and "Optical Networks and Future Broadband Services" with William Lehr and Pedro Ferreira in Special Issue on International Technology Policy and Innovation, Technological Forecasting and Social Change (in press). top

Kathleen Merrigan, director of the Agriculture, Food and Environment Program at the Friedman School, served as an expert on the Just Food Citizen Panel that examined the science and public policy issues behind genetically engineered food products during a session February 7-9 at the University of New Hampshire. Merrigan's commentary was broadcast on Channel 11, the public television station in Durham, N.H., and on the state's National Public Radio station. Nora Murphy, a Ph.D. student in nutrition, also participated in the discussion, particularly EPA regulatory review of genetically engineered food products, which is the focus of her dissertation research. The Just Food Citizen Panel is a joint program of the University of New Hampshire Office of Sustainability Programs and the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension. top

Dr. Stephen G. Pauker, professor of medicine, has been elected to the Board of Regents of the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine, the nation's largest medical specialty society. top

Dr. Dominique Penninck has been promoted from associate professor to professor of clinical sciences at the School of Veterinary Medicine. top

Dr. Aruna Ramesh has been promoted to assistant professor of general dentistry at the dental school. top

Chris Ray, development staff assistant for the School of Medicine, has been promoted to assistant director of alumni relations and the Fund for Tufts Medicine. top

Dr. Irwin H. Rosenberg, dean of the Friedman School, and Jacob Selhub, professor of nutrition and chief of the HNRCA's Vitamin Metabolism Laboratory, were invited to attend the Fifth International Winter Meeting on Coagulation held in LaThuile, Italy March 17-23. The meeting was focused on basic, laboratory and clinical aspects of venous and arterial thromboembolic diseases. Selhub co-chaired a session on "Mechanisms in Hemostasis and ThrombosisÑNew Insights in the Pathophysiology of Fibrinolysis" and offered a presentation on MTHFR thermolability. Rosenberg gave a presentation on "Hyperhomocysteinemia and Dementia." top

Dr. Morton B. Rosenberg, professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery and head of the Division of Pain Control at the School of Dental Medicine, presented an all-day program on "Current Concepts in Ambulatory Anesthesia" to the Florida Dental Society of Anesthesiology in February. top

Dr. Ronenn Roubenoff, associate professor of nutrition and chief of the Nutrition, Exercise Physiology and Sarcopenia Laboratory at the HNRCA, participated in a collaborative research effort with scientists and physicians at the University of Tokushima March 11-15. He presented three lectures at the university and at the Otsuka Research Institute: "Sarcopenia, Cachexia and Wasting: What's the Difference?," "Nutritional Treatment of Inflammatory Arthritis" and "Nutritional Supplements Use in the United States." top

Laurence Senelick, Fletcher Professor of Oratory and professor of drama, received the prestigious George Jean Nathan award for dramatic criticism for his book, The Changing Room: Sex, Drag and the Theatre (Routledge), during the annual meeting of the National Theatre Conference in New York in January. The award, named for the influential critic and administered by Cornell University's English department, carries a $10,000 purse. Senelick is the recipient of awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Guggenheim Foundation. His other publications include Gender in Performance and Lovesick: Modernist Plays of Same-Sex Love. top

Dr. B. David Stollar, professor of biochemistry, wrote the editorial, "Proteolytic Antibodies Against Factor VIII in Hemophilia A," in the February 28 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, commenting on research reported in another NEJM article. Antibodies to factor VIII protein seriously affect the treatment of more than 20 percent of patients with hemophilia A. top

Justin Suzuki, assistant professor of nutrition and a scientist in the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at the HNRCA, was co-author of "Roles of Protein Kinase C and Alpha-Tocopherol in Regulation of Signal Transduction for GATA-4 Phosphorylation in HL-1 Cardiac Muscle Cells," which was published in February in Free Radical Biology and Medicine. top

Jeff Taliaferro, assistant professor of political science, delivered a lecture on "The United States, the Middle East, and the Elusive Quest for Peace" to a meeting of the World Affairs Council of Boston at the Boston Public Library on March 19. He presented a paper, "The Lone Superpower's Balkans Dilemma: The Clinton Administration and the Kosovo War," at the annual meeting of the International Studies Association in New Orleans on March 25. top

Dr. Michael Thompson has been promoted to associate professor of general dentistry at the dental school. top

Alexander Vilenkin, professor of physics, had articles about his work on the universe appear in the April issue of Astronomy and the January issue of The Economist. He gave a lecture on inflationary cosmology at the San Francisco Planetarium and an invited talk at a conference celebrating the 60th birthday of Stephen Hawking. top

Dr. Karen Wallach has been promoted to assistant clinical professor of general dentistry at the dental school. top

Patrick Webb, associate professor of nutrition and director of the school's Food Policy and Applied Nutrition Program, made a presentation in Rome on March 7 to more than 100 of the World Food Programme's most senior staff on the operational, research and humanitarian implications of the World Food Program's (WFP) policy of channeling the majority share of its resources to women and girls. This commitment, derived from the Beijing Summit on Women in 1995, was the issue of several days of meetings at WFP focused on re-defining the policy for the 2003-2007 period. In this context, Webb also chaired a working group on evidence-based advocacy and the role of operations research in policy formation. top

Richard Wood, associate professor of nutrition and chief of the Mineral Bioavailability Laboratory at the HNRCA, will give a presentation on "Role of Vitamin K in Calcification of Bone and Coronary Arteries" at the spring conference of the American College for Advancement in Medicine in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in May. The conference will focus on "New Advances in Complementary Medicine." top