Harvard Medical School
With Major Winter Storm Bearing Down, Harvard ‘Curtails’ Operations
The University curtailed its operations early Thursday afternoon, shuttering offices and asking non-essential employees to stay home from work Friday, as the first major snowstorm of the year struck New England and blanketed Harvard Yard.
The Elixir of Youth and Other Potentially Useful Scientific Discoveries
The elixir of youth may no longer be a myth! In a recent study conducted by the Harvard Medical School and the University of Wales, researchers discovered a compound that reversed aging in mice. Hopefully the success will extend to more than just rodents when the compound is tested on humans next year. In light of this breakthrough, we've come up with a few things we'd like to see Harvard researchers put their brains to to make our lives a bit easier.
Citing 11 Animal Welfare Violations, USDA Fines HMS $24,036
A citation released by the United States Department of Agriculture shows that between February 2011 and July 2012, Harvard researchers violated 11 regulations of the Animal Welfare Act.
What Does the Spleen Do?
Nerdy in the best way possible, graduates over at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Dental School recently parodied the popular song “The Fox” by Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis. In their rendition, “The Spleen,” students at the Medical School ask the age-old question: what does the spleen do? Is it a back up tongue? A third eye? The world may never know.
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Dr. Thomas Burke of Massachusetts General Hospital speaks Tuesday night about the importance of global maternal health and the role of men in the field. Burke, also an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, followed his lecture with a student discussion group.
Personal Genome Project Launches in UK
Last month, the UK branch of the Personal Genome Project (PGP-UK) went online, following the American project started by genetics professor George Church and colleagues at Harvard Medical School in 2005.
Researchers Identify New Treatment for Kidney Disease
A group of researchers led by Dr. Peter H. Mundel at Massachusetts General Hospital has recently identified the first targeted therapy for a specific type of kidney disease, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, or FSGS.
Pre-Med Students Readjust Concentration Choices
Like many pre-medical students not in a science concentration, Haley P. Brown ’15 has struggled to balance her science courseload with classes for her Classics concentration and Spanish citation. As a result of the burden on students like Brown, the number of non-science-concentrating pre-meds has fallen by two-thirds over the past decade, according to the Office of Career Services.
HMS Physician To Be Nominated for U.S. Surgeon General
If successful, Vivek H. Murthy ’98 will become the youngest surgeon general in U.S. history.
Levels of Hormones Help Better Predict Breast Cancer
Levels of key hormones can help better predict a woman’s risk for breast cancer, according to a study at Harvard Medical School presented at a conference hosted by the American Association for Cancer Research at the end of October.
HMS Researchers Make Progress Suppressing HIV In Monkeys
In a comprehensive study led by HMS professor Dan H. Barouch ’93, scientists were able to use specific antibodies taken from human HIV victims to suppress viral activity in monkeys infected with simian-human immunodeficiency virus. The study was published in the scientific journal Nature on Oct. 30.
Low Fiber Linked to Disease Risks
Those who consume low amounts of fiber in their diets have a higher risk of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular inflammation, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Medicine.
In Talk, Berwick Proposes Health Care Reforms
While the American health care system may seem to be beyond repair, there may be a way to fix it, Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Donald M. Berwick ’68 told an audience on Monday.
Harvard Researchers Grow (and Shave) Mustaches For a Cause
Some men grow mustaches as a display of masculinity. Others do it as a way to change their image or conform to urban style trends. But for the men of Harvard’s medical community, growing a mustache is about raising awareness and money for men’s health.
Scientists Re-Code Genome of E. Coli Bacterium
Scientists from Harvard and Yale came together to achieve what was once thought impossible: to fundamentally transform the identity and properties of an organism by re-coding its genome.
