The Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine awarded Haywood Brown, M.D., Chair of the Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology, its Lifetime Achievement Award. It was given at the Society's annual meeting in recognition of Dr. Brown's important leadership, mentoring, and research contributions to the Society.

  Joanne Kurtzberg, M.D., is the fourth recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium (PBMTC). She is being recognized for a career that exemplifies the mission of the PBMTC. Dr. Kurtzberg is Chief Scientific Officer, Robertson Clinical and Translational Cell Therapy Program Co-Director, Stem Cell Laboratory Director, Carolinas Cord Blood Bank.

Top Headlines for Duke Research

News & Observer (February 11, 2012) Virginia Krauss, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine, said Duke research suggested that if a method can be found to halt the breakdown of knee tissue, the body itself may be able to reverse damage from osteoarthritis.

WRAL-TV (February 9, 2012) Julie Woodward, M.D., chief of the Duke Oculoplastic and Reconstructive Surgery Service, demonstrated the advantages of the ultrasound approach called Ulthera. Unlike surgery, "it doesn't do any damage to the skin," Woodward said.

U.S. News & World Report (February 9, 2012) Jean-Alfred Thomas II, M.D., post-doctoral fellow in the Division of Urology, said Duke research showed that "what's good for the heart may be good for the prostate." Lifestyle changes proven to reduce heart disease risk - weight loss, exercise and a healthy diet - may also protect against prostate cancer.

News & Observer (January 31, 2012) Dean Nancy Andrews, M.D., Ph.D., wrote in an opinion piece which argues that cuts to federal funding for medical research pose significant risks to the health of Americans and to the national economy.

U.S. News & World Report (January 9, 2012) Sara Pasquali, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics, co-authored research published in the Journal of Pediatrics which suggests children who have heart surgery at busier hospitals fare better because those centers are better able to spot and handle complications after surgery. "Higher mortality observed at lower-volume centers appears to be related to a higher rate of death in those who suffer a postoperative complication, rather than a higher rate of complications alone," Pasquali said.

ABC News (January 4, 2012) Manesh Patel, M.D., assistant professor of cardiology, published data in JAMA from more than 5,700 heart attack patients which showed that Americans were more likely to be readmitted than those in other nations. “This isn’t telling us to stay in the hospital longer, but it does open up a conversation about how other countries perform differently,” Patel said.

Scientific American (January 2, 2012) Reports on a study supporting the contention of William Parker, Ph.D., associate professor of surgical science, and R. Randall Bollinger, M.D., Ph.D., emeritus professor of surgery, that the appendix serves as a haven for beneficial bacteria during severe intestinal infections. The study found that patients without an appendix were four times more likely to have a gut infection recur.