Faculty Bibliography

PURPOSE: Peer evaluation is underused in medical education. The goals of this study were to validate in a multiinstitutional study a peer nomination form that identifies outstanding students in clinical competency and interpersonal skills, to test the hypothesis that with additional survey items humanism could be identified as a separate factor, and to find the simplest method of analysis. METHOD: In 2003, a 12-item peer nomination form was administered to junior or senior medical students at three institutions. Factor analysis was used to identify major latent variables and the items related to those characteristics. On the basis of those results, in 2004 a simpler, six-item form was developed and administered. Student rankings based on factor analysis and nomination counts were compared. RESULTS: Factor analysis of peer nomination data from both surveys identified three factors: clinical competence, caring, and community service. New survey items designed to address humanism are all weighted with interpersonal skills items; thus, the second major factor is characterized as caring. Rankings based on peer nomination results analyzed by either factor analysis or simply counting nominations distinguish at least the top 15% of students for each characteristic. CONCLUSIONS: Counting peer nominations using a simple, six-item form identifies medical student exemplars for three characteristics: clinical competence, caring, and community service. Factor analysis of peer nomination data did not identify humanism as a separate factor. Peer nomination rankings provide medical schools with a reliable tool to identify exemplars for recognition in medical student performance evaluations and selection for honors (e.g., Gold Humanism Honor Society).

Torture survivors often report chronic debilitating physical and psychological distress. Prior research on the relationship between physical and psychological trauma suggests that the 2 are not independent. Injury sustained during torture may increase the likelihood of subsequent distress as either a moderator or mediator. For long-term psychopathology in a sample of Punjabi Sikh survivors of human rights violations (N = 116), chronic injuries mediated the path between torture and posttraumatic stress disorder, specifically the severity of numbing symptoms. Although injuries were associated with major depression, torture was not, and injuries did not moderate the relationship between major depression and torture. Chronic injuries may represent trauma severity or persistent traumatic cues. These findings emphasize connections between physical and psychological trauma and the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to torture treatment

BACKGROUND: Studies have consistently documented declines in respiratory health after 11 September 2001 (9/11) among surviving first responders and other World Trade Center (WTC) rescue, recovery, and clean-up workers. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to describe the risk of newly diagnosed asthma among WTC site workers and volunteers and to characterize its association with WTC site exposures. METHODS: We analyzed 2003-2004 interview data from the World Trade Center Health Registry for workers who did not have asthma before 9/11 (n = 25,748), estimating the risk of newly diagnosed asthma and its associations with WTC work history, including mask or respirator use. RESULTS: Newly diagnosed asthma was reported by 926 workers (3.6%). Earlier arrival and longer duration of work were significant risk factors, with independent dose responses (p < 0.001), as were exposure to the dust cloud and pile work. Among workers who arrived on 11 September, longer delays in the initial use of masks or respirators were associated with increased risk of asthma; adjusted odds ratios ranged from 1.63 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.03-2.56) for 1 day of delay to 3.44 (95% CI, 1.43-8.25) for 16-40 weeks delay. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of self-reported newly diagnosed asthma was high in the study population and significantly associated with increased exposure to the WTC disaster site. Although we could not distinguish appropriate respiratory protection from inappropriate, we observed a moderate protective effect of mask or respirator use. The findings underscore the need for adequate and timely distribution of appropriate protective equipment and the enforcement of its use when other methods of controlling respiratory exposures are not feasible.

The Journal of Biological Chemistry initially rejected Kornberg's two classic papers. He said the journal told him that a peer, the noted scientist Erwin Chargaff, had written 'an exceedingly sarcastic letter' in assessing his findings. In 1967, Kornberg and his team became the first to produce the active inner core of a virus in a laboratory. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson hailed the report of the feat as 'one of the most important stories you ever read' because it 'opens a wide door to new discoveries in fighting disease and building healthier lives.' Over the past 15 years, Kornberg focused his research on an enzyme that produced polyphosphate, a substance found in every bacterial, plant and animal cell. Scientists had discarded it as a molecular fossil. But Kornberg and other scientists identified a number of significant functions for polyphosphate and believed it could be used to develop new drugs for a variety of dangerous infections

In 1967, Kornberg and his team became the first to produce the active inner core of a virus in a laboratory. President Lyndon Johnson hailed the report of the feat as 'one of the most important stories you ever read' because it 'opens a wide door to new discoveries in fighting disease and building healthier lives.'

In 1959, Arthur Kornberg was awarded a Nobel Prize in medicine for the discovery of DNA polymerase, an enzyme needed to synthesize the master molecule of heredity.

The Journal of Biological Chemistry initially rejected Kornberg's two classic papers. He said the journal told him that a peer, the noted scientist Erwin Chargaff, had written 'an exceedingly sarcastic letter' in assessing his findings. In 1967, Kornberg and his team became the first to produce the active inner core of a virus in a laboratory. President Lyndon Johnson hailed the report of the feat as 'one of the most important stories you ever read' because it 'opens a wide door to new discoveries in fighting disease and building healthier lives.'

The Journal of Biological Chemistry initially rejected Dr. Kornberg's two classic papers. He said the journal told him that a peer, the noted scientist Erwin Chargaff, had written ''an exceedingly sarcastic letter'' in assessing his findings. In 1967, Dr. Kornberg and his team became the first to produce the active inner core of a virus in a laboratory. President Lyndon B. Johnson hailed the report of the feat as ''one of the most important stories you ever read'' because it ''opens a wide door to new discoveries in fighting disease and building healthier lives.'' He complained bitterly, however, that too few scientists studied polyphosphate, largely, he said, because of science's proclivity to work ''in a clannish way.'' With more scientists struggling for grants in an era of tight budgets, he said, ''nobody is going to propose doing anything that is bold or creative,'' like working on polyphosphate

''It was not watered down in terms of its science,'' Ms. [Dana Perino] said. ''It wasn't watered down in terms of the concerns that climate change raises for public health.'' The testimony that remained said, ''Climate change is anticipated to have a broad range of impacts on the health of Americans and the nation's public health infrastructure.'' But a line saying ''the public health effects of climate change remain largely unaddressed'' was gone, and the testimony focused on the ways health agencies were already prepared to tackle any problems