Monthly newsletter of the BU Medical Campu

Boston University Medical Center

O'Brien, Jennifer C.

English

Boston University Institutional Repository (OpenBU)

Boston UniversityOpenBU http://open.bu.eduBU Publications Campus Update1991-05Campus Update: May 1991 v. 3, no.5https://hdl.handle.net/2144/18749Boston UniversityB O S T O N U N I V E R I 1 M E D I C L C E N T E R Boston University Medical Campus Campus U P D A T E May 1991 Vol. 3 No. 5 Commencement and Alumni Weekend are set to take place on the second weekend in May Let the balloons fly—^Com-mencement Day 1991, as well as A l u m n i Weekend, are just days away. On Sun-day, May 12, 424 School of Medicine, School of Public Health and Goldman School of Graduate Dentistry stu-dents w i l l join their fellow Boston University colleagues in a joint graduation pro-gram on the Charles River Campus. EduardA. Shevardnadze, former Soviet foreign minister and a prin-cipal architect of prestroika, w i l l be the commencement speaker. A close ally of Soviet President Mikhai l S. Gorbachev, Shevardnadze resigned from his post last December, warn-ing that the Soviet Union faced the danger of dictator-ship. Since his resignation, he has been engaged i n estab-lishing an independent re-search center i n Moscow for the study of foreign pohcy. Shevardnadze w i l l receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree at the graduation exer-cises. His topic w i l l be "The Soviet Union and the New World Order." Universitywide commen-cement exercises w i l l begin at 11 a.m., rain or shine on Nickerson Field. Line-up for commencement w i l l take place at 10:30 a.m. The School of Medicine commencement speaker w i l l be Robert Goles, M.D., a professor of psychiatry and medical humanities at Har-vard Medical School and the author of many books on children. In 1973, he won a Pulitzer prize for volumes two and three of "Ghildren in Crisis." The speaker for the School of Public Health w i l l be David Mulligan, state commissioner of public health, while the Goldman School speaker w i l l be Herbert Schilder, D.D.S., chairman of the Department of Endodontics. As part of the graduation event, the Medical Campus w i l l host a precommence-ment breakifast in the park-ing lot of the Talbot Green, from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. on Sunday. Graduates and their families and friends may park their cars in Lot A (from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.), and continued on page 2 BUMC to host World Class Commuting Day World Class Commuting Day w i l l be held for Medical Center employees, staff and students on Thursday, May 16, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., on the H-2 bridge. One of the main attractions of the day w i l l be an oppor-tunity for employees to register to join the Medical Center's ear- or van-pooling service, Ridesource, which is sponsored by CARAVAN for Commuters, Inc. Employees who complete and return their data cards at the event automatically w i l l become eligible to w i n several com-muter-oriented prizes. A drawing w i l l take place that day at 1:15 p.m. Employees do not have to be present to win, nor are they obliged to participate in any ride-shar-ing program. Representatives from the Boston University Medical Center/Boston City Hospital Transportation Management Association (TMA)—^the sponsors of the event—as well as representatives of the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) and the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, w i l l be on hand to answer employees' commut-ing questions. Information on a wide variety of commut-ing options—from water shuttles to biking to walk-ing—as well as preliminary results of the TMA's com-muter survey also w i l l be available. Between noon and 1 p.m., shuttle buses w i l l take all in-terested employees from the Atr ium Plaza to One South Station to view a three-dimensional model of the Central Artery/Tunnel Project. For further information on World Class Commuting Day events, contact Maureen Flaherty, T M A transportation coordinator, at 638-8915 (x8915).n Commuter survey indicates the soio drive still reigns The convenience and com-fort of driving alone to work so far are keeping the park-ing lots at the Medical Cen-ter ful l , and puhlic modes of transportation to the area un-derutilized. The preliminary results of a commuter sur-vey distributed i n December to all employees and stu-dents of the Boston Univer-sity Medical Center and Bos-ton City Hospital indicate that of the 2,926 people who responded (37 percent of those sent surveys), 67 per-cent drive alone to work, while 20 percent use puhlic transportation. Another 10 percent participate in a car-or van-pool, and 3 percent walk. W i t h this information and the various suggestions provided by respondents in hand, the medical area's Transportation Management Association (TMA) plans to recommend to responsihle city, state and federal agen-cies that enhancements to mass transit services be made to turn this tide. The Medical Center and Boston City Hospital's col-laborative effort w i t h the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) to en-courage the use of public transportation stems from a particularly grave concern. Survey continued on page 2 Campus Update May 1991 /2 continued from page 1 "The absolute bottom line of the mission is to cut down on air pollution," said Maureen Flaherty, the transportation coordinator for the medical area. Automobile emissions have become dangerously high in Boston, a problem pronounced in the South End by the Southeast Expressway and the heavy traffic in the medical area, she said. Even small alterations in commuting behavior would reduce dramatically emis-sions, Flaherty said. "We'd be happy if everyone com-muted wi th just one other person," she said. The need to prepare for the traffic congestion ex-pected to result from con-struction of both the Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel project and the upcoming local construction projects at Main Mode of Transportation Aii institutions Combined Drive-Alone 67% f-VWalk3% Car/Van/Pod 10% Transit 20% Of the 2,926 employees and students of Boston University Medi-cal Center and Boston City Hospitai who responded to the com-muter survey issued in December, weii over half drive to work alone. the Medical Center are other significant reasons to reduce traffic, Flaherty said. Wi th the survey data, the T M A w i l l be able to recom-mend to the MBTA possible The following quotes are from the book "50 Simple Things You Can Do To Save The Earth," published by The Earth Works Group: "If only I percent of the car owners i n America left their cars idle for one day a week, it would save an estimated 42 mi l l ion gallons of gas a year. Destructive emissions would be cut down commensurately; we'd keep some 840 mill ion pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere." "On an average, the 140 mil l ion cars in America are estimated to travel almost 4 billion miles a day...and according to D O T [Department of Transportation], they use over 200 milHon gal-lons of gas doing i t . " "One result of burning 200 mil l ion gallons of gas is the emission of about 4 billion pounds of carb-on dioxide into the atmosphere. And that's just one day's worth." "If each commuter car carried just one more per-son, we'd save 600,000 gallons of gasoHne a day and would prevent 12 mil l ion pounds of carbon dioxide from polluting the atmosphere." "In the Netherlands, 80 percent of train com-muters get to the station on a bicycle; in Den-mark, about 30 percent of all trips are taken on bikes; and Japan even has bicycle parking garages in urban areas." • alterations i n service to the area. Preliminary results reveal that the majority of respondents commute from within the eity and from the South Shore. "Ultimately, what we hope to do is en-courage employees who drive alone to consider other altematives, such as public transportation and car- and van-poohng," Flaherty said. Commuters interested in joining a ear- or van-pool can be matched up w i t h other riders from their area through the Medical Center's Ridesource, a com-puterized matching program provided by CARAVAN for Commuters, Inc. Medical Center employees, staff and students can register for this computer service during World Class Commuting Day on Thursday, May 16, from I I a.m. to 1:30 p.m., on the H-2 bridge. (See re-lated story, page 1.) The eommuting survey was distributed in December to nearly 8,000 Medical Cen-ter and Boston City Hospital (BCHj employees, staff and students, in both English and Spanish. The results show that, of the 2,926 people who responded, 77 percent of those who drive to work park i n Medical Center and BCH parking lots. Twenty-seven percent of the respondents use shut-tle services offered by the two institutions. • continued from page 1 buses w i l l provide transpor-tation to the Charles River Campus at 9:45 a.m. The buses w i l l make a return trip at the end of the Medi-cal School activities. Lot A w i l l close at 6 p.m. A School of Medicine luncheon w i l l be held at Case Gymnasium at 1:30 p.m. for graduates and guests wi th tickets. (Invita-tions must be presented at the door.) Graduates should assemble in the second-floor dance studio at 2:15 p.m. to put on robes and line up. The School of Medicine commencement w i l l begin at 2:30 p.m., while the SPH commence-ment w i l l begin at 2 p.m. in the School for the Arts con-cert hall. The Goldman School ceremony w i l l be held i n Morse Auditorium, at 3 p.m. A review and photographs of commence-ment w i l l follow in the June edition. Alumni weekend for the School of Medicine w i l l take place on Friday and Saturday, May 10 and 11. Along w i t h the individual class reunions, there w i l l be a scientific program featur-ing School of Medicine graduate Joseph Civetta, '63, speaking on ethical is-sues i n medicine, and Nobel Laureate Joseph Mur-ray, M.D. , speaking on his pioneering work in kidney transplantation. • Free glaucoma screening The Cundersen Eye Center w i l l host a free glaucoma screening on Thursday, June 20, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., and from 1 to 3:30 p.m. It w i l l be held on the 10th floor of the Doctor's Office Building. Employees of Boston University School of Medicine and Goldman School of Graduate Den-tistry are welcome. The test takes 10 minutes. Patients' eyes w i l l not be dilated. • May 1991 /3 l l l l l i l l l l l l l l l l l l l l School of Medicine student channels his ideals into his work Andy Chiou, a third-year stu-dent at the School of Medicine, is somewhat of a household name amongst his colleagues, and one con-versation w i t h h im is enough to indicate why. Whether the 23-year-old is referring to the School of Medicine, to his rotations at Boston City Hospital, to his work as a trustee of the American Medical Student Association (AMSAj, or to his experiences as a member of the U.S. Air Force student scholarship program, he radiates a captivating en-thusiasm. Chiou was only half way into his seat for this inter-view when he began to speak about the day he'd had in Juvenile Court, ohserving the system that deals w i t h many of the young patients he is apt to treat at Boston City Hospital (BCH), general-ly in custody, abuse, mal-nourishment or drug-related cases. The visit to court was part of his training in the pediatric rotation at BCH under Associate Professor Benjamin S. Siegel, M.D. Chiou noted the imper-sonal, cattle-car like nature of the court system, but said he was particularly struck by the compassion the judges demonstrated. "What was really noticable was that these judges really spent time talking to these kids, not as judges but as counselors," he said. Compassion is the faetor that drew Chiou to medieine, and it remains his overrid-ing motivation for staying in the field. The son of a dentist and homemaker in Peoria, 111., Chiou said the desire to help others started when he was "very, very young." "Maybe i t was when I was a Cub Scout," he said. Chiou entered the School of Medicine under its Six-Year Program, which begins when students are juniors in the under-graduate program at Boston University. He's a strong proponent of the program, be-cause, he said, it "keeps a cer-tain idealism alive." I t "gets Third-year student Andy Chiou those 17-year-olds who want to be physicians for ideahstic reasons and says, 'You know what? You can be in medical school in two years.'... They continued on page 4 School of Medicine student Ann Tong, who arrived in the United States 10 years ago as a "boatperson" from Vietnam, was honored last month with a $2,000 Student Research Fellowship from the national Alpha Omega Alpha honor medical society. She is the second BUSM student in three years to receive the award. Having completed her second year of medical school at BUSM, Tong is spending this year at Dana Farber Cancer in-stitute, where she is doing research on a drug known as CPF, which shows promise for treating AIDS. Barry Manuel, M.D., as-sociate dean for continuing medical education, last month presented Tong with the check. She will return to the School next fall to begin her third year of medical school. Dental plan employees Invited to open house at new facility An open house for all employees enrolled in the new Boston University Den-tal Health Plan w i l l be held on Thursday, May 9, at the new dental facility at 930 Commonwealth Avenue. Doors w i l l be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and from 4 to 7 p.m. Light finger food w i l l be served. A ful l dental staff, made up of faculty and staff af-filiated w i t h the Coldman School of Graduate Den-tistry, has begun treating patients at the School of Graduate Dentistry's state-of-the-art facility at 100 East Newton Street, and w i l l begin treating patients at the Commonwealth Ave. facility soon. • BUSM students earn pledges for Dana Farber In mn of Boston Marathon Nine School of Medicine stu-dents fund raised their way through their run of the Bos-ton Marathon last month, raising some $150,000 in pledges for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. The chair-persons of this group. Bil l Saudis from the Class of '94 and his brother Peter, are the grandsons of one of the institute's namesakes, Sidney Farber. Students Vivek Ahya, Richard Formica, Steve Fleet, Ken Weisman, Anisha Abraham, Christian Hansen, Chuck Weaver, Eric Olsen and Bil l Saudis participated in the effort. • May 1991 Art Day 1991—Faculty, staff and students turned out to view the art work of many of their colleagues on April 16 in the Hiebert Lounge. Hugues J.-P. Ryser, M.D., profes-sor of pathology, displayed his sculpture, titled "Here i Am." Facilities management crews honored for efforts at Goldman In honor of the maintenance, custodial and construction crews who put in countless hours getting the School of Graduate Dentistry in shape for its accreditation evalua-tion this winter, the Goldman School of Graduate Den-tistry hosted a tea on Apri l 22. The workers replaced ceil-ings, refurbished lights, installed 60 new dental chairs and built an emergency recall center, amongst many other things. • Callahan Tunnel will be closed most nights In May continued from page 3 don't lose their focus." Chiou's commitment remains very much intact. "Medical school is really in-credible," he said. "How many people have reached inside somebody's gut, or touched a beating human heart? How many people ex-perience that?" As a first-year student, he said, " I thought, 'How can I possibly learn more during my first year, be-cause they throw so much at you.' Then in your second year you think, 'No way could I learn more.' And then in the third year there's an explosion of learning; all of what you've leamed comes together when you start applying i t . " He praised the oppor-tunities the School provides for clinical experience from the outset of the first year. "We have hands on, patient management that students at many other schools don't get," he said. "What's special is that i n the first year you're in the Boston City emergency room," he said. "For the first time in my life I saw someone carted in who'd been shot." The residents and attendings are unusually willing to teach on the job at the hospital, he added. "I'm at a stage where it's very exciting," he said. While the rigors of the traditional third year schedule would justify Chiou focusing exclusively on his academic obhgations. his involvement in the School extends far beyond these responsibilities, as it does, he said, for many School of Medicine stu-dents. This year, he is a trus-tee of the New England chap-ter of AMSA, which coor-dinates regional and nation-al programs for developing legislation that benefits medical school students, medical schools and people suffering from a lack of health insurance. He also is president of the School's Stu-dent Com-mittee on Medical School Af-fairs (SCOM-SA). His par-ticipation in the U.S. Air Force scholar-ship program has drawn him into situations that most people, let alone a 23-year-old, rarely have experienced. "It's frightening, exciting, tiring," he said. While fulf i l l -ing his commitment to the Air Force last summer m Dayton, Ohio, he was taught to fly a jet by being told to take the wheel of an airplane while his instructor sat by. He performed CPR on a person for the first time in his life and he was ex-posed to tear gas as part of his training. " I know what the troops felt hke in Saudi Arabia wi th gas masks," he said. The Air Force is "a fabulous experience to broaden yourself with"—not that Chiou is lacking in ex-periences. • Beginning this month, the Callahan Tunnel w i l l be closed from midnight to 5:30 a.m. for five or six nights a week so that workers may in-stall a safer, more durable ceiUng. Work crews w i l l begin demohshing the tunnel's ex-isting tile ceiling sometime this month, replacing it wi th a porcelain panel system. Both inbound and out-bound traffic w i l l travel through the Sumner Tunnel during the time the tunnel is shut down to traffic. • - is published monthly by the Boston University Medical Campus Office of Business Affairs: William J. Gasper, associate vice president. Article ideas may be addressed to Mr. Gasper or to Michael J. Donovan, director of Personnel. The publication is produced by the Office of Publication Services: Owen J. McNamara, director; Jennifer C. O'Brien, editor/writer; Catherine LeBlanc, designer. 

Campus Update: May 1991 v. 3, no. 5

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Campus Update: May 1991 v. 3, no. 5

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