As the percentage of Americans who smoke continues to drop (currently about 15 percent from a high of 44 percent in the 1950s), the tobacco industry …
Month: April 2017
From surgeon to leader: Lessons from Stanford Medicine’s Lloyd Minor
As a surgeon, Dean Lloyd Minor, MD, was used to making quick decisions. Speed and confidence were valued. But then, he stepped into a leadership …
Genetic tests for breast cancer underused, misunderstood, say researchers
I wrote recently about the dearth of genetic testing and counseling for women with breast cancer. Now the same trio of researchers -- Stanford cancer geneticist Allison …
Research targeting ataxin 2 protein boosts hope for ALS treatment
A Stanford Medicine-led team of researchers has developed an approach for targeting and blocking the expression of a protein thought to contribute to the development …
When the delivery goes wrong: A med student’s reflections
Certain details in this entry have been omitted or changed to protect the identity of the patient. Labor and Delivery is a pretty strange place. It's …
Cancer uses inflammatory pathways to protect itself
In recent years, scientists in the laboratory of Stanford's Irving Weissman, MD, discovered that cancer cells cover themselves in copies of the CD47 “don’t eat me” …
Gage Bingham is third in his family to receive a heart transplant
On Wednesday, April 5, 8-year-old Gage Bingham became the third child in his family to receive a heart transplant at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford. …
A new home for Stanford Medicine’s 1:2:1 podcasts
For the last nine years, Stanford Medicine has produced a popular podcast series called 1:2:1. It features host Paul Costello sitting down for in-depth talks with scientists, clinicians, …
Improving communication in health care: A preview of Med X | ED
A doctor yells out an order in the ER. A nurse wonders if his colleague would be willing to take over his weekend shift. An …
Use caution when editing genes, new report advises
New gene-editing techniques are making it easier, cheaper and more efficient to rewrite the DNA of living organisms. But these methods -- such as CRISPR …
Proposed NIH cuts would affect Stanford Health Policy
The administration's budget proposes cutting funding to the National Institutes of Health by more than $7 billion in the next two years. That has many …
Moving beyond “the brain’s GPS” to understand navigation
As succinct descriptions go, there’s something inspired about “the brain’s GPS,” which is shorthand for a set of neurons collectively responsible for constructing mental maps …
Stanford surgery chair Mary Hawn and the changing face of the OR
In this 1:2:1 podcast, Mary Hawn, chair of surgery discusses her career path with host Paul Costello.
In this 1:2:1 podcast, Mary Hawn, chair of surgery discusses her career path with host Paul Costello.
Infectious disease researcher embraces role as “enthusiastic citizen of the university”
Julie Parsonnet, MD, defies easy categorization. A self-proclaimed "enthusiastic citizen of university," Parsonnet said she has always wanted to be engaged. And she is. Throughout …
Artificial skin and flexible cell phones – coming soon?
We've written in the past about the work of Stanford chemical engineer Zhenan Bao, PhD, who last year created a super stretchy material that can be used …
How Campaign for Stanford Medicine dollars are empowering biomedical innovation
The Biomedical Innovation Initiative at Stanford Medicine was created to ignite innovation in today’s challenging funding climate for biomedical research. In this short video, Dean Lloyd Minor, …