04.28.17
MGHHOTLINE
A PUBLICATION FOR EMPLOYEES AND STAFF OF THE MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
Marathon miles and
sideline smiles
On April 17, individuals who dedicated months of training finally completed
their 26.2 miles at the 2017 Boston Marathon. The Pediatric Cancer team
fielded 102 runners this year and 41 runners participated as members of
the Emergency Response team. Runners – each with their own unique
motivation – reached their goal of $1.3 million for the teams, with steady
donations still streaming in. Additional runners also supported hospital
programs close to their hearts as part of the Miles for MGH Program –
including Botswana Oncology Global Outreach, Caring for a Cure, cystic
fibrosis, Down syndrome and the Lurie Center for Autism. ■
‘Standing Up for Science’
“Science is the scaffolding, the power, the engine
that drives society forward. It represents progress and
knowledge and answers,” said Peter L. Slavin, MD, MGH
president, at an April 22 MGH rally where more than
400 staff, along with family and friends, gathered before
the March for Science Boston. “Look around you at
these buildings where care is being delivered, where
research is under way, where scientists and caregivers
are being trained. Science is healing our patients,
relieving pain, restoring lives, offering health and hope.
The MGH is science.”
Several MGH groups – including the MGH
Healthcare Advocacy Committee, Physicians for Policy
Action and the Research Institute – organized the
(Continued on page 4)
solidarity at the state house: MGHers and supporters pause
for a photo at the State House on their march to the Common.
04.28.17
Warren Triennial honors pioneer in
cancer immunology
The 2017 Warren Triennial Prize – the most prestigious research prize awarded by
the MGH – was presented on April 5 to James P. Allison, PhD, professor and chairman of
Immunology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in recognition of his
leadership in the growing field of cancer immunology. This year’s Warren Triennial events
were combined with the annual Celebration of Science (see sidebar at right) for what
Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) chair and chief of Pathology David Louis, MD,
described as an “extraordinary day of science.”
Allison’s fundamental investigations of the immune system laid the groundwork for
what he described as “this crazy idea of treating cancer while ignoring the cancer cells.” His
identification of the molecule CLTA-4 as an inhibitory checkpoint that suppresses the action
of T cells led to the development of the first immune checkpoint inhibitors – drugs that
circumvent the ability of cancer cells to hide from the immune system. While a clinical trial
of the first of these drugs, ipilimumab, improved survival in patients with advanced melanoma,
for a small group of patients treatment has extended survival to as long as 10 years. Today’s
challenges, he noted, include increasing the number of patients for whom immune checkpoint
therapy is so successful and extending the approach to more types of cancer.
The Warren Triennial Prize was established to honor MGH founder Dr. John Collins Warren
and is given every three years to scientific leaders whose work is expected to have a major
impact on the future of medicine. Among the 73 recipients who have received the Warren
prize since 1871, 23 have also received the Nobel Prize.
Also speaking at the Warren Symposium on Cancer Immunology, which was
moderated by David Fisher, MD, PhD, vice chair of ECOR and chief of Dermatology,
were Nir Hacohen, PhD, and Marcela Maus, MD, PhD, both of the MGH Cancer Center;
Arlene Sharpe, MD, PhD, Harvard Medical School; and Glenn Dranoff, MD,
Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research. ■
Celebration of Science honors
research award winners
The annual Celebration of Science featured presentations by
the winners of the hospital’s top awards to MGH investigators:
Daniel MacArthur, PhD, of the Department of Medicine and
the Center for Genomic Medicine, received the Martin Prize for
Clinical Research for a Nature paper describing a data set of the
protein-coding genes of more than 60,700 individuals.
Alexander Soukas, MD, PhD, of the Department of Medicine and
the Center for Genomic Medicine, received the Martin Prize for
Fundamental Research for his Cell paper describing the mechanism
by which the diabetes drug metformin also prevents and suppresses
cancer growth.
Mario Suvà, MD, PhD, of the Department of Pathology
and the Center for Cancer Research, received the Goodman
Fellowship to support his investigation into genetic differences
between types of brain tumors.
Also announced at the event were the 2017 MGH
Research Scholars:
• Galit Alter, PhD, Ragon Institute, Department of Medicine
•
ndrew Chan, MD, MPH, Division of Gastroenterology,
A
Department of Medicine
•
S tephen Haggarty, PhD, Center for Genomic Medicine,
Department of Neurology
•
avid Langenau, PhD, MGH Cancer Center,
D
Department of Pathology
•
akho Lee, PhD, Center for Systems Biology,
H
Department of Radiology
•
nders Naar, PhD, Center for Cancer Research,
A
MGH Cancer Center
•
icha Saxena, PhD, Center for Genomic Medicine,
R
Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine
•
Jennifer Temel, MD, Division of Hematology-Oncology,
Department of Medicine
The program was founded in 2011 to provide five years of
unrestricted funding through philanthropic support.
extraordinary day: From left; Peter L. Slavin, MD, MGH president;
Allison; and Daniel Haber, MD, PhD, ECOR chair and director of the Cancer Center
Take the challenge: Get fit and have fun
To celebrate May as Stroke Awareness Month, the MGH Neurology
Department will launch a #30x30StopStroke challenge with a goal of getting as
many staff as possible to exercise 30 minutes a day for 30 days to help prevent
stroke, maintain and increase physical and mental well-being – and have some fun.
To participate in the #30x30StopStroke challenge, staff can download a
tracking form on the MGH Neurology website. Departments are invited to
form teams and start friendly competition among colleagues, or employees
can participate as individuals. At the end of May, forms can be submitted to
Erika McCarthy at [email protected], and teams where every member
completes the challenge will be entered to win a free tent rental/pool party
(food not included) at the Clubs at Charles River Park (CCRP).
As part of the #30x30StopStroke challenge, the MGH will host several events
throughout the month:
•
3 0-minute exercise class on the Bulfinch Lawn
(time and date will be announced in May)
•
ay 9, noon – 1 pm, in the Maxwell and Eleanor Blum Center:
M
“Stroke – Time is Brain,” with Judy Clark, RN, BSN,
Quality and Compliance nurse manager
•
ay 26, 8 - 9:30 am: 2017 MGH Acute Stroke Breakfast Gala at the
M
Paul S. Russell, MD Museum of Medical History and Innovation
Staff also are invited to share photos of their exercise journey on social
media, tagging Facebook (www.facebook.com/MGHNeurology/) and Twitter
(https://twitter.com/MGHNeurology) pages. Photos submitted to McCarthy
will be entered to win two personal training sessions with CCRP trainer
Katie Morgis. ■
MGHHOTLINE
Nursing at MGH:
In their own words
How would you describe your nursing colleagues at the MGH?
“They are compassionate, supportive,
caring, empathetic, responsible and
dependable. Not only do we take care of
our patients, we take care of each other!” Nurses at the MGH are team players, motivators, caregivers for patients
and for one another and are always willing go the extra mile to help others.
In honor of National Nurses Week, May 6 -12, MGH Hotline asked MGH
nurses to describe their colleagues, their favorite part of being a nurse and
what makes MGH nurses so special. Here is what they said:
What makes MGH nurses so special?
—Ashley Barron, RN, Hematology/Oncology
barron
“My nursing colleagues on Ellison 16
are dedicated, intelligent, resilient,
compassionate, dependable and kind.
It’s been an honor and pleasure to work
alongside them the past nine years.”
“MGH nurses are incredible team players and never settle for good
enough. We push each other to raise the level of practice on a daily basis.” —Brian Cyr, RN, Medical
cyr
—Stephanie Durand, RN, Medical
What is your favorite part of being a nurse?
“My favorite part of being a nurse is being a part of the care team where
nursing has a positive impact on
each patient’s recovery. A nurse’s true
compassion lessens patient suffering. We make a difference.” bowen
—Beth Anne Bowen, RN, Orthopaedics
“Being able to build a special relationship with each patient and family member and helping them through their difficult time.” “My nursing peers are a constant source
of motivation to me, always pushing me
to advance my practice and improve the
quality of care I deliver.”
—Kate Roy, RN, Surgical
roy
“The nurses of MGH are compassionate
and fiercely dedicated to our patients
and their families.” —Jasmine Elvira Duston, RN, Cardiac SICU dustin
—Brittany Durgin, RN, Radiation Oncology
durgin
“As I reflect on my practice, the moments
that I find most rewarding are seeing
patients with chronic illnesses that I
have cared for from infancy to young
adulthood return to visit and they are
living joyful, productive lives.” mahoney
—Patricia Mahoney, RN, PICU
“My favorite part of being a pediatric
nurse case manager at MGH is ... the
honor and privilege to collaborate with
our teams to coordinate the pediatric
populations discharge needs to return
home and get back to their lives with
their families!”
—Lisa M. Reynolds, RN, PICU
durand
reynolds
steen
“I would describe
my nursing colleagues at MGH as
compassionate and conscientious, who
are always willing to lend a helping hand
or go the extra mile for patients, fellow
nurses and anyone else on the care team. —Adina Steen, RN, Outpatient Neurology
“As an MGH nurse one of the most poignant and exhilarating times while in the Emergency Department was the Boston Marathon Bombing on
April 15, 2013. I was impressed with the
professionalism, poise and grit that it
took to take care of so many patients and
coordinate their care all within a split
second. The ability to move quickly, with compassion and excellent skills, helped all these patients.”
—Michael Grasso, RN, Emergency Department
grasso
MGHHOTLINE
04.28.17
— Standing Up for Science
(Continued from page 1)
hospital rally where participants gathered for brief remarks,
then marched together to the Boston Common to join
thousands of other participants from across the state
with the goal of uniting a diverse and nonpartisan group
to celebrate Boston as a place for scientists and scientific
research. Boston was one of hundreds of cities around
the world that held marches this Earth Day. The events
celebrated the discovery, understanding and sharing of
scientific knowledge and championed publicly funded and
publicly communicated scientific knowledge.
“MGH is a community of doctors, nurses, therapists
and caregivers, dedicated to healing the sick,” said event
organizer Regina LaRocque, MD, MPH, Infectious Disease
Unit. “We are a community of people from around the
world, we are immigrants and children of immigrants, and
we come together here at MGH for a common purpose.”
Despite the rainy weather, MGHers filled the Bulfinch
tents with high spirits and handmade signs. “We are here
today because MGH is also a community of scientists.
Science is the underpinning of the health care we provide
and the lifeblood of our work,” said LaRocque. “Today, we
join with others from around Boston and the entire country
to remind our leaders that science must shape public
policy and inform the laws we enact. We are here today to
show that science is a vital feature of a working democracy,
spurring innovation and critical thinking.”
U.S. Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, who attended the MGH
rally, said, “This is not the time to abandon public scientific
research. Especially at a time in our world’s history when
countless breakthrough discoveries to lengthen life, to cure
disease, to expand our boundaries have been made, we
should not be backing down. We should be doubling our
research efforts. This generation of Americans needs to be
leading the world not just in military power, but in scientific
research. This generation has a responsibility to lead in
research and to share the benefits of that research across
the world.”
Following these remarks, the MGH group marched along
Cambridge Street, past the State House to the Boston
Common, joining the larger demonstration and celebration
of science.
“Right now in a lab somewhere in this country – maybe
even at the MGH – a scientist is following a hunch, probing
an idea, figuring out a pathway that in 5, 10, 20 years will
have a life-altering impact on thousands, maybe millions of
patients,” said Slavin. “We must make sure that our hospital,
our nation and our society have the resources and the will
to allow this nascent and promising idea to germinate, grow
and flourish.”
From career to college education
Marie Cayo began working at the MGH in August 2011, as a patient care associate in the GI
Endoscopy Unit. She came to the United States in 2001 as a native of Haiti. Education and
professional development have always been goals for Cayo, and after she received her GED
she knew she wanted to continue that path.
“When I started at MGH,” says Cayo,
“I sang, ‘ALLELUIA! I found the way to go to
college.’” During orientation, Cayo saw a flyer
about a pre-college class, but with her schedule
the timing wasn’t right. A year later, with the
support of her manager Jean Price, Cayo was
able to adjust her schedule and participate in
the Academic and Career Coaching programs.
Through hard work she completed the MGH
Pre College Reading and Writing and Pre
College Math, and her goal to attend in college
was within reach.
Cayo enrolled in Bunker Hill Community
cayo
College in its Office Management Certificate
program in the fall of 2013, and now is currently in her last semester. To help with the
cost of the program, Cayo applied for and received the Support Service Employee Grant in
2013 and continued to receive the award after applying in following years. She hopes next
to enroll in an associates program. “Take all the opportunities you can get,” Cayo says.
“It’s never too late.”
Applications for the 2017 MGH Support Service Employee Grant are being accepted
through May 11 at 5 p.m. The grant is available to eligible non-exempt employees in
administrative, clinical, service or technical support roles. For information about the grant,
the Tuition Assistance program, upcoming financial aid workshops or the annual education fair, visit
the MGH Training and Workforce Development website or email [email protected]. ■
Staying healthy and well:
Women’s health at midlife
women’s health chat: Candid conversations and questions dominated two hours of talk inside
the O’Keeffe Auditorium on April 25, at the fourth annual Midlife Women’s Health Community
Conference. Educational topics included meditation for menopause-related health problems, pelvic
floor and vaginal concerns and strategies for strengthening bones. Organized by Jan Shifren, MD,
director of the Midlife Women’s Health Center, the event was attended by more than 100 men and
women. Pictured, from left; Emily Von Bargen, DO, OB/GYN; Caroline Mitchell, MD, OB/GYN;
John Denninger, MD, PhD, Psychiatry; and Joy Tsai, MD, Endocrinology
editor: Colleen Delaney • 617-726-0275 • assistant editor: Colleen Keilty • 617-724-2753
email: [email protected] • mail: Public Affairs Office • 125 Nashua Street, Suite 220 • Boston, MA 02114
MGH Hotline is printed on recycled paper and published weekly by the MGH Public Affairs Office.