NewsBriefs

Region's First Gamma Knife Available at Wills

Wills Eye houses the first gamma knife in the Delaware Valley as part of The Neurosensory Institute, a collaboration between Pennsylvania Hospital, Jefferson, and Wills Eye Hospital. The gamma knife is a noninvasive radiosurgical tool to treat brain tumors and other brain diseases.

This very special technology is particularly suited to treating tumors or disorders whose location in the brain makes conventional surgery impossible or risky. It is also ideal for patients with coexisting medical problems that make conventional surgery risky, and for patients of advanced age.

Of even greater importance is the technology's proven efficacy and safety. The gamma knife's capability for deep penetration is incomparable for certain types of brain surgery, and its accuracy and precision minimize exposure to adjacent healthy tissue. Gamma knife treatment is less costly than conventional surgery.

Clinical professor of nuerosurgery H. Warren Goldman, MD, PhD, directs the Gamma Knife Unit. He and his colleagues will also employ it to treat movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, certain malignant eye tumors, and in the management of malignant pain symptoms.

Adapted from March 1996 Jefferson Medical College Alumni Bulletin article.

JMC Rises to 36 in National Ranking of NIH Grants

Jefferson Medical College (JMC) ranks 36 among 124 medical schools in the amount of funding it received from the National Institutes of Health during FY'95. Jefferson's 194 NIH grants totalling $48.4 million represent an 11 percent increase over monies received last fiscal year when JMC ranked 39th.

The amount of NIH funds granted is believed to be an important factor in recruiting top faculty and students, and in attracting further research support. NIH funding is also associated with the highest quality research, says Gerald Litwack, PhD, chair of the department of pharmacology, deputy director of Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Institute and acting associate dean for scientific affairs.

JMC now outranks many medical schools. More impressively, since FY'86, JMC's ranking steadily crept up from 72 to 36 ­p; "a phenomenal increase," Dr. Litwack notes. While he says that JMC has probably hit a saturation point in NIH funding, Dr. Litwack anticipates a 5 percent increase annually in NIH funding over the next few years. At the same time, he continues, "Sponsorship from nonfederal sources such as private industry should accelerate for research and clinical trials."

Other significant statistics from the data: The department of microbiology and immunology maintained its number two ranking from last year among the 99 medical school departments receiving NIH awards in microbiology. As in FY'94, Jefferson ranked third among the 24 medical schools with NIH grants in orthopaedics and first among institutions in Pennsylvania. JMC also jumped from 16th place last year to 6th among 93 schools receiving funding for pathology, anatomy and cell biology.

International Student Identity Card Now Available

Be valid anywhere in the world!

The International Student Identity Card (ISIC) is a single uniform document for students traveling abroad that is accepted around the world as proof of student status. In addition to being a handy ID, bearers of the card are eligible for a number of discounts including reduced airfares, sickness and accident insurance coverage overseas, and access to a toll-free 24-hour traveler's assistance hotline.

Along with the card that is endorsed by UNESCO, students also receive the International Student Identity Card Handbook. This directory contains information on student travel organizations and discounts on everything from museums to accommodations for cardholders in 70 countries, including the United States.

The cost of the card is $18 and can be obtained from the Office of International Exchange Services at the University. For more information, call 3-4023.

Jeffersonians Give Large, Enthusiastic Response to Vendor Fair on Optical Scanning Technology

About 200 Jeffersonians and guests attended the recent vendor fair to learn how optical scanning and electronic records technology can help manage patient medical record documents.

"The University project team responsible for selecting a Document Management System is grateful for such an enthusiastic response by the Jefferson community," says Stephanie M. Hettel, director, medical record department.

Evaluations completed by the attendees will help the project team make a final decision.

"The system selected will be the bridge from the paper-based record to a computer-based record. It will establish a computer platform to redesign the patient record workflow throughout Jefferson," adds Ms. Hettel.

Vital Signs

Admissions for 10 months of this fiscal year (July ­p; April) were 21,744 or 5 percent below last year. In addition, the average length of stay for the hospital was only 6.2 days, which is a half day below the prior year. Patient days are another critical indicator of the need to save costs since approximately one half of the insurers now pay a daily rate. The hospital's patient days for this period total 132,771 or 20,603 less than last year, reports Walter E. Moore, assistant executive hospital director for fiscal operations.