• Ezekowitz to step down from MGH Pediatrics for senior role at Merck
  Alan Ezekowitz, MBChB, DPhil, chief of the MGH Pediatric Service and pediatrician-in-chief of MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHC), will be leaving the MGH at the end of April to become the senior vice president and franchise head of Immunology, Respiratory and Endocrine at Merck Research Laboratories.

• A unique gift exchange
  When Robert Krafton, an administrator at a Massachusetts vocational school, first learned that he needed a kidney transplant, many people in his life were ready and willing to help. Krafton's brother-in-law, Steve Proulx, volunteered to donate his own kidney. Proulx's type B blood, however, was not a match for Krafton's type A. Across the country in Wisconsin, Becky Borchert and her friend — who wishes to remain anonymous — were experiencing a similar problem. Borchert's friend also needed a kidney transplant, but Borchert's type A blood was incompatible with the type B blood needed for the donor kidney. With the help of a new computer program that matches compatible strangers for organ transplantation, surgeons at the MGH were able to successfully transplant Borchert's kidney into Krafton, while another surgical team at New York Presbyterian Hospital removed Proulx's kidney to save the life of Borchert's friend.

• FYI poster addresses patient confidentiality
  The latest in a series of FYI posters is being distributed throughout the hospital this week and focuses on the important subject of patient confidentiality. The poster series is meant to help MGHers prepare for the upcoming unannounced survey by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).

• Stoeckle receives Advancement of Psychotherapy award
  John D. Stoeckle, MD, a long-time primary care physician at the MGH and namesake of the Stoeckle Center for Primary Care Innovation, recently received an award for his "leadership in the advancement of mental health care and his enduring leadership in advancing the doctor-patient relationship."

• Haber named Laurel W. Schwartz Professor in Oncology
  A special ceremony held last month honored the commitment and generosity of an MGH donor as well as the many accomplishments of one of the MGH Cancer Center's physicians — Daniel Haber, MD, PhD. The Laurel W. Schwartz Professorship in Oncology at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and the MGH was made possible by Laurel Schwartz, a long-time supporter of the MGH Cancer Center, because of a special bond she had with Kurt Isselbacher, MD, who treated her late husband, Peter.

• MGH Vascular Center in Waltham
  The MGH Vascular Center will host an open house March 25, from 9 am to 2 pm at its new location at MassGeneral West, 52 Second Ave., Waltham. The open house will include tours of the new center, free screenings and refreshments.

• What's Happening

Hotline Home Page | Back Issues | News Releases | News & Information | MGH Home Page