medicine - Woodruff Health Sciences Center - Emory University

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Dean’s Message
EMORY MEDICINE
During summer, the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) is barely
visible from Emory’s Lullwater Preserve. The center is obscured by the thick
tangle of trees along Peachtree Creek, the natural dividing line between our campuses.
But the ties between the School of Medicine and the VAMC run deep.
Our partnership began more than 50 years ago when the U.S. government first encouraged
VA hospitals to affiliate with medical schools as a way to raise the level of medical
care for veterans. Today, the VAMC annually treats more
In all, more than
than 60,000 veterans who are seen primarily by Emory
400 Emory investi-
physicians.
gators are engaged
The center also provides a rich training ground for
in approximately
medical students, residents, and fellows. During the past
150 research proj-
two years, the VAMC increased its support for graduate
ects at the VAMC,
medical education by 14% and will provide an additional
which ranks consis-
2% next year.
tently near the top
In all, more than 400 Emory investigators are engaged
10 of VA centers
in approximately 150 research projects at the VAMC, which
in research dollars
ranks consistently near the top 10 of VA centers in research
received.
dollars received. Among the researchers who thrive there
is David Guidot, director of the Emory Alcohol and Lung Biology Center (see the story
about his research on page 8). The VAMC is also home to top research centers in geriatrics,
HIV/AIDS, and rehabilitation medicine. Their work is complex but their goal is
simple: to serve the nation’s heroes today and improve health care for past, present, and
future veterans.
Several years ago, the bridge that once joined our campuses was removed. This summer,
VAMC director James Clark and I were among those who dedicated a new bridge
over Peachtree Creek that once again links us. Designed to blend with its natural environs,
the suspension bridge makes our campuses more pedestrian friendly. But for those of us
in the School of Medicine, the bridge takes on deeper significance as physicians, scientists,
residents, students, and others cross back and forth between our co-joined worlds and
with every crossing make a difference in patient care and research, now and in the future.
Sincerely,
Thomas J. Lawley
Dean
In Brief
Ramping up health care
Emory has ramped up an earlier plan to expand its
patient care and research facilities.
This summer, the Board of Trustees approved
a $73 million proposal that includes replacing Emory
University Hospital with a new hospital. Two years ago,
Emory announced plans to construct a new Emory Clinic
complex, along with a replacement for Emory Hospital,
to be located and built in phases across Clifton Road
from the hospital’s current site. The new proposal calls for
expanding facilities at Emory
Crawford Long Hospital in
Expansion of the Midtown
Midtown, which was not part
campus includes the addi-
of the 2006 plan.
tion of 125 new hospital
New Clifton Road facili-
beds, a 137,000-square-foot
ties now include a 250-bed
Emory Clinic building, and
hospital, replacing 100 beds
75,000 square feet of new
currently in Emory Hospital
research space.
for a net gain of 150 beds;
a new 395,000-square-foot
Emory Clinic to be built next to the current clinic; a larger
emergency department in the new hospital; and a new
100,000-square-foot research building across from the
Emory-Children’s Center.
Expansion of the Midtown campus includes the addition
of 125 new hospital beds, a 137,000-square-foot
Emory Clinic building, and 75,000 square feet of new
research space.
The new proposal is founded on several years of planning
guided by community input to create a more integrated
approach to health care that can respond nimbly to
patient demand.
From mouse to monkey
Scientists at Yerkes National
Primate Research Center
and the Department of
Human Genetics have
developed the first transgenic
nonhuman primate
model of Huntington’s disease
(HD).
Until now, researchers
used transgenic mice to
study HD, but the models
did not completely parallel
the brain changes and
behavioral features that
characterize people with the
inherited disorder. Patients
experience uncontrolled
movements, loss of mental
processing capabilities, and
emotional disturbances.
“The transgenic monkeys
provide us with unparalleled
opportunities for
assessments that mirror the
ones used with humans,”
says lead researcher
Anthony Chan. “With such
information, much of which
Pediatric powerhouse
Children’s Healthcare of
Atlanta has designated
$430 million from its
endowment to create
a pediatric research
powerhouse involving
Emory, Georgia Tech,
and other research and
academic institutions
in Georgia.
Over time, the
investment will change
the pediatric research
landscape, especially in
areas such as heart disease, oncology, and neuroscience.
Additionally, the partnership will attract top medical talent
and grants as well as prime the pump for start-up
companies to help develop new treatments and vaccines.
The initiative opens the door to further collaboration
between Emory and Children’s. Since 2004, pediatric
researchers, clinicians, and teachers have lived under one
roof in the building that houses the Emory-Children’s
Center (ECC) on the Egleston campus. In 2006, Emory and
Children’s agreed to operate ECC jointly as the largest
pediatric multispecialty group practice in Georgia.
we are obtaining by using
Yerkes’ imaging capabilities,
we are developing a more
comprehensive view of the
disease.”
The researchers believe
their progress bodes well
for developing transgenic
monkey models of other
neurodegenerative diseases,
such as Alzheimer’s and
Parkinson’s. In the case
of HD, such models may
bring hope to the
five to 10 people in every
100,000 who are affected.
Patients succumb to the
disease within 10 to 15
years of symptom onset.
FALL 2008 3