Andrew J.K. Phillips, PhD, research fellow in the Sleep Medicine Division at BWH, is one of four young researchers chosen as the latest class of Postdoctoral Fellows for The National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI). Funded by NASA, NSBRI studies the health risks related to long-duration spaceflight. The Postdoctoral Fellow program provides young researchers with the opportunity to manage their own space-related biomedical research project while continuing to learn from an experienced faculty mentor. Phillips is working with mentor Elizabeth B. Klerman, MD, PhD, at BWH, on developing a comprehensive model to help astronauts maintain an efficient sleep-wake cycle in space. Fellows receive a $40,000 stipend and funds to cover health insurance and travel to NSBRI-related meetings. Fellows also attend a summer institute in Houston that provides an introduction to NASA Johnson Space Center’s research facilities and programs.

The STRATUS Center for Medical Simulation at BWH has been awarded accreditation as a Level I Comprehensive Education Institute by the American College of Surgeons' (ACS) Program for Accreditation of Education Institutes. After a survey by two ACS surgeons, STRATUS has successfully met the standards and criteria for accreditation for a three year term. Joining approximately 50 other accredited institutes worldwide, STRATUS is officially recognized as part of the network of regional Education Institutes that offer practicing surgeons, surgical residents, medical students, and members of the surgical team a spectrum of educational opportunities.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) has received more than one hundred million dollars in funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), as of January 2010. Signed into law on February 17, 2009, ARRA provided the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with $10.4 billion in extramural funding to help stimulate the US economy through the support and advancement of scientific research.

BWH ranks among the top 20 institutions to receive the most ARRA funding from NIH, with 179 funded projects and counting. The two-year grants awarded to BWH cover a variety of fields in medical research, including projects in sleep medicine, neurology, cardiology, genetics, women’s health and pharmacoepidemiology, among others . 

To access the most current report of all BWH ARRA awardees, visit: http://projectreporter.nih.gov/reporter.cfm. Check the box for NIH Recovery Acts Projects, type Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the Organization box, and click Submit Query.

David Gitlin, MD, director of BWH and Faulkner Hospitals Division of Medical Psychiatry, was elected president of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, a national organization of about 800 psychiatrists that are dedicated to the advancement of medical science, education, and healthcare for patients. Installed as president in November, Gitlin will act as the organization’s chief executive officer and spokesperson. In addition, his duties include leading the academy’s council, executive committee and annual meetings and will be responsible for appointing officers and naming chairs of all standing committees. A member of the academy for 21 years, Gitlin will serve as president for one year.

Jeffrey Karp, PhD, director for the Laboratory for Advanced Biomaterials and Stem Cell based Therapeutics at BWH, has been named the section Editor for Biology Medicine for the journal Nanotechnology, and will join the Editorial Board for the journal Stem Cell Research and Therapy, effective January 1, 2010. Nanotechnology is the first journal dedicated to coverage of all aspects of nanoscale science and technology from a multidisciplinary perspective. Stem Cell Research Therapy is an international peer-reviewed journal that has a special emphasis on basic, translational, and clinical research into stem cell therapeutics and clinical trials.