Johns Hopkins Gazette | February 18, 2008
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The newspaper of The Johns Hopkins University February 18, 2008 | Vol. 37 No. 22
 

Weekly Calendar

Colloquia | Film/Video | Lectures | Music | Seminars | Special Events | Theater | Workshops

 

Noted Medical Historian on 'Diagnosing Medical Miracles'


Jacalyn Duffin

Medicine, history and religion come together this week when Jacalyn Duffin presents the 2008 Hideyo Noguchi Lecture, "Diagnosing Medical Miracles: Physicians and Saint-Making in the Vatican." A practicing hematologist, internist and historian, Duffin has held the Hannah Chair of the History of Medicine at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, since 1988. She is the immediate past president of the American Association for the History of Medicine and former president of the Canadian Association of the History of Medicine.

More than 20 years ago, in her capacity as a hematologist, Duffin was asked to read a set of bone-marrow aspirates, without any information about the patient or any clinical details. She found severe acute leukemia, where the patient had experienced a remission, a relapse and another remission. She assumed that the patient was deceased and that her analysis was probably for a lawsuit. Much later she discovered that the patient had been alive and that the recovery had been attributed to the miraculous intervention of Marie-Marguerite d'Youville, a Montreal nun who had died in 1771.

This medical miracle was the capstone in the case for the canonization in 1990 of d'Youville as the first Canadian-born saint in the Catholic Church.

Duffin realized that her analysis was part of the formal testimony for the canonization and would forever reside in the Vatican Secret Archives. As a historian, she became intrigued with the idea of investigating the medical miracles documented in the canonization testimonies and was given access to those archives. Her analysis of the medical aspects of canonization, "Medical Miracles: Doctors, Saints and Healing, 1588-1999," will be published by Oxford University Press.

The Hideyo Noguchi Lecture, endowed in 1929 and sponsored by the Department of the History of Medicine, is the third-oldest lecture series at the School of Medicine. The lecture will be held at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21, in Hurd Hall, East Baltimore campus.

 

Colloquia

Tues., Feb. 19, 4:15 p.m. "Manipulating Metal-Catalyzed Oxidative Stress," a Chemistry colloquium with Katherine Franz, Duke University. 233 Remsen. HW

Thurs., Feb. 21, 3 p.m. "The National Ignition Facility — A Star Is Born?" a Physics and Astronomy colloquium with Bill Goldstein, Lawrence Livermore National Lab. Schafler Auditorium, Bloomberg Center. HW

Fri., Feb. 22, 4 p.m. "An Attributivist Account of Epistemic Justification," a Philosophy colloquium with Marcus Willaschek, University of Frankfurt. 348 Gilman. HW

 

Film/Video

Thurs., Feb. 21, 4 p.m. Screening of the documentary King Corn, followed by a question-and-answer session with director Aaron Woolf. Co-sponsored by the Center for a Livable Future and the International Health Student Group. W1214 SPH (Sheldon Hall). EB

 

Lectures

Wed., Feb. 20, noon. "Howard County to San Francisco: Providing Health Care for All at the Local Level," a Mid-Atlantic Public Health Training Center lecture and webcast by Peter Beilenson, health officer for Howard Co., Md., and Cheryl Fish-Parcham, Families USA. Go to www.jhsph.edu/maphtc to get the URL for the webcast (Real Player required). Co-sponsored by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. W1214 SPH (Sheldon Hall). EB

Wed., Feb. 20, 4 p.m., and Fri., Feb. 22, 8 a.m. "FY07 Emergency Management Program: Lessons Learned/Enhancements," offered by the Office of Emergency Management for department disaster coordinators, management teams, shift coordinators, shift supervisors and others. 1-191 Meyer on Feb. 20 and 201 Billings Administration Building on Feb. 22. EB

Thurs., Feb. 21, 10:30 a.m. "Progress on the Verified Software Grand Challenge," a Computer Science lecture by Bruce Weide, Ohio State University. B17 Computational Science and Engineering Bldg. HW

Thurs., Feb. 21, 4 p.m. The Hideyo Noguchi Lecture — "Diagnosing Medical Miracles: Physicians and Saint-Making in the Vatican" by Jacalyn Duffin, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario. Sponsored by History of Medicine. Hurd Hall. EB

 

Music

Sun., Feb. 24, 5:30 p.m. The Shriver Hall Concert Series presents the Alban Berg Quartet performing music by Haydn, Berg and Schubert. $33 general admission, $17 for students and free for JHU students. Shriver Hall Auditorium. HW

 

Seminars

Mon., Feb. 18, noon. "Signaling Through TRPP2: From Polycystic Kidney Disease to Fly Sperm," a Physiology faculty candidate seminar with Michael Kottgen, SoM. West Lecture Hall. EB

Mon., Feb. 18, noon. "Studying Wound Healing and Inflammation in Mice and Flies and Fish," a Cell Biology seminar with Paul Martin, University of Bristol. Suite 2-200, 1830 Bldg. EB

Mon., Feb. 18, 12:15 p.m. "Molecular Recognition and Molecular Switch Mechanisms," a Carnegie Institution Embryology seminar with Herschel Wade, SoM. Rose Auditorium, 3520 San Martin Drive. HW

Mon., Feb. 18, 3 p.m. "Estimates for Green's Functions of Schrodinger Operators," a Mathematics seminar with Michael Frazier, University of Tennessee. 308 Krieger. HW

Mon., Feb. 18, 3:30 p.m. "Facing the Inevitable: How, Why and With Whom Older Adults Plan for the End of Life," a Center on Aging and Health seminar with Deborah Carr, Rutgers University. Suite 2- 700, 2024 E. Monument St. EB

Mon., Feb. 18, 4 p.m. David Bodian Seminar in Neuroscience — "Neuronal Avalanches and the Organization of Ongoing Cortical Synchrony in the Awake Macaque Monkey" with Dietmar Plenz, NIH. Sponsored by the Krieger Mind/Brain Institute. 338 Krieger. HW

Mon., Feb. 18, 4 p.m. "Effects of Local mRNA Structure on Post-Transcriptional Gene Silencing," a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology seminar with Alan Gewirtz, University of Pennsylvania. W2030 SPH. EB

Mon., Feb. 18, 4:30 p.m. "A Black Box for Homological Stability," a Mathematics seminar with Ben Wieland, Brown University. 302 Krieger. HW

Tues., Feb. 19, noon. "May the Force Be With You: New Perspectives on Cell Adhesion," a Biological Chemistry seminar with Andres Garcia, Georgia Institute of Technology. 612 Physiology. EB

Tues., Feb. 19, 2 p.m. "Experimental Approaches to Rational Strategies for the Prophylaxis and Treatment of Falciparum Malaria," a Graduate Training Program in Clinical Investigation thesis defense seminar with Myaing Nyunt. E6519 SPH. EB

Tues., Feb. 19, 2 p.m. "Breast and Cardiac SPECT Using Rotating-slant Hole Collimator," an Environmental Health Sciences thesis defense seminar with Chi Liu. W7041 SPH. EB

Tues., Feb. 19, 4 p.m. "Lattice Option Pricing by Multidimensional Interpolation," an Applied Mathematics and Statistics seminar with Vladislav Kargin, New York University. 304 Whitehead. HW

Tues., Feb. 19, 4:30 p.m. "Hyper-Symmetric Abelian Varieties," a Mathematics seminar with Ying Zong, University of Pennsylvania. 308 Krieger. HW

Wed., Feb. 20, 10 a.m. "An Investigation of Host Responses to Malaria During Co-infection With Schistosomiasis," a Molecular Microbiology and Immunology thesis defense seminar with Davidson Sangweme. W2033 SPH. EB

Wed., Feb. 20, 10:30 a.m. "The Context, Factors and Pathways Related to Adolescent Sexuality in Lima, Peru," a Population, Family and Reproductive Health thesis defense seminar with Angela Bayer. W4517 SPH. EB

Wed., Feb. 20, noon. "The Indoor Home Environment and Children's Asthma," an Environmental Health Sciences seminar with Gregory Diette, SoM. W7023 SPH. EB

Wed., Feb. 20, 1:30 p.m. "Single Molecule Measurements on Motor Proteins With Nanometer Precision," a Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry seminar with Ahmet Yildiz, University of California, San Francisco. 517 PCTB. EB

Wed., Feb. 20, 3:30 p.m. "Life as a Lipid: Rafts, Dynamics and Interactions," a Materials Science and Engineering seminar with Erin Sheets, Pennsylvania State University. 110 Maryland. HW

Wed., Feb. 20, 4 p.m. "Mechanistic Insights Into Normal and Pathogenic Notch Signaling," a Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences seminar with Stephen Blacklow, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. West Lecture Hall, WBSB. EB

Thurs., Feb. 21, 9:30 a.m. "The Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS Stigma in Chennai, South India," an Epidemiology thesis defense seminar with Carla Zelaya. W2008 SPH. EB

Thurs., Feb. 21, 11 a.m. "Phases, Phase-Transitions and Frustration in Temperature-Sensitive Colloidal Suspensions," a Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering seminar with Arjun Yodh, University of Pennsylvania. 110 Maryland. HW

Thurs., Feb. 21, noon. Randolph Bromery Seminar — "A 100 MillionÐYear Record of Sea-Level Change: Should I Sell My Shore House?" with Ken Miller, Rutgers University. Sponsored by Earth and Planetary Sciences. Olin Auditorium. HW

Thurs., Feb. 21, noon. "A New Model for Hemoglobin Ingestion and Transport by the Human Malaria Parasite Plasmodium falciparum," an Infectious Diseases and Molecular Microbiology and Immunology joint seminar with Theodore Taraschi, Thomas Jefferson University. W2030 SPH. EB

Thurs., Feb. 21, 12:10 p.m. "Where Does Secondary Translation Fit Into the NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program?" a Health, Behavior and Society seminar with Daniel Ford, SoM. Part of the series Translation and Dissemination Research: The Scholarship of Public Health Action. 250 Hampton House. EB

Thurs., Feb. 21, 3 p.m. "Asymptotics and Numerics of Soundproof Models for Atmospheric Flows," a Mechanical Engineering seminar with Rupert Klein, Freie Universitaet, Berlin. 210 Hodson. HW

Thurs., Feb. 21, 4 p.m. "Interpretive Circles — The Case of Qumran," a Humanities Center seminar with Edna Ullmann-Margalit, Hebrew University, Jerusalem. 111 Gilman. HW

Thurs., Feb. 21, 4 p.m. "Portfolio Optimization Under Stochastic Volatility," an Applied Mathematics and Statistics seminar with Andrew Vizcarra, Purdue University. 304 Whitehead. HW

Thurs., Feb. 21, 4 p.m. "Metaplasmonics, Nanocircuits With Light and Wireless Elements at Nanoscales," an Electrical and Computer Engineering seminar with Nader Engheta, University of Pennsylvania. 105 Barton. HW

Fri., Feb. 22, 10 a.m. "The Relationship of Age and Depression: Moderation by Stressful Life Events," a Mental Health thesis defense seminar with Cynthia Jones. E9519 SPH. EB

Fri., Feb. 22, 11 a.m. "Twenty Years of Experimental and DNS Access to the Velocity Gradient Tensor: What Have We Learned About Turbulence?" a CEAFM seminar with James Wallace, University of Maryland. 110 Maryland. HW

Fri., Feb. 22, noon. Framework Program in Global Health Research Presentations — "Management of Diarrheal Disease in Ethiopian Children" with Rishi Mediratta and "Faithfulness in Sexual Relationships: A Qualitative Study in Southern Province, Zambia" with Deborah Sitrin. Sponsored by the Center for Global Health. W3031 SPH. EB

Mon., Feb. 25, 9:30 a.m. "What Do Korean Women With Breast Cancer Look For in Online Communication With Physicians?" a Health, Behavior and Society thesis defense seminar with Juhee Cho. W3031 SPH. EB

Mon., Feb. 25, 10 a.m. "The Relation of Financial Assets and Race/Ethnicity on Cognitive Development of Children That Were Preterm," a Population, Family and Reproductive Health thesis defense seminar with Susan Braid. E4130 SPH. EB

Mon., Feb. 25, 12:15 p.m. "Euthanasia in Belgium: Policy Making and Reform Proposals," a Berman Institute of Bioethics seminar with Raphael Cohen-Almagor, University of Hull. Co-sponsored by Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. W4030 SPH. EB

Mon., Feb. 25, 12:15 p.m. "Feedback Regulation of Cholesterol Synthesis Through ER-associated Degradation of HMG CoA Reductase," a Carnegie Institution Embryology seminar with Russell DeBose- Boyd, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Rose Auditorium, 3520 San Martin Drive. HW

Mon., Feb. 25, 1 p.m. "Rates of Conformance and Factors Associated With Schizophrenia Treatment Recommendations in a Large Metropolitan Behavioral Health System," a Health Policy and Management thesis defense seminar with Steven Lascher. E4013 SPH. EB

Mon., Feb. 25, 2:30 p.m. "Molecular Design of Organometalloenzymes," a special Chemistry seminar with Yoshihito Watanabe, Nagoya University, Japan. 233 Remsen. HW

 

Special Events

Black History Month events. Various locations.

Mon., Feb. 18, 4:30 p.m. "Black Identity," with William Cross, Cornell University, author of Shades of Black: Diversity in African-American Identity. 110 Hodson. HW

Tues., Feb. 19, 4 p.m. "Tales of Enslavement: New Research From Cliveden and the Chew Family Papers," an illustrated lecture by Philip Seitz, Cliveden of the National Trust. $6 general admission, free for JHU Museums members and students. Bakst Theatre, Evergreen Museum and Library.

Tues., Feb. 19, 6 p.m. Showing of the third part of Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. Multipurpose Room, Charles Commons. HW

Wed., Feb. 20, 2 p.m. "African-Americans' Technical Contributions: Past, Present and Future," an APL colloquium with James Turner, National Institute of Standards and Technology. Co-sponsored by the APL Black History Month Committee. Parsons Auditorium. APL

Thurs., Feb. 21, 2 p.m. "Photobiologics and Our Threadbare Social: Imagining a Critical Theory of Trauma," a Center for Africana Studies lecture by Maurice Stevens, Ohio State University. 228 Garland (The President's Boardroom). HW

Thurs., Feb. 21, 4 p.m. Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation, with keynote speaker Patricia Jessamy, Baltimore City state's attorney. Bunting-Meyerhoff Interfaith Center. HW

Fri., Feb. 22, 6 to 8 p.m. Poetry slam at the Den, 3327 St. Paul St.

Sat., Feb. 23, 10 a.m. "The Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the Context of Atlantic Slave Systems," a special lecture by Franklin Knight, KSAS. Sponsored by the Center for Africana Studies. By invitation only; for information go to www.jhu.edu/africana. The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African-American History.

Sun., Feb. 24, 10 a.m. Special church service. Mt. Zion Hill Baptist Church, 4800 Harford Rd.

Mon., Feb. 18 through Fri., Feb. 22. National Engineers Week celebration, honoring the contributions made by engineers throughout history and around the world; featuring lectures, workshops and social events. (See story, "Whiting School celebrates National Engineers Week," in this issue.) Various locations. HW

Mon., Feb. 25, 3 to 5 p.m. Welcome reception for Nobel laureate Peter Agre, with Dean Michael Klag, SPH. Sponsored by the Office of the Dean. E2030 SPH (Feinstone Hall). EB

 

Theater

Fri., Feb. 22, and Sat., Feb. 23, 8 p.m.; Sun., Feb. 24, 2 p.m. Theatre Hopkins opens its 2008 season with Rebecca Gilman's drama Spinning Into Butter. Tickets are $15 and $5 for student rush tickets at curtain time, if space allows. The play runs through March 2. Swirnow Theater, Mattin Center. HW

 

Workshops

Thurs., Feb. 21, 1 p.m. "Intermediate Photoshop Tips," a Center for Educational Resources workshop with Reid Sczerba. Register at www.cer.jhu.edu. Garrett Room, MSE Library. HW

 
Colloquia | Film/Video | Lectures | Music | Seminars | Special Events | Theater | Workshops

 
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