February 2005
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Allied Health Sciences changes from 'division' to 'school' |
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New graduate program |
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Magnetic energy may alleviate symptoms of major depression |
Allied Health Sciences changes from 'division' to 'school'
Baylor College of Medicine's Board of Trustees has approved converting the College's Division of Allied Health Sciences to a School of Allied Health Sciences.
The new 'school' is a central part of the College's education mission of preparing top quality health professionals. Elevating the status to a school aligns Baylor's Allied Health programs with those of other leading academic health centers.
J. David Holcomb, EdD, associate dean for Allied Health Programs, is the school's director.
The school currently includes Master of Science degree programs in Nurse Anesthesia and Physician Assistant Studies. These programs are ranked within the top 10 of programs nationally and have excellent reputations for producing outstanding graduates.
New graduate program
A new program in Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine is designed to train a new generation of PhD researchers whose primary goals and training are oriented towards specific areas in human health research.
This program trains researchers in state-of-the-art techniques and approaches to translational research. This inter-departmental program involves all of the basic and clinical science departments and clinical research centers at Baylor. The program is featured in the February issue of From the Laboratories.
Magnetic energy may alleviate symptoms of major depression
Can magnetic energy help individuals with major depression? A new study will soon find out, according to psychiatrists at Baylor College of Medicine.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive technique that uses repeated short bursts of magnetic energy to stimulate nerve cells in the brain. BCM is one of 16 institutions evaluating TMS as a potential treatment for major depression, a mental illness that affects more than 18 million adults every year. To date, depression treatments have included antidepressants, electroconvulsive therapy and psychotherapy.
"We're excited to be participating in this landmark research for a new antidepressant," said Lauren Marangell, MD, the study's principal investigator and associate professor of psychiatry at BCM. "If proven effective, TMS could signal a radical shift in our approach to treating major depression."
"The amount of energy delivered to the brain is very small and very focused," said Marangell. "The procedure is performed without anesthesia and it does not cause memory loss as is sometimes found with the use of ECT."
The study's sponsor, Neuronetics, Inc., is a medical device company that is focused on developing therapies for psychiatric and neurological disorders by using the energy in magnetic fields.
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