Findings
Houston, Texas
Volume 5, Issue 4
April 2007

Briefs

BCM ranked 10th among medical schools

For the second consecutive year, Baylor College of Medicine has been ranked the 10th best medical school in the country. BCM also ranked in the top 10 percent in all major categories in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey released in March.

Highlights of the annual survey:

BCM, the University of California at San Francisco and the University of Washington are the only medical schools in the country to achieve top 10 percent rankings in both the research and primary care medical school categories and a top 10 percent ranking in their biological sciences programs.

Senate passes DeBakey Gold Medal measure

The U.S. Senate passed a measure introduced by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) to award the Congressional Gold Medal to pioneering cardiovascular surgeon Michael E. DeBakey, M.D., chancellor emeritus of Baylor College of Medicine and director of the DeBakey Heart Center at BCM.

"Dr. DeBakey is a legendary surgeon, teacher and inventor, who has devoted his entire life to the health and well being of others," Hutchison said. "His contributions to society are immeasurable, and many Americans live longer, healthier lives as a result of his commitment to cardiovascular medicine."

The Congressional Gold Medal is the nation's highest and most distinguished civilian award. It is awarded both for singular acts of exceptional service and for lifetime achievement. The U.S. House of Representatives must pass and the president must sign the measure before the medal can be awarded.

Butel receives award for women in cancer research

Janet Butel, Ph.D., chair of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, delivered the Women in Cancer Research-Charlotte Friend Memorial Lectureship April 14 at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting in Los Angeles. Her lecture was titled "Polyomavirus SV40: Insights into viral carcinogenesis."

The lectureship recognized Butel, the Joseph L. Melnick Professor of Virology at BCM, for her fundamental contributions to the biology of tumor viruses, their oncogenic mechanisms and their importance in the infectious etiology of cancer. Butel, program leader in the Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center at BCM, focuses her research on small DNA tumor viruses called polyomaviruses, the structure and function of the viral oncogene proteins and mechanisms of tumor development.

The Women in Cancer Research Council of the AACR established this lectureship in 1998 to honor Charlotte Friend, renowned virologist and discoverer of the Friend virus. The lecture recognizes an outstanding scientist who has made meritorious contributions to the field of cancer research and who has furthered the advancement of women in science.

Wheeler named chair of pathology

Thomas M. Wheeler, M.D., has been named chair of the Department of Pathology at Baylor College of Medicine. He served as interim chair of the department since 2004.

Wheeler graduated from BCM in 1977, completed his residency training at BCM in 1981 and accepted his first faculty appointment at BCM that same year. He has a secondary appointment in urology. In 2001, he was named the Harlan J. Spjut, M.D., Professor of Pathology.

He has held many leadership positions in national organizations and has published more than 250 research papers.