Visit the DOM Annual Report 2012 for a Feature Story (PDF page 7)

Emergency MedicineDr. Charlson, (Executive Director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at Weill Cornell MedicalCollege and William T. Foley Distinguished Professor of Medicine) and Drs. Janey Peterson and CarlaBoutin-Foster had three articles published in JAMA Internal Medicine (formerly Archives of InternalMedicine) in February 2012. Funded by a $9.5 million grant, the papers detail three, randomized trialsrevealing that people can use positive affect and self-affirmation to help them make and sustainbehavior change. The same intervention was used in all three studies. Patients were encouraged tothink of small things in their lives that make them feel good, when they get up in the morning andthroughout their day. Patients were asked to use self affirmation to help them overcome obstacles totheir plan by recalling moments in their lives they are proud of.The three-pronged designed study, which simultaneously tested the same intervention for differentpopulations, was a first for National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded research, and began with anaward to Weill Cornell Medical College in 2002. This intervention development approach is now morebroadly used in the obesity-related behavioral intervention trial (ORBIT) sponsored by the NIH. Thefindings of the three trials is the basis for SCALE for overweight or obese patients. Dr. Charlson andfaculty had two articles which further illuminated the findings of this study, one in the Journal ofConsulting and Clinical Psychologyin September 2012 and another inBMC Medical Research Methodology inNovember 2012.Dr. Boutin-Foster atSPARC, where shereceived a SPARCMentoring ExcellenceAward.Clinical PharmacologyMarcus M. Reidenberg, MDChief, Division of ClinicalPharmacologyProfessor of PharmacologyProfessor of MedicineProfessor of Public HealthWeill Cornell Medical CollegeThe Division of Clinical Pharmacology remains actively involved in the World Health Organization(WHO) Essential Medicines program. This important global effort evaluates, updates and publishesa list of about 300 medicines that address the world’s major medical problems. The program isdesigned to advise countries on which drugs should be considered priority purchases when health careresources are limited. Since 1975, the concept of prioritizing the purchase of essential medicines hasbeen accepted in principle by 156 WHO member states. With student help, Dr. Reidenberg submitted,in 2012, a review of statins for children to be discussed at the Expert Committee meeting in 2013.Dr. Reidenberg is an inventor of a drug to treat some cancers; trials are ongoing. He continuesto advise the present sponsor on further development of this drug. He is also an investigator of astudy to discover a new drug to reduce fatal arrhythmias in patients with heart attacks. “Notes onTherapeutics” on the Weill Cornell Medical College website continues to receive hundreds of visits at:http://www.med.cornell.edu/cert/patients/notes_on_therapeutics.htmlDr. Flomenbaum (second fromleft) with the Toxicology team.34