David V. Cossman, M.D., has volunteered to join the surgery rotation of Landstuhl Regional Medical Center at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany from May 10-25...

Shirin Towfigh, M.D., has joined Cedars-Sinai as director of the Medical Student Education Program and as a new faculty member in the Division of General Surgery and the Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery.

Cedars-Sinai Reaches Goal for DVT/VTE Prophylaxis

To prevent DVT and venous thromboembolism (VTE), the Quality Council formed an action team in 2006 to initiate standard DVT/VTE prophylaxis for surgical patients (inpatient only). Since then, Cedars-Sinai has reached its original goal of compliance for DVT prophylaxis administration to surgical patients.

Ongoing Safety Review of Ziagen (Abacavir) and Videx (Didanosine)

The FDA has issued an Early Communication about recent findings of the Data Collection on Adverse Events of Anti-HIV Drugs Study, which indicate a higher risk of heart attack in patients infected with HIV-1 who were taking Ziagen (abacavir) or Videx (didanosine).

$5 Million Gift Supports Women's Cardiovascular Research & Education

The Barbra Streisand Women's Cardiovascular Research and Education Program at Cedars-Sinai has been created with a philanthropic gift of $5 million from Barbra Streisand.

"Cardiovascular disease is the leading killer of women," says Eduardo Marbán, M.D., Ph.D., Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute director. "It kills nearly 500,000 women in the U.S. each year, more than all cancers combined. The medical system has failed to recognize female-pattern heart attack symptoms; current testing and treatments are geared toward male physiology."

New Books Added to the Medical Library

Click here to access the list of new books and journals added to the collection of the Medical Library during January - March 2008. Those marked MAIN BOOK or NEW BOOK are available for check-out.

Web/VS Status Indicators

Web/VS displays real-time status information at the bottom of the login page for the interfaces between each of the major source systems and the Clinical Data Repository (CDR). Each indicator represents data from a specific application. Based on the flow of the data from the source system, either a green, yellow or red indicator will display.

The colors are represented as follows:

• Green: The link from the source system is up-to-date; the data being displayed by Web/VS is current.
• Yellow: The link from the source system is operating, but delayed. If a result cannot be found in Web/VS, consider contacting the department performing the study.
• Red: The link from the source system is severely delayed or not operational. Contact the department performing the study for recent results.

David Frishberg, M.D., is a relative newcomer to Cedars-Sinai, having joined the medical center in the dual roles of director of Surgical Pathology and director of Dermatopathology in 2006.

Save the Date - May 5

24th Annual Yom Ha'Shoah Commemoration

Monday, May 5
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Harvey Morse Auditorium

A boxed lunch is available at 11:30 a.m. Seated is limited so please plan to arrive on time.

"Transplantation Stories" Photo Exhibit: April 21-25

Bioethics Noon Conference: April 23

Private Tour of New Broad Contemporary Art Museum: May 14

6th Annual Physician Basketball Game: May 18

Won any awards or had an article accepted for publication? Share your news about professional achievements and other items of interest by clicking on the link below to e-mail the Chief of Staff's office.

E-mail Chief of Staff's Office