New England Journal Editor-In-Chief Drazen to Launch Chancellor's Health Policy Lecture Series on Ap

Jeffrey M. Drazen

UCSF Chancellor Mike Bishop will inaugurate his Chancellor's Health Policy Lecture Series on Wednesday, April 19, by introducing Jeffrey M. Drazen, MD, editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, as the first in a series of guests to address the campus community. Drazen's lecture is titled "COX-2 Inhibitors: Compass Lost in Translation from Bench to Bedside - the VIOXX Story." He will speak in Cole Hall, 513 Parnassus Ave., from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 19. The event is free and open to the public. The Chancellor's Series has been established to bring to the campus several times per year a major figure in health policy to raise awareness in the UCSF community of the important health policy issues of the day. In addition to his public lecture, Drazen will meet throughout the day with leaders of the schools and UCSF Medical Center, as well as friends of the University. "The rationale for the series is that all the activities represented within the UCSF community (scholarship, education, clinical service, community outreach) exist within a complicated and turbulent health policy context," said Steven Schroeder, MD, chair of the series planning committee. "For example, the costs of medical care now account for 15 percent of the gross domestic product and are a major cause of labor disputes, state budget crises, and debates over Medicare coverage and malpractice reform. In addition, 45 million people in the United States lack health insurance, a number predicted to grow in the years to come. "And many of today's biomedical scientific endeavors, such as stem cell research, have been embroiled in political controversy because of different perspectives on the ethical aspects of such work; and the size, distribution and proper education of the health professional work force are under active debate, in part because so many clinicians are dissatisfied with their work." The series is organized by a committee with representatives from each of the schools and from UCSF Medical Center. The committee includes:
  • John Featherstone, MSc, PhD, professor of Preventive and Restorative Dental Sciences, director of the Program in Biomaterials, Biophysical Sciences and Engineering, UCSF School of Dentistry
  • Charlene Harrington, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor of sociology and nursing, School of Nursing; director, UCSF Health Policy in Nursing Doctoral Nursing Program; director, UCSF National Center for Personal Assistance Services
  • Mary Anne Koda-Kimble, PharmD, dean, UCSF School of Pharmacy, professor of Clinical Pharmacy; Thomas J. Long Endowed Chair in Chain Pharmacy Practice
  • Mark R. Laret, chief executive officer, UCSF Medical Center
  • Harold S. Luft, PhD, Caldwell B. Esselstyn Professor of Health Policy and Health Economics, director, Institute for Health Policy Studies at UCSF
  • Nancy Milliken, MD, vice dean, UCSF School of Medicine, director, UCSF National Center of Excellence in Women's Health
  • Steven A. Schroeder, MD, Distinguished Professor of Health and Health Care; director, Smoking Cessation Leadership Center
  • Eugene Washington, MD, executive vice chancellor
To contact the Chancellor's Health Policy Lecture series, by email. Source: Janet Basu, News Services Links: For more information about Drazen's lecture, see his editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine