Recipients can use the stipends to pay for protected time to pursue academic work or for additional laboratory assistance. The fellowships, now in their second year, are an important part of HMS's effort to increase the number of women in the higher ranks of the medical faculty. Dean Joseph Martin will host a reception in October for this year's fellows, their department heads, faculty sponsors, and the donors who made the awards possible. The following faculty were appointed to a full professorship in August. Appointments to Full Professor George L. King , Professor of Medicine, Joslin King's laboratory is characterizing the action of protein kinase C and cytokines in vascular cells and their relation to the development of diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, and cardiac vascular disease.
Proteins being studied include insulin, endothelin, and vascular endothelial growth factor.
Based on these results, a specific inhibitor to an isoform of PKC has been designed and is being tested for its usefulness in preventing diabetic vascular disease. J. Philip Kistler , Professor of Neurology, MGH Kistler's research focuses on stroke prevention. He demonstrated the efficacy of warfarin in preventing stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. His ongoing research studies the activity of the hemostatic system, which in some people may be linked to increased stroke risk. M. Charles Liberman , Professor of Otology and Laryngology, MEEI Liberman's work uses a variety of neurophysiological techniques to elucidate the functional significance of the four nerve fiber pathways connecting the inner ear to the brain.