Edith Mitchell, M.D., clinical professor of Medicine and Medical Oncology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, was honored with the 2009 National Medical Association Council on Concerns of Women Physicians Pfizer Research Award.

The award is given to a woman who has made outstanding contributions to clinical or academic medicine. It was presented at the Muriel Petioni, M.D. Awards Luncheon, which took place at the National Medical Association Convention in Las Vegas in July. Female physicians who strive to eliminate health care disparities and provide quality health care to minorities are honored.

“This is a great honor as there are so many women physicians who are also deserving of this award,” said Dr. Mitchell, who is also Associate Director for Diversity Programs at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson.

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Thomas Kowalski, MD is an associate professor of medicine and Medical Director of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Jefferson Digestive Disease Institute. He has been named one of the area’s Top Doctors by Philadelphia magazine.

Question: Recently, I had a CT scan for something totally unrelated, and an abnormality in my pancreas was found. My doctor says I need an endoscopic ultrasound for further evaluation. What is this procedure?

Answer: Your experience is not unusual -- abnormalities of the pancreas are often discovered on standard imaging studies. In fact, one-quarter of the population over 60 years has some abnormality of the pancreas that may need further evaluation for a possible precancerous lesion.

Endoscopic ultrasound, considered one of the best imaging procedures of the pancreas, provides high-resolution images of the entire pancreas. It allows the doctor to perform a needle biopsy -- the removal of tissue or fluid for examination under a microscope of any abnormality. The procedure is both safe and accurate.

We are pleased to announce that Jefferson has recently received Advanced Certification from The Joint Commission in:

• Stroke (Primary Stroke Center)
• Ventricular Assist Device

And Certification in:

• Joint Replacement - Hip
• Joint Replacement - Knee

Jefferson has also received a renewal of its designation as a Chest Pain Center from The Society of Chest Pain Centers. To earn this designation, the Chest Pain Center demonstrated expertise in eight key areas:

• Emergency Department integration with the Emergency Medical System
• Emergency assessment of patients with symptoms of possible Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) (timely diagnosis and treatment of ACS)
• Assessment of patients with low risk for ACS and no assignable cause for their symptoms
• Process improvement
• Personnel, competencies, and training
• Organizational structure and commitment
• Functional facility design 
• Community outreach

Whether you’re getting a new knee or a new hip, preparing for surgery is essentially the same. So are the actual joint replacement procedures – each of which typically takes less than an hour. Even so, there are some differences in recovery.

With the caveat that every patient and situation is different, we asked William Hozack, MD, Director of Joint Replacement for the Rothman Institute at Jefferson, to explain what patients can generally expect as they recover.

As Dr. Hozack notes, knee and hip replacement surgeries have some important differences.

“In general, pain management techniques seem to be more effective with the hip than with the knee,” Dr. Hozack says. “With a hip replacement, patients often don’t need narcotics while they’re in the hospital. They can be out of bed the same day, out of the hospital two days after surgery, and walking on a cane within a week.”

What’s more, those with a new hip don’t always need structured physical therapy. Day-to-day movement and activities typically provide for a smooth transition.

With knee replacement, Dr. Hozack says that managing pain is a greater challenge: “With patients who have had a knee replaced, we usually have to use narcotics to manage the pain,” he explains. “We also find that the patients themselves need to work harder and do more active forms of physical therapy.”