Minnesota - April 2015 Archives

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Recent large-scale genomic analyses have uncovered dozens of common genetic variants that are associated with breast cancer. Each variant, however, contributes only a tiny amount to a person’s overall risk of developing the disease. A Mayo Clinic-led team of international researchers has now combined 77 of these common genetic variants into a single risk factor that can be used to improve the identification of women with an elevated risk of breast cancer. This factor, known as a polygenic risk score, was built from the genetic data of more than 67,000 women. The results of the research are published April 9, 2015, in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI). A companion study has extended this finding to show that this measure of genetic variation can be combined with traditional predictors of breast cancer risk such as breast density and family history to improve personalized estimates of breast cancer risk. Those findings appeared in JNCI last month. MEDIA CONTACT: Joe Dangor, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Fergus Couch are in the downloads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AidVeXTZA8s&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DICF3w7ALjw Burnout is a common problem among U.S. doctors and studies suggest it adversely impacts quality of care and patient satisfaction. Many factors impact how physicians perceive their career. A new study suggests there’s an interesting correlation between physician burnout and the effectiveness of their supervisors. That’s what researchers found at Mayo Clinic when they undertook a large internal study on the satisfaction of physicians and the leadership qualities of their supervisors. The findings appear today in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.  “We found that at the work-group level, 11 percent of the variation in burnout and 50 percent of the variation in satisfaction among physicians was attributable to the leadership behaviors of their supervisor,” says Tait Shanafelt, M.D., Mayo researcher and first author of the study. “The behaviors of physician supervisors have a direct impact on the personal well-being of the physicians they lead.” Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Shanafelt are available in the downloads. Media Contact: Bob Nellis at Mayo Clinic Public Affairs: 507-284-5005 or newsbureau@mayo.edu

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic’s launch of eight new next-generation sequencing (NGS) panels is intended to improve the lives of patients and families living with inherited cardiac conditions by aiding in the diagnosis and management of these complex disorders. These disorders include hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, Noonan syndrome, Marfan syndrome, long QT syndrome, and Brugada syndrome. The tests, which identify inherited variants across numerous genes associated with cardiac disorders, are now available to Mayo Clinic patients and to providers worldwide through Mayo Clinic via Mayo Medical Laboratories. “Genetic testing for inherited cardiac conditions is increasingly supported by professionals in the field as a means to confirm the specific diagnosis for patients, individualize their management, and allow for counseling of at-risk family members,” says Juan Bowen, M.D., director of Mayo Clinic’s Marfan Syndrome and Thoracic Aorta Clinic. “In some of the disorders that we treat, having a specific genetic diagnosis affects important management decisions, such as when to refer for preventive aortic repair.” MEDIA CONTACT: Brent Westra, Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Medical School announced that its expansion plan to establish branch campuses in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Jacksonville, Florida, has received the endorsement of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the national accrediting body for medical education. “We are thrilled with the positive response from LCME,” says Sherine Gabriel, M.D., M.Sc., (retiring) dean of Mayo Medical School and William J. and Charles H. Mayo Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. “This signifies an important step in our transformation to a national medical school and our ability to deliver extraordinary medical education and highly diverse clinical experiences to our students across all campuses.” Originally established in Rochester, Minnesota, in 1972, Mayo Medical School is considered one of the most highly competitive medical schools in the country for admittance. Averaging over 4,700 applications per year, Mayo Medical School traditionally accepts only 50 students per enrolling class. With the opening of the Arizona campus in 2017, this will increase to 50 additional students per year. The expansion of the medical school is a natural next step in its mission to train highly skilled physicians. Notably, Mayo Medical School students routinely match to top residency programs across the country, and 80 percent — more than twice the national average — publish research manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals. Careful planning will maintain another important feature of the school — its high faculty-to-single student ratio. MEDIA CONTACT: Deborah Anderson, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu.