Selected Mayo Clinic Accomplishments for 2006

Friday, March 16, 2007

Patient care

* Mayo Clinic collaborated with Gamma Medica and GE Healthcare to develop a diagnostic device that is sensitive enough to detect breast tumors as tiny as one-fifth of an inch in diameter.

* A Mayo Clinic team developed a new medical device that helps patients control their breathing when undergoing computed tomographic (CT) fluoroscopy-guided biopsies. The Interactive Breath-hold Control — the first medical device of its kind — allows physicians to more rapidly and accurately diagnose patients, reducing the need for a more invasive surgical biopsy.

* Mayo Clinic radiology researchers developed a new technique for using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to accurately measure the hardness or elasticity of the liver. Initial tests show this technology — called MR Elastography (MRE) — holds great promise for detecting liver fibrosis, a common condition that can lead to incurable cirrhosis if not treated in time.

* Mayo Medical Laboratories began offering a new genetic test to help physicians nationwide identify patients who are likely to have side effects from drugs commonly used to treat depression. Results of the test can help physicians determine the best treatment for patients.

* Radiologists and radiation oncologists at Mayo Clinic began using tiny glass bubbles filled with radioactive material to deliver high doses of tumor-killing radiation directly to liver tumors.

* In March, Mayo Clinic announced a new community outreach initiative in Jacksonville called "Live Well. Think Well." This program was created to educate African-Americans about healthy brain aging and memory disorders.

* In October, Mayo Clinic reached the one-year milestone of completing its first heart transplant in Arizona.

Education

* Mayo Clinic and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, on behalf of the Indian Health Service, formed a collaboration to seek ways to reduce the burden of cancer and other diseases in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

* In May, the first radiation therapy and respiratory care baccalaureate classes graduated from a combined Mayo School of Health Sciences/University of Minnesota program.

* Mayo Clinic partnered with IBM to host a weeklong ExITE camp, which encourages junior high girls to pursue scientific interests and highlights opportunities in engineering and technology.

* Mayo Clinic in Arizona hosted local high school students for its second annual Doc Camp, a program in which students spend time with Mayo Clinic physicians and learn about careers in medicine.

* Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education was granted continued accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Institutional Review Committee.

Research

* A Mayo Clinic researcher discovered a target in malaria-carrying mosquitoes that may aid in development of pesticides that are toxic to some mosquito species but not harmful to mammals. The findings could offer safer and more effective control of mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria.

* An international research collaboration led by Mayo Clinic found strong evidence that a genetic risk factor may account for 3 percent of the cases of Parkinson's disease. The study provides evidence that variations in the alpha-synuclein gene contribute to Parkinson's risk across several populations worldwide.

* Mayo Clinic researchers discovered that combining a common imaging technique with genetic testing nearly doubles the effectiveness of detecting the presence of a potentially deadly, inherited heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

* Mayo Clinic broke ground for a new building in Rochester that will house advanced imaging research. Mayo received a gift of $7 million from The Opus Group, a commercial real estate development and management company, to support the construction of the facility.

* Mayo Clinic researchers took a step to target childhood obesity with the anti-obesity project called "The Classroom of the Future." Researchers monitored children's activity levels in a 'normal' classroom setting and then compared it to activity in the "classroom of the future," where movement is integrated into the children's entire learning experience.

* A Mayo Clinic research team used a simple, noninvasive tool called an arterial tonometer to discover an association between stiffness in arteries, and the presence and amount of coronary artery calcium. This simple test could lead to more accurate assessment of heart disease risk in adults with no symptoms.

Honors and Achievements

* Mayo Clinic ranked as the nation's top performer in quality and accountability measurements in 2006, according to University Health System Consortium.

* The National Institutes of Health selected Mayo Clinic as one of the first recipients of its new Clinical and Translational Science Award. Mayo will receive $72 million over nearly five years.

* Mayo Clinic was again named one of the "Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles" by the National Business Group on Health, a nonprofit organization.

* In May, Mayo Clinic hosted a National Symposium on Health Care Reform, which convened leaders from academia, business, government, health care, media and patient advocacy to discuss real solutions to reform health care.

* MayoClinic.com was recognized for excellence by "Medicine on the Net," a health industry newsletter that covers health care information sites.

* For the third consecutive year, Mayo Clinic was named one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" by Fortune magazine in its annual compilation of companies that "rate high with employees."

* The Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees approved a $50 million expansion of Mayo Clinic Hospital in Arizona.

* Mayo Clinic and the Arizona Parkinson's Disease Consortium were named co-recipients of a $2.8 million, three-year grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation. The grant will support research on the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson's disease.

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