The Brady Centennial: “Diamond Jim” Brady

James "Diamond Jim" Buchanan Brady

One hundred years ago, the Brady Urological Institute opened its doors to patients. The funding for the institute came to Hugh Hampton Young as a gift from James "Diamond Jim" Buchanan Brady. Brady was a wealthy railroad tycoon who sought treatment for prostatic disease at Johns Hopkins.  His story is told in this blog.

Diamond Jim was born in New York City in 1856 to a modest household. Through a number of employment opportunities he worked himself into the railroad industry, starting first with the New York Central Railroad and gaining prominence with Manning, Maxwell and Moore (a railroad supply company), the Pressed Steel Car Company, and Vice President of the Standard Steel Company.

 
Diamond Jim had a passion for fine clothes, expensive jewelry, women and food. A NY Times article in 2008 detailed the enormity of a typical Brady diet (see picture). He is rumored to have been the first owner of an automobile in New York City (1895). His long time girlfriend was Lillian Russell, a well-known actress and singer of the times. He garnished himself and Lillian in an extensive jewelry collection – conservatively estimated to be worth $2 million at that time!

Diamond Jim also suffered from obstructive uropathy. As Diamond Jim was obese, diabetic and in poor general health, a number of hospitals in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia turned him away from open prostate surgery (the treatment of choice at the time for benign prostatic hyperplasia, BPH). Hugh Hampton Young had developed his "punch" procedure, a transurethral surgery for BPH and precursor to the modern TURP (transurethral resection of the prostate), and successfully treated Diamond Jim. Diamond Jim was so grateful he contributed $200k "for a building in which the laboratory and experimental side should play a very important role, and in which clinical material, public and private, outpatient and inpatient could be used for study, research and advancement in the field of urology."

The legacy of Diamond Jim lives on in the Brady Urological Institute which turns 100 years old this month.









Read more about Diamond Jim at:

The Brady Centennial Website:
http://urology.jhu.edu/centennial/

Diamond Jim Brady, The New York Times.

Diamond Jim Brady, Wikipedia.

James "Diamond Jim" Brady: Honored Gourmandizer

"Whether True or False, a Real Stretch," by DAVID KAMP. New York Times, Published: December 30, 2008

A Social Media Experiment in Childrens’ Urinary Tract Infections

It has been reported that the incidence of urinary tract infections (UTI) in children younger than 6 years is 3-7% for girls and 1- 2% for boys.

Studies on UTIs are important because the disease not only causes acute illness, but can also result in long-term complications such as hypertension and reduced renal function. One of the many challenges in the treatment and prevention of UTIs is the rising rate of antibiotic-resistant bacteria due to the widespread use of antibiotics.

Dr. Ming-Hsien Wang

Dr. Ming-Hsien Wang is an Assistant Professor of Pediatric Urology at Johns Hopkins, whose research focus is on children with urinary tract infections, a common infection in infants and young children.  Dr. Wang is collaborating with other Johns Hopkins faculty to study how infections develop in the urinary tract and establish safer protocols for the evaluation of children with UTIs. Read more about Dr. Wang's research and previous studies by reading the blog, "Is a DMSA Scan Necessary for UTI in Children?" 

With the reduction in national funding for medical research, especially in pediatric medical research, Dr. Wang is working through gofundme.com – a "crowdfunding" resource, to further her work on pediatric UTI. Crowdfunding was made most popular by websites like kickstarter.com. However, kickstarter.com is designed for entry-level venture capitalism and for-profit companies. Sites like gofundme.com are designed strictly for non-profit organizations like Johns Hopkins and researchers like Dr. Wang. 

To complete this important work, Dr. Wang is relying on the support of men and women who deeply care about the health and well-being of all children. If you have interest in funding Dr. Wang's research, please click here: http://www.gofundme.com/h45avw.

Schaeffer Named Inaugural Evensen Professor

R. Christian B. Evensen doesn't have prostate cancer anymore, and many men in his shoes would prefer never to think about the prostate again. Instead, Evensen has become one of the best friends the Brady Urological Institute has ever had. He has given his time and generous support as of the charter founders of the Patrick C. Walsh Prostate Cancer Research Fund; served as a lay member on the committee that awards the Patrick C. Walsh Prostate Cancer Research Scholarships; as Chair of the Johns Hopkins Prostate Cancer Advisory Board; and now, he has endowed a professorship.

 
"What Chris has done is remarkable," says Patrick Walsh, M.D., University Distinguished Service Professor of Urology. "This professorship means so much to us at the Brady, because he not only has benefitted from the research and clinical discoveries we have made, he wants to help other men beat this disease, and he's helping to make this possible by supporting one of our finest clinicians and scientists."

 

R. Christian B. Evensen, Alan W. Partin
and Edward M. Schaeffer.

The inaugural recipient of the R. Christian B. Evensen Professorship, dedicated in June, is Edward M. Schaeffer, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Urology and Oncology. "I am honored to be the R. Christian B. Evensen Professor," says Schaeffer, "and I am inspired by the confidence that Chris Evensen has shown in the work we are doing."

 
Schaeffer, who directs the Brady's Prostate Cancer Program, is also Co-Director of the Prostate Cancer Multidisciplinary Clinic and Director of International Urologic Services. "Ted Schaeffer exemplifies the mission of the Brady Urological Institute by seamlessly combining surgical acumen and scientific discovery," says Walsh, who recruited Schaeffer to the Brady 13 years ago. "The central theme of his research involves understanding the clinical, biologic and molecular features of the most aggressive types of prostate cancer." Schaeffer's work is supported by the NIH, the Howard Hughes Institute, the Department of Defense, and the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

 
In laboratory work, Schaeffer has developed several novel approaches to finding how prostate cancer starts at the molecular level. He is particularly interested in understanding the basic processes that determine and drive aggressive prostate cancer, and in helping the men at highest risk of developing this most dangerous form of the disease. His most recent work on disparities in outcomes for African Americans with prostate cancer was honored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology with a 2013 Clinical Cancer Advance award. Schaeffer has also been awarded the American Urological Association's Astellas "Rising Star" award and the Howard Hughes Cilnician-Scientist Early Careers Award. He has written more than 120 peer-reviewed papers and has edited and contributed to multiple medical textbooks.

 
Evensen is the Founding and Managing Partner of Flintridge Capital Investments, an algorithmic trading firm, and Flintridge Capital Technologists, which develops these technologies. He is a Trustee of Johns Hopkins Medicine, where he is a member of the Finance Committee and Investments Subcommittee; a board member of Johns Hopkins Medicine International International; and also a board member of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, where he is the Chair of the Discovery and Translation Committee and the Development Committee; and a board member of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Norway. He and his wife, Felicia Evensen, have six children.

Patrick C. Walsh introduces Edward M. Schaeffer as the inaugural recipient of the
R. Christian B. Evenson Professorship in Urology.

Santoro Foundation Golf Outing Raises Funds & Awareness for Prostate Cancer

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Not only does Prostate Cancer Awareness Month afford the opportunity to spread knowledge about prostate cancer to the public, but it also affords the opportunity to reflect on the many great people and families touched by this disease. In this blog, we would like to share the story of Alfred "Gus" Santoro III and The Santoro Foundation.

Shortly after his diagnosis in 2004, Gus Santoro underwent surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital to treat his prostate cancer. Gus and his son, Alfred "Fred" Santoro IV, played golf together every summer.  However, that summer – as Gus recovered from surgery – they could not play together. So Fred and his friends played a round of golf in Gus's honor. That round of golf turned into an annual event and the Santoro Foundation in 2006.

Fortunately, Gus remains cancer-free with an excellent quality of life ten years after his diagnosis. Gus credits the eradication of his cancer on annual check-ups and early detection of his disease. Therefore, The Santoro Foundation was started to raise public awareness regarding funding, research, treatment and breakthroughs in the fight against prostate cancer. Funds from the foundation are directed specifically to prostate cancer research and treatment facilities, to increase awareness of prostate cancer, and to recognize selfless people in the community. The Santoro Foundation offers academic scholarships to high school and college students who are active in their communities and giving of their time to help others.

The marquis event of the Santoro Foundation is the annual GUS OPEN charity golf tournament, played every year at The Club at Shannondell outside of Philadelphia. In addition to being an extremely fun event, the golf outing raises funds for prostate cancer research and raises awareness in the community to encourage men to see their doctors for regular check-ups. A full round of golf is followed by a family style dinner and charity auction that features golf and Philadelphia sports franchise memorabilia.

The majority of funds raised by the GUS OPEN are donated to the Brady Urological Institute and each year, the Brady sends a foursome to play in the tournament. Phillip M. Pierorazio, MD, has played in the tournament each of the last four years, "The Gus Open is one of my favorite Brady events of the year. The Santoro's are tremendous in their giving spirit and charitable efforts. It's an honor every year to play golf with them, to speak to their friends and family members about prostate cancer and to thank them for the funds that enable our research."

Adam Kern, Fred Santoro, Gus Santoro, Phillip Pierorazio and Debasish Sundi
at the Santoro Golf Outing, 2012.

Fred Santoro recently told The Alternative Press, "Ever year, doctors form John Hopkins come up, and my family and I have been invited to go down to John Hopkins to participate in their fundraisers, too. Though we are pretty small, our average donation is $5- to 6,000 to John Hopkins, and I'm sure they receive $10,000, $100,000 from other donors, but they treat us like any other donor. They send doctors up to play; they see what we need. They're very supportive."

"It's a good thing we're better at prostate cancer research and treatment than we are at golf," Pierorazio jokes.

The Gus Open is held every year at the end of the summer. You can read more about Fred's interview and the Santoro Foundation at: 
http://thealternativepress.com/towns/lower-providence/articles/santoro-foundation-to-host-saturday-golf-outing

You can support the Santoro Foundation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SantoroFoundation





 

 

Septembeard Kicks off National Prostate Health Month at Hopkins

September is National Prostate Health Month and designates a month to increase the awareness of prostate health, provide public health screenings, educate patients and loved ones about prostate issues, and offers a chance to advocate for research and improvements in the way we treat prostate issues.   A number of organizations rally throughout the month of September to meet these goals.  The SEPTEMBEARD (www.septembeard.org) organization was founded in 2011 with the goal to eradicate prostate cancer.  By growing a beard, men around the world can raise awareness, raise funds for research and participate in the fight against prostate cancer.  Check out the Official Septembeard music video below.

The organization was created by Art Wagner, a sales and marketing executive, who was diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer.  Mr. Wagner's father had been diagnosed and treated for the disease several years previously.  Therefore, Mr. Wagner set out to raise funds to eradicate prostate cancer before future generations would have to deal with what he and his father endured.  Septembeard generates funds for the best prostate cancer research programs in the United States.

The Johns Hopkins Prostate Cancer Team is fortunate to be one of seven, outstanding research institutions to be funded by Septembeard.  Johns Hopkins has a long history of leadership in diagnosing, treating, and conducting groundbreaking research for prostate cancer.  Notable contributions made by researchers at Johns Hopkins include:

• The radical retropubic prostatectomy was developed by Dr. Patrick C. Walsh at the Brady Institute.  
• The first prostate cancer gene was identified at John Hopkins.  
• The Partin Tables and Han Tables, widely used to predict prostate cancer’s stage and likelihood of recurrence, were developed by our team.  
• Hopkins houses the only urology robotics laboratory in the country. 

Last year's efforts funded a project titled, “Study of Clonal Heterogeneity Among Prostate Cancer Circulating Tumor Cells.” This study is led by Michael Gorin, MD and Research Year Resident at the Brady Urological Institute.  Dr. Gorin is currently sequencing the genome of circulating prostate cells to determine how these cells leave the prostate and develop metastases.

The concept of Septembeard is relatively simple.  Men form teams, grow beards and compete to raise money which is shared among the research institutions.  The team from Hopkins is named Team Hopkins Beards of The Brady and donations can be made at: http://septembeard.org/team/2015/.  In addition, a variety of merchandise is available at the Septembeard.org website (https://septembeard.org/store/) - all proceeds fund research at the elite prostate cancer research centers.

The Brady Residents and members of TEAM HOPKINS BEARDS OF THE BRADY on September 2nd, as Septembeard gets underway.  Support the Brady and Septembeard at: http://septembeard.org/team/2015/ 

There are a number of ways to get involved:

• Visit the SEPTEMBEARD website (www.septembeard.org)
• Or the Septembeard Facebook Site (https://www.facebook.com/Septembeard)
• Create a team and grow a beard
• Donate to an existing team (Team Hopkins Beards of The Brady)
• Check out the merchandise  (https://septembeard.org/store/)
• Spread the word!!!

We thank you for your support and look forward to another great year as we get closer to eradicating prostate cancer!!!

The Inaugural R. Christian B. Evensen Professorship

R. Christian B. Evensen, Alan W. Partin
and Edward "Ted" Schaeffer

June 9th was an eventful day for the Brady Urological Institute as we dedicated our newest endowed professorship, a milestone in the life of any academic medical department.  Over 100 family members, faculty, patients and staff gathered in the Welch Medical Library to honor Dr. Edward “Ted” Schaeffer as the inaugural R. Christian B. Evensen Professor and to thank Chris Evensen for his leadership support of the Brady Institute’s prostate cancer research program.  Johns Hopkins University President Ron Daniels accepted the professorship from Dr. Paul Rothman, The Frances Watt Baker, M.D. and Lenox D. Baker, Jr., M.D. Dean of the Medical Faculty and Chief Executive Officer of Johns Hopkins Medicine.  Dr. Alan Partin, the David Hall McConnell Professor and Director of the Brady Urological Institute, and Dr. Patrick Walsh, University Distinguished Professor of Urology, introduced Dr. Schaeffer and Mr. Evensen during the ceremony. The ceremony was followed by a dinner for Mr. Evensen, Dr. Schaeffer, and their guests.

At The Johns Hopkins University, endowed professorships are especially important to our ongoing mission of teaching, research, and patient care, Recognized as the highest honor Johns Hopkins Medicine can bestow upon a member of our faculty, the men and women who hold endowed professorships conduct some of our most significant research, attract bright and dedicated students, and bring considerable prestige to the Johns Hopkins name. The R. Christian B. Evensen Professorship marks the Brady Institute’s tenth endowed professorship.

Dr. Alan Partin introduces Edward "Ted" Schaeffer
and R. Christian B. Evensen at the Inaugural Ceremony.

Dr. Schaeffer is an international leader in the field of prostate cancer research and a fitting recipient of this honor. He recognized his family, including a grandfather who died of prostate cancer, as playing a critical role in his career and in his success as a prostate cancer researcher and surgeon.  Chris Evensen, an energetic advocate for the advancement of prostate cancer research efforts at the Brady and throughout the world, developed his own passion for the cause after he himself was diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer.  Both men embody the powerful positive impact that so often grows from intensely personal encounters with this disease.

Prior to the professorship dedication The Johns Hopkins Prostate Cancer Advisory Board met at Johns Hopkins. Presentations to the board included a “State of the Union” update from Dr. Partin, an introduction to the inHealth (Individualized Health) Initiative at Hopkins by Dr. Scott L. Zeger, and an update on Minimally Invasive Surgical Techniques from Dr. Mohamad Allaf. Dr. Sam Denmeade also introduced the board to the “Trojan Horse” approach to treating prostate cancer, followed by Dr. Phil Pierorazio’s report on the Brady’s growing use of social media and Dr. Ken Pienta’s presentation on ongoing work in curing localized prostate cancer. The presentations proved inspiring: by the end of the day, the board had raised an impressive $125,000 among its members to support research efforts at the Brady.

Bladder Cancer Institute to Open at Hopkins

Approximately 75,000 people are diagnosed with urothelial cancer of the bladder each year.[1]  It is estimated that nearly 300,000 people are walking around right now with bladder cancer in a variety of stages and that the annual costs of bladder cancer care approach $4 billion in the United States.  However, bladder cancer receives very little media coverage, public attention and subsequently, little funding exists for bladder cancer research relative to other malignancies.  There is therefore a definite need for a focused, comprehensive research program to improve our understanding and treatment of bladder cancer.

To meet this need, Baltimore-area commercial real estate developer Erwin L. Greenberg and his wife Stephanie Cooper Greenberg have pledged a $15 million gift through the Erwin and Stephanie Greenberg Foundation to create the Johns Hopkins Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute. Their gift is the largest bladder cancer research gift ever given to Johns Hopkins and is part of a $45 million co-investment with Johns Hopkins University that will support a multidisciplinary team from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.  Beneficiaries of the gift include faculty and researchers from the Brady Urological Institute, Departments of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, and Departments of Oncology, Pathology and Surgery.  Leaders of this team include:

Alan W. Partin, Director of the Brady
and Theodore DeWeese, Chair of
Radiation Oncology

BRADY UROLOGICAL INSTITUTE

• Trinity J. Bivalacqua, MD, PhD, Director of Urologic Oncology 

• Alan W. Partin, MD, PhD, Chairman, Professor and Director of Urology

RADIATION ONCOLOGY

• Theodore DeWeese, MD, PhD, Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences

MEDICAL ONCOLOGY

• Charles G. Drake, MD, PhD 

• Noah Hahn, MD  

According to Johns Hopkins officials, no other institution in the world houses a collaborative program with this expansive scope and intensive focus on bladder cancer. The Institute will begin formal operations in 2014.

William Nelson, MD, PhD

“We are so very grateful to the Greenbergs for this transformational gift, which supports our shared vision of saving lives with an institute dedicated to developing innovative research and treatments for bladder cancer patients,” says William Nelson, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Kimmel Cancer Center.

“Bladder cancer is not as well-known among the general public as other cancers,” says Theodore R. DeWeese, M.D. “This new institute will provide needed resources to increase awareness, education, and new research and treatments related to this disease.”

Trinity J. Bivalacqua, MD, PhD, shares, "We have an incredible history and clinical experience at Hopkins treating many, many patients with bladder cancer.  We also participate in world-class research to improve our understanding and treatment of the disease.  With the start of the Greenberg Institute, we have the ability to be true world leaders in the treatment, research and delivery of care to the many patients with bladder cancer."

“Stephanie and I have been committed to cancer programs for many years. We recognize that there are many ways we could focus our resources but wanted to concentrate on one of the least supported cancers. We’re excited to be part of creating a comprehensive bladder cancer initiative that will bring new resources for patients and could ultimately save thousands of lives,” says Erwin Greenberg.

Portions of this blog, specifically quotes, were extracted from "$45 Million Co-Investment to Fund Johns Hopkins Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute" from Johns Hopkins Medicine. http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/45_million_co_investment_to_fund_johns_hopkins_greenberg_bladder_cancer_institute

May is national bladder cancer awareness month. Learn more about bladder cancer signs, symptoms and current treatment options at the Brady Urological Institute Website and from prior blog entries.

[1] American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2014. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2014.