Oct. 31, 2006
FAIRFAX, Va., October 31, 2006 — George Mason University’s Naomi Lynn Hurwitz Gerber, researcher in the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS), has recently partnered with colleagues at Inova Fairfax Hospital to better understand the physical and psychological affects of liver disease. The team hopes their findings will eventually help to improve both the general quality of life and activity level of those suffering.
The research, currently underway, consists of three independent joint clinical trials with Inova Fairfax Hospital designed to focus on helping those suffering from various forms of liver disease – from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease to hepatitis C – lessen the impact of the disease on their individual lives.
“The partnership allows for a unique collaboration in the treatment of diseases,” said Shirley Travis, dean of CHHS. “We have a physician from Inova partnering with Dr. Gerber, who is a specialist in rehabilitation medicine and a clinical scientist. We have a team working on disease diagnosis and management as well as preventing physical decline and restoring any functional loss due to the disease. This is truly a comprehensive approach to patient management that will have applications to other diseases and chronic health conditions.”
Gerber’s work specifically focuses on better understanding how people function when they have various forms of liver disease. Her research will investigate both the origin of commonly-seen symptoms such as fatigue and decline in physical function, as well as the root causes (such as sleeplessness, weakness, and depression) in order to improve patients’ quality of life.
“In short, this research will help us better understand the symptoms by studying the performance and physiology of liver disease patients,” said Gerber. “For example, if we have two patients with the same diagnosis, they may have two different levels of functional activity. This may be due to a variety of things, including their overall health, their prior level of physical activity, and even their motivational level. We’re really doing a scientific investigation to evaluate physical function and assess what contributes to or is a barrier to people doing well.”
Gerber hopes the team’s research will eventually result in the creation of an assessment tool that can be administered quickly and reliably in a doctor’s office. The assessment will help screen liver disease patients so physicians can identify functional level and treatment options that may be effective in preventing disability or restoring functional ability. These treatments are likely to be aimed at controlling pain, insomnia, treating weakness, increasing physical stamina, among others.
Gerber added, “We hope that by understanding the abnormalities of function, we can better treat the whole patient. We’re seeking to give people with liver disease the basic building blocks, where they are able to do what they want to do in terms of physical performance and consequently feel satisfied with their level of activity and their lives.”
Gerber previously served as chief of the Rehabilitation Medicine Department at the NIH Clinical Center. She is board certified in internal medicine, rheumatology, physical medicine, and rehabilitation. Gerber’s clinical expertise includes rehabilitation of patients with rheumatic diseases and cancer, management of children with musculoskeletal syndromes, and foot and ankle management.
The author or coauthor of more than 100 publications, Gerber received her BA from Smith College and her MD from Tufts University Medical School. She trained in internal medicine at the New England Medical Center, Boston; in rheumatology in the Arthritis and Rheumatism Branch, NIAMS, NIH; and in physical medicine and rehabilitation at George Washington University. Gerber is frequently sought after as a speaker on rehabilitation science to national and international audiences.
About the College of Health and Human Services
With a 30-year history, CHHS has received sustained and widespread support of its academic programs from the greater Northern Virginia health care community and from graduates. Many programs in the college are widely acclaimed for their innovation and quality. For the past 10 years, the graduate nursing program has consistently been ranked among the top 50 programs in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report.
About George Mason University
George Mason University has the largest total student enrollment in Virginia and is the fifth-largest residential institution in the state. Located near Washington, D.C., in the heart of Northern Virginia’s technology corridor, George Mason boasts the first doctoral programs in bioinformatics, computational science and conflict resolution, and its economics program is the only one in the world with two Nobel Prize recipients. Founded in 1979, Mason’s School of Law is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top 50 law schools in the United States.
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