Monday, August 3, 1998
Community Briefs
Long-time theater professor dies
Theodore Apstein, 80, a theater professor at UCLA for 27 years,
died July 26.
As an adjunct professor in the School of Theater Film and
Television, Apstein taught the masters class in the graduate
playwriting program and retired in 1993. Before coming to UCLA, he
taught at Columbia University and the American Theatre Wing.
Apstein’s credits include over 100 television shows from "Marcus
Welby, M.D." to "The Waltons." He also published a number of plays
and movies including "The Link."
Born in Kiev, Russia on July 3, 1918, Apstein began his studies
in Berlin before moving on to Mexico City, UC Berkeley and the
University of Texas, Austin.
He is survived by his wife of 51 years, five children and 11
grandchildren.
A private memorial service was held Sunday. The Department of
Theater is planning a special memorial service for the fall.
UCLA establishes endowed chair
UCLA now has an endowed chair to study the history of India
before 1800.
One of more than 120 endowed chairs at the university, the Navin
and Pratima Doshi Chair in Pre-Modern Indian History is to be
filled after an international search.
Until an suitable candidate is found, Damodar R. SarDesai, a
professor emeritus from the department of history will hold the
position.
The Doshis donated $500,000 to establish the position.
That money will be invested and the income generated from the
interest will support the teaching and research of the professor.
Appointment terms will be for one to five years.
The Doshis said they hope this will spread awareness and
appreciation for Indian history.
"This gift is our way of giving something back to an outstanding
university," Navin Doshi said in a statement.
Navin Doshi took classes at UCLA, and both his son and daughter
both graduated from the university.
SarDesai said he plans to establish a web site on South Asia,
host a series of lectures on ancient India and raise money for
graduate fellowships in Indian studies.
Blood pressure drug under-prescribed
A study led by a UC San Francisco researcher has indicated that
doctors are drastically under-prescribing life-saving drugs to
patients most in need of them.
The study, published in the August issue of the Journal of the
American College of Cardiology, found that ACE inhibitors are only
given to half of the high-blood pressure patients who most need the
drug.
Andrew D. Michaels, M.D., a clinical cardiology fellow at UCSF,
authored the study.
"If the American College of Cardiology/American Heart
Association guidelines had been followed in the treatment of the
75,173 patients in the study … 1,800 lives could have been saved
in the first year alone," Michaels said.
The study was sponsored by Genentech, Inc., a biotechnology
company that is currently developing two separate drugs to counter
the effects of high blood pressure.
In a related story, UCSF researchers are looking for women with
hereditary hair thinning to participate in a study of topical
Minoxidil treatments.
The study will be conducted by Vera Price, M.D., a professor of
clinical dermatology at UCSF, and will last one year and require
nine visits.
Researchers will be recruiting participants until September 15.
For information, call the UCSF Hair Research Center at (415)
476-3638.
Compiled from Daily Bruin staff reports.