Monthly Archives: June 2012

Students petition Medical School to reinstate diversity office

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Amid protests in a student-led petition, the Perelman School of Medicine announced its new plan for promoting diversity on Tuesday.

The online petition which has received over 800 signatures from students, faculty and other supporters criticizes the Medical School administration for eliminating the Office for Diversity and Community Outreach. Perelman for Diversity, a student group that formed in mid-June in response to this decision, also formally submitted a letter to the administration on June 25.

The next day, Senior Vice Dean for Education Gail Morrison issued a letter to all medical school students outlining the Medical Schools plans to restructure its diversity and inclusion programs.

She announced that intensive care specialist Horace Delisser had been appointed to the new position of Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion within the Academic Programs Office, and emergency room physician Iris Reyes had been named Associate Dean for Student Community Outreach. In addition, Morrison stated that a new faculty Council on Diversity and Inclusion, headed by Neurology professor Roy Hamilton and Psychiatry professor Benoit Dube, would begin working with the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid and the Office of Student Affairs starting July 1.

In the letter, Morrison also wrote that Karen Hamilton and Hilda Luiggi who worked in ODCO for a combined 30 years would be stepping down from their positions.

A tradition of support

Founded in 1968 as the Office for Minority Affairs, the ODCO was the first minority support office in the country. Responsible for minority student recruitment and retention as well as mentoring programs for college, medical and high school students, Hamilton and Luiggi also provided advising and support to all minority student groups within the Medical School.

In the petition, students wrote that this move would negatively affect the generations that follow because for many, the warm and welcoming environment uniquely provided by these individuals [was a] major contributing factor in their decisions to attend Perelman. The students also felt the manner in which Hamilton and Luiggis departure was announced was without explanation and with only a months notice before the ODCOs planned dissolution.

According to a Medical School student who wished to remain anonymous because she is involved with the petition, news of ODCOs elimination reached some minority student groups in mid-June. On June 20, the Medical School Government notified student group leaders of a meeting with Morrison on July 3 to give feedback on the decision.

Medical School spokesperson Susan Phillips explained that Hamilton and Luiggi are not physicians, and that Reyes and Delisser who are both active clinicians would be a significant advantage for students that need support in their career at Penn.

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Students petition Medical School to reinstate diversity office

Arizona's Newest Medical School Opens

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PHOENIX, June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Creighton University 's School of Medicine Regional Campus at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Arizona opens its doors today as 42 future physicians attend their first classes.

The new regional campus of the medical school is a partnership between Arizona's oldest teaching hospital and the nationally recognized Omaha-based university. Prior to this launch, the two organizations had enjoyed a more informal relationship for many years. Now, the two have expanded their commitment and established a fully operational regional campus of Creighton's School of Medicine.

Students, who began their medical school studies in Omaha, will complete the last two years of their medical education In Phoenix. The new regional campus becomes the second allopathic medical school in Arizona offering a Doctor of Medicine, M.D., degree.

"This is a game changer for the medical industry in Arizona," said Patty White, president and CEO of St. Joseph. "For St. Joseph's, the new regional medical school campus underlines our commitment to academic excellence and patient care. Together with Creighton, we are creating the medical professionals of the future."

"This affiliation is transformational and strengthens both institutions. It expands student educational opportunities, allows for the vital recruitment of more students as our country struggles with physician shortages, creates collaborative research opportunities and leverages the faculty and administrative expertise from both organizations," said Creighton President Timothy R. Lannon, S. J.

Creighton School of Medicine was established in 1892 as part of the Catholic, Jesuit institution. Creighton graduates practice medicine in all 50 states. Last year the school had more than 6,206 applications for 126 openings. In 2012, Creighton matched 97 percent of its graduating students with their specialties of choice.

2-2-2 Arizona's Newest Medical School Opens 2-2-2

The new Arizona regional medical school campus is the latest chapter in St. Joseph's long history as a teaching hospital. Academic affairs at St. Joseph's began in 1936 with the hospital's first intern class of eight trainees. Today St. Joseph's sponsors 10 graduate medical residency programs with more than 200 graduate medical residents and 12 specialty fellowship programs. More than 150 residents and 240 medical students from Arizona and around the U.S. come to St. Joseph's annually for training from their home programs.

"We will be offering an environment that allows these students to excel in the practice of compassionate medicine while learning from some of the best doctors in the nation," says James Balducci, M.D., and associate dean of the campus.

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said that the partnership between Creighton and St. Joseph's is "fantastic news not only for Arizona's medical students, but for the State as a whole. With the new Phoenix campus, Arizona is one step closer to becoming a national and international destination for medical care and research innovation."

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Liberty University Donation will Help Repair Statue Honoring Lynchburg’s WWI Heroes

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Liberty University is helping to repair a city landmark created to honor the men of Lynchburg, Va., who served in World War I.Lynchburg, Va. (PRWEB) June 27, 2012 Liberty University is helping to repair a city landmark created to honor the men of Lynchburg, Va., who served in World War I.When it was discovered that a bayonet on “The Listening Post” statue (commonly called the “Doughboy”) at the ...

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Liberty Mutual’s Indian Joint Venture Receives Insurance License

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Liberty Mutual Insurance Group announced that Liberty Videocon General Insurance Company Ltd, a joint venture between Liberty Mutual Insurance Group and Videocon Industries Ltd., has received the necessary license from Indias insurance regulatory authority to commence its operations.

The operation is headquartered in Mumbai, and will provide multi-line insurance underwriting capabilities nationally to various distribution channels, with an emphasis on personal insurance products, said the announcement.

Liberty Mutuals President and CEO David Long noted: Indias rapidly growing economy and personal income levels mean more and more Indians will be buying insurance to protect their property and possessions. We have an exceptional partner and a very professional management team in place. We believe the combination will enable us to provide high-quality products and service in the growing Indian insurance marketplace.

The bulletin described Videocon Industries Ltd. as the flagship company of $4.75 billion Videocon Group, with diversified interests in consumer electronics, household appliances, oil and gas, power generation, retail, DTH and telecom businesses. The parties entered in to the joint venture agreement in December 2010.

Commenting on the development, Mr. Venugopal N. Dhoot, CMD, Videocon Industries stated: Videocon Group has a strong presence in the Indian consumer space ranging from white and brown goods to mobile telecom services covering the entire geography of India. Domain expertise of Liberty Mutual Insurance Group coupled with our huge platform of brand, trade and customer relationships should provide a robust business model for Liberty Videocon General Insurances business.

Source: Liberty Mutual Insurance Group

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QuickPay and Liberty PlugIns Team to Offer Mobile Payments and Search for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

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SAN FRANCISCO, June 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Liberty PlugIns (LPI) has partnered with QuickPay Corp., a premier mobile payment platform provider, to make mobile payments available for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. The combined solution will allow drivers to pay for a charging session by mobile phone, via text message or smartphone app, using the QP QuickPay (QP) mobile payment service and receive a charging authorization code from LPI. QP QuickPay users will also be able to locate QP-enabled charging stations when searching for parking. This will help EV drivers easily find parking facilities where they can charge, saving time and adding convenience. Parking providers and facilities managers will gain increased visibility and revenue from their investments in charging stations and have an easy, low-cost way to manage EV charging payments.

"The adoption of EVs is rapidly accelerating in the U.S., and parking operators need to be ready to meet the demand for parking spaces with EV charging capability," said Chris Outwater, CEO, Liberty Plugins. "Mobile payments make adding this feature simple and cost-effective for drivers and providers alike."

The unique charging authorization code generated by LPI's Synchronous Code Generation system unlocks the EV charging station and sets the charging time. This approach eliminates the need for billing or networking hardware in the EV charger itself making it less expensive, more reliable, and easier to install. The QP QuickPay mobile payment platform enables parking facility owners to generate new revenue streams by offering the EV charging service as a complement to parking without having to install additional pay stations or deal with third-party billing systems.

"EVs are here today and their numbers are growing fast," said Barney Pell, Co-founder and Executive Chairman, QuickPay Corp. "With Liberty PlugIns and QuickPay, parking providers can quickly and easily offer a value-added service to their parking customers, further encouraging the adoption of low-emission vehicles by building the EV charging infrastructure."

More information about QuickPay is available at http://www.qpme.com.

About QuickPay Corp.Founded in 2010 and headquarted in San Francisco, privately-held QuickPay Corp. is a leading provider of unified mobile parking technology. QuickPay provides a cloud-based mobile parking access and revenue control system that integrates with any legacy parking infrastructure, enabling parking and transit owners and operators to unify their assets under a single low-cost, fast-deploy mobile payment platform. QuickPay's experienced management team has proven success in building and managing businesses in both the parking and technology fields. The company is backed by successful investors and technology leaders, including Fontinalis Partners, co-founded by Ford Motor Company executive chairman Bill Ford. For more information please visit http://www.qpme.com.

About Liberty PlugIns Inc.Liberty PlugIns specializes in electric vehicle charging solutions for the professional parking industry, fleets, and multiple unit dwellings. LPI's Synchronous Code Generation technology enables secure charging without expensive networks, and the Interactive Voice Recognition system delivers charging authorization codes over the cellular network. For more information, visit the Liberty PlugIns website at http://www.libertyplugins.com.

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QuickPay and Liberty PlugIns Team to Offer Mobile Payments and Search for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

China starts "combat ready" patrols in disputed seas

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BEIJING (Reuters) - China has begun combat-ready patrols in the waters around a disputed group of islands in the South China Sea, the Defence Ministry said on Thursday, the latest escalation in tensions over the potentially resource-rich area. Asked about what China would do in response to Vietnamese air patrols over the Spratly Islands, the ministry's spokesman Geng Yansheng said Beijing would ...

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Sir Richard Branson keynote speaker at Cayman Alternative Investment Summit

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GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands, June 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --The world's leading institutional investors, CEOs, economists and academics will gather at the world-renowned Ritz-Carlton in Grand Cayman, November 1-2, 2012 to discuss and debate the crucial ingredients for sustaining a vibrant global alternative investment industry. The key theme of the Summit is 'Innovation in Alternative Investments: Seeing What's Next'. One of the keynote speakers is Sir Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group. Industry speakers at the event will include; Peter Clarke, CEO, MAN GROUP; Matt Botein, Global Head of Alternative Investments, Blackrock; Mel Lagomasino, CEO, Genspring Family Offices; Anne Richards, CIO, Aberdeen Asset Management; Mark Yusko, CEO, Morgan Creek; Steve Shenfeld, President, Midocean Credit Partners; Jane Buchan, CEO/MD, PAAMCO and Mark Okada, Co-Founder and CIO of Highland Capital Management.

This exclusive, global thought leadership event will bring together best-in-class industry professionals, and will feature a panel of esteemed and innovative speakers who will address the economic challenges that affect the alternative investment industry. Organised by Alternative Investment Research Ltd., the Cayman Alternative Investment Summit (Cayman A.I. Summit) will unite some of the greatest minds in the alternative investment industry.

With over 9,000 open-ended investment funds registered in the Cayman Islands, the Cayman A.I. Summit will connect the leading domicile of choice for offshore investment funds with the alternative investment industry's most influential leaders and will lead the development of a new narrative for the industry; on what it stands for and what it can deliver in the post-crisis world.

"I am excited to be in the Cayman Islands for the Cayman Alternative Investment Summit," said Sir Richard Branson, one of the keynote speakers for the Summit. "The event has a very impressive range of speakers from the alternative investment industry that will make for some very interesting discussions on the future of the industry."

The Cayman A.I. Summit has the support of some of the largest companies in the world and the Cayman Islands including; KPMG, Deutsche Bank, Mourant Ozannes, Paladyne, and Virgin Unite.

"The Cayman Alternative Investment Summit is an opportunity for the industry's elite to take an introspective look at itself, seeing where the industry has been and predicting where it will go in the future," said Anthony Cowell, Partner in Alternative Investments at KPMG in the Cayman Islands and Editorial Chair. "KPMG is proud to be at the centre of the event and looks forward to the stimulating and thought provoking debate, set against the backdrop of the domicile of choice for alternative investments."

Cayman Managing Partner for Mourant Ozannes, Neal Lomax said, "The launch of the Cayman Alternative Investment Summit is a significant milestone for the Cayman Islands. We are delighted to be a major sponsor of the Summit in its inaugural year and we are confident it will prove to be unparalleled in terms of the quality of its participants, content and organisation. Our commitment to the Summit is reflective of Mourant Ozannes' continued confidence in the future of the Cayman Islands as one of the world's leading international financial centers."

Media and Association Partners for the Cayman A.I. Summit include: Absolute Return, Cayman Financial Review, AIMA, Investments & Pensions Europe (IPE), FinAlternatives, Hedge Fund Alert, HFM Week, Albourne Village, IFI Global, CAIA, HSP News, Hedge Funds Review and The Hedge Fund Journal.

Consistent with the commitment of the event's major sponsors to corporate citizenship and following Sir Richard Branson's philanthropic lead, the Cayman A.I. Summit charity is Virgin Unite the non-profit foundation of the Virgin Group. Virgin Unite's mission is to "connect people and entrepreneurial ideas to make change happen; to help revolutionize the way government, business and social sectors work together business as a force for good."

Working with Sir Richard Branson, it is expected that the Cayman A.I. Summit will contribute over US$150,000 to Virgin Unite.

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Sir Richard Branson keynote speaker at Cayman Alternative Investment Summit

Waterfronts: Channel Islands Center closer to opening

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Work is nearing completion on the long-awaited Channel Islands Boating Center, which will be operated by CSU Channel Islands. Grand opening of the impressive center is expected in October or November.

The two-story boating center at Channel Islands Harbor will offer public education opportunities as well as university recreation programs.

Harbor Director Lyn Krieger recently gave me a tour of the soon-to-be-completed $6 million center.

The project has been in development since 2000 and is funded by a combination of private donations, grants, and Harbor revenues.

When completed, the facility will include classrooms, a conference room, locker rooms, showers, indoor and outdoor boat storage, and an adjacent ADA accessible dock. A variety of exhibits on boating and the marine environment will be located at the interior and exterior of the building. The exhibits will provide information about the natural environment off the coast, including the Channel Islands, Santa Barbara Channel and the National Marine Sanctuary.

Krieger said the center, with all its amenities, would be an excellent place to host major regattas and other boating related events. Chances are good that it will be a very busy place day and night seven days a week once it opens.

Krieger said the project has been made possible by a number of partners including California Department of Boating and Waterways, The Smith Family Foundation, NOAA Office of Ocean Services, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, and California Department of Parks and Recreation.

Although it will be a welcome addition to Channel Islands Harbor, the center hasn't come to fruition without its share of controversy.

The project was delayed in its early stages by heavy criticism from environmentalists and residents who live close to the chosen location. The opponents successfully pushed for environmental studies after pointing out that blue heron nests could be disturbed by the project. The opponents wanted the county to build the center on the other side of the harbor, but advocates for the existing location prevailed.

UPCOMING SAILBOAT RACES

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$500,000 Gruber Foundation Genetics Prize goes to Philadelphia scientist

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Public release date: 28-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sara Hrera media@gruberprizes.org 203-432-6231 Yale University

Douglas C. Wallace, PhD, a pioneering genetics researcher who founded the field of mitochondrial genetics in humans, will receive the 2012 Genetics Prize of The Gruber Foundation. Wallace is being honored with this prestigious international award for his groundbreaking achievements in helping science understand the role of mitochondriathe "power plants" of cellsin the development of disease and as markers for human evolution.

He will receive the award November 9 in San Francisco at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics, where he will also deliver a lecture titled "A Bioenergetic Perspective on Origins, Health, and Disease".

"Douglas Wallace's contributions to our understanding of mitochondrial genetics have changed the way human and medical geneticists think about the role of mitochondria in human health and disease," said Elizabeth Blackburn, chair of the Selection Advisory Board to the Prize. Blackburn is the 2006 Gruber Genetics Prize laureate and shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine.

Wallace began his research on mitochondrial biology 40 years ago, at a time when few people thought the study of mitochondria and its DNA (mtDNA) would have any significant applications for clinical medicine. In the early 1970s, Wallace and associates demonstrated that the mtDNA coded for heritable traits by developing the cybrid transfer technique and showing that chloramphenicol resistance was cytoplasmically inherited. This system permitted them to delineate the characteristics of cytoplasmic genetics. Then in the late 1970s, Wallace demonstrated that the human mtDNA is inherited solely through the mother. Using maternal inheritance as a guide, Wallace identified the first inherited mtDNA disease, Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON), and subsequently linked mtDNA mutations to a wide range of clinical symptoms, including deafness, neuropsychiatric disorders, cardiac and muscle problems, and metabolic diseases such as diabetes. Wallace also showed that mtDNA mutations accumulate in human tissue with age, and thus may play a role in age-related diseases, such as heart disease and cancer. In addition, he found that the levels of these age-related mtDNA mutations are higher in the brains of people with certain neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease and Huntington disease.

Wallace's research has also made a major contribution to the field of molecular anthropology. Using mtDNA variation, he has reconstructed the origins and ancient migrations of women, tracing all mtDNA lineages back some 200,000 years to a single African originthe so-called mitochondrial Eve.

"The impact of Doug Wallace's visionary research has been remarkable," said Huda Zoghbi, a member of Selection Advisory Board and the 2011 laureate of the Gruber Neuroscience Prize. "His discovery of the first mtDNA mutations in humans opened up the field of mitochondrial genetics and demonstrated the role of mitochondria in many human diseases. It's an extraordinary legacyand he is richly deserving of this award."

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By agreement made in the spring of 2011 The Gruber Foundation has now been established at Yale University.

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$500,000 Gruber Foundation Genetics Prize goes to Philadelphia scientist

Countdown to Supreme Court’s Health Care Law Ruling; What Can Americans Expect? – Video

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27-06-2012 19:24 It seems as if the entire nation is holding its breath for the Supreme Court's health care ruling — the presidential candidates, governors of virtually every state, insurers with billions at stake, companies large and small and countless millions of Americans concerned about their own medical care and how they'll pay for it. Still, Thursday's expected ruling almost certainly will not be the last word on the nation's tangled efforts to address health care woes. The problems of high medical costs, widespread waste and tens of millions of people without insurance will require Congress and the president to keep looking for answers, whether or not President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act passes the test of constitutionality. For more on this story:

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Countdown to Supreme Court's Health Care Law Ruling; What Can Americans Expect? - Video

What’s Obamacare’s prognosis? Health care professionals take the Supreme Court’s temperature – Video

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27-06-2012 22:34 Dr. Mary O'Brien, a board member of Physicians for a National Health Program, and former hospital CEO Stan Hupfeld break down what the different possible Supreme Court rulings on Obama's Affordable Care Act tomorrow would mean for health care reform. Tune in Weeknights at 8:00/7:00c on Current TV

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What's Obamacare's prognosis? Health care professionals take the Supreme Court's temperature - Video

Supreme Court Set to Rule on Health Care Law

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WASHINGTON (CNN) The U.S. Supreme Court will rule Thursday on the constitutionality of the sweeping health care law championed by President Barack Obama, in a hotly awaited decision that is bound to divide the country.

The stakes cannot be overstated: what the justices decide will have an immediate and long-term impact on all Americans, both in how they get medicine and health care, and also in vast, yet unknown areas of commerce.

According to a poll released Tuesday, 37% of Americans say they would be pleased if the health care law is deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Twenty-eight percent would be pleased if the Affordable Care Act is ruled constitutional, the NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey showed, compared to 35% who said they would be disappointed if the court came back with that outcome.

But nearly four in 10 Americans surveyed said they would have mixed feelings if the justices struck down the whole law. The survey of 1,000 adults was conducted June 20-24.

Previous surveys have indicated that some who oppose the law do so because they think it doesnt go far enough.

The polarizing law, dubbed Obamacare by many, is the signature legislation of Obamas time in office.

Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, told supporters in Virginia on Tuesday: If Obamacare is not deemed constitutional, then the first three and a half years of this presidents term will have been wasted on something that has not helped the American people.

Romney, whose opposition to the law has been a rallying cry on the stump, continued: If it is deemed to stand, then Ill tell you one thing. Then well have to have a president and Im that one thats gonna get rid of Obamacare. Were gonna stop it on day one.

Speaking to supporters in Atlanta Tuesday, Obama defended his health care law as the way forward for the American people.

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Health care countdown: Who wins, loses – pays?

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Yesterday at 8:09 PM The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule today.

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR and MARK SHERMAN The Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- It seems as if the entire nation is holding its breath for the Supreme Court's health care ruling - the presidential candidates, governors of virtually every state, insurers with billions at stake, companies large and small and countless millions of Americans concerned about their own medical care and how they'll pay for it.

Still, Thursday's expected ruling almost certainly will not be the last word on the nation's tangled efforts to address health care woes. The problems of high medical costs, widespread waste and tens of millions of people without insurance will require Congress and the president to keep looking for answers, whether or not President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act passes the test of constitutionality.

A look at potential outcomes:

Q: What if the Supreme Court, despite justices' blunt questions during public arguments, upholds the law and finds Congress was within its authority to require most people to have health insurance or pay a penalty?

A: That would settle the legal argument but not the political battle.

The clear winners if the law is upheld and allowed to take full effect would be uninsured people in the United States, estimated at more than 50 million.

Starting in 2014, most could get coverage through a mix of private insurance and Medicaid, a safety-net program. Republican-led states that have resisted creating health insurance markets under the law would have to scramble to comply, but the U.S. would get closer to other economically advanced countries that guarantee medical care for their citizens.

Republicans would keep trying to block the law. They hope to elect Mitt Romney as president, backed by a GOP House and Senate, and repeal the law, although their chances of outright repeal would seem to be diminished by the court's endorsement.

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Health care countdown: Who wins, loses – pays?