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Category Archives: Medical School

Proposed medical school in jeopardy

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BRISTOL, Va. -

The future of a proposed medical school is in jeopardy after the projects biggest benefactor puts a freeze on funds.

The Virginia Tobacco Commission voted Thursday to suspend payment of $1,000,000 given to the King School of Medicine for development.

"We want to see some progress being made. Three years and we haven't seen some hard evidence that this is actually going to go forward," said commission er Senator Bill Carrico.

$40,000,000 is pledged to the project. An additional $24,000,000 from the Tobacco Commission and $7.5 million from both Washington County, Virginia and the town of Abingdon.

School developers only need to come up with $10 million, but so far have nothing.

"It raises a lot of red flags," said Washington County Supervisor Bill Gibson."I've never been opposed to the King School of Medicine concept, but I am opposed to the tax dollars of Washington county and Abingdon citizens paying the bill."

The school's interim president Tariq Zaidi tells News 5 he's not concerned.

"We believe that as we go into the 4th quarter of this year we will be able to make some significant announcements regarding partnerships and some other goals we've set,"said Zaidi.

Senator Carrico and others say time's up.

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Proposed medical school in jeopardy

Medical School Researchers Urge Earlier, More Frequent Mammograms

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A study by researchers from Harvard Medical School has found that women should have mammograms performed yearly beginning at age 40, contrary to government recommendations that state the screenings should occur biennially beginning at age 50.

The study, published in the American Cancer Societys Cancer journal on Sept. 9, found that most breast cancer deaths occur in young women who do not receive routine mammogram screening.

Annual screenings started at 40 increased mortality reduction by almost double, said Blake Cady, one of the studys co-authors and a professor emeritus at the Medical School. A 70 percent mortality reduction equals 22 more lives saved per thousand.

The study analyzed data on breast cancer diagnoses at the Partners HealthCare hospitals in Boston between 1990 and 1999 and followed each case through 2007. The studys results showed that 29 percent of women who died from cancer had received prior screening, while the remaining 71 percent had not.

Its a very controversial topic, said Matthew L. Webb 09, the lead author of the study and a researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital. Something like one in eight women in their lifetime will get breast cancer.

The studys recommendation challenges a report from the United States Preventative Services Task Force, or USPSTF, which suggests women get screened for breast cancer every two years between the ages of 50 and 74.

According to Daniel B. Kopans, one of the studys co-authors, the USPSTF made their recommendation in spite of evidence that most lives were saved through screenings beginning at age 40 in order to reduce false-positive test results.

They didnt know the data and came to faulty conclusions, said Kopans, who is also a radiology professor at the Medical School.

Though Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a foundation devoted to breast cancer research, said the risk of false positives among women who receive yearly mammograms could cause long-term psychological harm, Cady said yearly mammograms are still critical.

Paradoxically, if you do mammography every year, the rate of false positive is much less than if you do mammography every two or three years because radiologists can look back a year ago and if they see something consistent, they dont have to call for extra film, Cady said.

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Medical School Researchers Urge Earlier, More Frequent Mammograms

UCSF First U.S. Medical School to Offer Credit For Wikipedia Articles

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UC San Francisco soon will be the first U.S. medical school at which medical students can earn academic credit for editing medical content on Wikipedia.

Wikipedia is one of the most widely used medical references in the world and the most consulted source for many health topics. But medical entries can lack reliable sources and have gaps in content.

Amin Azzam, MD, MA, will be teaching a UCSF course in which students will

contribute and edit medical information on Wikipedia.

Wikipedia generates more than 53 million page views just for articles about medications each month, and is second to Google as the most frequently used source by junior physicians, said Amin Azzam, MD, MA, an associate clinical professor at the UCSF School of Medicine and an instructor for the new class. Were recognizing the impact Wikipedia can have to educate patients and health care providers across the globe, and want users to receive the most accurate publicly available, sound medical information possible.

One of the key skills medical students are expected to acquire is the ability to seek, evaluate and interpret the medical literature for themselves, their peers and their patients. In traditional medical school courses, first and second year students are taught this skill in small group classroom sessions, while third and fourth year students are expected to apply this in the hospital wards and outpatient clinics.

Writing and editing Wikipedia articles requires a similar skill set, and teaches our students how to write for a broader audience and communicate with patients using consumer-friendly language rather than doctor jargon, said Azzam.

Enrolled medical students will edit articles remotely, adding images, reviewing new edits, adding citations to support unreferenced text, and providing a form of peer review. Professors can track the edits and changes made to each Wikipedia page to monitor the evolution of the content.

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UCSF First U.S. Medical School to Offer Credit For Wikipedia Articles

USF medical school extends deal with Tampa General

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TAMPA The University of South Floridas medical school faculty and students have a long-term deal to remain at Tampa General Hospital, according to a three-year contract announced today.

The agreement with the University of South Floridas Morsani College of Medicine replaces a contract that was in its final year. It had become the victim of tensions partly involving former dean Stephen Klasko and his brokering of deals with other medical centers.

Since 1970, the hospital and USF have worked together and built a residency program that now numbers 300. USF Health also operates its South Tampa Center for Advanced Health Care adjacent to the downtown Tampa hospital.

Harry vanLoveren, interim dean of the USF Morsani College of Medicine, said both sides wanted an evergreen contract to avoid last-minute negotiations.

We will never again walk to the cliff, he said.

Coincidentally, Tuesdays statement came as Tampa General announced a partnership with the Florida Hospital Network. Since 2012, USF medical students and professors have practiced at Florida Hospital facilities, including the Pepin Heart Institute in Tampa.

David Straz, chairman of the Tampa General board, said leadership changes at the hospital and the College of Medicine allowed him to work directly with USF President Judy Genshaft, a longtime friend.

We were able to work things out in an amicable way, he said.

This announcement can eliminate the dynamic tension between USF and its partner hospitals, vanLoveren said. He said he can see USF playing a significant role in the partnership between the local hospitals, and in the areas future health care opportunities.

I think you are seeing the system emerge, he said. USF is the glue that is going to unify these players in the marketplace.

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USF medical school extends deal with Tampa General

The University of Massachusetts Medical School Selects Aircuity for Lazare Medical Research Building Energy Project

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NEWTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Aircuity, the safe, smart and efficient airside solutions company, announced today that it has been awarded an energy retrofit contract to provide its laboratory ventilation optimization solution for the Lazare Medical Research Facility on the University of Massachusetts Medical School campus in Worcester, MA. The project is expected to significantly lower the energy usage throughout the facility while maintaining a comfortable and productive workspace by continually monitoring the buildings indoor environmental quality.

We are thrilled to be working with UMass Medical School to improve the energy efficiency of their facilities, said Chuck McKinney, vice president of marketing at Aircuity. UMass Medical Schools commitment to Growing Green has made them a shining example of how to use less energy and reduce their carbon footprint, and we are both proud and honored to be a part of their sustainability effort.

We have a very robust sustainability program here on campus, stated John Baker, associate vice chancellor for facility management. We have collectively bought into the program, we live it every day, and we continue to strive to be one of the best sustainability programs in the area.

The Medical Schools energy strategy includes a focus on making existing buildings more energy efficient, building new facilities to be green and efficient, and utilizing more efficient power generation for the campus. The Lazare Medical Research facility is the second building to incorporate Aircuitys demand control ventilation (DCV) solution; the newly constructed Albert Sherman Center, which achieved LEED Gold certification, was the first Aircuity installation on campus.

The Lazare energy project will involve the installation of Aircuity in the lab areas on all floors of the facility, and is expected to be completed in approximately six months. Partial funding for the project is being provided through utility incentive programs from National Grid and NSTAR.

By continuously monitoring the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) of laboratory spaces, Aircuity provides smart signals to a facilitys building management system to adjust the ventilation rates according to the actual conditions of the space, saving money while ensuring a safe, comfortable, and productive environment for researchers and lab occupants. The data collected is then analyzed to provide actionable information to facility & energy managers on overall building performance and to give Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) personnel better insight to lab operations.

Although saving energy is often the primary reason to install an Aircuity system, our customers quickly realize the benefit of having vital information about their facility at their fingertips, McKinney explained. Aircuity is a critical information partner for facilities personnel, helping them understand what is happening throughout their building, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

About Aircuity

Aircuity is the smart airside efficiency company providing building owners with sustained energy savings through its intelligent measurement solutions. By combining real-time sensing and continuous analysis of indoor environments, the company has helped commercial, institutional and lab building owners lower operating costs, improve safety and become more energy efficient. Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Newton, MA, Aircuitys solutions have benefited organizations such as the University of Pennsylvania, Eli Lilly, North Carolina State University, LabCorp, the Bank of America Tower, Wake Forest University and the University of California-Irvine. For additional information on the company and its solutions, please visit: http://www.aircuity.com.

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The University of Massachusetts Medical School Selects Aircuity for Lazare Medical Research Building Energy Project

New Website Seeks to Give Medical School Applicants the Edge

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(PRWEB) September 22, 2013

The decision to attend medical school is a major choice that requires proper investigation and research. The application process for each school can be costly and time consuming. This makes narrowing down the list of schools to apply to an essential step that every student must take. Many students want to seek out the best schools to apply to but they dont know where to begin to find information regarding medical school rankings.

A new website is helping students, who are bound for medical school, access the critical information they need in order to make an informed decision.

We provide the tools and resources to empower future students to make the right decision over which medical school to attend, said MedicalSchoolsinUSA.com spokesperson Ben Davidson. This new website lays all the cards out on the table in terms of medical school rankings, available programs, and admissions requirements.

The website features everything a student needs to know before starting the application process for admission into medical school. In addition to medical school rankings, MedicalSchoolsinUSA.com provides students with resources about how to finance their education, how to prepare for MCAT examinations, and other insights into perusing an education in the medical field.

We want to really immerse our users in the experience of medical school, said Davidson. They are going to learn about what life is like as a medical student and what type of test scores they need to strive for in order to get into the best schools.

The site provides a wealth of practical knowledge and the opportunity to search medical school rankings by state. This website is intended to be a future medical students best friend, according to Davidson. We walk you through the steps of finding your dream school and succeeding at the application process.

The website offers practical tips on how to make a good impression on personal statements and interviews during the application process for medical school. Its all designed to give applicants the edge over the competition.

Davidson hopes that visitors to the website will reach out using the contact page to ask any specific questions about medical school rankings.

For additional information about the process of applying to medical school, please visit MedicalSchoolsinUSA.com.

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New Website Seeks to Give Medical School Applicants the Edge

Stirling Prize: University of Limerick Medical School

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16 September 2013 Last updated at 03:11 ET By Lucy Townsend BBC News Magazine Continue reading the main story

Built on a tight budget, Stirling Prize judges say the new development at the University of Limerick "punches well above its weight" in terms of design.

Prof Michael Larvin is in love. From his office on the top floor of the new Limerick Medical School, he gazes out at the grey limestone and the rolling countryside. Light floods his office and the dissected plastic bodies downstairs fit perfectly into their well-organised nooks.

"I'm a hard-nosed surgeon, I know nothing about architecture and have really never had any interest in it - but I'm having a love affair with this building," he says, misty-eyed.

"For the first time in my career I look forward to coming in in the morning and walking through the building and up to my office. Coming back from leave recently, I realised I had missed the building."

The new medical school, designed by Dublin-based Grafton Architects, is part of a wider redevelopment at the university.

Also in the running are Astley Castle, Bishop Edward King Chapel, Giant's Causeway Visitor Centre, Newhall Be and Park Hill Phase 1.

Grafton also designed three blocks of student housing, a bus stop and a public square, which sit together to create a space of calm order within what is otherwise widely regarded as "a hotchpotch university campus of disappointing sheds" - the verdict of the Guardian's art and design critic Oliver Wainwright.

All built for a budget of 13.25m euros (about 11m) the whole project ties together to form the Stirling Prize entry.

The judges described the buildings as "heroic" for their ability to appear strong and spacious, whilst being modest in size and lean in budget.

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Stirling Prize: University of Limerick Medical School

Immigration Reform Now! Photo Campaign at Harvard Medical School – Video

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Immigration Reform Now! Photo Campaign at Harvard Medical School
As physicians in training, current students at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Dental Medicine explored the intersection of disease and social f...

By: Harvard Medical School Latino Medical Student Association

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Immigration Reform Now! Photo Campaign at Harvard Medical School - Video

Campbell University unveils its medical school

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By Venita Jenkins Staff writer

Campbell University President Jerry Wallace had been waiting for this moment for four years.

"There it is," he said. "The beautiful Leon Levine Hall of Medical Science. It's already working to make a difference in our state."

On Thursday, university officials held a dedication and ribbon cutting for the new School of Osteopathic Medicine, the state's first new medical school in 35 years.

The school will train primary-care doctors to serve in rural communities and keep them in the state through partnerships with local and regional hospitals.

North Carolina ranks 34th in the nation for its number of primary-care physicians per capita. About 20 counties in the state are without a general surgeon, and 13 of those are east of Charlotte, according to university officials.

Students will train in the areas of primary care and family medicine, general surgery, pediatrics and psychiatry.

Classes began in the medical school in mid-August with 162 students.

Campbell's program will become the second-largest medical school in the state within four years, reaching 600 students in 2017, officials said.

The $35 million school features simulation labs that are similar to emergency rooms, intensive-care units and primary-care clinics. Computer-enhanced mannequins will mimic symptoms that students must diagnose.

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Campbell University unveils its medical school

UM medical school to break ground on much-needed research space

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Winning a $1.6 million federal grant to buy a robotic system to store 1 million blood, urine and tissue samples was easy compared to finding space for it at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

The "monster" machine, to be known as the university's "bio bank," is 13 feet wide, 20 feet deep and 10 feet high, said Dr. Alan Shuldiner, associate dean for personalized medicine.

But free lab space is scarce on the school's West Baltimore campus.

Officials plan to put that shortage in the past with a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday, marking the commencement of construction of a $305 million, 429,000-square-foot biomedical research building. The structure would become the largest on the University of Maryland, Baltimore, campus and provide space for a research enterprise that officials say is bursting at the seams and difficult to coordinate across disciplines.

While the medical school's research funding from external grants and contracts grew 28 percent from fiscal years 2008 to 2011, lab space remained constant. By one estimate, the school is using less than a third of the space its research activity warrants, something officials said hurts its ability to attract faculty and pursue new research opportunities.

"The good news has been, we have been very fortunate over the past decade or more in having very rapid growth in our research programs," medical school Dean Dr. E. Albert Reece said. "The bad news is we have just fundamentally run out of space."

In October, crews will begin demolishing the former home of the university's School of Dentistry, at Baltimore and Pine streets, to make way for the new research building. The university hopes to open the 10-story facility in January 2018.

State money will cover all but $65 million of construction costs; the university plans to raise the remainder from private sources.

Plans for the building date back about a decade, when it started to become clear research space was filling up, said university President Jay Perman. Even in 2001 and 2002, during the planning of the school's newest research building that opened in 2003, it was clear it would be filled quickly, Perman said.

"Space is easily the most precious commodity in our environment, and something needed to give," Perman said. "It's a wonderfully enabling process to be able to get started with this long-envisioned building."

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UM medical school to break ground on much-needed research space


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