Katie Moulds was contemplating attending medical school after graduating with a bachelor of science degree in microbiology from Mississippi State University, but a summer internship changed her career course.

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Eyes on medical school diverted to courtroom

Public release date: 4-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jim Fessenden james.fessenden@umassmed.edu 508-856-2600 University of Massachusetts Medical School

WORCESTER, MA Older patients undergoing cardiac surgery often experience changes in cognitive function, such as memory problems or an inability to focus, in the days immediately following their operations. While these changes are usually temporary, for unknown reasons, a significant number of cardiac patients will encounter long-term cognitive problems, lasting as long as a year after their surgeries.

Now, new research published in the July 5 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), establishes a link between postoperative delirium and prolonged loss of cognitive function in cardiac surgery patients. Led by investigators at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Aging Brain Center at Hebrew SeniorLife, the findings suggest that interventions to prevent delirium in advance of surgery could help cardiac patients avoid long-term cognitive consequences.

A state of confusion that can develop following illness, infection or surgery, delirium is one of the most common complications in hospitalized patients over age 65. "Our findings now suggest that postoperative delirium, once thought of as an acute, transient cognitive disorder, may have longer-term effects on cognitive function in patients undergoing cardiac surgery," said co-lead author Jane Saczynski, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

While delirium has been studied quite extensively in other patient populations, including general medical and surgical patients and orthopedic surgery patients, few studies of delirium have targeted cardiac surgery patients. "With the aging of the patient population undergoing cardiac surgery and increases in survival after surgery, clinicians and patients are increasingly concerned with factors associated with quality of life, including cognitive status, as major outcomes of surgery," the authors write. "Whether postoperative delirium is associated with prolonged cognitive dysfunction has been unclear."

The researchers followed 225 patients, aged 60 to 90, who underwent either coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or heart valve replacement surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), UMass Memorial Medical Center or the Boston VA Medical Center, for one year after their surgeries, assessing them for both delirium and cognitive impairment.

"One of the real strengths of our study is that we assessed patients' cognitive function preoperatively and an average of five times during the year after surgery," said co-lead author Edward Marcantonio, MD, section chief for research in BIDMC's Division of General Medicine and Primary Care and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "Previous research had shown an association between postoperative delirium and functional decline in activities of daily living [such as grooming and dressing, driving, shopping, preparing meals and managing medications and finances.] But, believe it or not, the one thing that's been most uncertain is the association between delirium and long-term cognitive difficulties. This study allowed us to accurately model the course of cognitive function and to compare the rate of recovery among patients with and without postoperative delirium."

The results showed that compared with patients who did not experience delirium, the 103 patients who developed delirium after cardiac surgery 46 percent of the total experienced a more significant drop in cognitive performance immediately following surgery, as determined by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). They also took significantly longer to recover back to their pre-surgical level of function than did patients who did not develop delirium. For example, five days after surgery, nearly half of those who did not develop delirium had returned to pre-operative levels of function while less than 20 percent of those who did develop delirium had returned to pre-operative level of function; six months after surgery, more than three-quarters of those without delirium had recovered cognitively compared to only 60 percent of those with delirium.

Although patients who developed delirium took longer to recover to their pre-operative levels of cognitive performance, they continued to improve in the weeks and months after surgery. Cognitive performance reached preoperative levels and stabilized one month after surgery in patients who did not develop delirium but continued to improve until six months after surgery in those with delirium.

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Postoperative delirium in cardiac surgery patients associated with prolonged cognitive impairment

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Marshall University's medical school and Cabell Huntington Hospital will be featured in Thursday's episode of NBC's Rock Center, the hospital announced Tuesday.

The newsmagazine will feature the Maternal Addiction and Recovery Center at MU's Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Cabell Huntington.

NBC will air the newsmagazine at 10 p.m. Thursday on WSAZ-TV.

An NBC news crew spent time at the hospital in early April and interviewed Dr. David Chaffin, a maternal fetal specialist and Dr. Sean Loudin, a neontologist, about the medical school and hospital's work to address the issue of opiate drug addiction by pregnant women and its effect on newborns.

"It is our hope that the national media exposure will give pregnant women who are addicted the courage to seek care in treatment programs like our center," said Dr. David C. Jude, chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at MUSOM. "Receiving prenatal care early in the pregnancy significantly reduces the likelihood of complications of pregnancy, and we hope that increasing awareness of both the problem and places where help is available will inspire women to seek care sooner in their pregnancy.

"Our experience so far has shown us that a little more than half of these women can either use significantly less or come off the medications completely and by doing so significantly reduces the severity of neonatal withdrawal and may prevent some babies from having withdrawal symptoms," Jude said.

The newsmagazine will feature the Maternal Addiction and Recovery Center at MU's Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Cabell Huntington.

NBC will air the newsmagazine at 10 p.m. Thursday on WSAZ-TV.

An NBC news crew spent time at the hospital in early April and interviewed Dr. David Chaffin, a maternal fetal specialist and Dr. Sean Loudin, a neontologist, about the medical school and hospital's work to address the issue of opiate drug addiction by pregnant women and its effect on newborns.

"It is our hope that the national media exposure will give pregnant women who are addicted the courage to seek care in treatment programs like our center," said Dr. David C. Jude, chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at MUSOM. "Receiving prenatal care early in the pregnancy significantly reduces the likelihood of complications of pregnancy, and we hope that increasing awareness of both the problem and places where help is available will inspire women to seek care sooner in their pregnancy.

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MU med school, Cabell Huntington Hospital to be on TV

Posted on | July 3, 2012 | Comments

Newly amended legislation calls on lawmakers to put UC Riversides medical school at the top of the list for any money from the settlement of a federal lawsuit against the Senior Care Action Network health plan.

Until this week, the measure by Assemblyman Jeff Miller, R-Corona, dealt with improving roads needed for fire suppression. It passed the Assembly in May 2011 and was awaiting consideration in the Senate.

Mondays amendments would require the state to give the UCR Medical School $15 million from the impending settlement of what the bill says is the U.S. Department of Justices investigation of the senior health plans payment rates. The states share is expected to exceed $100 million, according to the bill.

Notwithstanding any other law, from any amount paid to the State of California as a result of an investigation into possible overpayments of state funds to the Senior Care Action Network (SCAN) Health Plan and available for expenditure for the purposes of this act, as the highest priority for the use of these funds, fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) shall be transferred to the Regents of the University of California for allocation, without regard to fiscal year, to the School of Medicine at the University of California, Riverside, reads the bill.

Millers district doesnt include UC Riverside. The campus, though, is part of the 31st Senate District, where Miller faces Democrat Richard Roth, a Riverside attorney, in one of the states most competitive races. Roth touted his support for the medical school in campaign mailers leading up to the June 5 primary.

By: Jim Miller

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MEDICAL SCHOOL New bill says school should get $15 million

"We live in a country where people like to point out all the things that are wrong in the U.S. To me, yeah, nothing's perfect, but there are so many things we have right here. To truly be able to be grateful for those things, I need to give back and serve my country." - Linnea Simcik, Bloomfield HS (Courtesy of Linnea Simcik / July 2, 2012)

Linnea Simcik said she wants to go to medical school, and serve her country in the military.

"We live in a country where people like to point out all the things that are wrong in the U.S.," Simcik said. "To me, yeah, nothing's perfect, but there are so many things we have right here. To truly be able to be grateful for those things, I need to give back and serve my country."

Simcik will attend Southern Virginia University in the fall and study biology, with a minor in computer science. She will also attend Virginia Military Institute's ROTC program.

In the future, Simcik said she hopes to be a radiologist and, eventually, a military doctor. She said she is "fascinated" with medicine and how the body works.

"I've always known I wanted to go into a career where I could directly help people," Simcik said.

In addition to playing varsity tennis and leading her church's youth group, Simcik was a member of the National French and Spanish Honors Society and was a battalion commander in JROTC.

Simcik said she received the Yale Book Award and the University of Rochester Academic Award and was a Governor's Scholar Semifinalist, in addition to school achievement awards.

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Class Acts: Linnea Simcik, Bloomfield High School

Using electronic health records could help doctors face fewer malpractice suits, a study by Harvard Medical School researchers revealed.

In their study, called "The Relationship Between Electronic Health Records and Malpractice Claims," the Harvard researchers found that 84 percent of respondents were less likely to face malpractice claims after implementing EHR platforms.

The Archives of Internal Medicine, part of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) network, published the findings on its Website June 25.

Between 2005 and 2007, researchers interviewed 275 doctors in the surgical and medical specialties. Of the claims the doctors received during this period, 49 out of 51 involved events that happened before they adopted EHRs.

Participating doctors were members of Harvard Medical School and covered by a malpractice insurer, Controlled Risk Insurance Company/Risk Management Foundation (CRICO/RMF).

"The high quality and availability of proper documentation in EHRs may increase the likelihood of successful defense against malpractice claims," the report stated.

The authors of the study include Dr. Steven Simon, associate professor with Harvard Medical School and chief of general internal medicine at the VA Boston Healthcare System, as well as Dr. Mariah Quinn of the department of internal medicine at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, a nonprofit medical group practice serving eastern Massachusetts.

"At the very least, this study should provide doctors and medical groups with further assurance that EHR adoption is very unlikely to increase their odds of a malpractice claim," Simon told eWEEK in an email.

To arrive at the study's results, Harvard researchers used a statistical method called Poisson regression to find a linear correlation between its 2005 and 2007 results.

"Because physicians in the sample were insured for different durations and used EHRs for variable amounts of time, the number of insured years was calculated for each physician before and after EHR adoption," the report stated.

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EHRs Can Reduce Doctors' Malpractice Claims: Study

Media Release 4 July 2012 For Immediate Use

Student Protestors Interrupt John Key at Medical School opening

A group of students has interrupted a speech from Prime Minister John Key as he opened the new Medical and Health Sciences complex at the University of Auckland yesterday.The students from protest group Blockade the Budget stood in the wind and rain chanting 'We're cold, we're wet, we're drowning is student debt!' - One protestor was able to make her way into the ceremony to address Key directly.

The protest was one of a series of demonstrations against the National Government's recent Budget cuts. The Student allowances will no longer be available for post-graduate study, and access will be limited to 200 weeks for longer courses, including many of the degrees on offer at the Medical School. Commenting at the protest, post-graduate student Wednesday Jones said 'Isn't it ironic that millions of dollars were spent on revamping the Medical School while thanks to his shortsighted, selfish and detrimental budget, the school will only ever be accessed by students from wealthy backgrounds.'

Health Sciences student Mark Nelson added 'There is always money for new buildings or public relations campaigns, but nothing to support students from less privileged backgrounds. We should be able to celebrate these facilities as a benefit for everyone, but we know that the business approach to education means that this is an elite facility that will be out of reach for most of us'

When asked about the protest action, Blockade the Budget replied with 'It's only a few weeks since 43 students were abused and arrested by police for protesting against the arrogance of this Government, now we have John Key up here cutting ribbons and acting like a great benefactor. We want people to know the truth, the National Government is destroying education.'

Students are planning a large public demonstration called 'Show and Tell' for the 21st of July. The issues that the group will be protesting against include $400 Million in cuts to early childhood education, the National Standards program, performance based pay for teachers, charter schools and education as a business, $13 Billion worth of Student Debt, cuts to the student allowance scheme and arts funding, the 7th highest tertiary fees in the world and 15% of tertiary students living in absolute financial distress.

Anyone interested in joining the rally against education cuts are encouraged to meet at 1pm on Saturday 21st July at Britomart, Auckland CBD.

ends

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Students Interrupt John Key at Medical School opening

When San Ysidro High School recently held its commencement ceremony, a small group of graduates wore something special around their necks: stethoscopes.

The students arent doctors at least not yet. But they have taken steps toward health care careers, completing the schools rigorous medical pathway curriculum of college-prep science courses. They worked as interns in hospitals and clinics, toured biotech labs, attended science fairs and put in hours of volunteer work teaching young children about eating right and keeping their teeth and gums healthy.

For video of a pig-dissection exercise at San Ysidro High School, visit utsandiego.com/medical-dreams

San Ysidro is one of 20 schools in San Diego County that are part of the Health and Science Pipeline Initiative, a statewide program for students looking to pursue careers in research and medicine. Educators, policymakers and professional health providers said this effort and others like it nationwide are crucial because without such exposure in high school, students too often fail in college science classes particularly anatomy and physiology.

They also see a booming demand for physicians, nurses and allied-health workers from radiology technicians to dental assistants to both replace baby boomers as they retire and serve those same peoples aging-related medical needs. Another factor fueling the growth of such jobs is the planned expansion of Medicaid under President Barack Obamas Affordable Care Act of 2010.

At San Ysidro High, teacher Sheila Krotz launched the medical-themed curriculum in 2006 after coming to the Sweetwater Union School District with hopes of helping disadvantaged youth living in the cross-border area envision bigger things for themselves. As a former nurse, she had started a similar program in Illinois. She knew that if students find their coursework relevant, theyre more invested in learning the material and gain a sense of focus and purpose as they move through high school.

Krotz teaches medical biology to freshmen and anatomy and physiology to seniors, meaning she has the students twice in their four years at San Ysidro High.

Her classroom is filled with medical toys CPR training torsos; full-size medical mannequins; models of lungs, the heart, the stomach and the human eye; and even a fake leg for students to practice their suturing.

From the beginning, Krotz tries to set a professional tone. Students don scrubs or lab coats and purple surgical gloves when they conduct experiments. When dissecting fetal pigs during their freshman year, the students know they arent just cutting up an animal. They are told to treat the exercise as a surgery, suturing up the incisions after they have identified all the internal organs.

Not only does the program prepare students for college, it also offers practical job skills.

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A focus on medical instruction

Many premedical students have encountered some form of hardship. So when medical school applicants see the category "Disadvantaged status" on the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS), they may wonder what a disadvantaged status really means.

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What It Means to Be a 'Disadvantaged' M.D. Applicant

Xavier University leads the country in the number of African-American graduates who finish medical school, according to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges.

In 2011, the latest year for which numbers are available, 60 black Xavier alumni received medical degrees. Howard University was second with 48, and the University of Florida placed third with 26.

This is consistent with Xavier's long-standing reputation as a major source of African-American medical students. It led the country in this category for 15 years until the heavy damage the campus sustained from Hurricane Katrina in August 2005forced Xavier to close for six months. As a result, enrollment dropped.

But Xavier is on the rebound. In 2011, association figures show, 68 African-American graduates went on to medical school, second only to Howard, which had 87.

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Xavier leads the nation in African-American medical graduates

You can now see Indystar.com in a format specifically designed for your tablet. Experience the best local news, video, and photos in a beautiful finger-friendly interface.

You will only see this screen once. You can always browse directly to Tablet.Indystar.com or Indystar.com depending on which version you want to see.

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Indiana medical device makers seen as losers in health care ruling

David Drexler, a preeminent Los Angeles medical malpractice attorney, has accepted an invitation to participate in the teaching of a course on medical malpractice law at the Southwest University School of Law on July 3, 2012. Drexler is one of a small handful of Nationally Board Certified Trial Attorneys in medical negligence and professional liability.Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) June 30, 2012 ...

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Prominent Medical Malpractice Attorney David Drexler to Teach Course at Southwestern University School of Law

SINGAPORE: For the first time in Singapore, junior college and polytechnic students will get to experience what goes on behind the closed doors of an operating theatre.

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NTU's medical school unveils simulation technology training

Pinoy Kasi By: Michael L. Tan Philippine Daily Inquirer

The commencement exercises were held last June 2, somewhat atypical in the Philippines, where these rituals are usually held in April. The togas and capes were different, too: as befitting the medical graduates, they had the color green, but this was combined with gray, associated with a business degree.

The graduating class was from the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health (ASMPH), the first of a unique program that allows these new doctors to add MD as well as MBA (master of business administration) after their names.

The brain behind the medical school was Dr. Alfredo Bengzon, who wanted a new medical curriculum that would produce not just excellent clinicians but also public health experts and administrators. It was a 21st-century vision that began in the 20th when Bengzon was building up Medical City from a small hospital to the large medical complex that it is today. Other ideas came in when he was health secretary, the first after the 1986 Edsa revolt, when he had to fight many battles around inefficiency and corruption.

Our panganay (eldest), said Dr. Ma. Eufemia Yap, one of the associate deans, with pride and a bit of relief. It wasnt just taking care of the students through the five years of medical school, but also the many years of planning that went into the medical school.

The Ateneo Board of Trustees approved the creation of the school in 1997, after much discussion. But it was to take another 10 years before the school opened its doors to this first batch. There were numerous meetings and workshops all through those years, literally from one millennium into the next, to discuss how this medical school would be different, and what dual degrees could be offered. An MPH (master of public health) was considered, as well as an MM (master of management). In the end, the choice of the MBA was partly out of convenience: Ateneo already had years of experience with its MBA programs offered in its Makati campuses, including degrees specific for health professionals with strong exposure to public health and management.

I was roped (or, I felt at times, lassoed) in to help think of the inputs for the social sciences and to train teachers and mentors to lecture, with the aim of developing cultural competence, which isnt just sensitivity to peoples cultures but also the ability to harness peoples own knowledge, and practices, to keep healthy and fight disease.

MBA oath

I was initially uncomfortable with the MBA degree, in part because of public perceptions that an MBA produces business people, and that doctors are already too good at making money. But interactions with the Ateneo MBA staff have convinced me that we need more of these MBA programs for other professionals as well, to run government as well as private companies. The trajectory of todays MBA is well summarized in an MBA oath first crafted by the 2009 graduates of Harvard Business School and which has since been signed by thousands of other MBA graduates around the world, including, I hope, the new ASMPH graduates.

The oath begins with a recognition of MBA graduates role in society: first, to lead people and manage resources to create value that no single individual can create alone, and second, that their decisions affect the well-being of individuals inside and outside [their] enterprise, today and tomorrow. The oath has several promises concerning ethical conduct and the protection of human rights and dignity in the pursuit of value creation. How appropriate, I thought, for todays physicians, who create value by keeping people healthy.

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Medical pioneers

KALAMAZOO, MI Leaders of the Western Michigan University medical school announced Thursday the future downtown Kalamazoo campus will be named the W.E. Upjohn Campus for the founder of The Upjohn Co.

Last December, MPI Research announced it would donate a building near the northwest corner of Portage and Lovell streets to WMU for the medical school.

The more than 300,000-square-foot building was part of the downtown campuses of pharmaceutical companies Upjohn, Pharmacia and then Pfizer, and has been known as Building 267. It is slated to undergo renovations and a small expansion starting later this summer, and is scheduled to be ready for use by August 2014 for the opening of the medical school.

W.E. Upjohn founded what became The Upjohn Co. in 1886 and was its president for 43 years.

"This property represents the beginning of the greatly expanded Upjohn campus, which included this building throughout the life of the company," William U. Parfet, the great-grandson of W.E. Upjohn who is now chairman and CEO of MPI Research, said in a statement released from WMU. "It only makes sense to our family that this would be the headquarters for the WMU School of Medicine."

The medical school, being developed by WMU in partnership with Borgess Health and Bronson Healthcare, is awaiting accreditation. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education recently granted the school "candidate medical school" status. According to a statement from WMU, the committee is planning a preliminary accreditation visit to the campus.

WMU last year announced it had received a $100 million gift for the school from anonymous donors.

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Western Michigan University medical school building to be named after W.E. Upjohn

Soon, when an asthmatic student ends up in a Bethlehem Area School District nurse's office, the student's entire medical history will be a few computer clicks away.

The school board has approved joining a regional partnership that would make the electronic medical records of Bethlehem and Allentown School District readily available to emergency room doctors and nurses alike, Superintendent Joseph Roy said.

Allentown has to take its own actions to join.

The Children's Care Alliance is the product of a partnership between the districts and Lehigh Valley Health Network, St. Luke's Hospital and Health Network, Sacred Heart Health Systems and Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network.

Lehigh Valley pitched the pediatric health information exchange to the Bethlehem board in October. At that time, network officials said the three-phase project was expected to cost more than $2.3 million and take two and a half to three years to finish.

Lehigh Valley already has more than $1 million available for the first two phases through grants and in-kind donations, officials said. It is funding the project through grants and assumes all responsibility for costs.

Roy said Bethlehem will continue to work with alliance partners on technical and implementation issues.

Organizers envision a system where an asthmatic student ends up in a Lehigh Valley Hospital emergency room and doctors have his entire medical history. If he ends up in St. Luke's a few days later, doctors will know what to do to aggressively treat him and keep him out of the hospital, officials said in October.

Officials previously said the first phase would create a secure electronic medical record database for school districts and clinics to use and share information. The database will include any student health information districts must keep on file.

The second phase will tie the school medical records in with the Lehigh Valley Health Network physician portal. The final phase is estimated to cost $1.3 million and will build a pediatric regional health information exchange by tapping into the other hospitals medical records.

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Bethlehem Area School District agrees to join electronic medical record exchange

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

NYU Langone Medical Center announced today that Steven L. Galetta, MD, has been appointed the Philip K. Moskowitz, MD Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurology, andLaura Balcer, MD, MSCE, has been appointed vice chair of the department. The appointments are effective November 1, 2012.

A nationally recognized leader in neurology and medical education, Dr. Galetta joins NYU Langone from the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) where he is the Ruth Wagner Van Meter and J. Ray Van Meter Professor of Neurology, vice chair of the department, and director of the Division of Neuro-Ophthalmology. During his tenure at Penn, Galetta led the Department of Neurology residency program for an unprecedented 23 years. He also leads the neuro-ophthalmology fellowship program and serves as associate dean of admissions of the medical school.

We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Galetta as chair of neurology, said Robert I. Grossman, MD, dean and CEO at NYU Langone. As one of todays leading clinical neurologists, he brings a depth and breadth of experience and expertise in neurology, neuro-ophthalmology, and program development, making him the ideal chairperson to lead our already stellar department to even greater heights.

Often noted for his abilities as an educator, Dr. Galetta has received nearly 50 awards including the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award, Penns highest teaching award. In 2004, he was also honored for his role as an educator by receiving the American Neurological Associations Distinguished Neurology Teacher Award, granted to only one teacher in the U.S. each year, as well as the Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award by the Association of American Medical Colleges. Additionally he received the Palmer Parker Award from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

Dr. Galetta was the recipient of the Louis Duhring Outstanding Clinical Specialist Award at Penn in 1998. His areas of expertise include research and advances in the treatment of double vision, multiple sclerosis (MS), neuro-ophthalmology, and optic nerve disorders.He is a prolific researcher and has authored more than 200 original papers, as well as 113 editorials and serves on the editorial boards of Neurology and the Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology. Additionally, he served as president of the Philadelphia Neurological Society in 2004.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Dr. Galetta received his undergraduate degree from Penn in 1979, and in that same year received the Class of 1915 Award, which is presented annually to the senior male student-athlete who shows outstanding athletic, academic and leadership qualities. Additionally, in 2005 he was inducted into Penn Athletics Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in both lightweight football and track during his undergraduate career. Dr. Galetta received his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College in 1983.He completed his neurology residency training at Penn and his neuro-ophthalmology fellowship at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Florida.

It is an honor to join NYU Langone, and I am delighted to return to my roots in New York City, said Dr. Galetta. I am eager to begin this next chapter of my career and to lead NYU Langones already world-class Department of Neurology in delivering exceptional patient care, advanced scientific research, and quality graduate education.

The principal investigator for several notable clinical trials that examine strategies and potential roles for early therapy in MS, Dr. Galetta is also an outstanding mentor, inspiring his trainees to become physician-scientists in neurology and neuro-ophthalmology. In fact, Dr. Galetta introduced one of his first neuro-ophthalmology fellows, Dr. Balcer, to MS as an area for vision research. Since then, they have been teammates and collaborators for over 20 years at Penn, where she serves as a professor of neurology and division chief for MS since 2004, leading a diverse group of physician-scientists, clinicians and staff. She will now join Dr. Galetta in steering the Department of Neurology at NYU Langone.

Dr. Balcer was one of the first epidemiologists within the field of neuro-ophthalmology. She is an established clinical investigator whose teams work has focused on the development of visual outcome measures for MS. Dr. Balcers research, through collaborative efforts with researchers from several other leading institutions, first identified structure-function correlations in the visual pathway that now allow the measuring of axonal and neuronal loss in patients with MS and optic neuritis. She has co-authored more than 150 publications, and is the principal investigator for NIH and foundation grants totaling more than $1 million.

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Steven L. Galetta, MD, Appointed Chair of the Department of Neurology at NYU Langone Medical Center

by Ken Alltucker - Jun. 27, 2012 06:59 PM The Republic | azcentral.com

St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center today adds a new designation: medical-school campus.

The Phoenix hospital becomes a campus for Creighton University's School of Medicine as the initial class of 42 students begins its studies.

The students, who completed their first two years of instruction at Creighton's main campus in Omaha, Neb., will finish their third and fourth years at St. Joseph's. A second class of 42 students will follow next year, giving the Phoenix hospital a constant rotation of 84 third- and fourth-year medical-school students studying in class and roaming the hospital floors on clinical rotations.

The arrangement fulfills St. Joseph's long-sought goal of being a medical-school campus for a Jesuit Catholic university. Creighton, which has long sent medical-school students to St. Joseph's for one-month rotations, pursued the arrangement to expand west with a new campus for its expanded medical school.

Both St. Joseph's and Creighton University touted the relationship as a boon for metro Phoenix's burgeoning medical-education industry and a potential source of future doctors.

"We looked at our long-term commitment to education, improving the health of this community and educating our future health-care providers," said Linda Hunt, area president for San Francisco-based Dignity Health, which owns St. Joseph's Hospital. "We are really excited about the students being here."

Five years ago, metro Phoenix did not have an "M.D." medical school. The University of Arizona College of Medicine opened its Phoenix campus in 2007. Creighton University becomes the region's second allopathic medical school granting doctor of medicine, or M.D., degrees. And Mayo Clinic is ramping up its planning for a branch of Mayo Medical School that expects to open on Mayo's Scottsdale campus in 2014.

The UA College of Medicine this summer will welcome its largest-ever class of 80 students, up from 48 students per year. UA expanded its class size with this summer's opening of the new copper-clad Health Sciences Education building at the Phoenix Biomedical Campus.

The building will allow the addition of three lecture halls, an anatomy lab and a simulation center as well as administrative offices for medical-school staff. The 268,000-square-foot building will also host Northern Arizona University's physician-assistant and physical-therapy programs.

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Phoenix St. Joseph's Hospital to host 3rd-, 4th-year Creighton medical-school students

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

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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Arizona's Newest Medical School Opens