May 20, 1933May 21, 2012

Dr. John P. Naughton, the longest-serving dean in the history of the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, died Monday in his Cheektowaga home.

The internationally known cardiologist, who served as dean for 21 years and was UBs vice president for clinical affairs for the last 12 of those years, was 79.

A native of Nanticoke, Pa., he graduated from St. Louis University and earned his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine.

Dr. Naughton never forgot the lessons he learned while observing a family doctor in a small Oklahoma town during a rotation in medical school.

He tried to create a medical school that would train students to provide the kind of patient- centered care he saw there, said his longtime colleague, Dr. Thomas C. Rosenthal, chairman of UBs department of family medicine.

Dr. Naughton joined the UB faculty in 1975 as dean and professor of medicine, according to a biography provided by the university.

He previously had served as professor of medicine and dean for academic affairs at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Dr. Naughton was considered an expert in the field of exercise and physical activity and in the prevention of coronary heart disease.

He developed the Naughton Treadmill Protocol, the first protocol used for exercise stress tests.

Continued here:

Dr. John P. Naughton, UB medical school dean

Dr. Richard V. Aghababian, a Southboro resident and the founding chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, has been elected president of the Massachusetts Medical Society.

Dr. Aghababian has a long record of distinguished service with the state medical society. He served as president-elect and vice president, respectively, for the last two years, and was secretary-treasurer for two years before that. He has also been a member of its District Leadership Council and House of Delegates and was a member of the committees on Finance, Nominations, Physician Preparedness, Global Medicine and Medical Education.

He served as chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School from 1994-2007. A Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians, he is still active in education in disaster response and international development of emergency medical systems.

Dr. Aghababian has also held a number of key leadership posts in local and national groups. He has served as president of the Worcester District Medical Society, the Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Emergency Physicians and the Society for Airway Management. He is the secretary-treasurer of the Society for Chest Pain Centers, a national group that helps hospitals improve management of cardiac patients in an observation setting.

An editor-in-chief, associate editor, and contributing author for several textbooks and a widely-published author and lecturer on topics in emergency medicine, disaster response and preparedness, Dr. Aghababian has received honors and awards for his contributions to medicine and the community from the American Red Cross, the Worcester District Medical Society, Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians and the University of Massachusetts. In 2007, he was a recipient of the Annual Health Care Heroes Award from the Worcester Business Journal.

Harrington HealthCare System is one of the top performers in the state for vaccinating employees against influenza, according to the state Department of Public Health.

The health care system, which includes Harrington Hospital, Harrington HealthCare at Hubbard in Webster and Harrington HealthCare at Charlton, vaccinated 90.4 percent of its employees this flu season, according to state records. That puts it in the top 20 acute care hospitals in the state.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health challenged all acute care hospitals in Massachusetts to improve their rate of vaccination for the 2011-2012 flu season. Harringtons vaccination rate improved almost 40 percent this year, to 90.4 percent, compared to 65.2 percent last year.

The Couples Project for Women offers free treatment for women with prescription and other drug problems who are either married or live with a male partner. This is 13 weeks of one-on-one outpatient therapy to help people achieve and maintain sobriety. Some women and their male partners will also receive couples counseling to help improve their relationship and to build support for recovery. This study is conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School and AdCare Hospital. For more information, call AdCare Hospital of Worcester at (800) 345-3552, ext. 4043.

UMass Memorial Health Cares Ronald McDonald Care Mobile provides medical and dental services to people without health or dental insurance. The Care Mobile will be providing services on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Worcester Department of Public Health at 25 Meade St. in Worcester. For more information or to make an appointment, call (508) 334-6073. People who need medical or dental insurance can call (508) 334-9300.

Continued here:

Aghababian leads Mass. Medical Society

BLACKSBURG, Va.

The Osteopathic Medical School in Blacksburg now has two campuses and a record number of graduates, and some of them are about to head to a small town near you.

Your future doctor could be in a Blacksburg classroom, but it won't be without some blood, sweat, and tears.

"At first I came in really excited. I'm still very excited but it has been overwhelming. They told me it was like drinking out of a fire hose and it really is," student Jazma Phelps said.

The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, or VCOM for short, was the 20th. It's located in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center and it was founded a decade ago.

"Ten years ago, some people in the state of Virginia said what is osteopathic medicine? And now they realize it's the full practice of medicine," said Dixie Tooke-Rawlins, the school's executive vice president.

Osteopathic physicians can choose any specialty, prescribe drugs, perform surgeries, and practice medicine anywhere in the United States.

The school in Blacksburg is about to graduate its 933rd physician, and VCOM has had one main mission since day one.

"Our mission is to recruit from and train in and hopefully come back to southwest Virginia and Western North Carolina," said Jan Wilcox, the school's vice dean.

The school's first graduating class is just completing their residencies.

Read more:

Once unknown Blacksburg medical school celebrates its 10th anniversary, success

In an unusual arrangement that was described as benefiting both institutions, a for-profit Caribbean medical school has offered Kern Medical Center $35 million over 10 years for nearly exclusive rights to have its students rotate through the county facility.

For the financially struggling country hospital, the money would help improve its medical student program and overall academic mission, said CEO Paul Hensler.

The students, most of whom will be U.S. born, will come from Ross University, located on the Caribbean island of Dominica. Only 29 miles wide and 16 miles long, Dominica lies at the top of the Windward Islands in the West Indies.

The move benefits Ross by securing coveted medical school rotation spots in California, a region that has not offered as many opportunities for offshore schools.

The arrangement needs the approval of the Kern County Board of Supervisors, which will consider the matter on Tuesday. It may raise questions because Caribbean schools have a reputation for attracting Americans who can't get into U.S. medical schools.

Medical students typically spend their first two years on basic science coursework and the last two years in clinical rotations. U.S. schools often have affiliated hospitals where students can do those rotations, without having to pay additional costs.

Most Caribbean schools have no nearby associated hospitals, so they must seek out U.S. teaching hospitals willing to host their students.

KMC already receives about $750,000 per year from a variety of Caribbean schools in exchange for hosting about 100 rotation slots for med students. They also get a handful of students from UCLA, which, like other American medical schools, does not pay for the opportunity.

Medical students observe and participate in clinical care under the supervision of a faculty member or resident. Residents, on the other hand, already are licensed doctors, and are in the process of training in a particular speciality, such as family medicine.

If the KMC proposal is approved, Ross will be given priority for those slots. UCLA students will still be allowed to come, as well as students from other offshore schools with Kern County connections.

The rest is here:

KMC proposes $35 million deal with Caribbean medical school

Skip the navigation Computerworld White Papers Webcasts Newsletters

Solution Centers

Magazine

More

IT Verticals

See the original post here:

Facebook and physicians: Not good medicine

Reaching out to medical students from the North is key to attracting — and keeping — new doctors

Read this article:

Northern Ontario medical school paying off for Dryden

The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College and The Short List: Grad School to find data that matters to you in your college or grad school search.

As the congressional debate over student loan interest rates heats up, prospective medical students should pay close attention to a less publicized aspect of the legislation: Starting July 1, graduate students will lose access to federally subsidized Stafford loans.

The change means new medical students will be responsible for paying for interest that accrues on Stafford loans as they work toward their degrees. The interest could add up to a significant chunk of change considering the already hefty debt burden of most medical school graduates.

[Learn how to go to medical school for free.]

Among the 112 medical schools reporting average indebtedness data to U.S. News in an annual survey, 2010 graduates averaged $145,020 in debt. The average debt burden jumps to nearly $204,000 at the schools where students shoulder the heaviest debt burden.

Medical students graduating from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine average $229,132 in debt at graduation--more than any other medical school in the country, among those providing data to U.S. News. The average debt load exceeds $200,000 for M.D.'s graduating from Temple University in Philadelphia or George Washington University in Washington, D.C., among other schools.

[Grad students: Read about options to manage student loan debt.]

Future physicians and surgeons aiming to limit their medical school debt should research scholarship, grant, and fellowship opportunities at their prospective schools. They should also consider the price tag of public versus private schools.

Of the 10 schools where students average the most debt, 9 are private schools. Overall, graduates of private medical schools average nearly $155,000 in debt, compared to just more than $138,000 that average graduates accrue at public medical schools.

Below is a list of the 10 medical schools that averaged the most debt for the 2010 graduating class. U.S. News defines debt in its survey as loans taken out by students from the colleges themselves, from financial institutions, and from federal, state, and local governments.

Read the original here:

10 Medical Schools That Lead to the Most Debt

University of Miami Health System layoffs

University of Miami President Donna E. Shalala talks about layoffs at the University of Miami Health System, including the medical school. Shalala spoke to the Miami Herald Tuesday, May 8, 2012.

Chuck Fadely / Miami Herald Staff

The top ranks of the University of Miamis medical school continue to be shaken up as part of the massive restructuring that includes laying off of up to 800 full-time employees.

The latest change: Steven Lipshultz, the longtime chair of pediatrics, one of the largest departments in the school, will be stepping down from his leadership roles, Dean Pascal Goldschmidt announced in a memo to staff.

Four other top leaders have also lost their posts as the school seeks to make major changes in its finances, which show losses of $18 million for the first 10 months of its fiscal year.

Lipshultz is being replaced temporarily by Judy Schaechter, the associate chair of pediatrics. Ira Karmin, interim chair of obstetrics and gynecology, will oversee pediatrics from the new position of associate dean for womens and childrens health.

Goldschmidt thanked Lipshultz for his service and said the pediatric cardiologist will continue to work at UM, but the dean added in his staff memo: At this moment in our schools history, we need particularly strong leaders leaders who can drive innovation, deal with challenges and recognize that our world needs to change.

It is about leaders who bring solutions, who engage the faculty in dialogue, and who think differently about how we do the things we do. Judy and Ira are such leaders. We are grateful for their willingness to step up and take on critical new responsibilities.

Steve Green, former head of the faculty senate, said Lipshultz was extremely well regarded nationally both as a clinician and as a researcher and he recently received excellent reviews from his faculty.

Link:

University of Miami medical school shakes up leadership

The proliferation of mobile and electronic technologies, both in the United States and overseas, has changed the way medicine is practiced, affecting both physicians and medical students. How would this affect your medical school experience?

Read the rest here:

Mobile Technology May Influence Medical School Training

Tuan Win graduated from Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire last year and hes hoping to move on to medical school. A native of Vietnam, Win came to the United States in 2000, wracked with polio and facing an uncertain future. He joined hundreds of other children from Southeast Asia who have come to America over the years, courtesy of Child Medical Connection.

Changing the lives of hundreds of Vietnamese children has been a decade-and-a-half obsession for Joe Bodanza, who has volunteered his own time and resources to support children with serious medical needs for treatment at Shriners Hospital in Springfield.

Binders and folders occupy Bodanzas bookshelves, each holding photos of Vietnamese kids once distorted by polio, warped by scoliosis, or covered with burns and tumors, all kids supported by his self-made organization, Child Medical Connection. Thanks to financial assistance from donors, including Chelmsford resident Roland Van Liew and the Van Liew Family Foundation, the agency continues to enhance lives.

At age 7 Bodanza contracted polio and so understands the diseases hardships. With no family of his own, Bodanza surrounds himself with his Vietnamese children who refer to him as Mr. Joe.

I want no money. What I have, I share with my kids. I sleep in a chair, I have coffee, thats all I need, said Bodanza. My needs are very simple. People come first. Those who dont have, come first.

It all started after Bodanza retired from the state Department of Education at age 58, and he ran a small business with his partner, a Vietnamese man, creating restaurant placemats. They traveled to Vietnam twice in 1995 where Bodanza witnessed the cultural negligence of children with disabilities. According to Bodanza, in Vietnam the handicapped are considered cursed and often shunned from society.

People in Vietnam avoid a person who is handicapped and theyre considered a bad luck person People believe bad luck is contagious so they avoid the family, the child and all the people in the house as bad luck people, said Bodanza.

Bodanza retuned with a personal mission: To bring home a youngster, Phuc (Peter) Nguyen, for polio treatment. Nguyens one-year treatment for his severe spinal curvature was $500,000.

I knew nothing, said Bodanza about the challenging process of bringing Nguyen overseas. I had more rejections for people coming here than you would believe. Kids with polio coming here were rejected.

Word spread of Bodanzas work in Vietnamese communities and on his second trip back more than 100 people appeared at his hotel room. Maxing out his credit cards, depleting his retirement income and a small $1,600 monthly state pension, Bodanza was going into debt bringing the children to America for treatment. After being advised to incorporate his work as charity, Bodanza founded the nonprofit Child Medical Connection, with the help of a pro bono lawyer. The move enabled him to receive more donations. He made three trips back to Vietnam between 1996 and 1997.

See the rest here:

Chelmsford group helps support medical care program

One well-known U.S. senator and Kentucky native came to the mountains to speak to medical school graduates. Some might say he could relate more to these students as he has not always been involved solely in politics.

Sen. Rand Paul (R) had uplifting words for the University of Pikevilles School of Osteopathic Medicine graduates.

Paul encouraged the young doctors to overcome the obstacles of becoming a physician, such as caring too little, too much and even challenging the norm when necessary.

Don't let them tell you it can't be done, think outside the box, said Paul. Be your own man, or your own woman.

This was the senators first commencement speech and he said it was special to speak to medical school graduates as he is a doctor.

I still remember those young, heady days when I was first becoming a physician and what they have to look forward to and what the community has to look forward to having these young doctors in their region of the mountains, said Paul.

Paul said this was a new experience and he admitted he was nervous.

I was a bit nervous, even though I have now given thousands of speeches, said Paul. Particularly, because this is a little bit different than the red meat and potatoes of politics.

Paul said the speech was more about his experiences in medicine and what the graduates should expect and how they choose their path.

This is the first class to graduate since the college became a university. UPIKE President Paul Patton says his speech hit home.

More here:

U.S. Senator addresses UPike medical school graduates

Springfields Southern Illinois University School of Medicine has no Nobel Prize winners on its faculty, and its research budget is small compared with larger and older medical schools.

Those conventional measures of prestige, however, overlook a quality that puts SIU close to the top nationwide in fulfilling the social mission of medical education, according to Dr. Fitzhugh Mullan, who will speak today at the schools commencement exercises at Sangamon Auditorium.

Theyve done a fabulous job in delivering on that to the population, to the citizenry, in terms of training excellent physicians for their geographic area, said Mullan, a pediatrician from Washington, D.C.

Mullans 2010 study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, ranked SIU 15th out of 140 medical schools, and ahead of all others in Illinois, when it comes to social mission.

The study measured performance on what Mullan defined as the basic purpose of medical schools: to educate physicians to care for the national population.

The rankings were based on the percentage of graduates who enter primary care specialties, those working in rural or other areas with shortages of health professionals, and those who are African-American, Hispanic or American Indian.

Mullan, 69, received his medical degree from the University of Chicago and worked early in his career at a New Mexico community clinic as part of the National Health Service Corps.

He currently is professor of medicine and health policy at George Washington University School of Medicine.

Mullan said medical schools such as SIU, as well as Morehouse College, Meharry Medical College and Howard University the top three finishers, respectively, in the study often dont receive the attention they deserve from publications such as U.S. News and World Report.

He is working on a follow-up study that will explain in detail why six of the top-performing schools, including SIU, did so well.

See more here:

80 to graduate today from SIU Medical School

BOSTON All public schools in the state will be required to put emergency medical response plans in place, evaluate access to life-saving heart defibrillators and ensure teachers and coaches know CPR, under a school safety bill signed yesterday by Gov. Deval L. Patrick.

Other provisions will require public school students to learn CPR as a graduation requirement, but sponsors of the law said it comes short of requiring public schools to have defibrillators.

It is one of two bills on child safety that arose from deaths of children from Central Massachusetts. The school emergency plan law, called Michaels Law, came to the fore in the aftermath of the death of 16-year-old Michael Ellsessar of Sutton in 2010. He died from cardiac arrest after he was tackled in a junior varsity football game in Warren. At the time there was no defibrillator available and it took 15 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.

Meanwhile another bill aimed at preventing drownings and requiring floatation devices for all children unable to swim is advancing toward passage. The devices would be required at state and municipal summer camps and recreation areas.

Named after 4-year-old Christian Frechette who drowned at a town camp in Sturbridge in 2007, the bill passed in the Senate last week and was in line for a House vote.

John and Luann Ellsessar, the parents of Michael, who promoted the school safety bill, attended the signing ceremony.

Its very rewarding. I just feel it will spare people the grief that our family has had to suffer. And that was our goal, that no one should have to go through this, just by having the appropriate things in place, Mrs. Ellsessar said.

She said CPR was started immediately on her son, but he needed the defibrillator and had to wait for an ambulance. You really need that in three minutes or less. That is ideal. So time ran out, she said.

Mr. Ellsessar thanked the governor and lawmakers for putting the law in place. Schools will be prepared. Children will be protected and other people will be protected, he said.

It doesnt bring Michael back, but it will save other people in the future.

Excerpt from:

School medical plan required

PROVIDENCE, R.I.The Rhode Island House has voted to allow a for-profit osteopathic medical school to open in the state.

The 65 to 6 vote Tuesday would permit the school to open, if it meets applicable academic standards.

Supporters say the Rhode Island School of Osteopathic Medicine would help address a projected shortage of primary care doctors, and would create 300 jobs in the state.

Opponents questioned the requirements for admittance to the school.

Information from: The Providence Journal, http://www.providencejournal.com

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Read the original:

RI House approves for-profit medical school

After a successful recent pre-launch, the acclaimed new eBook How To Get Into Medical School With A Low GPA by Dr. Suzanne M. Miller has been touted as a lifeline for pre-meds who refuse to give up on their dream of becoming a doctor due to a low GPA.Washington, DC (PRWEB) May 16, 2012 With the recent launch of her new eBook, How To Get Into Medical School With A Low GPA, Dr. Miller tackles one ...

Link:

"How To Get Into Medical School With A Low GPA" eBook by Harvard MD and Admissions Consultant Officially Launches

LSU Health budget cuts

Shreveport's largest employer is being faced with staggering cuts to its operational budget that would cripple the LSU Health Shreveport Medical School.

"State funding would be reduced to a point that we couldn't operate anymore," says Sally Croom, spokesperson for LSU Health Shreveport.

Croom says if the state's proposed $25 million budget cuts pass the senate, the medical school and hospital would eventually collapse.

"Hundreds of thousands of people depend on this institution for health care," says Croom.

People like Aaron Selber, who not only serves on the LSU Foundation Board but also visits the hospital as a patient.

"I'm older. I know I'm gonna get sick and I'd like to be treated by a competent medical staff," Selber says.

Selber says the Med School produces about 70 % of the doctors who practice in Louisiana.

He says the closure of the school would send shock waves throughout the community.

"This represents a tremendous potential step backwards," he says.

Read the original here:

Pending budget cuts could force closure of LSU Medical School

The University at Buffalo has chosen an architectural firm to design its new $375 million medical school at Main and High streets.

The well-known, international firm HOK Helmuth, Obata & Kassabaum was selected to lead the building design over the next 13 months in preparation for the groundbreaking in fall 2013, UB announced.

Part of the process includes exhibiting four design concepts for public feedback.

"You don't get many opportunities to do a project of this size and scope on Main Street," said Robert G. Shibley, dean of the UB School of Architecture and Planning. "It's just a tremendous opportunity for downtown, Allentown and the entire neighborhood."

UB plans to move its School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences from the South Campus on Main to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus by 2016.

Nineteen architectural teams were pared down to four finalists that were asked to compete for the UB contract by designing a concept for the new medical school.

UB anticipates building a 12-, nine- or seven-story medical school with more than a half-million square feet of space.

The architectural competition was a chance to consider possibilities for a building on a site with some complex urban-design challenges: adding green space, walkways and an extension of Allen Street; incorporating the Allen-Medical Campus Metro Station; blending with Allentown and several historic buildings nearby; and serving as a signature "front door" for the Medical Campus along Main.

"We will not build any of the four designs," Shibley said. "This process was never intended to produce a winning design, but to reveal how the architects were thinking about and approaching the project."

The four design concepts will be on display for public input in the Greatbatch Pavilion of the Darwin Martin House, 125 Jewett Parkway, through next Thursday and then in the Central Library on Lafayette Square through June 8.

Here is the original post:

UB picks architect for medical school

At one Indiana medical school, students are taught to think of their cadavers as their first patients and may even meet their families. Critics contend this may cross an ethical line and put students in an uncomfortable position.

Charles Dharapak / AP

First year medical students dissect a cadaver at a gross anatomy lab at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, Nov. 5, 2009.

Kyle Gospodarek expected to feel nervous about seeing a dead body up close on his first day of anatomy lab. He steeled himself for the smell a pungent blend of latex, embalming fluid and something indescribable whose odor would cling to his clothes for days but he never imagined he would have to get in touch with the cadavers family. Ill be honest: when I first heard about what we were doing, I was weirded out, he says. I didnt know what to say to them.

At Indiana University Northwest, an IU branch campus located in Gary, Ind., anatomy professor Ernest Talarico instructs his medical students to probe beyond the nerves and muscles of the bodies lying on their examination tables and think of the cadavers as their first patients. We ask students to use the name of the patient out of respect and to acknowledge that this was a person, he says. His students also typically exchange letters with family members to glean more information about their patients medical histories, hobbies and interests. They may even meet the family in person at the conclusion of the course during a memorial service held in the laboratory.

(MORE: Can Doctors Have Work-Life Balance? Medical Students Discuss)

The annals of medical school training are filled with sordid tales of students taking glam shots with corpses or assigning unflattering nicknames to cadavers. When Talarico was in medical school, he remembers his classmates calling one cadaver Salty because of the tattoo of the naked woman on his chest. These people had lives and names, he says, and to use other names disrespects them.

Talarico believes his approach not only helps students be more respectful of the individuals who have given their bodies to science but also prepares them to act as empathetic clinicians when theyre faced with the cold, hard medical decisions theyll have to make in their careers. He has no formal data to prove his approach gets better results, but anecdotally, the students say they feel better prepared to address patients as individuals and consider their feelings. As one student, Adam Harker, explains: I think it translates into better post-op care and compliance.

While Talarico has won praise from many of the individuals involved in the program, hes also raised concerns among critics who question the ethics of his teaching technique. When donated bodies are passed on to medical schools, the institutions are usually only given the basics the donors name, gender, age and immediate cause of death. The name of the donor is typically not shared with students, and students do not usually interact with the donors next of kin.

(MORE: Doctors Salaries: Who Earns the Most and the Least?)

Visit link:

Why Some Medical Students Are Learning Their Cadavers' Names

14-05-2012 03:49 LIVE Arthroscopy Knee Synovectomy.Details on video*.

Follow this link:

YouTube Medical School LIVE Arthroscopy Knee Synovectomy - Video

ATLANTA (AP) - The Emory University School of Medicine has received a commitment for a $5 million gift for its pediatrics department.

The money from the Marcus Foundation, Inc., will be used to create the Marcus Society in Pediatrics. The society will be the "intellectual home" for 15 Marcus Professors in Pediatrics_six existing Marcus Professors and nine who are newly funded. The society will also host an annual visiting scholar.

The nine new Marcus Professors will specialize in the following areas: rheumatology, general pediatrics/adolescent medicine, emergency medicine/faculty development, cystic fibrosis, neurology, immunology, cardiology, general academic pediatrics/hospital medicine and hospital epidemiology/infection control. The six existing Marcus Professors specialize in pulmonology, infectious diseases, nephrology, gastroenterology, endocrinology and neonatology.

The foundation and the department of pediatrics have a longstanding philanthropic relationship.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Here is the original post:

Emory medical school gets $5 million gift