Former Nevada Congresswoman Shelley Berkley says Nevada can't afford two publicmedical schools. And with UNLV's new school starting this year, UNR's school should be shut down.

"We spend $60 milliona biennium to keep UNR's medical school going," Berkley told Nevada Public Radio. She is the CEO and senior provost at Touro University/Western Division, an osteopathic medical school in Henderson. "I dont think this state will want to sustain two medical schools.

Berkley joined Barbara Atkinson, dean of UNLV's new medical school, and Renee Coffman, co-founder and president of Roseman University of Health Sciences, to talk about the health care needs in Southern Nevada.

All three schools expect to churn out more doctors but that won't necessarily mean Nevada will get those doctors. Often graduating physicians stay in the cities where they do their residencies, which comes after medical school.

The number of residencies at different hospitals in southern Nevada is still relatively small, so many of the medical school students here will move to other states after graduation.

"Without any local residencies for these medical school graduates to go to basically what we would be doing is just exporting our graduates to other states to do their residencies," Heidi Kyser, staff writer for Desert Companion said.

Kyser interviewed the three women for an article in the August issue of the magazine. She said part of the problem is that residency programs are expensive. They are often funded by federal grants.

"The process for getting that funding is really complicated," Kyser explained, "And most of Nevada's hospitals have already hit the limit of that funding and the number of physicians they can get."

In Las Vegas, University Medical Center, Sunrise Hospital, and the VA hospital have had the bulk of the residency programs but more private hospitals are opening residencies.

As for the idea of closing the medical school at UNR, Kyser talked to Thomas Schwenk, the dean of that medical school, he told her he believes all the citizens of the state of Nevada deserve access to all the benefits that public medical school brings to a community not just those in the southern part of the state.

According to the three women interviewed, one of the biggest benefits would be employment and not just for new doctors trained at their facilities.

"We focus on health professions, like Shelley does at Touro, they have jobs when they get out," said Renee Coffman with Roseman University of Health Services, "So, as a prospective student that's a tremendous return on investment for your educational dollars."

Berkley added that for the 10 to 20 years health care will be where all the jobs are.

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Shelley Berkley: UNR's Med School Should Close Its Doors - KNPR

BUFFALO, N.Y. They volunteer at food pantries andsuicide hotlines, work with the homeless and refugees, and assistat hospice and Meals on Wheels. Theyve done research oncancer, diabetes and geriatrics, and worked on medical missions allover the globe.

They are the 180 students of the Class of 2021 at the JacobsSchool of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University atBuffalo. Today, Aug. 11, at 3 p.m., they will receive their whitecoats at a ceremony in the Mainstage theater in the Center for theArts on the UB North Campus.

Best time for photos: Students will begin to becoated at approximately 3:30 p.m. For pressarrangements, contact Ellen Goldbaum in the UB Office of UniversityCommunications at 716-645-4605 or 716-771-9255 and on-site.

For each student who will be coated, the ceremony is apersonal milestone, said Michael E. Cain, MD, vice presidentfor health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine andBiomedical Sciences.

But this years white coat ceremony is also aninstitutional milestone, Cain added. Today, weofficially welcome to UB its largest-ever medical school class, 180students, up from 144.

That expansion, which he called a necessity to help fill thephysician shortage in the region and in the nation, was only madepossible by the construction of the new downtown home of the JacobsSchool of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences on the Buffalo NiagaraMedical Campus. Students will begin classes in the new building inJanuary after spending their first semester on the SouthCampus.

Of the 180 students, 152 are from New York State, 78 are fromWestern New York and 40 earned their undergraduate degrees fromUB.

At the ceremony, all 180 medical students will take the Oath ofMedicine. During the "calling of the class," students will becalled to the stage individually to be presented with their coatwhile their undergraduate institution and hometown is identified byCharles M. Severin, MD, PhD, UB associate dean for medicaleducation and admissions.

The keynote address will be given by Robert H. Ablove, MD,clinical associate professor in the Department of Orthopaedics. TheLeonard Tow Humanism in Medicine award will be presented to LynnSteinbrenner, MD, clinical assistant professor in the Department ofMedicine and chief of the Oncology Section at the VeteransAdministration WNY Healthcare System.

The white coat ceremony is a symbolic rite of passage shared bymedical students across the U.S. to establish a psychologicalcontract for professionalism and empathy in the practice ofmedicine.

More here:
Media Advisory: White coat ceremony for UB's largest-ever medical school class marks institutional milestone - UB News Center

Law school clinics are perhaps bigger and more diverse today than they have ever been. As the lead article to this issue of The Practice lays out, clinics now span topics as diverse as housing, entrepreneurship, and immigration. Moreover, according to recent data from the Center for the Study of Applied Legal Education, nearly half of all law students participate in a clinic during their three years at law school. Clinical faculty numbers have also grown, as has their prestige. However, despite all the gains in clinical legal education, the fact remains that clinics continue to exist withinor perhaps alongsidethe more traditional law school curriculum and faculty. Put differently, clinics are often treated as bolt-ons to a more traditional legal education, where courses like contracts, torts, civil procedure, criminal law, property, and constitutional law, taught by podium professors often using the traditional Langdellian case method, occupy the core of a law school curriculum.

In medicine, the term clinic (from the Greek klin, meaning bed) often takes a more literal form with doctors visiting the bedsides of patients.

Other professions, however, treat clinical education in different ways. In this article, we move away from the law school campus in the hopes of learning from some outside perspectives, observing how other professions approach experiential learning as they endeavor to produce practice ready professionals in their fields. First, we look to medicine, where the term clinic (from the Greek klin, meaning bed) often takes a more literal form with doctors visiting the bedsides of patients. Using Harvard Medical Schools curriculum as an example, we speak with Jane M. Neill, associate dean for medical education planning and administration, about how clinical experiences factor into medical students educations. We then turn to education itself, namely teacher training, to learn how theory and practice are mixed to prepare new teachers to take on all the responsibilities of maintaining a classroom from day one. We speak with Jesse Solomon, executive director and founder of the Boston Teacher Residency program, about how teacher education uses a clinical model to train future practitioners in real-world settings.

The cases of Harvard Medical School (HMS) and the Boston Teacher Residency (BTR) program challenge the legal profession to consider: How might we approach clinical legal education differently?

Unlike law school, medical education has traditionally had a strong clinical component. Indeed, with the publication of the Flexner Report in the early 20th century, medical school typically involved two years of classroom learning followed by two years of clinical education, most often in a teaching hospital where physicians-in-training would go through a largely standard set of rotations (including surgery, OB-GYN, pediatrics, neurology, radiology, psychiatry, and medicine). These mandated clinical experiences were core to the medical curriculum, involving real patients under the supervision of practicing doctors-come-teachers. The current curriculum at HMS is both a reflection of this long history and an innovation from traditional structures. Like many other medical schools, we were organized in a two-plus-two curricular structure, explains Neill. Students would spend most of the first two years in the classroom followed by two years in the clinical settingtheory first, practice second. Now, HMS has moved to integrate the two, with clinical experiences starting in the first year and classroom experiences available in the final year (although, for the purposes of comparison, it is worth stressing that even traditional medical education includes two years in a clinical setting).

HMSs doctor of medicine (M.D.) degree program, which typically graduates classes of fewer than 200 students, is divided into three phases: the pre-clerkship phase, the principal clinical phase, and the post-clerkship phase. As Neill points out, M.D. students clinical experiences are far from limited to the principal clinical phase of their program and instead are infused through the entire experience. The initial phase used to be called the preclinical phase, but we have largely stopped calling it that because there is actually significant clinical education taking place in that foundational period, says Neill. (Note: References in this article to HMSs M.D. program and students primarily refer to its more traditional track rather than its Health Sciences and Technology track, which is geared toward students preparing for careers as physician scientists. For clarification, both programs lead to M.D. degrees at HMS.)

The centrality of the clinical component underscores the importance of the teaching hospital as an institution in medical training.

During the initial 14-month phase, M.D. students take courses like Immunity in Defense and Disease and Mind, Brain, and Behavior, as well as a longitudinal course called Practice of Medicine. As Neill describes, this longitudinal course is an M.D. students first introduction to clinical practice. Students are paired with practicing primary care physicians whom they shadow one day a week for a full year. During this course, students are learning a lot of the basics of patient care, Neill notes. On a regular basis they are in the office of their preceptorthat is, the primary care doctorseeing patients, building relationships with mentors, and learning about the practice of medicine from very early on in medical school.

Once they get past that initial phasewhich Neill stresses is 14 consecutive monthsstudents move on to the principal clinical phase that constitutes a full year at one of the major teaching hospitals affiliated with HMS. In that time, students are completing eight required clerkships, or rotations, in which they apply the knowledge gained through the first phase of their medical education. Seven of those required clerkshipssurgery, OBGYN, pediatrics, neurology, radiology, psychiatry, and medicineare consecutive, each ranging from four to 12 weeks. One clerkship, primary care, extends longitudinally throughout the year. M.D. students go to class in hospitals, operating rooms, and doctors offices. Real patients are their primary textbooks, and practicing doctors are HMS faculty. During that year, students also engage in longitudinal modules, from case conferences to seminars and discussions. As Ed Hundert, the dean for Medical Education at HMS put it in a curricular video, The PCE year is one of the most memorable of medical school, and its a time when students develop increasing competence and confidence in their clinical skills and begin to explore different types of medicine that might attract their passion and interest.

The centrality of this clinical component also underscores the importance of the teaching hospital as an institution in medical training. From the beginning of their trainingindeed, at HMS, in the very first year of medical schoolM.D. students are members of teams of medical professionals designed to train them in real practice settings. Teaching hospitals provide these training sites that cultivate the future of the medical profession while at the same time caring for patients. And, far from serving as second-rate institutions from a patient-care perspective, a recent study has shown that on average teaching hospitals outperform nonteaching hospitals on crucial metrics like mortality rates. Among the teaching hospitals to which HMS sends its M.D. students are Mass General and Brigham and Womens, two of the top hospitals in the countryteaching or otherwise. The training does not diminish care but is baked into the system that simultaneously treats patients and trains M.D.s.

Physician training is not complete when they graduate medical schoolindeed, they are only then just entering the postgraduate training phase of their careers.

In the third and final phase, M.D. students at HMS are doing a mix of clinical and other coursework and scholarship (including a required scholarly project). The clinical aspect is often done through advanced clinical electives, which are intended to build on M.D. students experiences during their principal clinical phase. As electives, students use them to explore a specialty they have in mind for their career and may also approach these clinical opportunities as chances to temporarily step outside their preferred area of clinical interest. However, because M.D. students all have a common core of clinical experiences under their belt, these electives function as just that: electives.

Neill is careful to note that while each medical school approaches its curriculum in its own way, all emphasize the importance of firsthand clinical experience as critical to understanding how to be a doctor. That message is then reinforced when graduates enter the tiered structure of the larger medical profession. After all, physician training is not complete when they graduate medical schoolindeed, they are only then just entering the postgraduate training phase of their medical careers.

New M.D.s begin their careers and continue their training in hospitals on teams that commonly include M.D. students, interns, residents, fellows, and attending physicians. When M.D. students graduate, they continue with three or more years of postgraduate training in residency programs in their chosen specialty. Throughout the progression, those with more seniority will supervise and guide those with less seniority, with each members responsibilities and capabilities growing over time. After these phasesnoting, however, that states vary regarding many years of postgraduate training are required for initial medical licensureindividuals can get their full medical license pending exams and other requirements. Attending physicians may also go on to pursue further training and certification in a subspecialty and board certification, which is optional, as a means of demonstrating mastery of their field.

More changes are under consideration for HMSs M.D. curriculum. In The Practices conversation with Neill, a word that kept coming up was longitudinal, which could be the way of the future for clinical medical education. While there is already a heavy dose of clinical work in the current setup, Neill notes that most clinical experiences are in inpatient settings, where patients are acutely ill, and not over the life cycle of their care, which could ultimately limit the pedagogical value of those experiences. Were going to be working on an initiative to build more opportunities for students to see patients longitudinally, affirms Neill. She explains:

A lot more of medicine now, especially patients who arent acutely seriously ill, is being practiced in the outpatient setting, which provides students a lot of opportunities. First, they might be able to see a patient in the outpatient setting before the patients diagnosis has been made so they can participate in the process of developing a differential diagnosis and figuring out whats wrong with the patient. They can see the disease unfold over time in the outpatient setting as opposed to seeing a patient whos been admitted to the hospital for a couple of days to take care of something thats happened to them acutely. Forty years ago, patients were admitted to the hospital and they might be there for a couple of weeks. That doesnt happen very much anymore, and that is why medical education has to continually be evolving.

HMS has already implemented this approach with its Cambridge Hospital longitudinal integrated clerkship, where M.D. students experience their clerkships contemporaneously over the course of a year rather than one at a time. Currently, cohorts for this longitudinal clerkship model at Cambridge Hospital are small (about a dozen students) and determined by an opt-in lottery, but consideration is being given to longitudinal experiences more widely in the principal clinical year. This, Neill suggests, is part of the process of ensuring that students are being prepared for the profession that awaits them. The field of medicine, as Im sure is true for law, has some foundational content that doesnt change, she says. But discovery and treatment are in a continuous state of evolution, so the curriculum needs to evolve, too.

Like law and medicine, teaching brings with it a significant degree of responsibility. Teachers are charged with not just the care of several or dozens or even hundreds of individuals (often children) but also with designing and executing curricula that will prepare those individuals for their futures. And, like law and medicine, how teachers are trained to take on that responsibility presents ethical challenges, not least of which is ensuring that new teachers are prepared to fill the role as soon as they take charge of their first classroom. That is why many teacher education programswhich are often required for licensure and which themselves often require clinical experience in the classroominclude what is called a practicum, or a component that puts aspiring teachers in real classrooms as part of their training. The BTR program is both a reflection of the rich tradition of the practical training in teacher education as well as an innovative extension of that model in a way that emphases the importance of practice from day one.

The objective was to integrate theory and practice in a way that exposed students to real-world practice earlier in their training.

Historically, BTRs Jesse Solomon notes, this practical component has existed separately from traditional classroom learning within teacher education programs. For a long time, education schools would essentially front-load all the theory before sending someone into a class, he says. And there is often a divide between what a novice is being taught in the university classroom and what that novices mentor teacher says. He explains:

University professors may essentially be saying, Dont pay attention to the practice you see in your host school during your practicumits not good teaching. While the teachers in those schools are saying, Dont listen to your university professors because they havent been in a classroom in 30 years. The key is getting the two to speak to each other, and overall I think the field is moving in a positive direction toward having teacher preparation in general be much more clinical and practical.

To help push the teaching profession in that direction, partnering with Boston Public Schools, Solomon helped found the BTR program in 2002 to provide teacher training that emphasized this merger of theory and practice. Like HMSs recent curriculum changes, the objective was to integrate theory and practice in a way that exposed students to real-world practice earlier in their training to avoid the disjointedness Solomon describes above. At its core, BTR combines a yearlong classroom practicum with masters-level course work that effectively provides teachers with a Massachusetts teaching license, the opportunity for an M.Ed. (as part of the BTR program and awarded through the University of Massachusetts Boston), and the ability to coteach and collaborate with experienced teachers to prepare them for their careers ahead. However, as Solomon notes, because the state ultimately decoupled the masters degree from licensure, there was a lot more room for innovation. Even those who pursue the masters degree need never leave the residency program for a college classroom. BTR hires its own faculty and designs its own full curriculum of courses. To correspond with a traditional school yearwhen the program prefers its participants to be in live classrooms coteachingall course work is done on Fridays, during the summer, or in the evening. Moreover, these courses are taught by experts brought in by BTR with a demonstrated ability to bridge theory and practice.

To illustrate the need to firmly link theory and practice, Solomon uses the example of independent reading, an activity where each child is reading something different depending on his or her interest and reading level while supervised by a teacher. Theres certainly a lot to know about reading development from the research side, he notes. But theres only so much you can do in the college classroom. In practice, you might have 25 kids doing independent reading and youre just one person. The trick is how to get around the room to apply all that theory. Theres an art and science to having those conferences with each student.

Like the medical student working in a team of more-experienced professionals, mentor teachers assessing student teachers performance and progress is a critical component of any practicum. While each teacher will have his or her own distinct style and voice, there are still baseline skills that all student teachers need to take away from their program. Their ability to lesson plan, design and execute learning objectives, facilitate discussion, design assessments, effectively initiate and finish class, and collect and use information from past classes to inform future classesall are necessary skills for a teacher that are honed and assessed in the practicum setting. As Solomon notes, Our program is designed around a set of competencies that they have to demonstrate in order to graduate. If they cant demonstrate them, they dont get licensure.

In both forms of professional training, the application of theory is treated at least as seriously as the theory itself.

Notably, student teachers often need to be eased into a primary teaching rolewhat Solomon calls a release of responsibility. Where the medical curriculum might add clinical experience in chunksa four-week rotation in neurology, an eight-week rotation in surgery, and so onBTR might instead approach its practical elements through a steady, gradual immersion into the practice of teaching. In most any practicum setting, there will be at least one mentor teacher and one student teacher. Over the course of the practicum, the mentor teacher will hand the reins over to the student teacher while offering guidance and feedback. As with the medical profession, a fully licensed professional is present in the clinical setting to support the professional-in-training but also to provide a quality check on behalf of the students for whom they are ultimately responsible. However, far from simply providing a trained professional in the room, having at least two teachersa mentor teacher and a student teacheractually opens up new possibilities for lessons and activities. Thus, owing to this setup, which is in many ways contrived for the purposes of teacher training, classes might be able to alternate nimbly between lectures, guided smaller group discussions, and even more-individualized learning that might not be feasible with only one instructor presiding. The teacher-in-training becomes a strength of the classroom, not a weakness.

Quality metrics in teaching

One challenge in the teaching profession, not unlike the law, is a lack of consensus metrics to measure the quality of teaching in a way that can inform discussions around how to better train teachers for the future. Statistics on teachers are available that might indicate a positive or negative impact on students learning environment, such as teacher retention, but measuring the effectiveness of teaching in a way that allows for apples-to-apples comparisons remains somewhat elusive. Id say thats the Holy Grailcertainly for our program and I would think its true for the profession in generalto really get to a point where we measure student outcomes, says Solomon. This is something that the field is still grappling with. Standardized tests are available in different forms depending on the state; however, these measurements are often controversial and infrequent.

In addition, some standardized data on the teachers themselves might be available at the state level, but Solomon cautions that the takeaways here are limited, too. Here every first-year teacher gets evaluated using the same rubric in the state, which is actually quite helpful for our program, he says. This allows us to know that our teachers are represented in the highly qualified category at twice the rate of the average of people in the rest of the state, but of course that doesnt really tell us anything about student outcomes. In other words, gauging the quality of teaching still relies to some degree on input-based metrics, creating challenges for defining clear strategies to improve teacher training and performance.

Through medical and teacher education, we see two models of clinical training for professionals. With HMS, the clinical component is integrated into the core of the curriculum. With the BTR program, the practicum component is introduced early and responsibility is slowly released to student teachers as they gain competence. In medicine more broadly, the M.D. student is the most junior member of a team of attending physicians, fellows, residents, interns, and others. In teacher training, the practicum is often defined more by one-to-one master-apprentice relationships between the mentor teacher and the student teacher. In both forms of professional training, the application of theory is treated at least as seriously as the theory itself.

Of course, medicine, teaching, and law are all vastly different professions with different sets of responsibilities and different types of clients. But these two examples raise questions worth exploring in a legal profession context: What would a law school curriculum with an integrated clinical core look like? What are the challenges and benefits of slowly but steadily immersing law students into real-world practice? How could the profession build a structured postgraduate training system? What else is possible with clinical legal education?

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Teaching Hospitals and Teaching Teachers - The Practice

A couple says Dr. Barbara Knox wrongly suspected child abuse. A forensic pathologist testifies Knox pressured him to report an injury he did not see.

By Dee J. Hall

Wisconsin Watch

Brenna Siebold had just returned home from teaching third grade at Mount Horeb Intermediate Center. Her 9-month-old son, home with his sitter, was acting sluggish. She took Leos temperature: 103 degrees.

The fever was only the latest health scare in Leos short life. He was born with heterotaxy syndrome, in which the internal organs are abnormally arranged. He had already endured two surgeries, and doctors instructed the Siebolds, of Mount Horeb, to bring him to the emergency room any time he ran a fever above 100.4 degrees.

That day, Sept. 5, 2018, Brenna dropped off her older children, Jocelyn and Jonah, at her parents house. Her husband, Joel, was at work as a custodian at Glacier Creek Middle School in Cross Plains. Then she drove Leo to a familiar destination: American Family Childrens Hospital in Madison.

The visit was traumatic. Leo thrashed and screamed while ER staff and Siebold struggled to hold him down to insert a needle into his veins and poke a catheter into his groin. There was blood all over the table, Siebold recalled.

The following day, staff confronted the Siebolds about bruises found on Leo bruises that Dr. Barbara Knox, head of the hospitals Child Protection Program, flagged as possible signs of abuse.

The encounter sparked an investigation that threatened to rip apart the Siebold family and ruin their careers. Surgical scars on Leo were listed as bruises. Demonstrably false information was inserted into his medical record. And Knox allegedly misrepresented herself as a specialist in an attempt to convince the family to approve additional medical testing.

Police instantly dismissed the abuse allegation. Child welfare officials would clear the couple after two months. But the episode left Brenna Siebold petrified of seeking emergency medical care for their children, including twins, Hazelle and Hank, born in December.

Now Knox considered a national expert on child abuse who testifies as an expert for prosecutors around the country is under the microscope.

The University of Wisconsin placed her on paid leave in mid-2019 after colleagues inside and outside of the hospital accused her of intimidation or retaliation, an internal letter shows.

Dr. Ellen Wald, chairwoman of the Department of Pediatrics at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, wrote to Knox on July 5, saying the administrative leave involved concerns about your workplace behavior, including unprofessional acts that may constitute retaliation against and/or intimidation of internal and external colleagues.

The university took three months to produce that two-page letter after Wisconsin Watch filed a November public records request for complaints against Knox in her personnel file.

After the letter was released, a UW-Madison spokeswoman confirmed that Knox voluntarily left her $204,000-a-year position as an instructor and physician at the UW-affiliated childrens hospital in October.

UW Health spokesman Tom Russell said the hospital took appropriate action after investigating the allegations against Knox but declined to specify what that was.

Russell also said UW Health hired a consultant in September to evaluate the Child Protection Program and implemented recommendations for improvement. Among them: a monthly multi-disciplinary conference to review cases.

Knox now works as the medical director of Alaska CARES, a child abuse response and evaluation program based at the Childrens Hospital at Providence in Anchorage. President of the nonprofit Academy on Violence and Abuse, Knox also has worked with the FBI.

Two email messages with questions about her leave and about the Siebold case were not returned. A voicemail asking Knox to respond to the questions also was not returned.

Knox is a prominent member of the growing field of child abuse pediatrics. Board certification for child abuse pediatrics began in 2009. As of 2018, there were 346 such physicians in the United States, including five in Wisconsin.

As the specialty has grown, so has outside scrutiny of its work. News investigations and advocacy groups are increasingly questioning some of these doctors qualifications to separate the hundreds of thousands of legitimate cases of child abuse from accidents or underlying medical conditions.

In addition to the Siebolds, Wisconsin Watch has heard from two other Madison-area parents who report being cleared of child abuse allegations after American Family Childrens Hospital reported them to authorities.

Russell defended the work of the Child Protection Program. Abuse is a leading cause of death and disability in children, and program staff are dealing with some of the toughest issues imaginable, he said. The programs staff and physicians are committed to approaching each patient and family with empathy, compassion and support during intensely stressful times, Russell added.

Knox pressured colleague to find abuse

Soon after arriving at the childrens hospital in 2006, Knox drove the prosecution of Jennifer Hancock, a Verona day care provider who was convicted of killing an infant in her care. Hancock, now serving a 13-year prison term, is appealing the conviction in Dane County Circuit Court.

Hancocks attorneys, led by the UW Law School-based Wisconsin Innocence Project, presented three medical experts during testimony in late 2019 and early 2020 who say pre-existing medical problems could have contributed to the 2007 death of the 4-month-old. Among the experts: the UW Hospital forensic pathologist who conducted the babys autopsy.

Dr. Michael Stier testified that Knox and others at that hospital pressured him to conclude that the child was abused, possibly coloring his testimony at the 2009 trial.

During a post-conviction motion hearing in November, Stier said he felt peer pressure to conclude that the baby suffered a skull fracture and that it was caused by abuse. Anyone who voiced an objection, he testified, probably wouldve been laughed out of the room and told to go back to medical school.

Its possible, either consciously or subconsciously, the narrative that I provided under oath is partly based on that, Stier testified.

Stier said he has witnessed brain bleeding similar to that child in other people who died from natural causes, accidents or drug overdoses. The baby also had a heart virus that may have contributed, Stier said.

He is sure the infant had no skull fracture.

If I were to testify at trial today, I would not testify that (the babys) death was caused by non-accidental inflicted injury, Stier wrote in a sworn affidavit. Instead, I would testify that there is no definitive cause of death. In other words, the cause of death is undetermined.

In August, Dane County Deputy District Attorney Matthew Moeser sent a letter informing a defense attorney in another case that the UW had placed Knox on administrative leave while it investigated complaints about her behavior.

The move came as Knox was working with Moeser, the prosecutor in the Hancock case, and on two FBI cases, according to the UW.

In response to emailed questions, Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne did not address the UWs decision to place Knox on leave. In his 10 years as district attorney, Ozanne wrote that he has never had a reason to doubt the diagnoses of the Child Protection Program. He said the program, where necessary or appropriate, consults other specialists at the hospital in reaching its diagnoses.

I have faith that the members of that program have made assessments and offered opinions based on sound medical science, he wrote. The UW Child Protection Program relies upon research that is widely accepted by many entities such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Society for Pediatric Radiology.

My offices goal in any prosecution is to seek the truth and to pursue justice. The UW Child Protection Program has been and remains an invaluable partner in this work.

Parents accused of abuse

On Leo Siebolds second day in American Family Childrens Hospital, three women approached the Siebolds and two of their children, Leo and Jonah, along with Brennas parents, in a playroom. One was Knox, who identified herself as a blood specialist, according to the Siebolds and Brennas parents, Randy and Nancy Gerke.

Brenna Siebold was instantly suspicious. She had talked to Leos hematologist at the hospital earlier that day, and that doctor had not mentioned any problems. UW Health declined to address the allegation that Knox had misrepresented herself, and Knox did not respond to emailed questions about the incident.

Siebold said Knox eventually admitted she was there on behalf of the Child Protection Program. She mentioned the bruises on Leos arms, legs and torso. She wanted the Siebolds to consent to a full body X-ray and additional blood tests. Her suspicion: possible abuse.

The hospitals guidance advised doctors to notify the Child Protection Program of even small bruises found on infants who are not yet cruising, or pulling themselves up on furniture. Such bruises, the guidance warned, are sentinel injuries that can signal possible child abuse. Knox helped to write the policy, basing it on national guidelines and practice, Russell said.

The Siebolds offered several innocent explanations for Leos bruises. Perhaps they came from Leos Army crawling over toys on the wooden floor of the family home or from Leos struggle with Brenna Siebold and ER staff during the examination a day earlier. Knox and physician assistant Amanda Palm rejected those theories. The hospital reported the bruises to authorities as unexplained.

Mount Horeb Police officers Susan Zander and Jenn Schaaf interviewed the Siebolds at the hospital; one officer knew Brenna Siebold personally. They quickly discounted the allegations, writing in a one-paragraph police report that the bruises were caused by medical staff.

After a two-month investigation, the Dane County Department of Human Services also concluded there was no evidence of abuse.

Minor bruises could spark even more investigations under a bill introduced in 2019 by U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin. It would create a $10 million demonstration program on how to use sentinel injuries in children 7 months and younger, including minor bruises, to detect and prevent child abuse and fatalities.

Doctor charged with abuse experts disagree

Recently, a Milwaukee hospitals handling of child abuse allegations has attracted national attention. Officials at Childrens Wisconsin hospital say they are investigating their approach to identifying child abuse after NBC News reported on a disputed case involving one of the hospitals own doctors. In late January, Dr. John Cox was criminally charged with abusing a 1-month-old infant whom he and his wife, fellow Childrens Wisconsin physician Dr. Sadie Dobrozsi, were adopting.

The story cited 15 experts, including physicians from Childrens Wisconsin, who identified a series of medical mistakes and misstatements that cast doubt on whether the baby showed signs of abuse. Authorities removed the infant from the couples home last May.

Cox had taken the baby to the hospital after he fell asleep with her in bed and feared he may have rolled onto her. The child later was found to have a broken collarbone.

Unnamed emergency room doctors quoted in the NBC News story described an out of control child abuse team at Childrens Wisconsin that routinely reported minor injuries to authorities. In addition, three doctors at the hospital told NBC News that the child abuse team instructed them to alter medical records labeling children as possible abuse victims even when the doctors did not suspect it.

The story quoted experts who found the babys birthmarks were mistaken for bruises and that a crucial blood test to determine whether the infant had a bleeding disorder that could have caused bruising was misinterpreted.

Kate Judson, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Integrity in Forensic Sciences in Madison, told Wisconsin Watch that a finding of child abuse requires ruling out other causes by taking a thorough history, diagnostic testing and consultations with experts such as hematologists, endocrinologists, neurologists and dermatologists.

But she has seen child abuse pediatricians ignore these important steps, claiming they themselves have the expertise to make these determinations even ignoring contradictory expert opinions and laboratory testing, which she called disconcerting.

Judson said these doctors can wield significant power within a hospital and physicians can run into problems when they get sideways with child abuse pediatricians. She cited cases of doctors who faced discipline or criminal prosecution for contradicting the findings of child abuse pediatricians.

Madison attorney Notesong Thompson, a former member of the Wisconsin Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board, believes child advocacy teams at hospitals have way too much power and are running amok.

Child advocacy is the reason I went to law school, she said. It sickens me how its become so twisted.

Thompson was an emergency room nurse for 17 years at Childrens Wisconsin where she worked with Cox. Thompson told Wisconsin Watch she is certain her former colleague is innocent.

If you think about the nicest person in the world being accused of child abuse thats John, she said.

Surgical scars marked as bruises

During a lengthy interview at the dining room table of their home in Mount Horeb a village known for its large carved wooden trolls dotting Main Street the Siebolds documented issues similar to those raised in the Cox case.

The couple showed photos taken of Leo shortly before and after his hospitalization. The bruises on his arms, leg and abdomen were tiny barely visible. Joel Siebold says Leo did have a few bruises that obviously came from being held in the ER. But Amanda Palm reported many more.

She found bruises everywhere things that werent even there, he recalled. His surgical scars he has two scars on each side of his abdomen. She charted those.

Brenna Siebold jumped in. She was charting diaper rash like the tabs from the diaper. You get a little red she was charting those.

UW Health declined to discuss the situation, citing patient confidentiality.

The Siebolds found false information in Leos medical records, including an incorrect reference to the family being covered by BadgerCare, the states health insurance program for low-income residents. That whole entire thing was just made up, Joel Siebold said. Nothing in that is true at all.

Brenna Siebold remains haunted by her familys run-in with Knoxs team at American Family Childrens Hospital. She wonders how less-educated parents or ones without such strong community ties and family support could weather such accusations.

That is why she is speaking out.

I knew there were other people out there like us and who we will never know because of (health care) confidentiality, Siebold said.

I worried about a single mother. I worried about a mother of color. I worried about a family that doesnt speak English. And thats the teacher in me. I was like, If this happens, I want to prevent (it.)

The nonprofit Wisconsin Watch (wisconsinwatch.org) collaborates with Wisconsin Public Radio, PBS Wisconsin, other news media and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by the Center do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.

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University of Wisconsin child abuse doctor leaves a trail of accusations of bullying from colleagues, parents - wausaupilotandreview.com

This years graduating Harvard Medical School students will have the option to receive their diplomas early so that, if they choose, they can quickly be deployed into hospitals where regular staff might soon be overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

Fourth-year HMS students who have completed all their training and degree requirements, as well as graduating MD students from Boston University, Tufts University and the University of Massachusetts, are being given the option to receive their diplomas before their scheduled graduation date in May.

Get more HMS news here

The change comes in response to a request to the schools from Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders, citing an expected escalation in local health care workforce needs.

Approximately 700 medical students in the Boston area are slated to graduate this spring.

Because Harvard University grants HMS MD degrees, there are administrative issues to address before the option becomes official for HMS students, including deliberation and voting over the weekend by the Harvard Corporation and the universitys Board of Overseers. Harvard is expected to agree to the states request.

Students enter our medical schools aspiring to serve and heal. I have never been more proud of our students, many of whom have already expressed their eagerness to graduate early so they can join our hospitals on the frontlines to help treat patients amid this pandemic, said HMS Dean George Q. Daley. We need their skill and compassion now more than ever, and many are ready, willing and able to answer the call.

HMS Dean for Medical Education Edward Hundert told graduating students on a teleconference on March 26 that a number of details must be worked out in the coming weeks. He also emphasized that early graduation will be entirely voluntary and that individual hospital programs where students have matched may or may not build this option into their COVID-19 contingency plans.

This is evolving, Hundert told the students, and it will be entirely optional. We want to make this available for those who would like to respond if asked and give our students the option to serve in this way.

Hundert and HMS Dean for Students Fidencio Saldaa told students that those meeting all degree requirements could be allowed to graduate as early as mid-April, more than a month before regularly scheduled commencement ceremonies and two months before most internships begin.

Any studentcan also choose to wait until May to graduate.

Students considering the early graduation option will have to considerhow losing student status early might affect their health insurance, their housing and visas and their student loan deferral status. Hundert and Saldaa said HMS is working to provide answers to all such questions before mid-April.

This decision is a personal one, and no one should feel pressured by it, said Saldaa.

Graduating HMS student Josephine Fisher, who matched last week to Massachusetts General Hospitals internal medicine/primary care program, said she is excited that HMS will be offering the early graduation option.

One of the hardest parts for me is feeling that, as of right now, we are not able to help on the frontlines as much as we would like, Fisher said. Though I feel nervous about the risks posed to myself, and even more so to my family, who I risk exposing when I return home from work, I feel very lucky that I am on the cusp of completing medical school at this time because it means I have been trained with skills that might allow me to make a meaningful difference providing clinical care during this pandemic.

Hundert said educational leaders at HMS teaching affiliates, such as Mass General, Brigham and Womens Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Cambridge Health Alliance, welcomed the news that they might be able to build the possibility of MD student reinforcements into their COVID-19 contingency plans, particularly if current interns and residents become ill and are unable to care for patients.

They all said this was new information for them as it is for us, and that they would assess how this new possibility could potentially enhance their options as they consider workforce needs, Hundert said, telling the students on the call that it would likely be at least a week before hospitals let HMS know how and when graduating students might be invited to participate as needs evolve over the coming weeks.

Each hospital, and each clinical department, will decide whether and how this would enhance their efforts, Hundert said. The hospitals will let HMS and the students know what their needs are.

For many of the graduating students, the next few weeks will be a time of uncertainty.

I know that some residency programs reached out to their future interns inquiring about their willingness to volunteer and join the intern workforce earlier. I will wait and see if my program has such an offering, said graduating HMS student Ameen Barghi.

According to Sudders, the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine is prepared to grant MD students who choose to take the early graduation option a special 90-day limited provisional license to practice, after which they would be able to start in a pre-internship COVID-19 service role, according to Hundert.

Students also have the option of graduating early and not working in the hospitals immediately, Hundert said, and some hospital programs may not issue a call for them.

It is unclear whether the provisional license issued by Massachusetts would be accepted in other states where HMS students have matched. Saldaa and Hundert said medical schools across the U.S. are considering early graduation options, with New York universities leading the way in giving students the choice.

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Option to Serve - Harvard Medical School

New Jerseys most unlikely pair of Olympic dreams started a decade and a half ago with a far more modest goal: A single mom, looking for something -- anything -- as an extracurricular activity for her high school-bound daughter.

That was it. Avis Bishop-Thompson heard a strange clack-clack-clacking noise coming from the ESL center at Teaneck High during an open house for incoming freshmen. She peeked in, saw several young athletes demonstrating an unfamiliar sport, and struck up a conversation with the team's head coach.

Fencing, she was told, would be perfect for her daughter given her childhood training as a ballet dancer. But what about her younger son? Well, he always did complain that she wouldn't let him play with toy swords.

She would give him a choice: Take up fencing with your sister on the weekends, or sit in the stands with her and watch. That was an easy sell.

And so it began. Kamali and Khalil Thompson, two kids from Teaneck, were fencers. People around town would look at them -- and, their mother knew, at their skin color -- before asking a predictable question. Really? Howd they get into that?

Bishop-Thompson loved the strange looks. She had accomplished her goal and found something to keep her kids active. How could she possibly know what would come next?

That her daughter and son would embrace the sport in a way that no one -- including the two of them -- would expect?

That Kamali would continue to pursue her dream of reaching the Olympics even as she enrolled in med school at Rutgers, putting down her stethoscope in the afternoon and picking up a saber every night?

That Khalil would consider giving up fencing entirely during a crippling battle with depression and anxiety, only to discover that the sport became the perfect outlet to help his recovery?

That the Thompson siblings, based on the points standings that determine the U.S. fencing team, would be in prime position to qualify for the Tokyo Games this summer and bring their unlikely family story to the international stage?

"My heart overflows as I watch them or listen to the livestream and I can hear one cheering for the other," Bishop-Thompson said. "Once they said they wanted to do this, I knew no matter what the outcome was, they would give it their all.

"And here they are."

Here, in the case of Kamali Thompson, is a moving target.

Her schedule over much of the past few years has felt like a different Olympic event -- the marathon -- every single day. During her first two years of med school, the Temple grad had 18-hour days shuttling between classes at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and training at the Peter Westbrook Foundation in Manhattan.

And in the third year? That's where things got really interesting. This was the average day for Thompson in 2017 -- although, to be clear, the word "average" certainly is not appropriate in any way:

5 a.m. -- Alarm.

6-7 a.m. -- Receive updates on patients.

7-10 a.m. -- See patients and update the residents.

10 a.m.-12 p.m. -- Lecture.

12-1 p.m. -- Lunch.

1-4 p.m. -- Time in the operating room with doctors.

5 p.m. -- Board NJ Transit to the Peter Westbrook Foundation.

6-9 p.m. -- Fencing practice.

9 p.m. -- Take the train home (with store-bought dinner on the trip).

10 p.m. -- Arrive home. Study. Sleep. And repeat.

The grueling days and nights, of course, beg the question: Why not put off med school until her fencing career was over? She didn't underestimate the challenge. The 27-year-old was just a late bloomer in her sport.

Kamali Thompson juggled a full course load at RWJ Barnabas Rutgers Medical School while training to competing in the Olympics.

"I've wanted to be a doctor since I was 3 or 4 years old, but I wanted to see what else I could do in fencing," she said. "But because I didn't have that much experience, I didn't feel like it made sense not to go to med school. I thought, 'If it works out, that's great. If it doesn't, then I tried and I didn't put my life on hold.'"

Her fencing performances got stronger and stronger -- so strong, in fact, that she narrowly missed making the U.S. team for the Rio Games in 2016. She took some time off to train during that Olympic cycle, but used most of her free time to get an MBA at Rutgers Business School.

Thats right. Business school. If they handed out gold medals for having a Type-A personality, shed have a sock-drawer filled with them.

"I've never seen somebody who could come four days a week to train and still handle an academic workload like that," said Westbrook, the five-time Olympian whose foundation has become the nation's most prominent fencing academy. "I don't know how she did it."

She took more time off from med school this year to -- finally -- dedicate herself full time to training and competing. Gone are the days of running out of the hospital, in her scrubs, to race to a flight for an international competition in Poland. But the greeting when she arrives has not changed.

Through social media and word of mouth, all the (athletes from) other countries found out what I was doing, she said. So a lot of them call me the doctor now -- and in whatever language they speak. Sometimes, well be fencing and somebody will get hurt, and theyll joke, Hey. Get out there. Go fix them. Its kind of cool.

She plans to go back to med school in August, just weeks after the Tokyo Games close, and finish in February. No matter what happens in her fencing career, she expects to apply for an orthopedic residency and graduate in 2021.

Her dream scenario? Walk off the Olympic stage in mid-August after competing at the highest level of her sport, then walk back into that hospital in Central Jersey a few weeks later with a story to tell for the rest of her life.

Only one thing could make that better: Having her brother at her side in Tokyo. Especially given his difficult journey this far.

Westbrook has a tradition of asking the experienced fencers in his Manhattan training center to talk to newcomers. But he wants them to focus on more than the sport. To talk about life.

To get personal.

So one day in 2017, with the eyes of 200 people on him, Khalil Thompson stood in front of an audience expecting to hear about his promising athletic career and said this: "I was diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety."

Westbrook listened with a combination of pride and wonder. He knew the story already. He had seen the young fencer during his darkest days when the idea of leaving his house, much less coming into Manhattan to fence, was too overwhelming to consider.

The fencing pioneer made his student a promise: He wasnt alone. Come be around people who loved him, Westbrook said, and hear their stories of overcoming similar challenges. Khalil listened, and soon, he was on the road to recovery.

But to open up like that? In front of strangers?

It was amazing. Not everyone is willing to share that level of pain in front of people, Westbrook said. If I see him make the Olympic team -- and I think I will -- that will be one of the most incredible stories Ive seen in fencing.

Sharing his story with others, it turns out, came easy for Khalil Thompson. Reaching his life-changing diagnosis did not.

Thompson had followed his sister into the sport when he was 9 years old, a Star Wars fan whose mother wouldnt buy him a toy lightsaber who was giddy at the opportunity to opportunity bang on other kids with a real sword.

"I realized, 'Oh. I don't get in trouble for hitting somebody. I can do that,'" Khalil, now 22, said.

He was a quick learner. He went from Teaneck High to Penn State, a dominant program with 12 NCAA team championships since 1990. But something didn't feel right.

When he described how he was feeling to his sister during phone calls from State College -- always tired, always sleeping in, always sad -- Kamali Thompson made the connection with what she was learning in med school. Her brother was suffering from depression and anxiety. He needed help.

He left Penn State, moved back home and sought professional help. "I didn't leave the house for a month," he said, and he soon faced a decision about his sport. He could walk away from fencing, but the sport was more important to him than winning medals. If he gave it up, what would spur him to get out of bed in the morning?

His mother laid it out for him: "If that's your decision," she said, "you need to walk away with no regrets, with a clear head and a clear heart."

He stuck with it, and with a renewed focus, rattled off a string of victories. When won the Junior Olympics in 2017 in Riverside, Calif., with a dramatic victory over fellow American Andrew Sun, he flipped off his helmet and let loose with three loud primal screams to fill the arena.

"I found my love for the sport again," he said.

Khalil Thompson battled through severe anxiety and depression to become one of America's top saber fencers.

He enrolled in NJIT, where he is studying communications while training and competing. The commute to the city is a challenge -- "NJ Transit and I, we have a love-hate relationship," he said with a laugh -- but he manages.

Thats how he approaches depression, too. I manage, he said, and part of that is taking an open approach with it. When he was done talking about his struggles in that speech to the 200 newcomers at Westbrooks school, several people in the audience sought him ought to offer encouragement.

Many delivered this message: I went through the same thing.

"I am so proud of him on many levels," his mother said. "Most black men don't talk about (depression). He came out with it, he talked about it, he made the decision that he needed to stay home and get healthy."

Being home also had another benefit. He was closer to his sounding board, occasional trainer partner and inspiration. His sister.

"I'm willing to put so much energy into fencing because it means the world to me, and I'm glad I can share that with (my sister)," he said. "It really brought us together. I'm thankful for that."

The road to the Olympics is a meandering one for fencers. Unlike high-profile sports such as swimming and track, there is no qualifying tournament to determine which athletes will represent Team USA.

Instead, the brother and sister will crisscross the globe over the next three months, accumulating points based on their performances. Both are currently third in the standings, respectively, for mens and womens saber. That means, if the four-athlete teams were selected tomorrow, theyd be Tokyo bound.

It would not be unprecedented in U.S. fencing history. In 2008, another brother-sister tandem from Westbrook's club, Keeth and Erinn Smart, won silver medals in Beijing. But that doesn't make it any less unusual.

Its difficult for one (fencer) to reach the Olympics, Westbrook said. To have two from the same family? Thats amazing.

Theyll have to keep fencing at a high level to guarantee that trip this summer. No matter where they are and no matter what time they are competing, their mother will find the live feed on her iPad and watch from her home in Teaneck.

"No matter the outcome, I couldn't be happier," Bishop-Thompson said. "Watching this whole thing has been priceless."

A journey that started as something to kill time after school in Teaneck might end half a world away on the biggest stage in sports. Even the proud mother has a hard time believing it's true.

This is the first installment in an occasional series profiling New Jerseys Olympic hopefuls for the 2020 Tokyo Games. Click here for a full roster of potential Olympians with ties to the state.

To help support Kamali Thompsons Olympic quest, visit her website for more information.

Steve Politi may be reached at spoliti@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevePoliti. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Meet the NJ siblings conquering the odds and Rutgers med school to chase Olympic fencing gold - NJ.com

HOUSTON, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --The University of Houston College of Medicine has received a $5 million gift from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX). The gift will provide $3.5 million for scholarships to at least 35 medical students and $1.5 million to create a pipeline program to attract and retain students from diverse backgrounds who have an interest in practicing primary care medicine.

The new medical school aims for at least half of each graduating class to practice primary care to address the significant statewide shortage of physicians in underserved urban and rural communities where health disparities take their heaviest toll. Houston has grown by more than 4 million people since its most recent medical school was founded in 1972, and Texas ranks 47th in primary care physician-to-population ratio.

"The gift to the UH College of Medicine holds true to our focus on lowering health care costs through long-term, sustainable community investments. This investment is about the future of health care. Primary care physicians will be the cornerstones of that future," said Dr. Dan McCoy, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. "Developing and training primary care physicians is a crucial step towards building a system of care that is patient-centric and less complicated, while also improving quality and lowering cost. We believe this investment on the front end will yield great results for health care on the back end."

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas Scholarships - $3.5 millionBCBSTX scholarships will provide $100,000 four-year scholarships for at least 35 medical students. The medical school will use a holistic admissions process that not only factors in Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores and grade point average, but also carefully considers predictors for those most likely to pursue primary care. Those predictors include:

Blue Cross and Blue Shield College of Medicine Pipeline Program - $1.5 millionTo meet its core mission, the UH College of Medicine will use pipeline programs to target ethnically and socioeconomically diverse K-12 and pre-medicine college students with an interest in primary care. Funding will be used to hire a director of outreach and diversity who will study successful pipeline programs and promote hiring a diverse faculty; and provide initial funding for a Ph.D. faculty member to develop an academic support system that includes peer mentoring/tutoring, test-taking and study skills development, and faculty mentorship training for student academic success.

"With a focus on improving health, we will educate physicians who will be able to provide a path to a productive and more enjoyable life for the residents of our city and state," said Renu Khator, University of Houston president. "Recruiting and retaining the most diverse and academically competitive students, regardless of financial resources, is a top priority for our medical school. I'm extremely thankful to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas for sharing in our vision."

The College of Medicine will admit 30 students in its inaugural class, pending accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, reaching a total of 120 students per class and a total of 480 students at full enrollment. Tuition and fee rates for the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree at UH will begin at $23,755 per year. According to Dr. Stephen Spann, founding dean of the medical school, one effective way to increase the number of graduates who practice primary care is to provide scholarships to students with a stated desire to become a primary care physician.

"Student loan debt is a significant deterrent to pursuing primary care specialties. The result is more physicians in non-primary care specialties, and a marked decline in primary care doctors," said Spann. "This is precisely why training primary care physicians is an urgent need. We're grateful to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas for enabling more students to pursue their medical education at the University of Houston."

With the gift, BCBSTX is welcomed into the UH Vanguard Society, the university's corporate donor recognition circle. The society recognizes corporate benefactors who have given a total of $5 million or more to the university.

The gift is part of the"Here, We Go" Campaign, the University of Houston's first major systemwide fundraising campaign in more than 25 years. The University has raised more than $1 billion to address key priorities, including scholarships, faculty support and strengthening the university's partnership with Houston, and momentum continues as UH moves beyond its original billion dollar goal.

"Through this generous gift, our students will be able to fully immerse themselves in their studies and learn how to deliver value-based, compassionate care," said Eloise Brice, UH vice president for university advancement. "We thank Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas for providing this incredible opportunity."

About University of HoustonThe University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter for excellence in undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation's fourth-largest city and one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse regions in the country, UH is a federally designated Hispanic- and Asian-American-Serving institution with enrollment of more than 46,000 students.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) the only statewide, customer-owned health insurer in Texas is the largest provider of health benefits in the state, working with nearly 80,000 physicians and healthcare practitioners, and 500 hospitals to serve more than 5 million members in all 254 counties. BCBSTX is a Division of Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) (which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Texas, Illinois, Montana, Oklahoma and New Mexico), the country's largest customer- owned health insurer, and fourth largest health insurer overall. Health Care Service Corporation is a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.BCBSTX.com| Twitter.com/BCBSTX| Facebook.com/BlueCrossBlueShieldOfTexas| YouTube.com/BCBSTX

About the "Here, We Go" CampaignThe "Here, We Go" Campaign is the University of Houston's first major systemwide fundraising campaign in more than 25 years. Gifts made from 2012 to 2020 will contribute toward the University's key priorities, including scholarships, faculty support and strengthening the University's partnership with Houston.

SOURCE Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas

http://www.bcbstx.com

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$5 Million Gift from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas to Fund Scholarships for UH Medical Students; Create Pipeline Program - PRNewswire

Earlier this fall, Harvard University successfully defended itself against the latest and most closely watched attack on university affirmative action. The lawsuit brought by conservative political strategist Edward Blum and his group Students for Fair Admissions claimed that admissions processes unfairly penalized Asian applicants in favor of black and Latino students.

Blum is known for organizing lawsuits against affirmative action policies, including another failed suit to end affirmative action at the University of Texas in 2016.

A byproduct of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, affirmative action policies were originally designed and intended to redress centuries of legal discrimination against black people in this country. However, what lies behind recent anti-affirmative action lawsuits like Blums is the notion that less qualified black applicants are unfairly taking the seats of more deserving Asian American applicants.

One of the early beneficiaries of these affirmative action policies was a black woman, one of six siblings born to a single mother and raised in poverty and who died when only 47 years old from acute myelogenous leukemia.

As a child, she had developed a love of science and became the first person in her family to graduate from college. During college, she was encouraged by a chemistry professor to apply to medical school. In the fall of 1972, she matriculated at Harvard Medical School.

At times, this young woman struggled with coursework and doubted her own abilities. Some of her classmates parents were Harvard professors, and her own mother had never even completed high school.

But she was determined, and graduated from medical school in 1976. Her residency at Harlem Hospital followed, then a fellowship in Brooklyn, after which she remained to practice medicine in the same Brooklyn neighborhood where she grew up. As she rendered diligent care and attention to her neighbors, other black medical students and junior faculty sought her out for inspiration and advice. She became a mentor to a generation of Brooklyn medical aspirants and a guiding force for local black physicians organizations.

That woman was my mother, Dr. Dale Gloria Blackstock.

My twin sister, Oni, and I would accompany her to the hospital, meetings and conferences. Growing up, we had assumed most physicians were black because of her and our medical environment, but that assumption was, of course, wrong. The number of black physicians remains stubbornly low. Currently, only 4% of all U.S. physicians are black, although black people account for 13% of the population.

Our mothers passion for learning, her dogged perseverance and her commitment to serving her community heavily influenced our own decision to become physicians. We are the first black mother-daughter legacy from Harvard Medical School and, although we practice medicine in a different era, our struggles are similar.

Structural racism still inflicts heavy blows on the health status and outcomes of black people in this country. Racial health disparities, compounded by the dearth of black physicians, have stubbornly persisted over the last decades, and we are currently in the midst of a black maternal mortality crisis.

Black physicians and other health care professionals are one of the critical solutions to addressing these profound health disparities. We are more likely to specialize in primary care and practice in underserved communities. Additionally, racial concordance in clinician-patient interactions has been shown to improve health outcomes, particularly among black patients. Yet the erroneous assumption that African Americans are somehow edging out better qualified applicants remains a stubborn and damning myth.

The fact is that among the documents submitted as part of the affirmative action lawsuit was the internal study Legacy and Athlete Preferences at Harvard, which revealed how, from 2009 until 2014, 43% of all white applicants Harvard accepted were either legacies, athletes or the children of donors and faculty. Without these white affirmative action advantages, only 1 in 4 of those students would have been accepted to the school.

Our mother had the talent and drive to become a physician. Affirmative action policies helped to mitigate the structural impediments blocking her path to success, and that of many others like her. Although she died prematurely, her legacy lives on in the patients she cared for, the communities she served, the future physicians she mentored and the organizations she led.

Last month, a group of black alumni from Harvard Medical School gathered to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the schools 1969 diversity initiative, started in response to Martin Luther King Jr.s assassination. My twin sister and I attended to represent our class of 2005 and also to represent our mother, class of 1976.

Uche Blackstock, M.D., is a physician and founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity. She wrote this column for the Chicago Tribune.

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Uche Blackstock: Mother, daughters, doctors. Affirmative action at Harvard makes a generational ripple in improving black health care - St. Paul...

Dec. 11, 2019

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. Illinois Wesleyan University alumnus Dr. William Farrar 71 was recently named CEO of the Ohio State University Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute in Columbus, Ohio.

Dr. Farrar graduated from Illinois Wesleyan with a bachelors degree in biology. While a student, Dr. Farrar competed on the IWU football, basketball and golf teams.

I knew before I went to college that I wanted to pursue a career in medicine, said Dr. Farrar. IWU was known for having a strong science department and played a major role in assisting students who hoped to go into medicine. Dr. Dorothea Franzen, who taught biology, and Dr. Wendell Hess, who taught chemistry, were also really influential in leading my way to medical school.

After graduating from Illinois Wesleyan in 1971, Dr. Farrar earned a medical degree at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville before starting an internship at Ohio State.

Dr. Farrar is a surgical oncologist and has a long, successful history with Ohio State, serving on the James medical staff since it opened in 1990. The late Dr. Arthur G. James, for whom the hospital is named, mentored and later worked alongside Farrar.

The opportunity to become CEO of the James is the highlight of my career. Dr. James, who is the person the hospital is named after, was my mentor and the one person that got me interested in surgical oncology, Farrar explained. Its truly an honor to be here and to continue to be able to do what I love.

Dr. Farrar is one of the nations foremost experts in breast cancer, serving as the Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center Director since 2011. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and has been the principal investigator on many grants and pivotal clinical trials in breast cancer.

Dr. Farrar was named CEO after two years serving as the hospitals interim leader. He also holds the Dr. Arthur G. and Mildred C. James Richard J. Solove Chair in Surgical Oncology and is a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Research Program in The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center.

What I enjoy most about being a surgical oncologist is the personal and life-long relationships Im able to develop with my patients, said Farrar. After spending many years treating my patients, many become like family.

His national honors include 18 appearances on the Castle Connolly list of "Americas Top Doctors" and 16 appearances on the Best Doctors in America list, as well as being rated in the top 10% of physicians in the nation for patient satisfaction in 2017.

Dr. Farrar and his wife, Kathryn, reside in Dublin, Ohio. They have four children and five grandchildren.

By Megan Baker 21

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Dr. William Farrar '71 Named CEO of Major Cancer Hospital and Research Institute | Illinois Wesleyan - Illinois Wesleyan University

Neonatologist and reality TV personality Dr. Jennifer Arnold says St. Petersburg is her happy place.

She was born at St. Anthonys Hospital on March 12, 1974, and now works at Johns Hopkins All Childrens Hospital, where she serves as medical director for the Center for Medical Simulation and Innovative Education.

Arnold, who has a rare genetic skeletal disorder, stands 3 feet 2. She underwent two weeks of testing at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and was ultimately diagnosed by Dr. Victor McKusick, a pioneer in the field of medical genetics. Her first surgery and all of her operations until she was a teenager were performed by Dr. Steven Kopits, an expert on dwarfism.

To date, Arnold has had 35 surgeries, including her most recent hip replacement in 2018. She also is a cancer survivor.

Im in full remission and its been five years this year, she said. Her husband, Bill Klein, and their children, Will and Zoey, also have skeletal dysplasia. But their lives, chronicled on the TLC show The Little Couple, are extra large. And wherever life takes them, all roads seem to lead home to St. Petersburg. We recently spoke with Arnold.

When you were born, did your parents know right away about your skeletal issues?

My parents were really young, 20 and 21. I came out in a lot of respiratory distress and was transferred pretty immediately to the (Neonatal Intensive Care) unit at All Childrens. But until we moved to Orlando when I was about 2, they really werent sure what my diagnosis was. Before (Kopits), there really wasnt anyone looking into how to correct the deformities that kids had with skeletal dysplasia. My first surgery was a cervical spine fusion because if I fell I could have been paralyzed from the neck down. That surgery was done by Dr. Kopits and, interestingly enough, Dr. Ben Carson.

Did you always want to be a doctor?

I love medicine and I love science, but I almost became a marine biologist. I went to the University of Miami and then I encountered something called physical chemistry and I thought, what am I thinking? I never even entered the class but I just heard horrible things about it. I also realized Im not much of a lab person, Im more of a people person. So, I applied to med school. I applied to over 30 schools and only got interviews to two and one of them was because I knew the president of the University of Miami. I also got an interview at Johns Hopkins. In my personal statement I said that I was a little person and that I had benefited from great health care and I wanted to give back to kids. I never know to this day if thats why I didnt get any other interviews but I feel like it probably had something to do with it.

At Johns Hopkins, I met with a pediatrician one-on-one and it was like my stature was no big deal. He never asked me about it to where I started to worry the other way like he was afraid to ask me and thinking Ive got to tell him that I think I can do this. I started to tell him that I use a step stool and I use a scooter to get around campus. I talked about how I bungee cord my step stool to my scooter so that I always have it.

Growing up, did you maintain ties to St. Petersburg?

In Orlando, my mom worked at Disney for 30 years so I was a Disney brat. I got to go to Disney whenever I wanted. But my aunt and uncle lived in St. Pete Beach and I came to St. Pete every chance I could get. They still have that house. I really grew up there and on the beach. Every vacation and summer I was sent here.

How did you meet your husband?

Officially, online on a dating site for little people. But theres a whole other story. We actually met as children. As a little person you go though all these reconstructive surgeries. Youd end up in a leg cast or a body cast for eight to 10 weeks, then you would come back to get your cast off and physical therapy for anywhere from two weeks to two months. I was never there much longer than two weeks. Bill had been a patient of Dr. Kopits as well. We overlapped at one of our stays at about the age of 10. I was there for surgery and he was there for physical therapy.

I was very, very sick. It was the time I lost a lot of blood and was getting a blood transfusion. He remembers coming into my room and thinking that I was really cute and apparently I shooed him out of the room and my mom shooed him out of the room because I was, like, vomiting. But he was cruising the hall for chicks literally in his wheelchair and he remembers meeting me. Then, when we were in college, fast-forward a few years, he shadowed Dr. Kopits the summer after I shadowed him. At the time, he was thinking of going to med school too. When I was there, Dr. Kopits and his nurse practitioner kept telling me, You know, I want you to meet this Billy Klein. He wants to go into medicine like you, hes super smart. I remember saying, Yes, that sounds right up my alley, smart, geeky, a little person like me.

Tell us about your wedding.

Well, Im a Florida girl and I really wanted a beach wedding, even though we lived in New York. Luckily I had my family here in Florida to help make the plans. We ended up getting married April 12, 2008, at St. Marys downtown and had the reception at the Don CeSar. This is the place I love so it made the most sense.

How did you end up on a reality TV show?

After a year in Long Island I saw an advertisement that Texas Childrens Hospital at Baylor College of Medicine was looking for someone to start a new simulation program. Its kind of a dream job to see a role where you can actually lead a pediatric simulation program. The show started in 2009, about a year after we moved to Houston. A year before, Good Morning America had reached out to me because they wanted to show how you could pursue a career as a short-statured woman. A producer saw the segment and asked if they could film our wedding for a TV special. But we said no. I dont mind raising awareness but theres a sensational balance of voyeurism versus awareness. They came back with other ideas but we turned them down again. Finally they said they wanted to do a series on our daily lives.

I think we were both very concerned and hesitant. I had a lot to lose if it was really bad. But, at the time that we were talking about this whole series option I was shopping in Bed Bath & Beyond and a little girl who was probably about 7 or 8 came up to me and said, Oh youre a little person like Little People, Big World. At that time you never heard the term little person from someone who didnt have a little person in their family. You heard midget. So she had learned that term from that show, which had started airing a couple years earlier. So, I thought, Okay, maybe we should consider this, maybe we could do some good, too.

We shot a pilot and TLC picked it up and it aired right when Bill was recovering from his first hip replacement. It premiered the night he got home from the hospital. We didnt embarrass ourselves too badly and it got picked up for 14 episodes. Now we are on Season 10 and weve really negotiated a quite amazing contract now even more so now because we have kids.

How do you balance being a doctor, a wife, a mother and a TV personality?

Because we have full-time jobs we film basically one day a week on the weekends. Then one evening a week after work we go to a production house and we film the interviews. We know how many weeks it takes per episode to film and its probably about eight to nine months a year. Bill and I do share things pretty darn well. We set limits and I also divide and conquer really well with my husband. My husband is an awesome partner. We have our division of labor at the house. He takes care of all things finance because hes a business guy. He takes care of the contracts dealing with the production company.

We have a great nanny. I am all medical so when it comes to the kids I take care of everything related to medical needs because they are little people and they have medical needs, not as complicated as Bill and I when we were kids because of their type of skeletal dysplasia, but they do have issues. And he takes care of all things school related. When I first brought home the kids I thought, Im going to be that mom that does it all. I was so excited. But I learned thats impossible. There are a lot of things I dont worry about, and I outsource a lot of things to my nanny and I dont stress. I try to make the time that we do have together really important, special and connected. I also live by my calendars. I love the iPhone because I can put all my calendars on one and I have literally seven calendars that I use on a regular basis.

How did you end up back in St. Petersburg?

It was a conversation for quite a while. When they started talking about how they were going to start the simulation project, I was approached by a couple of people and I said Id be happy to explore it. I came and interviewed and I was really impressed with the vision and mission for academics. I love to try new things. I love clinical care but I also love improving patient quality. It was really sort of a match made in heaven. I still have family here and my husband has family on the east coast of Florida as well.

What do you do to relax?

I go to the beach. Its my favorite thing to do. I take a day sometimes and go visit my aunt and sit on the beach and read. I also love spa days. I would love to have one every six months and maybe go away for a spa visit once a year.

Link:
Jen Arnold of The Little Couple talks about life in St. Pete - Tampa Bay Times

If youre applying to medical school, or even considering it, you should approach the process with all the essential information. There are some assumptions that youll findonce you get into your researchjust dont hold up.

A recent series of episodes in the AMAs Making the Rounds podcast examine medical school admissions and shed light on some myths surrounding the process. In the episodes, experts from medical school admissions consultancy MedSchoolCoach LLC, discuss some of the common misconceptions premeds hold about the application process.

Science majors are more common, but many admissions offices value well-rounded students who follow their passions.

I thought going into my undergraduate that I had to pick one of those hard science majors, said Kathryn Henshaw, a Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) coach at MedSchoolCoach who earned her bachelors degree from the University of Miami in 2018.

I ended up picking two of those, Henshaw said. I've studied biochemistry and neuroscience, but I really wish I had studied creative writing and that's one of my biggest regrets is not realizing that I could have studied creative writing and written poemswhich is something that I love to doand also pursued my premedical track. I think students should be more aware of this, because it is something that would be fun, add to your education and overall make it a more positive experience for your undergrad.

Grades matter. In fact, surveys of program directors put them at the top of the list of factors that evaluate the strength of an application. That having been said, you dont need four years of straight As to be a physician.

A good GPA is a 4.0, but not everybody can get there, said Sahil Mehta, MD, the founder of MedSchoolCoach. He noted that the Association of American Medical Colleges puts out these stats every single year, which I think gives a super helpful starting point for people to understand how competitive it is. The average applicant has around a 3.5.

The average of those admitted is around a 3.7, Dr. Mehta said. You really, as a premed, need to have even a 3.5 to even have a whiff of an opportunity. Really, I would say a good GPA, you're aiming more towards a 3.7, 3.8.

The MCAT is broken into four sections: biological and biochemical foundations of living systems; chemical and physical foundations of biological systems; psychological, social and biological foundations of behavior; and critical analysis and reasoning skills. A strong undergraduate course load in one of the traditional sciences will not prepare you for all of them. In fact, basic science knowledge, when paired with diligent MCAT prep, can probably be enough.

The MCAT tests basic science, Dr. Mehta said. These are sciences that you can do in one-year classes, right? The MCAT doesn't test biology 301. It tests biology 101. Even if you're a nonscience major, you're going to take biology 101 as a premed and you're going to have all the knowledge you need to do well on the MCAT.

You can also listen to the full episode onApple Podcasts,Google PlayorSpotifyand explore ourCareer Planning Resource.

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3 misconceptions undergrads have about applying to med school - American Medical Association

Going from high school to college is traditionally one of the most challenging obstacles that students must overcome as they enter their post-secondary education plans. With college comes a plentiful amount of new tasks that students must manage, such as time management and organization. While this may seem quite daunting at first, there are ways in which students can take small steps in order to tackle these necessities. Being pre-med brings in another set of skills that need to be cultivated in the years leading up to medical school. As with many obstacles in life, there are strategies and people there to aid those on their way.

With only a limited amount of time per day, time management is, perhaps, the most crucial task that will need to be developed over the undergraduate years. I know that this is a skill that I struggle with myself. With mastering time management, many of the other skills will fall into place and become more developed as well. Especially for pre-med students, making a four year plan is really helpful to ensure a successful track. Some of the best strategies to better manage time as a student are often the easiest ones. One way to stay on top of schoolwork and extracurriculars is to keep a schedule or planner that will allow tasks to be completed with efficiency. Sometimes schoolwork can be very overwhelming in respects to the many difficult and time-demanding course load that many pre-med students often take. Prioritizing which class is worth more time studying is another useful tool as well.

The resources that are available to pre-med students on campus are seemingly countless. From one-on-one counseling, to seminars, to tutoring, there are always people who are willing to help. I remember when I first arrived on campus I felt like I was surrounded with everyone who seemed like they had their life already mapped out. One of my friends already had her classes scheduled for all four years of her undergrad. I, being lost, sought outside help. My search landed me in the career counseling office. This is one of the best resources available to students, as they have helped countless individuals on their path to medical school. With one appointment, I was able to knock out my four-year plan, and even got help with my resume for applying for internships. Upperclassmen are also a great tool to be used. They have surely been in your shoes and will give you advice on what classes to take, and how to map out your future four years. While advising is a great way to become acclimated to the life of a pre-med student, getting hands-on experiences are equally as beneficial in helping students with the transition.

Research is a great way to dip your feet in the water and discover your specific passion. The best way to get involved on campus in research is to go to the department you wish to conduct research in, look into some of the staff, and then read up on what they are researching. If one of the projects sounds interesting and fun to you, send them an email and ask to learn more about what they are doing! Often times some of these individuals conducting research may even be your professors you have for classes. All it takes is a quick read-up on the department website and you are on your way to being able to take part in an amazing opportunity to do hands-on work with some of the most intelligent individuals in their field.

Overall, while the transition to college may seem quite daunting at first, it will be easier to manage it once youve established connections with others to help you perfect your skills.Take these tips and find some that work for you, and you will make your life much easier.

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Navigating the Transition from High School to Pre-Med - PreMedLife - The Lifestyle Magazine for Pre-Medical Students

For more than 50 years, Dr. Wesley Byrd Carter specialized in helping children and teens deal with mental health challenges.

The caring, soft-spoken psychiatrist touched the lives of untold numbers of young people through his private medical practice, through his work with students identified with mental and behavioral problems in Richmond Public Schools, through his treatment of patients at state facilities and through his service as a mentor to medical students in training to become psychiatrists.

Outside of his work, the Richmond native and Air Force veteran also attracted attention for the style and verve he brought to the dance floor at parties.

But most of all, he was a very pleasant person. Thats what attracted me, said his wife of more than 45 years, Norma Yvonne Bonnie Archer Carter, a retired high school teacher in Richmond and vice president and past president of the Richmond Council of Womens Organizations.

His work and community service are being remembered following his death on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019, in Williamsburg where he and his wife were vacationing. Mrs. Carter said he suffered a heart attack. He was 77.

His life was celebrated during a noon service on Monday, Nov. 25, at Scotts Funeral Home Chapel in North Side.

Dr. Carter was the son of the late Louise Byrd Carter and Wesley T. Carter, a retired Richmond educator who was celebrated as VUUs oldest living alumnus and best known supporter of the universitys sports teams before his death in 2012 at age 104.

Dr. Carter graduated from Maggie Walker High School in 1960 and Virginia Union University in 1964. He was the lone African-American in his medical school class when he entered the Medical College of Virginia, where he graduated in 1971. He did his medical residency in Richmond.

Dr. Carter then served three years at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, as an Air Force psychiatrist.

Then married, he returned to Virginia in 1975, Mrs. Carter said, and initially joined a practice in Williamsburg. He later returned to the Richmond area to start his own psychiatry practice.

For decades, his practice was located on River Road in Goochland County. He also was among the African-American physician-investors involved in developing the modern Richmond Community Hospital and its psychiatric services on North 28th Street in Church Hill. Bon Secours now owns the hospital.

While in private practice, Dr. Carter also served for years as an RPS psychiatric consultant for students until the school system added an in-house psychology staff.

After closing his private practice about six years ago, he started working with patients at a state facility in Northern Virginia. After two years, he joined the staff of the Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center before fully retiring in 2018.

He then served as a volunteer mentor to MCV students with an interest in psychiatry, his wife said.

Dr. Carter served on the board of the National Medical Association and belonged to the Old Dominion Medical Society and the Richmond Medical Society, among other professional associations.

He also was a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and a longtime member of its Beta Gamma Lambda Chapter in Richmond. Dr. Carter was a member of the Theban Beneficial Club and the male auxiliaries of two womens clubs, the Richmond Chapter of The Links and the Richmond Chapter of The Girl Friends.

His wife of 47 years is his only immediate survivor.

The family requests memorial contributions in Dr. Carters name be made to Virginia Union University, 1500 N. Lombardy St., Richmond, Va. 23220, or the VCU Massey Cancer Center, 1300 E. Marshall St., Richmond, Va., 23298.

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Dr. Wesley B. Carter, child and adolescent psychiatrist, dies at 77 - Richmond Free Press

What to Expect in Medical School

An overview of what you can expect medical school to be like.

Ask a Med Student Video Series

Medical students answer questions about their path to medical school, what medical school courses are like, patient experiences, and more.

What It's Like to Take Anatomy Lab

A medical student answers questions about what it was like to take anatomy lab in medical school.

What It's Like to See a Patient for the First Time

A medical student answers questions about what it was like to see a patient for the first time during medical school.

What It's Like to Participate in the White Coat Ceremony

A medical student answers questions about what her white coat cermony was like in medical school.

What It's Like to Go to a New Medical School

Two medical students answer questions about what it's like to go to new medical schools.

What It's Like to Do a MD-PhD Program

A medical student answers questions about what it's like to do a MD/PhDProgram

What It's Like to Get Married During Medical School

A medical student answers questions about what it was like to get married during medical school.

What It's Like to be a Parent in Medical School

A medical student answers questions about what it's like to be a parent while in medical school.

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What to Expect in Medical School

At NYU School of Medicine, our commitment to innovation has led us to bold new ways of bridging the gap between basic science research, medical education, and quality of patient care. With our Curriculum for the 21st Century, C21, we combine advances in learning strategies, emerging technologies, and informatics solutions to fulfill our trifold mission: to teach, to serve, and to discover.

Every student enrolled in our MD degree program receives a full-tuition scholarship, regardless of merit or financial need, that covers the majority of the cost of attendance. Our full-tuition scholarships make it possible for aspiring physicians to choose a specialty based on their talent and inclinations to better serve the communities who need it most, and to more easily pursue scientific breakthroughs that improve how we care for patients. We aim to turn the best and brightest future physicians into leaders with the potential to transform healthcare.

Our groundbreaking accelerated three-year MD program, launched in 2013, reduces the traditional medical school curriculum by one full year, with the ability to opt in during your first year of medical school. With our four- and five-year pathways to the MD degree, including dual degree programs, we offer unparalleled flexibility to customize your medical training in ways that align with your professional interests.

Were continuing to reshape medical curriculum to solve todays biggest challenges in healthcare. Our Institute for Innovations in Medical Education recently launched a Healthcare by the Numbers curriculum designed to educate first- and second-year medical students about the many ways in which big datadrawing meaningful information from large public data setscan inform and improve clinical care.

Join us in an educational experience that integrates clinical skills, quality, and evidence-based medicine, and emphasizes the importance of patient-centered care to inform and enhance healthcare in the 21st century.

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Education at NYU School of Medicine | NYU Langone Health

Filter by Clinical DepartmentAnesthesiologyDermatologyEmergency MedicineFamily And Community MedicineMedicine- Cardiology- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism- Gastroenterology- General Internal Medicine- Hematology and Medical Oncology- Hospital Medicine- Infectious Diseases- Nephrology, Hypertension and Kidney Transplantation- RheumatologyNeurologyNeurosurgeryObstetrics, Gynecology And Reproductive SciencesOphthalmologyOrthopaedic Surgery And Sports MedicineOtolaryngology - Head And Neck SurgeryPathology And Laboratory MedicinePediatricsPhysical Medicine And RehabilitationPsychiatry And Behavioral ScienceRadiation OncologyRadiologySurgery- Abdominal Organ Transplantation- Cardiovascular Surgery- Colorectal Surgery- General & Minimally Invasive Surgery--- Bariatric Surgery--- General Surgery- Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery- Surgical Oncology--- Breast Surgery- Trauma & Surgical Critical Care- Vascular & Endovascular SurgeryThoracic Medicine and SurgeryUrology

Basic Science DepartmentAnatomy and Cell BiologyClinical SciencesMedical Genetics and Molecular BiochemistryMicrobiology and ImmunologyNeurosciencePathology and Laboratory MedicinePharmacologyPhysiology

Research CenterCardiovascular Research Center (CVRC)Center for Asian Health (CAH)Center For Bioethics, Urban Health, And Policy (CBUHP)Center For Inflammation, Translational and Clinical Lung Research (CILR)Center For Metabolic Disease ResearchCenter For NeurovirologyCenter For Substance Abuse Research (CSAR)Center For Translational Medicine (CTM)Comprehensive NeuroAIDS Center (CNAC)Fels Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular BiologyShriners Hospitals Pediatric Research CenterSol Sherry Thrombosis Research Center (SSTRC)Temple Institute For Regenerative Medicine and Engineering (TIME)

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Faculty Directory | Lewis Katz School of Medicine at ...

Internal Medicine in Secaucus, New Jersey

Dr. Morris Bellifemine, MD, is an Internal Medicine specialist in Secaucus, New Jersey. He attended and graduated from medical school in 1983, having over 34 years of diverse experience, especially in Internal Medicine. He is affiliated with many hospitals including Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Morris Bellifemine also cooperates with other doctors and physicians in medical groups including Hudson Physicians Associates, P.A. Dr. Morris Bellifemine accepts Medicare-approved amount as payment in full. Call (201) 864-4505 to request Dr. Morris Bellifemine the information (Medicare information, advice, payment, ...) or simply to book an appointment.

Medical Doctor

Doctor of Medicine (MD or DM), or in Latin: Medicinae Doctor, meaning "Teacher of Medicine", is a terminal degree for physicians and surgeons. In countries that follow the tradition of the United States, it is a first professional graduate degree awarded upon graduation from medical school.

Dr. Morris Bellifemine has been primarily specialized in Pulmonary Disease for over 34 years of experience.

Pulmonary Disease

An internist who treats diseases of the lungs and airways. The pulmonologist diagnoses and treats cancer, pneumonia, pleurisy, asthma, occupational and environmental diseases, bronchitis, sleep disorders, emphysema and other complex disorders of the lungs.

Contact Dr. Morris Bellifemine by phone: (201) 864-4505 for verification, detailed information, or booking an appointment before going to.

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Dr. Morris Bellifemine - Secaucus NJ, Internal Medicine

Congratulations to the entire Wayne State University Class of 2017 who graduated today, with a special kudos to our 80 School of Medic...

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Pres. Wilson is in the house conferring the degrees this morning! It is graduation day for our amazing doctoral and masters degree g...

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Meet our newly-appointed chair of Wayne State University Pediatrics - Herman Gray, M.D., M.B.A. Dr. Gray is already a familiar face to ...

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Still looking for holiday gifts? The Medical Alumni Association's Holiday Shop has Wayne State gear for everyone on your list! Stop by ...

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Did you miss our Google Hangout on medical student life in Detroit? Check out the replay on YouTube now: https://youtu.be/U9QNj8u_uZU...

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Look at that, Wayne State University made the list for its Medal of Honor uniforms! http://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/12/college-football...

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Our education and clinical partner Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute will host a Facebook Live at NOON, FRIDAY, Dec. 8 with Kathlee...

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Entrepreneur and philanthropist Mort Harris has committed $10 million toward the highly competitive Wayne Med-Direct program at Wayne S...

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Representative Pam Faris met with our #warriormd students earlier today to hear their concerns. #warriormedicine...

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Wayne State School of Medicine Students are meeting with Rep. Jim Lilly to discuss health care issues. #warriormedicine #warriormd...

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State Representative Fred Durhal, III the House Minority Vice Chair for Appropriations is speaking to our #warriormd students about hea...

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Interested in the future direction of health care in Michigan? So are we. Wayne State School of Medicine Warrior M.D.s are in Lansing t...

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Warrior Brandon Kennedy, a #warriorMD medical student at @waynestate, talks about why he chose to be a part of the #WarriorStrong campa...

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6 easy steps you or the men in your life can take now for a healthier tomorrow. Celebrate Men's Health Awareness Month with Warrior Med...

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Our Wayne State University medical students volunteer regularly with Athletes for Charity, sharing their health knowledge and experienc...

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Free testing starts at 6 p.m....

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The Holiday Shop is open through Nov. 17 in Scott Hall's Room 1369. Medical Alumni Association members automatically receive 20 percent...

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Wayne State University School of Medicine added 27 new photos at John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center....

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Health and wellness is a top priority at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. At Wednesday's Wellness Fair hosted by our Offi...

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The health and wellness of our students, faculty and staff is a top priority here. Events like the Wellness Fair hosted by the Office o...

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Wayne State | School of Medicine

Seven years before Greg Galeazzi put on a white coat at Harvard Medical School, he wore Army fatigues while serving a year-long deployment in Afghanistan.

In May 2011 a roadside bomb tore off Captain Galeazzis legs and much of his right arm, just a month before he was expecting to return home.

It felt like I was an empty coke can on train tracks getting hit by a freight train moving at 100 miles per hour, said Galeazzi.

Without a medic on the ground, there was no available pain medication.

All I could do was scream, Galeazzi recalled. Its hard to put into words that sickening, nauseating feeling to see that my legs were just gone.

Due to his units remote position in northern Afghanistan, Galeazzi had little hope of receiving timely medical support.

I put my head back and just thought, 'Im dead,' he said.

He passed out. Upon waking just minutes later, he discovered that his soldiers had successfully applied tourniquets to both his legs and right arm, which had been nearly severed at the shoulder. A half hour later a Medivac helicopter arrived to take him to the trauma bay.

What I found out then was that the real nightmare was really just beginning, said Galeazzi.

He endured over 50 surgeries, hundreds of hours of physical therapy, and numerous months as a hospital in-patient.

But the traumatic experience and new limitations did not diminish Galeazzis dream of becoming a doctor.

Not only did I still want to practice medicine, but it strengthened my resolve to do it, explained Galeazzi.

Over the next few years, Galeazzi took more than 18 pre-medical courses and achieved his desired score on the MCAT entrance.

Galeazzi was accepted into Harvard Medical School this past year and is the only student who uses a wheelchair in his class of 165 students. He has not yet decided what type of medicine hell eventually practice, but is leaning toward a primary care field.

Youre that first line of defense. You need to know a little bit about everything. I like the idea of being a jack of all trades, he said.

Galeazzi also looks forward to marrying his fiance Jazmine Romero next year.

Even though Ive gone through this journey, its not lost on me how unbelievable this ride has been, said Galeazzi.

Link:
From war hero to white coat: A wounded veteran's journey to Harvard Medical School - ABC News

If youre hoping to attend medical school in Philadelphia, you have a lot of company.

Each year, U.S. News & World Report evaluates medical schools on a variety of measures, such as quality of research and how hard they are to get into. This week, it published a list of the schools that received the most applications for the school year that began in the fall of 2016, with Drexel University, Thomas Jefferson Universitys Kimmel Medical College, and Temple Universitys Katz School of Medicine making the list.

Nationwide that year, 53,029 prospective students applied to a U.S. medical school, U.S. News said, citing data from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Nearly 700,000 applications were submitted to the 118 ranked medical schools that shared their data with U.S. News.

Published: August 25, 2017 1:06 PM EDT

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Three Philly med schools make top-10 list for applications - Philly.com