New Jersey Medical School (NJMS)also known as Rutgers New Jersey Medical Schoolis a graduate medical school of Rutgers University that is part of the division of Biomedical and Health Sciences. NJMS is the oldest school of medicine in New Jersey. The school of medicine was founded in 1954 as the Seton Hall College of Medicine and Dentistry, established under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, in Jersey City, New Jersey. On August 6, 1954, the College was incorporated as a legal entity separate from Seton Hall University, but with an interlocking Board of Trustees. The first class of 80 students was admitted to the four-year MD program in September 1956, becoming only the sixth medical school in the New York City metropolitan area. In 1965, the institution was acquired by the State of New Jersey, renamed the New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry (NJCMD), and relocated to Newark, New Jersey. With the passing of the Medical and Dental Education Act of 1970, signed into law by Governor William T. Cahill on June 16, the College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (CMDNJ) was created, merging NJCMD with the two-year medical school established at Rutgers University in 1961, under a single board of trustees.

With the creation of the CMDNJ, the medical school adopted its title the New Jersey Medical School. In 1981, legislation signed on December 10 by Governor Byrne established CMDNJ as the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). NJMS served as one of five regional campuses that constitute the UMDNJ health science institution. On June 28, 2012 the New Jersey state legislature passed a bill that dissolved the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and merged most of its schools including New Jersey Medical School with Rutgers University forming a new Rutgers Division of Biomedical and Health Sciences effective July 1, 2013. With a cohesive student body, each class consisting of approximately 170 students, NJMS is experiencing impressive growth on a number of fronts. Robert L. Johnson is the current Dean.

In 2004, the school received $104 million in extramural grants supporting basic, clinical and translational research. New Jersey Medical School is also home to the Global Tuberculosis Institute, The Institute for Ophthalmology and Visual Science, and the Center for Emerging and Reemerging Pathogens. New Jersey Medical School is a charter member of the New Jersey Stem Cell Research and Education Foundation. The Summer Student Research Program provides students with stipends to conduct research in the laboratories of NJMS faculty. Each year, more than 100 first- and second-year students, as well as prospective students considering medical school, participate in the program, which has a strong emphasis on cancer research and heart, lung and blood research. NJMS faculty have contributed significantly to medical science breakthroughs including the development of the worldwide standard in knee replacement, the New Jersey Knee; a patented method for the early detection of Lyme disease; the identification of pediatric AIDS and the development of drug-therapy to reduce the likelihood of pre-natal transmission; and proof of the connection between smoking and cancer resulting in the warning message printed on cigarette packages.

New Jersey Medical Schools core teaching hospital, The University Hospital, is located on campus. It is home to a Level I Trauma Center, the busiest in the state, and one of the nations most active liver transplant programs. The 504-bed facility is also highly regarded for its Comprehensive Stroke Center, the New Jersey Cardiovascular Institute (NJCI), the cochlear Implant Program, a neurosurgical intensive care unit and a special Brain Tumor Program, the Neurological Institute of New Jersey, a federally designated spinal cord injury program and The University Center for Bloodless Surgery and Medicine. University Hospital is also the states single largest provider of charity care. Approximately 500 residents are pursuing advanced clinical training at University Hospital in 18 accredited programs.

Other major affiliated teaching sites include Hackensack University Medical Center, Morristown Medical Center, and the East Orange Veterans Affairs Hospital.

Admission to NJMS is highly selective and competitive. NJMS selects its students on the basis of academic excellence, leadership qualities, demonstrated compassion for others and broad extracurricular experiences. One hundred and seventy students enrolled in the class of 2012, selected from over 5,000 applicants. All applicants must be either permanent residents or citizens of the United States, meet specific course requirements, and take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT).

Deans of NJMS:

Charles L. Brown, MD (195559)

James E. McCormack, MD (196066)

Arthur J. Lewis, MD (1966)

Desmond Bonnycastle, MD, PhD (acting 1967)

Rulon Rawson, MD (196772)

Harold Kaminetsky, MD (acting dean and dean, 197274)

Stanley S. Bergen, Jr., MD (acting 1974)

Vincent Lanzoni, MD, PhD (197587)

Stuart D. Cook, MD (acting 1987-89)

Ruy V. Loureno, MD (December 1989-June 2000)

Joel A. DeLisa, MD, MS (interim July 2000-December 2000)

Russell T. Joffe, MD (January 2001-September 2005)

Robert L. Johnson, MD (October 2005 to present)

Coordinates: 404421N 741124W / 40.73924N 74.190111W / 40.73924; -74.190111

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New Jersey Medical School - Wikipedia

One of the most frequent question I get is the cost of going to medical school and if med school is worth it or not. In this video, I compare the cost of private med schools to public medical schools, talk about the how long medical school takes to complete and finally other opportunity costs or things that med students miss out on by attending medical school.

Hope you guys find this video useful!

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THE COST OF MEDICAL SCHOOL-- Is Med School Worth it? - YouTube

The Friends of the Hyde Park Branch Library have started raising funds for a gravestone for Rebecca Lee Crumpler, who graduated from the New England Female Medical College in Boston in 1864 and whose body currently lies in an unmarked grave in Fairview Cemetery in Hyde Park.

The Friends are hoping to raise between $3,000 and $5,000 for a tombstone for Crumpler. They've collected some info on Crumpler, of whom no known image survives: Born in Delaware in 1831, she grew up in Pennsylvania, but she eventually moved to the Boston area, where she took classes at West Newton English and Classical School and settled in Charlestown. In 1864, she earned her medical degree. After serving time following the Civil War with the Freedmen's Bureau in Richmond, VA, she moved back to the Boston area with her husband, Arthur, and eventually settled in Hyde Park - near the cemetery where she is now buried.

In 1883, she write a book of medical advice for "mothers, nurses, and all who may desire to mitigate the afflictions of the human race," A Book of Medical Discourses in Two Parts.

Donations towards a tombstone can be made to:

Friends of the Hyde Park LibraryFor: Crumpler Fund35 Harvard Avenue, Hyde Park, MA 02136

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The first African-American woman to graduate from medical school in the US is buried in an unmarked grave in Hyde Park - Universal Hub

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused much uncertainty at all levels of education. Medical educationparticularly at the medical school levelis no exception.

The pandemic hit during a time of educational transition, as final-year medical students are preparing for residency, third-year medical students begin exploring their options for residency applications and preclinical students become ready to work with patients. With students being restricted in their contact with patients during clinical clerkships through at least the end of March, all those transitions may appear to be in flux.

The only thing we can honestly say right now, because the situation is so fluid, is that students have to have some trust in the dedication of their faculty and administration and organizations such as the accrediting bodies and licensing boards, said Kimberly Lomis, MD, the AMAs vice president for undergraduate medical education innovations. We will make this work eventually. All of these organizations are working actively to think through the downstream implications for students and to build systems to accommodate accordingly.

The AMA has developed aCOVID-19 resource centeras well as aphysicians guide to COVID-19to give doctors a comprehensive place to find the latest resources and updates from the Centers forDiseaseControl and PreventionandtheWorld Health Organization. TheAMAs COVID-19 FAQwill help physicians address patient concerns and offers advice on key issues such as how to optimize PPE supply.

In terms of affected milestones and how medical students may reach them, Dr. Lomis and other stakeholders offered some insight.

Learning the science and art of medicine is a graduated process, meaning that whether its assessment or experiences, medical students often have to complete one milestone before they can embark on another. With clerkships being suspended at schools, per the recommendation of theAssociation of American Medical Colleges, there are fears that medical students could stall.

The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) is giving schools significant leeway to get creative with helping students accomplish required tasks. The LCME has developed guidance for schools. Changes that are possible could involve altering the delivery mechanism, such as taking classes like anatomy online, or changing the structure of a school schedulerepurposing elective time to ensure that core requirements are completed, changing the length of clerkships and changing assessment formats.

For students who are on the cusp of graduation and just matched with a residency program, that flexibility is key; some students may still have some required coursework remaining.

A local [alternative] response to allow them to finish is very viable, Dr. Lomis said of how schools will approach fourth-year medical students. Each school will work diligently to enable students they believe are qualified to indeed graduate on time.

For second- and third-year medical students, Steps 1 and 2 of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) are key events. The National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) has put the USMLE Step 2 exams Clinical Skills portion on hold, while Prometric, the organization that operates the testing centers at which the exams are administered, has announced that its facilities are closed for 30 days. For affected students, the NBME has offered to waive fees for eligibility period extensions and testing region changes.

These closures are unlikely to affect second-year medical students preparing for the Step 1 exam. If closures extend, with most students taking the exam in late April and May, that development could have a significant impact on when students take the exam.

Many medical schools give students dedicated study time in the weeks before the exam takes place. During those weeks, when possible, its best to try to stick to your study schedule, according to Christopher Cimino, MD, chief medical officer, Kaplan Medical.

Dr. Cimino also said students are going to have to acknowledge their realities.

No study plan is going to survive distractions, he said. The coronavirus is a huge distraction. Everybody has family members and knows people over 60. You need to recognize that thats a real thing.

Medical students want in on the action, but with clinical rotations suspended, opportunities for direct patient care are limited.

Even without direct patient contact, there are still areas in which students can add value for a health system. Some health systems, for instance, are using telehealth to answer patient questions.

Jeffanie Wu, a first-year medical student at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and an AMA member, says she and her classmates have worked with their administration to find ways they can offer their services. Two volunteer projects have emerged in recent days: one to help offer child care services to hospital staff, and another to work on a hotline that helps patients screen for symptoms of COVID-19 before they consider going to the hospital.

Wu has signed up to work at the hotline once it is up and running.

Were trying to help out in any way we can, she said. We are trying to decrease the fear thats out there right now. By talking to people about the symptoms of COVID-19 and telling them what the virus is. Providing that information can be a service.

With patient contact being suspended, students are not doing traditional rotation activities right now. The same can be said of visiting or away rotations. Typically done early in the fourth year of training, these might be key for current third-year medical students who view them as potential residency program auditions.

Away rotations require students to adapt to a new health system, and those systems are now under significant strain.

If we do get local clinical options open soon I suspect that [away rotations] would be slow to follow until systems feel like they are back to normal, Dr. Lomis said. The advantage to starting up local rotations is that you have the medical students who know your system and can contribute and add value in a number of ways while better protecting their own personal safety. I anticipate GME [graduate medical education] programs will develop distance alternatives to interact with applicants in meaningful ways.

Link:
4 questions medical students are asking on the COVID-19 pandemic - American Medical Association

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On Saturday, March 14, Avery Thompson and 650 other medical students at the University of California, San Francisco, received an email: Clinical classes were going online and planned hours in the hospital were being put on ice. The spread of the novel coronavirus posed too big a threat for courses to continue in person. In conversations with friends, she said, We were all experiencing similar frustration at feeling like we werent able to do very much. Within hours, the second year medical student received another message. This time, from her peers. It linked to a Google Doc, where medical students and pupils from other UCSF programspharmaceuticals, PhD studentswere drumming up ways to make themselves useful to the medical community. Within days, almost 200 students offered help, 120 from the medical school alone.

It really just sort of snowballed, said Hope Schwartz, a first year medical student at UCSF. And people started reaching out and coming up with other great ideas. Some suggested running a blood drive, others planned to redraft public health information for the multi-lingual San Francisco Bay Area, and track down other industries that use personal protective equipmentconstruction companies and nail salons.

Students have had the bandwidth to plan out a lot more, Dr. John Davis, associate dean of curriculum at the medical school said. They mobilized immediately, as soon as Covid-19 became an issue.

As the official number of coronavirus infections begin to skyrocketon Monday, it was 35,000; 70,000 on Thursday, and by Friday afternoon there were over 100,000 casesthe nations healthcare apparatus has reorganized itself to face the pandemic head on. Non-essential surgeries are being cancelled, and hospitals are pleading with the public to abide by CDC recommendations of social distancing and hand-washing in an effort to prevent overwhelming medical services. For medical schools, still in the middle of the academic year, clinical rotations have ground to a halt. Many instructors are too busy on the frontlines to teach, and the presence of untrained medical students could worsen supply shortages or accidentally spread the disease. Meanwhile, schools have tried to react to a quickly-changing health emergency without losing sight of their responsibility to educate future doctors.

These new conditionshave fundamentallychanged the lives of the nations 30,000 medical students in two ways. First, course curriculums have reshaped themselves to fit into a world disrupted by the pandemic. Second, the coronavirus has offered studentsan opportunity to provide ancillary support for frontline healthcare workers. Across the country, students are organizing themselves to meet the specific needs of the medical community in creative ways: from babysitting for nurses to 3D printing personal protective equipment, like masks.

For many,the crisis goes to the heart of why theywanted to be doctors in the first place. I do feel that medical students go to medical school mostly because we want be helpful, says Orly Farber, a third year medical student at Stanford Medical School. We dont write that in our essays because its too simplistic a reason, but its reality. At Stanford, medical students are providing childcare, running errands, and going grocery shopping for the doctors and nurses whose days are fully devoted to fighting the virus. Farber thinks its possible their role may even be expanded by being asked to take clinical notes, make phone calls to patients, and help with orders, all tasks can be handled remotely.

In other schools, where shortages of equipment are also a concern, students are turning to technological solutions. With the materials necessary for homemade masks in short supply, students at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have started 3D printing face shields, which can be mass produced. Theyre cheap and easy and the most extreme thing youd need, says Diana Dayal, a fourth year student at UNCSM. If anything, were making the more robust product. Some of the 170 student volunteers from UNCSM and adjacent programs are also working as hall monitors, helping medical workers properly don and doxput on and take offprotective equipment to prevent contamination. Some Rutgers students are running a hotline at the New Jersey Poison Control Center to set the record straight for callers whove been inundated with misinformation about the pandemic.

For the public, even the right information can be difficult to interpret. Students from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine are collaborating with their counterparts at New York University and the Pittsburgh Center for Autistic Advocacy to rewrite Centers for Disease Control guidelines. Were working as a collective effort to take these CDC guidelines and distill them down to different reading levels, so theyre accessible for a broader audience, said Ben Zuchelkowski, a fourth year medical student at Pittsburgh. Once the new guidelines are ready, he hopes his colleagues can disseminate them nationally.

All of the students I spoke to emphasizedthat they were able to expand beyond their institutions to collaborate with others around the country.Across messaging applications like Slack, video conferencing services like Zoom, plus Twitter and Google Drive, student bodies have stayed intouch. Were sharing ideas with each other, doing conference calls once we make a connection, says Zuchelkowski. Its really been a robust organizational effort nationally. Theres even Google file called Schmeddit, where everyone can keep up to date on which programs are closed or have affiliated hospitals with confirmed Covid-19 patients.

Meanwhile, medical schools are quickly rewriting curriculums to lean on the same remote communication tools. For students at UCSF, classroom courses rapidly moved to distance and remote learning methods, said Dr. Davis. Those are things we could deploy quick. Its the same story at most other medical schools. But thats where the similarities end. We dont have a nationally standardized curriculum, he said. Every medical school has, for all intents and purposes, its own curriculum. Each interruption in clinic and classroom activities has to be contextualizedand thats where real complexities occur.

Those complexities become even more fraught in the clinical setting, where students spend the majority of their thirdand some of their fourthyears. Given the severity of the pandemic, clinical rotationswhen students experience aspects of the profession, like surgery or primary care, in 4 to 8-week incrementshave been cancelled for now.

So, how do you teach medical students to become doctors when their presence in a hospital is a health risk? Theres no clear sense of how this school is going to deal with it, said Krunal Amin, a second year medical student at Duke University School of Medicine, where classes have been cancelled until June 15. At UCSF, Dr. Davis said faculty are discussing shifting clinical education from being time-based to competency-based, allowing for a bit more freedom. In cases where thats not possible, hes proposed uncoupling courses. Instead of classroom instruction and hospital hours happening simultaneously, for instance, the first comes now, the latter after the virus subsides. Avery Thompson, the UCSF second year, said Theyre making the best out of a pretty bad situation, and I do appreciate that.

Still, not everything can simply be rescheduled. Dayal says one crucial exam, which third years take to determine where theyll spend their first years as doctors, has been cancelled. This week, most schools typically have Match Day, a celebration where fourth years learn what that determination is. This year, celebrations moved from auditoriums illuminated in camera flash to email inboxes.

Graduation ceremonies have been cancelled, but some medical schools in Boston and New York have enlisted their fourth year students to start practicing. On Tuesday, NYUs medical programsent out an emailannouncingthat it would graduate some of its fourth year students three months earlier than planned, so they could join the healthcare workforce prior to the typical June 1 starting date. New York City faces the highest concentration of infections in the nation, and NYU University Medical Center is at the center of it all.

That need is trickling down to younger students, too. Last week, North Carolinas Department of Health and Human Serviceswhich has COVID-19 test samples but not enough technicians to process themsought out students with lab experience who could help expedite the work. Similarly, the Allegheny County Medical Reserve Corps has reached out to students to help bolster numbers.

I feel in the coming weeks were going to need backups to assist an overwhelmed healthcare workforce, said Farber, at Stanford Medicine. Medical students can help reinforce the frontline.

The reality of being in the midst of a deadly pandemic, with many healthcare workers struggling to get basic supplies, and no clear end in sight has created demands that are daunting to even seasoned physicians. I asked Diana Dayal, the UNCSM student, if she ever second guessed her choice to pursue medicine. Absolutely not, she said. I think its inspiring to have a skill setto really be there for people at their darkest time, even if on a pandemic scale.

Go here to read the rest:
Med Students Aren't Sitting Out the Fight Against the Coronavirus - Mother Jones

Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Chancellor Brian Strom made a case for the merger in a Jan. 31 letter to the executive committee of Rutgers University Senate.

A controversial proposal to merge the two Rutgers University medical schools into a single entity spread over two cities 30 miles apart may be gaining momentum, despite concerns among some faculty and staff about the process and potential risks involved.

The Rutgers University Senate is scheduled today to consider permitting leaders at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) in New Brunswick and New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) in Newark to start exploring what is needed to unify these colleges under a single mission and governance structure with one educational system, research agenda and clinical practice.

Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Chancellor Brian Strom, who oversees both medical schools, made a case for the merger in a Jan. 31 letter to the executive committee of the senate, a legislative body with some regulatory functions. Strom said a combined school would increase Rutgers access to research dollars and provide new opportunities for students, scientists and patients. Faculty and students at the two schools treat patients at teaching hospitals, clinics and private offices in both cities.

I believe we have the opportunity to pursue a bold and transformational change in medical education at Rutgers University that may prove to be an influential model across the United States, the RBHS chancellor wrote. He also stressed that if the schools were combined, one campus would not be a satellite or subordinate of the other.

In his letter, Strom underscored that no final decision has been made, but he asked for the senates input before faculty committees are appointed to dig into the mechanics of a merger; it is not clear how long the senate executive committee will take to make a decision. His letter does float a possible name for the combined entity Rutgers Medical School and hints that it could attract a transformational philanthropic gift.

If the Senate panel does give its go-ahead, and the faculty can find a way to make it work, the final decision would essentially be left to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), a national committee that accredits medical schools, according to the letter. Stroms team has already been in touch with the liaison committee about the potential change, which could result in the largest medical school in the U.S. (Each program now includes more than 700 students and thousands of faculty and staff.)

Thus, my request to the Senate is to approve the merger now, with the explicit recognition that we are continuing a process where the end result may be the integration of RWJMS and NJMS into a single accredited school, the final arbiter of course being the LCME. However, an irrevocable decision to merge has not yet been made, pending that work by the faculty, he wrote.

The process outlined in Stroms letter raised concerns for some medical school faculty and staff, who believe there should be more transparency around the planning and greater input from the Rutgers community and the public. And elected officials representing Newark are particularly concerned about the impact any merger would have on clinical care there, including at the citys University Hospital, north Jerseys only Level 1 trauma center.

The merger of Rutgers medical schools should not take place without input from the public, bargaining with unionized workers and oversight from New Jersey regulators, said Debbie White, a nurse and president of the Health Professionals and Allied Employees union, which represents close to 1,000 clinicians and other staff at the two schools.

New Jersey made a commitment to preserve the medical school in Newark and promote the institution as a premier teaching facility. We must hold Rutgers and the state to that commitment before allowing a merger to move the future of health care in a direction that puts Newark in the back seat, White said.

Diomedes Tsitouras, executive director of the American Association of University Professors chapter that represents some 1,500 faculty in Rutgers biomedical program, has urged the chancellor to take his time with any decision, especially given all the other changes the schools are currently experiencing. (Some of the AAUP units are engaged in contract disputes with Rutgers.)

The (university) senate should put a hold on this until details can be figured out, Tsitouras said. Theres no rush to go to the LCME.

But Strom and other Rutgers officials insist that there is now a unique opportunity for change. Our intention is to facilitate a bold transformation of medical education at Rutgers and to set a new standard for the country, said Associate Vice Chancellor Zach Hosseini, who handles marketing and communications. To do that, we are engaging with key partners, like the Rutgers University Senate and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), to ensure we follow the necessary and appropriate steps to explore the transformation that the committee envisioned, he added, referring to a faculty panel report unveiled last week.

The current system is the result of former Gov. Chris Christies reform in 2012 that dismantled the former University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, in Newark, and restructured medical education across the state. That led to the creation of NJMS in Newark and RWJMS in New Brunswick, which were united under Rutgers umbrella biomedical program with five other health-related colleges. (The reform also shifted an osteopathic program in Camden from Rutgers to Rowan University.)

In recent years, the two Rutgers medical schools have grown closer, collaborating on a number of clinical institute programs, and they now share a single leader. In January 2019, NJMS Dean Dr. Robert L. Johnson was also appointed interim dean at the New Brunswick school RWJMS when the previous dean departed. The two schools are also combining their graduate medical education programs. In 2017, RBHS signed an agreement with RWJBarnabas Health, one of the states largest provider networks, to improve the universitys clinical practice.

Strom has suggested that integrating the two medical schools would enable the states university to attract more research funding and scientific expertise, while making the program more attractive to potential students, health care employers, and other partners. In his letter to the senate panel, he notes that Rutgers is now one of only five universities in the country with more than one medical school, and the other four are separated by hundreds not dozens of miles.

Further, this separation hurts our national rankings substantially, since our grant portfolio, a large part of the ranking, is divided between the schools, Strom wrote.

To explore the future options, Strom created a 12-member commission (six from each school) to study various scenarios, from maintaining the status quo to a full merger with two co-equal campuses. In a report distributed last week, the committee focused on two choices: remaining as two schools, but with greater collaboration, or combining into one entity. It did not endorse one option over the other, but warned that any change would be costly, complicated and require significant planning and stakeholder input.

Strom insists that no decision has been made in his letter to the senate panel, but in framing the work to come, he focuses almost exclusively on efforts needed to explore and carry out a merger. There is no mention of a process to determine if that path is preferable to more limited collaboration.

Based on the recommendations of the (12-member) Committee, our next steps are to continue and expand careful and thorough deliberations on the potential structure, governance, curriculum, research, and clinical care of a future combined Rutgers Medical School. (The final name of a combined school remains to be decided), Strom wrote. Incidentally, a worksheet provided to the senate panel included the same potential name and noted that a merger would not require additional funding, at least early on.

If this change is viewed as sufficiently transformational, we may be presented with an opportunity for a potentially transformational philanthropic gift, he wrote. No additional information on the potential gift was available Thursday afternoon.

Please consider accepting this process and with it the possibility that we will completely integrate the two medical schools into a single model school and the potential to create the brightest future for academic medicine, one that will serve our students, patients, and communities while advancing our scholarship, research, and the profession of medicine, Strom wrote.

Read the original here:
Another Step Toward Controversial Merger of Med Schools - NJ Spotlight

Last week, DocWire News covered a study which suggests that medical students lose empathy as they progress through medical school.

We spoke with lead researcher Mohammadreza Hojat, PhD, who detailed what prompted him to undertake this study. As a psychologist by academic training, I became interested in exploring the effects of human relationships in health and illness, said Dr. Hojat, of the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University.

This interest shifted to a more specific area of patient-doctor relationship when I started a career in medical education research about 40 years ago. The questions of why some health professionals are more capable than others to form empathic relationship with patients, what are the factors that contribute to the development of empathy, and what are the outcomes of empathic engagement in patient care prompted me to search for answers.

The study comprised 10,751 medical students (3,616 first-year, 2,764 second-year, 2,413 third-year, and 1,958 fourth-year students) enrolled in 41 campuses of DO-granting medical schools in the US while comparing preexisting data from students of MD-granting medical schools. All participants were asked to complete a web-based survey at the end of the 2017-2018 academic year.

The results showed a decline in empathy scores between medical students in the pre-clinical years (first-and-second year students) and medical students in the clinical years (third-and-fourth year students). Furthermore, the researchers observed that the pattern of empathy decline was similar among DO students, but the magnitude was less pronounced.

The findings of the study raise a red flag for medical education leaders, said Dr. Hojat. Among implications of the findings is a call for the development and implementation of targeted educational programs in medical schools to enhance and sustain empathy in physicians-in-training.

Dr. Hojat noted that the study did have a limitation its design. As a cross-sectional study, the baseline empathy at the start of medical school may be different for students in different years, thus variation in empathy in different years could be attributed to the baseline differences, and not necessarily to changes during medical school.

He feels that a more desirable study design would be a longitudinal study, in which a cohort of students is followed up (for four years) during medical school and changes in their empathy scores are compared as the cohort progresses through medical school.

Moving forward, to attenuate this limitation, Dr. Hojat is currently undertaking a five-year longitudinal study of a national cohort of osteopathic medical students from the 2019-2020 entering class. He plans to follow (the students) from matriculation to graduation to examine yearly changes in empathy, reasons for such changes, and to explore approaches to enhance and sustain their empathy.

This Project in Osteopathic Medical Education and Empathy (POMEE), according to Dr. Hojat, is sponsored by the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), and the Cleveland Clinic in collaboration with the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University.

Dr. Hojat added that: In addition to examining empathy, we plan to study changes in orientation toward holistic, integrative, and patient-centered care, attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration, lifelong learning, and burnout experiences as the cohort progresses through medical school.

Originally posted here:
Ask the Authors: Dr. Mohammadreza Hojat Speaks on the Erosion of Empathy Exhibited by Medical Students - DocWire News

FORT WORTH, Texas Medical school will test you. It will push your endurance, your ability to think critically and it will exhaust you.

But for second-year medical student Taylor Orcutt, the challenge is sometimes even greater than what you would imagine.

"While the days are long," she said, "Thinking about what I can do in the future and the people I can helpthat makes it all worth it."

In her classes at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine at UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth, Orcutt often has to find ways to make her medical education work for her. It's how she does things.

"Sometimes it takes a little extra practice," she said.

It's how she's always done things.

Orcutt was born with just one hand. Her left arm ends at the elbow.

Taylor was born with her left hand

Courtesy

"Really the first time that it really stuck out was in kindergarten," she recalled. "Whenever we went to the playground, all my friends could do the monkey bars and I couldn't, and that was like the most devastating thing to me."

But she always found ways to adapt to her physical parameters. Orcutt, who grew up near Temple, excelled at athletics, from soccer to volleyball-- even basketball.

"I could always tell the other team would be like, we don't need to worry about her," Orcutt said.

She was so good at those sports, she was profiled by the local news.

"I ended up actually doing pretty well and they're like, OK, maybe we need to rethink this," she said, laughing.

Taylor Orcutt played volleyball growing up

Courtesy photo

That's not to say, though, she didn't worry about her lifelong dream to become a doctor.

"Since it is a lot of hands-on stuff," Orcutt said.

"We have just a list of things that future doctors need to be able to do as far as standards, physical exams, procedures," said Dr. Ryan Seals, one of Orcutt's medical school professors.

He says any concerns about Orcutt performing the physical duties needed to become a doctor because of her challenge quickly faded. She's excelled at it all, learning to intubate or give exams with one hand.

"I think the fact she's had to be so focused and [use ingenuity] her whole life has probably proved to be an advantage to her," Dr. Seals said.

Taylor is a second-year medical student.

WFAA

Classmate and friend Callie Nance sung Orcutt's praises.

"How she looks at everything so differently and sees things in more than one way, that's really inspiring and honestly a lot of us could learn from that," Nance said.

Orcutt even co-founded a new club at her school that prepares medical students on how best to interact with patients who have challenges, physical or otherwise.

"I feel like if you think you could do it, no one can tell you, you can't," Orcutt said.

Wouldn't we all be so lucky to have a doctor who sees the world and sees you-- that way.

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'No one can tell you that you can't': Fort Worth medical student born with one hand is overcoming barriers - WFAA.com

Dr. Anjali Niyogi of Tulane Medical School, left, Kimberly Foster, dean of the Tulane School of Science and Engineering and Dr. Sonia Malhotra, also of Tulane Medical School, were among 10 females honored with 2020 Women in STEM awards by the American Heart Association and Entergy. (Photo by Karoline Glausier)

The dean of the Tulane University School of Science and Engineering and two faculty members from the Tulane School of Medicine are winners of the 2020 Women in STEM Award sponsored by the American Heart Association and Entergy.

Kimberly Foster, now in her second year as dean of science and engineering, joins Dr. Anjali Niyogi and Dr. Sonia Malhotra as three of the 10 winners of the inaugural awards.

"Let us as women leaders continue to push the boundaries of our fields.

Dr. Sonia Malhotra

The Women in STEM Awards, a program of the local chapter of the American Heart Association, recognize female leaders who have demonstrated exceptional commitment and made an impact across New Orleans in the STEM field. The winners were celebrated for their work earlier this month at the Audubon Louisiana Nature Center.

"I am proud to be part of such a diverse group of accomplished women honored for their support of STEM in New Orleans," Foster said. It is wonderful to see women giving back to their community and paving the road for an increased STEM pipeline through mentorship, programming and achievement, Foster said.

Foster has focused on collaborating with the other Tulane deans to deepen the research collaborations among schools and to grow the research programs within science and engineering. Under her leadership, the school is also growing the opportunities for undergraduate research at Tulane. Foster is working with faculty in SSE on the design and programmatic planning for Steven & Jann Paul Hall, a multidisciplinary science & engineering building that will support research and education at Tulane, to be completed in 2022.

Niyogi is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine & Pediatrics. She is co-director of the RIGHT program (Resident Initiative in Global Health at Tulane) and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Tropical Medicine. In 2015, Niyogi founded the Formerly Incarcerated Transitions (FIT) Clinic, which provides continuity of care for acute and chronic medical conditions to persons recently released from incarceration.

Niyogi credited her mother for the award. Starting in my childhood, I heard her speak about how she was one of three girls in her entire state to study engineering. This was in 1960s India. I learned from her how how to forge ahead even when others say you cannot, or should not.

Malhotra is also an assistant professor of internal medicine and pediatrics. In addition, she is director of Palliative Medicine and Supportive Care, a program of the Tulane School of Medicine and University Medical Center New Orleans.

Malhotra has been recognized with various teaching and community awards including the Tulane Owl Club Award for Best Pediatrics Resident, the National Med-Peds Resident Associations Howard Schubiner Award and Resident of the Year in Pediatrics and Medicine-Pediatrics.

I dedicate this award to my family including my parents, husband and sons for always pushing me forth professionally and the mentors/coaches who have taken the time to make me better. Let us as women leaders continue to push the boundaries of our fields.

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Three Tulanians honored with STEM awards - News from Tulane

Kelly said she has a plan to get the board back on better terms and end the constant in-fighting between the four-member faction that wants Wilson fired and the other four members who support Wilson and want to focus on regular university business, Kelly said.

"I certainly have a plan to do that. I am intent to listening to all sides of the conflict: students, faculty, administrators and board members," she said. "I am sitting down with people to talk and hear them out. I want to avoid the repetitions of conflict. I want to hear all sides and hear their positions."

If necessary, Kelly said there are nationally recognized experts that can help the board work through differences. "I am dedicated to making sure the university moves forward," she said.

So far, Kelly said she has met with several board members. "I already met twice with people and I plan to continue that as long as it takes. I am learning new things. You know, if you sit and listen carefully to someone you begin to pick up stuff you never heard of before. It is important that everyone hear and believe the facts."

Kelly said she believes Trent tried to listen to opposing board members. "Kim did have a good line of conversation before with board members, but timing is everything. There are times when people are not open to reconsidering their position. Then, with a change in circumstances, they are. This might be a better time."

When asked what goals she has for 2020, Kelly said her main goal is to listen to all points of view, keep communication lines open and oversee professional board meetings.

"I still hope we can pass a code of conduct" for the Wayne State board," she said. "We need to respond to Higher Learning Commission request of us by the end of March. I don't see why we can't comply."

Among numerous instances that illustrated the board's dysfunction over the past year, four of the board members have rejected the university's proposed code of conduct two times in the past six months. As Wayne State's accrediting body, the HLC issued a report that criticized the university for not having a code of conduct for the board.

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Will 2020 bring peace and harmony to Wayne State board? - Crain's Detroit Business

After a decade of federal and state health-care reform efforts, each with its own catch phrase, acronyms and political perspective, there is one area of remarkable agreement. Any approach to increasing quality and decreasing cost is built on a strong foundation of primary care.

However, there simply arent enough primary-care providers in Vermont now, and the number is decreasing at an alarming rate. Strategies effective ones exist to avert this crisis. The problem is we are not implementing them in a significant or systematized way.

Primary care saves the health-care system money. People who have a primary-care provider are healthier, less likely to go to emergency rooms, and less costly to the health care system as a whole. Across Vermont, in communities where primary care is available, people get preventive care and management of chronic conditions, such as diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, close to home. They are more likely to keep their appointments, work on prevention and avoid hospitalizations. Primary-care providers call on specialists when necessary, but the vast majority of patient needs are taken care of locally. Cost and quality of health care both improve.

But the lack of primary-care providers in Vermont is a looming crisis. In rural Vermont, some practices have been unsuccessfully recruiting new physicians for more than six years. Recent workforce data shows there is a need for 69 new primary-care providers in Vermont right now. With 36% of Vermonts primary-care doctors over age 60, this need will only escalate. Vermont needs a multifaceted approach to increasing the number of primary-care providers across our state. The College of Medicine, UVM Medical Center, and the state, itself, all have a role.

There is good evidence we can predict which medical school applicants are likely to enter a primary-care field. The College of Medicine should prioritize those students for admission. They should establish a rural primary-care track, with free tuition in exchange for a commitment to practice in an underserved area of Vermont after graduation. It is critical to offer tuition assistance up front to committed students, since UVMs medical students graduate with as much as $400,000 of debt, which effectively rules out the choice of primary care due to comparatively low salaries in these fields. Some of the most successful models for such scholarship programs identify students likely to go into primary care early in their training, and provide early exposure to rural practices. UVMs School of Nursing could use similar selection and scholarship strategies, since there is also a serious shortage of nurses and primary-care nurse practitioners.

Although all primary-care specialties are needed in Vermont, a rural medicine track that focuses on family medicine is the most efficient way to fill the void. Ninety-two percent of family medicine graduates stay in primary care, whereas pediatricians and internists are more likely to pursue specialty training. In fact, only 44% of pediatricians and 14% of internal-medicine graduates stay in primary care. In addition, family physicians tend to have a broad scope of practice, with training that includes newborn to geriatric care, mental illness and office procedures. Family physicians have also taken a lead role in addressing the opiate crisis, integrating substance abuse programs into their practices across the state.

The State of Vermont and the Legislature have a role to play, too. Increasing loan repayment to attract providers to shortage areas would be a start, but there are other creative ideas for increasing the primary-care workforce: tax credits for providers who relocate to underserved areas, or for those who teach medical students in their rural practices; streamlining licensing requirements; relocation bonuses targeting out-of-state providers with a connection to Vermont (skiers, mountain bikers, second-home owners, UVM alumni, etc). And, ongoing attention to decreasing administrative burden in primary care allowing doctors to care for their patients rather than their computers will help combat provider burnout and attract out-of-state physicians.

One of the most powerful ways to increase the number of primary-care doctors is to increase the number we are training. Currently, of 319 medical residents in Vermont, only 18 are in family medicine. We train the same number of anesthesiologists as we do family physicians. Clearly, thats not a sustainable plan for meeting Vermonts health-care needs. UVM Medical Center should significantly increase the number of residency positions in primary care. As the only teaching hospital in Vermont, UVMMC should be invested in training the kind of doctors we need in our state.

We know that any strategy to provide better and less-costly health care will require a robust primary-care workforce. But we have nowhere near the number of providers we will need, and that number is shrinking rapidly. It will take a multifaceted, coordinated approach to bring an adequate primary-care workforce to our state. This effort will require focus and investment of resources by the state, the medical school and the medical center. Not addressing this problem will guarantee the failure of health-care reform efforts, ultimately making health care even more costly and less accessible to Vermonters.

Dr. Fay Homan is a family physician with Little Rivers Healthcare in Wells River, board member of Vermont Academy of Family Physicians, and serves on the Primary Care Advisory Group for the Green Mountain Care Board.

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Homan: Primary care workforce | Perspective - Rutland Herald

Allergic reactions in the skin can be caused by many different chemical compounds found in creams, cosmetics, and other topical consumer products, but how they trigger the reaction has remained somewhat mysterious.

A new study suggests the way some chemicals displace natural fat-like molecules (called lipids) in skin cells may explain how many common ingredients trigger allergic contact dermatitisand, encouragingly, suggests a new way to treat the condition.

The study was led by researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, the Brigham and Womens Hospital, and Monash University and published online today in Science Immunology.

Why some chemicals trigger dermatitis is a mystery

Poison ivy is a commonly known trigger for allergic contact dermatitis, an itchy skin rash. But many ingredients found in nonprescription topical products can trigger a similar type of rash.

An allergic reaction begins when the immune systems T cells recognize a chemical as foreign.

T cells do not directly recognize small chemicals, and research suggests that these compounds need to undergo a chemical reaction with larger proteins in order to make themselves visible to T cells.

However, many small compounds in skin care products that trigger allergic contact dermatitis lack the chemical groups needed for this reaction to occur, says study co-leader Annemieke de Jong, PhD, assistant professor of dermatology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

These small chemicals should be invisible to T cells, but theyre not.

Skin cells unmask allergy-inducing chemicals

De Jong and her colleagues suspected that CD1a, a molecule thats abundant on Langerhans cells (immune cells in the skins outer layer), might be responsible for making these chemicals visible to T cells.

In the current study, conducted with human cells in tissue culture, the researchers found that several common chemicals known to trigger allergic contact dermatitis were able to bind to CD1a molecules on the surface of Langerhans cells and activate T cells.

These chemicals included Balsam of Peru and farnesol, which are found in many personal care products, such as skin creams, toothpaste, and fragrances. Within Balsam of Peru, the researchers identified benzyl benzoate and benzyl cinnamate as the chemicals responsible for the reaction, and overall they identified more than a dozen small chemicals that activated T cells through CD1a.

Our work shows how these chemicals can activate T cells in tissue culture, but we have to be cautious about claiming that this is definitively how it works in allergic patients, de Jong says. The study does pave the way for follow-up studies to confirm the mechanism in allergic patients and design inhibitors of the response.

New ideas for treatment

CD1a molecules normally bind the skins own naturally occurring lipids in its tunnel-like interior. These lipids protrude from the tunnel, creating a physical barrier that prevents CD1a from interacting with T cells.

Structural work done at Monash University showed that farnesol, one of the allergens identified in this study, can hide inside the tunnel of CD1a, displacing the natural lipids that normally protrude from the CD1a molecule. This displacement makes the CD1a surface visible to the T cells, causing an immune reaction, de Jong says.

This discovery raises the possibility that allergic contact dermatitis could be stopped by applying competing lipids to the skin to displace those triggering the immune reaction. From previous studies, we know the identity of several lipids that can bind to CD1a but wont activate T cells, she says.

Currently, the only way to stop allergic contact dermatitis is to identify and avoid contact with the offending chemical. Topical ointments can help soothe the rashes, which usually clear up in less than a month. In severe cases, physicians may prescribe oral corticosteroids, anti-inflammatory agents that suppress the immune system, increasing the risk of infections and other side effects.

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Study Explains Why Some Creams and Cosmetics May Cause a Skin Rash - Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Ms. Tomlinson said that with every expense she takes on now, such as a $20 dinner out, she calculates what she will have to pay off in 10 years, at 7 percent interest. She struggles to make rent on her student housing at Mount Sinai, which she said is more than she would pay for a family house in Oklahoma City, where she lived previously.

Randall Tassone, a medical student at Harvard, was raised in a low-income household in rural Pennsylvania. Now surrounded by wealthier classmates, many of them the children of doctors, Mr. Tassone has come to understand money as something intrinsic to medical school culture, structuring social as well as academic life. Earlier this year he walked past a classroom poster advertising a service trip; it included a student testimonial: It was nice to feel like we did something to help the poor community.

It was identifying the poor as outsiders who arent part of our community, Mr. Tassone said. It made him realize, he said, Ive been invited into this institution that favors rich people.

Mr. Johnson said he experienced almost daily reminders of his socioeconomic status. A professor recently asked students, as an icebreaker, to describe their favorite family vacation spot. Mr. Johnson began to sweat, racking his brain for an answer before awkwardly offering the truth: His family had never taken a vacation.

That top medical schools seem to favor the rich is especially disturbing to low-income students because they know that their diverse experiences and perspectives are an asset, not a liability. A 2018 study showed that black patients have better health outcomes when treated by black doctors. Mr. Johnson said that emergency room patients have told him they feel more comfortable having a doctor who is African-American and from Stockton, someone who, like them, struggles to afford his medication.

I have a Ph.D. in not having money, Mr. Johnson said. Thats not easy to explain.

When he graduates from medical school, Mr. Velasquez plans to work in an emergency room where he can treat patients who are homeless, undocumented and the poorest of the poor. He wants to treat patients who look like his family, he said. But already he has learned that the dream comes at a cost.

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I Have a Ph.D. in Not Having Money - The New York Times

KALAMAZOO, MI -- The new year will bring a new name for the clinics at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine.

Starting Jan. 1, 2020, the medical schools clinical practice will be known as WMed Health, the school announced in a news release Thursday, Dec. 19.

While services, locations, providers and staff will remain the same, the name will now be easier to rattle off, said Michele Serbenski, associate dean for clinical operations and performance excellence.

We are excited to continue to deliver the same excellent care to our patients under a name thats quicker to say and remember, Serbenski said.

WMed Health has a team of more than 330 providers and offers more than 30 different services to patients across Southwest Michigan, according to the news release.

WMed Health provides care in multiple locations, including 1000 Oakland Drive, 1717 Shaffer Street and 670 Mall Drive.

In addition to its Kalamazoo locations, WMed Health teams see patients at the Family Health Center in Kalamazoo and in Battle Creek. WMed Health tracks more than 64,000 patient visits per year, according to the release.

The medical school is a collaboration between Western Michigan University and Kalamazoos two teaching hospitals, Ascension Borgess Hospital and Bronson Methodist Hospital.

Named for Stryker Corp. founder Dr. Homer Stryker and made possible by a $100 million donation from William Johnston and Ronda Stryker, the school was established in 2012 and started its inaugural class of students in 2014.

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WMU medical school clinics will operate under new name, WMed Health, in 2020 - mlive.com

Medical school application costs may prevent students from lower-income backgrounds from entering the profession of medicine, wrote authors in a review published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Although attending medical school is often prohibitively expensive for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, some schools have begun to offer need-based scholarships that cover most if not all costs of tuition. However, no such forms of assistance exist to aid students with the application process. The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) has a $315 fee, and many students pay substantial costs for practice examinations or preparatory courses. According to a 2018 survey of students matriculating to medical school, median spending on secondary applications and interviews was $1200 and $650, respectively. Further, 33% of responders reported spending $2000 or more on secondary applications, and 30% indicated that they spent $1500 or more on interview-related expenses, including airline tickets, hotel bookings, and taxi fees. Authors also noted that approximately 19% of applicants in any given year are reapplying, meaning they often must pay these expenses multiple times.

These costs may contribute to the demographic disparities observed among medical school applicants, authors wrote. In 2018, just 9% of applicants identified as black, 10% as Hispanic, and less than 1% as American Indian or Alaska Native. Just 5% of applicants come from the lowest household-income quintile ($24,000 annually), while 25% report an annual family income of $250,000 or more. While programs exist to reduce application costs including the Fee Assistance Program (FAP), which reduces the Medical College Admission Tests cost and waives up to 20 primary application fees the authors assert that further measures must be taken. FAP, for example, fails to supplement interview-related costs and itself has a rigorous and confusing application process. Low-income applicants may be deterred by the complexity of the FAP application, which requires parents tax returns, W-2 forms, college financial-aid letters, and other documents.

Authors suggested that medical schools adjust their policies to improve inclusivity. The Association of Medical Colleges could limit the number of schools to which each applicant may apply. With such a cap, wealthier students would have less of an advantage over low-income students. Further, medical schools themselves could begin to invite secondary applications only from students they found to be strong candidates for admission. Currently, most medical schools invite all applicants to submit secondary applicants, incurring extra costs for those who do not progress to the next stages. Finally, authors endorsed the use of virtual interviews over in-person interviews to reduce travel and hotel fees. Many top law schools already do so, and for schools not ready to adopt virtual interviews, regional interviews could be conducted through alumni networks.

While need-based financial aid is a significant step toward accommodating students from disadvantaged backgrounds, it does not assist those unable to apply at all. The authors endorsed rigorous efforts to challenge current application procedures and diversifythe medical profession.

Reference

Millo L, Ho N, Ubel PA. The cost of applying to medical school a barrier to diversifying the profession. N Engl J Med. 2019;381:1505-1508.

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Are Application Costs Reducing Diversity in the Medical Field? - Medical Bag

Donald and Barbara Zuckers foundation donated $61 million to the medical school founded by Hofstra University and Northwell Health, the organizations announced on Wednesday, leading to renaming the school for the couple.

Most of the donation or $50 million will go towards a permanent endowment to provide students need-based scholarship support in the Zucker School of Medicine.

Some $10 million meanwhile goes towards creating and endowing the Barbara Hrbek Zucker Emerging Scientists Program at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, which is headquartered in Manhasset.

The program is intended to prepare postdoctoral fellows for successful careers and support early career faculty in developing research programs.

More so than any other donors in our history, Don and Barbara Zucker have been extraordinary supporters of causes where we have historically struggled to get financial support, Michael J. Dowling, president and chief executive officer of Northwell Health, said in a statement.

Their latest gifts are a testament to the Zuckers leadership as philanthropists who recognize the vital role of medical education and research in transforming the future of medicine.

Donald Zucker, 86, a New York City real estate developer from Sands Point, and his wife Barbara, donated to Northwell in the past. The couple gave to organizations like the Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan and the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine in Manhasset.

Lawrence Smith, the founding dean of the Zucker School of Medicine and physician-in-chief at Northwell Health, said that the couple recognized how important it is to support students financially.

Their generosity will ensure that our medical school will continue to be represented by a highly diverse, talented student body that reflects the communities we serve throughout the New York metropolitan area, Smith said.

Hofstra University and Northwell Health first launched the medical school in 2008. It currently has 400 students enrolled and had more than 7,000 applicants competing for 100 spaces in 2016.

Almost a decade ago, we set out to create a new model of medical education that would improve health care in our region and today we mark another milestone in that journey, said Stuart Rabinowitz, the president of Hofstra University. The Zuckers support solidifies and expands our commitment to train innovative physicians whose backgrounds and experiences are as diverse as the people they treat.

Continued here:
Hofstra and Northwell rename medical school following $61 million donation - The Island Now

Ariel Universitys new medical school began its academic year on Sunday, with Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, its main funders, on campus to mark the occasion.

With the arrival of Las Vegascasino magnate Sheldon Adelsonand his wife, Dr. Miriam Adelson, who were the major donors to the medical school that bears their name, their security guards had to fend off journalists trying to ask questions about the reports over the weekend about one of the criminal investigations against Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu.

The case involves allegations of improprieties in conversations between the prime minister and Arnon Mozes, the publisher of the Yedioth Ahronoth daily, a rival newspaper to Israel Hayom, which is owned by the Adelsons. Over the weekend,Channel 13 disclosed tapes of the conversationsin which Netanyahu and Mozes discussed how to weaken the Adelsons newspaper.

Among the dignitaries who were allowed near the Adelsons were university officials and right-wing politiciansNaftali Bennettand Shuli Moalem-Refaeli. Boaz Bismuth, Israel Hayoms editor, was also spotted.

Administrators had planned to open the school last year, but legal issues caused delays. In April, the High Court of Justice rejected a petitionby two academics against the establishment of the medical school, based on the claim that the approval casts a heavy shadow on the decision making process in higher education.The petition was submitted after it emerged that a member of the committee that looked into approving the new faculty, Prof. Jonathan Halevy, had received an offer to serve as head of the universitys board of governors six months earlier.

Although the Council for Higher Education gave its final approvalfor the opening of the medical school, the institution still faces obstacles: Its budget, for example, has yet to be approved by the councils Planning and Budgeting Committee.

'Zionism won'

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A small ceremony marking the beginning of the school year took place in a classroom where the students were asked to give up their seats for the guests of honor and university officials. Prof. Shai Ashkenazi, the dean of the medical school, delivered a very short speech and then yielded the floor to the main speaker, Miriam Adelson.

She spoke of lofty ideals such as Zionism, Jewish pride, and love of the land. She made it clear how important the day was for her and her husband. Dr. Adelson referred to a quote from the post-biblical Jewish sages about how the Land of Israel is acquired through tribulation and made reference to those who tried to prevent the opening of the school.

In Israel, being Israel, we also had to withstand our tribulations. In Israel, being Israel,there were opponents who tried to block the establishmentof a critical institution on ancient Jewish land and to deny us legitimacy, she declared. But we won, Zionism won, the truth won.

The university administration presented her with a copy of the first academic article published by a faculty member of the medical school.

The American ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, recited the Sheheheyanu, prayer, which is said on momentous occasions, and remarked that in the Book of Deuteronomy, God tells the Jewish people to choose life. Why life and not wisdom or truth? he asked. Choosing life, he said, means appreciation for the holiness and value of every human being, and the medical school was advancing life itself.

The med schools 70 students of 662 applicants, as the administration took pains to mention are attending class for now in the natural sciences building, because the medical schools own building on the campus in the West Bank settlement is not finished.

The classroom was strewn with backpacks, water bottles and new white doctors smocks, a gift to the students. By the early afternoon, the students had finished a class in histology the study of cells, tissues and organs. They took the opportunity during a break to get to know one another and talk about housing options.

The class was interesting, said Reut, 23, who wants to specialize in either oncology or gynecology. I recently had to visit hospitals under unfortunate circumstances and I know that Im interested in patient care.

I would have gone to study there even if the department had opened in Gaza, joked Zahavit, a 30-year-old student, who has a bachelors degree in medical sciences from Tel Aviv University. She appeared rather satisfied so far.

Her friend Naama said Ariel was her first choice. They said it would be a fun experience. The people are nice and its beautiful here.

Naama and Zahavit are still living in Tel Aviv, but its clear to them that they will have to find an apartment in Ariel, because, as they put it, the schedule barely leaves them time to breathe.

There was a lot of tension over the summer, Zahavit said, expressing regret that the medical school couldnt open last year, as the Ariel University administration had originally planned. Many of us could have started last year, she remarked.

The influence of Yigal Cohen-Orgad, Ariel Universitys chancellor until his death two months ago, could be felt throughout the festive opening ceremony. He was mentioned frequently in both casual conversation and speeches.

Projecting a different image

Journalists were not officially invited to the medical school opening because university officials were concerned that there might be last-minute glitches, but reporters came in any event. The university is trying to fight its reputation as a settler institution and has noted that there are students from all over the country, Jews and Arabs, religious and secular.

A scent of marijuana wafted through the air, and a university source made incidental mention of a survey that a third of the universitys students acknowledged having used such soft drugs. Rather than being embarrassed over the finding, it was seen as evidence of how normal the university was.

Outside the science building, on the lawn, it did indeed appear like a typical first day at a university with inexpensive beer in disposable cups, a table with gifts to the students from the Student Union, a blood-donation stand and lively music.

The student activity stands were strikingly diverse including the right-wing group Im Tirzu next to Ofek, which is identified with the Labor Party, and the religious studies department alongside an LGBT group.

Original post:
'Zionism won': Adelsons hail opening of controversial medical school in West Bank - Haaretz

This article is about institutions that grant formal Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery (M.D., C.M.) degrees only. For information on other systems, see alternative medicine.

In Canada, a medical school is a faculty or school of a university that trains would-be medical doctors and usually offers a three- to five-year Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery (M.D., C.M.) degree. Although presently most students enter medicine having previously earned another degree, the M.D. is technically considered an undergraduate degree in Canada. There are currently seventeen medical schools in Canada. Some faculties, such as Manitoba, McMaster, and Toronto, in addition to training would-be medical doctors offer two-year bachelor's or master's degrees to train physician assistants.[1]

As of 2013, approximately 3,900 students were enrolled in Canadian medical schools.[citation needed]

Generally, medical students begin their studies after receiving a bachelor's degree in another field, often one of the biological sciences. However, not all medical schools in Canada require a bachelor's degree for entry.[2] For example, Quebec's medical schools accept applicants after a two-year CEGEP diploma, which is the equivalent of other provinces' grade 12 plus the first year of university. Most faculties of medicine in Western Canada require at least 2 years, and most faculties in Ontario require at least 3 years of university study before application can be made to medical school. The University of Manitoba requires applicants to complete a prior degree before admission. The Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) publishes a detailed guide[3] to admission requirements of Canadian faculties of medicine on a yearly basis.

Admission offers are made by individual medical schools, generally on the basis of a personal statement, autobiographical sketch, undergraduate record (GPA), scores on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT),[4] and interviews. Medical schools in Quebec (Francophones and Anglophone alike), the University of Ottawa (a bilingual school), and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (a school which promotes francophone culture), do not require the MCAT, as the MCAT has no French equivalent. Some schools, such as the University of Toronto and Queen's University, use the MCAT score as a cut-off, where sub-standard scores compromise eligibility.[5][6] Other schools, such as the University of Western Ontario, give increasing preference to higher performance.[7]McMaster University strictly utilizes the Verbal Reasoning section of the MCAT to determine interview eligibility and admission rank.[8]

The annual success rate for Canadian citizens applying for admission to Canadian medical schools is normally below 10%.[9] Just over 2,500 positions were available in first-year classes in 2006-2007 across all seventeen Canadian faculties of medicine. The average cost of tuition in 2006-2007 was $12,728 for medical schools outside of Quebec; in Quebec (for Quebecers only), average tuition was $2,943. The level of debt among Canadian medical students upon graduation has received attention in the medical media.[10][11]

Medical school in Canada is generally a 4-year program at most universities. Notable exceptions include McMaster University and the University of Calgary, where programs run for 3 years, without interruption for the summer. McGill University and Universit de Montral in the province of Quebec both offer a five-year program that includes a medical preparatory year to entering CEGEP graduates. While Universit Laval in Quebec City offers a four- to five-year program to all entering students (both CEGEP graduates and university-level students), Universit de Sherbrooke offers a formal four-year M.D. program to all admitted students.

The first half of the medical curriculum is dedicated mostly to teaching the fundamentals of, or basic subjects relevant to, medicine, such as anatomy, histology, physiology, pharmacology, genetics, microbiology, ethics, and epidemiology. This instruction can be organized by discipline or by organ system. Teaching methods can include traditional lectures, problem-based learning, laboratory sessions, simulated patient sessions, and limited clinical experiences. The remainder of medical school is spent in clerkship. Clinical clerks participate in the day-to-day management of patients. They are supervised and taught during this clinical experience by residents and fully licensed staff physicians. Typical rotations include internal medicine, family medicine, psychiatry, surgery, emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics. Elective rotations are often available so students can explore specialties of interest for residency training.

Some medical schools offer joint degree programs in which a limited number of interested medical students may simultaneously enroll in M.Sc. or Ph.D. programs in related fields. Often this research training is undertaken during elective time and between the basic science and clinical clerkship halves of the curriculum. For example, while Universit de Sherbrooke offers a M.D./M.Sc. program, McGill University offers a M.D./Ph.D. for medical students holding an undergraduate degree in a relevant field.

Students enter into the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) in the fall of their final year. Students rank their preferences of hospitals and specialties. In turn, the programs to which they applied rank each student. Both sets of rank lists are confidential. Each group's preferences are entered into a computerized matching system to determine placement for residency positions. 'Match Day' usually occurs in March,[12] a few months before graduation. The length of post-graduate training varies with choice of specialty. Family medicine is a 2-year program accredited by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), and third year programs of residency training are available in various areas of practice, including Emergency Medicine, Maternal/Child, Care of the Elderly, Palliative Care or Sports Medicine. All other medical specialty residencies are accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada; most are 5 years long. Internal medicine and pediatrics are 4-year programs in which the final year can be used to complete a fellowship in general internal medicine or general pediatrics, or used towards a longer fellowship (e.g., cardiology). A few surgical residencies, including cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, and some general surgery programs, last 6 years. Sub-specialty fellowships are available after most residencies.

There are subtle differences between how residency training is organized in Canada as opposed to the United States. For example, M.D. graduates proceed directly into their residencies without the intermediate step of internship. However, this difference is somewhat superficial: for many residencies, the first postgraduate year (PGY1) in Canada is very similar to a rotating internship, with 1-2 month-long rotations in diverse fields. On the other hand, in Canada the graduate is often committed to a sub-specialty earlier than a similar American graduate.

Some sub-specialties are organized differently. For example, in the United States, cardiac and thoracic surgery are rolled into one fellowship (cardiothoracic surgery) following residency in general surgery. In Canada, cardiac surgery is a direct-entry residency (equivalent training can be obtained by pursuing a cardiac fellowship following residency in general surgery, but this route is far less popular). A fellowship in thoracic surgery can be pursued following residency in either cardiac or general surgery.

Unlike the United States and United Kingdom, in Canada there are no national guidelines for residents' call schedules or work hours. However, each province in which residency training takes place negotiates such details as part of a collective agreement between the authority and the provincial professional association of residents. An example of this is the Professional Association of Internes and Residents of Ontario.

Both Canadian specialty colleges participate in mandatory continuing medical education (CME) schemes. Examples of CME activities include attendance at conferences, participating in practice-based small group learning, and taking courses such as advanced cardiac life support.

The CFPC program for family physicians is called MAINPRO, short for 'Maintenance of Proficiency.'[13] A certain number of credits must be obtained over 5 year cycles. There are different classes of credits depending on whether the CME activity is considered accredited (e.g., attending accredited workshops or conferences) or non-accredited (e.g., teaching medical students, preparing research papers for publication, reading scholarly journals).

The Office of Professional Affairs of the RCPSC is responsible for a mandatory maintenance of certification (MOC) program as part of its strategy of continuous professional development linked to each Fellows professional practice.[14] The framework of CPD options includes a broad spectrum of learning activities linked to a credit system. All Fellows submit their completed learning activities through MAINPORT, the RCPSC learning portfolio. Fellows of the RCPSC must submit a minimum number of credits per year (40 credits) and over a 5-year cycle (400 credits) to maintain their membership with the Royal College and their right to use the designation FRCPC or FRCSC. That instead gives way to more time.

During the final year of medical school, students complete part 1 of the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE),[15] which is administered by the Medical Council of Canada and organized as a part-multiple choice, part-short answer computer-adaptive test. Upon completion of the final year of medical school, students are awarded the degree of M.D. Students then begin training in the residency program designated to them by CaRMS. Part 2 of the MCCQE, an Objective Structured Clinical Examination, is taken following completion of 12 months of residency training. After both parts of the MCCQE are successfully completed, the resident becomes a Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada. However, in order to practice independently, the resident must complete the residency program and take a board examination pertinent to his or her intended scope of practice. In the final year of residency training, residents take an exam administered by either the RCPSC or the CFPC, depending on whether they are training for specialty or family practice. They are then eligible to apply for full licensure with their provincial or territorial medical regulatory authority (i.e., provincial college).

Together with the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), the AFMC carries out accreditation surveys and rules on the accreditation status of all of the undergraduate medical programs in Canada, as well as all university-based continuing medical education. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education, jointly administered by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Medical Association, also accredits Canadian medical schools. The M.D. and M.D.C.M medical degrees are the only medical degrees offered in Canada listed in the WHO/IMED list of medical schools.

In Canada, physician training is available in both official languages: English and French. Postgraduate trainees are referred to as 'residents,'.

More here:
Medical school in Canada - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anthony Komaroff is the Steven P. Simcox/Patrick A. Clifford/James H. Higby Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Senior Physician at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston, and EditorinChief of the Harvard Health Letter. He was Director of the Division of General Medicine and Primary Care at Brigham and Womens Hospital for 15 years and is the Founding Editor ofNEJM Journal Watch General Medicine, a summary medical information newsletter for physicians published by the Massachusetts Medical Society/New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Komaroff was the Editor in Chief of Harvard Health Publications from 1999 to February 2015.

Dr. Komaroff practiced general internal medicine for 45 years.He teaches courses on clinical medicine and clinical research methods at Harvard Medical School. He has served as an advisory board member for the Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and for the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He is the author of over 270 journal articles and book chapters and of two books. In recognition of his accomplishments, Dr. Komaroff has been elected as a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Dr. Thomas Lee is an internist and cardiologist. After a long clinical career at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dr. Lee was Network President for Partners Healthcare System, the integrated delivery system founded by Brigham and Womens Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. He is now the Chief Medical Officer for Press Ganey Associates in Boston. Dr. Lee is currently on leave from his roles as Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health.

He is a graduate of Harvard College, Cornell University Medical College, and Harvard School of Public Health.

Dr. Lee is the founding editor of the Harvard Heart Letter, and is on the Editorial Board of The New England Journal of Medicine. With James J. Mongan, MD, he is the author of Chaos and Organization in Health Care (MIT Press, 2009) and Eugene Braunwald and the Rise of Modern Medicine (Harvard University Press, 2013).

He is a member of the Boards of Directors of Geisinger Health System, the Board of Overseers of Weill Cornell Medical College, the Special Medical Advisory Committee (SMAC) of the Veterans Administration, and the Panel of Health Advisors of the Congressional Budget Office.

Dr. Walter Willett is Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition and Chairman of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Willett, an American, was born in Hart, Michigan and grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, studied food science at Michigan State University, and graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School before obtaining a Doctorate in Public Health from Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Willett has focused much of his work over the last 25 years on the development of methods, using both questionnaire and biochemical approaches, to study the effects of diet on the occurrence of major diseases. He has applied these methods starting in 1980 in the Nurses' Health Studies I and II and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Together, these cohorts that include nearly 300,000 men and women with repeated dietary assessments are providing the most detailed information on the long-term health consequences of food choices.

Dr. Willett has published over 1,500 articles, primarily on lifestyle risk factors for heart disease and cancer, and has written the textbook, Nutritional Epidemiology, published by Oxford University Press. He also has four books for the general public, Eat, Drink and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating, which has appeared on most major bestseller lists, Eat, Drink, and Weigh Less, co-authored with Mollie Katzen, The Fertility Diet, co-authored with Jorge Chavarro and Pat Skerrett, and most recently Thinfluence, co-authored with Malissa Wood, M.D. Dr. Willett is the most cited nutritionist internationally, and is among the five most cited persons in all fields of clinical science. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and the recipient of many national and international awards for his research.

Dr. William C. DeWolf is Urologist-in-Chief and Director of the Urologic Research Laboratories at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School.

His major areas of interest include urologic malignancies and prostatic diseases. His major research interest is molecular genetics and the biochemistry of malignancy.

Dr. DeWolf earned his medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School and has completed advanced training in urologic surgery, general surgery, and transplantation. He has received several major awards, including a National Institutes of Health Research Career Development Award, and has been an American Urological Association Scholar. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. DeWolf has served as president of the National Urologic Forum, serves on the editorial board of the journal Urology, and is a referee for several major urologic and scientific journals. He has authored or co-authored over 200 articles and chapters.

Dr. Eric Rimm is a Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition and Director of the Program in Cardiovascular Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health and also Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. His research group focuses on the study of diet and lifestyle characteristics in relation to cardiovascular disease. He also studies the impact of school nutrition policies on the diets of school children, and the impact of food stamps on dietary habits.

Dr. Rimm was a member of the scientific advisory committee for the 2010 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. He is an associate editor for the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and the American Journal of Epidemiology. He was awarded the 2012 American Society for Nutrition's General Mills Institute of Health and Nutrition Innovation Award.

Dr. Rimm earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, his doctor of science degree from the Harvard School of Public Health, and completed a nutrition and epidemiology fellowship at the Harvard School of Public Health. During his 20-plus years on the faculty at Harvard, he has published more than 450 peer reviewed publications.

Excerpt from:
Health Information and Medical Information - Harvard Health

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. Its Monday, Aug. 21, and heres whats happening across California:

TOP STORIES

Long shadow of a scandal at USC

Of the many consequences of the drug scandal involving former USC medical school dean Carmen Puliafito, few are as high-stakes as the possible effect on the legal battle between the University of California and USC over the defection of a star UC Alzheimer's disease researcher. Puliafito was a key figure in luring the researcher to USC. Hundreds of millions of dollars are potentially at stake in the legal battle. Los Angeles Times

Plus: USC moved to further distance itself from the former dean of its medical school at the center of a scandal, downplaying Puliafitos much-touted performance as a fundraiser for the university. USCs senior vice president for university advancement said in a letter to alumni and supporters that assertions that Puliafito raised more than $1 billion while leading the Keck School of Medicine were overblown and that the physician was personally responsible for collecting barely 1% of that amount over the last seven years. Los Angeles Times

Talking about the end of life

Some doctors in California felt uncomfortable last year when a new law began allowing terminally ill patients to request lethal medicines, saying their careers had been dedicated to saving lives, not ending them. But physicians across the state say the conversations that health workers are having with patients are leading to patients fears and needs around dying being addressed better than ever before. They say the law has improved medical care for sick patients, even those who dont take advantage of it. Los Angeles Times

Trash sticker shock

El Sereno resident Scott Toland is another unhappy customer of L.A.s new refuse and recycling program. Toland recently learned that because of an assortment of extra fees, all backed by Mayor Eric Garcetti and the City Council as part of RecycLA, the monthly trash bill at the 10-unit condominium complex where he lives could double at a minimum. And thats only if his homeowner association cuts back on regular trash pickup. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Eclipse watch: L.A. residents wont see a total eclipse of the sun this morning a partial eclipse is all they can hope for but if the weather cooperates, it should still be a pretty good show. Above Southern California, the moon will start to edge into the sun just after 9 a.m. Pacific time. The maximum eclipse will happen at 10:21 a.m. Heres our guide to watching safely. Los Angeles Times

Neediest cases: Steve Lopezs columns have been something special of late. Heres his latest about a woman whose life unraveled in Los Angeles and is now living in her car. She hopes to regain her health and her job. Los Angeles Times

Saying no to hate: A popular Southern California pastor denounced white nationalists and called for a spiritual awakening as he kicked off an annual Christian retreat in Anaheim this weekend attended by more than 25,000 people. Los Angeles Times

Dont pick up the phone: Robocalls are annoying, but some Southern California area codes get more than others. Its an especially bad problem in the 310 and 949. Heres a breakdown. Orange County Register

Trojans horse: Traveler, USC's mascot, is coming under scrutiny for having a name similar to that of Robert E. Lee's horse. Los Angeles Times

Hindenburg Park: How La Crescenta has dealt with its own Nazi history. Salon

IMMIGRATION AND THE BORDER

Protest in Laguna Beach: Hundreds of counter-protesters showed up at Sundays America First! rally, apparently far outnumbering those participating in an event billed as a vigil for victims of crimes committed by immigrants in the U.S. illegally. The protests were largely peaceful, if tense and loud, for much of the evening. Los Angeles Times

Arrested: The brother of a leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel was indicted on drug smuggling charges Friday, a day after he was arrested at the border in Nogales, Ariz., the U.S. attorneys office in San Diego said. San Diego Union-Tribune

Innovative: In a change of tactics, smugglers are using drones to fly meth over Mexican border into San Diego, officials say. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

No help for residents: For five years, Los Angeles has been issuing health advisories to housing developers, warning of the dangers of building near freeways. But when the city moved to alert residents as well, officials rejected it. Planning commissioners axed a provision to require traffic pollution signs on some new, multifamily developments from an environmental ordinance on the grounds that it would burden developers and hurt market values. Los Angeles Times

Cool graphic: Now that hes left the White House and returned to Breitbart, heres how Steve Bannon became the face of a political movement with roots in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Times

For your radar: The concern over the cost of prescription drug prices has been overshadowed for the past year by the marquee healthcare battles gripping Sacramento and Washington. Thats not likely to be the case much longer. The effort to rein in pharmaceutical costs is poised for a major showdown as state lawmakers enter their final month of the legislative year. Los Angeles Times

California versus the USA: California is writing a new chapter in the centuries-old states rights conflict. Sacramento Bee

CRIME AND COURTS

Teacher arrested: A female teacher at the elite Brentwood School has been arrested on suspicion of having sex with an teenage student. Los Angeles Times

Drawing a line: City Atty. Mike Feuer said Friday that he would urge Los Angeles officials to consider imposing restrictions or even deny permits to hate groups seeking to rally here to prevent the kind of violent clashes that erupted at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va. Los Angeles Times

Paintball attacks on the rise: In South Los Angeles, paintball attacks have nearly tripled in the last year, with the Los Angeles Police Departments South Bureau counting 68 paintball victims, compared with 24 at this time last year. Los Angeles Times

My son deserves justice: The father of the good Samaritan who died after he tried to break up a fight in Riversides downtown area Friday asked for witnesses or others with knowledge about who might have been involved to come forward. San Bernardino Sun

THE ENVIRONMENT

Some help for beachgoers: The San Mateo County sheriffs office says visitors to Martins Beach wont be arrested if they go around gates locked by billionaire Vinod Khosla. The Mercury News

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Comfort fare: With more than 450 original series in production this year, television is booming, yet viewers are also turning to such well-worn fare as as The Golden Girls, Full House and the political drama The West Wing, which debuted when Bill Clinton occupied the White House. Streaming services are giving these shows new life. Los Angeles Times

Sticker shock: Resale websites StubHub, SeatGeek and VividSeats report that secondhand tickets to Lin-Manuel Mirandas smash Broadway hit Hamilton are selling for $467 to $510 a ticket, on average. That bests the 2013 Pantages run of The Lion King, which had an average ticket resale value of $209. Los Angeles Times

Physically idealized roles: Body acceptance is becoming a big deal in many parts of American culture but not so much in Hollywood. New York Times

A deeply personal film: A story about the L.A. riots, seen through the perspective of Korean Americans, makes its way onto the big screen. Los Angeles Times

Ubers next leader? Former General Electric Chief Executive Jeff Immelt has emerged as the front-runner to become Ubers CEO. Recode

Third-shift magic: Disneyland Resort honored its overnight workers with a middle-of-the-night party. Orange County Register

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles area: sunny and 77. San Diego: sunny and 73. San Francisco area: mostly sunny and 67. Sacramento: mostly sunny and 88. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

This weeks birthdays for those who made a mark in California: Google co-founderSergey Brin (Aug. 21, 1973), former Gov. Pete Wilson (Aug. 23, 1933), retired Laker Kobe Bryant (Aug. 23, 1978), 12-time Olympic swimming medalist Natalie Coughlin and Rep. Raul Ruiz (Aug. 25, 1972).

If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. Send us an email to let us know what you love or fondly remember about our state. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad. Also follow them on Twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad.

Excerpt from:
Essential California: How the USC med school scandal could affect ... - Los Angeles Times