‘Pain medicine now widely used for management of cancer, chronic pain’

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Posted on June 21, 2013, Friday

KUCHING: Pain medicine has now become the main mode of post-operative analgesia and is widely used in the management of cancer and chronic pain.

Relatively a new field in the country, it has grown by leaps and bounds in the past decade.

According to deputy director of Health Malaysia Dr Chin Zin Hing, anaesthesiologists are the main players in the delivery of healthcare, with the latest count of 361 anaesthesiologists at 51 hospitals, providing high quality medical care to patients.

The current evidence-based knowledge on pain medicine has formed the basis for the new Pain Management Handbook, recently published by the Medical Development Division, Ministry of Health (MOH).

It serves as a guide for pain team in the hospitals to treat patients suffering from all kinds of pains. With only 15 pain specialists and five trainees in our system currently, I commend your commitment and hard work especially with the recent introduction of acupuncture.

I hope more pain relieving techniques and newer drugs will be introduced in the future, he said.

He was representing the director-general of Health Malaysia Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah at the opening of the 12th Asian and Oceanic Society of Regional Anaesthesia (Aosra) and Pain Medicine Congress here yesterday.

A total of 952 delegates from over 27 countries are attending the congress held here from June 19 to 22.

It is jointly organised by the Malaysian Society of Anaesthesiologists, the College of Anaesthesiologists and the Malaysian Association for the Study of Pain.

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‘Pain medicine now widely used for management of cancer, chronic pain’

Stroke Treatment Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine Increases Chances of Recovery

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SINGAPORE, June 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- NeuroAiD, a stroke treatment based on Traditional Chinese Medicine, increases the odds of achieving a better functional outcome, according to research published online in the journal Stroke.

The CHIMES study is an academic international double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial which included 1,100 patients from several countries who had suffered an ischemic stroke of intermediate severity within 72 hours, treated and monitored for 3 months. Researchers found that patients who were taking NeuroAiD at acute stage had an 11% increase in the odds of achieving independence in function and being able to perform daily activities at the end of three months. This effect was even greater when NeuroAiD was started beyond 48 hours after stroke onset, with an increase of 39%.

The odds ratio was the highest among recently completed stroke trials of neuroprotective agents. The benefit observed is clinically relevant and might have reached statistical significance with a larger sample size. In addition the study confirmed the excellent safety profile of NeuroAiD. Stroke survivors who were on NeuroAiD had fewer adverse events than those in the control group. Further studies will likely look into the benefits of longer duration of treatment.

Prof. Christopher Chen, neurologist at the National University of Singapore and the principal investigator of the CHIMES study, said the results looked very promising and suggested that the effectiveness of such herbal supplements could have a great impact on stroke management. "I think one thing which is very clear is that NeuroAiD is safe in acute stroke. A previous meta-analysis suggested that NeuroAiD is efficacious and safe in the chronic stage of stroke. Now the Chimes study has provided us with much more reliable data about the safety and efficacy of NeuroAiD in acute stroke. I think the CHIMES results are not only a step forward, but also a major achievement."

Occurring everytwo seconds, stroke is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Each year, 20 million people suffer from the devastating disease. However, there are only a few effective, generally accepted and specific treatments available, such as thrombolytic treatment for highly selected patients. Therefore, there is an increasing need for multi-modal therapies to help more patients recover quickly and effectively from stroke. Moleac, a Singapore based bio-pharma company, developed NeuroAiD to meet this need.

The large-scale investigator-initiated study is an independent initiative conducted by the CHIMES Society, an international partnership of key opinion leaders in neurology. It is among the first large-scale endeavours to investigate the use of a product from natural substances in reducing disability after an acute stroke in a rigorous manner.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is used extensively in Asia to facilitate recovery after stroke and has become an increasingly important player in the global health system and economy.Recent rigorous medical studies conducted on some TCMs have confirmed that they have, among other properties, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, which render them attractive options to be investigated for stroke recovery.

About MoleacTo address therapeutic gaps, Moleac has pioneered a new drug development approach, looking at sources of innovation from Traditional Medicines, hence shortening considerably drug development cycle time and investment to bring medicine to sufferers' unaddressed needs. Moleac's neurorestorative drug NeuroAiD reaches patients in more than 30 countries.

About CHIMES SocietyThe CHIMES Society is a unique international partnership which consists of an innovative academic industry collaboration with the objective to establish new stroke treatments. CHIMES is a Singaporean non-profit society founded by a group of experts in stroke and South-East Asian stroke clinicians interested to implement a research project:the NeuroAiD Efficacy on stroke recovery trial (CHIMES trial).

CHIMES Society is the recipient from a research grant from theNational Medical Research Council in Singapore (NMRC)which supports the implementation of CHIMES trial in Singapore.

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Stroke Treatment Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine Increases Chances of Recovery

Doctor is pain medicine ‘visionary’

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Dr. Garret FitzGerald has done fundamental research on how anti-inflammatory drugs affect the heart.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Philadelphia (CNN) -- Dr. Garret FitzGerald's career in medicine almost fell through because of a cockroach.

His big zoology exam at University College, Dublin, involved dissecting the mouth of a cockroach under a microscope. To his horror, one of the major components jumped out of his field of vision. "It's over," he thought.

But it wasn't. The exam proctor, whom he remembers looking like Helen of Troy, got down on her hands and knees to help. After about five minutes of searching, she emerged with the mouth part on her thumb.

"If she hadn't found it, I would not be a physician," he said. "It's these quirks of nature that lead you to what you do."

FitzGerald went on to show that low-dose aspirin could prevent cardiovascular disease. He recently shared the Grand Prix Scientifique from the Lefoulon-Delalande Foundation of the Institute of France, a 500,000 ($668,000) award. Last year he won Canada's top cardiovascular research prize, the Louis and Artur Lucian Award.

"Dr FitzGerald for the past 30 years has been one of the leaders in cardiovascular disease research," said Dr. Jacques Genest, Lucian Award chairman and cardiovascular researcher at McGill University Health Center. "He has (been) just like a surfer, perpetually riding the crest of the wave, and he hasn't come down yet."

Now a professor of medicine and pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, FitzGerald's work on the cardiovascular implications of pain medicines has resulted in therapies that save lives and improve the quality of life for millions of patients, said Dr. Sanjay Kaul, cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine.

"He's fearless, he's passionate, he's curious, visionary, very, very, collaborative, and most important, he's very nurturing. In my opinion he's the real deal," Kaul said.

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Doctor is pain medicine 'visionary'

Another Concierge Medicine Perk for Patients: Saving Money

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NEW YORK (MainStreet)For years, experts have been predicting the transition of primary care doctors away from high patient loads and low reimbursements from health insurers to the potentially more lucrative and less time-consuming practice of concierge medicine.

Concierge doctors provide same-day appointments and 24/7 direct cell phone access. The national average annual fee is $1,612 to $1,800, according to the American Academy of Private Physicians.

Not all of these doctors seem to be reaping the financial benefits. Rather, they're reducing their workload. The average annual income for all internists in the United States is $191,520, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A recently released three-year analysis of concierge and direct primary care doctors by the Concierge Medicine Research Collective found that the doctors who they surveyed from December 2009 to December 2012 earned between $100,000 and $300,000 a year. However, concierge doctors generally have a cap of between 300 and 600 patients, much less than the typical 2,000-plus patient load.

But some of these concierge doctors do increase their income when they switch from a traditional practice to a concierge practice. Practices that use management companies with a concierge business model have less overhead and their doctors tend to earn more, according to Sarah K. Bloch, vice president of operations at Total Access Medical, which handles business dealings for seven doctors. Total Access Medical doctors earn between $200,000 and $475,000 annually, she says.

Some patients, too, are reaping the financial benefits of concierge medicine. Total Access Medical doctors charge patients between $2,000 and $2,800 annually but don't charge their insurance. Not only does that save the patients on co-pays or the percentage of the bill that they are responsible for paying, but it also can save on high premiums.

Bloch says that some of their patients lower their premium costs by a switching to a high deductible health insurance plan to cover visits to specialists, labs, and hospitalizations. The doctors or their support staff do the legwork to find the cheapest lab or medical facility in accordance with a patient's health insurance coverage, Bloch says. She and others say that patients, due to the additional time these physicians have to spend with them, have fewer emergency room visits and fewer visits to specialists, which she says means fewer repeat tests. These are all cost savings for patients, which Bloch says can exceed $7,000 annually.

Many concierge practices, however, do charge for office visits in addition to the annual fee that they charge patients. Others have different business models. A spokesperson for Diamond Physicians says its annual fee, which starts at $95 per month, covers the doctor's time. Any procedure, such as wart removal, is charged to insurance, which means patients must pay their deductibles and co-pays or coinsurance. However, there's still money to be saved in a practice like this. Uninsured patients are charged only 5% to 10% of the cost of the same procedure performed in an urgent care center or emergency room.

Further, others affiliated with concierge medicine of point out that for patients in professions that bill high hourly rates, such as attorneys, there's also a savings in time, because appointments at concierge practices typically run on time.

Whether or not the annual fee is tax deductible is a tricky question. It all depends on what the fee covers, which varies from practice to practice. Some business models use the fee for preventive tests, some use it for the doctor's time in making diagnoses, and some charge it as a premium for access into their concierge practice.

"The deductibility of a medical concierge -- either as a medical expense or under an HSA [health savings account] -- is highly dependent on the type of expense ... being deducted," says Vincenzo Villamena, a CPA and managing partner of the firm OnlineTaxman.com. "The real question is whether an expense is primarily for medical care or is merely beneficial to general health, such as a premium to get easy access to a doctor," he says.

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Another Concierge Medicine Perk for Patients: Saving Money

International Congress on Traditional Asian Medicine to Be Held in Korea, September 2013

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SEOUL, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The 8th ICTAM Organizing Committee -- in recent years interest for traditional medicine has been growing within academia. Traditional medicine includes Korean medicine, Chinese medicine, Indian medicine, Chiropractic and Homeopathy. Knowledge exchange in various traditional medicine fields has been actively done for decades, which also triggered a new plan for a symposium held in Korea about traditional medicine.

The 8th ICTAM (International Congress on Traditional Asian Medicine) hosted by IASTAM (International Association for the Study of Traditional Asian Medicine) will be held at Samsung Sancheong HRD Center from September 9 to 13 of 2013 in Korea.

IASTAM is an international organization promoting research and studies on traditional Asian medicines while respecting individual traditional medicine and the local characteristics of each Asian nation. Since the first international convention in Canberra of Australia in 1979, it has successfully held symposiums in a slew of nations such as Indonesia, India, Japan, Germany, America and Bhutan.

South Korea was chosen as a host country for the 8th ICTAM, which is broadly thanks to Koreas Donguibogam that was registered as an UNESCO World Documentary Heritage. The event will be held along with World Traditional Medicine Fair and Festival in Sancheong, KOREA 2013 commemorating the 400th year since the first publication of Donguibogam.

With the title Beyond integration: Reflections on Asian medicines in the 21st century, the symposium will feature academic events, exhibitions and official tours to Sancheong Fair and Festival. The event will be a good opportunity to closely look into the current integrative medicine zeal of the world and to discuss the essence and superiority of traditional medicine of each Asian nation.

The 8th ICTAM will include a clinical demonstration session in which traditional medicine clinicians from Korea and other nations will present clinical demonstrations. There will also be a post-conference optional program of tours to Korean Medicine clinics for clinicians and researchers from other nations.

Renowned scholars participating in the event include Volker Scheid who is the president of IASTAM, Asaf Goldschmidt, Florence Bretelle-Establet, Judith Farquhar, Marta Hanson, Narendra Bhatt, and Pei Shengji. Application for participation is available on ICTAMs official webpage. (www.iastam.org)

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20130621005156/en/

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International Congress on Traditional Asian Medicine to Be Held in Korea, September 2013

Personalized Medicine Market – A Strategic Analysis of Industry Trends, Technologies, Participants, and Environment

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NEW YORK, June 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Personalized Medicine Market - A Strategic Analysis of Industry Trends, Technologies, Participants, and Environment http://www.reportlinker.com/p01361264/Personalized-Medicine-Market---A-Strategic-Analysis-of-Industry-Trends-Technologies-Participants-and-Environment.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Genomics

This is a comprehensive account of the market size, segmentation, key players, SWOT analysis, influential technologies, and business and economic environments. The report is supported by 239 tables & figures.

The personalized medicine (global) market is presented as follows:

By Company (e.g., 23andMe, AFFYMETRIX, ATOSSA GENETICS, NODALITY, CELERA, MYRIAD) By Geography (US, UK, EU) By Segment (Targeted therapeutics, Esoteric tests, Esoteric lab services) By Sub-market (Companion diagnostics & therapeutic, nutrition & wellness, medical technology, pharmacogenomics, consumer genomics)

A wealth of financial data & business strategy information is provided including:

Up-to-date company financials, sales & revenue figures Business Model Strategies for Diagnostic, Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Companies Business Model Strategies for Providers. Provider Systems and Academic Medical Centres Business Model Strategies for Payers & Governments Private and Public Funding and Personalized Medicine Reimbursement Revisions to Current Payment Systems and intellectual property How to Gain Market Penetration in the EU Cost-effectiveness and Business Value of Personalized Medicine Consumer genomics and POC market Therapeutics and Companion Diagnostics (e.g., BRAC Analysis, Oncotype Dx , KRAS Mutations) Comprehensive account of company product portfolios & kits

SWOT, Economic & Regulatory Environment specifics include:

Key strengths, weaknesses and threats influencing leading player position within the market Technologies driving the market (e.g., New-Generation Sequencing Technologies, Ultra-High Throughput Sequencing) Top fastest growing market segments and emerging opportunities Top pharmaceutical companies within the IPM by market share and revenue Comprehensive product portfolios, R&D activity and pipeline therapeutics M&A activity and future strategies of top personalized medicine pharmacos Personalized Medicine Regulation (UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy) CE-marked Personalized Medicine/Diagnostic Tests FDA Advances in Personalized Medicine Regulation

This report highlights a number of significant Indian pharmacos and gives details of their operations, products, financials and business strategy.

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Personalized Medicine Market - A Strategic Analysis of Industry Trends, Technologies, Participants, and Environment

Research and Markets: Personalized Medicine Diagnostics (Flow Cytometry, Sepsis Immunos, Routine Coagulation …

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/gfvrg9/personalized) has announced the addition of the "Personalized Medicine Diagnostics (Flow Cytometry, Sepsis Immunos, Routine Coagulation, Psychiatric Disorders, Tumor Markers, Molecular Blood Typing and Other Testing)" report to their offering.

Personalized Medicine is often defined as the right treatment for the right person at the right time. Personalized medicine is becoming the place to be in clinical diagnostics as well and slowly becoming the reality of future in the diagnostics industry.

Key Trends

By Technology Segment - Personalized Medicine diagnostics market is expected to grow with a double digit CAGR for the period of 2013 to 2018. It is expected that personalized medicine diagnostics market by technology is going to double by 2018 from its current market size in 2012. In this segment, Point of Care Testing and Molecular Diagnostics segments control the #1 and #2 positions in 2012.

By Diseases Segment - Personalized Medicine diagnostics market is expected to be more than US$ 30 Billion by 2018. Diabetes management test and Cancer management test are the leading market in this segment.

Renub Research report entitled Personalized Medicine Diagnostics (Flow Cytometry, Sepsis Immunos, Routine Coagulation, Psychiatric Disorders, Tumor Markers, Molecular Blood Typing and Other Testing) report provides a comprehensive analysis of the emerging personalized medicine diagnostic market segments, including their dynamics, size, market share, key investors, clinical trials statement, technological trends, company analysis and a realistic future potential for personalized medicine in clinical testing. The report also entails major drivers and challenges of personalized medicine diagnostic market.

Key Topics Covered

1. Executive Summary

2. Worldwide Personalized Medicine Diagnostic Market & Forecast

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Modernizing Medicine’s Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer, Michael Sherling, Is Named One of South Florida Business …

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BOCA RATON, FL--(Marketwired - Jun 21, 2013) - Modernizing Medicine, Inc.'s co-founder and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Michael Sherling, has been named one of South Florida Business Journal's "40 Under 40" exemplary young executives for 2013. Dr. Sherling follows fellow co-founder and CEO, Daniel Cane, who made the "40 Under 40" list in 2012.

This tremendous achievement follows on the heels of Modernizing Medicine's recent award wins, including "Fastest Growing Company in South Florida" in 2012 and 2013 by the South Florida Business Journal, and Forbes' "America's Most Promising Companies" in 2013.

Modernizing Medicine was founded in 2010, when Dr. Sherling, a Yale and Harvard-trained board certified dermatologist, couldn't find an electronic medical record (EMR) system that worked for him.He then partnered with Cane, a serial software entrepreneur, to launch Modernizing Medicine, an electronic medical record and data company, and build a better EMR system.Modernizing Medicine's Electronic Medical Assistant (EMA) is built by doctors, for doctors.Currently, over 2,600 health providers in over 1,000 practices across the U.S. use EMA.

"With most EMR systems doctors have to spend all of their time typing or clicking boxes to input data, sacrificing valuable time with their patients," explains Dr. Sherling. "EMA brings touch technology to the bedside, allowing doctors to spend more time with their patients and their families.That makes doctors happy and that's why we have become so successful so quickly."

In addition to the EMR systems in dermatology, ophthalmology, optometry, orthopedics, plastic surgery and cosmetics, Modernizing Medicine is currently developing products for gastroenterology and otolaryngology (ENT).Recently, Modernizing Medicine launched EMA Outcomes, a revolutionary data analytics product, that tracks how a patient's disease or condition has changed over time.EMA visualizes a patient's data longitudinally presenting at a glance views of trends, treatments and outcomes.

"We're not just about being faster," Dr. Sherling says. "We're about being better."

Details about the '40 Under 40' and the full list of honorees are available on the South Florida Business Journal website.

About Modernizing MedicineModernizing Medicine is transforming how healthcare information is created, consumed and utilized in order to increase efficiency and improve outcomes. Our product, Electronic Medical Assistant (EMA), is a cloud-based, specialty-specific electronic medical record (EMR) system with a massive library of built-in medical content, designed to save physicians time. Available as a native iPad application or from any web-enabled Mac or PC, EMA adapts to each provider's unique style of practice and is designed to interface with hundreds of different practice management systems.Today, Modernizing Medicine provides specialty-specific offerings for the dermatology, ophthalmology, optometry, orthopedics and plastic and cosmetic surgery markets, and to more than 1,000 physician practices across the country.In 2013 Modernizing Medicine was listed at No. 47 on FORBES annual ranking of America's Most Promising Companies.

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Modernizing Medicine's Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer, Michael Sherling, Is Named One of South Florida Business ...

Two Years After Warren, Medical School Lecturer To Run for Governor

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Donald M. Berwick 68, a lecturer on health care policy at Harvard Medical School, announced Monday that he will run for governor of Massachusetts in 2014.

The progressive Democrat and former Obama administration health care official revealed his plans in a press release posted on his websitea quiet campaign launch timed in part, he said in a phone interview Tuesday, to help rally support for his fellow Democrat, U.S. Rep. Edward J. Markey. The longtime Malden congressman will face voters in a special election next Tuesday in his bid for the Commonwealths open Senate seat.

Though Berwick has never held elected office, he said he is encouraged by the record and interest of Massachusetts voters in newcomers to politics like me.

Berwick, who holds degrees from the Medical School and the Kennedy School, spent years as a celebrated advocate for health care reform while sitting on various advisory committees and councils.

Yet his previous experience working in government has not been without controversy. In July 2010, President Obama appointed Berwick, then a longtime faculty member at the Medical School and the School of Public Health, as administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, during recess, temporarily bypassing Senate approval. But as Berwick helped implement the Affordable Care Act, the Obama administrations landmark 2010 health care law, he came under fire from conservatives for his advocacy of redistribution of wealth in health care as well as his supposed support for health care rationinga charge he has adamantly denied. With Senate Republicans vowing to block Berwicks confirmation hearing, he resigned after nearly 17 months as chief and returned to Massachusetts. Over a year later, he embarked on a listening tour of the state to explore a possible gubernatorial run.

Berwicks trajectory has been compared to that of U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, another liberal Harvard professor who ran for elected office in Massachusetts following a stint in Washington D.C.a similarity that Berwick said he embraces.

Id be doing very well to emulate her, Berwick said. I think she and I are very much on the same page. I'm flattered by the comparison.

As he looks ahead to his own gubernatorial campaign, Berwick is eyeing Warrens successful Senate run as well as current governor Deval L. Patrick '78s two gubernatorial campaigns. He said he hopes to use many of the same campaign strategiesincluding a grassroots approach and an aggressive use of the internetthat helped propel those two politicians to victory.

But Robert J. Blendon, a professor at the School of Public Health and a longtime close colleague of Berwick, said that despite the similarities between Berwick and Warren, he expects Berwicks campaign to play out very differently than that of Warren. While Warren was able to draw from her past experience as a consumer advocate in Washington to run a Senate campaign focused often on national issues, Berwick faces an entirely different challenge with a gubernatorial campaignfamiliarizing himself with a broad range of state-level issues ranging in topic from the fishing industry to charter schools.

When you're a national figure and you come home to run for governor, you have to reach out to those groups of people that you may not have [previously] had the same involvement with, Blendon said. He is going to have to go from one of the worlds renowned people in health care to somebody who really can talk about the problems of day care in Massachusetts.

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Two Years After Warren, Medical School Lecturer To Run for Governor

ANN ARBOR: Grant aims to help U-M Medical School transform the training of future physicians

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ANN ARBOR For 164 years, the University of Michigan Medical School has led the nation in innovative ways of training new physicians.

Now, the school will take those efforts to a new level, after being awarded a $1.1 million grant from the American Medical Association in a national competition aimed at accelerating change in medical education.

As one of only 11 medical schools selected as winners by the AMA, U-M will use the funds to create a flexible new framework for medical students that will prepare them to lead change in health and health care in the dynamic global environment.

The resulting new curriculum will connect students directly with U-Ms clinical settings from the beginning of their training, working with other health professionals, and building a firm foundation of knowledge and skills. There will be an explicit focus on the development of leadership skills and professional identity, with the opportunity to unify the learning that happens in both medical school and residency training.

The winners were announced in advance of the AMA national meeting in Chicago last Friday. As U-M leaders develop and launch the new curriculum, they will take part in an AMA-led consortium of the other funded medical schools to ensure that best practices and innovations can be shared.

The vision, creativity and dedication of our faculty have made Michigan an internationally recognized leader in medical education. As we revise our curriculum to best provide our students the educational foundation to become tomorrows clinical and scientific leaders, this grant will provide financial resources and a national community of educators that will enhance the process, says Dr. James O. Woolliscroft, dean of the U-M Medical School and Lyle C. Roll Professor of Medicine.

Over the next five years, as the curricular model is designed and phased in, the U-M medical student learning experience will become increasingly flexible, competency-based and oriented to the students interests, learning styles, and abilities. Students will be able to progress through aspects of the program at different rates, allowing them to master one phase of training, before proceeding to the next one.

A critical component of the model is the creation of the M-Home, a learning community that each student will be assigned to for his or her entire medical school career, connecting them to a team of faculty mentors, advisors, and clinical care settings that will foster their professional development.

We need to bring medical education into the 21st century, where data-driven, team-based health care, grounded in science and quality, and informed by ethical, social and patient-centric factors, is the norm, says Dr. Rajesh Mangrulkar, associate dean for medical student education, associate professor of Internal Medicine and Medical Education, and principal investigator of the proposal. Our new curriculum will ensure we produce doctors who will be ready to lead changes in different aspects of health care that will have an impact on patients and their communities.

From Flexner to flexible Continued...

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ANN ARBOR: Grant aims to help U-M Medical School transform the training of future physicians

Medical School receives grant

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The Universitys Medical School will be implementing some of its most comprehensive curriculum changes in more than 50 years.

The Medical School will be aided in these improvements by using a $1.1 million grant it won last Friday from the American Medical Association as part of its Accelerating Change in Medical Education initiative which awarded funding to 11 schools actively seeking to create a significant positive impact on physician training and the medical profession.

More than 130 medical schools across the country responded to the AMA's competition to improve medical education. Of those, 119 presented transformative proposals. Thirty-one of them advanced to the next round and were asked to submit a full proposal and grant request. Ultimately, 11 medical schools, including the University, received funding.

The grant was awarded to the University for its proposal to transform the Medical School curriculum into a competency-based program that will be implemented over the next five years. The money will be used to train faculty and staff and fund projects that arise from the curriculum changes.

The University has been building toward this curriculum change for the last three years through a modular implementation of small pilots and programs one of these, the Taubman Health Sciences Library renovation project, is scheduled to begin in January and be completed by 2015.

Rajesh Mangrulkar, associate dean for medical student education, said the changes were being made in order to keep the program competitive.

The overarching goal here is we want to change the architecture and the content of our program in order to be able to compete, Mangrulkar said.

The first component of the new curriculum will establish a consolidated foundation, he said. In most medical schools, students complete two years of coursework followed by two years in a clinical setting. In contrast, the University plans to condense the two years of coursework and the first year of clinical studies into a two-year period.

The new curriculum will also feature professional development. Students will be able to choose from four branches that will help them develop the advanced clinical and scientific skills needed in the medical profession.

It will be rigorous but flexible, Mangrulkar said. (Students) will be able to monitor their pace of development based on specific assessments and the achievement of milestones.

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Medical School receives grant

UMass Medical School Health Policy Experts to Present at AcademyHealth Conference

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

Several health policy experts from UMass Medical School will present at AcademyHealths annual research meeting, taking place in Baltimore, June 23 - 25.

Bruce Barton, PhD, research professor in the Medical Schools Quantitative Health Sciences department, and team leader for research methods at the Schools Commonwealth Medicine division, Center for Health Policy and Research, will deliver a podium presentation on interim results from the Massachusetts Patient-Centered Medical Home Initiative.

Dr. Bartons podium presentation will take place on Tuesday, June 25, 11:30 a.m., at the Baltimore Convention Center, room 317.

A multi-disciplinary team from UMass Medical School was instrumental in helping implement and evaluate the Massachusetts patient-centered medical home demonstration project, an initiative that involves 45 primary care practices and multiple payers. Dr. Barton will present findings from a study that analyzed the extent to which practices adopted characteristics central to medical homes, including increased access to care and information, improved care coordination among practice team members and delivery of care that is considered patient-centered a model that supports the involvement of patients and families in all care decisions. Robin Clark, PhD, Judith Steinberg, MD, and Ann Lawthers, ScD, co-authored the study with Dr. Barton.

UMass Medical School, Commonwealth Medicine staff will also be making several pre-conference presentations on behavioral health and state health policy topics to colleagues from around the country, as well as presenting posters during the conference. Below is a complete schedule of presentation and poster sessions.

June 22, 2013 9:45 a.m. Convention Center Room #317

June 22, 2013 3:20 p.m. Convention Center Room 319/322

June 22, 2013 4:45 p.m. Convention Center Room 319/322

June 25, 2013 11:30 a.m. Convention Center Room #317

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UMass Medical School Health Policy Experts to Present at AcademyHealth Conference

Liberty-area man dies in motorcycle accident

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LIBERTY A Liberty-area man is dead, the apparent victim of a motorcycle accident.

Greg Carlton Scott, 58, of 3229 Flint Road, Liberty died Wednesday when the 2002 Honda motorcycle he was riding ran out of the curve in the 5300 area of York Martin Road in Liberty, according to a report filed by N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper W.J. Davis.

Scotts body was discovered Thursday morning by Earl Ferguson, a property owner who observed the bike from his back porch, Davis said.

Davis said his investigation showed that Scott was driving southeast toward Liberty on York Martin Road between 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, when he drove the bike off the road to the right and crashed. Davis said the medical examiner determined that Scott broke his neck in the accident and died around 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The trooper said Ferguson saw Scotts bike from his property across the road around 10 a.m. Thursday and his initial thought was that someone was trespassing to get to a nearby pond. Ferguson told officials he called his son and they went to check the scene. That is when they discovered the body, around noon, and called N.C. Highway Patrol.

Davis said there will likely be no further investigation into the case. He said all that is necessary to complete the states report is to await a report from the medical examiners office to determine whether alcohol might have been a contributing factor in the accident.

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Liberty-area man dies in motorcycle accident

Community center to benefit Liberty Gardens residents

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The Edward W. Corr Community Center and the residents of Liberty Gardens Apartments have something in common potential.

The center opened in May and eventually will house self-sufficiency programs that will help the residents of the 180-unit Liberty Gardens apartment complex become more independent, said Jim Baldwin, executive director of the Rome Housing Authority. The residents rent is subsidized by the federal government based on income.

The programs could be anything from a GED clinic to home-ownership classes, he said, but what is offered ultimately will be decided by the residents.

What well be doing later this summer is polling the tenants and saying, What kind of things would make sense? To the extent that we can make those things happen, we will, he said.

The center, co-located with the apartment complex at 200 N. Levitt St., already has been used for graduation parties, an afterschool reading class for elementary students and the Liberty Gardens Tenant Association meeting.

The new 6,000-quare-foot center offers a lab with 10 computers and Internet access, 1,600 square feet of meeting space for up to 272 people, and laundry and kitchen facilities.

The centers namesake, Edward Corr, has served on the Rome Housing Authoritys Board of Commissioners for more than 50 years and has been involved with Liberty Gardens since it was built in 1952. Corr, 94, currently serves as the boards treasurer.

The centers opening marked the completion of the $13.4 million first phase of renovations at Liberty Gardens, which also included the renovation of 60 rental units and building 18 new ones.

Phase two, the renovation of 50 units, is underway and should be completed by the fall, Baldwin said. The authority still is seeking funding for phase three, which will entail the renovation of the complexs remaining 52 units.

In all, the project will cost about $32 million, the bulk of which is being funded by federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits dispersed by the state, Baldwin said.

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Community center to benefit Liberty Gardens residents

The Liberty Hotel of Cleburne, Texas Earns Prestigious Honor

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ROCKVILLE, Md., June 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Owners and staff of the Liberty Hotel in Cleburne, Texas member of the upscale Ascend Hotel Collection are taking Texas-sized pride in their latest achievement: the Liberty has been named 2013 Ascend Hotel Collection Hotel of the Year by Choice Hotels International, Inc. (CHH), one of the world's largest hotel companies. The prestigious award was presented in Los Angeles during the 59th Choice Hotels International annual convention.

"The Hotel of the Year award goes to those at the pinnacle of lodging excellence," said Michael Murphy, senior vice president of upscale brands for Choice Hotels International. "The Liberty Hotel has demonstrated a drive to be the very best, offering unrivaled customer service and exceptional experiences for its guests."

"We are extremely honored by this award," said Liberty general manager Ron Lindsey. "Our guests tell us that staying at the Liberty Hotel is a special experience, like stepping into history but with all the modern luxuries. Our staff takes great pride in getting to know every guest and their preferences, creating a unique and wonderful experience during each and every visit."

The hotel originally opened in 1924 but had fallen into terrible disrepair. As a matter of local community pride, owners Howard and Scott Dudley renovated the building, restoring it to its former glory. Its spacious and elegant lobby features a custom-made chandelier casting soft light over the original black and white terrazzo flooring, welcoming guests into a warm and inviting seating area.

Visitors to the 50-room hotel can enjoy dozens of local attractions, including Johnson County Courthouse, Dinosaur Valley State Park, Cleburne State Park, Layland Museum, Cleburne Sports Complex and Splash Station Water Park. Shopping is within walking distance, and guests will find the next-door (and also newly renovated) Caddo Street Grill to be the perfect place to relax with a delicious meal or refreshing drink.

Each distinctive room at the Liberty Hotel is tastefully designed using 29 different floor plans. Guests can enjoy a free, deluxe continental breakfast, high-speed Internet access, fitness center, business center, seasonal outdoor pool and a meeting room, perfect for hosting a variety of functions.

Every year, the Choice Hotels Owners Council presents the Hotel of the Year Award to a property that consistently demonstrates lodging excellence. Nominees for this prestigious award all rank among the top hotels within the brand.

About Choice Hotels

Choice Hotels International, Inc. franchises over 6,200 hotels, representing more than 500,000 rooms, in the United States and more than 30 other countries and territories. As of March 31, 2013, 395 hotels, representing more than 30,000 rooms, were under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development in the United States. Additionally, 81 hotels, representing approximately 7,000 rooms, were under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development in more than 20 other countries and territories. The company's Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn brands, as well as its Ascend Hotel Collection membership program, serve guests worldwide.

Additional corporate information may be found on the Choice Hotels International, Inc. website, which may be accessed at http://www.choicehotels.com.

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The Liberty Hotel of Cleburne, Texas Earns Prestigious Honor

First Liberty Power Corporation Files 3rd Quarter Report

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Las Vegas, NV, June 20, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Liberty Power Corp. (FLPC), an innovative and diversified mine exploration and development company focused on "Mined in America" strategic industrial minerals, today announced that their 3rd quarter 10Q financial statements have been filed with the SEC.

First Liberty CFO, Mario Beckles, noted the significance of the recent filing. "I'm pleased to say that the 3rd quarter was a positive one overall for FLPC, with significant progress made towards the launch of our first mining and processing operation at Fencemaker. We also remained focused on our objective to continue to improve the overall condition of our balance sheet, by reducing or eliminating several of our larger convertible notes, and by bringing on a new and more balanced financing structure to assist our entering into production. Equally important in this current filing, we maintained our commitment to our shareholders and investors to provide detailed and transparent financial reporting, above and beyond mandated requirements."

First Liberty Power continues to execute the forecasted timelines in bringing Fencemaker into production. With that underway, the company is now directing its focus toward financing and constructing the nearby milling site, as well as outlining strategic actions required to advance its additional projects in Nevada and Utah. The management team is continuing to identify additional investors and operate openly with the investment community to improve the company's financial outlook.

According to Beckles, the company's advancement is continuing according to plans. "July 31st will mark the end of our 2012/13 fiscal year," Beckles said, "and it will be a significant moment in First Liberty Power's history as this past year we have clearly demonstrated our company's ability to accomplish measurable operational actions on all levels. Further, we are focused on continuing to set new targets, both in development and finance, which will improve FLPC's bottom line in successive years."

First Liberty Power will continue to use Pathways of Progress announcements to inform and update shareholders and investors of advancements in mining and financial operations.

ABOUT FIRST LIBERTY POWER CORPORATION (FLPC): First Liberty Power Corporation is an innovative and diversified mine exploration and development company focused on bringing to market "Mined in America" strategic industrial minerals. The FLPC corporate philosophy is driven by a dedication to Pathways of Progress (POP). It is a program of best corporate practices designed to rapidly drive the company towards mine production/milling, benefitting FLPC shareholders, investors and mining partners and ensuring safety, environmental integrity, and good governance. Presently, FLPC has interests in four properties: the Fencemaker antimony project in Nevada, the Lida Valley and Smoky Valley lithium brine projects in Nevada, and the San Juan vanadium/uranium project in Utah. firstlibertypower.com facebook.com/FirstLibertyPower.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This current report contains "forward-looking statements," as that term is defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future plans of the company, the prospects for our mineral properties, and our ability to raise necessary working capital.

Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, including the inherent uncertainties associated with mineral exploration and difficulties associated with obtaining financing on acceptable terms. We are not in control of metals prices and these could vary to make development uneconomic. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our most recent annual report for our last fiscal year, our quarterly reports, and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the SEC.

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First Liberty Power Corporation Files 3rd Quarter Report