NASA or MOMA? Play the Game!

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One of the most enduring and inspiring side effects of space exploration is the pictures -- pictures of Earth taken from new heights; pictures of Earth's neighbors, taken from new angles; pictures that resemble, and in fact are, art. They are magical. They are mysterious. They are weird. They suggest, if they don't fully embody, why we go to the trouble of exploring in the first place.

And they often resemble art of a more earthly variety.Below is a collection of images -- some of them created byprolific space photographer Chris Hadfield, taken from the International Space Station(we'll call those "NASA"), some of them created by nearly-as-prolific painters here on Earth (we'll call those "MOMA"). Here's a game: Can you tell the difference between the two?

Scroll down for the key.

1. NASA or MOMA?

2. NASA or MOMA?

3. NASA or MOMA?

4. NASA or MOMA?

5. NASA or MOMA?

6. NASA or MOMA?

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NASA or MOMA? Play the Game!

Scientists develop innovative twists to DNA nanotechnology

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Mar. 21, 2013 In a new discovery that represents a major step in solving a critical design challenge, Arizona State University Professor Hao Yan has led a research team to produce a wide variety of 2-D and 3-D structures that push the boundaries of the burgeoning field of DNA nanotechnology.

The field of DNA nanotechnology utilizes nature's design rules and the chemical properties of DNA to self-assemble into an increasingly complex menagerie of molecules for biomedical and electronic applications. Some of the Yan lab's accomplishments include building Trojan horse-like structures to improve drug delivery to cancerous cells, electrically conductive gold nanowires, single molecule sensors and programmable molecular robots.

With their bio-inspired architectural works, the group continues to explore the geometrical and physical limits of building at the molecular level.

"People in this field are very interested in making wire frame or mesh structures," said Yan. "We needed to come up with new design principles that allow us to build with more complexity in three dimensions."

In their latest twist to the technology, Yan's team made new 2-D and 3-D objects that look like wire-frame art of spheres as well as molecular tweezers, scissors, a screw, hand fan, and even a spider web.

The Yan lab, which includes ASU Biodesign Institute colleagues Dongran Han, Suchetan Pal, Shuoxing Jiang, Jeanette Nangreave and assistant professor Yan Liu, published their results in the March 22 issue of Science.

The twist in their 'bottom up,' molecular Lego design strategy focuses on a DNA structure called a Holliday junction. In nature, this cross-shaped, double-stacked DNA structure is like the 4-way traffic stop of genetics -- where 2 separate DNA helices temporality meet to exchange genetic information. The Holliday junction is the crossroads responsible for the diversity of life on Earth, and ensures that children are given a unique shuffling of traits from a mother and father's DNA.

In nature, the Holliday junction twists the double-stacked strands of DNA at an angle of about 60-degrees, which is perfect for swapping genes but sometimes frustrating for DNA nanotechnology scientists, because it limits the design rules of their structures.

"In principal, you can use the scaffold to connect multiple layers horizontally," [which many research teams have utilized since the development of DNA origami by Cal Tech's Paul Rothemund in 2006]. However, when you go in the vertical direction, the polarity of DNA prevents you from making multiple layers," said Yan. "What we needed to do is rotate the angle and force it to connect."

Making the new structures that Yan envisioned required re-engineering the Holliday junction by flipping and rotating around the junction point about half a clock face, or 150 degrees. Such a feat has not been considered in existing designs.

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Scientists develop innovative twists to DNA nanotechnology

Nano Labs Presents "A Nanotechnology Approach to Immunology: Challenges and Opportunities" at World Immunology …

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DETROIT, March 20, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nano Labs Corp. (CTLE) is pleased to report that Dr. Victor Castano, Chief Innovations Officer of Nano Labs, presented "A nanotechnology approach to immunology: challenges and opportunities." at the Target Meeting ("TM") 2nd World Immunology Online Conference.

The TM 2nd World Immunology Online Conference, held March 19-21, 2013, included sixty (60) international speakers over the three (3) day conference, providing speakers and attendees with in-depth discussion, collaboration and networking.

Dr. Castano's presentation included a historical review of how nanostructures, both natural and man-made, have played important roles in immunology, emphasizing the challenges and advantages that are present through novel nanoscale approaches.

Dr. Castano further presented a number of Nano Labs' projects currently underway, including using state-of-the art technologies, such as MEMS and NEMS, for immunological applications, discussing the potential limitations and challenges that such techniques pose for the practicing immunologists. (For further reading, please refer to Nano Labs' press release of March 4, 2013, entitled "Nano Labs Develops Diagnostic Technology to Identify Tuberculosis (TB) Through Novel Nanotechnologies. Researchers Present Industry With Promising Diagnostic Test Results Identifying TB Through Nano Biosensors".)

"The online conference was a great success. You have to appreciate how so many internally recognized experts can come together in an innovative and informative fashion, all without the travel and expense, to collaborate and exchange ideas," stated Dr. Castano. "Our tuberculosis detector was very well received and attracted a lot of attention from American and European organizations interested in continuing discussions. There are many remarkable and major developments happening in the life sciences sector that are game changing right now and we look forward to being a part of that."

About Target Meeting and the 2nd World Immunology Online Conference

Target Meeting is a leading online life science conference organizer developing many specialized conferences, seminars, and workshops to meet researcher's specific needs and requirements around the world. It will bring together leading professors, researchers, and life science suppliers worldwide to discuss the latest discovery of biomedical research. Through our well-organized conferences, seminars, or workshops, we have already built a good reputation in the field of life science. Target Meeting provides outstanding opportunities for scientists to share latest research, to inspire breakthrough ideas, and to establish and maintenance academic relationships through extensive interactions. For more information please visit http://www.TargetMeeting.com.

About Nano Labs

Nano Labs Corp. (CTLE) is a nanotechnology company which began during October 2012, but is able to access resources that encompass nearly 30 years of research and development in nanotechnology as well as hundreds of peer-reviewed and published research papers and other scholarly material. The Company's research and development team of scientists, designers, and engineers is focused on creating a portfolio of advanced products that could provide benefits to a variety of industries including: (i) consumer products, (ii) energy, (iii) materials, and (iv) healthcare. Through the use and integration of proprietary nano compounds, our goal is to evolve common products into new, revolutionary products in order to make the world a better place. Nano Labs shares are traded on the OTC Bulletin Board in the United States under the ticker CTLE. For more information, please visit http://www.NanoLabs.us.

The Nano Labs Corp. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=16293

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Nano Labs Presents "A Nanotechnology Approach to Immunology: Challenges and Opportunities" at World Immunology ...

Nano medicine – hope and future for cancer

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Mysore, march 21, 2013, DHNS:

Tapas K Kundu from JNCASR, Bangalore, said gold nano-particles can reduce cancer, but the challenge in containing adverse reactions of these particles, which the body considered as foreign particles.

Kundu, a professor with the molecular biology and genetics unit of JNCASR, said that the challenge was to make the drug reach cancer stems cells (CSC).

He was delivering a lecture on Genes and Diseases: New Generation Therapeutics, organised by Centre for Nano-technology as part of an Expert Lecture Series, at Sir M V Auditorium of National Institute of Engineering (NIE) in Mysore recently.

Among all diseases, more money has been pumped into cancer for research and yet only two per cent success rate has been achieved. There are 100 different diseases that begin in the cells. Hence extensive research is going on all over the world in the area of cancer. New lifestyle and lack of awareness have resulted in high levels of cancer incidents in India. All types of cancer are genetic, but not hereditary though some cancers sometimes are hereditary, he said.

Evidence of cancer was available in dinosaur bones, which date back to 80 million years. In 300 BC, Hippocrates named tumors as carcinogens. However, it may be noted that much before Hippocrates, tumors were referred to as arbudha in Ayurvedic science, he said.

Kundu said, any irritation be it psychological or physical can lead to cancer. The imbalance in hormones was a strong pointer to cancer. Unfortunately, oral and cervical cancers are predominant in India. A day will come when we will have to live with cancer like we do with diabetes and hypertension. Therefore, nano medicine is the new hope and future, he added.

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Nano medicine - hope and future for cancer

GW Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine to Host Nobel Laureate

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Newswise WASHINGTON The George Washington University (GW) Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine will host Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D., Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine and Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to speak on The Biology and Synthesis of Non-coding RNAs, March 22 from noon to 1 p.m., as part of the departments Nobel Laureate Distinguished Lecture Series.

"Professor Sharp is a major contributor of this century to modern nucleic acid biology; his work not only discovered RNA splicing and processes that cause cancer, but also developed technology and methods to study complex regulatory interactions between protein factors and RNA or DNA. Thus, Dr. Sharp's contribution to medical sciences was a precursor to many pivotal discoveries from other laboratories. More recently, Dr. Sharp continues to reveal ever increasing significance of small RNAs in fine regulation of gene expression, an essential component of the living system. We, at the George Washington University, are very fortunate to have him share his perspective to our students, fellows, and faculty." said Rakesh Kumar, Ph.D., chair of the department of biochemistry and molecular medicine at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS).

The goal of the Nobel Laureate Distinguished Lecture Series is to bring todays leading researchers from all over the world to Washington, D.C. and to GW. Sharp, who won a Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology with a colleague in 1993 for their discoveries of discontinuous genes in mammalian cells, fundamentally changed scientists understanding of the structure of genes.

Sharps more than 380 scientific papers have earned him numerous cancer-research awards and presidential and national scientific-board appointments. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Society, and the American Philosophical Society. He is also the recipient of the Lasker Basic Medical Research Award, and the 2004 National Medal of Science. Sharp earned a B.A. degree from Union College, in Kentucky, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois. In 1978 he co-founded Biogen (now Biogen Idec), and in 2002 he co-founded Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, an early stage therapeutics company.

Sharp is the third speaker to come to GW as part of the Nobel Laureate Distinguished Lecture Series. In February 2012, Aaron Ciechanover, M.D., Ph.D., who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2004 with two other scientists for describing how proteins are broken down by cell enzymes, spoke as part of the series. The lectures were launched by Ferid Murad, M.D., Ph.D., in September 2010. Murad, who won the Nobel Prize in Science or Medicine in 1998 for uncovering nitric oxides first biological effects, is now a University professor at GW and professor in SMHSs Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine.

For more information, please contact Lisa Anderson at lisama2@gwu.edu or 202-994-3121.

###

About the School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Founded in 1825, the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) was the first medical school in the nations capital and is the 11th oldest in the country. Working together in our nations capital, with integrity and resolve, the GW SMHS is committed to improving the health and well-being of our local, national and global communities. http://www.smhs.gwumc.edu.

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GW Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine to Host Nobel Laureate

The Walking Dead Survival Instinct Gameplay Walkthrough Part 5 – Medicine Man (Video Game) – Video

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The Walking Dead Survival Instinct Gameplay Walkthrough Part 5 - Medicine Man (Video Game)
NEW The Walking Dead Survival Instinct Gameplay Walkthrough Part 5 includes Mission 5 of the Story for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii U. This The Walking D...

By: theRadBrad

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The Walking Dead Survival Instinct Gameplay Walkthrough Part 5 - Medicine Man (Video Game) - Video

Global Survey Underscores Importance of Patient Education and Engagement in Personalised Medicine

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DUBLIN, March 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Nearly two out of three people in four major European countries have no awareness of personalised medicine - despite the fact that this evolving discipline has vast implications for Europe's healthcare issues and Europeans' personal health. These statistics presented today at the European Alliance for Personalised Medicine (EAPM) conference taking place in Dublin, in association with the Irish EU Presidency, were part of the PACE Cancer Perception Index that studied knowledge and attitudes about cancer treatment and care, the healthcare system and patient involvement. PACE, a Lilly Oncology initiative, stands for Patient Access to Cancer care Excellence.

The EAPM Conference on Innovation and Patient Access to Personalised Medicine brought together researchers, patients, healthcare professionals, payers, regulators, policymakers and industry to evaluate the potential and the development of personalised medicine in light of the European economic crisis.[i]

Irish Minister of Health Dr. James Reilly stressed the potential of personalised medicine "to provide solutions that are better tailored to the individual patient than traditional 'one size fits all' medicinal products."[ii]

"Personalised medicine is a promising concept," said Tonio Borg, European Union (EU) Commissioner for Health and Consumers. "As patients are divided into groups based on their individual, biological, genetic and genomic characteristics, medical interventions are tailored to those patients' needs."

"Hence, this new approach can help reduce the risk of undesirable adverse reactions and at the same time, make medicines more effective," said Mr. Borg. "And it also yields a maximum return on healthcare investment - a valuable argument for decision makers, in times of austerity."[iii]

Public Supports Personalised Medicine

A highlight of the conference was a work group that discussed the importance of informed, engaged and empowered patients where personalised medicine is concerned. Central to the discussion were the results of the PACE Cancer Perception Index: A Six-Nation, Public Opinion Survey of Cancer Knowledge and Attitudes.

"The PACE Cancer Perception Index devoted a considerable amount of time to the subject of personalised medicine, and what we found was both surprising and promising," said Sue Mahony, Ph.D., president, Lilly Oncology.

"While only one-third of respondents were aware of personalised medicine, the majority were supportive once the concept was introduced," Dr. Mahony said. "They not only recognised its benefits for them and society, but they expressed a willingness to help by being tested for personalised medicine, and by sharing their medical information."

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Global Survey Underscores Importance of Patient Education and Engagement in Personalised Medicine

Tama Waipara releases Medicine Man

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Tama Waipara releases Medicine Man - the first single and music video from his forthcoming album Fill Up The Silence.

Written by Tama Waipara, Medicine Man started out as a very different song about music being the medicine of life.

Says Tama of the final music and video "The core of the song and video is to find your voice, and to express yourself, in love and life. It makes me think of Dylan Thomas "Do not go gentle into that good night, rage against the dying of the light" It is also about looking towards the light and emerging from the darkness. The thread of dance was always crucial to the video as an expression of freedom, joy and the universal bond of rhythm."

Featuring dancers from Atamira Dance Company, Te Waka Huia and White Face Crew, the video was shot over several days in Auckland and directed by Jessica Sanderson whos past work includes Koras Drop Dead Killer.

The single was produced engineered and mixed by ex pat New Zealander Aaron Nevezie from Bunker Studio Brooklyn NYC who have previously worked with Questlove and The Black Keys.

Medicine Man is available on iTunes from today.

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Tama Waipara releases Medicine Man

New Report Underscores the Importance of Safe Medicine Storage

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WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

According to the new report An In-Depth Look at Keeping Young Children Safe Around Medicines, released today from Safe Kids Worldwide, seven of 10 emergency department visits for medicine poisonings are due to curious young children getting into their grandparents or mothers medicine that was left within reach. The report notes one of the most effective ways to reverse this trend is through safe medicine storage at home and when traveling.

This report clearly reinforces that parents and caregivers must always keep medicines and vitamins up and away and out of sight of young childrenevery time they are used, especially those used every day, said Emily Skor, vice president of communications and alliance development at the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA). The report states that of children who visited emergency rooms in 2011 due to medicine poisonings, in 67 percent of the cases the medication was left within reach of the child in a purse, on a nightstand or counter, on the ground or in a misplaced area like under a sofa cushion.

Young children are curious, and they can quickly get into medicines or vitamins when parents and caregivers aren't looking. We encourage everyone who spends time with small children to look at your home through the eyes of a child and to pick a place to store medicines and vitamins that is high up, out of a childs reach and sight, continued Skor.

To remind parents, grandparents and caregivers about the importance of safe medicine storage, the CHPA Educational Foundation in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its PROTECT Initiative launched the Up and Away and Out of Sight safe medicine storage educational campaign.

Young children are curious and they can quickly get into medicines or vitamins when parents and caregivers aren't looking. We know that, unfortunately, many children have to visit the emergency room because of accidental medication exposure, said Dr. Dan Budnitz, director of CDCs Medication Safety Program in the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion. To help combat these preventable harms, the Up and Away and Out of Sight campaign gives parents and caregivers the information they need to store medicine safely and protect children. A few simple steps followed every time can keep children safe from harm.

These steps include:

To learn more about safely storing medicines and vitamins at home and on-the-go, please visit UpandAway.org or in Spanish at UpandAway.org/es.

About Up and Away and Out of Sight

Up and Away and Out of Sight is an educational program to remind families of the importance of safe medicine storage. All medicines and vitamins should always be kept up and away and out of a child's reach and sight every time they are used. Up and Away and Out of Sight is part of the PROTECT Initiative, developed in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) Educational Foundation.

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New Report Underscores the Importance of Safe Medicine Storage

Modernizing Medicine Previews Latest EMR at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

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CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - Mar 20, 2013) - American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons -- Modernizing Medicine, the creator of the Electronic Medical Assistant (EMA), a cloud-based, specialty-specific electronic medical records (EMR) system, announced today that it will provide an early look at EMA Orthopedics, a new EMR system for orthopedic surgeons, at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons [AAOS] annual meeting in Chicago this week. This is the sixth specialty-specific EMR system launched by Modernizing Medicine, joining EMA Dermatology, EMA Ophthalmology, EMA Optometry, EMA Plastic Surgery and EMA Cosmetics.

"Orthopedics is one of the more complicated specialties. Surgeons often see injuries they haven't seen before, many which require an immediate fix," said Dr. Michael Sherling, co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Modernizing Medicine. "We built EMA Orthopedics with that in mind, allowing users to access it via the Internet virtually anytime, anywhere, and providing them with our built-in EMA Interactive Anatomical Atlas which they can easily reference during any encounter."

The EMA Interactive Anatomical Atlas is a zoomable 3D layered way to manipulate body images. Using an iPad, orthopedic surgeons can touch over 36,000 zones that are anatomically named and pre-coded for billing for that specific body location and diagnosis. Surgeons have the real time ability to switch among anatomical layers to reveal muscles, joints and tendons while maintaining the exact angle of rotation and amount of zoom. Further, surgeons can use the EMA Interactive Anatomical Atlas to visually explain a diagnosis and treatment to a patient in real time.

EMA Orthopedics is a cloud-based, touch-based mobile EMR system, built by orthopedic surgeons for orthopedic surgeons, and can be accessed via the Internet virtually anywhere at anytime and aims to help save time and money. Since no two orthopedic surgeons practice the same way, Modernizing Medicine built EMA Orthopedics with an adaptive learning engine, which observes and adjusts to each surgeon's unique practice style in real time. EMA Orthopedics has more than 2,000 diagnoses, treatment plans and billing codes, which a user can select with just a few touches. EMA remembers the way a surgeon likes to practice, pulling up the surgeon's most frequently used diagnoses and treatment plans first.

Dan Marino*, former professional Quarterback and Hall of Famer, is the company's new spokesperson for EMA Orthopedics and will be at booth #5219 at AAOS to greet attendees and discuss the benefits of using EMA Orthopedics.

"You don't play 17 years in the NFL without having your share of injuries. Looking back, I wish that my physicians would have had access to an EMR, especially one like EMA, to review my injuries and how they planned to fix them," said Dan Marino. "EMA not only helps a physician quickly and accurately document a patient encounter, but it truly promotes patient/surgeon interactions that can make a patient feel much more at ease. I am thrilled to join the Modernizing Medicine team not only as their spokesperson for EMA Orthopedics but also as an investor, and watch their progress as they improve the quality of care for this complicated specialty."

AAOS attendees can stop by the Modernizing Medicine booth #5219 to speak with Modernizing Medicine co-founders, Daniel Cane and Dr. Michael Sherling, to meet Dan Marino, and to experience EMA Orthopedics first-hand.

About Modernizing MedicineModernizing Medicine is delivering the next generation of electronic medical records (EMR) technology for the healthcare industry. Our product, Electronic Medical Assistant (EMA), is a cloud-based specialty-specific 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, plastic surgery and cosmetic markets, and to more than 800 physician practices across the country. In 2013 Modernizing Medicine was listed at No. 47 on FORBES annual ranking of America's Most Promising Companies.

* Dan Marino has a financial interest in Modernizing Medicine.

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Modernizing Medicine Previews Latest EMR at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Personalized Medicine : Companies, Trends and World Market

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DUBLIN, March 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Personalized Medicine: Companies, Trends and World Market" report to their offering.

This broad, high-level report analyzes the expanding Personalized Medicine market. This world market includes important core medical product areas that will continue to have a powerful impact on current and future healthcare delivery. This business report examines key market segments such as targeted drugs and key personalized medicine diagnostics, including companion diagnostic IVDs, LDTs, diagnostic services and related tools or technologies.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130307/600769 )

Many people already know about DNA, genes and the human genome. The science driving personalized medicine includes pharmacogenetics, pharmacoproteomics and pharmacometabalomix. Personalized medicine uses a targeted drug that depends on the patient information identified by a companion diagnostic (genetic biomarker test). The companion diagnostic identifies which patients would likely benefit from a particular therapy or those who might suffer from a bad side effect. The test information enables doctors to select the drug therapy that would benefit the patient. Drug developers in clinical trials could use a companion diagnostic to select patents that would benefit from a targeted drug.

The report discusses important technologies, including microarray, next-generation sequencing, PCR, bioinformatics, nanotechnology and other platforms. This section highlights key platforms and selected vendors. For example, the field of clinical next generation sequencing is expected to have an impact on personalized medicine.

The report covers subjects including important personalized medicine concepts. The study discusses key biomarkers, commercial diagnostics and therapeutics that drive personalized medicine. The study highlights new personalized diagnostics. This research examines the current targeted therapeutics on the market and drugs in the clinical pipeline.

The report highlights major government regulatory activities that involve personalized medicine in the US and Europe. The US FDA and the European EMA have drafted guidance papers to help drug makers and diagnostic firms develop future targeted therapies guided by companion diagnostics. The recent FDA approvals of Pfizer's Xalkori for lung cancer and Roche's Zelboraf for melanoma demonstrate that a surge in new targeted drugs is happening.

This report is in an interactive PDF format. The interactive feature uses hyperlinks that enable the reader to click the mouse to jump from Table of Contents items to sections inside the report. The hyperlinks also allow the reader to click on links to Internet information.

This study discusses important personalized medicine topics and provides the reader with key findings. The report estimates that the world personalized medicine market value will reach multi-billions of dollars in 2012, with a strong double-digit growth rate. This study reviews the activities of 31 companies.

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Personalized Medicine : Companies, Trends and World Market

Worcester Polytechnic Institute and UMass Medical School Team Up to Improve Healthcare Delivery

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Leveraging their respective strengths to improve healthcare delivery and patient outcomes, WPI and the UMass Medical School have launched a new strategic partnership.

Worcester, MA (PRWEB) March 21, 2013

Faculty at our institutions have collaborated on projects for many years. Through this new affiliation we hope to create a dynamic and targeted partnership that leverages our respective strengths to advance new technologies, educational and clinical processes that better human health, said WPI Provost Eric Overstrm, PhD.

The new affiliation was announced March 20, 2013, at an HDI symposium. As a first step, both WPI and UMMS will appoint members to a joint leadership coordinating committee that will begin to plan, facilitate, and ultimately oversee targeted faculty research collaborations and graduate educational programs. The HDI/UMMS program will also include professional education and career development components, such as physician leadership training in specified areas.

"UMass Medical School and WPI possess complementary arrays of talent in the fields of biomedical and health sciences, technology, and engineering. As a free-standing health sciences campus, UMass Medical School benefits from outside research and development expertise in some of these disciplines, and WPI is a natural partner due both to its proximity and our shared visions, said Terence R. Flotte, MD, UMMS executive deputy chancellor, provost, and dean of the School of Medicine.

The Healthcare Delivery Institute is a multi-disciplinary organization that includes more than 20 research teams at WPI, external healthcare providers, and industry partners, all working to address the national and global challenge of creating the future of healthcare delivery. At WPI, faculty researchers affiliated with HDI work in areas such as systems engineering, data analytics, mobile and wireless health applications, information technology, advanced robotics, and portable medical devices for monitoring and imaging.

We welcome this new partnership with our colleagues at UMass Medical School, said Vera Tice, managing director of HDI. Through this affiliation we plan to strategically develop high impact practical research and educational programs that improve the delivery of healthcare and patient outcomes, not only here in Massachusetts, but nationally and globally.

About Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Founded in 1865 in Worcester, Mass., WPI is one of the nation's first engineering and technology universities. Its 14 academic departments offer more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, engineering, technology, business, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts, leading to bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees. WPI's talented faculty work with students on interdisciplinary research that seeks solutions to important and socially relevant problems in fields as diverse as the life sciences and bioengineering, energy, information security, materials processing, and robotics. Students also have the opportunity to make a difference to communities and organizations around the world through the university's innovative Global Perspective Program. There are more than 30 WPI project centers throughout North America and Central America, Africa, Australia, Asia, and Europe.

About the University of Massachusetts Medical School

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Worcester Polytechnic Institute and UMass Medical School Team Up to Improve Healthcare Delivery

New Medical School Programs Help Students Battle Burnout

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About half of medical school students show the classic signs: emotional exhaustion, detachment and a feeling that one's efforts "don't make a difference," says Liselotte Dyrbye, associate professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic.

That's not good, as burnout, in turn, is linked to reduced altruism and unprofessional behavior, such as reporting a physical exam result as normal without actually doing it.

[Discover how to fast track med school.]

"We're Type A personalities," says LaShon Sturgis, a fourth-year student at the Medical College of Georgia. "You really have to be encouraged to step back."

To be accredited, medical schools must have some kind of student wellness program. But many are going well beyond a regular aerobics class in their effort to get students to take a break and, yes, have a life. Sturgis says her school has assigned social chairs for each class, operates a wellness center and urges students to "do what we really enjoy -- biking, hiking, reading."

[See why it's not too early to think about physician burnout.]

The Vanderbilt University School of Medicine has formed "fun fitness" athletic groups, offers an anonymous ask-the-psychiatrist online forum and has divided the student body into four "colleges" for advising purposes that compete annually in a two-day "College Cup" of Iron Chef, trivia and dance-off contests.

Mayo, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Virginia, among others, have switched to pass-fail grading in the first two years. At Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, which opened its doors in 2011, students meet in mentoring groups with faculty members for an hour every month to discuss such topics as managing stress and conflict and dealing with mistakes.

[Explore a day in the life of a med student.]

To graduate, fourth-year students at New Jersey Medical School (which will be transferred to Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey in July) must complete a podcast-based course intended to ease the transition to residency. One podcast on burnout covers how to combat the physical aspects of stress, change the elements of scheduling that are possible to change and cultivate self-awareness.

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New Medical School Programs Help Students Battle Burnout