Hawaii officials defended the islands Tuesday as a place of business amid criticism from two key U.S. senators who questioned the decision to hold an upcoming conference for federal judges on Maui.
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Canary Islands host long-distance quantum teleportation
The Canary Islands of La Palma and Tenerife have been briefly connected by a quantum teleportation system that sets a new distance record for the spooky communications technique.
In an angle that will get Trekkie bloggers reaching for the beam me up metaphors, the researchers, from Austria, Germany, Canada and Norway, hope that quantum teleportation could one day be used for ground-to-satellite communications.
In quantum teleportation, the phenomenon known as entanglement to transmit information instantaneously. As long as entanglement isnt destroyed, the state of one particles in this case, photons will reflect changes to the state of the other, regardless of distance (one of the characteristics of quantum physics that troubled Albert Einsten).
The long-distance teleportation setup.
Source: arXiv:1205.3909v1
The 143-km teleportation involves three photons. Alice (in La Palma) generates an entangled pair of photons, and sends one over a non-quantum channel (a fibre) to Bob (in Tenerife). The teleportation photon (generated by a third party, Charlie, in La Palma) is provided to Alice, and when its state is projected onto Alices photon, Bob is able to measure its state at the far end of the link.
In the Canary Islands experiment, submitted to Arxiv, entanglement was also used to synchronise time between the two ends of the channel.
An extra wrinkle in the experiment was that one of the photons was sent through the atmosphere an important technical step, since the experimenters hope to establish that quantum teleportation can be used to communicate with satellites. It is, however, very difficult to preserve quantum states while sending a photon through 143 km of air, water vapour, clouds and the like.
As the paper notes, the severe environmental conditions imposed demanding requirements onto the whole long-distance teleportation setup: link attenuation fluctuations due to atmospheric turbulence, induced by the harsh meteorological situations including rapid temperature change, sand storms, rain, fog, strong wind and even snow. The weather, they note, delayed the experiment for a year.
The new distance record for quantum teleportation eclipses an earlier experiment in which researchers from the University of Science and Technology in China at Shanghai teleported entangled photons across 97 km.
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Chagos Islands: Imperialism with an environmental face
The Chagos Archipelago is a group of over 60 islands located in the Indian Ocean some 500km (310 miles) south of the Maldives. The isolated location of the islands resulted in a unique ecology and culture. It was also deemed strategic by the US and UK militaries.
West Island, Chagos, pic: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Flickr CC)
In 1965 the UK bought the Chagos and within 8 years forcibly removed all its human inhabitants, who resettled on Mauritius, the Seychelles and in the UK. The island of Diego Garcia was converted into a military base. It is the only inhabited island of the Chagos, the entire population consisting of US and UK military personnel and their civilian employees. Before being deported, the population of Diego Garcia was around 2,000 Chagos Islanders. Their legacy remains in the form of ghost towns and overgrown graveyards. Ironically, Western travelers are able to visit the island while the native population remains in forced exile.
From an opinion piece in the Guardian:
The sunlight streaked through the stained glass windows of the church and the small copra factory remained largely intact. I was horrified to find dozens of international travellers living among the ruins while the islanders themselves remained pariahs, exiled by their own government. Why were these itinerant travellers allowed to stay?
More recently, the argument to keep the Chagos Islanders away from the land of their birth is environmental, or more specifically, based on the conservation of the islands unique ecology. I guess we are meant to believe that an American military base has no environmental impact.
2,000 islanders who lead a basic, low-impact existence compared with 1,700 US military personnel and 1,500 civilian contractors who built shops, restaurants, an airport, a harbor and a cinema. You do the math.
Conservation? pic: Official U.S. Navy Imagery (Flickr CC)
In 2010 a WikiLeaks cable from US diplomats to the British Foreign Office revealed that the setting up of a marine reserve in the Chagos would effectively end native claims for resettlement. The conservation argument appears to be a smoke screen. If it isnt, surely some agreement could be reached allowing the islands natives to return.
Read more about the Chagos Islanders plight in Scientific American.
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Islands’ wind farm to generate £20m
The UKs largest community wind farm project is set to generate more than 20 million over the next two decades for local people, the schemes backers have said.
Residents in Scotlands remote Western Isles have secured more than 10 million for the project to erect three 2.3 megawatt turbines on the island of South Uist.
The money raised from the renewable energy scheme will be reinvested in the community, with funds earmarked to improve tourism, leisure and port facilities and boost local businesses.
The Storas Uibhist Trust, which manages a 93,000-acre estate covering the islands of Benbecula, Eriskay and South Uist following a community buy-out by residents, has secured 8 million financing from the Co-operative Bank for the project.
The scheme, which will see the turbines installed by August, has also received 1 million of grant and loan funding from Social Investment Scotland and 2.4 million from the European Regional Development Fund.
Angus MacMillan, chairman of Storas Uibhist, said: This project has always been about generating income to reinvest to the local community for the benefit of the people who live on the islands of Eriskay, Benbecula and South Uist.
We are now looking to the future when Storas Uibhist, in partnership with other local organisations, can make the best use of this revenue and the people of this estate can take their future into their own hands and transform these islands into a vibrant and growing place to live and work.
This could only have happened with community ownership and demonstrates that when communities can manage their own assets, they are able to transform their futures.
Chris Matthews, renewable energy manager at the Co-operative Bank, said: This scheme pushes the boundaries of community renewable energy. The quality of life for many residents on the islands will be improved as a result, helping to create local jobs and diversify its economy at a time when, like many communities, it is facing significant economic and social pressures.
Residents of the islands took control of the estate, which is famous for sea trout and brown trout fishing and home to wildlife including golden eagles and white-tailed eagles, five years ago.
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Reagan Foundation angry about alleged Ronald Reagan blood vial auction in Channel Islands
LONDON - A Channel Islands online auction house has angered Ronald Reagan's foundation by claiming to offer a vial that once contained his blood.
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Reagan Foundation angry about alleged Ronald Reagan blood vial auction in Channel Islands
Europe's largest solar telescope opens in Canary Islands
A powerful solar telescope billed as the largest in Europe opened Monday on Spain's Canary Islands which scientists say will allow them to study the sun in unprecedented detail.
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?land Islands, Finland: an Enid Blyton holiday
land once had the worlds largest fleet of cargo-carrying sailing ships. Until the Thirties, when the rest of the world was turning to steam, these then-poor islands had 30 windjammers. One, the four-masted barque, Pommern, built in Glasgow in 1903, transported grain from Australia to England under the command of its land captain. Pommern is now moored at the harbour of the only town, Mariehamn, adjacent to an excellent maritime museum.
As you might expect with so many rocky islands, there are plenty of shipwrecks (no doubt the ships were captained by non-landers). Two years ago, the islands made headlines when a diver exploring a 170-year-old wreck discovered some old bottles, still with corks in. They turned out to contain the worlds oldest drinkable champagne, 168 bottles in all, two of which were sold last year, fetching 31,000. The government will be auctioning 11 more next month, on June 9, the day the islands celebrate autonomy from Finland.
The 60ft boat was found off the small island of Fgl, a 40-minute ferry crossing from the land mainland. On my first visit to the islands, before the champagne wreck had been investigated, I holidayed in Fgl with friends and their five children. As an add-on to a city break in Stockholm, we rented a rust-red wooden cottage perched on a smooth granite rock, where the placid sea was reed-edged and elegant swans swam.
It was a week of Blyton-esque adventures outings in our own little motorboat, horse riding along flowery lanes, playing on a sandy beach, kayaking between low, bare skerries, spotting sea eagles and fishing for pike with a local fisherman. As well as the motorboat, the cottage came with a sauna and a fish-smoker but no tin-opener. It was all a bit down-at-heel but charming. Make-do-and-mend, was how my friend, Lucy, described it.
This time around, I was staying in more swish accommodation: one of the new cliff houses at a remote hotel on the northernmost coast of the main island. Here, at HavsVidden, sleek holiday homes on stilts sprout from boulders. Their interiors are like spreads from a Scandinavian style magazine. They would be wonderful places in which to hole up for a week or more, under big skies that, at 60 degrees north, never get dark in midsummer. Sadly I wasnt staying long.
On a day trip by car, I passed windmills and apple orchards to visit the ruined fortress of Bomarsund, the largest building ever built on the land Islands. Erected in the 19th century, it was built by the Russians to guard the westernmost point of their empire. All that now remains are sections of its enormous rosy granite walls. The British attacked in 1854 and, so the story goes, the Russian commander welcomed his captors with a cup of tea. Finnish soldiers garrisoned at the fort were transported to England, says Gun.
There are thousands of islands in this archipelago, and, when you start to look beyond their simple beauty, just as many stories.
Getting there
SAS (0871 226 7760; flysas.com) offers flights to Stockholm from 158 return. AirAland (airaland.com) flies from Stockholm or Helsinki to the land Islands from 24 one-way.
If you prefer not to fly, DFDS (0871 522 9955; dfds.co.uk) has ferries from Harwich to Esbjerg from where you can travel by train to Stockholm, via Copenhagen and Malm. Ecker Linjen (00358 18 28000; eckerolinjen.ax) has two-hour ferry journeys from north of Stockholm to the land Islands, from 11 return, including the two-hour bus transfer from Stockholm.
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Body of Canadian boater recovered from ocean floor off popular Cayman Islands beach
GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands - Police in the Cayman Islands say they have recovered the body of a Canadian man who apparently drowned after jumping off a boat.
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Body of Canadian boater recovered from ocean floor off popular Cayman Islands beach
Friendly Planet Travel Offers New Galapagos Islands Wildlife Discovery Tour
JENKINTOWN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Lush landscape, magnificent wildlife, remarkable volcanoes, fascinating flora and fauna, and the amazing Galapagos Islands define Ecuador, South Americas hidden jewel. Now, thanks to Friendly Planet Travel, a leading tour operator that offers high-quality, affordable vacation packages to exotic destinations worldwide, travelers can explore the legendary islands that inspired Charles Darwins theory of evolution in style on the eight-day Galapagos Islands Wildlife Discovery tour for just $2,799.
We are thrilled to announce our new Galapagos Islands Wildlife Discovery package, says Peggy Goldman, President of Friendly Planet Travel. This tour offers upgraded hotels on our island-based program plus improved transportation between islands. Weve added a flight between San Cristobal and Isabela Islands, which allows travelers to spend less time traveling and more time exploring the fantastic scenery and wildlife. Travelers will be hard pressed to find a package that offers a better value for money with such a high degree of personal service than this program.
Galapagos Islands Wildlife Discovery includes round-trip airfare from Miami via LAN airlines, including fuel surcharges, airline taxes, and fees; all transportation, including intra-flights and transportation between islands; and accommodations in first-class hotels and superior-class island lodges. The tour also includes 14 meals; a truly fascinating program of exploration with a naturalist guide, on San Cristobal, Isabela and Santa Cruz Islands; and a Galapagos National Park fee ($100) and transit control card ($10).
The exploration begins in Quito, one of the loveliest South American cities, and the capital city of Ecuador, where travelers stay for a night before departing for San Cristobal Island, the eastern most island of the Galapagos, known for Carola Beach, and a plethora of sea turtles, sea lions, and marine iguanas. A stop at the local Interpretation Center to learn about the islands unique wildlife and geology, and a hike to Frigate Hill, which overlooks the rugged coastline and small town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, round out the first day on the Galapagos.
The tour continues the following day with a snorkeling adventure to Isla Lobos, translated as Sea Lion Island, for the best sea lion encounter in the Galapagos. From there, travelers sail to Kicker Rock, home to the islands best snorkeling.
The following day, travelers depart from San Cristobal via a short flight to Isabela Island, the largest island in the Galapagos. Isabela is constantly changing due to six shield volcanoes that render it one of the most thrilling volcanically active spots on the planet. Travelers hike to El Muro de las Lagrimas, (Wall of Tears) built by prisoners during the time Isabela was a penal colony, and explore Tintoreras, a set of small islets filled with hidden coves and beaches.
Travelers then depart from gorgeous Isabela Island and journey to Santa Cruz Island via speedboat, arriving at Puerto Ayora. They spend the day at the El Chato reserve, home to the Giant Tortoise, exploring the incredible lava tunnels, volcanic sinkholes, and fascinating wildlife. The day ends with a visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station to learn about the ongoing conservation efforts to preserve the Galapagos Islands. The tour concludes in Quito with a day at leisure.
For travelers with a bit more time, an optional three-day extension to Quito is available starting at $299. In Quito, travelers explore the capital city and UNESCO World Heritage site, known for its mountains and snow-capped volcanoes, on an included city tour with stops in modern Quito as well as the citys historic district, and featuring San Agustin Convent, San Francisco Church, and the City Museum.
Friendly Planets 8-day Galapagos Islands Wildlife Discovery tour is available for $2,799 on the departure dates of Sept. 15 and Dec. 1, if booked by June 27. Other dates are available at slightly higher prices. Friendly Planet also offers two additional Galapagos packages: Ecuador and Galapagos Islands and Peru, Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands.
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Friendly Planet Travel Offers New Galapagos Islands Wildlife Discovery Tour
Smithsonian to Create Its 1st Human Genome Exhibit
The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History is developing its first major exhibit on the human genome with a $3 million pledge announced Monday from a biotechnology company.
The philanthropic foundation of Life Technologies Corp. is the lead sponsor for a 2,500-square-foot exhibition slated to open on the National Mall in June 2013.
The museum will collaborate with the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health to develop a high-tech presentation of the history and future of genome sciences. The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health also raised $500,000 for the project.
The effort marks the 10th anniversary of researchers producing the first complete human genome sequence as a blueprint of the human body. The Human Genome Project was launched as an international effort in 1990 to better understand the genetic impact on health and disease.
Elizabeth Duggal, the museum's associate director for public programs, said most people probably don't know how quickly genomic science has advanced since then and how much of an impact it can have on their lives.
"Genetic research is probably one of the most important components of the 21st century in terms of life science advances," she said.
Carlsbad, Calif.-based Life Technologies recently announced it has developed a machine to decode an individual's DNA in a day for $1,000. The cost of sequencing DNA has tumbled since the first sequencing of the basic human genome was announced at the White House in 2000.
Reaching the $1,000 target is considered a key step in making the technique more accessible and practical for doctors to use to help their patents by revealing vulnerabilities or tailoring medical treatments.
"What science has taught us about genomics in the last 10 years will undoubtedly be dwarfed by the revolutionary advancements to come," Gregory Lucier, chairman and CEO of Life Technologies, said in a statement.
The museum also plans to delve into ethical questions that arise with advancements in genetic science.
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Intermountain Healthcare and Myriad Genetics Enter Into Research Collaboration Agreement
SALT LAKE CITY, May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Intermountain Healthcare and Myriad Genetics today announced they have signed a collaborative research agreement. The purpose of this agreement is to perform research and validation studies on transformative molecular diagnostic tests being developed by Myriad in an effort to improve the care and treatments for patients at Intermountain and around the world. This collaboration highlights the shared purpose of Myriad and Intermountain in improving outcomes and the quality of life for patients.
The first project under this collaboration, PRO 008, is designed to further expand the utility of the Prolaris test by analyzing biopsy samples of 200 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer. This study will assess the ability of the Prolaris test to predict which men are at a heightened risk of biochemical recurrence and therefore should be given more aggressive therapy for their disease. The goal of this, and Myriad's other Prolaris studies underway in multiple centers in the United States and Europe, is to demonstrate the prognostic ability of the Prolaris test in assessing a patient's risk of biochemical recurrence of disease and death from disease.
"We are thrilled to be partnering with Myriad to further research across a number of diseases in an effort to improve patient care," said Brent Wallace, MD, Intermountain's Chief Medical Officer. "We look forward to embarking on our prostate cancer collaboration with Myriad and hope the findings from this study will help define the clinical benefit of the Prolaris test. This will assist in helping men diagnosed with prostate cancer to understand the aggressiveness of their disease and make better informed decisions about appropriate treatment."
"Intermountain is committed to improving patient outcomes which is in perfect alignment with the core mission of Myriad," said Peter Meldrum, President and Chief Executive Officer of Myriad Genetics."This research collaboration will have great potential to help patients by furthering research on molecular diagnostic tests which can assist healthcare providers to effectively guide treatment decisions and determine the risk of disease progression and recurrence."
About Intermountain Healthcare
Intermountain Healthcare, a nonprofit healthcare system based in Salt Lake City, Utah, serves the healthcare needs of Utah and southeastern Idaho residents. Its mission is to provideclinically excellent medical care at affordable rates in a healing environment. For more information visit intermountainhealthcare.org
About Myriad Genetics
Myriad Genetics, Inc., an internationally recognized leader in molecular diagnostics, is dedicated to making a difference in patient's lives through the discovery and commercialization of transformative tests to assess a person's risk of developing disease, guide treatment decisions and assess risk of disease progression and recurrence. Myriad's portfolio of molecular diagnostic tests are based on an understanding of the role genes play in human disease and were developed with a commitment to improving an individual's decision making process for monitoring and treating disease. Myriad is focused on strategic directives to introduce new products, including companion diagnostics, as well as expanding internationally. For more information on how Myriad is making a difference, please visit the Company's website: http://www.myriad.com.
Myriad, the Myriad logo, BRACAnalysis, Colaris, Colaris AP, Melaris, TheraGuide, Prezeon, OnDose, Panexia and Prolaris are trademarks or registered trademarks of Myriad Genetics, Inc. in the United States and foreign countries.
Safe Harbor Statement
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Intermountain Healthcare and Myriad Genetics Enter Into Research Collaboration Agreement
Data From NewLink Genetics Phase 2 Trial of Its HyperAcute(R) Pancreas (Algenpantucel-L) Immunotherapy to be Presented …
AMES, Iowa, May 22, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NewLink Genetics Corporation (Nasdaq:NLNK - News), today announced that Phase 2 data from its investigational HyperAcute(R) Pancreas immunotherapy clinical trial in surgically resected pancreas cancer patients will be presented at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary. The detailed results will be published in the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery. HyperAcute(R) Pancreas is currently being evaluated in a multi-institution, randomized, Phase 3 clinical trial under a Special Protocol Assessment with the FDA.
"The primary endpoint of this study was to evaluate disease free survival and this was achieved with an observed twelve month DFS of 62% and median DFS of 14.1 months," commented the primary investigator Dr. Jeffrey M. Hardacre of the University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH and presenter of the study results. "In addition to successfully achieving the primary endpoint, we were particularly encouraged by both the favorable impact on overall survival and the anecdotal, yet provocative, observation that three patients who had relapsed after Algenpantucel-L treatment and were subsequently treated with a variety of second line therapies then obtained complete radiographic responses. Further, we are excited by the fact that all three of these patients' complete responses have been durable with none recurring over the 6 to 36 months since their observed complete remissions."
"It is gratifying to take another step forward in our mission to bring novel therapeutic alternatives like HyperAcute(R) Pancreas immunotherapy to pancreatic cancer patients, and we are looking forward to updating 2 and 3 year survival data from this study at the upcoming ASCO meeting," commented Dr. Nick Vahanian, Chief Medical Officer of NewLink Genetics. "We are eagerly focused on the progress of our ongoing Phase 3 study of this product candidate based on the positive Phase 2 data," he added.
Key data from the 69 patient Phase 2 Algenpantucel-L trial demonstrated:
The primary endpoint of the study, 12-month disease free survival (DFS), was 62%. The median DFS was 14.1 months. Subgroup analysis showed that patients receiving 300 million cells/dose had a 12-month DFS of 81%, while those receiving 100 million cells/dose had a 12-month DFS of 51% (p=0.02, Fisher's Exact). Prognostic criteria did not significantly differ between the two groups.
Overall 12-month survival was 86%. The predicted 12 month overall survival in our study was 55-63%. Subgroup analysis showed that patients receiving 300 million cells/dose had an overall 12-month survival of 96%, while those receiving 100 million cells/dose had an overall 12-month survival of 79% (p=0.053, Fisher's Exact).
The HyperAcute(R) Pancreas immunotherapy product candidate, also referred to as Algenpantucel-L, demonstrated good tolerability and a favorable safety profile with no grade four adverse events considered attributable to the immunotherapy. The predominant adverse events related to the immunotherapy were grade one or two injection site reactions, all treated with conservative local therapies.
Anecdotally, three patients with cancer recurrence after receiving algenpantucel-L obtained complete radiographic responses with the use of subsequent chemotherapy. As of May 16, 2012, all three patients remain in remission with no evidence of disease for periods ranging from six to 36 months.
About the Phase 2 Study
The multi-institutional, open-label, dose-finding, Phase 2 trial evaluated the use of Algenpantucel-L in addition to chemotherapy with chemoradiotherapy in the adjuvant setting for resected pancreatic cancer. Adjuvant therapy was to start within seven weeks after surgery. The first cycle of treatment consisted of vaccination with either 100 million or 300 million cells per dose given intradermally on days one and eight. One week after the second vaccination, gemcitabine was administered at 1000mg/m2/week for three weeks, on days one, eight, and 15, in conjunction with HyperAcute(R) immunotherapy dosed on days one and 15 of cycle two. Chemoradiotherapy was initiated one to two weeks after the completion of cycle two. Continuous infusion 5-FU was administered at 250 mg/m2/day for the entire duration of radiation therapy. HyperAcute(R) immunotherapy was administered on days one, 15, 29, and 43 of the chemoradiotherapy stage. A total of up to 14 vaccinations were dosed for patients who completed the entire study treatment.
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Scientists deploy genetics in search for bigfoot
LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists are turning to genetic testing to see if they can prove the existence of the elusive hairy humanoid known across the world as bigfoot, yeti and sasquatch. A joint project between Oxford University and Switzerland's Lausanne Museum of Zoology will examine organic remains that some say belong to the creature that has been spotted in remote areas for decades. "It's an ...
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Myriad Genetics to Present at Upcoming Investor Conferences in June
SALT LAKE CITY, May 22, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Myriad Genetics, Inc. (Nasdaq:MYGN - News) announced today that the Company is scheduled to present at two upcoming investor conferences:
Both presentations will be available to interested parties via webcast on the investor relations section of Myriad's website at http://www.myriad.com.
About Myriad Genetics
Myriad Genetics, Inc. is a leading molecular diagnostic company dedicated to making a difference in patients' lives through the discovery and commercialization of transformative tests to assess a person's risk of developing disease, guide treatment decisions and assess risk of disease progression and recurrence. Myriad's portfolio of nine molecular diagnostic tests are based on an understanding of the role genes play in human disease and were developed with a focus on improving an individual's decision making process for monitoring and treating disease. Myriad is working on strategic directives, including new product introductions, companion diagnostics, and international expansion, to take advantage of significant growth opportunities. For more information on how Myriad is making a difference, please visit the Company's website: http://www.myriad.com.
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Myriad Genetics to Present at Upcoming Investor Conferences in June
Biostem U.S., Corporation Adds Jeanne Ann Lumadue, MD, PhD, MBA to Its Scientific and Medical Board of Advisors
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Posted May 21, 2012
Noted Pathologist PhD in Human Genetics Added to Existing Member Expertise in Stem Cell Maternal Fetal Medicine and Stem Cell Cardiology
CLEARWATER, FL -- Biostem U.S., Corporation, (OTCQB: HAIR) (PINKSHEETS: HAIR) (Biostem, the Company), a fully reporting public company in the stem cell regenerative medicine sciences sector, today announced that Jeanne Ann Lumadue, MD, PhD, MBA, has been appointed to its Scientific and Medical Board of Advisors (SAMBA).
Dr. Lumadue currently is Medical Director at the Mount Nittany Physician Group Laboratory in State College, PA. She also serves as Medical Director of the Central Pennsylvania Blood Bank and is a member of the medical staff of the Mount Nittany Medical Center, all in State College.
Dr. Lumadue stated, "Biostem's international technology development and licensing approach is well planned. Stem cell regenerative medicine is a rapidly expanding field that has the potential to affect every human being in a positive way. I am delighted to be part of this highly promising company."
Biostem CEO Dwight Brunoehler said, "I am thrilled for the opportunity to work with Jeanne again. She is an innovative thinker, a tireless contributor, and a great team player."
Dr. Lumadue received her undergraduate degree magna cum laude from the Pennsylvania State University and her PhD in Genetics from Yale University. She received an MD degree from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, where she also did residency and fellowship training in anatomic and clinical pathology. She has served as Pathologist and Assistant Medical Director of Transfusion Medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Medical Director of Laboratory Hematology and Stem Cell Processing at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC, and the Medical Director of Transfusion Services and Stem Cell Processing at the Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia.
She is a member of the American Society of Hematology, the College of American Pathologists, the American Society of Clinical Pathologists and the AABB, for which she serves as a facility assessor.
About Biostem U.S., Corporation
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President Obama Speaks at ISAF Meeting on Afghanistan – Video
21-05-2012 13:58 President Obama speaks to leaders of the 50 nations that make up the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan before a meeting to discuss the next step in the transition of power there—setting a goal for Afghan forces to take the lead for combat operations across the country in 2013 -- next year -- so that ISAF can move to a supporting role. May 21, 2012.
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President Obama Speaks at ISAF Meeting on Afghanistan - Video
WakeMed and Rex Hospital reach settlement, ending public feud
Bill Roper, CEO of UNC Health Care, left, and Bill Atkinson, President and CEO of WakeMed, talk before a press conference announcing an agreement between WakeMed Hospital and UNC Health Care Tuesday, May 22, 2012 at the N.C. Legislative Building.
RALEIGH -- State lawmakers announced Tuesday a cease-fire between WakeMed Hospital and UNC Health Care, bringing to a civil end an unseemly public battle that had landed at the legislature with WakeMed trying to buy its cross-town rival Rex Hospital.
With the harmony comes an unexpected boon for Wake County: a $30 million, 28-bed psychiatric facility UNC will build and operate, easing some of the charity care burdens WakeMed has carried for decades. Left alone is Rex Hospital, a UNC subsidiary that WakeMed tried to buy to level the playing field with UNC.
The public and often invective spat between the states hospital system and Wake Countys largest hospital generated a $750 million hostile takeover bid, high-dollar lobbying efforts and legislative hearings in the last year. Earlier this month, the lawmakers called the leaders of the warring UNC Health Care and WakeMed to say enough is enough, setting in motion a series of private meetings to reach an accord. Both sides sent key experts to exhaustive meetings overseen by a legislative staff attorney to Sen. Tom Apodaca, R-Hendersonville. The leaders of UNC and WakeMed, however, were absent.
Sometimes leadership courage is about stepping back, WakeMed CEO Bill Atkinson said in an interview after the press conference. Everyone thinks you lead from the front, but sometimes, you need to get on the sidelines.
On Tuesday, Atkinson and UNC Health Care CEO Bill Roper stood near each other, smiling as state leaders offered their congratulations.
Lawmakers heralded the peace, saying both institutions brought quality and commitment to an ever fractured health care system.
(We) are celebrating the establishment of an expanded partnership that will positively affect patient care and the training of doctors in North Carolina for years to come, said Apodaca. We believe these two great institutions have more things in common than differences.
WakeMeds complaints
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WakeMed and Rex Hospital reach settlement, ending public feud
Panelists: Health Care Law’s Innovations Taking Hold Despite Supreme Court Case
Despite uncertainty about the coming U.S. Supreme Court decision on its constitutionality, the 2010 health care law already has triggered a long-term transformation in the way U.S. health care is delivered and paid for, a panel of specialists said on Tuesday.
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Panelists: Health Care Law’s Innovations Taking Hold Despite Supreme Court Case
Health care careers still best bet for job security
When Neenah resident Robin Holte left behind a 25-year career in interior design to return to college and become a registered nurse, job security was the furthest thought on her mind.
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Small business shuns health care tax credit
A health care tax credit meant to help small businesses has been called too weak and confusing. A recent report by the Government Accountability Office concurs.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- A tax credit meant to help millions of small businesses afford health coverage for their employees was claimed by only 170,300 last year, a government watchdog has found.
The Government Accountability Office report, made public this week, is the latest to highlight the shortcomings of the tax credit, which has been criticized for being too weak and complex.
The report noted that only a fraction of those eligible have used the assistance. Between 1.4 million and 4 million small businesses were eligible for the tax credit, according to GAO.
The tax credit, enacted as part of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, is aimed at defraying the high cost of health coverage. It is available to companies that have 25 or fewer workers, pay average salaries of $50,000 or less and cover at least half of employee health insurance premiums.
Many small employers have told CNNMoney that they found the tax credit program to be too confusing -- and often too costly -- to be worth the accounting endeavor.
So many small firms are forgoing the extra cash that $20 billion dollars meant to go to small businesses over the next decade won't be distributed, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
The GAO report noted the credit "was not large enough to incentivize employers to begin offering insurance." According to the report, the average credit was $2,700.
Worse still, company owners were deterred from making claims because of the confusing way the credit is calculated. The formula includes odd features, such as counting some workers as 1/15th of an employee and reducing federal help if a firm insures more workers.
The GAO suggested that the Internal Revenue Service revise its procedures and take a softer approach with companies that make mistakes on credit applications.
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