Fake student prompts medical school review

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Auckland University's medical school is carefully reviewing its practices after a man pretended to be a medical student for two years.

The student failed to gain entry into the medical school in 2010 but has since attended classes and taken part in a number of school activities, including the study of human cadavers.

He was detected when a group assignment with his name on it was submitted which didn't match any name on the class list.

Professor John Fraser says the school has no evidence the students interacted with any patients, but they were still concerned he was able to pretend he was a student for two years.

"Obviously there are areas, particularly in the medical programme, where we do need to tighten up our procedures on entry and access," he told a media conference.

"This student went to some considerable length to hide the fact that he wasn't eligible, and although we are very, very concerned that he was able to get away with that, I would like to tell the public that our university operates on the highest possible standards."

Associate Professor Warwick Begg said the school's hospital partners had all been in touch trying to see if the fake student had any contact with patients.

"As far as we know we have not been able to find any evidence to date that he did interact with a patient."

Prof Fraser said the fake student's family weren't aware of his scam.

He said the fake student was in some distress, and they were concerned for his wellbeing.

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Fake student prompts medical school review

Lupus Research Institute awards $1 million to University of Massachusetts Medical School faculty

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Public release date: 16-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jim Fessenden james.fessenden@umassmed.edu 508-856-2000 University of Massachusetts Medical School

WORCESTER, MA The Lupus Research Institute (LRI) has named University of Massachusetts Medical School Professor of Medicine Ann Marshak-Rothstein, MD, one of two recipients of the first LRI Distinguished Innovator Awards. Created to provide outstanding scientists with support to conduct novel research into the fundamental causes of lupus, the $1 million Distinguished Innovator Award was established to address the current lack of treatments for lupus and aims to provide new directions toward a cure or prevention.

"Support from the LRI will enable us to extend our analysis of the cell components recognized by toll-like receptors in mice models to toll-like receptor activation in human cell populations, and allow us to identify those patients most likely to respond to therapies directed at blocking specific toll-like receptors," said Dr. Marshak-Rothstein.

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a chronic and often disabling autoimmune disease in which the human immune system becomes hyperactive and attacks normal, health tissues. As a result, no two cases of lupus are alike. Symptoms may affect many different body systems, including joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart, and lungs. Some people develop kidney problems, for example, while others suffer from premature heart disease, strokes or lung inflammation. There is no known cause or cure for lupus and no new treatments have been approved for the disease in 50 years, and the treatments currently available can often be toxic and more damaging than the disease itself. Estimates indicate that more than 1.5 million Americans have lupus.

Marshak-Rothstein's research group was the first to propose that toll-like receptors (TLR) a class of proteins that play a key role in the innate immune system could have a primary role in lupus by turning on the immune system to attack the body. Because TLR proteins are essential in fighting any infection, how the body loses control over their activity is a fundamental question in immunology. Finding the causes of lupus, the prototype for autoimmune disease research, could have broad implications across a wide range of illnesses affecting millions. Recent studies found that one TLR, TLR7, has a harmful role, while another, TLR9, has the opposite effect helping to protect against lupus.

Building on this work, Marshak-Rothstein is developing a highly innovative experimental approach to pinpoint which specific TLR is mainly to blame for causing lupus in humans. This experimental approach also promises to reveal new targets for therapies that could prevent or arrest lupus.

"Members of the toll-like receptor gene family have been clearly implicated in the development of systemic autoimmune diseases such as lupus," said Marshak-Rothstein. "These studies will further provide a high throughput system for testing TLR-based inhibitors and thereby identify appropriate TLR-based therapeutic targets."

The LRI received applications for the Distinguished Innovator Awards the first privately funded $1 million grants for lupus research from many of the world's most renowned scientists as well as rising young investigators with great promise for contributing their talent to uncovering the causes of lupus. Rigorous peer-review was conducted by a team of LRI's scientific advisors and 12 of the world's leading lupus experts.

"We were enormously impressed by the quality of the submissions," noted world-leading immunologist Dr. William Paul, LRI Scientific Advisory Board Chairman and National Academy of Sciences member. "With these Distinguished Innovator Awards and existing annual Novel Research Grants, the LRI continues to pursue a strategy of funding the most innovative and novel research that has had unprecedented success in driving new answers in a complex disease state. Their work over the past decade has provided the basis for this transformative research initiative to look for the fundamental causes of lupus that can drive to a cure and the means to prevent lupus."

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Lupus Research Institute awards $1 million to University of Massachusetts Medical School faculty

UMass Medical School Building Earns LEED Silver

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Tuesday, October 16, 2012, 10:49am

The Ambulatory Care Center (ACC) at the University of Massachusetts Medical School's Worcester campus has earned LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, the first building in the school's history to achieve such status.

The ACC opened in June 2010, and after a detailed review of the building's design, construction and operational data, the Green Building Certification Institute verified the LEED Silver certification on Sept. 20. Built by the Medical School in collaboration with its clinical partner the UMass Memorial Medical Center, the 253,000-square-foot ACC is home to a mix of patient-care, clinical research and educational activities.

"We are pleased to have earned this important certification for the new building," said Terence R. Flotte, MD, the Celia and Isaac Haidak Professor in Medicine, executive deputy chancellor, provost, dean of the School of Medicine and professor of pediatrics and microbiology & physiological systems at UMass Medical School. "It is only fitting that facilities like the Ambulatory Care Center, that are designed to improve human health are respectful of the health of our environment."

LEED stands for "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design" and is a third-party certification system created by the USGBC for "green building" construction and renovation projects. It's regarded as the premier certification program for sustainable construction in the country.

To meet the high standards required for LEED Silver certification, numerous sustainable features were integrated into the ACC. For example, the building's design and orientation helps prevent solar heat gain, thereby lowering the need for mechanical cooling. The building has a white roof to diminish the "heat island effect" and reflect rather than absorb heat; a tight exterior building envelope with tinted, reflective, and insulated glass; and an east-west building orientation to minimize the number of south-facing windows.

Water use in the ACC is approximately 30-percent less than a conventional building because of automatic low-flow/low-flush plumbing fixtures. Electricity consumption is reduced by sophisticated controls for heating, cooling and lighting. A special "commissioning agent" was brought in to oversee the design and installation of the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems to insure they were the most efficient possible given the use of the building, and are functioning as expected.

Payette of Boston was the architect for the ACC; Consigli Construction of Milford was the construction manager and general contractor.

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Fake student investigated by university

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The dean of Auckland University's medical school says he's extremely concerned a person managed to pretend to be a medical student for two years.

The student failed to gain entry into the medical school in 2010 but had since allegedly attended classes and was able to deceive classmates and teachers by not submitting assessments or sitting tests.

He was detected when an assignment was submitted which didn't match any name on the class list, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences dean Professor John Fraser said.

The university was taking the incident seriously, Prof Fraser said.

"This type of behaviour is extremely unusual and this is the first such instance in the 43-year history of the medical school," he said.

"As well as undertaking reviews of the processes which allow enrolled students access to medical programmes, the University will assist in any investigations by any statutory agency."

Prof Fraser said the fake student hadn't been given any confidential or restricted training material and hadn't ever examined any patients or received confidential patient information.

However, the student was alleged to have dissected bodies donated for medical research, 3 News reported.

Prof Fraser said it was inappropriate to comment further given the fake student's actions "and the likelihood of a police investigation".

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Fake student investigated by university

Trespass notice issued to fake medical student

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By Tom McRae

The University of Auckland medical school still can't rule out a man posing as a student didn't have direct contact with patients.

An investigation is underway and the man has been issued with a trespass notice after he went to great lengths to pose as a medical student for two years.

Watched closely by security, students today filed into their 8am lecture. Many are shocked at the deception by someone they thought was a fellow student.

[Theyre] not surprisingly very upset and hurt, and [there is] some degree of anger, says Medical and Health Sciences dean Professor John Fraser.

The imposter studied biomedical science in 2010 but failed to get into medical school. So for two years he faked it, continuing to attend classes.

He doesn't give a good explanation, says head of the universitys medical programme Dr Warwick Bagg. What we need to understand with this individual is he's in great distress. His family is in great distress and we're quite concerned for his wellbeing.

The man took part in dissecting dead bodies, and as a third-year student he was eligible to attend hospital site visits and interact with patients one-on-one.

Our investigations to date show that he has not had interaction with patients on the wards, says Dr Bagg.

But a student who wanted to remain anonymous says he did have access to confidential patient information while at the hospital. The class is also concerned he was able to carry out medical procedures on other students.

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Trespass notice issued to fake medical student

Health tax increase a ‘yes or no’ vote on medical school, UT says

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Raising the stakes on a proposed property tax increase, the University of Texas has declared that its approval next month by Travis County voters is essential for establishing a medical school in Austin.

For us, this is a yes or no proposition, said Steven Leslie, UTs executive vice president and provost, in a memo to faculty and staff members that was obtained by the American-Statesman. Without a complete and reliable source of new funding, we will not be able to start a medical school.

Taxpayers in other Texas communities have helped finance medical schools and teaching hospitals through various means, but the proposal by Central Health, Travis Countys hospital district, differs in two important ways.

One, voters must first approve a 63 percent increase in their property taxes for health care, going from 7.89 cents to 12.9 cents per $100 of assessed value. No other medical school in Texas has hinged on raising local property taxes.

Two, a specific amount of the estimated $54 million a year in new tax revenue $35 million would be permanently earmarked for services provided to needy patients by the medical schools faculty and residents, who are physicians in training.

The tax is the final piece of a plan that has been under discussion for several years but that has not coalesced until recent months.

Building and operating the medical school for the first 12 years would cost $4.1 billion, according to UT-Austins cost estimates. The UT System Board of Regents has committed at least $25 million a year in endowment proceeds, plus $5 million a year for eight years to buy equipment. The nonprofit Seton Healthcare Family, which already spends $45 million to sponsor an academic education program, has tentatively committed $250 million to build a new teaching hospital to replace University Medical Center Brackenridge, which Central Health owns and Seton operates.

If Proposition 1 passes, the average Travis County homeowner would pay an extra $107.40 in 2014, for an average health care tax bill of $276.79. That prospect has aroused opposition from those who say UT should pay the full cost of its medical school.

Saying you have to pay a property tax for us to build a medical school is unprecedented in Texas history, said Don Zimmerman, campaign treasurer of the Travis County Taxpayers Union political action committee, which formed to fight the ballot proposition.

But proponents and others say it reflects changing financial and political realities.

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Health tax increase a ‘yes or no’ vote on medical school, UT says

Medical schools lead decline in applications to universities

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The number of students applying to study medicine at the country's universities plunged 14.2% for the 2011-2012 academic year from a year earlier, leading a trend of falling university enrollments, according to figures from the Higher Education Council.

Statistics released Wednesday said the number of people applying for places at the universities dropped 2.5% for the current year, while there was a 1.1% drop in the number who were accepted.

The drop in medical school applicants was so large that for the first time in years, the rate of acceptance was not the lowest among all areas of study. That honor went to architecture programs, where the rate of acceptance was 25%, versus 27.5% for medical school.

The higher rate of acceptance for medicine partly reflects the opening of a new medical school in Safed, the council said. But the major factor was that only 1,600 people applied for places, compared with 1,865 last year. Of those, 440 were admitted, down from 455 last year.

But Eran Leitersdorf, dean of the Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Medicine and chairman of the medical faculty deans' forums, said the council's figures didn't reflect actual interest in medical studies. Medical programs used a weighted index of matriculation (bagrut ) and psychometric exam scores to consider applicants, and fewer potential applicants meet the standard to apply, he said.

Other academic programs also suffered declining demand. For social work, the number of applicants dropped 15.5% for the current academic year from 2010-2011. About 55% of all applicants to social worker programs at the universities were accepted, the council said.

Both declines, which were the sharpest among academic programs, appear to have been linked to labor disputes occurring at the time applicants were considering programs.

According to an analysis conducted by TheMarker, the number of students in bachelor's programs at academic colleges soared from 2008 to 2011, while university enrollments held steady and even declined at the biggest institutions.

The decline in university applications was nearly across the board, the exceptions being electrical and electronics engineering (which was unchanged ), and computer science (which rose 2% ). For those programs, the acceptance rate in bachelor's programs was 53% and 54%, respectively.

Applications for humanities programs were unchanged at 1,980, with three-quarters of all applicants getting accepted, the council said. Accounting programs saw applications drop 7% and economics programs fell by 3.3%. Psychology applications were off 2% from last year. Only one out of every 1.6 applicants gets into a psychology program and only one out of every 1.7 gets into accounting or economics.

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Medical schools lead decline in applications to universities

University investigates fake medical student

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The University of Auckland is investigating how a man who was denied a place at its medical school was able to attend classes.

The man is alleged to have dissected cadavers, donated for medical research, among other assignments.

A medical school spokesman said the man participated in the second and third year of the six-year medical course.

Over the two-year period he evaded lecturers by not putting his name to anything, he said. An anonymous person reportedly emailed 3News claiming the student was to work in a hospital environment as a third-year student.

That would allow him to work with patients and confidential information, the person said.

The university is believed to have issued a trespass notice against the man.

Dean of the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences Professor John Fraser said, in a statement, the university was "extremely concerned to discover that a person who applied for entry into the medical programme in 2010 and was unsuccessful has since been attending classes".

"Because of the size of the medical class, and by not submitting assessments or sitting tests, the individual was able to deceive classmates and teachers.

"Ultimately the presence of this person was detected when an assignment was submitted that did not match any name on the class list.

"This individual is not a student and is not on any class list. This person has not been given any confidential or restricted training material, and has not, to our knowledge, ever been able to examine any patients or received confidential patient information."

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Ground broken for WMU medical school

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KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) - A groundbreaking ceremony occurred Friday morning for the new Western Michigan University medical school.

The school has been granted preliminary accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the national accrediting body for educational programs leading to the MD degree.

"This is an important step because we now have the go-ahead to recruit students for our first class to begin in August 2014," Dr. Hal B. Jenson, MD, MBA, told the ceremony's crowd.

The medical school is a collaboration involving WMU and Kalamazoo's two teaching hospitals -- Borgess Health and Bronson Healthcare. It has been in planning since 2008.

In December 2011, William U. Parfet, chairman and CEO of MPI Research in Mattawan, donated the 320,000 square-foot building to WMU to be used by the new medical school.

In March 2011, WMU received a gift of $100 million for the medical school from anonymous donors.

The seven-story building at 300 Portage St. in Kalamazoo is located at the heart of the new W.E. Upjohn Campus. A $68 million renovation and expansion project is scheduled to be completed by May 2014, with 30,000 more square feet to be added to the building.

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WMU School of Medicine building stat sheet (pdf)

WMU School of Medicine future floor plans (pdf)

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Ground broken for WMU medical school

10 things medical schools won’t tell you

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By Jonnelle Marte

How a spoonful of bullying, plus a heaping pile of debt, helps turn students into doctors.

By the time most medical school students are assisting in hospitals shadowing the doctors they aspire to someday become many are well-accustomed to being pushed around, yelled at, or called derogatory names.Such incidents arent new, but with the med student population only growing (admissions are up 17% since 2002, with schools working to address a projected shortage of 90,000 doctors by 2020), cracking down on the problem has becoming a matter of increasing urgency. Especially in cases of more severe abuse: A survey conducted this year by the Association of American Medical Colleges, or AAMC, 33% of students said they were publicly humiliated at least once during medical school, 15% said they were the object of sexist remarks and 9% said they were required to run errands for doctors.

And a study released this year by the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA found that despite several efforts by the school to hold bullying awareness workshops for third-year students (who bear the brunt of the mistreatment, because thats when they begin working in hospitals with medical residents and doctors) and to warn residents and teachers about the consequences of such actions, the abuse has persisted, with more than half of students surveyed between 1996 and 2008 reporting some form of mistreatment. Part of the problem, says Joyce Fried, assistant dean at the school of medicine, is that even though the school takes steps, such as waiting until after grades are awarded before launching investigations, to prevent retaliation toward students who come forward, many are still afraid to do so.

What should you look for in picking a primary-care doctor? The industry expects some movement among patients and doctors due to full implementation of the federal health overhaul. Anna Mathews has details on Lunch Break. Photo: Getty Images.

For its part, the AAMC is trying to keep an eye out for abuse: When students finally graduate from medical school, the AAMC typically sends them a questionnaire, which it recently updated to ask more specific questions about bullying. Additionally, president Darrell Kirch posted a letter to the AAMC website in September expressing concern that exposure to bullying could negatively impact a doctors future interactions with patients.

Student advocates say they also worry that such treatment often squelches a students desire to enter the field or worse yet instills a sense of fear among young doctors that could prevent them from challenging colleagues when errors are made or from trying new approaches to improve care. Theyre overworked and treated unkindly by people who are supposed to be teaching them, says Diane Pinakiewicz, president of the National Patient Safety Foundation, adding that those doctors often go on to mistreat other students when they begin to teach. Were trying to break the cycle.

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Cook Medical’s Zilver® PTX® Trial Shows Sustained Patency after Three Years

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LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Three-year data from the Zilver PTX Randomized Controlled Trial of Paclitaxel-Eluting Stents for Femoropopliteal Disease from Cook Medical demonstrate 70.7 percent primary patency in the superficial femoral artery (SFA) at 36 months for patients treated with the paclitaxel-eluting stent. This compares to 49.1 percent patency for patients with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and provisional bare metal stent placement in the 479-patient study.

In addition, the paclitaxel coating was shown to reduce the restenosis rate by 53 percent in a head-to-head comparison of provisional paclitaxel-eluting versus bare metal stent placement.

Michael Dake, M.D., professor in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stanford University Medical School and medical director of the Cath/Angio Laboratories at Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, California, presented the study findings yesterday at the Vascular InterVentional Advances (VIVA) 2012 conference in Las Vegas, Nev.

These data, from the largest clinical study ever conducted on peripheral stenting, clearly show a sustained drug effect for paclitaxel-eluting stents versus bare metal stents after three years, said Rob Lyles, vice president and global leader of Cook Medicals Peripheral Intervention clinical division. We are proud to have pioneered this important technology.

Zilver PTX is neither approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration nor available for sale in the United States. Dr. Dake, the global principal investigator for the Zilver PTX trial, is a paid consultant to Cook Medical regarding the research and development of medical devices.

About Cook Medical

A global pioneer in medical breakthroughs, Cook Medical is committed to creating effective solutions that benefit millions of patients worldwide. Today, we combine medical devices, drugs, biologic grafts and cell therapies across more than 16,000 products serving more than 40 medical specialties. Founded in 1963 by a visionary who put patient needs and ethical business practices first, Cook is a family-owned company that has created more than 10,000 jobs worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.cookmedical.com. Follow Cook Medical on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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Cook Medical’s Zilver® PTX® Trial Shows Sustained Patency after Three Years

Medical School dean to retire next year

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Alzheimer's expert Steven T. DeKosky will continue hospital work, research post-retirement By Audrey Waldrop | Oct 11

University Medical School Dean Steven T. DeKosky announced last week he will step down July 31 after five years at the helm of central Virginias primary medical facility. DeKosky, who has gained international attention for his work on Alzheimers disease, will continue to treat patients and conduct research as a faculty member.

An ex officio member of the Board of Visitors Medical Center Operating Board, DeKosky defended the Medical Schools ability to attract research funding at last months Board meeting. He explained to the Board that funding sources such as the National Institutes of Health had channeled resources into later-stage research as opposed to the kind of basic research the Medical School specializes in.

Roughly 56 percent of the Medical Schools operating budget comes from grants, contracts and recoveries from facilities and administrative costs. The remainder is divided between endowment payoffs, donations, tuition and state funds.

DeKoskys discussion of the Medical Schools financial viability followed University President Teresa Sullivans presentation of the then-recently released U.S. News & World Report college rankings in which the Universitys lowest scoring category, at 53, was financial resources. Medical Center Operating Board Committee Chair Edward Miller was not available to comment.

Sullivan praised DeKoskys accomplishments during his time as dean.

Steve oversaw significant growth in our medical student class and transformation of our curriculum, Sullivan said in a University press release. He maintained research funding during a time of significant decreases in funding nationally, and increased the clinical capacity and access.

DeKosky has expressed interest in opening the Medical School to more clinical research in line with the National Institutes of Healths funding priorities. I hope we continue to move forward as an academic medical center across our mission of education, research and clinical care over the next nine months and beyond, DeKosky said in a press release.

John Simon, the Universitys executive vice president and provost, is expected to appoint an interim dean from within the Medical School to succeed DeKosky at the end of July. He will lead an international search to select the next permanent dean.

Simon said in an email Thursday he and his team will look for someone with strong leadership and the ability to partner with the health system leadership and work with the various constituencies in the school to further implement the strategic plan.

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Underprivileged residents receive medical attention, school supplies

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by Michael Vincent D. Cajulao

ZAMBOANGA CITY Hundreds of residents of Tumalutap Island received medical assistance and school supplies last October 7, during a civic-action outreach program initiated by Task Force Zamboanga (TFZ).

The program was also done in collaboration with Department of Health IX, Zamboanga City government, national line agencies, non-government organizations, and the Joint Special Operation Task Force Philippines.

Colonel Buenaventura Pascual, Task Force Zamboanga chief, said in an activity report that the main objective of the activity is to uphold and promote humanitarian services in areas classified as economically unstable in terms of income generation and capability to pay medical services.

A total of 246 individuals benefitted from the medical checkup and consultation, 70 of whom also availed of the free tooth extraction.

The group also distributed 355 ball pens and pencils and 355 pieces of notebooks for the school children, 150 pairs of new slippers, 130 pieces of toys for the kids, and two bundles of assorted used clothing.

Pascual also turned over boxes of medicines to Brgy. Chairperson Carsoma A. Abunawas for distribution to the residents.

The activity is part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP), which seeks to forge partnership with the residents in maintaining peace and security and help spur development in their area.

Pascual, in a previous interview with PIA, said part of IPSPs strategies are community outreach missions, aid in looking for livelihood opportunities for those in depressed and conflict areas, and implement paradigm shift on the thinking of soldiers.

We are trying to inculcate in the minds of our soldiers that gone are the days when we are only visible during war. We are here also as partners of the communities by delivering basic services and help them look for livelihood opportunities to help them alleviate their living condition. We want our soldiers to also be sensitive to the needs of the communities, Pascual said.

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Underprivileged residents receive medical attention, school supplies

Supporters of tax increase for medical school in Austin raising far more money than opponents

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Foes of a tax increase for a proposed medical school, teaching hospital and other health-related projects in Austin are far behind supporters in raising money to get their message out to Travis County voters.

Political action committee reports filed this week show that the Travis County Taxpayers Union PAC has raised just $2,343 to fight Proposition 1 the property tax increase proposed by Central Health for the Nov. 6 ballot compared with $293,088 from supporters of the Keep Austin Healthy PAC.

Medical school supporters, led by state Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, have backing from a variety of groups, including businesses, physicians and Democratic Party organizations. One of the largest donors to the PAC was Watsons campaign committee, which donated $36,725, most of it for polling data.

A broad cross section of the community is supporting this, said Clarke Heidrick, a member of the Central Health board. He added that he donated $1,000 to pro-Proposition 1 campaign, which will show up on a future PAC report. His law firm, Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody donated $5,000 during the five-week fundraising period that ended Sept. 27.

Central Health is asking voters to raise the tax rate from 7.89 cents per $100 of assessed value to 12.9 cents, a 63 percent rate increase. The increase would bring in an estimated $54 million and cost the average Travis County homeowner an additional $107.40 in 2014, for a total average tax bill of $276.79 for health services.

Don Zimmerman, treasurer of the anti-Proposition 1 campaign, said he was disappointed in his groups showing, even though he knew fundraising would be tough.

I was hoping to have least $5,000 and we didnt even make half that, said Zimmerman, a former Republican candidate for state and county offices.

He loaned the campaign $1,000, which is not counted as a donation. Zimmerman also paid his company, ZimWin Communications, $1,000 to distribute about 50 campaign signs against the tax.

Keep Austin Healthy reported spending $84,619 on advertising, yard signs and contract labor.

Other large donations came from the Real Estate Council of Austin, which gave $50,000; the Downtown Austin Alliance and Luminex Corp., which gave $25,000 each; and Wells Fargo Bank, BuildASign LLC and Daniel Graham (owner of BuildASign), which gave $10,000 apiece.

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Supporters of tax increase for medical school in Austin raising far more money than opponents

Our View: Community needs to show support for Central Michigan University Medical School in Saginaw

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The following is the view of The Saginaw News Editorial Board on the plans for Central Michigan University's medical school campus in Saginaw.

Central Michigan Universitys medical school presence in Saginaw is no longer a pipe dream.

With more than $16 million raised in the $25 million campaign for two Saginaw locations, CMU officials say the pieces are in place to start construction next fall and have students here in 2014.

The partnerships with Covenant HealthCare and St. Marys of Michigan, along with affiliations with 17 hospitals throughout Mid-Michigan, can only mean good things for the future of healthcare in the area.

CMU medical students will spend the last two years of medical schooling locally, practicing at our facilities. Not only will we help train the future doctors of America, but school officials expect many of them will make this region their home and continue to offer quality health care to local residents. The school will also provide an opportunity for Michigan residents to attend medical school in their home state officials say preference will be given to Michigan applicants.

CMU officials were in town last week to update business leaders on the project and allay fears that it wouldnt happen.

The project didnt have the most stellar start when CMUs former president Michael Rao left the university less than a year after it was announced and the medical schools first choice for dean resigned the position.

We believe there has been so doubt that this was going to become a reality, said Kathleen Wilbur, CMUs vice president of development and external affairs, during a meeting with The Saginaw News Editorial Board It is more than reality at this point.

And with drawings of the two Saginaw buildings in hand, accreditation underway and more than half the money raised for the campaign, the momentum is building. It is time now for the community to throw all we have into this and make it happen.

With about $10 million left in the fundraising goal, wed love to see governments in the entire region work with CMU to secure grant funding and private donors step up to the plate to bring in the money.

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Our View: Community needs to show support for Central Michigan University Medical School in Saginaw

Programs pay off medical school debt

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In Colorado, there is a serious need for primary care doctors both in rural areas and in Colorado Springs. The National Health Service Corps and the Colorado Health Service Corps are trying to address the need through loan forgiveness grants to medical school students.

The National Health Service Corps granted more than $12 million in student loan forgiveness during 2011 in Colorado and contracted with 240 primary care providers to erase medical school debt and get more doctors in rural areas. The CHSC gave more than $2.5 million to nearly 80 primary care doctors.

So far this year, NHSC granted $2.8 million in loan repayment funding to graduating doctors in the state. In exchange, the new doctors agree to work at community health centers like Peak Vista Community Health Centers, serving an underinsured and indigent population.

The Health Service Corps has been incredibly successful in helping us attract health care professionals to Community Health Centers, said Tanah Wagenseller, health center workforce manager for Colorado Community Health Network. Its helping students who want to make a difference find a job where they can do that every day.

The National Health Service Corps was created 40 years ago to provide rural areas with essential health services, and receives bipartisan support from Congress. The federal government doubled the program in 2009, after recognizing the upcoming shortage of primary care physicians.

The Colorado Health Service Corps offers providers more flexibility and is administered through the Department of Public Health and Environment with funding from the Colorado Health Foundation, the U.S. Health Resources and Services administration, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the state of Colorado, the Colorado Trust and the Comprecare Foundation.

Despite the programs success, there is still a stark need for new primary care doctors. Colorado has 3,200 licensed primary care physicians, and many are nearing retirement age, while an increasing percentage of medical students are choosing other specialties. Some 85 percent of the state is deemed a professional health shortage area.

At the same time, safety net sites that provide health care expect increased demand as aresult of health care reform. One in 10 people in Colorado depend on a community health center for primary care. That number is expected to grow dramatically when health reform is fully implemented in 2014, expanding access to care to about 540,000 residents.

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Programs pay off medical school debt

Western Michigan University to break ground on medical school renovations Friday

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In December, Mattawan-based MPI Research donated a 330,000 square-foot facility at 300 Portage St. to the university.

WMU named the facility the W.E. Upjohn Campus in June, honoring the founder of the Upjohn Co. and the great grandfather of MPI's chairman and CEO William U. Parfet.The facility, widely known as Building 267, was once part of the Upjohn, Pharmacia and Pfizer downtown campuses.

A public ceremony is set for 11 a.m. at the building at 300 Portage St. Officials will unveil renderings and reveal details about the project, which is being built and renovated by engineering firm S/L/A/M Collaborative.

WMU will lease the building to the School of Medicine, which is a private 501 (c)(3) nonprofit corporation and a collaboration involving Kalamazoo's two teaching hospitals, Borgess Health and Bronson Healthcare. The medical school is expected to welcome its first class in fall 2014.

Over the past year, employees and staff at Michigan State Universitys Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies merged with the School of Medicine. The WMU Board of Trustees approved the university borrowing up to $30 million to renovate, furnish and equip the facility, which the university expects will cost $68 million.

WMU received a $100-million gift designated for the medical school from an anonymous donor in 2011.

In July, Western Michigan University School of Medicine Clinics earned approval from the Joint Commission for complying with national standards for health care quality and safety as a primary care medical provider and was also granted "candidate school status" this summer by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.

The school now hopes to achieve preliminary accreditation, which allows the medical school to begin recruiting students by the end of the year. The university plans to have the new school fully accredited before it graduates students, who would begin classes in 2014 and graduate in 2018.

Visit MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette later this week for an update on the WMed's curriculum and progress from founding dean Dr. Hal Jenson and for coverage of Friday's groundbreaking.

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Western Michigan University to break ground on medical school renovations Friday

Ex-Massey CEO funds Marshall medical scholarships

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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- The former CEO of Massey Energy has given Marshall University's medical school $300,000 to fund scholarships over three years.

Don Blankenship gave the money to the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine in memory of his late mother, Nancy Marie McCoy, according to a Marshall news release. The school received the first $100,000 last month.

"The demographics of Southern West Virginia mean that there will be a continuing and increasing need for high quality local doctors," Blankenship said in the release. "I am fortunate to be able to contribute in a small way toward fulfilling this need, while at the same time honoring my mother's memory, helping my alma mater, and helping these gifted students to achieve their dreams of becoming doctors."

"We are grateful to Mr. Blankenship for his support of the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and specifically his commitment to helping our students," said Linda Holmes, Marshall's director of development and alumni affairs. "His generous gift will go a long way in assisting our students achieve their dreams."

Don Blankenship gave the money to the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine in memory of his late mother, Nancy Marie McCoy, according to a Marshall news release. The school received the first $100,000 last month.

"The demographics of Southern West Virginia mean that there will be a continuing and increasing need for high quality local doctors," Blankenship said in the release. "I am fortunate to be able to contribute in a small way toward fulfilling this need, while at the same time honoring my mother's memory, helping my alma mater, and helping these gifted students to achieve their dreams of becoming doctors."

"We are grateful to Mr. Blankenship for his support of the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and specifically his commitment to helping our students," said Linda Holmes, Marshall's director of development and alumni affairs. "His generous gift will go a long way in assisting our students achieve their dreams."

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Ex-Massey CEO funds Marshall medical scholarships

Singaporean doctor shares his UK motorsport medical experience

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Dr Andy Lim (in red) attending to a driver after a crashBeing on the medical team in motorsports is not something that everyone is familiar with. The two medical specialties that directly provide an applicable skill set are anaesthesia and emergency medicine; however there are roles for various medical specialties of different levels. It is important to get involved early, from a junior doctor level, and volunteer to be on the medical team to gain more experience, as the pre-hospital environment at the track is a lot different from what doctors face in the hospital.

Coming home for the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix every year, UK-based Singaporean anaesthetic Dr Andy Lim has been a medical doctor at circuits in the UK for the last 25 years. Currently one of the FIV doctors at the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, Dr Lim, 50, is listed as one of the contributors for the FIA medical handbook. When he is back in Singapore in September, he spares time to give a lecture to the Singapore GP medical team about dealing with high speed trauma and his other experiences.

Sent to boarding school in 1975 at the age of 13, Dr Lim went to medical school in UK after that. Returning to complete National Service in Singapore, he went back to UK for his first graduate medical training and settled there permanently after that.

Dr Lim dedicates a significant amount of his weekends to volunteer as a medical officer at motor racing events. To get a better understanding of his role in motorsports, Dr Lim shared more about his experiences with me when he was here for the Singapore Grand Prix last month.

Q: What made you want to get involved in motorsports on the medical side? A: I've always liked cars and there is a family history of motor racing. My uncle was an Indonesian karter in the sixties and he unfortunately got killed in practice one day. I have a passion for cars and I learnt to service my own cars. I also watch a lot of motorsports but I didn't do any motorsports until after I qualified as a doctor, when I tried one of those track days with car clubs. I've always wanted to involve motorsports in my life and I knew I was not good enough to be a driver. With my profession, the easiest way for me was to be on the medical side.

Q: How did you go about getting involved then? A: Some consultants at the hospital I work at used to be chief medical officers at the RAC British Rally so they pointed me in the right direction. It was in 1993 when I met up with the chief medical officer of Castle Combe, a local racing track. That was the year I launched my official motorsports medicine career. In 1994 I started going to Silverstone. As volunteers, we are not tied to particular circuits but we are just like the marshals, and can apply to circuits or race organisers to be part of their team.

Q: Why do you like being involved in motorsports? A: I like motorsports and I enjoy teaching. I conduct training on ad hoc basis and I take the young doctors and train them on the job. It's fulfilling to see them start out as medical students and then I work alongside them until they become consultants in their careers.

Q: Describe your journey. A: For the last 25 years, I've been a doctor at Castle Combe, Brands Hatch and now Silverstone. I have been doing the British Grand Prix as a doctor for the last 23 years. I started out standing on the banks with the marshals, where I was assigned a sector to cover. The Clerk-of-Course works out the most dangerous points and places the doctors where crashes are most likely to happen. I stood in the banks for 10 years before progressing to the start-finish line then to the pit-lane and now to one of the FIV vehicles.

Q: How much time do you dedicate to motorsports? A: At my peak, I was spending about 15 weekends a year at the tracks. Now I do about six race meetings a year.

Q: What are some interesting anecdotes? A: Once, I was driving the medical car (a 4WD estate car fully loaded with medical kit) and it was raining very hard. I was going into this 90-degree right-hander off-camber, with excessive loading on the inside and the car slipped. When it rains, a lot of oil and dirt comes up, making the track greasy. I wasn't scared and I was taught very well by professional instructors so I just reacted accordingly.

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Singaporean doctor shares his UK motorsport medical experience

LSU budget slashing could work in our favor, medical school officials tell students

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Plans to shift many LSU residency programs to private hospitals will result in a better ratio of patients per resident, medical school officials told students Tuesday. (Photo by Times-Picayune archive)

LSU medical school officials told students and faculty Tuesday night that changes to resident training under way as part of the budget slashing at the state's public hospital system will eventually make the programs more attractive to prospective residents. At a "town hall" meeting at the medical school in New Orleans, Dr. Larry Hollier, chancellor of the LSU Health Sciences Center, said the shrinking of the public hospitals in recent years has led to residents having too few hospitalized patients to treat under the supervision of attending physicians.

But plans to shift many residency programs to private hospitals will result in a better ratio of patients per resident, he said. Hollier said that even before the most recent cuts, which were announced last week, the number of patients in the public hospitals had shrunk to unacceptably low levels. "The only reason that residents still got such good training is because of the work of the faculty," he said.

Hollier said when he was a resident at Charity Hospital, there were 1,500 beds available, but the number of beds hadshrunk to 550 before Hurricane Katrina. With the latest budget cuts, there will be 150 beds at the Interim LSU Public Hospital, better known as University Hospital, whichtook over providing care for the indigent in New Orleans afterthe closure of Charity Hospital following the storm.

The popularity of Louisiana's programs to train new doctors is considered critically important, as many physicians choose to stay in the state where they complete their residencies.

The most recent cuts to LSU's seven hospitals in south Louisiana were the result of a reduction in the federal Medicaid dollars sent to the state. Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration directed a large share of the cuts at the LSU hospitals, which state officials said would provide an opportunity to remake the system that has traditionally provided the health care safety net for the uninsured.

Dr. Frank Opelka, the newly appointed head of the LSU health system, said he and Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Bruce Greenstein are working on agreements with private hospitals to take over some services that have been reduced or eliminated.

But legislators who learned the details of the $152 million cut last weekhave questioned whether the reductions will result in the most vulnerable uninsured patients going without necessary medical care as hospital beds disappear and some LSU clinics close or limit hours. State officials have provided few details about what the partnerships with private hospitals will look like, saying those plans are largely still in the works.

Hollier said about half of the patients treated by the LSU hospitals and clinics are covered by Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance. As residency programs move to private hospitals, doctors in the LSU-run clinics will have better availability for insured patients needing surgery or other hospital-based care, he said.

Some in the audience asked whether the uninsured would be left out as a result of the budget cuts and more residencies moving to private facilities. "I feel like we are abandoning our population," said one woman, who identified herself as a second-year medical student.

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LSU budget slashing could work in our favor, medical school officials tell students