Supervisors approve $35 million deal with Caribbean medical school

Posted on by

BY KELLIE SCHMITT Californian staff writer kschmitt@bakersfield.com Tuesday, May 29 2012 03:26 PM

Kern County supervisors unanimously approved a unique proposal to give Ross University in the Caribbean the vast majority of Kern Medical Center's student rotation slots in exchange for $35 million over 10 years.

"This provides KMC and Ross the ability to enhance their program offerings," said Supervisor Ray Watson. "In the long term, this will be good for the health of Kern County. I think it's a step forward both financially and in terms of the education we can provide."

The new arrangement will give Ross, which is located on the island of Dominica, about 100 medical school rotations. Medical students typically spend their first two years focusing on academics and their last two rotating through hospitals to learn clinical expertise under close supervision.

They are different from the residents at KMC, who study a specialty there after graduating from medical school.

While California-based medical schools have affiliations with nearby hospitals that allow free student rotations, Caribbean schools often pay to allow their students to train in the United States.

It's tough for offshore schools like Ross to secure rotations in U.S. hospitals, especially in California, the home of nearly 18 percent of its students. That's why officials were willing to dole out $35 million, the highest amount the school has ever offered a hospital for rotations, officials said.

"We thought we could provide something good for U.S. students and the community," said Ross Dean Joseph Flaherty.

While Caribbean schools have a reputation for attracting students who can't get in to U.S. schools, KMC CEO Paul Hensler said Ross' test scores and students are highly competitive; there just aren't enough medical school slots nationwide.

And, since there likely won't be a medical school in the Central Valley anytime soon, a close affiliation with a top Caribbean school is a good option for funneling physicians into Kern County, Hensler said.

See more here:
Supervisors approve $35 million deal with Caribbean medical school

Dr. John P. Naughton, UB medical school dean

Posted on by

May 20, 1933May 21, 2012

Dr. John P. Naughton, the longest-serving dean in the history of the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, died Monday in his Cheektowaga home.

The internationally known cardiologist, who served as dean for 21 years and was UBs vice president for clinical affairs for the last 12 of those years, was 79.

A native of Nanticoke, Pa., he graduated from St. Louis University and earned his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine.

Dr. Naughton never forgot the lessons he learned while observing a family doctor in a small Oklahoma town during a rotation in medical school.

He tried to create a medical school that would train students to provide the kind of patient- centered care he saw there, said his longtime colleague, Dr. Thomas C. Rosenthal, chairman of UBs department of family medicine.

Dr. Naughton joined the UB faculty in 1975 as dean and professor of medicine, according to a biography provided by the university.

He previously had served as professor of medicine and dean for academic affairs at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Dr. Naughton was considered an expert in the field of exercise and physical activity and in the prevention of coronary heart disease.

He developed the Naughton Treadmill Protocol, the first protocol used for exercise stress tests.

See original here:
Dr. John P. Naughton, UB medical school dean

Medical legend present to see his grandson graduate med school

Posted on by

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Among the graduation ceremonies this weekend was a special one. Two-hundred and sixteen students received their degrees in medicine from UT Health Medical School. And one famous Houstonian was there to see his grandson follow in his footsteps and become a doctor -- legendary heart surgeon Dr. Denton Cooley.

They are the grandsons of Dr. Cooley, one of the most famous heart surgeons in history, and Peter Kaldis and Charlie Fraser are medical students at UT Health Medical School.

"He's brilliant, he's very witty and he's very fun to be around," said Fraser.

Kaldis remembered how his grandfather's name would often come up in class.

"The surgeon would ask for the 'my scissors' and they'd go in and do a story about these scissors. These are called 'my scissors' because Dr. Cooley would ask for 'my scissors' and he designed these not knowing that I was his grandson," said Kaldis.

And when other med students would find out who they were.

"Most of them say it's pretty cool," said Fraser.

"I remember being little and looking in the Guinness Book of World Records and seeing there's my grandfather's name!" said granddaughter Laura Fraser.

Of the five Cooley children and 16 grandchildren, nine are in the medical field. His daughter, Dr. Weezie Davis, is an ophthalmologist and Peter's mother.

"I'd love to watch him operate, although I would get a little faint and I'd have to sit down from time to time. But he encouraged me, if he hadn't encouraged me to go to medical school I probably wouldn't had enough courage to do it," said Dr. Davis.

More:
Medical legend present to see his grandson graduate med school

UMass Medical School official eligible to receive $1,000 a day pension

Posted on by

BOSTON -

A Team 5 investigation found that Thomas D. Manning, deputy chancellor of Commonwealth Medicine, will be eligible for the states highest pension when he leaves his position June 30.

Manning works at a nonprofit consulting operation at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) that employees 1,800 people and has been hired by more than 20 states.

Manning is currently one of the states highest-paid employees with a base salary of $433,500.

Last year he earned a $130,050 bonus and received a $43,350 boost to his retirement plan.

The school also reimbursed him $25,396.56 for the cost of leasing a 2009 Chevrolet Impala and $2,160 for an annual membership to the Worcester Club for entertainment purposes.

Its a compensation package worth more than $634,456.

The compensation is so far out of whack with anything else, with any other set of values that you see in state government that it just really jumps out at you, said Kevin Preston, state director of the National Association of Government Employees.

Its four times what Gov. Deval Patrick makes and double what Michael Trotsky, the man in charge of managing Massachusetts $41.3 billion pension fund earns.

The school has reduced its staff by 107 people in the last three years.

Original post:
UMass Medical School official eligible to receive $1,000 a day pension

Are medical schools squashing creativity? Part 2: Lighten up on mandates, and take advantage of the informal curriculum

Posted on by

A few weeks ago, I wrote about creativity. With its emphasis onrequirements and contrived benchmarks of success, medical school admissions might inadvertently be selecting for those who are skilled at jumping through hoops and weeding out more independent thinkers. I received comments from people who were so inspired that they wanted to discuss ideas about reforming the curriculum. Creativity is missing; how are we going to fix this? It was the epitome of irony to me: attempting to standardize the exact thing that refers to thinking outside standardization.

In this post, I hope to address my thinking about the subject in a bit more detail. I believe excessive curriculum mandates are a well-meaning but counterproductive approach to solving what we are aiming to solve.

The temptation to improve education through mandates is not new. Every few years, medical administrators, politicians, or some other Powers That Be decide an important quality that all doctors should have is not being taught, and that it must be standardized into medical education. Focus was first on mastery of the hard sciences, then turned to increased emphasis on compassion and communication. The latest has been a turn to the medical humanities, with endeavors such as visiting art museums and engaging in poetry-writing sessions becoming increasingly widespread. At the end of 2011, 69 of 133 accredited medical schools in the US required a course in the medical humanities.

Medicine is holistic a blend of science and art which those inclined to suggest reform rightly realize involves far more than repairing the human body when it malfunctions. The medical humanities, as a field of study, is invaluable. The question is: should it be required?

Fourth-year medical student Rhys Davies has reservations: Asking students to compare the role of literature in sickness between Broyard and Mantel is pointless unless they want to get something out of it, he writes. In fact, he says, its because he cares so much about the medical humanities (he is completing a thesis in it) that he opposes its obligatory presence in the curriculum. The setup is bad for everyone. Those not interested are miserable, and those who are have a mediocre experience tainted by the heel-dragging of their peers. As Davies puts it, Anything compulsory is duly attended but interest is notably absent.

That is not to say there is no worth in a well-rounded curriculum. There is value in exposing students to diverse ideas and activities, perhaps sparking new passions that never would have been discovered otherwise. There is something to be said for making students do things considered good for them. Mandate nothing, and people might not learn enough. Some need that extra push. They might gripe along the way, but then say after, Im really glad I did that.

But place too much emphasis on curriculum, and the downside is exacerbating a culture of excessive busywork at the expense of some of the most meaningful ways of learning. The knee-jerk desire to reform curriculum whenever a desirable skillset is identified is based on a particular assumption: that every skill is best learned through the medium of coursework. Unfortunately, that assumption just isnt true.

There is a wonderful ethics professor here at Harvard, Dr. Edward Hundert, who has written a lot about the informal curriculum of medical school. A significant transmission of culture happens outside classes, hospital rounds, and the like, he says, over meals or during carpool rides from remote clinical sites. From focus groups with students, he found that the vast majority of the situations the students described as most influential were conversations with no faculty present. He concluded: I have discovered just how little a role the formal ethics curriculum plays in the moral and professional development of our students and residents. We succumb to the mistake of emphasizing teaching, when what we really ought to focus on is learning.

That can occur in many ways. Dr. Faith T. Fitzgerald, former dean of students at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, understands this well. She boldlychallenged a request from politicians that more humanities coursework be added to the medical curriculum, explaining:[I was concerned that] the addition of required courses in literature, drama, sociology, music, and art might actually limit students opportunities to read, go to the theater, be with friends and family, and attend a symphony or museum. Even if they would not have done these things, she continued, the additional coursework would cut down on contemplative time, volunteerism in free clinics, hobbies, and sleep.

Requirements come withan inherent trade-off. With the medical part of medical school demanding enough, free time is a commodity. Soak up our time with mandates aimed to make us well-rounded people, and we have less time to actually do the things, outside the narrow confines of a formalized curriculum, that make us well-rounded people.

See the rest here:
Are medical schools squashing creativity? Part 2: Lighten up on mandates, and take advantage of the informal curriculum

KMC proposes $35 million deal with Caribbean medical school

Posted on by

In an unusual arrangement that was described as benefiting both institutions, a for-profit Caribbean medical school has offered Kern Medical Center $35 million over 10 years for nearly exclusive rights to have its students rotate through the county facility.

For the financially struggling country hospital, the money would help improve its medical student program and overall academic mission, said CEO Paul Hensler.

The students, most of whom will be U.S. born, will come from Ross University, located on the Caribbean island of Dominica. Only 29 miles wide and 16 miles long, Dominica lies at the top of the Windward Islands in the West Indies.

The move benefits Ross by securing coveted medical school rotation spots in California, a region that has not offered as many opportunities for offshore schools.

The arrangement needs the approval of the Kern County Board of Supervisors, which will consider the matter on Tuesday. It may raise questions because Caribbean schools have a reputation for attracting Americans who can't get into U.S. medical schools.

Medical students typically spend their first two years on basic science coursework and the last two years in clinical rotations. U.S. schools often have affiliated hospitals where students can do those rotations, without having to pay additional costs.

Most Caribbean schools have no nearby associated hospitals, so they must seek out U.S. teaching hospitals willing to host their students.

KMC already receives about $750,000 per year from a variety of Caribbean schools in exchange for hosting about 100 rotation slots for med students. They also get a handful of students from UCLA, which, like other American medical schools, does not pay for the opportunity.

Medical students observe and participate in clinical care under the supervision of a faculty member or resident. Residents, on the other hand, already are licensed doctors, and are in the process of training in a particular speciality, such as family medicine.

If the KMC proposal is approved, Ross will be given priority for those slots. UCLA students will still be allowed to come, as well as students from other offshore schools with Kern County connections.

Originally posted here:
KMC proposes $35 million deal with Caribbean medical school

Aghababian leads Mass. Medical Society

Posted on by

Dr. Richard V. Aghababian, a Southboro resident and the founding chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, has been elected president of the Massachusetts Medical Society.

Dr. Aghababian has a long record of distinguished service with the state medical society. He served as president-elect and vice president, respectively, for the last two years, and was secretary-treasurer for two years before that. He has also been a member of its District Leadership Council and House of Delegates and was a member of the committees on Finance, Nominations, Physician Preparedness, Global Medicine and Medical Education.

He served as chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School from 1994-2007. A Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians, he is still active in education in disaster response and international development of emergency medical systems.

Dr. Aghababian has also held a number of key leadership posts in local and national groups. He has served as president of the Worcester District Medical Society, the Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Emergency Physicians and the Society for Airway Management. He is the secretary-treasurer of the Society for Chest Pain Centers, a national group that helps hospitals improve management of cardiac patients in an observation setting.

An editor-in-chief, associate editor, and contributing author for several textbooks and a widely-published author and lecturer on topics in emergency medicine, disaster response and preparedness, Dr. Aghababian has received honors and awards for his contributions to medicine and the community from the American Red Cross, the Worcester District Medical Society, Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians and the University of Massachusetts. In 2007, he was a recipient of the Annual Health Care Heroes Award from the Worcester Business Journal.

Harrington HealthCare System is one of the top performers in the state for vaccinating employees against influenza, according to the state Department of Public Health.

The health care system, which includes Harrington Hospital, Harrington HealthCare at Hubbard in Webster and Harrington HealthCare at Charlton, vaccinated 90.4 percent of its employees this flu season, according to state records. That puts it in the top 20 acute care hospitals in the state.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health challenged all acute care hospitals in Massachusetts to improve their rate of vaccination for the 2011-2012 flu season. Harringtons vaccination rate improved almost 40 percent this year, to 90.4 percent, compared to 65.2 percent last year.

The Couples Project for Women offers free treatment for women with prescription and other drug problems who are either married or live with a male partner. This is 13 weeks of one-on-one outpatient therapy to help people achieve and maintain sobriety. Some women and their male partners will also receive couples counseling to help improve their relationship and to build support for recovery. This study is conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School and AdCare Hospital. For more information, call AdCare Hospital of Worcester at (800) 345-3552, ext. 4043.

UMass Memorial Health Cares Ronald McDonald Care Mobile provides medical and dental services to people without health or dental insurance. The Care Mobile will be providing services on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Worcester Department of Public Health at 25 Meade St. in Worcester. For more information or to make an appointment, call (508) 334-6073. People who need medical or dental insurance can call (508) 334-9300.

Link:
Aghababian leads Mass. Medical Society

10 Medical Schools That Lead to the Most Debt

Posted on by

The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College and The Short List: Grad School to find data that matters to you in your college or grad school search.

As the congressional debate over student loan interest rates heats up, prospective medical students should pay close attention to a less publicized aspect of the legislation: Starting July 1, graduate students will lose access to federally subsidized Stafford loans.

The change means new medical students will be responsible for paying for interest that accrues on Stafford loans as they work toward their degrees. The interest could add up to a significant chunk of change considering the already hefty debt burden of most medical school graduates.

[Learn how to go to medical school for free.]

Among the 112 medical schools reporting average indebtedness data to U.S. News in an annual survey, 2010 graduates averaged $145,020 in debt. The average debt burden jumps to nearly $204,000 at the schools where students shoulder the heaviest debt burden.

Medical students graduating from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine average $229,132 in debt at graduation--more than any other medical school in the country, among those providing data to U.S. News. The average debt load exceeds $200,000 for M.D.'s graduating from Temple University in Philadelphia or George Washington University in Washington, D.C., among other schools.

[Grad students: Read about options to manage student loan debt.]

Future physicians and surgeons aiming to limit their medical school debt should research scholarship, grant, and fellowship opportunities at their prospective schools. They should also consider the price tag of public versus private schools.

Of the 10 schools where students average the most debt, 9 are private schools. Overall, graduates of private medical schools average nearly $155,000 in debt, compared to just more than $138,000 that average graduates accrue at public medical schools.

Below is a list of the 10 medical schools that averaged the most debt for the 2010 graduating class. U.S. News defines debt in its survey as loans taken out by students from the colleges themselves, from financial institutions, and from federal, state, and local governments.

Originally posted here:
10 Medical Schools That Lead to the Most Debt

Once unknown Blacksburg medical school celebrates its 10th anniversary, success

Posted on by

BLACKSBURG, Va.

The Osteopathic Medical School in Blacksburg now has two campuses and a record number of graduates, and some of them are about to head to a small town near you.

Your future doctor could be in a Blacksburg classroom, but it won't be without some blood, sweat, and tears.

"At first I came in really excited. I'm still very excited but it has been overwhelming. They told me it was like drinking out of a fire hose and it really is," student Jazma Phelps said.

The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, or VCOM for short, was the 20th. It's located in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center and it was founded a decade ago.

"Ten years ago, some people in the state of Virginia said what is osteopathic medicine? And now they realize it's the full practice of medicine," said Dixie Tooke-Rawlins, the school's executive vice president.

Osteopathic physicians can choose any specialty, prescribe drugs, perform surgeries, and practice medicine anywhere in the United States.

The school in Blacksburg is about to graduate its 933rd physician, and VCOM has had one main mission since day one.

"Our mission is to recruit from and train in and hopefully come back to southwest Virginia and Western North Carolina," said Jan Wilcox, the school's vice dean.

The school's first graduating class is just completing their residencies.

Original post:
Once unknown Blacksburg medical school celebrates its 10th anniversary, success

Chelmsford group helps support medical care program

Posted on by

Tuan Win graduated from Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire last year and hes hoping to move on to medical school. A native of Vietnam, Win came to the United States in 2000, wracked with polio and facing an uncertain future. He joined hundreds of other children from Southeast Asia who have come to America over the years, courtesy of Child Medical Connection.

Changing the lives of hundreds of Vietnamese children has been a decade-and-a-half obsession for Joe Bodanza, who has volunteered his own time and resources to support children with serious medical needs for treatment at Shriners Hospital in Springfield.

Binders and folders occupy Bodanzas bookshelves, each holding photos of Vietnamese kids once distorted by polio, warped by scoliosis, or covered with burns and tumors, all kids supported by his self-made organization, Child Medical Connection. Thanks to financial assistance from donors, including Chelmsford resident Roland Van Liew and the Van Liew Family Foundation, the agency continues to enhance lives.

At age 7 Bodanza contracted polio and so understands the diseases hardships. With no family of his own, Bodanza surrounds himself with his Vietnamese children who refer to him as Mr. Joe.

I want no money. What I have, I share with my kids. I sleep in a chair, I have coffee, thats all I need, said Bodanza. My needs are very simple. People come first. Those who dont have, come first.

It all started after Bodanza retired from the state Department of Education at age 58, and he ran a small business with his partner, a Vietnamese man, creating restaurant placemats. They traveled to Vietnam twice in 1995 where Bodanza witnessed the cultural negligence of children with disabilities. According to Bodanza, in Vietnam the handicapped are considered cursed and often shunned from society.

People in Vietnam avoid a person who is handicapped and theyre considered a bad luck person People believe bad luck is contagious so they avoid the family, the child and all the people in the house as bad luck people, said Bodanza.

Bodanza retuned with a personal mission: To bring home a youngster, Phuc (Peter) Nguyen, for polio treatment. Nguyens one-year treatment for his severe spinal curvature was $500,000.

I knew nothing, said Bodanza about the challenging process of bringing Nguyen overseas. I had more rejections for people coming here than you would believe. Kids with polio coming here were rejected.

Word spread of Bodanzas work in Vietnamese communities and on his second trip back more than 100 people appeared at his hotel room. Maxing out his credit cards, depleting his retirement income and a small $1,600 monthly state pension, Bodanza was going into debt bringing the children to America for treatment. After being advised to incorporate his work as charity, Bodanza founded the nonprofit Child Medical Connection, with the help of a pro bono lawyer. The move enabled him to receive more donations. He made three trips back to Vietnam between 1996 and 1997.

More here:
Chelmsford group helps support medical care program

University of Miami medical school shakes up leadership

Posted on by

University of Miami Health System layoffs

University of Miami President Donna E. Shalala talks about layoffs at the University of Miami Health System, including the medical school. Shalala spoke to the Miami Herald Tuesday, May 8, 2012.

Chuck Fadely / Miami Herald Staff

The top ranks of the University of Miamis medical school continue to be shaken up as part of the massive restructuring that includes laying off of up to 800 full-time employees.

The latest change: Steven Lipshultz, the longtime chair of pediatrics, one of the largest departments in the school, will be stepping down from his leadership roles, Dean Pascal Goldschmidt announced in a memo to staff.

Four other top leaders have also lost their posts as the school seeks to make major changes in its finances, which show losses of $18 million for the first 10 months of its fiscal year.

Lipshultz is being replaced temporarily by Judy Schaechter, the associate chair of pediatrics. Ira Karmin, interim chair of obstetrics and gynecology, will oversee pediatrics from the new position of associate dean for womens and childrens health.

Goldschmidt thanked Lipshultz for his service and said the pediatric cardiologist will continue to work at UM, but the dean added in his staff memo: At this moment in our schools history, we need particularly strong leaders leaders who can drive innovation, deal with challenges and recognize that our world needs to change.

It is about leaders who bring solutions, who engage the faculty in dialogue, and who think differently about how we do the things we do. Judy and Ira are such leaders. We are grateful for their willingness to step up and take on critical new responsibilities.

Steve Green, former head of the faculty senate, said Lipshultz was extremely well regarded nationally both as a clinician and as a researcher and he recently received excellent reviews from his faculty.

Read the rest here:
University of Miami medical school shakes up leadership

Stewartsville resident leaves corporate sector for medical school

Posted on by

When Gianna Casini, 36, graduates from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, she will have her most staunch supporter at her side her 4-year-old daughter, Domenica. The Stewartsville resident came to medicine through a more circuitous route. Following her graduation from Marist College with a B.A. in Communications, Gianna spent five years in the telecom sector and earned her Masters Certificate in Project Management from Stevens Institute of Technology in 2001. But, for Gianna, the corporate world held no match for a career in which she could work in direct service of others. As a volunteer in the endoscopy unit at St. Peters University Hospital, Gianna solidified her interest in studying medicine, completed her post-baccalaureate course work at Rutgers University, and enrolled in UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in 2008 when Domenica was just 6-months-old.

Juggling medical school and motherhood is no easy task, and Gianna achieves her goal on May 23 with the help of a formidable network, including her husband and parents. This support has enabled her to be entirely focused and dedicated to her numerous hours of studying, clerkship responsibilities and extracurricular commitments.

With their support, Gianna was able to receive the honor of being elected to the Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS), being recognized as an exemplar of compassionate patient care, empathy, altruism and outstanding interpersonal interactions with peers, house staff, faculty, staff and members of the community. In addition to her excellent performance in the classroom and in her clerkships, Gianna has earned recognition for her research in multiple sclerosis. She was awarded Best Abstract in the radiology/imaging category by the American Medical Association (AMA) for its medical student research symposium, and was selected to give a podium presentation of her research at the AMA Medical Student Section interim meeting in San Diego, CA in 2010. She was also selected by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) to present her poster at the AANs 2010 annual meeting in Toronto, Canada.

After her transitional year at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Pennsylvania, Gianna will be returning to Robert Wood Johnson for her Anesthesia Residency in 2013.

More:
Stewartsville resident leaves corporate sector for medical school

80 to graduate today from SIU Medical School

Posted on by

Springfields Southern Illinois University School of Medicine has no Nobel Prize winners on its faculty, and its research budget is small compared with larger and older medical schools.

Those conventional measures of prestige, however, overlook a quality that puts SIU close to the top nationwide in fulfilling the social mission of medical education, according to Dr. Fitzhugh Mullan, who will speak today at the schools commencement exercises at Sangamon Auditorium.

Theyve done a fabulous job in delivering on that to the population, to the citizenry, in terms of training excellent physicians for their geographic area, said Mullan, a pediatrician from Washington, D.C.

Mullans 2010 study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, ranked SIU 15th out of 140 medical schools, and ahead of all others in Illinois, when it comes to social mission.

The study measured performance on what Mullan defined as the basic purpose of medical schools: to educate physicians to care for the national population.

The rankings were based on the percentage of graduates who enter primary care specialties, those working in rural or other areas with shortages of health professionals, and those who are African-American, Hispanic or American Indian.

Mullan, 69, received his medical degree from the University of Chicago and worked early in his career at a New Mexico community clinic as part of the National Health Service Corps.

He currently is professor of medicine and health policy at George Washington University School of Medicine.

Mullan said medical schools such as SIU, as well as Morehouse College, Meharry Medical College and Howard University the top three finishers, respectively, in the study often dont receive the attention they deserve from publications such as U.S. News and World Report.

He is working on a follow-up study that will explain in detail why six of the top-performing schools, including SIU, did so well.

See more here:
80 to graduate today from SIU Medical School

U.S. Senator addresses UPike medical school graduates

Posted on by

One well-known U.S. senator and Kentucky native came to the mountains to speak to medical school graduates. Some might say he could relate more to these students as he has not always been involved solely in politics.

Sen. Rand Paul (R) had uplifting words for the University of Pikevilles School of Osteopathic Medicine graduates.

Paul encouraged the young doctors to overcome the obstacles of becoming a physician, such as caring too little, too much and even challenging the norm when necessary.

Don't let them tell you it can't be done, think outside the box, said Paul. Be your own man, or your own woman.

This was the senators first commencement speech and he said it was special to speak to medical school graduates as he is a doctor.

I still remember those young, heady days when I was first becoming a physician and what they have to look forward to and what the community has to look forward to having these young doctors in their region of the mountains, said Paul.

Paul said this was a new experience and he admitted he was nervous.

I was a bit nervous, even though I have now given thousands of speeches, said Paul. Particularly, because this is a little bit different than the red meat and potatoes of politics.

Paul said the speech was more about his experiences in medicine and what the graduates should expect and how they choose their path.

This is the first class to graduate since the college became a university. UPIKE President Paul Patton says his speech hit home.

Excerpt from:
U.S. Senator addresses UPike medical school graduates

Pending budget cuts could force closure of LSU Medical School

Posted on by

LSU Health budget cuts

Shreveport's largest employer is being faced with staggering cuts to its operational budget that would cripple the LSU Health Shreveport Medical School.

"State funding would be reduced to a point that we couldn't operate anymore," says Sally Croom, spokesperson for LSU Health Shreveport.

Croom says if the state's proposed $25 million budget cuts pass the senate, the medical school and hospital would eventually collapse.

"Hundreds of thousands of people depend on this institution for health care," says Croom.

People like Aaron Selber, who not only serves on the LSU Foundation Board but also visits the hospital as a patient.

"I'm older. I know I'm gonna get sick and I'd like to be treated by a competent medical staff," Selber says.

Selber says the Med School produces about 70 % of the doctors who practice in Louisiana.

He says the closure of the school would send shock waves throughout the community.

"This represents a tremendous potential step backwards," he says.

See the original post:
Pending budget cuts could force closure of LSU Medical School

Southborough doctor to head Massachusetts Medical Society

Posted on by

Dr. Richard V. Aghababian, a Southborough resident and the founding chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, was elected president of the Massachusetts Medical Society this morning, according to a society press release.

Dr. Aghababian has a long record of distinguished service with the state medical society, the release states, serving as president-elect and vice president in the last two years.

Aghababian chaired the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School from 1994 to 2007, the society said.

A Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians, he is still active in education in disaster response and international development of emergency medical systems, it said.

Aghababian has also served as president of the Worcester District Medical Society, the Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Emergency Physicians and the Society for Airway Management, the release says. He now serves as the secretary-treasurer of the Society for Chest Pain Centers, a national group that helps hospitals improve management of cardiac patients in an observation setting.

An editor-in-chief, associate editor and contributing author for several textbooks and a widely-published author and lecturer on topics in emergency medicine, disaster response and preparedness, Dr. Aghababian has received honors and awards for his contributions to medicine and the community from the American Red Cross, the Worcester District Medical Society, Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians and the University of Massachusetts the society wrote. In 2007, he was a recipient of the Annual Health Care Heroes Award from the Worcester Business Journal.

Link:
Southborough doctor to head Massachusetts Medical Society

UB picks architect for medical school

Posted on by

The University at Buffalo has chosen an architectural firm to design its new $375 million medical school at Main and High streets.

The well-known, international firm HOK Helmuth, Obata & Kassabaum was selected to lead the building design over the next 13 months in preparation for the groundbreaking in fall 2013, UB announced.

Part of the process includes exhibiting four design concepts for public feedback.

"You don't get many opportunities to do a project of this size and scope on Main Street," said Robert G. Shibley, dean of the UB School of Architecture and Planning. "It's just a tremendous opportunity for downtown, Allentown and the entire neighborhood."

UB plans to move its School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences from the South Campus on Main to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus by 2016.

Nineteen architectural teams were pared down to four finalists that were asked to compete for the UB contract by designing a concept for the new medical school.

UB anticipates building a 12-, nine- or seven-story medical school with more than a half-million square feet of space.

The architectural competition was a chance to consider possibilities for a building on a site with some complex urban-design challenges: adding green space, walkways and an extension of Allen Street; incorporating the Allen-Medical Campus Metro Station; blending with Allentown and several historic buildings nearby; and serving as a signature "front door" for the Medical Campus along Main.

"We will not build any of the four designs," Shibley said. "This process was never intended to produce a winning design, but to reveal how the architects were thinking about and approaching the project."

The four design concepts will be on display for public input in the Greatbatch Pavilion of the Darwin Martin House, 125 Jewett Parkway, through next Thursday and then in the Central Library on Lafayette Square through June 8.

See the rest here:
UB picks architect for medical school

Public Hospital-Based School of Diagnostic Medical Imaging Graduates 20th Class

Posted on by

Newswise In her native Iran, Sepanta Shamel saw patients every day as a pediatrician. When she came to America four years ago, she wanted a new career that was just as rewarding. She started anew by attending the Harris County Hospital District School of Diagnostic Medical Imaging and is about to embark on her second career as a sonographer.

She, along with 56 others, recently graduated from the public hospital-based school, marking its 20th graduating class. The school was created in 1993 to supply the Harris County Hospital District with an available pool of diagnostic medical imaging professionals.

The unique program offers students the valuable opportunity to train using leading-edge technology, and to learn from expert physicians affiliated with The University of Texas Medical School (UTHealth) at Houston and Baylor College of Medicine.

While this was Shamels first time to graduate from the school, it was fellow graduate Anh Dangs second time. Dang graduated from the schools radiography program two years ago and with the encouragement of the schools staff, continued her education and graduated from the sonography program.

Donning black caps and gowns, graduates listened to remarks by Cleveland Black, PhD, administrative director, Education, Harris County Hospital District and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who delivered the commencement address, just as she did at the schools first commencement almost two decades ago.

Today is a special day for you and your family members. I am grateful we live in a nation that has given you all the opportunity to pursue interests such as this. Today, we celebrate your accomplishments, Jackson Lee said.

During the schools 22-year history, it has added new programs. Today, it has four: diagnostic medical radiography, diagnostic medical sonography, computerized topography (CT) graduate fellowship and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) graduate fellowship.

After successfully completing the programs, graduates are prepared to work in various medical settings like hospital, clinic or private practice. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the diagnostic medical imaging field has a growth rate of 20 percent or better through 2020, and is considered one of the most in demand.

To date, 413 students have graduated from the Harris County Hospital District School of Diagnostic Medical Imaging. While many find employment with the Harris County Hospital District ultimate the goal of the school others find employment in the other institutions of the Texas Medical Center, the worlds largest complex with healthcare institutions, research and schools, located in Houston.

Read the rest here:
Public Hospital-Based School of Diagnostic Medical Imaging Graduates 20th Class

Dartmouth Medical School named for Dr. Seuss and wife

Posted on by

By Chelsea Conaboy, Globe Staff

Dartmouth College announced this morning that its medical school will be renamed the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth in honor of the beloved illustrator and author Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, and his wife, Audrey.

Ted Geisel was a graduate of the class of 1925, and the family has given more money to the college during Geisels lifetime and since his death in 1991 than any other philanthropist, according to a Dartmouth press release.

Naming our school of medicine in honor of Audrey and Ted Geisel is a tribute to two individuals whose work continues to change the world for the better, Dartmouth President Jim Yong Kim said in the release. Ted Geisel lived out the Dartmouth ethos of thinking differently and creatively to illuminate the worlds challenges and the opportunities for understanding and surmounting them. . . Audrey and Ted Geisel have cared deeply for this institution, and we are enormously proud to announce this lasting partnership.

Geisel created such classic books as Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the Hat. The release includes this story about the beginnings of the Seuss legacy:

It was at Dartmouth that Ted Geisel discovered the excitement of marrying words to pictures, he said in a 1975 interview with the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. I began to get it through my skull that words and pictures were Yin and Yang. I began thinking that words and pictures, married, might possibly produce a progeny more interesting than either parent.

As a student, he wrote for and eventually became the editor-in-chief of Dartmouths humor magazine, The Jack-O-Lantern. On April 11 of his senior year, Geisel organized a party for the The Jack-O-Lantern staff to celebrate the spectacular success that the humor magazine enjoyed during his tenure as editor. Geisel and companys revelry was not well received by the dean, and Geisel was told to resign from all extracurricular activities at Dartmouth, including the college humor magazine.

In order to continue work on The Jack-O-Lantern without the administrations knowledge, Geisel began signing his work for the first time with the pen name Seuss.

Follow this link:
Dartmouth Medical School named for Dr. Seuss and wife