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Spatial proximity plays important role in chromosome translocation

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Danzig

Public release date: 16-Feb-2012
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Contact: Jim Fessenden
james.fessenden@umassmed.edu
508-856-2000
University of Massachusetts Medical School

WORCESTER, Mass. -- It is well understood that chromosomal translocation ? a process whereby pieces of two chromosomes break off and exchange places ? is a hallmark of many cancers including leukemia, thyroid cancer and lymphoma and play an important part in how healthy cells become cancerous. The role spatial proximity plays in why certain chromosomal translocations happen repeatedly, however, has been a long-standing area of debate among scientists.

A new study published online in the journal Cell by lead authors Job Dekker, PhD, co-director of the Program in Systems Biology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) and Frederick Alt, PhD, director of the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Children's Hospital Boston, offers the first conclusive evidence that the three dimensional structure of the chromosome strongly influences patterns of chromosome rearrangements and translocations. This finding sheds light on fundamental processes related to cancer and our understanding of cancer genomics.

"Understanding how chromosome translocations happen is important if we want to understand the evolution of cancer genomes," said Rachel Patton McCord, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at UMMS and co-first author of the study. "If certain individuals have changes in their chromosome structure it might indicate an increased risk for translocations that give rise to cancer. And, after precancerous changes have taken place in the genome of the cell, corresponding rearrangements in the 3D genome may dictate which translocations happen as cancer progresses."

In order to measure how all the sequences in the genome are organized relative to one another, McCord used a molecular technology developed in 2009 by Dekker called Hi-C to generate a three-dimensional model of a pro-B cell (white blood cell) from a mouse. At the same time, a high-throughput genome-wide translocation sequencing (HTGTS) technique developed by Dr. Alt's lab was used to map "hot spots" in the genome where chromosome breaks and translocations are more likely to occur. By combining the 3D model of the genome, the first for a mouse, with the sites of translocations in these cells, researchers were able to explore the role spatial proximity plays in the reassembly of these chromosome breaks.

What they observed is that for random, widespread, low-frequency DNA breaks, such as might occur after exposure to too much sun or chemotherapy, spatial proximity plays a dominant role in determining where in the genome these pieces of chromosome get reattached. Simply stated, the closer the breaks were to each other, the more likely they were to be incorrectly attached to a neighboring chromosome. Dekker and colleagues also observed that chromosome breaks were also more likely to be translocated along the whole chromosome where they resided, adding further evidence that spatial organization is a determining factor in chromosome translocations.

"We see the same chromosome rearrangements happening over and over again in certain cancers, but determining the role of spatial proximity in this process has been a hard question to answer," said Dekker, also professor of biochemistry & molecular pharmacology and molecular medicine at UMMS. "By generating a 3D model of the entire genome and mapping translocations from targeted chromosome breaks we can finally start to answer this question."

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About the University of Massachusetts Medical School The University of Massachusetts Medical School, one of the fastest growing academic health centers in the country, has built a reputation as a world-class research institution, consistently producing noteworthy advances in clinical and basic research. The Medical School attracts more than $277 million in research funding annually, 80 percent of which comes from federal funding sources. The mission of the Medical School is to advance the health and well-being of the people of the commonwealth and the world through pioneering education, research, public service and health care delivery with its clinical partner, UMass Memorial Health Care. For more information, visit http://www.umassmed.edu.

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Spatial proximity plays important role in chromosome translocation

Medical Academy Charter School earns Catasauqua Area School Board approval

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Danzig

The Medical Academy Charter School won approval Monday night from the Catasauqua Area School Board.

School directors voted 8-0 in favor of a three-year charter for the school, which will serve ninth- through 12th-graders who plan to pursue a career in the health care industry. Board member Robert Levine was absent from the meeting.
After the vote, academy founder Dr. Craig T. Haytmanek told the board, "We will make you proud."

The Fountain Hill physician and former Bethlehem Area School Board member later said, "I'm very, very pleased that we'll have the opportunity to achieve our goal. Our goal is to run a successful charter school and contribute to the Catasauqua Area School District and the health and welfare of the Lehigh Valley."

The academy is on track to open at 330 Howertown Road in Catasauqua this fall. The former Lincoln Middle School, now owned by developer Abe Atiyeh, is already home to Lehigh Valley Christian High School. The two schools will share the building, according to the academy's three-year lease agreement.

Before signing off on the charter, board President Penny Hahn said she wouldn't want her child to attend school in a shared building. District solicitor David Knerr noted that administrators from the two schools must work together to make sure religious symbols aren't displayed in their shared spaces, such as the gymnasium.

The academy, he explained, is governed by the same laws that rule public schools when it comes to religion.

Atiyeh said he was happy to get a unanimous decision from school directors, noting, "When you get full support, that's good."
The developer said nearly 150 students are pre-enrolled at the academy; he expects that number to rise quickly now that Medical Academy Charter School has the board's blessing.

The academy, Haytmanek has said, is looking to lay a foundation for the success of all future health care professionals, whether students hope to become nurses, doctors, pharmacists or physical therapists.

All of the board members acknowledged, though some reluctantly, that the academy has met state requirements governing charter schools. Knerr reviewed the regulations before the vote, and subtly warned school directors that they wouldn't have a case should the academy appeal a rejection to the state.

The solicitor noted that the board's rejection several years ago of the Thomas Paine Charter School proposal was based on the applicant's unrealistic budget. That's not an issue with the academy; the school's financial projects are sound, he said.

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Medical Academy Charter School earns Catasauqua Area School Board approval

Number of applicants double for FAU medical school

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Danzig

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) - Florida Atlantic University's new medical school has received almost 3,000 applications for 64 slots.

The South Florida Sun Sentinel (http://sunsent.nl/zIM3HF ) reports the school - which opened in August - has doubled the number of applications it received for its initial class.

The medical school has a partnership with The Scripps Research Institute. The partnership allows some students an opportunity to pursue a PhD from the Scripps Kellogg School of Science while they are completing their medical degree.

School officials say the pool of applicants is diverse. Forty six percent of the applicants are women, 21 percent are Asian, 16 percent Hispanic and 13 percent black.

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Information from: South Florida Sun Sentinel, http://www.sun sentinel.com

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Number of applicants double for FAU medical school

FAU Receives 3,000 Applications for 64 Positions in New Medical School

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Danzig

Applications for the Next Class of FAU’s New Medical School Doubles from Last Year to Nearly 3,000 for 64 Positions

Newswise — Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E.Schmidt College of Medicine recently closed its application process for the second round of admissions to its new medical school. The college has received nearly 3,000 applications from prospective students in Florida and throughout the country for 64 positions in its next class, doubling the number of applications received from the previous year for the inaugural class.

“Our new medical school has an incredible combination of advantages that we are able to provide to our current students as well as prospective students,” said Dr. David J. Bjorkman, M.D., M.S.P.H., the new dean of FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. “Our great faculty, a state-of-the-art facility, personal attention from having a smaller class size, and an innovative curriculum that gives them hands-on experience with patients very early in their training, are just some of the key benefits that are attracting students from all over the state and country who want to come here for our student-centered medical program.”

Demographics of the applicants show that 57 percent are Florida residents (nearly half of these applicants are from South Florida – Broward, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties) and 43 percent are from out-of-state. Fifty-four percent are male and 46 percent are female. Qualified students from groups currently underrepresented in medicine are included in the applicant pool—21 percent are Asian/Asian Indian; 16 percent are Hispanic; and 13 percent are African/American.

“The near doubling of applications we have received this year is a testament to the popularity and desirability of the innovative educational program we have put in place at the College of Medicine,” said Robert Hinkley, Ph.D., associate dean for admissions in FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. “The academic credentials and personal accomplishments of the members of our first class admitted in 2011 were competitive with those of classes admitted to older, more established medical schools and our second class promises to exceed our first class.”

One of America’s newest medical schools, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU welcomed its inaugural class of 64 students in August 2011. The college has developed a new and innovative curriculum, which features early and continuous community-based clinical experiences and problem-based learning with emphasis on small-group and self-directed learning. The curriculum includes a student-centered and patient-focused approach and clinical experiences with local physicians, health departments and hospitals, and a state-of-the-art simulation center. A key component of the innovative curriculum is early exposure to patients and the actual practice of medicine. To that end, the college has established relationships with several prominent area hospitals that are serving as sites for clerkships, hospital-based electives and residencies. During clinical trainings, students have the opportunity to work side-by-side with physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of patients, applying knowledge learned from the first two years of study to real-life situations.

- FAU -

About Florida Atlantic University:

Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University serves more than 29,000 undergraduate and graduate students on seven campuses and sites. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit http://www.fau.edu.

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FAU Receives 3,000 Applications for 64 Positions in New Medical School

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and UMDNJ-RWJMS Among The First Nationally to Offer Groundbreaking Aortic …

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Danzig

Newswise — NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - Physicians at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJ) and UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) are among the first in the nation to offer a groundbreaking aortic valve replacement technique that provides new treatment options and hope for patients diagnosed with severe aortic valve disease who are suffering from end-stage heart disease.

The Cardiovascular Center of Excellence at RWJ was recently selected by Edwards Lifesciences to be one of the first sites in the nation to offer Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) since the procedure received FDA approval. It is the latest in cardiac treatment breakthroughs being offered by RWJ.

TAVR allows a multidisciplinary team of cardiac surgeons, vascular surgeons, interventional cardiologists and cardiac anesthesiologists at RWJUH and RWJMS to replace a patient’s diseased aortic valve without using traditional open-heart surgery and while the heart continues to beat, avoiding the need for cardiopulmonary bypass.

In performing the TAVR procedure, the valve is pinched to fit onto a catheter-based transfemoral delivery system, which is inserted into the body through a small cut in the patient’s groin area. Once delivered to the site of the patient's diseased valve, the replacement valve is expanded with a balloon and immediately functions in place of the patient's existing valve. Major surgical incisions are not required, which creates less stress on medically compromised patients and can lead to faster recovery times.

“This innovative technique provides a new option for patients who have been diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis and need valve replacement, but may be too high risk for open heart surgery,” explains Mark B. Anderson, Professor and Chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. “TAVR can contribute to an enhanced quality of life for these patients, many of whom have no other options.”

RWJ and RWJMS anticipate making TAVR available to patients in early 2012.

For information about TAVR, please visit rwjuh.edu/TAVR or call 1-855-RWJ-TAVR.
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About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) is a 600-bed academic medical center and the principal hospital of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ. Robert Wood Johnson is an innovative leader in advancing state-of-the-art care. RWJUH is the first hospital in the nation to implant the AbioCor self-contained artificial heart since the device received FDA approval in 2006. RWJUH is one of only three sites in the nation approved to offer this groundbreaking technology. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, and women’s and children’s care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). The hospital is also a Level 1 Trauma Center and serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness. The hospital has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety. RWJUH ranks among the best hospitals in America, according to U.S.News & World Report’s 2011 ranking of “America’s Best Hospitals.” It is the fifth consecutive year that RWJUH has achieved this prestigious ranking. The American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer has rated RWJUH among the nation's best comprehensive cancer centers. The Leapfrog Group rated RWJUH as one of the 50 exceptional U.S. hospitals, as published in Consumers Digest magazine. Harvard University researchers, in a study commissioned by The Commonwealth Fund, identified RWJUH as one of the top 10 hospitals in the nation for clinical quality. RWJUH is also a four-time recipient of the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence. Visit us online at http://www.rwjuh.edu.

About Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
As one of the nation’s leading comprehensive medical schools, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, health care delivery, and the promotion of community health. In cooperation with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the medical school’s principal affiliate, they comprise one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers. In addition, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has 34 hospital affiliates and ambulatory care sites throughout the region, and as one of the eight schools of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey with 2,500 full-time and volunteer faculty, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School encompasses 22 basic science and clinical departments. The medical school maintains educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels for more than 1,500 students on its campuses in New Brunswick, Piscataway, and Camden, and provides continuing education courses for health care professionals and community education programs.

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Medical Academy Charter School approved in Catasauqua

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Danzig

The Catasauqua Area School Board granted approval to the Medical Academy Charter School on Monday after agreeing the proposal demonstrated community interest and the capability to provide a comprehensive learning experience among meeting other criteria.

The school plans to open in fall at a former elementary school at 330 Howertown Road in the borough. So far, 126 students have pre-enrolled. The academy plans to open to 200 students in Grades 9 and 10 eventually expand to 11 and 12.

School directors approved the charter in an 8-0 vote, however the resolution contains a statement that the criteria set by the state limits the district's ability to evaluate charter applications and can give the wrong impression that a program will provide an appropriate educational environment and experience comparable to the district. The resolution encourages parents to do their own research when considering a school.

School directors found the charter school application met the state criteria for curriculum, community support and that it may serve as a model for other public schools.

"We have a responsibility annually to make sure they are in compliance," School Director Carol Cunningham said.

Founder Dr. Craig Haytmanek said he was happy with the board's decision. Haytmanek has worked to develop relationships with institutions that can provide internship or educational opportunities for academy students. Haytmanek has said his alma mater, Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, has agreed to accept students from the school. Agreements are also in the works with Penn State, St. Luke's Health System, Alzheimer's Association, Miller Memorial Blood Center, a veterinary clinic and more.

School Director Christine Naegel asked academy organizers about any potentially controversial programs, for instance, if students would ever be interning at abortion clinics. Academy officials said no controversial partnerships are in place and offered to inform the district as new partners are added to the roster.

Resident Marge Kovacs asked what the financial impact will be on the district. Superintendent Robert Spengler said a regular education student from Catasauqua Area will cost $11,000 and a special education student will cost $23,000. Each sending district will pay the same for their students who choose to attend the academy. Catasauqua Area annually budgets about $500,000 for charter school costs.

The charter school is expected to occupy the first floor of the former school. Lehigh Valley Christian High School will lease the second floor. Developer and building owner Abe Atiyeh said the schools would share the gymnasium and two fitness rooms dedicated to weight machines.

Sarah Fulton is a freelance writer.

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Medical Academy Charter School approved in Catasauqua

Medical school link to wide variations in pass rate for specialist exam

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Danzig

Public release date: 13-Feb-2012
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Contact: Stephanie Burns
sburns@bmjgroup.com
44-207-383-6920
BMJ-British Medical Journal

Wide variations in doctors' pass rates, for a professional exam that is essential for one type of specialty training, seem to be linked to the particular medical school where the student graduated, indicates research published online in Postgraduate Medical Journal.

The authors assessed the first time pass rate for doctors who had graduated from UK medical schools for both parts of the membership exam of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (MRCOG) between 1998 and 2008.

Membership is a prerequisite for doctors who want to complete specialist training in obstetrics and gynaecology.

In all, 1335 doctors took Part 1 and 822 took Part 2 MRCOG during the study period. The researchers assessed the potential impact of medical school, gender, and overall academic (A level) performance of the university's students on the pass rate.

Their analysis revealed considerable variations in the pass rate, depending on the medical school the candidate had attended.

Doctors who had studied medicine at Oxford had the highest pass rate (82.5%+), followed by graduates from Cambridge (75%), Bristol (just under 60%), and Edinburgh (57.5%) for the Part 1 exam.

At the other end of the spectrum, graduates from Southampton (just under 22%), and Wales (18%) had the lowest pass rates.

For Part 2, graduates from Newcastle upon Tyne had the highest pass rate at just under 89%, followed by those from Oxford (82%+), Cambridge (81%), and Edinburgh (78%+).

Conversely, only around half of those from Glasgow (49%+) and just over a third of those from Leicester (36%+) passed the written exam.

Overall academic performance of the university's students was associated with the pass rate in Part 1, but not in Part 2, the findings showed.

There were no gender differences in the pass rate for Part 1, but women outshone men in Part 2, with around two thirds of them making the grade (65.5%+) compared with just over half (almost 53%) of the men.

But even after taking account of the gender difference, the variation among medical school pass rates still remained.

The authors caution that variations in the performance of candidates from different medical schools are likely to be attributable to several factors, so should not be considered the sole indicator of a medical school's excellence, or otherwise.

They point to other research showing variations in medical school performance for the membership exams of the Royal Colleges of General Practitioners and Physicians, and the fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthetists.

And they highlight the various reforms to UK undergraduate medical education that have taken place over the past two decades.

"Undergraduate and postgraduate medical education are now considered as a continuum in the training of a specialist in all fields of medicine," they write, but "little consideration is given to the effect that changes in style of learning, the curriculum and objectives of undergraduate education might have on postgraduate performance."

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Medical school link to wide variations in pass rate for specialist exam

How Medical Schools View Community College Credits

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Danzig

Community colleges can be stepping stones for students interested in a variety of fields, including aspiring medical students. However, as a premedical student, your primary concern should be to learn and understand the information and principles reinforced in the premedical requirements, while strategically positioning yourself to stand out to medical school admissions committees.

Many students have asked if and how transferring from a community college to a four-year institution will impact how the admissions committee will view them. There is no single answer to this question, but we will address it from a few angles, so you can think about how it relates to your situation, and hopefully help make the right decision for you.

[Learn how to select undergraduate premed coursework.]

Contrary to popular belief, not everyone who becomes a doctor knew since kindergarten that they were destined for medical school. In fact, some of the most passionate and interesting applicants are late bloomers who did not succeed in high school. And for many of them, community college was their best (or only) choice.

Admissions committees are interested in determining if candidates are academically and emotionally prepared to succeed in the rigorous preclinical curriculum and if they have the maturity and interpersonal skills required of a caring, empathic physician. If an applicant begins his or her undergraduate education at a community college, excels academically, transfers to a four-year institution, and continues an upward trend by maintaining an excellent GPA, scoring well on the MCAT, and demonstrating a proclivity toward patient care and research, their educational path can be seen as an asset.

However, if applicants are matriculated at four-year institutions but decide to take many of their premedical requirements at community colleges, because they feel that it will be easier, this may be viewed unfavorably and lead the committee to question the applicants' motivations and level of preparedness.

[Learn what to do differently when reapplying to med school.]

The prerequisite courses are the foundation that students build upon during the preclinical years of medical school. Consequently, these courses are often given more consideration during the admissions process. If the applicant does not appear to have a strong foundation, the committee is less likely to admit the applicant, especially given the competitiveness of the medical school admissions process.

One caveat: If you have successfully completed the majority of your requirements at a four-year institution, especially the general biology, chemistry, and organic chemistry requirements, you will not hurt your admissions prospects by taking a summer course or two at a community college. The take-home point here is that taking your most difficult and important courses (from a premedical perspective) at a community college, with the hopes of securing a better grade, is not recommended.

[Don't apply to medical school without a purpose.]

The way admissions committees view community college credits truly depends on the circumstances. If an applicant decides to take many premedical requirements at a community college because the courses might be easier, that applicant risks being viewed as less competitive. Conversely, an aspiring medical student can use the experience as a bridge to a four-year university. With continued academic success, a strong performance on the MCAT, as well as clinical and leadership experience, one can realize the dream of being accepted to medical school.

Mark D'Agostino, M.D., M.S., M.Sc. is a Brigade Surgeon in the United States Army. As a Marshall Scholar, he earned a master's degree in Biochemistry at the University of Nottingham Medical School, and a second master's in Health Policy, Planning and Financing from the London School of Economics (LSE) and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). After graduating from Brown Medical School, he trained at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

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How Medical Schools View Community College Credits

FAU med school gets 3,000 applications for 64 spots

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Danzig

By Scott Travis February 13, 2012 03:07 PM

If student interest is any indication, Florida Atlantic University’s new medical school won’t suffer a sophomore slump.

FAU’s College of Medicine opened on FAU’s Boca Raton campus this August, and received an impressive 1,500 applications for 64 slots. This year, applications have doubled to nearly 3,000 for the same number of seats.

The increase is a “testament to the popularity and desirability of the innovative educational program we have put in place at the College of Medicine,” said Robert Hinkley associate dean for admissions for the medical school. “The academic credentials and personal accomplishments of the members of our first class admitted in 2011 were competitive with those of classes admitted to older, more established medical schools and our second class promises to exceed our first class.”

FAU also boasts a diverse pool of applicants, with 43 percent from out of state, 46 percent are women, 21 percent Asian, 16 percent Hispanic and 13 percent black.

The medical school has a partnership with The Scripps Research Institute, allowing some students the chance to pursue a PhD from the Scripps Kellogg School of Science at the same time they’re working on their medical degree.

Medical education has greatly expanded in Florida in the past few years, with Florida International University and the University of Central Florida both opening medical schools in 2009. The University of Miami has expanded its medical offerings in recent years. And a for-profit college called Palm Beach Medical College hopes to open in the next few years.

Based on FAU’s applications, it looks like there’s plenty of room for more expansion.

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FAU med school gets 3,000 applications for 64 spots

UPDATE: Mercer University to partner with St. Francis Hospital, The Medical Center for medical campus

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Danzig

Prestige for the community aside, perhaps the biggest advantage of locating a Mercer University School of Medicine satellite campus in Columbus is the five-star physician “recruits” it might attract.

That was one of the most descriptive analogies offered up Friday as Macon, Ga.-based Mercer made it official at the Columbus Public Library news conference that it is partnering with The Medical Center and St. Francis Hospital on a two-year doctor training program after 18 months of discussions and logistical planning.

St. Francis President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Granger pointed out college football is king in the South and that everyone understands how difficult it is to recruit the elite players to universities such as Auburn, Alabama and elsewhere.

“Medical school graduates are much like those five-star recruits. They can go anywhere that they want to go. They have plenty of opportunities to choose where they want to practice,” said Granger, explaining the national shortage in health-care specialties.

Georgia, in fact, ranks 37th in the U.S. in terms of physicians per capital. A quarter of doctors in the state are 55 or older. At the same time, the number of Georgians over age 65 is expected to double in the next two decades.

“It is vital to the long-term success of our community that we bring those physicians here to practice and replace those physicians that we have that are retiring, and to meet the needs of the aging Baby Boomer population in our community,” Granger said.

Mercer and the two Columbus hospitals believe that will be the case as physician students complete their third- and fourth-year clinical rotations locally, then bond with the community and return after receiving their specialty degrees.

“We retain more of our graduates in the state of Georgia than any of the other medical schools in this state and, in fact, rank second of the 160 medical schools nationally in the percentage of graduates retained in the home state of that school,” said Mercer President William Underwood of the university’s School of Medicine, which was founded in 1982. It trains only Georgia residents.

It will be six months before the first 12 students arrive from Mercer, where they have had their first two years of classroom studies. They are expected to split their time between The Medical Center, which is owned by Columbus Regional Healthcare System, and St. Francis Hospital.

The goal is to grow that number to 24 in the second year and eventually ramp it up to 80. At some point, if everything goes smoothly, thoughts will turn toward a four-year bricks-and-mortar campus in Columbus, perhaps something similar to that in Savannah, where Mercer already has a full medical training operation.

That was part of the discussion in August 2010 when a delegation from Columbus approached the university about locating a campus here. The group included First Baptist Church Pastor Jimmy Elder and businessman Tom Black, both members of Mercer’s board of trustees. Also there was Georgia State Rep. Richard Smith and Pete Robinson, Columbus resident and chairman of Atlanta-based lobbying firm Troutman Sanders Strategies.

“I was intrigued in knowing what I know about Columbus and the can-do attitude and spirit here,” Underwood said. “I told them that should this initial step prove successful, and should there be adequate support in the community for taking the next step of opening a full four-year medical school campus, we’d be willing to explore that possibility as well.”

On Friday, Elder said the fruits of those talks with the university president led to the final decision by all involved to move forward. It showed both Columbus and Mercer at their “finest,” he said, also pointing out the local institution will be heavily into medical research.

“Every once in a while you’ll find perfect suitors for something to take place,” Elder said. “With Mercer’s spirit and its ability, with Columbus and the spirit here, and with the spirit from the hospitals, we saw the most beautiful merging of minds, ideas and spirits that you’ve ever seen.”

Black called it a “stellar day” for the city to see Columbus Regional and St. Francis — who at times can be intense competitors in the local health-care sector — putting any rivalry aside for the better good of the community.

“I think it’s going to mean great things for Mercer, for our two hospitals, and the city of Columbus,” Black said. Smith, who recalled having a cup of coffee with Robinson and pondering what next great thing could happen in Columbus, then thinking of a medical school, said Mercer’s presence here will change the quality of life for residents for years to come. He also threw out a motivational phrase: “Without leaps of dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibility. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.”

Mike Gaymon, president and CEO of the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce, ticked off memorable moments in the city’s history — construction of the Chattahoochee Riverwalk, landing women’s fast-pitch softball during the 1996 Summer Olympics, and launching a technology course to train programmers for credit-card processor TSYS.

“This is a game-changing opportunity for our region,” he said. “We think today’s announcement will be one of those significant events.”

Mercer University School of Medicine Dean Bill Bina said the Columbus campus will have the mission of educating doctors to serve not only here, but in rural and underserved areas of the state.

“Our goal is to improve medical education, enhance residency training experience, and meet the needs of the Columbus community,” he said.

Lance Duke, president and CEO of The Medical Center, noted that his hospital has long been a training ground. It established the first family practice residency program in Georgia in 1972.

“We’ve trained hundreds of physicians over that period of time and over 80 physicians in our region received part of their training at The Medical Center residency program,” he said. “This is for the community good, for the region’s good, and benefits both health systems and both hospitals.”

Dr. John Bucholtz, director of Medical Eduction and the Family Practice Residency Program at The Medical Center, has been heavily involved in the planning process thus far. He said Mercer will likely set up offices at The Bradley Center in Columbus, with staff also having space at each hospital.

However, the march toward a four-year campus will take time, he stressed, with this first step leading to higher enrollment and more faculty. There’s much work to be done, he said, but enthusiasm is high.

“The doctors that I talk to are very excited about this. Everybody wants to get involved with it,” he said.

Mercer School of Medicine has graduated more than 1,000 physicians since its founding 30 years ago. It currently has about 400 medical doctor students enrolled.

Columbus Regional and St. Francis both have grown steadily with Columbus developing into a regional health-care hub. St. Francis is well known for its cardiology treatment and care, while Columbus Regional owns Doctors Hospital and The Medical Center. Its specialties include a regional trauma center, high-risk infant care and cancer treatment.

Mercer medical school to unveil area ‘partnership’ with Columbus Regional, St. Francis

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Danzig

Mercer University and the two major hospitals in Columbus are expected to unveil plans this morning for a physician training program that could have far-reaching impact on local health care.

Macon, Ga.-based Mercer, Columbus Regional Healthcare System and St. Francis Hospital are scheduled to make their announcement at the Main Library on Macon Road, with officials laying out the details of the program, which is likely to include a two-year medical school for doctors.

“We’re looking forward to being in Columbus in the morning to make an announcement about a medical education partnership between our School of Medicine and The Medical Center and St. Francis,” Mercer Chief of Staff Larry Brumley said Thursday.

He declined to go into specifics about the plan, although Mercer and the two hospitals have been negotiating more than a year the possibility and logistics of setting up a third- and fourth-year physician training program that could eventually lead to a four-year school.

“Tomorrow we’re going to be announcing the results of all those discussions,” Brumley said.

Columbus is the largest metropolitan area in Georgia that doesn’t have a medical school of some form, Mercer President Bill Underwood said in a previous Ledger-Enquirer interview. The basic goal is to train more doctors and create a bond with them in hopes they will remain in the state, which is experiencing a critical physician shortage as the population ages and health care reform unfolds nationally.

“I think Georgia today is 40th in the nation per capita in physicians and we’re losing ground,” Underwood said previously. “So there certainly was a need for more physicians. And from the hospital’s perspective I think it’s generally accepted that academic medical centers can enhance the quality of patient care in a community.”

For the Columbus heath care sector, the ultimate goal would be to evolve into a four-year medical school with its own bricks-and-mortar campus. The first two years of a physicians’ education is primarily classroom, while training and work in hospitals such as The Medical Center and St. Francis takes place in the third and fourth years.

That’s what happened in late 2008, when Mercer and Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah, Ga., created an affiliation for a four-year program. For more than a decade prior, the school featured a two-year clinical rotation program.

Mercer School of Medicine has graduated more than 1,000 physicians since its founding in 1982, with nearly 70 percent of them remaining in Georgia.

Under the two-year medical school scenario, classroom studies for future doctors would take place at Mercer’s main campus in Macon. The students would then move here for their third and fourth years of clinical work, which features interaction with actual patients.

Columbus Regional and St. Francis traditionally have been competitors in the Columbus area, which has developed into a regional health-care hub. St. Francis is well known for its cardiology treatment and care, while Columbus Regional owns Doctors Hospital and The Medical Center. Its specialties include a regional trauma center, high-risk infant care and cancer treatment.

Medical school may rival UWI

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Danzig

The American University of Barbados, whose official opening is set for today, can pose serious challenges to the University of the West Indies (UWI) medical school at Cave Hill when it comes to foreign students.

That warning, of sorts, came from Professor Nigel Harris, University of the West Indies Vice Chancellor, who admitted that Barbados’ recent decision to give the green light to an offshore medical school in the country caught him by surprise.

He told the DAILY NATION in New York that when the privately funded medical school, the first of its kind in Barbados but one of several in the Eastern Caribbean, gets going it could present Cave Hill with competition for foreign students.

“That surprised me, frankly,” Harris said of the Freundel Stuart administration’s decision to grant an operating licence to the American University. “The model for the faculty of medicine [at Cave Hill] is one that anticipated getting international students who would be paying full bore for their education. Now to have an international one, an offshore school, there would be a challenge. It does challenge the university’s school at Cave Hill.”

Read the full story in today's WEEKEND NATION.

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Medical school may rival UWI

CMU Medical School gains preliminary accreditation

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Danzig

By RYAN BERLIN
@RBerlin_MSun

The lengthy process for Central Michigan University’s medical school to gain accreditation has taken a step forward.

Wednesday afternoon the university received word that it had been approved by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education for preliminary accreditation.

“I and the rest of the team are very pleased that the accreditation came through. I don’t know if we have been happier at any moment through this process,” CMED Dean Ernest Yoder said.

“In our planning we realized that to get this right we needed to give ourselves more time. Some time ago we made the decision to take our first class in 2013 instead of 2012.”

There is a five-stage process that a medical school must go through in order to become fully accredited.

CMU is currently in the third step of that process. As a candidate school, CMU had to prepare for a visit from LCME officials, which occured in November.

“If you are successful in the survey visit, which we now know we were, you reach preliminary accreditation,” Yoder said.

“Approximately two years after that, we’re estimating the fall of 2014, we’ll have the next visit and if we are successful at that time we will have provisional accreditation. In fall of 2016 we will have another visit from LCME and success then would get us full accreditation.”

Plans are to have a full accreditation, by 2017, when the first class graduates.

CMED’s academic year runs from July 1 through June 30. Continued...

LCME has to make sure that before a full accreditation can be given that there is full development and implimentation of the educational program, according to Yoder.

“(They look for) the ability to asses the students and most importantly, the ability to develop the whole program. That’s what they are guiding through and that’s what they are looking for,” Yoder said.

“(Over the years) we will develop the program, present the program to them and show them that we have the resources to develop the program successfully and that is what they base their assessment on.

“I certainly hope for the university, that being a community engaged medical school in a community engaged university, that this is an opportunity for a lot of collaboration. We will help the university become an even better university than it already is.”

According to Yoder, Oakland University’s medical school, in the metro Detroit area, is in its second year of development and has a preliminary accreditation and is interviewing students for its second class.

Western Michigan University, although it has the donations, is still in the applicant school phase and has yet to apply for preliminary accreditation.

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CMU Medical School gains preliminary accreditation

Karen Pletz’s death was a suicide, coroner says

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Danzig

A mix of alcohol and pills caused death of former school president. By ALAN BAVLEY The Kansas City Star

By ALAN BAVLEY The Kansas City Star

Updated: 2012-02-11T05:12:50Z

Star file photo

Karen Pletz

The death of former medical school president and civic leader Karen Pletz has been ruled a suicide, a Florida county medical examiner said Friday.

Pletz, the 64-year-old ex-president of the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, was found dead Nov. 22 in the Fort Lauderdale home of a family member.Pletz died of acute intoxication from a combination of alcohol, the anti-anxiety drug alprazolam (sold under the brand name Xanax), and the narcotic pain relievers oxycodone and meperidine (brand name Demerol), said Darin Trelka, interim chief medical examiner of Broward County.In 14 years as head of the osteopathic medical school, Pletz had taken on many civic leadership roles and had been honored as one of the area’s top businesswomen. But in recent years, criminal and civil allegations tarnished her reputation.Late in 2009, she was abruptly fired from her medical school post amid questions about her handling of the school’s finances. The school filed a civil lawsuit against Pletz in March 2010 alleging that she used more than $2 million of the school’s assets for her personal benefit. She countersued, claiming she had been wrongfully terminated.In April, a federal grand jury in Kansas City returned a 24-count indictment against Pletz, alleging that she had embezzled more than $1.5 million from the medical school, engaged in money laundering and falsified tax returns. A federal judge dismissed the criminal charges in December.

To reach Alan Bavley, call 816-234-4858 or send email to abavley@kcstar.com.

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Karen Pletz’s death was a suicide, coroner says

Hurley Medical Center to hold free teen heart screenings at Swartz Creek High School

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Danzig

SWARTZ CREEK, Michigan – Hurley Medical Center is offering free teen heart screenings Saturday at Swartz Creek High School.

The Teen Health Check would be for Genesee County high school students ages 13 to 19 and would offer an in-depth heart screening that includes a medical history, blood pressure check and ECG.

The screenings take place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Swartz Creek High School gymnasium, 1 Dragon Dr.

Echocardiograms will also be provided, if needed. The screening looks for evidence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a serious condition that can cause sudden cardiac death in young athletes as well as in students engaging in physical activity or exercise.

Dr. Jim Weber, emergency physician and chief research officer at Hurley Medical Center said the teen heart screening can be very important to catching cardiac issues that might not be found otherwise.

“We’re very passionate about this,” Weber said. “When you have a kid that dies of cardiac arrest, it’s completely unexpected and without warning … there’s no way emotional to prepare for that.”

The screening could also help the students know if they have other non-life threatening heart issues or high blood pressure, he said. A screening like this is not usually done until families think there is a problem and could cost about $2,000.

The screening is taking place at Swartz Creek High School because the Swartz Creek community knows firsthand how sudden a student’s heart can give out.

A 15-year-old student’s heart stopped in October while playing basketball in the school’s gym and was saved when coaches used an automatic external defibrillator to restore his heartbeat.

“There’s a lot of kids that don’t get this screening test,” Weber said. “It’s very quick, it’s about 30 minutes. It’s not evasive and it gives us a lot of information that could be life saving.”

To register call 810-262-9260, then press option 1.

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Hurley Medical Center to hold free teen heart screenings at Swartz Creek High School

Rural Medical School Competes With City Life – Video

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Danzig

18-01-2012 10:50 This is the VOA Special English Education Report, from voaspecialenglish.com | http Many rural areas in the United States have no doctor. Some medical schools are trying different ways to treat the problem. One idea is to educate doctors in smaller communities and hope they stay. Dr. William Cathcart-Rake heads a new program at the University of Kansas in the Midwest. He says, "We need more docs. There's somewhere like a quarter of all of our physicians in Kansas are sixty years of age or older. So we need to be replacing physicians, too." He says medical students from rural areas now typically study in Wichita or Kansas City, two of the biggest cities in Kansas. "They say, 'You know, I really have every intention of coming back to rural Kansas,' but they meet a soul mate, they get married, their soul mate happens to be from a big city and we never see them again." The program is based in Kansas' tenth largest city, Salina, home to about fifty thousand people. Salina is about a three-hour drive from Kansas City, past fields of corn, soybeans and cattle. Student Claire Hinrichsen grew up in a town of about six hundred people. One reason she likes the Salina program is because of the size. There are only eight students -- the smallest medical school in the country. Classes are taught by professors in Salina or on a video link from Kansas City or Wichita. Students who complete the four-year program will then do their residency training in a small community in the surrounding ...

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Rural Medical School Competes With City Life - Video

Mercer University to set up medical school in Columbus

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Danzig

Georgia, in fact, ranks 37th in the United States in terms of physicians per capita. A quarter of doctors in the state are 55 or older. At the same time, the number of Georgians over age 65 is expected to double in the next two decades.

“It is vital to the long-term success of our community that we bring those physicians here to practice and replace those physicians that we have that are retiring, and to meet the needs of the aging baby boomer population in our community,” Granger said.

Mercer and the two Columbus hospitals think that will be the case as physician students complete their third- and fourth-year clinical rotations locally, then bond with the community and return after receiving their specialty degrees.

The goal is to grow that number to 24 in the second year and eventually ramp it up to 80. At some point, if everything goes smoothly, thoughts will turn toward a four-year, bricks-and-mortar campus in Columbus, perhaps something similar to that in Savannah, where Mercer already has a full medical training operation.

‘Stellar day’

Black called it a “stellar day” for the city to see Columbus Regional and St. Francis -- who at times can be intense competitors in the local health care sector -- putting any rivalry aside for the better good of the community.

“I think it’s going to mean great things for Mercer, for our two hospitals, and the city of Columbus,” Black said.

Smith, who recalled having a cup of coffee with Robinson and pondering what next great thing could happen in Columbus, then thinking of a medical school, said Mercer’s presence here will change the quality of life for residents for years to come. He also threw out a motivational phrase: “Without leaps of dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibility. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.”

Mike Gaymon, president and CEO of the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce, ticked off memorable moments in the city’s history -- construction of the Chattahoochee Riverwalk, landing women’s fast-pitch softball during the 1996 Summer Olympics, and launching a technology course to train programmers for credit-card processor TSYS.

“This is a game-changing opportunity for our region,” he said. “We think today’s announcement will be one of those significant events.”

Mercer University School of Medicine Dean Bill Bina said the Columbus campus will have the mission of educating doctors to serve not only here, but also in rural and underserved areas of the state.

“Our goal is to improve medical education, enhance residency training experience, and meet the needs of the Columbus community,” he said.

Lance Duke, president and CEO of The Medical Center, noted that his hospital has long been a training ground. It established the first family practice residency program in Georgia in 1972.

“The doctors that I talk to are very excited about this. Everybody wants to get involved with it,” he said.

Mercer School of Medicine has graduated more than 1,000 physicians since its founding 30 years ago. It currently has about 400 medical doctor students enrolled.

Columbus Regional and St. Francis have grown steadily with Columbus developing into a regional health care hub. St. Francis is well known for its cardiology treatment and care, while Columbus Regional owns Doctors Hospital and The Medical Center. Its specialties include a regional trauma center, high-risk infant care and cancer treatment.

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Mercer University to set up medical school in Columbus

FSU med school in the business of delivering doctors

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Danzig

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FSU med school in the business of delivering doctors