December | 2012 | Highlights from Graff Library

Clinical Cancer Letter, December 2012

December 27, 2012

The December 2012 issue of Clinical Cancer Letter has been posted.

Leave a Comment » | Clinical Cancer Letter | Permalink
Posted by Samantha Garcia

AAMC News and Leadership Announcements, 2012 December 23

December 24, 2012

The current issue of AAMC News and Leadership Announcements is now available:

The nation’s medical schools and teaching hospitals had a combined economic impact of $587 billion and supported nearly 3.5 million jobs directly or indirectly in 2011, according to a new economic impact analysis of AAMC-member institutions by the consulting firm Tripp Umbach. The report found that in 2011, one in every 40 wage earners in the United States worked either directly or indirectly for a U.S. medical school or teaching hospital.
https://www.aamc.org/newsroom/newsreleases/324276/121219.html
http://tinyurl.com/cue2bdh

President Obama on Friday named twelve researchers as recipients of the National Medal of Science and eleven inventors as recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the highest honors bestowed by the United States Government upon scientists, engineers, and inventors. The recipients will receive their awards at a White House ceremony in early 2013. The National Medal of Science awardees are: Dr. Allen Bard, UT, Austin; Dr. Sallie Chisholm, MIT; Dr. Sidney Drell, Stanford; Dr. Sandra Faber, UC, Santa Cruz; Dr. Sylvester James Gates, University of Maryland; Dr. Solomon Golomb, University of Southern California; Dr. John Goodenough, UT, Austin; Dr. M. Frederick Hawthorne, University of Missouri; Dr. Leroy Hood, Institute for Systems Biology; Dr. Barry Mazur, Harvard; Dr. Lucy Shapiro, Stanford; and Dr. Anne Treisman, Princeton. Among the National Medal of Technology and Innovation awardees is Dr. Jan Vilcek, NYU Langone Medical Center.
http://tinyurl.com/cavv3tf

A major article in Sunday’s New York Times reported, “Three drug makers are seeking to restore a mechanism [p53] that normally makes badly damaged cells self-destruct, a move that could be used against half of all cancers and have major implications for cancer philanthropy, experts say.” The article further reported, “No pharmaceutical company has ever conducted a major clinical trial of a drug in patients who have many different kinds of cancer, researchers and federal regulators say. ‘This is a taste of the future in cancer drug development,’ said Dr. Otis Webb Brawley, the chief medical and scientific officer of the American Cancer Society. ‘I expect the organ from which the cancer came from will be less important in the future and the molecular target more important,’ he added. And this has major implications for cancer philanthropy, experts say. Advocacy groups should shift from fund-raising for particular cancers to pushing for research aimed at many kinds of cancer at once, Dr. Brawley said.”
http://tinyurl.com/czt5dk2

The Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act, formerly known as the Pancreatic Cancer Research & Education Act, passed Congress on Friday as part of the Defense Authorization Act and is on its way to President Obama to be signed into law. An earlier version of the measure drew opposition from NCI Director Dr. Harold Varmus, AAMC, and others. At a recent National Cancer Advisory Board meeting, according to The Cancer Letter, Dr. Varmus said the revised bill is “…something I can live with, but it’s not a bill that I’m particularly happy about.”
http://tinyurl.com/bog5fcg

A powerful op-ed column in Friday’s New York Times by Dr. Danielle Ofri discussed the impact of Hurricane Sandy on research activities at NYU and elsewhere. She discussed the link between research and patient care and how recovering lost research will take years. She concluded, “Bellevue and Tisch are returning to their clinical operations and will be able to admit patients shortly. But even after the hospital wards and clinics are bustling at full capacity, the ribbon won’t feel ready to snip until the researchers are restored to their homes as well. For many patients, the thrum of research within a medical center is invisible. But it is an integral – and very human – part of a hospital. When a hurricane disrupts research, it is a loss that resonates well beyond the laboratories.”
http://tinyurl.com/cuzrjpx

The leadership of the University of Michigan authored an op-ed in Thursday’s Detroit Free Press on the fiscal cliff negotiations and the threat to biomedical research funding. The op-ed was written by Dr. Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, executive vice president for medical affairs at the University of Michigan and CEO of the U-M Health System; Dr. James Woolliscroft, dean of the University of Michigan Medical School; and Doug Strong, CEO of the University of Michigan’s Hospitals and Health Centers.
http://tinyurl.com/d88gsyp

Another op-ed on medicine and the fiscal cliff appeared on the Huffington Post web site on Thursday. The essay was written by Dr. Steven J. Corwin, CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital; Dr. Jeff Balser, Dean of the School of Medicine at Vanderbilt University; and Dr. Steven Gabbe CEO of The Ohio State University Medical Center.
http://tinyurl.com/c47gwfd

The CBC newswire reported on Friday, “Approval was given Thursday for a plan to address shortcomings at the University of Saskatchewan’s medical school. At a special meeting, members of the University Council – made up of students, professors, administrators and others – voted in favour of adopting a range of reforms recently proposed school officials.” The article reported, “The restructuring process has been fraught with controversy over the past several months. An earlier version of the plan drew passionate opposition from many professors and students and was blocked at an unprecedented meeting of people from across the university. That prompted officials to go back to the drawing board and create the blueprint that was approved Thursday.”
http://tinyurl.com/brmr9zh
http://tinyurl.com/c2ro3bk

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has posted a new podcast on the history, theory, and practice of Holistic Review. Holistic Review “is a flexible way of looking at an applicant’s capabilities, a method of assessing the whole person and how he or she might contribute value as a medical student and future physician. It allows institutions to dig deeper into the background of the applicant so as to ensure not only that he or she has the academic readiness to be successful in medical or dental school, but also has the personality and drive and ability to comport him or herself as a culturally competent physician or dentist.” The podcast features Marc Nivet, Ed.D. (Chief Diversity Officer, Association of American Medical Colleges) and W. David Brunson, DDS (Associate Director, Center for Equity and Diversity, American Dental Education Association).
http://community.rwjf.org/docs/DOC-2605

The New York Times reported this week that “Mortimer B. Zuckerman, the real estate developer, owner of The Daily News and philanthropist, has pledged $200 million to endow an interdisciplinary Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia University. Prof. Thomas Jessell, joined by Prof. Richard Axel and Prof. Eric Kandel, both Nobel laureates, are founders of the institute, which will be housed at the 450,000-square-foot Jerome L. Greene Science Center now under construction on Columbia’s campus in northern Manhattan.”
http://tinyurl.com/bu5pxza
http://news.columbia.edu/home/2999

Sunday’s New York Times Magazine featured a major story about the late Dr. Ralph Steinman, who was a senior physician and research immunologist at Rockefeller University. The article describes how his “losing battle against cancer could save the rest of us.”
http://tinyurl.com/czxy47p

The NIH has announced it will hold a webinar on January 15 “to assist grantee institutions with guidance and resources related to the NIH Public Access Policy, upcoming changes, tools, and how non-compliance will affect awards.” NIH earlier announced that in the spring, at the earliest, it “will hold processing of non-competing continuation awards if publications arising from grant awards are not in compliance with the Public Access Policy.”
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-13-016.html

The Wall Street Journal on Thursday highlighted a recent article in the journal Surgery that focused on the number of avoidable surgical mistakes. The study authors reported, “We identified a total of 9,744 paid malpractice settlement and judgments for surgical never events occurring between 1990 and 2010. Malpractice payments for surgical never events totaled $1.3 billion. Mortality occurred in 6.6% of patients, permanent injury in 32.9%, and temporary injury in 59.2%. Based on literature rates of surgical adverse events resulting in paid malpractice claims, we estimated that 4,082 surgical never event claims occur each year in the United States. Increased payments were associated with severe patient outcomes and claims involving a physician with multiple malpractice reports.”
http://tinyurl.com/clzlrwx
http://www.surgjournal.com/article/S0039-6060(12)00623-X/abstract

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) has announced a moratorium on grants until concerns about the agency are addressed. The moratorium was requested by Texas Gov. Rick Perry. CPRIT on Friday announced the appointment of Wayne Roberts to be Interim Executive Director of the agency. Mr. Roberts served as associate vice president for public policy at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston from November 2008 to December 2012.
http://www.cprit.state.tx.us/news/message-from-cprit-leadership/
http://tinyurl.com/cexbtej

Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH, the HHS Assistant Secretary for Health, and Jennifer L. Gordon, PhD, of the HHS National Vaccine Program Office, wrote an essay that appears in the new issue of Public Health Reports, titled “Breaking Through the Status Quo: Improving Influenza Vaccination Coverage Among Health-Care Personnel.” The authors conclude, “In short, heightened attention to maximizing HCP [health-care personnel] influenza vaccination rates can create safer working environments. We must break through the status quo and increase HCP influenza vaccination coverage rates, which have been low for far too long. The time has come for all of us to work together to determine not if, but how improving HCP influenza vaccination rates can create the higher standards for quality and safety that everyone deserves.”
http://www.publichealthreports.org/issueopen.cfm?articleID=2926

NIH on Friday published a “Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for NIH Director’s Workforce Innovation Award.” According to the notice, “The FOA is expected to be published in February 2013. Letters of Intent are encouraged and are due March 30. The application due date is April 30, 2013.” NIH is encouraging “investigators with expertise and insights in training predoctoral students and postdoctoral scholars to begin to consider developing relevant partnerships and applying for this FOA.”
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-RM-13-005.html

The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, “Virtual doctor visit services – which connect patients from their homes with physicians whom they meet via online video or phone – are moving into the mainstream, as insurers and employers are increasingly willing to pay for them. In the latest sign, WellPoint Inc., the nation’s second-biggest health insurer, plans to offer a new service in all of its employer and individual plans that will allow people to consult with physicians on-demand, using laptop webcams or video-enabled tablets and smartphones.”
http://tinyurl.com/ck6y2py

The New York Times on Sunday featured an essay on the effort of the National Rifle Association to block scientific research on gun violence. Most of their efforts have been aimed at the CDC.
http://tinyurl.com/c3fnc7r

The Sacramento Bee on Sunday featured an analysis of the findings of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding “non-standard, experimental treatments” conducted by two neurosurgeons at UC, Davis. According to the article, “Virtually everyone interviewed at the hospital – from scrub nurses to pharmacists to top leadership – trusted their doctors to follow proper procedures, then failed to step in when they did not, investigators reported.” The paper has posted the full CMS report.
http://tinyurl.com/cosnyjo

The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) announced on Friday that it “is collaborating with members of the international medical education community to develop the Global Education in Medicine Exchange (GEMx), an exciting new service to facilitate and promote international exchange in medical education. GEMx will allow medical schools to promote their electives to students around the world, and to establish strong relationships with other schools to provide students with a wide range of high-quality international educational opportunities.” The ECFG said that development of the web-based GEMx application system is underway and it expects to launch a pilot of the new service in late 2013.
http://www.ecfmg.org/annc/ECFMG-release-Dec-21-2012.pdf
http://www.ecfmg.org/about/initiatives-gemx.html

Crain’s Chicago Business this week reported, “University of Chicago Medical Center’s operating income fell almost 9 percent, to nearly $18 million, during first quarter of the 2013 fiscal year, as the South Side institution works to debut a new, $688 million hospital. Operating income declined to $17.6 million during the first quarter, which ended Sept. 30, from $19.2 million during the same year-earlier period, according to a financial statement given to bondholders on Nov. 30.”
http://tinyurl.com/bshb4sx

The Toledo Blade on Sunday reported on efforts by the University of Toledo Medical Center and the compliance committee of the University of Toledo Physicians Clinical Faculty to ensure that medical billing is proper and appropriately documented.
http://tinyurl.com/c2dpvrl

The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology has released a summary of a conference they sponsored this summer focused on the exchange of information within the international scientific community regarding the targeting of individuals and organizations by animal rights extremists (ARE).
http://tinyurl.com/cvdyalb

OU Medical System, one of Oklahoma’s largest and most comprehensive health care systems, has announced the selection of Charles L. Spicer, Jr., FACHE, as its next President and CEO effective January 1, 2013. Mr. Spicer will assume the role presently held by Cole C. Eslyn, who is retiring at the end of the year after 35 years in the health care industry. The OU Medical System includes OU Medical Center, The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center and OU Medical Center – Edmond.
http://tinyurl.com/c6cgj7r

The National Association for Biomedical Research reported on Friday, “The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced [Friday] that it is amending its Animal Welfare Act (AWA) regulations to require all licensed and registered facilities to develop a contingency plan for emergencies so they can better protect their animals in disaster situations.”
http://tinyurl.com/crnbdgt
http://tinyurl.com/d3r9umr

On Dec. 18, Nobel Laureates from across the country sent President Obama a letter urging him to work with Congress to find a solution that avoids sequestration and the “devastating impact of across-the-board cuts.” In the letter, the prize winners attest to the importance of ongoing federal support for biomedical research and say they “strongly believe that America’s economy and security depend on our ability to continue the bipartisan support for research, discovery and invention that has long been fueled by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).”
http://tinyurl.com/bvrw6ss

The deadline for 2013 Taubman Prize nominations has been extended to Jan. 11, 2013. The $100,000 Taubman Prize for Excellence in Translational Medical Science is open to clinician-scientists worldwide, with the exception of University of Michigan faculty. Self-nominations are permitted.
http://www.taubmaninstitute.org/taubman-prize

The University of North Texas System Board of Regents has announced the appointment of Michael Williams, DO, MD, as Interim President of the UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth. Dr. Williams has served on the UNT System Board of Regents for the past 15 months and has been CEO of Hill Country Memorial Hospital in Fredericksburg, Texas, since 2008. Dr. Williams is board certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology in anesthesiology and critical care medicine. He succeeds Dr. Scott Ransom, whose employment contract was terminated.
http://www.unthsc.edu/news/newsrelease.cfm?ID=1134
http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/12/21/4503112/unt-regents-fire-president-of.html

Dr. Larry Hollier has been named the new chief of the Baylor College of Medicine’s division of plastic surgery. A member of BCM’s faculty since 1998, Dr. Hollier is a professor in the plastic surgery division of the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery and of pediatrics at BCM. He also serves as chief of the division of plastic surgery at Texas Children’s Hospital and director of BCM’s plastic surgery residency program.
http://www.bcm.edu/news/item.cfm?newsID=6636

David Burr, Ph.D., who served as the chair of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the Indiana University School of Medicine for 21 years, has been named associate vice chancellor for research at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Dr. Burr, professor of anatomy and cell biology orthopaedic surgery at the IU School of Medicine, also holds an appointment as an adjunct professor of anthropology at the School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI and the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington. Dr. Burr served as one of the founders of the IUPUI Biomechanics and Biomaterials Research Center and was instrumental in the development of the current Biomedical Engineering Program at IUPUI and Purdue.
http://scope.medicine.iu.edu/#FacultyNews-1

Chad LaGrange, M.D., has been named chief of the Division of Urology in the University of Nebraska Medical Center Department of Surgery. The appointment is effective Jan. 1. Dr. LaGrange joined the UNMC faculty in 2008. He succeeds George Hemstreet, M.D., who served as division chief for eight years before stepping down in October 2010.
http://tinyurl.com/d9e8u8h

Dr. Matthew E. Fink has been named chairman of the Department of Neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College and neurologist-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Fink has served as interim chairman of Neurology and Neuroscience at Weill Cornell and interim neurologist-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell since 2008. He also serves as chief of the Division of Stroke and Critical Care Neurology at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell.
http://tinyurl.com/bwb9ztl

Richard S. Foster, chief actuary of the Medicare program for the last 18 years, has announced he will retire from federal service in January. The position is very influential and Mr. Foster has butted heads with leaders in both parties.
http://tinyurl.com/cbqggc6

Tied to holiday gift giving, a Boston Globe article on Friday discussed the ethics and appropriateness of clinical faculty and staff accepting gifts from patients. The Center for Bioethics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital has produced a newsletter with advice for clinicians facing the dilemma.
http://tinyurl.com/c86f4qs
http://tinyurl.com/bwnw3zc

Happy holidays!

Tony Mazzaschi
AAMC

PS: Feel free to email <cas@aamc.org> if you have a problem accessing any article or resource mentioned in this summary. Also, have colleagues email <cas@aamc.org> if they would like to receive these news postings. We also welcome news tips and corrections.

PPS: Other news, policy, and innovation products from AAMC may be of particular interest to subscribers:
+AAMCAction, an iPhone, iPad and Android app featuring AAMC news and advocacy resources
https://www.aamc.org/advocacy/aamcaction/
+AAMC STAT (Short, Topical and Timely), a weekly news email highlights news related to academic medicine
http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/aamcstat/aamcnews.htm (note subscription box on right)
+AAMC Washington Highlights, a weekly summary of legislative & regulatory developments affecting academic medicine
http://www.aamc.org/advocacy/washhigh/subscribe.htm
+AAMC Second Opinion, news and perspectives from AAMC’s Chief Public Policy Officer
Subscribe by emailing: SecondOpinion@aamc.org
+Wing of Zock, a blog about innovation and change in medical schools and teaching hospitals
http://wingofzock.org/ and its Twitter feed @wingofzock
+AM Express, the journal Academic Medicine’s free monthly issue announcement service
Subscribe by emailing: acadmed_online@aamc.org

PPPS: The AAMC is on both Twitter and Facebook. Access details are available at:
http://twitter.com/aamctoday
http://www.facebook.com/aamctoday

Leave a Comment » | AAMC News | Permalink
Posted by Janet

Flash mob in the Graff Library

December 19, 2012

Back in August, graduate students, Roberts Summer Student Academy students, and staff danced in the Graff Library building as part of a flash mob. It was totally cool! Check it out!

1 Comment | General | Permalink
Posted by Andrea Lynch

Diversity and Inclusion Book and Film Club – brought to you by Organizational Development and the Library

December 19, 2012

The library is pleased to help Organizational Development with their new Diversity and Inclusion Book and Film Club, part of their Diversity and Inclusion Initiative. The club is currently featuring The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks for the first One City of Hope, One Story series of programs. This book tells the story of the woman behind HeLa cells, touching on issues of informed consent, race, and barriers to health care while telling a riveting story. We hope you will read the book (the library has lots of copies) and participate in some of the activities related to this book and the issues it raises.

Events

Discussion groups: now through January 16. All are currently full, but waiting lists are available. Contact Diversity and Inclusion to get on a waiting list. You can also participate in the discussion in our LinkedIn group.

The Way of All Flesh: January 15, 12-1 PM, Platt 3. Join us for a BBC documentary that tells the story of Henrietta Lacks and HeLa cells.

Miss Evers’ Boys: January 31, 6-8 PM, Platt 3: This feature film starring Alfre Woodard and Laurence Fishburne tells the story of the Tuskegee syphilis experiments of the 1940s.

City of Hope panel presentation/discussion: date and details to be announced.

An Afternoon with David “Sonny” Lacks: February 28, 12-1 PM, Cooper Auditorium. The son of Henrietta Lacks, along with another family member, will discuss the impact this book has had on the Lacks family, issues of race, ethics, and the commercialization of human tissue and Henrietta’s unparalleled contribution to science. You may submit questions for Sonny at diversityandinclusion@coh.org.

An Evening with David “Sonny” Lacks: February 28, evening (exact time to be announced), Pasadena Public Library.

Leave a Comment » | Announcements | Permalink
Posted by Janet

AAMC News and Leadership Announcements, 2012 December 19

December 19, 2012

The current issue of AAMC News and Leadership Announcements is now available:

An article in Wednesday’s issue of the New York Times reported, “With growing pressure to reach an agreement on deficit reduction by the end of the year, some consensus is building around the idea that the largest Medicare savings should come from hospitals and other institutional providers of care.” The article also reported, however, that hospital executives contend “that they have already agreed to $155 billion in cuts over a decade as part of the Affordable Care Act and they face billions more in additional cuts as part of the current negotiations. They argue that such large cuts to hospitals will ultimately affect beneficiaries. ‘There is no such thing as a cut to a provider that isn’t a cut to a beneficiary,’ said Dr. Steven M. Safyer, the chief executive of Montefiore Medical Center…” The article also noted, “Urban teaching hospitals, which are already receiving some reduced payments for treating poor people under the federal health care law, say they, too, will have difficulty managing if there are significant cuts to medical education programs to train physicians and to the higher payments they get for outpatient care.”

http://tinyurl.com/d3fqbs3 <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029679:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) on Tuesday announced that it has approved 25 awards, totaling $40.7 million over three years, to fund patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research projects under the first four areas of its National Priorities for Research and its Research Agenda. The awards were part of PCORI’s first cycle of primary research funding and were selected from among nearly 500 completed applications submitted earlier this year.

http://www.pcori.org/2012/funding-awards/ <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029680:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

http://www.pcori.org/assets/PFA-Cycle-I-Awards-Summary.pdf <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029681:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

The Columbus Dispatch on Wednesday reported, “Findings against the clinical laboratory at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center are so airtight that an administrative judge should uphold the sanctions without first holding a hearing, the federal government argues in a new case document. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services levied the sanctions this past summer after the lab sent six proficiency-test samples – meant for quality control, not patient diagnosis – to the Mayo Clinic and another OSU lab for testing. Federal law forbids sending out samples such as those.” The article further reported, “The penalties, which are on hold during the hospital system’s appeal to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Departmental Appeals Board, could cost the lab millions of dollars in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, as well as its certification. Losing its certification could force central Ohio’s only fully automated hospital lab to close, though OSU officials say they are dedicated to maintaining uninterrupted service for patients.” The article notes, “Of the 9.1 million patient tests performed by the OSU medical laboratory network in 2011, 7.24 million were performed at the lab in question.”

http://tinyurl.com/d8l8cx5 <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029682:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

Inside Higher Ed reported on Tuesday, “The first class of nine students graduated Saturday from the University of Queensland School of Medicine’s unique partnership program with Ochsner Health System, in New Orleans. In total, 171 students have enrolled in the transnational program since it launched in January 2009 with the stated goal of producing more physicians for the United States. Students must hold U.S. citizenship or permanent residence in order to enroll in the Queensland-Ochsner program, which entails two years of basic sciences in Brisbane, two years of clinical training in New Orleans, and culminates in the awarding of a bachelor of medicine, bachelor of surgery, the Australian equivalent to an M.D. Queensland also sends its ‘traditional’ medical students to its clinical school at Ochsner for up to three clinical rotations, or six months. So far, 254 traditional Queensland students have rotated through Louisiana in the course of their degrees.”

http://tinyurl.com/bm44klh <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029683:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

Health care consumers considering a physician at University of Utah Health Care now have an additional tool – online access to the system’s patient satisfaction scores and comments. The rankings are based on more than 40,000 patient surveys and evaluate physicians on nine questions. To the system administrators’ knowledge, they are the only system in the country posting individual physician ratings. Patient comments are reviewed before being posted and only edited to remove information that might identify a patient or be considered libelous or slanderous. So far, 99.5 percent of all physician comments received have been posted unedited.

http://tinyurl.com/cycegqz <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029684:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

http://tinyurl.com/ap8o3z5 <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029685:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

The National Quality Forum Board of Directors has named Dr. Christine K. Cassel as its new President and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Cassel will begin her position at NQF effective mid-summer 2013. Dr. Cassel announced in April this year she was leaving her position as the President and CEO of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and the ABIM Foundation after ten years of service. She also formerly served as Dean of the School of Medicine and Vice President for Medical Affairs at Oregon Health and Science University, Chair of the Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Chief of General Internal Medicine at the University of Chicago. She is board certified in internal medicine and geriatric medicine. She succeeds Dr. Janet Corrigan who stepped down earlier this year.

http://tinyurl.com/aabj476 <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029686:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

An external review of the University of Minnesota’s Academic Health Center (AHC) was released on Monday. The AHC has six schools, the largest being the medical school. According to the paper, “A ‘malaise’ has infected the University of Minnesota’s medical school, a special panel appointed by [University] President Eric Kaler has found. Its prescription? Pick an organizational structure, then quit fretting over it. Inspire faculty with clear goals. Seize the ‘golden opportunity’ of the new Biomedical Discovery District… ‘The review does not provide a road map, but rather a calibration,’ Kaler said in an e-mail to faculty. In a written response to the report, Kaler announced that a faculty-led group would fashion a strategic plan by next summer. He also said he would stick with the school’s current leadership structure, in which the dean of the medical school also acts as vice president of health sciences.”

http://www.startribune.com/local/183876881.html?refer=y <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029687:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

http://tinyurl.com/cfgpqu7 <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029688:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

http://tinyurl.com/d7fdkla <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029689:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

A new Second Opinion podcast series from the AAMC explains how Medicare payments to teaching hospitals help support these institutions’ efforts to provide life-saving services and physician training programs. Narrated by Chief Public Policy Officer Atul Grover, M.D., Ph.D., the first three installments describe the differences between direct graduate medical education and indirect medical education funding, the danger of cuts to GME funding, and the important services and programs provided by hospital outpatient departments. Future podcasts will explore other policy issues important to medical schools and teaching hospitals.

https://www.aamc.org/advocacy/secondopinion/323430/podcasts.html <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029690:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r> .

An article in Tuesday’s New York Times discussed the recommendations of the NIH Working Group on Diversity in the Biomedical Research Workforce and NIH’s initiatives related to the panel’s recommendations, which are drawing strong support.

http://tinyurl.com/d5wtb54 <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029691:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

http://www.nih.gov/news/health/dec2012/od-07.htm <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029692:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Wednesday featured a lead investigative report that asserts, “Doctors with financial ties to drug companies have heavily influenced treatment guidelines recommending the most lucrative drugs in American medicine, an analysis by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and MedPage Today has found.” According to the report, “The Journal Sentinel examined 20 clinical practice guidelines for conditions treated by the 25 top-selling drugs in the United States…An analysis of the guideline panels, which involved 293 doctors, found: Nine guidelines were written by panels where more than 80% of doctors had financial ties to drug companies. Four panels did not require members to disclose any conflicts of interest. Of the 16 that did, 66% of doctors on the panels had ties to drug companies.”

http://tinyurl.com/c3ggl8n <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029693:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

The Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) has released its annual U.S. and Canadian Licensing Activity Surveys, covering fiscal year 2011. AUTM reports, “In the case of product sales, 58 institutions (31 percent of the 186 respondents) reported that 2,821 of their licenses paid $662 million in running royalties based on $37 billion in product sales, implying an average royalty rate of 1.8 percent. Only 65 of these licenses yielded more than $1 million in royalty income. Total income for all U.S. institutions from running royalties was $1.5 billion…” AUTM further reported, “In the case of startups, 66 institutions (35 percent of the 186 respondents) reported employment of 24,653 by 1,731 operational startups, an average of 14 employees per startup.”

http://tinyurl.com/c9fmr86 <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029694:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

The Salt Lake City Tribune reported on Monday, “The board of trustees for the Roseman University of Health Sciences, which has campuses in Nevada and Utah, voted Friday to begin the process of opening a college of medicine in Henderson, Nev.”

http://tinyurl.com/d47sm3m <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029695:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

Forbes has posted a listing of “30 Under 30” in 15 different fields, including health and research. The individuals are “bright stars” and “young disruptors, innovators and entrepreneurs.” Many are associated with medical schools.

http://www.forbes.com/special-report/2012/30-under-30/30-under-30_science.html <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029696:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

The application deadline for the Executive Leadership in Academic Technology and Engineering program (ELATE) – modeled after ELAM but tailored to women in the STEM fields, is rapidly approaching. The application deadline for the ELATE program is January 3, 2013.

http://www.drexel.edu/engineering/ELATE <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029697:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

The AAMC Integrating Quality Meeting will be held June 6-7, 2013 at the Intercontinental Chicago O’Hare Hotel. The meeting is a highly interactive, interprofessional program that brings together health care leaders, faculty, educators, trainees and students from teaching hospitals, medical schools, health professions schools, and other health care organizations to share strategies for enhancing the culture of quality in clinical care and health professions education. Teams that lead these efforts are encouraged to attend together. The meeting organizers are seeking proposals for poster presentations, interactive workshops/sessions, and plenary presentations in the selected areas. The deadline for submitting an abstract is Friday, January 18, 2013. Registration will be available online in March.

http://tinyurl.com/cj73m22 <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029698:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

The San Antonio Express News on Sunday reported that the University of the Incarnate Word has created a task force to study whether to open a medical school. According to the article, “The UIW board of trustees will hear the task force’s findings in March and vote on whether to move forward” according to the University’s president. The article further reports, “In the past eight years, UIW has created new schools of pharmacy, optometry and physical therapy. It has long had a nursing school and also has programs in nutrition and health administration.”

http://tinyurl.com/d5x43ax <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029699:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

Bob Temple, M.D., Deputy Director for Clinical Science at the Food and Drug Administration, has posted an essay on the Agency’s new draft guidance “that spells out how drug developers can use such strategies, known as clinical trial enrichment, to greatly increase the likelihood that data collected during a clinical trial will demonstrate that an effective drug is effective.” Dr. Temple reports, “These are potentially powerful strategies for the pharmaceutical industry because appropriate use of enrichment could result in smaller studies, shortened drug development times, and lower development costs.”

http://tinyurl.com/a8zab28 <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029700:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

http://tinyurl.com/czw2ss5 <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029701:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

The Wall Street Journal on Monday reported on the growing number of health systems forming their own insurance plans. According to the article, Piedmont Healthcare and WellStar Health System “are set to announce a jointly owned insurance arm, with the goal of marketing coverage to employers and Medicare recipients in 2014. They also will consider selling coverage on a health exchange, one of the online insurance marketplaces required in each state by the health-overhaul law.” UPMC and Intermountain have had long-established plans. Sutter Health, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, and MedStar have recently announced plans to create insurance plans. (Subscription may be necessary.) http://tinyurl.com/cd3yj4f <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029702:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

Ronald L. Gross, M.D., a 1982 graduate of the West Virginia University School of Medicine, has been appointed chair of the School’s Department of Ophthalmology and director of the WVU Eye Institute. Dr. Gross has been on the faculty of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, since 1987, and holds the Clifton R. McMichael Chair in Ophthalmology there. He will join WVU in the first half of 2013.

http://tinyurl.com/bbyync2 <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029703:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

Paul Rothman, M.D., Dean of the Medical Faculty and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, has announced that Landon S. King, M.D., has agreed to assume additional duties as the School of Medicine’s executive vice dean. Dr. King is currently the David Marine Professor of Medicine and Biological Chemistry, director of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, and vice dean for research. According to Dr. Rothman, “As executive vice dean, Landon will assist me in overseeing operations and program development in the School of Medicine.”

Congress on Tuesday passed legislation granting Sopuruchi (Victor) Chukwueke permanent resident status. The private bill now heads to President Obama who is expected to sign it into law. The bill will allow Mr. Chukwueke to attend the University of Toledo School of Medicine, where he has been admitted pending resolution of his immigration status. Mr. Chukweuke suffers from “an extreme case of neurofibromatosis,” just one of many hurdles he has faced on his journey to the U.S. and to medical school. He hopes to be a surgeon.

http://tinyurl.com/cfumwb9 <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029704:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

And finally…The British Medical Journal’s annual Christmas issue is now available on-line. Important articles in the eagerly-anticipated compilation include: “Why Rudolph’s nose is red: observational study;” “Pain over speed bumps in diagnosis of acute appendicitis: diagnostic accuracy study;” “Mind wandering and driving: responsibility case-control study;” and “The tooth fairy and malpractice.”

http://www.bmj.com/ <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029705:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

Tony Mazzaschi

AAMC

PPS: Other news, policy, and innovation products from AAMC may be of particular interest to subscribers:

+AAMCAction, an iPhone, iPad and Android app featuring AAMC news and

+advocacy resources

https://www.aamc.org/advocacy/aamcaction/ <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029706:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r>

+AAMC STAT (Short, Topical and Timely), a weekly news email highlights

+news related to academic medicine

http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/aamcstat/aamcnews.htm <http://echo4.bluehornet.com/ct/19029707:21456662070:m:1:1612442508:214B27987A1A1FF452F666BD62E9AD52:r> (note subscription box on right)

+AAMC Washington Highlights, a weekly summary of legislative &

+regulatory developments affecting academic medicine