MedCenterToday.com has gathered the stories below to keep Academic Med Center professionals like you posted on what you need to know now.
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Headlines
FAU Endorse Proposed Med School Florida Atlantic Univ is one step closer to creating its own independent medical school. Palm Beach Post, February 08, 2010
Med Center Facility Renamed There's an identity crisis under way in the Texas Medical Center Houston Chronicle, February 08, 2010
Why Tennessee Hospitals May Ask to Pay Higher Taxes Like plenty of other states, Tennessee is strapped for cash and looking for ways to save money. Cuts are likely for TennCare, the state’s Medicaid managed care program. Wall Street Journal (Public access), February 08, 2010
Dr. Harry Jacobson Receives Crystal Leaf Award Harry R. Jacobson, M.D., has been honored by the Nashville Health Care Council with its inaugural Health Care Council Crystal Leaf Award. Nashville Tennessean, February 05, 2010
Illinois Malpractice-Award Curbs Tossed The Illinois Supreme Court opened the door to higher damage awards in medical-malpractice cases in the state, ruling Thursday that an Illinois law capping damages was unconstitutional Wall Street Journal (Public access), February 05, 2010
GWU Med School Sheds Probationary Status The George Washington Univ medical school has been taken off academic probation by its accrediting body, officials said Wednesday, ending a difficult chapter at one of the nation's oldest schools of medical education. Washington Post, February 04, 2010
ETSU Residency Program in Danger of Losing Millions The Dean of East Tennessee State Univ’s Quillen College of Medicine is working to prevent state budget cuts from hitting his programs. TriCities.com (Bristol Herald Courier & NewsChannel 11), February 04, 2010
Quattrin Named UB Peds Chair Teresa Quattrin, MD, professor of pediatrics at the University at Buffalo, an internationally known physician-scientist and an expert in childhood diabetes and obesity, has been appointed chair of the UB Department of Pediatrics after a comprehensive nati Univ at Buffalo, February 04, 2010
Eric Neilson, MD, Receives Highest Honor of Distinguished Leadership Eric Neilson, M.D., Hugh Jackson Morgan Professor & chair of Dept of Medicine at Vanderbilt, will receive 2010 Association of Professors of Medicine Robert H. Williams, M.D.,Distinguished Chair of Medicine Award at its annual meeting in February. Vanderbilt Medical Center, February 03, 2010
More Issues at the Univ. of Chicago When Robert Zimmer separated from his wife and disclosed to trustees that he was romantically involved with a faculty member, the Univ of Chicago president gave rise to a host of thorny issues. Inside Higher Ed, February 03, 2010
Raises Coming Back at Beth Israel Deaconess The final chapter is being written in a budget-shortfall story that garnered national attention for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center when employees came together to protect the jobs of those earning the lowest wages. Boston Globe and Boston.com, February 03, 2010
Ghostwriting Policies Face Scrutiny Plagiarism plagues many scholarly fields, and medical research is no exception. Duke Chronicle, February 03, 2010
The End of a Paper That Linked Autism to a Vaccine It’s been more than a decade since the Lancet published a study that looked at 12 children and suggested a possible link between autism and the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella. Wall Street Journal (Public access), February 02, 2010
UCLA Med System Revenue Up Driven by a brand-new facility and numerous local hospital closures, the UCLA Medical System posted record-breaking revenues in the last fiscal year. UCLA Daily Bruin, February 02, 2010
Grady CEO Rethinks Firing After Objection Grady Memorial Hospital’s controversial CEO tried to fire the staff’s well-liked medical chief but was rebuked by the hospital board and reinstated the chief. Atlanta Journal-Constitution, February 01, 2010
New Dean at UCLA Med School Dr. Eugene Washington has some very specific goals for UCLA’s health system, one of which is to find out where the money is going. UCLA Daily Bruin, February 01, 2010
UCI Med Center Forced to Rectify Problems Found by Medicaid In a report released Thursday, Jan. 21, federal investigators found UC Irvine Medical Center to be operating out of compliance with health policies necessary to receive Medicare funding. "Univ of California, Irvine - New University", February 01, 2010
$250,000 Bonus to USF Dean It has preached about high-tech high wage jobs, and that is why USF gives bonuses to people like Stephen Klasko, the Dean of the medical school. Tampbays10.com, January 29, 2010
Lynch is appointed as the Sackler Professor at Yale Dr. Thomas J. Lynch, the inaugural Richard Sackler & Jonathan Sackler Professor of Internal Medicine and Yale Cancer Center Director, is an expert on lung cancer. He also serves as the physician-in-chief of the new Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven Yale Univ, January 29, 2010
LSU Wins Fight for Hospital A federal arbitration panel ruled Wednesday that Louisiana would receive $474.8 million - nearly all it had requested - to pay for the replacement of Charity Hospital in New Orleans, which has been closed since the storm. New York Times, January 28, 2010
Takeover Risk For Major NY AIDS & Trauma Center St. Vincent's Hospital, a major AIDS and trauma center, could be taken over by a powerful nonprofit New York hospital system and stripped of its surgical and inpatient units if its finances don't improve. Associated Press, January 28, 2010
13 California hospitals fined for medical errors State Department of Public Health officials require hospital officials to submit plans to correct the problems, which in some cases killed or seriously injured patients. Los Angeles Times, January 28, 2010
Shortage of Pediatric Specialists Unlike adult medicine, which faces a severe shortage of primary care doctors, children have plenty of primary care pediatricians. For children, the shortages are in the pediatric subspecialists who can diagnose and treat severe and complicated illnesses. Newark Star-Ledger, January 28, 2010
The Least Deadly Hospitals Some regional hospitals do a better job preventing fatal complications than famous academic medical centers. Forbes.com (Forbes Magazine), January 27, 2010
Radiation and the Risks of High-Tech Medicine High-tech medical equipment can improve outcomes for patients — but it can also create new complications and safety risks. Wall Street Journal (Public access), January 27, 2010
Harvard Poisoning Investigation Stalls Harvard Univ says a four-month investigation into a possible coffee poisoning incident at the medical school has failed to turn up any suspects. Boston Globe and Boston.com, January 26, 2010
Former WSU Med School Dean Takes Job in San Diego Mentzer, a cardiovascular transplant surgeon, will serve as the director of translational research and global health initiatives and as a senior advisor to the San Diego State Univ. Research Foundation, the statement said. Crain's Detroit Business, January 26, 2010
Editorial: BCM Should Think Twice Before Strengthening Ties with Waco Desperately seeking academic partner with deep pockets to maintain first-class medical school in the style to which it has become accustomed. Please call Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Houston Chronicle, January 25, 2010
Harvard Doc Steps Down to Keep Drug-Industry Speaking Gig Starting this year, some high-profile Boston hospitals put new rules in place that prohibited their docs from being paid by drug companies to give speeches. Wall Street Journal (Public access), January 25, 2010
Hospital Chain, UnitedHealth in Standoff Over Costs, Rules The fight is between Continuum Health Partners, a consortium of five New York hospitals, including Beth Israel Medical Center,a major teaching hospitals, & UnitedHealthcare, which includes Oxford health plans and has 25 million members across the country, New York Times, January 25, 2010
UMass Med School Sets Rare Outreach The Univ of Massachusetts Medical School, seeking to bolster the number of minority physicians in Massachusetts, plans to offer high school seniors the rare opportunity to gain admission to college and medical school at the same time. Boston Globe and Boston.com, January 25, 2010
People and Profession
Blendon Named Senior Associate Dean for Policy Translation and Leadership Development Professor Robert Blendon, pictured at right, has been named Senior Associate Dean for Policy Translation and Leadership Development at HSPH. He will lead a new Division of Policy Translation and Leadership Development at the School. Harvard School of Public Health, February 08, 2010
Karmanos Cancer Institute Appoints Dr. Steffes Co-Chief of Surgical Oncology Service Christopher Steffes, M.D., of the Wayne State University Physician Group, has been appointed co-chief of Surgical Oncology Service at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center. He shares this role with George Yoo, M.D., F.A.C.S. Wayne State Univ School of Medicine, February 08, 2010
Stagno Appointed Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics at UAB The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees appointed Sergio Stagno, M.D., Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) at its Feb. 5 meeting. Univ of Alabama at Birmingham, February 08, 2010
Dr. Harry Jacobson Receives Crystal Leaf Award Harry R. Jacobson, M.D., has been honored by the Nashville Health Care Council with its inaugural Health Care Council Crystal Leaf Award. Nashville Tennessean, February 05, 2010
SIU Names Neurosurgery Division Chair Dr. Jeffrey W. Cozzens has joined the faculty at the Southern Illinois Univ School of Medicine as professor and chair of the neurosurgery division. He has a special interest in surgery for epilepsy, brain tumors and Parkinson’s disease SIU School of Medicine, February 05, 2010
Umass Med School Appoints Associate Vice-Chancellor for Diversity Deborah L. Plummer, PhD, a psychologist whose lifelong work has been focused on diversity management, has been named Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Equal Opportunity at the Univ of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS). Univ of MA - Medical, February 05, 2010
MSNBC.com Names Johns Hopkins Doctor One of 100 History Makers in the Making Praised for her work “closing the racial gap in health care,” Lisa Cooper, M.D., M.P.H., a professor of general internal medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, has been named one of “100 History Makers in the Making” by msnbc Newswise, February 05, 2010
Quattrin Named UB Peds Chair Teresa Quattrin, MD, professor of pediatrics at the University at Buffalo, an internationally known physician-scientist and an expert in childhood diabetes and obesity, has been appointed chair of the UB Department of Pediatrics after a comprehensive nati Univ at Buffalo, February 04, 2010
Mangold Named Lead Academic to NIH Research Team UB Law School Professor Susan V. Mangold has been selected the leading academic for one of 15 teams accepted for a cooperative research conference sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and National Institute of Mental Health. UB Reporter, February 04, 2010
Eric Neilson, MD, Receives Highest Honor of Distinguished Leadership Eric Neilson, M.D., Hugh Jackson Morgan Professor & chair of Dept of Medicine at Vanderbilt, will receive 2010 Association of Professors of Medicine Robert H. Williams, M.D.,Distinguished Chair of Medicine Award at its annual meeting in February. Vanderbilt Medical Center, February 03, 2010
Former Wyeth CEO: Pharma Chiefs Face More Punishing Environment Dan Vasella just gave up the CEO job at Novartis. Merck CEO Dick Clark will the company’s mandatory retirement age (65) next year. And since 2005, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi-Aventis, AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly have all found new CEOs, Dow Jones News Wall Street Journal (Public access), February 03, 2010
New Ophthalmology Chair Named at UNMC Tom Hejkal, MD, PhD, has been named McGaw Memorial Chairman of the Univ. of Nebraska Medical Center Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences in Omaha, Neb., according to a UNMC news release. Cataract Outsourcing, February 03, 2010
KU Alum Leads Cancer Center's Radiation Oncology Program A Univ of Kansas School of Medicine alum, Dr. Kumar has extensive experience in leading academic programs in radiation oncology, having served as chair at USC & Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, where he built a new academic department. Univ of Kansas Medical Center, February 03, 2010
Children's Chief of Nephrology Named to American Society of Pediatric Nephrology Council Larry Greenbaum, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of Nephrology at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston and Chief of Pediatric Nephrology at Emory Univ School of Medicine, was recently elected to the Council of the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology (ASPN Children's Healthcare of Altanta Pediatric Hospital, February 02, 2010
New Dean at UCLA Med School Dr. Eugene Washington has some very specific goals for UCLA’s health system, one of which is to find out where the money is going. UCLA Daily Bruin, February 01, 2010
UMC says farewell to CEO In the 22 years Greg Pivirotto served as president and chief executive officer of University Medical Center, he made it a point to treat all of his staff, including doctors, nurses and custodians, as family. Arizona Daily Wildcat, February 01, 2010
Celentano named Dr. Charles Armstrong Chair of Epidemiology David Celentano will be installed on Wednesday, Feb. 3, as the inaugural Dr. Charles Armstrong Chair and Professor of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Johns Hopkins Gazette, February 01, 2010
Lynch is appointed as the Sackler Professor at Yale Dr. Thomas J. Lynch, the inaugural Richard Sackler & Jonathan Sackler Professor of Internal Medicine and Yale Cancer Center Director, is an expert on lung cancer. He also serves as the physician-in-chief of the new Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven Yale Univ, January 29, 2010
Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta Announces New Surgeon in Chief Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Wulkan, M.D., as Surgeon in Chief. Wulkan’s appointment concludes a year-long recruitment process for a Pediatrician and Surgeon in Chief. Children's Healthcare of Altanta Pediatric Hospital, January 29, 2010
Karmanos Institute Picks Bepler as President The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute has named Dr. Gerold Bepler its new president and chief executive officer. Detroit News, January 29, 2010
Univ of Maryland: More Med Faculty Are Headed to Haiti The first team of 22 doctors, nurses and other health professionals from the University of Maryland Medical Center and the University of Maryland School of Medicine is preparing to travel to Haiti. University Of Maryland, January 28, 2010
Hammond to Lead Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at IU and RHI Flora M. Hammond, M.D., began her duties Nov. 30 as chairman of the Indiana Univ School of Medicine Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and chief of medical affairs at the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana. Indiana Univ Medical Center, January 27, 2010
N.J. Faces Shortage of Docs Caused by 'Morale Problem' Among Physicians New Jersey will be short 2,800 family doctors and specialists by 2020 unless the state becomes a more appealing place to open a practice, according to a report a hospital trade group issued today. Newark Star-Ledger/NJ.com, January 27, 2010
Loyola's Kuczewski Named President of American Society for Bioethics and Humanities Loyola Univ Chicago Stritch School of Medicine Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics and Health Policy Director Mark Kuczewski, PhD, was recently named president of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH). Loyola Univ Health System, January 27, 2010
Former WSU Med School Dean Takes Job in San Diego Mentzer, a cardiovascular transplant surgeon, will serve as the director of translational research and global health initiatives and as a senior advisor to the San Diego State Univ. Research Foundation, the statement said. Crain's Detroit Business, January 26, 2010
Rotondo to Chair National Trauma Committee . Michael F. Rotondo has been appointed chair of the Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons. East Carolina State Univ, January 26, 2010
Landmark Med Center Names New Medical Officer Mayo Clinic is teaming up with Phoenix Children's Hospital (PCH) and Pediatric Surgeons of Phoenix to provide comprehensive surgical treatment to both children and adults with pectus deformities. Boston Globe and Boston.com, January 26, 2010
Academic Medicine Responds to Crisis in Haiti The Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is working with AAMC to identify specialty physicians who are willing to volunteer in Haiti. Association of American Medical Colleges, January 26, 2010
Corbett appointed Chair of Biochemistry at MCW John A. Corbett, PhD, has been appointed chairman and professor of biochemistry at The Medical College of Wisconsin. Medical College of Wisconsin, January 26, 2010
Suggestions for Expected Doc Shortage A task force convened three years ago by the New Jersey Council of Teaching Hospitals unveiled a series of recommendation for the physician shortage issue at events Tuesday at Cooper Univ Hospital in Camden Philadelphia Business Journal, January 26, 2010
Williamson is New Interim Dean for NEOCOM Med School Dr. Jay C. Williamson has been named interim dean of the College of Medicine at the Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy in Rootstown. Ravenna Record-Courier, January 25, 2010
Hopkins Scientists Discover a Controller of Brain Circuitry By combining a research technique that dates back 136 years with modern molecular genetics, a Johns Hopkins neuroscientist has been able to see how a mammal’s brain shrewdly revisits and reuses the same molecular cues to control the complex design of it Johns Hopkins Gazette, January 25, 2010
Hershey Med Center Receives Record $10.1M Donor Commitment Donors committed a record $10.1-million to the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Med Center in December, the most the medical center received in December of any year, the medical provider recently said. Central Penn Business Journal, February 02, 2010
U.Cincinnati Receives $500,000 Gift Deaconess Associations Foundation has given a half-million dollar gift in the name of the Heimlich Institute to fund new research at Hoxworth Blood Center at the Univ of Cincinnati. The donation will aid in the development of new cellular treatments. University of Cincinnati, January 28, 2010
Teaching Hospitals and Administration
Med Center Facility Renamed There's an identity crisis under way in the Texas Medical Center Houston Chronicle, February 08, 2010
DHMC Initiative Cuts Complications A new patient-monitoring system launched by a Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center team has decreased the likelihood of post-operation complications by almost half and postoperative rescue calls by two-thirds, Dartmouth Online, February 08, 2010
Akron General Puts ER Wait Times on Billboards, Internet Trying to avoid a painfully long wait in the ER? One local hospital system is publicly sharing the current average wait time to see a doctor at all its emergency departments. Akron Beacon Journal, February 05, 2010
Packard Children's Team Offers Pediatric Relief The youngest members of Haitiâ??s society are now receiving care from a five-member medical team from Lucile Packard Childrenâ??s Hospital, who departed Feb. 2 to help the devastated population of Port-au-Prince. Stanford Univ, February 05, 2010
'U' hospital CEO, other officials talk the business of health care Doug Strong, chief executive officer of the Univ’s Hospitals and Health Centers, spoke to a group of about 100 people on the vital role the Univ’s health care system plays in bringing both state and nationwide economic growth, at a panel discussion ye Michigan Daily, February 05, 2010
Cincinnati Childrens Opens Stem-Cell Center Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center has opened the Pluripotent Stem-Cell Facility to provide a central source for human stem-cell technologies to area researchers. MSN-Money Central, February 05, 2010
OSU Med Center May Get Separate Audit Ohio State University Medical Center has grown so much in the past decade that it now makes up almost half of the university's budget. Columbus Dispatch, February 04, 2010
More Issues at the Univ. of Chicago When Robert Zimmer separated from his wife and disclosed to trustees that he was romantically involved with a faculty member, the Univ of Chicago president gave rise to a host of thorny issues. Inside Higher Ed, February 03, 2010
Raises Coming Back at Beth Israel Deaconess The final chapter is being written in a budget-shortfall story that garnered national attention for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center when employees came together to protect the jobs of those earning the lowest wages. Boston Globe and Boston.com, February 03, 2010
The End of Charity Hospitals The best thing to come Louisiana's way since the start of the Obama administration has to be the $475-million arbitration award won by LSU last week to replace the Katrina-damaged Charity Hospital in New Orleans. New Orleans Times-Picayune & Nola.com, February 03, 2010
UCLA Med System Revenue Up Driven by a brand-new facility and numerous local hospital closures, the UCLA Medical System posted record-breaking revenues in the last fiscal year. UCLA Daily Bruin, February 02, 2010
Why Don't More Hospitals Calculate the Risks of Surgery? New risk calculators from the American College of Surgeons aim to help evaluate individual patients’ risks of complications and death from surgical procedures, as I write in my column today. Wall Street Journal (Public access), February 02, 2010
Riley Hospital Once Again Verified a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center For the fifth time, Riley Hospital for Children - one of the nation’s leading pediatric hospitals and Indiana’s only comprehensive children’s hospital – has once again been verified a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center by the American College of Surg Indiana Univ Medical Center, February 02, 2010
UC Health Schools Try to Profit in Era of Crisis Despite their recent financial successes, Univ of California medical centers may still be in jeopardy from state budget failings. Santa Barbara Daily Nexus, February 02, 2010
M.D. Anderson Forms Relationship with Israeli Hospital The Univ of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and the Chaim Sheba Medical Center in Israel have agreed to partner on oncology training, treatment and research. Tampa Bay Business Journal, February 02, 2010
Grady CEO Rethinks Firing After Objection Grady Memorial Hospital’s controversial CEO tried to fire the staff’s well-liked medical chief but was rebuked by the hospital board and reinstated the chief. Atlanta Journal-Constitution, February 01, 2010
Childrens Hospital facing pediatric doctor shortage Pediatric specialist shortages at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin have resulted in longer wait times for non-emergency appointments and in some cases, lost referrals to other providers. Milwaukee Business Journal, February 01, 2010
$250,000 Bonus to USF Dean It has preached about high-tech high wage jobs, and that is why USF gives bonuses to people like Stephen Klasko, the Dean of the medical school. Tampbays10.com, January 29, 2010
GMC Leader Dispels Rumors of Chief's Leaving Despite reports published in newspapers and posted on Internet blogs, the president and chief executive officer of Geisinger Health System is not being recruited for a position in the Obama administration, a hospital spokeswoman said Thursday. The Daily Item, January 29, 2010
UTMB Psychiatric Hospital Won't Reopen for Years It could be five or more years before the Univ of Texas Medical Branch reopens its 20-bed psychiatric hospital, forcing some area residents to travel farther for inpatient care and marking another medical side-effect of Hurricane Ike. Galveston County Daily News, January 29, 2010
Shortage of Pediatric Specialists Unlike adult medicine, which faces a severe shortage of primary care doctors, children have plenty of primary care pediatricians. For children, the shortages are in the pediatric subspecialists who can diagnose and treat severe and complicated illnesses. Newark Star-Ledger, January 28, 2010
The Least Deadly Hospitals Some regional hospitals do a better job preventing fatal complications than famous academic medical centers. Forbes.com (Forbes Magazine), January 27, 2010
Penn Medicine Team One Heads to Haiti At approximately 2:30 pm on Monday, January 25th “Penn Medicine Team One” – the first medical team from Penn Medicine to fly to Haiti to provide expert medical care to victims of the earthquake on January 12th – departed from the Philadelphia Int Penn Medicine, January 27, 2010
DHMC Officials Lobby Washington With the election of Senator-elect Scott Brown, R-Mass., placing the future of federal health care legislation in jeopardy, members of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center’s government affairs office are lobbying the federal government Dartmouth Online, January 27, 2010
Seattle Children's Performs Milestone Transplant Thursday morning, surgeons at Seattle Children's Hospital performed their 500th organ transplant. Sophia Pook, 8, from Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood received a kidney donation after she suffered renal failure Northwest Cable News, January 27, 2010
Baton Rouge Hospital Plans Would Transfer Care for Poor to Private Hospital A public-private partnership that would give the capital city its first Level 1 trauma center and shift charity inpatient services to a private hospital is nearing completion after the two participants announced an agreementMonday. New Orleans Times-Picayune & Nola.com, January 26, 2010
UMC Payroll: $96M High for El Paso, in Line with Industry It’s been a busy couple of years for El Paso’s University Medical Center. The county hospital changed its name from Thomason General to UMC to reflect its role as a teaching hospital. El Paso Inc., January 26, 2010
Mayo Clinic and Phoenix Children's Hospital Collaborate on Surgery Mayo Clinic is teaming up with Phoenix Children's Hospital (PCH) and Pediatric Surgeons of Phoenix to provide comprehensive surgical treatment to both children and adults with pectus deformities. News Blaze, January 26, 2010
Editorial: BCM Should Think Twice Before Strengthening Ties with Waco Desperately seeking academic partner with deep pockets to maintain first-class medical school in the style to which it has become accustomed. Please call Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Houston Chronicle, January 25, 2010
Harvard Doc Steps Down to Keep Drug-Industry Speaking Gig Starting this year, some high-profile Boston hospitals put new rules in place that prohibited their docs from being paid by drug companies to give speeches. Wall Street Journal (Public access), January 25, 2010
Leader: N.J. Hospitals Face Challenges The new head of the New Jersey Hospital Association said the legacy of values-based health care delivered by the state's religious and lay hospitals, where health care services are delivered to all, regardless of their ability to pay, is in jeopardy. Courier Post (Camden South Jersey), January 25, 2010
Deaconess Closes ER Financial struggles have resulted in a local hospital closing its emergency room, and the creation of a restructuring plan for inpatient services to fit the needs of those requiring shorter hospital stays. Univ of Cincinnati News Record, January 25, 2010
Harvard Relief Team Returns From Haiti A team of Harvard Medical School and teaching hospital affiliates, led by Harvard Foundation Director S. Allen Counter Jr., traveled to Haiti in a relief mission last week. Harvard Crimson, January 25, 2010
Critical Mass: Hospitals React as ERs Pushed to Capacity Triad hospitals are planning more expansions and seeking new efficiencies in the coming year as patients continue to flood their already overburdened emergency departments. South Florida Business Journal, January 25, 2010
Faculty Senate Fights Choice of Cancer Center Head Univ of Hawaii Manoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw violated procedures in the search for a new Cancer Research Center director, according to a UH-Manoa Faculty Senate resolution criticizing the selection process. Honolulu Star-Bulletin, January 25, 2010
U of R Pres. Seligman on Health Care Reform Univ of Rochester President Joel Seligman talks about the unknowns of health care reform and the challenges Rochester's largest employer faces because of those unknowns. Rochester WXXI, January 25, 2010
Building and Expansion
UCI Opens $40M Doc Training Center Physicians and scientists this week will begin moving into a new $40.5-mil medical education center at UC Irvine that features a 60-seat “televideo” auditorium where students can watch doctors use teleconferencing to provide care to patients in rural Orange County Register, February 08, 2010
Univ Hospital Begins $67M IT Remake The University of Colorado Hospital has started work on a $67 million information technology project that will create more than 165 high-paying jobs. South Florida Business Journal, February 08, 2010
UF Gets Almost $15M in Federal Funds to Build Research Complex The Univ of Florida’s Institute on Aging has received close to $15-million from the National Institutes of Health to construct an almost 40,000-square-foot complex for clinical and translational research. Univ of Florida College of Medicine, February 03, 2010
Md. General to Open $57M Expansion Nearly 30 years ago, Maryland General Hospital was poised to move from Baltimore to Cockeysville - until then-Mayor William Donald Schaefer found out and challenged the plan that he feared would leave city residents without adequate options for health car Baltimore Sun, February 03, 2010
Biomedical Campus Gets $15M for Animal Research Facility The Univ of Arizona’s medical school in downtown Phoenix is moving ahead with plans to build a $15-million underground animal research facility on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus. Phoenix Business Journal, February 03, 2010
Med City Taking Shape Just off State Road 417 in south Orlando, a meandering boulevard lined with saplings offers a rare glimpse of hope amid an otherwise cloudy Central Florida economy. Orlando Sentinel, February 01, 2010
WFUBMC Petitions for $38.7M Surgical Center Wake Forest Univ. Baptist Medical Center has petitioned state regulators to build a new $38.7-million surgical facility next to its main Winston-Salem campus. Triad Business Journal, January 29, 2010
New Critical Care Tower Opens The new Critical Care Tower, a 329,000-square-foot addition to Vanderbilt University Hospital that opened in November, combines the human touch with technology to care for Vanderbilt’s most vulnerable patients. Vanderbilt Univ School of Medicine, January 29, 2010
LSU Wins Fight for Hospital A federal arbitration panel ruled Wednesday that Louisiana would receive $474.8 million - nearly all it had requested - to pay for the replacement of Charity Hospital in New Orleans, which has been closed since the storm. New York Times, January 28, 2010
Takeover Risk For Major NY AIDS & Trauma Center St. Vincent's Hospital, a major AIDS and trauma center, could be taken over by a powerful nonprofit New York hospital system and stripped of its surgical and inpatient units if its finances don't improve. Associated Press, January 28, 2010
Baylor-Baylor College Of Medicine End Talks Talks with the Baylor College Medicine about what Baylor University officials described as a strengthened affiliation have ended after the medical school’s trustees voted to continue as an autonomous institution. KWTX TV, January 28, 2010
Ohio State Med Center $1B Expansion Continues Dr. Steven Gabbe, Ohio State’s senior vice president for health services and CEO of the Ohio State Univ Medical Center, gave the annual State of the Medical Center address to an audience that filled the Meiling Hall auditorium Tuesday afternoon. Ohio State Lantern, January 27, 2010
UTMB Women's Cancer Center Reopened local cancer center the Univ of Texas Medical Branch shut down last year is open again at a new location. Brownsville Herald, January 26, 2010
USA Med College Gets $14.5M grant The University of South Alabama College of Medicine received a $14.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to build a laboratory that supports ongoing research to prevent and treat infectious diseases, USA officials said today AL.com, February 08, 2010
Loyola Study Points to Possible Novel Approach to Treating Breast Cancer In a new approach to developing treatments for breast cancer, prostate cancer and enlarged hearts, Loyola Univ Chicago Stritch School of Medicine researchers are zeroing in on a workhorse protein called RSK. Loyola Univ Health System, February 08, 2010
Cuts Are Coming for Glaxo R&D GlaxoSmithKline is going to cut R&D and other expenses as part of an effort to lower costs. The company wouldn’t specify how many jobs will be lost. Wall Street Journal (Public access), February 05, 2010
New Duke Clinical Research Unit to Conduct Groundbreaking Translational Research A new state-of-the-art clinical research facility that could transform the framework for the clinical development and evaluation of investigational drugs and medical devices, as well as provide a new way of studying a wide range of emerging research. Duke Univ School of Medicine, February 05, 2010
FDA Warns Drug Companies On Promotional Material The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY), United Therapeutics Corp. (UTHR) and Sanofi-Aventis SA (SNY) over misleading promotional material for some of their drugs. Wall Street Journal (Public access), February 04, 2010
Ghostwriting Policies Face Scrutiny Plagiarism plagues many scholarly fields, and medical research is no exception. Duke Chronicle, February 03, 2010
Scientists Link Serotonin Deficit to SIDS New research from a team led by a Children's Hospital Boston neuropathologist sheds light on a possible biological cause, pinpointing a defect in the brain that might account for babies who suddenly and unexpectedly die during their sleep Boston Globe and Boston.com, February 03, 2010
3 New Drugs for HIV are Raising Hopes For 27 years, James Vokoun has had HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and it was growing increasingly resistant to drugs. Vokoun, 48, of Holland, Bucks County, felt a crushing fatigue all the time, as if he were perpetually getting the flu. Philly.com, February 03, 2010
Teva, Amgen Duke It Out Over Generic Biotech There’s been plenty of hand-waving in Washington about bringing generic versions of biotech drugs to market in this country. Wall Street Journal (Public access), February 03, 2010
Pfizer Plans to Cut Billions in Annual R&D Spending Pfizer spent $2.8-billion on R&D in the fourth quarter of last year, according to today’s earnings announcement from the company. Wall Street Journal (Public access), February 03, 2010
The End of a Paper That Linked Autism to a Vaccine It’s been more than a decade since the Lancet published a study that looked at 12 children and suggested a possible link between autism and the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella. Wall Street Journal (Public access), February 02, 2010
Warning: Ghostwriting may be Hazardous to Your Health Of the top 50 medical schools in the United States, as defined by the 2009 U.S. News & World Report’s research ranking, only 13 – or 26 percent – have publicly available policies in place that strictly prohibit ghostwriting, according to a survey in Arizona State Univ, February 02, 2010
Grandis, Argiris Receive Patent for New Head and Neck Cancer Treatment Researchers from the Univ of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have been awarded a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the development of a new DNA therapy for head and neck cancers. Pitt Chronicle, February 02, 2010
Researcher Elected to Leadership Team of Bone Research Society Brendan Boyce, M.D., professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and director of Anatomic Pathology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, has been elected Secretary/Treasurer of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR). Univ of Rochester - Medical Center, January 29, 2010
Pediatric Research Society Honors VUMC's Polack Vanderbilt's Fernando Polack, M.D., has been named to receive the Society for Pediatric Research's 2010 E. Mead Johnson Award. Vanderbilt Univ School of Medicine, January 29, 2010
Emergency Med Research Lands Award Tyler Barrett, M.D., assistant professor of Emergency Medicine, has received the 2009 Emergency Medicine Foundation Young Investigator award. Vanderbilt Univ School of Medicine, January 29, 2010
Case Western Reserve Receives $2.8M for Breast Cancer Research Case Western has been awarded six Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) grants for innovative medical research. The grants, totaling nearly $2.8 million, will advance research in the field of breast cancer. Newswise, January 28, 2010
Radiation and the Risks of High-Tech Medicine High-tech medical equipment can improve outcomes for patients — but it can also create new complications and safety risks. Wall Street Journal (Public access), January 27, 2010
UC, Childrens Win $3.7M Research Grant The Univ of Cincinnatiand Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centerwill use a $3.75-million federal grant to help them search for new ways to use adult stem cells to speed repair of musculoskeletal soft tissue injuries. Cincinnati Business Courier, January 27, 2010
Sector Snap: FDA Nod Boosts Diabetes Drugmakers Shares of several drug developers focusing on diabetes drugs advanced Tuesday following the Food and Drug Administration's approval of Novo Nordisk's once-daily drug Victoza. Boston Globe and Boston.com, January 27, 2010
Renowned Duke Researcher Wins Frontiers of Knowledge Award The prestigious BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Biomedicine category goes this year to Robert J. Lefkowitz, M.D., James B. Duke Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator at Duke Un American Association for the Advancement of Science/EurekAlert, January 27, 2010
Case Western Reserve Receives $2.8M for Breast Cancer Research Case Western Reserve Univ School of Medicine has been awarded six Department of Defense (DOD) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) grants for innovative medical research. Newswise, January 27, 2010
UB's Mangold Named Lead Academic to NIH/NIMH Research Team UB Law School Professor Susan V. Mangold has been selected the leading academic for one of 15 teams accepted for a cooperative research conference sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and National Institute of Mental Health. Univ at Buffalo, January 26, 2010
What the New MS Drug Does (and What It Doesn't Do) The FDA just approved a new multiple sclerosis drug called Ampyra. The drug (also known as Fampridine-SR) helps some patients walk faster. Wall Street Journal (Public access), January 25, 2010
Washington U., St. Judes Team on $65M Pediatric Cancer Genome Project Washington Univ School of Medicinein St. Louis and St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis are teaming up to sequence the genomes of 600 children with pediatric cancer in the hope of identifying the genetic changes that cause some of the world’s deadl Albany Business Review, January 25, 2010
Medical Training
FAU Endorse Proposed Med School Florida Atlantic Univ is one step closer to creating its own independent medical school. Palm Beach Post, February 08, 2010
GWU Med School Sheds Probationary Status The George Washington Univ medical school has been taken off academic probation by its accrediting body, officials said Wednesday, ending a difficult chapter at one of the nation's oldest schools of medical education. Washington Post, February 04, 2010
ETSU Residency Program in Danger of Losing Millions The Dean of East Tennessee State Univ’s Quillen College of Medicine is working to prevent state budget cuts from hitting his programs. TriCities.com (Bristol Herald Courier & NewsChannel 11), February 04, 2010
Indiana Med School Makes Plans to Cut Enrollment The Indiana University School of Medicine plans to reduce the number of new students it admits next year in response to state funding cuts, a move that could make the state’s doctor shortage worse. The Daily Illini, February 04, 2010
Med School Cuts Could Worsen Indiana's Doc Shortage Facing a $7-million budget cut, the Indiana Univ School of Medicine plans to reduce the number of new students next year -- a move that will save money but could reduce the number of physicians when the state is already facing a shortage. Louisville Courier-Journal, February 03, 2010
UCSF Fresno Serves as Important Training Ground UCSF Fresno, which has offered medical education and training for residents, fellows and students, for more than 30 years, is adding three new physician training programs in 2010. "Univ of California, San Francisco", February 02, 2010
Einstein Recognized for Leadership Role in Hispanic Health During December, fourth-year student Dina Rodriguez and Dr. Allen M. Spiegel, the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean of Einstein, were among the honorees at the sixth annual Hispanic Health Professional Student Scholarship Gala Dinner, held by the National Albert Einstein College of Medicine, January 29, 2010
Report Makes Case for Med School Spokane and Eastern Washington have significant shortages of physicians, and it's projected those shortages will worsen dramatically in the next 10 to 20 years, says a report by two task forces that studied development of a four-year medical school here. Spokane Journal of Business, January 29, 2010
Quinnipiac Proposes $75M Med School With colleges and universities across the country trimming budgets and programs, Quinnipiac Univ defied the trend Thursday with its bullish announcement of plans to establish and build a $75-million medical school that will admit students within three or Hartford Courant, January 29, 2010
Journal Proposes Major Changes in How Doctors Are Trained The new publication examines the growth in for-profit models among Caribbean medical colleges and American osteopathic medical schools, which emphasize holistic treatments and primary care. Chronicle of Higher Education, January 28, 2010
Doctor and Patient: Practicing on Patients, Real and Otherwise Anesthesia residents at Stanford must go through an extensive simulated situation in which the patient, a specialized mannequin, develops a severe, unexpected allergic reaction and then dies. New York Times, January 28, 2010
MU Med School Probation Lifted After Nine Months The MU School of Medicine is no longer on probation, after a visit on Jan. 15 by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Columbia Missourian, January 27, 2010
Patient Safety: Conversation to Curriculum Two summers ago, as bright-eyed third-year medical students, we rushed into clinics and operating rooms, eager to apply our textbook knowledge at last to the daily practice of working with patients. Boston Globe and Boston.com, January 26, 2010
UMass Med School Sets Rare Outreach The Univ of Massachusetts Medical School, seeking to bolster the number of minority physicians in Massachusetts, plans to offer high school seniors the rare opportunity to gain admission to college and medical school at the same time. Boston Globe and Boston.com, January 25, 2010
Med Residents' Hours Might Be Restricted Further Seven years have passed since U.S. hospitals curtailed the long, sometimes sleep-deprived shifts of medical residents, and the council that oversees their education is poised to propose more changes. Columbus Dispatch, January 25, 2010
Medicare and Medicaid and Other Payors
Why Tennessee Hospitals May Ask to Pay Higher Taxes Like plenty of other states, Tennessee is strapped for cash and looking for ways to save money. Cuts are likely for TennCare, the state’s Medicaid managed care program. Wall Street Journal (Public access), February 08, 2010
Illinois Malpractice-Award Curbs Tossed The Illinois Supreme Court opened the door to higher damage awards in medical-malpractice cases in the state, ruling Thursday that an Illinois law capping damages was unconstitutional Wall Street Journal (Public access), February 05, 2010
Medicare Pay Cuts to Doctors: A Five-Year Fix? Medcare payments to doctors were supposed to fall by 21% at the start of this year, but Congress passed a last-minute, two-month patch to block the cuts. Now, a five-year patch could be on the way. Wall Street Journal (Public access), February 02, 2010
Hospitals Get $14.4M Grant Hawaii's hospitals missed out on $15-million in federal funding last year because Gov. Linda Lingle did not release matching money, but they received $14.4-million that does not need to be matched. Honolulu Star-Bulletin, February 02, 2010
UCI Med Center Forced to Rectify Problems Found by Medicaid In a report released Thursday, Jan. 21, federal investigators found UC Irvine Medical Center to be operating out of compliance with health policies necessary to receive Medicare funding. "Univ of California, Irvine - New University", February 01, 2010
States Bet on Millions for Medicaid The White House will include an additional $25 billion in Medicaid funding for states in the federal budget to be released Monday, spending that Democrats originally hoped to include in their health overhaul. Wall Street Journal (Public access), February 01, 2010
How Much Will Medicare Spending Rise in the Coming Decade? The CBO budget report released today says the growth in Medicare and Medicaid spending during the next decade “will be somewhat slower than the average rate seen over the past 10 years.” Wall Street Journal (Public access), January 27, 2010
Hospital Chain, UnitedHealth in Standoff Over Costs, Rules The fight is between Continuum Health Partners, a consortium of five New York hospitals, including Beth Israel Medical Center,a major teaching hospitals, & UnitedHealthcare, which includes Oxford health plans and has 25 million members across the country, New York Times, January 25, 2010
Legal and Malpractice
Medical-Malpractice Caps Nixed in Illinois In 2005, Illinois passed a law to cap noneconomic damages in medical malpractice suits. Today, the state’s Supreme Court struck down the law. Wall Street Journal (Public access), February 04, 2010
Med School Sues Smithfield for $1.5M in Scholl Site Sale In a twist, a North Chicago medical school is seeking to use former Alderman Edward Vrdolyak’s deal for a “finder’s fee” on the former Dr. Scholl’s property in the Gold Coast to recover $1.5-million from the buyer, an affiliate of Smithfield Pro Chicago Real Estate Daily, February 03, 2010
Christ Hospital Pays Whistleblower Christ Hospital has settled a federal whistleblower lawsuit accusing its acclaimed cardiac-care center of running an illegal kickback scheme. Cincinnati Enquirer & Cincinnati.com, February 03, 2010
Court Rejects NH Claim to $110M Fund The New Hampshire Supreme Court on Thursday put a dent in the state budget by rejecting the state's claim to $110-million in surplus from a fund that underwrites medical malpractice insurance. Boston Globe and Boston.com, January 29, 2010
13 California hospitals fined for medical errors State Department of Public Health officials require hospital officials to submit plans to correct the problems, which in some cases killed or seriously injured patients. Los Angeles Times, January 28, 2010
Yale Lab Tech Pleads Not Guilty in Killing An animal-research technician charged with killing a 24-year-old Yale Univ graduate student pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a murder charge and a new count of felony murder. Wall Street Journal (Public access), January 27, 2010
Harvard Poisoning Investigation Stalls Harvard Univ says a four-month investigation into a possible coffee poisoning incident at the medical school has failed to turn up any suspects. Boston Globe and Boston.com, January 26, 2010
Ex-Employee Sues UIHC A former visiting associate at the UI Hospital and Clinics has sued his former employers for a breach of an employment contract, according to court documents released on Jan. 22. Univ of Iowa - The Daily Iowan, January 26, 2010
UM Prof Reprimanded for Apparent Conflict of Interest A professor at the Univ of Maryland, College Park is facing conflict-of- interest questions after he used university letterhead to deliver a legal opinion in his role as a consultant to a labor union. Baltimore Sun, January 25, 2010
Technology
'Wizard'Ready to Work its Magic on Referring Physicians This week, providers and clinical staff at Vanderbilt University Medical Center began accessing a new communication tool that allows them to easily send their clinic notes, discharge summaries, operative notes and medicine lists to a patient's referring p Vanderbilt Univ School of Medicine, February 05, 2010
Medtronic Faces New Fire Over Wires Some leading hospitals are reporting failure rates for Medtronic Inc.'s fracture-prone defibrillator wires—including among young people—that are significantly higher than what the company has publicly disclosed. Wall Street Journal (Public access), February 04, 2010
The New Era of All-Digital, Smart Hospitals Fisher-Titus Medical Center and Port Clinton's Magruder Hospital patients will soon know detailed information about a medical professional who enters their room -- without even asking the person. AllBusiness.com, February 04, 2010
Federal rule tied to electronic medical records panned The federal government has erected a high fence around a pot of $27 billion available to doctors and hospitals that successfully computerize their patient records by next year. Indianapolis Business Journal, February 01, 2010
Yes, Metal Things Do Fly Into MRIs And Hurt People The magnet in "magnetic resonance imaging" is no joke: A patient on a metal gurney got sucked into an MRI with so much force her leg and foot were fractured. Wall Street Journal (Public access), January 29, 2010
At UIHC, Surgery Goes Robotic Seated at a console in the operation room, a surgeon peers into the three-dimensional, high definition view of the body cavity provided by a dual camera. Univ of Iowa - The Daily Iowan, January 29, 2010
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