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Caduceus Newsletter: Fall 2007.10, Week of October 22 Dr. Stan Eisen, Director Preprofessional Health Programs Christian Brothers University 650 East Parkway South Memphis, TN 38104 Home page: http://www.cbu.edu/~seisen/	Caduceus Newsletter Archives: http://www.cbu.edu/~seisen/Caduceus.html

Table of Contents: 1. ACS/BBB/PHP Activities (American Chemical Society/Beta Beta Beta/Preprofessional Health Programs) 2. What?!!? Fall Break is HISTORY, and YOU STILL HAVEN'T STARTED YOUR TERM PAPER? DID YOU KNOW THAT PROCRASTINATION CAN BE BAD FOR YOU?? 3. A presentation by Technical Sergeant Frank Rawls regarding the United States Air Force medical and health-related scholarship programs, Thursday, October 25, from 12:45 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. 4. Bioethics lecture at the Rose Theatre of the University of Memphis, on October 25, 2007, starting at 3 p.m. 5. The Race for Grace 5k walk/run benefiting the Church Health Center is scheduled for Saturday, November 3, 2007, starting at 9 a.m. 6. Open House at West Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Saturday, November 17, 2007. 7. Scientists Explain Chocolate Cravings, from the Chicago Tribune (Registration Required): Appearing in the October 12, 2007 issue of Science in the News. 8. Brits resort to pulling own teeth, from a news alert from cnn.com. 9. === AAMC STAT ====, News from the Association of American Medical Colleges, October 15, 2007 10. Received this week. 11. Annual Physical Under Examination, from the Baltimore Sun: Appearing in the October 18, 2007 issue of Science in the News.
1. ACS/BBB/PHP Activities (American Chemical Society/Beta Beta Beta/Preprofessional Health Programs)
Monday through Friday, October 22 – 26: National Chemistry Week (ACS) – For details of daily activities, visit http://www.cbu.edu/~mcondren/activities.htm ; Tuesday, October 23: Mole Day -- This dinner, open to students, faculty, and family, will be held at The Spaghetti Warehouse, downtown Memphis and will start PROMPTLY at 6:02 p.m., similar to last year's, which was a great success)(ACS) (Ed. Note: There’s even a foundation dedicated to National Mole Day -- http://www.moleday.org/ ); Thursday, October 25: Presentation regarding United States Air Force Medical and health-related scholarship programs – S214, 12:45 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Refreshments will be served. (See article #3, below.) Thursday, October 25: Bioethics lecture at the Rose Theatre of the University of Memphis, starting at 3 p.m. – Dr. Raymond C. Barfield, MD, PhD, St. Jude Faculty, will present “The Ethics of Pediatric Phase I Trials". (See article #4, below.) Thursday, November 1: Annual Health Career Opportunities Fair, in the Montesi Room of  Buckman Hall (PHP); Saturday, November 3: Bowl-A-Thon for Hope North, Bartlett Lanes, 6276 Stage Rd, Memphis, TN (BBB) (Ed. Note: Photos from last year’s Bowl-A-Thon can be accessed via http://www.cbu.edu/~aross/biodept/Bowling-Uganda/2006/Bowling-2006.html . You can see the actual facility at http://www.hopenorthus.org/ .) Wednesday, November 7: Visit by Paul Carney, G. Paul Carney, M.S., Director of Admissions, DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University. For more information about the DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, contact Mr. Carney at: paul.carney@lmunet.edu , or (423) 869-7102 Office (www.lmunet.edu) For more information regarding: ACS (American Chemical Society): John Legge, President ( jlegge@cbu.edu ) BBB (Beta Beta Beta): Michael Herr, President ( mherr@cbu.edu ) PHP (Preprofessional Health Programs): Dr. Stan Eisen, Director (seisen@cbu.edu)
2. What?!!? Fall Break is HISTORY, and YOU STILL HAVEN'T STARTED YOUR TERM PAPER? DID YOU KNOW THAT PROCRASTINATION CAN BE BAD FOR YOU??
Yes, it's time to reprint a classic from the 5 December 1997 issue of SCIENCE Vol. 278:1715-1717, an article entitled 'Probing Procrastination': "We all suspected that procrastination was bad for us. Now comes research to prove that it may actually be unhealthy, too. In what they claim is the first experimental study of its kind, social psychologists Dianne M. Tice and Roy F. Baumeister at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland report in the November issue of Psychological Science that procrastinators suffer from more stress and health problems. One study asked 44 students in a health psychology course to fill out daily symptom checklists and weekly measures of stress and work requirements for a month. Self-reported procrastinators handed in their papers later than nonprocrastinators; they also got lower grades. A second study of 60 students revealed that by the end of the term, procrastinators experienced more stress and reported more health symptoms such as colds and flu. Interestingly, procrastination does work to some extent: Its practitioners actually reported less stress and few health symptoms earlier in the term than did those who had their noses to the grindstone. But self-indulgence takes its toll. 'Procrastinators end up suffering more and performing worse than other people,' the authors conclude. Such research is important for designing more effective treatments for procrastination, says Timothy Pychl, who heads the Procrastination Research Group at Carleton University in Ottawa. 'They run clinics on every campus in North America for people who procrastinate,' he says. The main approach is 'time management,' but researchers agree it's not very effective and that serious procrastinators have deeper problems, such as depression and low self-esteem, that need to be addressed." SO THERE YOU HAVE IT, PROCRASTINATION REALLY CAN BE BAD FOR YOU.
3. A presentation by Technical Sergeant Frank Rawls regarding the United States Air Force medical and health-related scholarship programs, Thursday, October 25, from 12:45 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.
On Thursday, October 25, Technical Sergeant Frank Rawls will discuss medical and health-related scholarship programs sponsored by the United States Air Force. His presentation will be in S214, starting at 12:45 p.m. Refreshments will be served. (In the past, that has meant either pizza or deli sandwiches.)
4. Bioethics lecture at the Rose Theatre of the University of Memphis, on October 25, 2007, starting at 3 p.m.
Bioethics Speakers Series Raymond C. Barfield, MD, PhD St. Jude Faculty Departments: Oncology Divisions: Bone Marrow Transplantation & Cellular Therapy will present “The Ethics of Pediatric Phase I Trials" Thursday, October 25, 3:00 PM Rose Theater, Room 115 All interested students, faculty, and staff are welcome to attend. Complimentary Refreshments! Sponsored by Alpha Epsilon Delta, The Health Preprofessional Honor Society, the Pre-Dental Club, and Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society.
5. The Race for Grace 5k walk/run benefiting the Church Health Center is scheduled for Saturday, November 3, 2007, starting at 9 a.m.
Dear Friend, The Race for Grace is just around the corner! The Race is Saturday, November 3, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. at Shady Grove Presbyterian Church (corner of Shady Grove Road and Yates).  REGISTER TODAY at www.raceforgrace.racesonline.com and walk, run or roll with hundreds of others from the Mid-South as we together strive to bring hope for healthier lives. Your support will help the ministries of the Church Health Center and more than 51,000 of our neighbors in need from around the Mid-South.  The 5k is a fun family event, including a moon bounce, face painting, clowns and a live band playing Memphis music! We also have a one-mile fun run that families can participate in together. We hope to see you there! For more information, visit the new and improved Church Health Center website at www.churchhealthcenter.org.  Feel free to forward to friends, family and co-workers! Register for the 11th Annual Race for Grace, benefitting the Church Health Center: www.raceforgrace.racesonline.com
6. Open House at West Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Saturday, November 17, 2007.
West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine Saturday November 17, 2007 8:30 am to 3:00 pm WVSOM Campus Lewisburg, WV WVSOM 400 North Lee Street Lewisburg, WV 24901 www.wvsom.edu Phone: 1-888-276-7836 Fax: 304-647-6384 E-mail: admissions@wvsom.edu This program is designed to provide individuals who are interested in becoming a physician with information on admission requirements, financial aid, and osteopathic medicine. For more information and registration check out our website at : www.wvsom.edu/applicant/recruiting.cfm Or RSVP by calling the WVSOM Admissions Office at 1-888-276-7836. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE! ___________________________________________________________________
7. Scientists Explain Chocolate Cravings, from the Chicago Tribune (Registration Required): Appearing in the October 12, 2007 issue of Science in the News.
WASHINGTON - If that craving for chocolate sometimes feels like it is coming from deep in your gut, that's because maybe it is. A small study links the type of bacteria living in people's digestive system to a desire for chocolate. Everyone has a vast community of microbes in their guts. But people who crave daily chocolate show signs of having different colonies of bacteria than people who are immune to chocolate's allure. That may be the case for other foods, too. The idea could eventually lead to treating some types of obesity by changing the composition of the trillions of bacteria occupying the intestines and stomach, said Sunil Kochhar, co-author of the study. It appears Friday in the peer-reviewed Journal of Proteome Research. To read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-diet- chocolate-craving,1,3311798.story Or: http://tinyurl.com/2xvmfb (Ed. Note: It might be said that women have a stronger response to chocolate. I’ll let the reader decide,on the basis of these two photos taken at last Spring’s Godiva Chocolate Tasting Session, sponsored by the students of BIOL 103, featuring Godiva Chocolates from the Oak Court Godiva Chocolatier.)
8. Brits resort to pulling own teeth, from a news alert from cnn.com.
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Some English people have resorted to pulling out their own teeth because they cannot find -- or cannot afford -- a dentist, a major study has revealed. Six percent of those questioned in a survey of 5,000 patients admitted they had resorted to self-treatment using pliers and glue, the UK's Press Association reported. England has a two-tier dental care system with some dentists offering publicly subsidized treatment through the National Health Service and others performing more expensive private work. But more than three-quarters of those polled said they had been forced to pay for private treatment because they had been unable to find an NHS dentist. Almost a fifth said they had refused dental treatment because of the cost. One respondent in Lancashire, northern England, claimed to have extracted 14 of their own teeth with a pair of pliers. In Liverpool, one of those collecting data for the survey interviewed three people who had pulled out their own teeth in one morning. "I took most of my teeth out in the shed with pliers. I have one to go," another respondent wrote. Others said they had fixed broken crowns using glue to avoid costly dental work. Valerie Halsworth, 64, told British television's GMTV she had removed seven of her own teeth using her husband's pliers when her toothache became unbearable and she was unable to find an NHS dentist willing to treat her. Halsworth admitted that the first extraction had been "excruciatingly painful." But she added: "It got that painful that I just had to do something... When you have taken a tooth out... the pain has gone." Sharon Grant, chair of the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health, which commissioned the survey, said: "These findings indicate that the NHS dental system is letting many patients down very badly. "Where NHS dental services are available, people are happy with the quality of treatment provided but many find the NHS fee system confusing and expensive, with some patients taking out loans to pay for treatment or more worryingly taking matters into their own hands." Find this article at: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/10/15/england.dentists/index.html (Ed. Note: They say that any person who represents himself in court has a fool for a client. It makes you wonder about people who engage in do-it-yourself dentistry…
9. === AAMC STAT ====, News from the Association of American Medical Colleges, October 15, 2007
== AAMC comments on new student loan repayment legislation   == AAMC awards Nickens faculty fellowship, student scholarships   == LCME to hold hearing on proposed accreditation standards on diversity   == Global health plan contest seeks student entries   == On the move ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ AAMC comments on new student loan repayment legislation On Friday, the AAMC sent a letter to Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings commenting on the recently enacted "College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007" (part of the ongoing "Higher Education Act" reauthorization). The new law significantly alters medical education loan repayment by eliminating the debt-to-income ratio that qualifies medical residents for economic hardship deferment (change effective Oct. 1, 2007) and by creating a new income-based repayment program (change effective July 1, 2009). The AAMC is concerned that these changes create a "gap" in coverage for medical residents between now and July 2009. In the letter, the AAMC makes two recommendations: 1) temporarily extend the debt-to-income ratio pathway until the new loan repayment program takes effect in 2009; and 2) allow current participants in economic hardship deferment to finish out their remaining years of eligibility. Information: Go to http://www.aamc.org/advocacy/library/educ/corres/2007/101207.pdf ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ AAMC awards Nickens faculty fellowship, student scholarships The AAMC has awarded the 2007 Herbert W. Nickens Faculty Fellowship to Thomas Dean Sequist, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of medicine and health care policy at Harvard Medical School. The fellowship recognizes an outstanding junior faculty member who demonstrates leadership in addressing inequities in medical education and health care, demonstrates efforts to address educational, societal, and health care needs of minorities, and is committed to a career in academic medicine. Dr. Sequist will be presented with a $15,000 grant--to support his academic and professional activities--on Nov. 5 at the AAMC's annual meeting. The AAMC has also awarded five $5,000 scholarships to outstanding third-year medical students who demonstrate leadership in addressing the educational, societal, and health care needs of minorities. The 2007 Herbert W. Nickens Medical Student Scholars are: Christian A. Corbitt, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio; Cherie C. Cross, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; Maria-Esteli Garcia, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Marlana M. Li, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine; and Danielle K. Potter, Creighton University Medical Center. These students will also receive their awards on Nov. 5. Information: Juan Amador, AAMC Division of Diversity Policy and Programs, NickensAwards@aamc.org or go to http://www.aamc.org/about/awards/start.htm ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ LCME to hold public hearing on proposed accreditation standards on diversity The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) will hold a hearing for public comment on proposed changes in accreditation standards relating to diversity. The proposed changes include replacing existing standards on student diversity and faculty diversity with a new standard and annotation to be located in the "Institutional Setting" section of "Functions and Structure of a Medical School," the LCME's accreditation standards document. The full text and rationale for each proposed change can be found on the LCME Web site at http://www.lcme.org/hearing2007.htm The hearing will take place during the AAMC's annual meeting, on Nov. 6, from 1:00-2:30PM at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. Written comments may be forwarded until Dec. 31 to LCME Secretary Dan Hunt, M.D., M.B.A., care of the Association of American Medical Colleges, 2450 N Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20037, or via e-mail to lcme@aamc.org. Anonymous comments will not be considered. Information: Dan Hunt, M.D., LCME, 202.828.0596, or lcme@aamc.org ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Global health plan contest seeks student entries The 2008 Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition (GSEC) is seeking college and graduate students to enter a national business plan competition in which students from around the world create commercially sustainable businesses that address problems of poverty in the developing world. Competition organizers have expanded the competition this year to include global health plans. Submitted plans will be judged by their impact on quality of life in developing countries, implementation feasibility, and financial sustainability. Contestants will need to demonstrate how their plans will impact population health, as well as how those health care benefits are good for society. The deadline for preliminary materials is Oct. 31. Information: Go to http://bschool.washington.edu/gsec/ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ On the move Kern Wildenthal, M.D., Ph.D., will retire in September 2008 as president of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He will remain on the faculty as a tenured professor and devote most of his efforts to philanthropic pursuits on behalf of the medical center. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Academic Medicine Online The October issue of Academic Medicine includes a collection of articles on efforts to integrate complementary and alternative medicine into the medical education curriculum. Two of the articles from this issue, as well as this month's editorial, are available for free to non-subscribers: "What Should Students Learn about Complementary and Alternative Medicine?" and "Internal Medicine Resident Perceptions of Optimal Training Duration." http://www.academicmedicine.org ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
10. Received this week.
Southern College of Optometry (Memphis, TN) · Catalog 2007-2008
11. Annual Physical Under Examination, from the Baltimore Sun: Appearing in the October 18, 2007 issue of Science in the News.
Your doctor probably knows it. Medical organizations certainly do. But most patients have no idea. The annual physical examination - that encounter when a physician looks in your throat, listens to your heart, pokes your abdomen, checks your reflexes and tests your blood - is no longer a generally recommended medical practice. That's because there is scant scientific evidence showing that yearly checkups help prevent disease, death or disability for adults with no symptoms. Many tests and procedures performed during the visits have questionable value, experts say. Instead of an annual physical, healthy adults should undergo a much- streamlined exam that's focused on prevention every one to five years depending on a person's age, sex and medical profile, the American College of Physicians and other professional groups suggest. To read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal- to.hs.physical18oct18,0,5517910.story Or: http://tinyurl.com/2sa55v

Dr. Stan Eisen, Director
Preprofessional Health Programs
Biology Department
Christian Brothers University
650 East Parkway South
Memphis, TN 38104
E-mail: seisen@cbu.edu
http://www.cbu.edu/~seisen/
Caduceus Newsletter Archives: http://www.cbu.edu/~seisen/Caduceus.html