|
|
|
|
Caduceus
Newsletter: Spring 2009.16, Week of
May 4
Dr.
Stan Eisen, Director Home
page: |
This
is the last issue for the 2008-2009
academic year:
Caduceus
Newsletter Archives: (NOT TO WORRY!! The Caduceus Newsletter will go into summer mode from June through August) |
|
Table of Contents: 12. Marginalia: Inflation Burst Test of Selected Condoms 2009, or, Consumer Reports Revisited.(!) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
1. Final exams start on Wednesday! Are you ready? |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
2. If you
are a graduating senior and wish to continue receiving the Caduceus Newsletter… |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Your CBU e-mail account will be discontinued within a year, if not sooner. If you are interested in continuing to receive the Caduceus Newsletter after graduating, PLEASE send me ( seisen@cbu.edu ) an alternate e-mail address. Thank you. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
3.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Every year hundreds of students
applying to veterinary school are not accepted. For many of these applicants,
the reason they were not accepted was their GPA. At Julian
Mesina, DVM, Ph.D., Director,
Animal Science Programs Tel. 215-762-8407 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
4.
The |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Summer Open House at the West
Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) is scheduled for Friday, June
26, 2009. If you have questions about Open House, please feel free to
contact us at the toll free number and e-mail addresses listed below.
Again, your assistance is greatly appreciated! Sincerely, Daniel
Seams, Admissions Counselor, dseams@wvsom.edu Pat Cruse, Administrative
Secretary, pcruse@wvsom.edu Department of
Admissions Friday June 26, 2009 8:30 AM to 12:00 NOON WVSOM Campus WVSOM 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/applicants/recruiting.cfm
Or RSVP
by calling the WVSOM Admissions Office at 1-888-276-7836. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE! |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
5.
The American Association of Dental Schools
Application Service (AADSAS) 2010 cycle will launch on June 1, 2009. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The AADSAS 2010 cycle will launch on June 1, 2009. Traditionally, AADSAS has launched on May 15, but we are delaying our opening this year as we move AADSAS to a new technology platform. The content of the application is very similar to previous years, but applicants will find a better flow to the application and enhancements to help them keep up-to-date on their application status. June 1 is the date applicants can begin filling out and submitting their applications (there never has been one date for applicants to begin filling out AADSAS applications and a separate date when they can begin submitting them). We anticipate that we will start applications to schools in mid June. Applicants to AADSAS 2009 who plan to re-apply in 2010 are reminded to print a copy of their 2009 applications. After May 29, 2009 the 2009 AADSAS application will no longer be accessible to applicants. At present, re-applicants must create a new 2010 AADSAS application and re-enter coursework information, etc. (We hope to be able to “move forward” applicant data for re-applicants in future years, but do not have this option at present.) The process for submitting Letters of Evaluation to AADSAS remains unchanged from last year. Applicants continue to have the option to submit four individual Letters of Evaluation OR one Committee Report plus one individual Letter of Evaluation. AADSAS considers a Committee Report to be:
AADSAS does not have a relationship with VirtualEvals and does not have the ability to receive letters uploaded to VirtualEvals. The fee for AADSAS 2010 will be $217 for the initial designation and $68 for each additional designation. We recognize that many students suffer financial hardship and have increased our Fee Reduction Program for 2010. Information about the program can be found inside the AADSAS application. We look forward to working with you as we launch the 2010 AADSAS application cycle. If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact me. Chonte
James, Director of Predoctoral Application Service |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
6.
==== AAMC STAT ====, News from the
Association of American Medical Colleges, April 27, 2009 issue |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
== Medical researchers remind Congress: research means hope == AAMC's Dick Knapp receives AHA award == AAMC briefing on Capitol Hill encourages support of GME == Association urges support of health provisions in budget resolution == Congress urged to create fund for Medicare physician payment reform == FOVA supports advanced appropriations for VA research == Groups question supervision policy for outpatient therapeutic services == AAMC submits comments on 2010 physician quality reporting options == CGS report: More diversity needed in graduate education == Ninth "American Nobel" awarded to immune system pioneers == HHS issues guidance on security breach notification == On the move ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Medical researchers remind Congress: research means hope The AAMC and a coalition of the nation's medical schools, teaching hospitals, universities, patient groups, research companies and organizations have launched a new effort to urge Congress to enact significant, annual increases in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The new campaign, ResearchMeansHope.org, will use print, radio and online advertising, as well as electronic and social media, to raise public awareness of the critical need for sustained growth in federal funding for medical research. The campaign's Web site provides information about the importance of NIH-supported research and makes it easy for the public to send a message to Congress. ResearchMeansHope.org is sponsored by the Association of American of Public and Land-grant Universities, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, supporting organizations. Supporters are encouraged to become a friend of the campaign on Facebook or follow the effort on Twitter. Information: Go to http://www.ResearchMeansHope.org ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ AAMC's Dick Knapp receives AHA award The American Hospital Association (AHA) has awarded Richard M. Knapp, Ph.D., former executive vice president of the AAMC, its 2009 Board of Trustees Award. The award is presented to individuals or groups who have made substantial and noteworthy contributions to the work of the AHA. Knapp retired from the AAMC in 2008 after 40 years of advocating for medical schools and teaching hospitals on health policy matters affecting medical education and research. While at AAMC, he worked closely with the AHA in developing a unified voice for hospitals, medical schools and the communities they serve. He also served as chair of the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research Funding, a coalition that supports increased funding for the National Institutes of Health, is past chair of the National Association for Biomedical Research, and has held the offices of secretary and treasurer for the Federation of Associations of Schools of the Health Professions. From 1982 to 2005, he served on the board of trustees of the Inova Health System in Information: Go to http://www.aha.org ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ AAMC briefing on Capitol Hill encourages support of GME Last week, the AAMC presented a Capitol Hill briefing on Medicare support for graduate medical education (GME), particularly in the context of health reform. Nearly 100 legislative staff members attended the briefing, led by Atul Grover, M.D., Ph.D., AAMC chief advocacy officer, and Karen Fisher, J.D., AAMC senior director of health care affairs. The briefing covered the importance of expanding Medicare support for GME as part of health care reform to train a health care workforce that meets the needs of all communities. Presenters also addressed the challenging Medicare regulations affecting the unique educational mission of teaching hospitals, including the scheduled elimination of the capital indirect medical education adjustment, payment policies that discourage the training of residents in non-hospital settings, and the importance of lifting the caps placed on residency slots to help meet the impending demand for doctors. The briefing was co-sponsored by the American Osteopathic Association. Information: Go to http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/presskits/gme-thebasics.pdf ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Association urges support of health provisions in budget resolution Congress is at work on a budget resolution that will outline federal spending limits and priorities for the year. House- and Senate-appointed conferees are working together to resolve differences between the two budget blueprints approved in each chamber. Last week, AAMC President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, M.D., sent a letter to the conferees supporting provisions in the budget resolution that relate to health care reform, Medicare physician payments, Veterans Affairs research, health professions training, and other health programs. Information: Go to http://www.aamc.org/advocacy/library/laborhhs/corres/2009/042309.pdf ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Congress urged to create fund for Medicare physician payment reform The AAMC joined 75 specialty societies in sending a letter urging the Congressional budget resolution conferees to include in the final budget resolution a provision that replaces the sustainable growth rate (SGR) methodology with a new Medicare physician payment system. Specifically, the letter urges Congress to preserve language in the House-passed budget resolution that provides a reserve fund to support Medicare physician payment reform and avoid the 21 percent physician payment cut scheduled for Jan. 1, 2010. The letter states that physician payment reform is essential within the context of broad health care system reform. Information: Go to http://www.aamc.org/advocacy/library/workforce/corres/2009/041309.pdf ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ FOVA supports advanced appropriations for VA research Members of Friends of VA Medical Care and Health Research (FOVA) have urged Congress to provide advanced appropriations for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical care and research. In a letter to members of the House and Senate budget committees, FOVA urged legislators to preserve a provision in the Senate-passed budget resolution that would permit advanced funding to the department in order to prevent the "unpredictable and partial-year funding" that has previously impeded important VA research on national priorities. The AAMC is a member of the FOVA executive committee. Information: Go to http://www.aamc.org/advocacy/library/va/corres/2009/042209fova.pdf ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Groups question supervision policy for outpatient therapeutic services The AAMC and 12 hospital associations sent a letter urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to withdraw or delay a recent policy change regarding physician supervision of hospital outpatient therapeutic services and to suspend enforcement of the policy until alternatives are considered and hospitals are given adequate time to comply with the policy should CMS decide not to change it. Included in the 2009 outpatient prospective payment system final rule, and labeled a "clarification," this policy represents a major change for outpatient hospital therapeutic services furnished in on-campus, provider-based departments. According to the rule, a physician with hospital privileges must be present in the department whenever outpatient therapeutic services are furnished in the hospital or its outpatient departments, both on and off campus. Given that this policy was labeled a "clarification," the full implications of this change were not apparent until after the final rule was issued; thus, many affected providers missed the opportunity to comment. The AAMC anticipates meeting with CMS in the near future to discuss the issues raised in the letter. Information: Go to http://www.aamc.org/advocacy/library/teachhosp/corres/2009/041409.pdf ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ AAMC submits comments on 2010 physician quality reporting options The AAMC has submitted a comment letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on reporting options for the 2010 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI)-a program that rewards physicians and other eligible professionals for successfully reporting quality metrics. The 2009 PQRI program offers nine options for reporting, either by submitting data on claim forms or through data registries. CMS is currently testing a system of reporting through electronic health records. Current PQRI reporting and measurement is evaluated at the individual physician level; however, recent law requires CMS to have a process for group reporting by 2010. In its letter, the AAMC supports a group reporting option but stresses that physician practices should determine whether to engage in group or individual reporting. The AAMC also supports the use of electronic health records reporting. Information: Go to http://www.aamc.org/advocacy/library/teachhosp/corres/2009/041709.pdf ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ CGS report: More diversity needed in graduate education The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) released a report last week that examines the need for more diversity in graduate education, particularly in the areas of science and engineering. The report, "Broadening Participation in Graduate Education," states that while the percentage of underrepresented groups in college has steadily increased over the past 10 years, Hispanic and African American students represent less than 10 percent of graduate enrollment and only five percent of new Ph.D.s. Recommendations in the report rely on a renewed synergy between higher education, government and the private sector and include providing incentives, like fellowships and loan forgiveness, to minority groups that seek out degrees in critical fields and expanding Information: Go to http://www.cgsnet.org/Default.aspx?tabid=365 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Ninth "American Nobel" awarded to immune system pioneers This year's Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research has been awarded to three men whose groundbreaking research has led to important discoveries in "innate immunity," which is the less understood function of the body that responds instantly to fight off diseases and infections. Ralph M. Steinman,
M.D., of Dinarello, M.D., from the The Scripps Research Institute in $500,000 prize that comes with the country's highest award for medicine, also known as the "American Nobel." The collective work of the recipients has led to new therapies for rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, Crohn's disease, and cancer and "holds the promise of new and improved vaccines" in the future. Information: Go to http://www.amc.edu/Academic/AlbanyPrize/ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ HHS issues guidance on security breach notification The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued guidance under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act "privacy rule" addressing notification requirements in the event of a breach of unsecured protected health information. The guidance provides the means by which federal entities and their business associates are to determine whether a breach has occurred that will trigger notification obligations. HHS is soliciting comments on the guidance and, in particular, seeks comments on the technologies and methodologies that render protected health information unusable, unreadable, or indecipherable to unauthorized individuals. Comments are due May 21. Information: Go to http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/coveredentities/guidance_b reachnotice.html ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ On the move Eneida O. Roldan, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., has been selected to become president and chief executive officer of
Jackson Health System in health system in 2008 and has served as chief operating officer, interim president, and interim chief compliance officer. Prior to her interim roles, she was senior vice president, associate chief medical officer, and chief administrative officer for first woman and first Hispanic to lead the health system. Alfred G. Gilman, M.D., Ph.D., will step down from his positions as executive vice president for academic affairs and provost of the scientific officer of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. Samuel L. Stanley, Jr., M.D., has been selected to be the next president of currently vice chancellor for research at as well as professor of medicine and molecular microbiology at the school of medicine. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Academic Medicine Online The field of biomedical research is constantly changing, and academic medicine must adapt to meet the needs of the current climate. The April issue of Academic Medicine examines many related factors, including articles and commentaries on clinical research, the future of psychiatry, and the training of biomedical scientists. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
7.
You’re invited to Lyceum Career Day at |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
8.
The |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
9.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
U.S. News
and World Report has released this year’s best medical school rankings, and the
nation’s 25 colleges of osteopathic medicine are well-represented among the
146 schools responding to the magazine’s survey. Eight out of the top ten
(including all of the top five) medical schools listed in answer to the
question ““Which schools turn out the most primary care residents?” are
osteopathic medical schools. The five schools topping the list include
Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, West Virginia
School of Osteopathic Medicine, University of North Texas Health Science
Center/Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, Pikeville College School of
Osteopathic Medicine and Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. The magazine
ranks colleges in research and in primary care. Michigan State University
College of Osteopathic Medicine ranked 7th in the Primary Care
category; the University of North Texas Health Science Center/Texas College
of Osteopathic Medicine ranked 29th in this category. The nation’s
more than 55,000 practicing osteopathic physicians (DOs) are licensed to
practice the full scope of medicine in all 50 states. They practice in all
types of health care settings, including the military, and in all
specialties, from pediatrics to geriatrics, and from sports medicine to
trauma surgery. The
osteopathic medical profession has a proud heritage of producing primary care
practitioners. Today, when there is declining interest among health care
practitioners in entering primary care, the majority of osteopathic medical
school graduates continue to choose careers in primary care. Osteopathic
medicine also has a special focus on providing care in rural and urban
underserved areas, allowing DOs to have a greater impact on the Nearly one in
five The American
Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) was founded in 1898
to support and assist the nation's osteopathic medical schools, and to serve
as a unifying voice for osteopathic medical education. AACOM’s mission is to
promote excellence in osteopathic medical education, in research and in
service, and to foster innovation and quality among osteopathic colleges to
improve the health of the American public. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
10. Suggested summer reading for PHP
students. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
From Lolita Wood-Hill, Director, Prehealth Professions
Advising Programs, I just began reading Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present by Harriett Washington, and had a chance to listen to a presentation she made on her findings during my regional NAMME (National Association of Medical Minority Educators, Inc) meeting. It is a deeply disturbing but fascinating, heart-wrenching reading about slavery and some of our greatest medical practitioners. Lolita From Celeste Crowe, Director, Health Professions Advising, Appalachan State University I agree with Cecilia with My Own Country. It's a fabulous book. I grew up in the area where Dr. Verghese's book is based and have heard him speak; WAAHP is lucky to have him speak. I would also recommend Heart in the students interested in rural primary care. It is a memoir of Carolyn's experience returning back home to rural father's practice. It provides an excellent slice of life into rural primary care. From Cecilia Fox, Retired Advisor, I highly recommend this book by Abraham Verghese--My Own Country. He is a physician and outstanding writer. This first book of his describes him arriving in a small rural town, diagnosing the first case of AIDS in that region, and his own life, as physician and writer. He is to be the keynote speaker at the WAAHP mtg next week. He now has a special faculty position at Stanford Med. as both physician and writer. His writing and perspective are excellent and for me, profoundly moving. Paperback.
Also, Gifted Hands, and Think Big, are just two of the several bks by Ben at Johns Hopkins, and who separates conjoined twins and so on. Think Big is a touching testament to the strengths of his mother, and his childhood and training. From Bob
Blystone, There a book written by Richard Selzer titled Confessions of a Knife. He has a chapter about William Beaumont. Of course nineteenth century D.C. area physician who used an Indian to study human digestion. Although medical establishment, it is one of the greatest examples of patient exploitation on record. Selzer gives the encounter a very interesting twist in a 10 page or so chapter. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
11. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Physician Shortage Area Program (PSAP) Informational meeting on Friday, May 15, 2009 For interested pre-medical students from rural areas or small towns planning to practice in similar areas
Please share this information
with your students – and encourage any students who fit the PSAP goals and
want to learn more about the program to join us in May. Additional
information about Interested students can sign up
for the program, or obtain additional information, by contacting contact
Carolyn Little, MEd, Education Coordinator, via email at Carolyn.Little@jefferson.edu
(or by phone at 215-955-2362). (There is limited space, so please
advise students to RSVP early.) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
12. Marginalia:
Inflation Burst Test of Selected
Condoms 2009, or, Consumer Reports Revisited.(!) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
At several times between 1979 and 2005, Consumer Reports
conducted tests to determine the safety and efficacy of condoms. CR tests involved inflating condoms until
they burst, which is considered “an established predictor of real-world
performance. This “Burst Index was developed
by CR’s experts based on research showing that a condom’s failure rate
in use is correlated with the volume of air it can withstand. In the Ratings,
strength represents the percentage of samples that held at least 25 liters of
air before bursting. All samples of the condoms CR rated highest held
at least 25 liters of air before breaking. In order to verify these results, similar tests were
conducted with three types of Durex condoms (Ultimate Feeling, Performax and
Intense Sensation) and with Trojan Magnum condoms. The maximum length attained for each condom
was it was inflated with air was measured until it burst. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted,
and the results indicate that all brands met the reliability criteria for
Consumer Reports. The average length attained by tested condoms ranged from
78 to 91 cm.(!)
Surprisingly, Trojan Magnums did not attain a greater length, but
their diameters were approximately double the others (estimated at 30 cm,
compared to 20 cm). Assume the following:
V = 3.14 * (10)2 * 80 = 25,120 cm3 = 25 liters
You may wonder, “Who would be
the participants in such a, um, research study?” (Yeah, that’s it, a research study!) Photos courtesy of Natalie
Hart: One of the weenie (regarding
diameter) Durex condoms:
THE MAGNUM (Notice the
difference in DIAMETER. Also notice
the 50-meter measuring device in Lauren Lazar’s hands – we were READY for all
contingencies!):
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dr. Stan Eisen,
650
E-mail: seisen@cbu.edu
http://www.cbu.edu/~seisen/
Caduceus Newsletter Archives: http://www.cbu.edu/~seisen/Caduceus.html