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Penn Medicine's Brian L. Strom named 2013 Career Distinguished Investigator

Brian L. Strom, MD, MPH, the executive vice dean for Institutional Affairs in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, was recently presented with a National Award for Career Achievement and Contribution to Clinical and Translational Science at the Translational Science 2013 meeting in Washington, D.C.

30 Apr 2013

Chart presents timeline of HIV prevention options

The Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog examines a chart, titled "HIV Prevention Options Timeline," which "was part of AVAC Director Mitchell Warren's presentation at a Jhpiego-sponsored" event on Thursday, titled "The Present and the Future of HIV Prevention."

30 Apr 2013

UAB study suggests Mediterranean diet may be linked to preserving memory, thinking abilities

A University of Alabama at Birmingham study suggests that the Mediterranean diet, which urges consuming foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, chicken and salad dressing, and avoiding saturated fats, meat and dairy foods, may be linked to preserving memory and thinking abilities.

30 Apr 2013

Embracing Patient Centered Medical Home concept

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine opened its 98th annual meeting with a keynote speech by Paul Grundy, MD, Global Director of Healthcare Transformation at IBM, urging adoption of a new system of patient care in the United States that moves away from focusing on the management of health care "episodes" and more toward long-term management of population health and integrated delivery of health services.

30 Apr 2013

Blog examines role of Islamist leadership in combating polio

Noting the Global Vaccine Summit held in Abu Dhabi last week, Ayesha Malik, a campaigner at the Muslim-led campaigning charity MADE in Europe, writes in a post in the charity's blog about the role of Islamic leadership in the global push to eradicate polio.

30 Apr 2013

New patch therapy: A breakthrough for peanut allergy sufferers

The Food Allergy Center at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego is one of eight hospitals in the United States participating in an international peanut allergy desensitization study.

30 Apr 2013

Al Jazeera programs examine vaccine funding, efforts to fight malaria, TB, HIV

Al Jazeera's "Inside Story" on Friday examined whether funding and political will can keep pace with efforts to vaccinate every child worldwide. The 25-minute video program, "with presenter Shiulie Ghosh, discusses with guests: Kate Elder from Doctors Without Borders; Adel Mahmoud, a global health specialist at Princeton University, and former president of Merck Vaccines," Al Jazeera writes.

30 Apr 2013

Viewpoints: Bowles, Simpson renew push for 'grand bargain;' The debate on FDA oversight of pharmacies; Kasich and feds work to find formula for Medicaid expansion

To be sure, some progress has been made the past two years. Policymakers have enacted about $2.7 trillion in deficit reduction, primarily through cuts in discretionary spending and higher taxes on wealthy individuals. Yet what we have achieved so far is insufficient.

30 Apr 2013

State highlights: Ore. for-profit hospitals' charity care lags

Top officials at the Mississippi State Department of Health say they're trying to prevent layoffs for 41 employees and 41 contract workers who were part of a program to help women with high-risk pregnancies. Dr. Mary Currier, the state health officer, said Friday that the social workers were told April 15 their jobs could be eliminated July 1 (4/28).

30 Apr 2013

Exchange implementation: News from the White House and the field

Politico reports that the Obama administration is facing challenges as it moves into a critical time implementing the health law. Meanwhile, a contract is awarded for a call center to handle questions about the health exchanges run by the federal government.

30 Apr 2013

Some GOP lawmakers are shifting focus from Medicare to the tax code

House Republican leaders began a series of meetings last week to sell this idea to their rank-and-file members. Also in Capitol Hill news, cancer clinics argue that Congress should have addressed the cuts they took as a result of sequestration before turning to the spending reductions' impact on air travel.

30 Apr 2013

Research report provides recommendations to better protect children, adolescents from crashes

A research report released today from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia provides specific recommendations for optimizing the rear seat of passenger vehicles to better protect its most common occupants - children and adolescents.

30 Apr 2013

Research roundup: Young women and delays in breast cancer diagnosis

Adolescents and young adults (ages 15-39) make up 5 and 6 percent of all breast cancer cases in the United States and have the lowest five-year survival rates.

30 Apr 2013

UCSF study focuses on vexing problems of handling skin cancers among elderly patients

Surgery is often recommended for skin cancers, but older, sicker patients can endure complications as a result and may not live long enough to benefit from the treatment.

30 Apr 2013

Florida House rejects federal Medicaid expansion funds

The Florida House of Representatives passed its own limited health care bill that relies on state money to expand coverage to the state's neediest residents. Also in the news, reports from Ohio, Montana, Texas, Nebraska and Arizona on the status of state decision-making regarding the expansion.

30 Apr 2013

Obama tells Planned Parenthood he'll fight to maintain abortion rights

President Obama told attendees of Planned Parenthood's annual meeting that he will fight to maintain abortion rights and the group's federal backing. In the meantime, an antiabortion group releases undercover videos it took at abortion clinics.

30 Apr 2013

Naturopathic lifestyle counselling helps reduce risk of cardiovascular disease

Counselling and treatment with naturopathic care as well as enhanced usual care reduced the prevalence of metabolic syndrome, a risk factor for heart disease, by 17% over a year for participants in a randomized controlled trial published in CMAJ.

30 Apr 2013

Medicaid: Texas docs lose money; Jindal adm. official has 'improper contact' with contractor

The first question many doctors ask when new patients call for appointments is how they intend to pay. If the answer is Medicaid, the doctor can expect to lose money. The Texas Legislature has been balancing the state's budget by intentionally paying doctors 40 to 75 percent less for Medicaid patients than what private insurers pay for the same treatment (4/27).

30 Apr 2013

Federal gov't. moves against Nevada hospital for alleged patient dumping

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services gave Nevada 10 days to correct problems at Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital following reports it may have improperly discharged patients and bused them out of state.

30 Apr 2013

New research shows more than a third of stroke patients don't get to hospital by ambulance

More than a third of stroke patients don't get to the hospital by ambulance, even though that's the fastest way to get there, according to new research in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.

30 Apr 2013