Category Archives: Medical School

Alzheimer's expert Steven T. DeKosky will continue hospital work, research post-retirement By Audrey Waldrop | Oct 11

University Medical School Dean Steven T. DeKosky announced last week he will step down July 31 after five years at the helm of central Virginias primary medical facility. DeKosky, who has gained international attention for his work on Alzheimers disease, will continue to treat patients and conduct research as a faculty member.

An ex officio member of the Board of Visitors Medical Center Operating Board, DeKosky defended the Medical Schools ability to attract research funding at last months Board meeting. He explained to the Board that funding sources such as the National Institutes of Health had channeled resources into later-stage research as opposed to the kind of basic research the Medical School specializes in.

Roughly 56 percent of the Medical Schools operating budget comes from grants, contracts and recoveries from facilities and administrative costs. The remainder is divided between endowment payoffs, donations, tuition and state funds.

DeKoskys discussion of the Medical Schools financial viability followed University President Teresa Sullivans presentation of the then-recently released U.S. News & World Report college rankings in which the Universitys lowest scoring category, at 53, was financial resources. Medical Center Operating Board Committee Chair Edward Miller was not available to comment.

Sullivan praised DeKoskys accomplishments during his time as dean.

Steve oversaw significant growth in our medical student class and transformation of our curriculum, Sullivan said in a University press release. He maintained research funding during a time of significant decreases in funding nationally, and increased the clinical capacity and access.

DeKosky has expressed interest in opening the Medical School to more clinical research in line with the National Institutes of Healths funding priorities. I hope we continue to move forward as an academic medical center across our mission of education, research and clinical care over the next nine months and beyond, DeKosky said in a press release.

John Simon, the Universitys executive vice president and provost, is expected to appoint an interim dean from within the Medical School to succeed DeKosky at the end of July. He will lead an international search to select the next permanent dean.

Simon said in an email Thursday he and his team will look for someone with strong leadership and the ability to partner with the health system leadership and work with the various constituencies in the school to further implement the strategic plan.

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Medical School dean to retire next year

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Three-year data from the Zilver PTX Randomized Controlled Trial of Paclitaxel-Eluting Stents for Femoropopliteal Disease from Cook Medical demonstrate 70.7 percent primary patency in the superficial femoral artery (SFA) at 36 months for patients treated with the paclitaxel-eluting stent. This compares to 49.1 percent patency for patients with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and provisional bare metal stent placement in the 479-patient study.

In addition, the paclitaxel coating was shown to reduce the restenosis rate by 53 percent in a head-to-head comparison of provisional paclitaxel-eluting versus bare metal stent placement.

Michael Dake, M.D., professor in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stanford University Medical School and medical director of the Cath/Angio Laboratories at Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, California, presented the study findings yesterday at the Vascular InterVentional Advances (VIVA) 2012 conference in Las Vegas, Nev.

These data, from the largest clinical study ever conducted on peripheral stenting, clearly show a sustained drug effect for paclitaxel-eluting stents versus bare metal stents after three years, said Rob Lyles, vice president and global leader of Cook Medicals Peripheral Intervention clinical division. We are proud to have pioneered this important technology.

Zilver PTX is neither approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration nor available for sale in the United States. Dr. Dake, the global principal investigator for the Zilver PTX trial, is a paid consultant to Cook Medical regarding the research and development of medical devices.

About Cook Medical

A global pioneer in medical breakthroughs, Cook Medical is committed to creating effective solutions that benefit millions of patients worldwide. Today, we combine medical devices, drugs, biologic grafts and cell therapies across more than 16,000 products serving more than 40 medical specialties. Founded in 1963 by a visionary who put patient needs and ethical business practices first, Cook is a family-owned company that has created more than 10,000 jobs worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.cookmedical.com. Follow Cook Medical on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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Cook Medical’s Zilver® PTX® Trial Shows Sustained Patency after Three Years

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In Colorado, there is a serious need for primary care doctors both in rural areas and in Colorado Springs. The National Health Service Corps and the Colorado Health Service Corps are trying to address the need through loan forgiveness grants to medical school students.

The National Health Service Corps granted more than $12 million in student loan forgiveness during 2011 in Colorado and contracted with 240 primary care providers to erase medical school debt and get more doctors in rural areas. The CHSC gave more than $2.5 million to nearly 80 primary care doctors.

So far this year, NHSC granted $2.8 million in loan repayment funding to graduating doctors in the state. In exchange, the new doctors agree to work at community health centers like Peak Vista Community Health Centers, serving an underinsured and indigent population.

The Health Service Corps has been incredibly successful in helping us attract health care professionals to Community Health Centers, said Tanah Wagenseller, health center workforce manager for Colorado Community Health Network. Its helping students who want to make a difference find a job where they can do that every day.

The National Health Service Corps was created 40 years ago to provide rural areas with essential health services, and receives bipartisan support from Congress. The federal government doubled the program in 2009, after recognizing the upcoming shortage of primary care physicians.

The Colorado Health Service Corps offers providers more flexibility and is administered through the Department of Public Health and Environment with funding from the Colorado Health Foundation, the U.S. Health Resources and Services administration, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the state of Colorado, the Colorado Trust and the Comprecare Foundation.

Despite the programs success, there is still a stark need for new primary care doctors. Colorado has 3,200 licensed primary care physicians, and many are nearing retirement age, while an increasing percentage of medical students are choosing other specialties. Some 85 percent of the state is deemed a professional health shortage area.

At the same time, safety net sites that provide health care expect increased demand as aresult of health care reform. One in 10 people in Colorado depend on a community health center for primary care. That number is expected to grow dramatically when health reform is fully implemented in 2014, expanding access to care to about 540,000 residents.

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Programs pay off medical school debt

The following is the view of The Saginaw News Editorial Board on the plans for Central Michigan University's medical school campus in Saginaw.

Central Michigan Universitys medical school presence in Saginaw is no longer a pipe dream.

With more than $16 million raised in the $25 million campaign for two Saginaw locations, CMU officials say the pieces are in place to start construction next fall and have students here in 2014.

The partnerships with Covenant HealthCare and St. Marys of Michigan, along with affiliations with 17 hospitals throughout Mid-Michigan, can only mean good things for the future of healthcare in the area.

CMU medical students will spend the last two years of medical schooling locally, practicing at our facilities. Not only will we help train the future doctors of America, but school officials expect many of them will make this region their home and continue to offer quality health care to local residents. The school will also provide an opportunity for Michigan residents to attend medical school in their home state officials say preference will be given to Michigan applicants.

CMU officials were in town last week to update business leaders on the project and allay fears that it wouldnt happen.

The project didnt have the most stellar start when CMUs former president Michael Rao left the university less than a year after it was announced and the medical schools first choice for dean resigned the position.

We believe there has been so doubt that this was going to become a reality, said Kathleen Wilbur, CMUs vice president of development and external affairs, during a meeting with The Saginaw News Editorial Board It is more than reality at this point.

And with drawings of the two Saginaw buildings in hand, accreditation underway and more than half the money raised for the campaign, the momentum is building. It is time now for the community to throw all we have into this and make it happen.

With about $10 million left in the fundraising goal, wed love to see governments in the entire region work with CMU to secure grant funding and private donors step up to the plate to bring in the money.

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Our View: Community needs to show support for Central Michigan University Medical School in Saginaw

Foes of a tax increase for a proposed medical school, teaching hospital and other health-related projects in Austin are far behind supporters in raising money to get their message out to Travis County voters.

Political action committee reports filed this week show that the Travis County Taxpayers Union PAC has raised just $2,343 to fight Proposition 1 the property tax increase proposed by Central Health for the Nov. 6 ballot compared with $293,088 from supporters of the Keep Austin Healthy PAC.

Medical school supporters, led by state Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, have backing from a variety of groups, including businesses, physicians and Democratic Party organizations. One of the largest donors to the PAC was Watsons campaign committee, which donated $36,725, most of it for polling data.

A broad cross section of the community is supporting this, said Clarke Heidrick, a member of the Central Health board. He added that he donated $1,000 to pro-Proposition 1 campaign, which will show up on a future PAC report. His law firm, Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody donated $5,000 during the five-week fundraising period that ended Sept. 27.

Central Health is asking voters to raise the tax rate from 7.89 cents per $100 of assessed value to 12.9 cents, a 63 percent rate increase. The increase would bring in an estimated $54 million and cost the average Travis County homeowner an additional $107.40 in 2014, for a total average tax bill of $276.79 for health services.

Don Zimmerman, treasurer of the anti-Proposition 1 campaign, said he was disappointed in his groups showing, even though he knew fundraising would be tough.

I was hoping to have least $5,000 and we didnt even make half that, said Zimmerman, a former Republican candidate for state and county offices.

He loaned the campaign $1,000, which is not counted as a donation. Zimmerman also paid his company, ZimWin Communications, $1,000 to distribute about 50 campaign signs against the tax.

Keep Austin Healthy reported spending $84,619 on advertising, yard signs and contract labor.

Other large donations came from the Real Estate Council of Austin, which gave $50,000; the Downtown Austin Alliance and Luminex Corp., which gave $25,000 each; and Wells Fargo Bank, BuildASign LLC and Daniel Graham (owner of BuildASign), which gave $10,000 apiece.

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Supporters of tax increase for medical school in Austin raising far more money than opponents

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- The former CEO of Massey Energy has given Marshall University's medical school $300,000 to fund scholarships over three years.

Don Blankenship gave the money to the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine in memory of his late mother, Nancy Marie McCoy, according to a Marshall news release. The school received the first $100,000 last month.

"The demographics of Southern West Virginia mean that there will be a continuing and increasing need for high quality local doctors," Blankenship said in the release. "I am fortunate to be able to contribute in a small way toward fulfilling this need, while at the same time honoring my mother's memory, helping my alma mater, and helping these gifted students to achieve their dreams of becoming doctors."

"We are grateful to Mr. Blankenship for his support of the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and specifically his commitment to helping our students," said Linda Holmes, Marshall's director of development and alumni affairs. "His generous gift will go a long way in assisting our students achieve their dreams."

Don Blankenship gave the money to the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine in memory of his late mother, Nancy Marie McCoy, according to a Marshall news release. The school received the first $100,000 last month.

"The demographics of Southern West Virginia mean that there will be a continuing and increasing need for high quality local doctors," Blankenship said in the release. "I am fortunate to be able to contribute in a small way toward fulfilling this need, while at the same time honoring my mother's memory, helping my alma mater, and helping these gifted students to achieve their dreams of becoming doctors."

"We are grateful to Mr. Blankenship for his support of the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and specifically his commitment to helping our students," said Linda Holmes, Marshall's director of development and alumni affairs. "His generous gift will go a long way in assisting our students achieve their dreams."

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Ex-Massey CEO funds Marshall medical scholarships