Category Archives: Medical School

Medical school students have had an increasing appetite for business knowledge to better prepare them for their careers. In response to that, West Virginia University has created its M.D./M.B.A.

Morgantown, West Virginia (PRWEB) February 29, 2012

The two schools have collaborated to create the M.D./M.B.A. for medical school students during an optional step out year in the medical school curriculum, which occurs at the conclusion of their second year of study.

WVU President Jim Clements said the partnership between the two schools demonstrates how collaboration can help provide students with the skills needed to meet the challenges of todays world.

Interdisciplinary collaborations like this one are important for our students, Clements said. I applaud the faculty and staff at both B&E and Medicine for partnering to create this unique academic opportunity.

Provost Michele Wheatly emphasized the ways in which the new program exemplifies WVUs strategic goals. This is an example of transforming a curriculum at the highest level, she said. This program will engage students and faculty not only across disciplines but across campuses, with exciting implications for real-world impact.

This partnership represents a collaborative effort to offer a critical component of business education to WVU medical school students, Arthur J. Ross, III, M.D., M.B.A., dean of the WVU School of Medicine, said. Todays world demands that professionals be business savvy, and the medical profession is certainly no exception to that. All students need this exposure but there are some who need the intense type of exposure that can only be provided by an M.B.A. program. Those students who envision themselves in positions of significant, high level administrative leadership anywhere in the medical arena would be examples of ideal candidates for this program.

With increasing pressures due to changes in the medical industry, physicians will have to better understand the revenue streams and cost implications of their practices or organizations. An M.B.A. will increase their understanding of the business side of medical practices, and thats a huge plus, said Dr. Ross, who holds an M.B.A. in addition to his medical degree.

Wheatly agreed. Were giving our students the tools to be truly innovative practitioners of medicine, she said. These are the doctors who will become leaders in their chosen fields.

Prospective students would apply to the WVU School of Medicine and to the M.B.A. program at the same time, said Dr. Jose Sartarelli, Milan Puskar Dean, WVU College of Business and Economics. They would be admitted to both programs, which would allow them to step out to complete the M.B.A. after their second year. After they take a year to obtain the M.B.A., then they will resume their medical school curriculum.

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WVU Business and Medical Schools Create New Program to Give Medical School Students Critical Business Knowledge

WAUSAU (WAOW) -

Aspirus says plans to build a medical school in Wausau are not feasible.

But the group leading the effort says Wausau is still the top choice for establishing the medical school.

Aspirushad beenworking with the Wisconsin College of Osteopathic Medicine (WCOM), trying to decide if establishing an osteopathic medical school on the Aspirus campus in Wausau would work.

On Tuesday, Aspirus announced the model for the school was not feasible.

Aspirus officials said their decision came down to two things: money and control. They said it would have cost $75 million to build the school, but five different medical providers would have had to contribute money.

They also said there were concerns about how the school would be run.

"With five health care systems who are competing, potentially some with each otheras owners of the school, in the governance, involved in the decision making of the schoolit was felt that maybe the interest of the school itself and its students would become secondary," said Sid Sczygelski, Aspirus chief financial officer.

But WCOM leaders say it goes beyond that. Dr. Gregg Silberg, executive vice president and dean of WCOM, said the proposed model would not have allowed the medical school to be accredited.

Silberg also said WCOM is still working to establish the medical school in Wausau.

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Proposed medical school will not move to Wausau

DAVID WAHLBERG | Wisconsin State Journal | dwahlberg@madison.com | 608-252-6125 madison.com | | Posted: Tuesday, February 28, 2012 5:30 pm

The main backer of a proposed osteopathic medical school in Wausau dropped the plan Tuesday, but another organizer vowed to keep pursuing the idea.

Aspirus, a Wausau-based health system, said its plan to pay for and own the $75 million Wisconsin College of Osteopathic Medicine with four other health systems "was not viable" because of competing business interests.

"There was an inconsistency between the best interests of the school and students, and the best interests of the competing health care systems," said Sid Sczygelski, chief financial officer of Aspirus.

Dr. Gregg Silberg, dean of the proposed school, said he is "working with a number of different supporters" to "aggressively move forward" on other plans for the school.

"We're looking at Wausau specifically," Silberg said. "We feel that's the right place to be."

Aspirus and the osteopathic school organization announced their plan for the school in November. In January, the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee said it was looking at putting "community-based medical school components" in one or more regions of the state.

A Wisconsin Hospital Association report in November predicted a shortage of nearly 2,200 doctors by 2030, especially in primary care.

Dr. Robert Golden, dean of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, criticized the proposed osteopathic school, saying it would cost more than expanding the two existing medical schools.

Sczygelski said Aspirus and the four other health systems, which he wouldn't name, would have paid $10 million each and borrowed $25 million to build and equip the osteopathic school.

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Health system nixes plan for new osteopathic medical school in Wausau

Ohio student: 'We were at a loss'

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

A second victim dies, amedical examiner says Witnesses say T.J. Lane shot five people in an Ohio high school cafeteria Lane is scheduled for a juvenile court hearing Tuesday "Die, all of you," Lane wrote in Facebook in December

Chardon, Ohio (CNN) -- A second victim has died from wounds suffered in the school shooting in Chardon, Ohio, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's office said Tuesday.

Russell King Jr., 17, was declared brain dead early Tuesday, according to the medical examiner's office. He was shot at Chardon High School on Monday, the agency said in a written statement.

Student Daniel Parmertor died on Monday. Three other students were wounded in the shooting.

Authorities have yet to name the teen shooter arrested in the Monday morning attack. But many students, some of whom said they were steps away from the suspect when the bullets flew, described the shooter as a withdrawn boy named T.J. Lane.

The suspect was scheduled to make an initial court appearance at 3:30 p.m. Authorities have not released the charges the 17-year-old sophomore may face.

Lawyer Bob Farinacci, speaking for Lane's family, said late Monday night that the 17-year-old was "extremely remorseful."

"Very, very scared and extremely remorseful," he told CNN affiliate WKYC.

"He is a very confused young man right now," Farinacci added. "He's very confused. He is very upset. He's very distraught ... himself. This is a very scary circumstance that I don't think he could have possibly even foreseen himself in the middle of."

There will be no school Tuesday in Chardon, where parents and children struggle to understand the inexplicable actions of a quiet teen that upended the calm of the small suburban Cleveland community.

"I want people to stay home tomorrow to reflect on their families," said Superintendent Joe Bergant, choking with emotion at a Monday afternoon news conference, "and if you haven't hugged or kissed your kid, do."

Like others in the town of 5,100, Lane's family has been left grappling for an explanation, he said.

"This is something that could never have been predicted," Farinacci said. "TJ's family has asked for some privacy while they try to understand how such a tragedy could have occurred and while they mourn this terrible loss for their community."

With little to go on, many turned to cryptic Facebook postings by the alleged shooter for a glimpse into Lane's mindset -- especially a long, dark poetic rant from December 30.

The post refers to "a quaint lonely town, (where there) sits a man with a frown (who) longed for only one thing, the world to bow at his feet."

"He was better than the rest, all those ones he detests, within their castles, so vain," he wrote.

Lane then wrote about going through "the castle ... like an ominous breeze through the trees," past guards -- all leading up to the post's dramatic conclusion.

"Feel death, not just mocking you. Not just stalking you but inside of you," he writes. "Wriggle and writhe. Feel smaller beneath my might. Seizure in the Pestilence that is my scythe."

He concluded the post with: "Die, all of you."

On Monday just before class started, witnesses say Lane silently walked up to a table of students, holding a gun.

As he opened fire, the shooter was expressionless, a student recalled.

"He was silent the entire time," said student Nate Mueller, who said his ear was grazed by a bullet. "There was no warning or anything. He just opened fire."

Danny Komertz, a freshman, said the shooter seemed to be focused on specific targets.

"I looked straight ahead and I saw a gun pointing at a group of four guys sitting a table. ... He just fired two quick shots at them. I saw one student fall, and I saw the other hiding, trying to get cover underneath the table," Komertz said.

"He was aiming right at them as he was two feet away. ... He wasn't shooting around the cafeteria at all. He was directly aiming at the four of them," he said.

In a school, which drills students on what to do in emergencies, Monday's death toll may have been much higher were it not for the actions of assistant football coach and study hall teacher Frank Hall, students said.

Hall chased the gunman out of the school, and police arrested the suspect nearby a short time later.

"Coach Hall, he always talks about how much he cares about us students, his team and everyone. And I think today he really went out and he proved how much he cared about us. He would take a bullet for us," said student Neil Thomas.

The victims were students who attended Lake Academy Alternative School, a nearby vocational school, and were waiting for a bus to take them there, witnesses said. Lane himself is a student at the school for at-risk children, said its interim director, Don Ehas.

In a statement Monday, Parmertor's family said they were "torn by the loss."

"Danny was a bright young boy who had a bright future ahead of him," the family said.

Many juvenile court hearings are closed to the public, so it may still be some time before the northeastern Ohio community gets some answers.

"By all accounts T.J. is a fairly quiet and good kid," said Farinacci, the Lane family attorney, said. "His grades are pretty impressive. He's a sophomore. He's been doubling up on his classes with the intent of graduating this May.

"He pretty much sticks to himself but does have some friends and has never been in trouble over anything that we know about."

CNN's Scott Thompson, Lateef Mungin, Martin Savidge and Lisa Sylvester contributed to this report.

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Second student dies from Ohio school shooting

Harvard Medical School could face tens of thousands of dollars in fines after a third monkey died at the school’s Southborough research center, a U. S. Department of Agriculture spokesman said yesterday.

A squirrel monkey’s death on Dec. 26, 2011 was one of three new citations Harvard’s New England Primate Research Center received in a Jan. 31 inspection. The results of that inspection were released Sunday.

“To look at this inspection report and see three direct non-compliances — that’s a big deal,” said David Sacks, a USDA spokesman.

This is the third primate death in 19 months at the facility.

The latest inspection describes three incidents where several monkeys were injured and one died because of employee carelessness.

Sacks said the latest report is especially serious because all three citations are “direct non-compliance issues,” meaning the animal’s welfare was directly affectedby each misstep.

“That’s kind of top on the list you don’t want to be on,” Sacks said.

According to the report, a malfunctioning water dispenser led two monkeys to become dehydrated. One recovered but the other was euthanized.

In addition, a squirrel monkey’s leg was fractured in a cage door. A rhesus macaque monkey injured his foot after he and others escaped from a pen.

Harvard Medical School on Sunday released a lengthy statement about its shortfalls.

“Our recent systems lapses are unacceptable and deeply troubling to us,” the statement says.

These are the latest in a string of USDA violations at the facility in two years, many of which Harvard reported itself.

Two other primates died in Southborough, one in October and one in June 2010. Another died at a different Harvard Medical School facility in February 2011 from an anesthesia overdose.

“They’re not having a good stretch right now,” Sacks said.

The Southborough facility conducts research on the cause and treatment of HIV and other diseases including colon cancer and sickle cell anemia.

The facility has 2,058 monkeys and a staff of 190 faculty, fellows and support personnel. It has been registered with the USDA since 1967 and has made many major breakthroughs including producing the first unambiguous evidence that AIDS is caused by a virus.

Sacks said the USDA has not yet determined the penalty Harvard will face. The investigation could take up to a year.

USDA investigators are combining past and recent citations to determine how many times the facility violated the Animal Welfare Act.

“It’s all going to get wrapped up into one big investigation,” Sacks said.

Each violation is punishable with a fine of up to $10,000.

“They’re looking at a penalty, no doubt,” Sacks said.

Harvard’s statement is the only communication it has issued since the report’s release on Sunday.

The document outlines steps it plans to take to address the problems, including more closely monitoring the watering system and cages and re-training staff.

Michael Budkie, executive director of Stop Animal Cruelty Now! said his animal rights organization would like a more in-depth investigation of the facility.

“There is clearly a system-wide epidemic of fatal negligence at all of these Harvard-connected facilities,” Budkie said.

Per USDA guidelines, the facility will be subject to an unannounced reinspection in the next 45 days.

(Laura Krantz can be reached at 508-626-4429 or lkrantz@wickedlocal.com. Follow her on Twitter@laurakrantzmwdn.)

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Southborough primate research center may face fines

DELRAY BEACH, Fla., Feb. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Medical Entrepreneur Symposium, a unique educational business meeting for physicians and executives in healthcare, has drawn some of the biggest names in healthcare, technology and wealth management as initial sponsors.

The first in a growing list of symposium sponsors include Citrix GoToMeeting, ADP AdvancedMD, Bernstein Wealth Management, Allergan Cosmetic, Obagi , Merz Aesthetics and BTL Exilis.

"This meeting is the only venue of its kind where physicians can interact with leading companies in technology, electronic health records, practice management, billing services, cosmetic medicine, entrepreneurship, insurance, finance, payroll services and even companies that enable medical practices to innovatively add additional revenue streams," says Dr. Steven Hacker, Founder & Course Director of The Medical Entrepreneur Symposium. The symposium is being held at the Delray Beach Marriott in Delray Beach, Florida, from March 29 through April 1, 2012.

"We have brought together leading experts on every aspect of practice management, healthcare technology, business, finance, cosmetic medicine and entrepreneurship solely for the purpose of teaching doctors what they never learned or had the opportunity to learn in medical school," he says.

The pioneering symposium is based on the popularity of Dr. Hacker's top-selling physician business book, The Medical Entrepreneur Pearls, Pitfalls & Practical Business Advice for Doctors (Nano 2.0 Business Press, 2010).

In two intense sessions over two and a half days, the conference covers issues physicians face in private practice.  The meeting will be kicked off with a keynote speaker sponsored by Citrix GoToMeeting discussing how their technology is transforming healthcare. The meeting also includes lectures from experts on integrating leading healthcare technologies, software and hardware, as well as health records into a practice; billing and getting paid; Medicare and third-party payors; hospital privileges; payroll and human resources; and compliance with new federal regulations. Physicians will be educated on how to add incremental revenue streams and increase patient loyalty through elective and cosmetic medical services. Additionally, physicians are taught how to protect their assets and personal property with lectures on asset protection, wealth preservation, and insuring their personal exposures and understanding their corporate and malpractice risk exposures.  A guest speaker from Bernstein's Wealth Management Division in New York will be flying in to share research and educate physician entrepreneurs on retirement and defined benefit plans.

The second part of the symposium is focused on a new breed of physician: the physician entrepreneur. Doctors often have little training and thus no idea how to raise capital, negotiate a term sheet, deal with institutional and angel investors, create a business plan, incorporate or protect intellectual property. "We cover all of these topics so physicians can feel more comfortable competing on an even playing field with other entrepreneurs looking to raise capital or start a new entrepreneurial venture," says Dr. Hacker. 

Physicians and healthcare executives can register for the meeting online at http://www.TheMedicalEntrepreneur.com. Space is limited. Corporate sponsors may contact Karen Dennis at 877-809-7525 for more information. More information available for media and corporate sponsors through the online press kit at http://www.virtualpressoffice.com/kit/g4sx.

About The Medical Entrepreneur Symposium

The Medical Entrepreneur Symposium (March 29-April 1, 2012 at Delray Beach Marriott) was founded by Dr. Steven Hacker to help physicians become better entrepreneurs in their business and their practice. Dr. Hacker, a phi beta kappa, was barely 20 when he was one of 12 students selected to enter medical school through the prestigious Junior Honors Medical Program. For the last 14 years he has been listed as a Castle Connolly Florida "Top Doctor." He is the top-selling author of the business book, The Medical Entrepreneur (www.TheMedicalEntrepreneur.com), and is published in more than 20 peer-reviewed medical journals. While still practicing medicine in Colorado and Florida, Dr. Hacker has started and sold many well known companies including Skinstore.com and PassportMD. He currently serves as a consultant for many medical device companies.

For more information about The Medical Entrepreneur Symposium, visit http://www.TheMedicalEntrepreneur.com or call 877-809-7525.

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'The Medical Entrepreneur' Educational Symposium for Physicians Draws Biggest Names in Technology, Health Records ...