Search Immortality Topics:

Page 11,381«..1020..11,38011,38111,38211,383..11,39011,400..»


CEO of Abbott’s spinoff didn’t receive college degrees claimed in filings

Posted: September 28, 2012 at 6:17 am

September 27, 2012 5:02PM

Updated: September 28, 2012 12:05AM

Abbott Laboratories is shrugging off the fact that the company overstated the education level of the man chosen to helm its pharmaceutical spinoff, which is expected to make $18 billion in sales next year. Longtime Abbott exec Richard Gonzalez didnt receive either a bachelors degree in biochemistry from the University of Houston or a masters in biochemistry from the University of Miami contrary to biographical information filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2007 and several years prior while he was a director at the company. There was an administrative error many years ago when the bio was written, said Abbott spokesman Melissa Brotz. When we became aware of it a while back we corrected it promptly I dont have an exact date. Theres absolutely no issues with his educational background or ability to lead. Hes had a distinguished career reaching the highest levels in the company with a proven track record, said Brotz. Gonzalez will take the reigns of the pharmaceutical spinoff AbbVie when the nascent company completes its separation Jan. 1. AbbVie (pronounced Abb-vee) will be the new research-based pharmaceutical firm expected to be launched by Abbott Laboratories by the end of the year. In October 2011, North Chicago-based Abbott said it would separate into two publicly traded firms one in diversified medical products, the other in research-based pharmaceuticals. AbbVie will include Abbotts current portfolio of proprietary pharmaceuticals and biologics. The name is derived from a combination of Abbott and vie, which references the Latin root vi meaning life. The AbbVie logo and graphic identity will be unveiled when the new company is launched. The diversified medical products company, which will retain the Abbott name, will consist of Abbotts existing products portfolio, including its branded generic pharmaceutical, devices, diagnostics and nutritional businesses. AbbVie has nearly $18 billion in annual revenue and will have a portfolio of market-leading brands, including Humira, Lupron, Synagis, Kaletra, Creon and Synthroid. Gonzalez joined Abbott in 1977 and retired briefly in 2007 as the companys No. 2 man before returning in 2009 to head its investment arm and is currently executive vice president of the pharmaceutical products group. A spokesman for the University of Houston confirmed Gonzalez took classes at the school in 1972 and 1973, but did not earn a degree. School administrators from the University of Miami were not immediately available Thursday. Crains Chicago Business first broke the story.

Read the original:
CEO of Abbott’s spinoff didn’t receive college degrees claimed in filings

Recommendation and review posted by G. Smith

CEO of Abbott spinoff lacks degrees claimed in filings

Posted: September 28, 2012 at 6:17 am

SUN-TIMES MEDIA September 27, 2012 6:58PM

Abbott Laboratories gave incorrect education credentials for the executive chosen to lead its pharmaceutical spinoff in regulatory filings between 2002 and 2007, Crains Chicago Business is reporting.

Richard A. Gonzalez, named CEO of AbbVie, did not receive a biochemistry bachelors degree nor a biochemistry masters degree from the universities Abbott filings listed, Crains reported.

According to Crains, Gonzalez did not receive a bachelors degree in biochemistry from the University of Houston, nor a masters degree in biochemistry from the University of Miami, contrary to claims in Abbotts filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission when the longtime company executive was a director.

He started at the company in 1977 and retired from Abbott as president and chief operating officer in 2007, but returned two years later.

Gonzalez, 58, currently executive vice president, Global Pharmaceuticals at Abbott, was chosen to be chairman and CEO of AbbVie (pronounced Abb-vee), the new research-based pharmaceutical firm, which is projected to have $18 billion in annual sales after it is spun off later this year.

Abbott external communications Vice President Melissa Brotz confirmed to Crains that Gonzalez did not receive degrees from either university.

The inaccurate information about his education was included in SEC filings as a result of an internal administrative error. She told Crains that Abbott learned about the errors some time ago. The company corrected the information on its Web site immediately after the errors were discovered, she said.

According to the companys Web site, Gonzalez is listed as a research biochemist at the University of Miami School of Medicine and attended the University of Houston, majoring in biochemistry,

Theres really no issue here with respect to his educational background and his ability to lead AbbVie, Brotz told Crains. His ability to lead AbbVie is evidenced by his distinguished career over 30 years, culminating in his reaching the highest levels of the company.

Read this article:
CEO of Abbott spinoff lacks degrees claimed in filings

Recommendation and review posted by G. Smith

'Grey's Anatomy' recap: Life Support

Posted: September 28, 2012 at 6:17 am

Image credit: Karen Neal/ABC

R.I.P. MCSTEAMYSeattle Grace mourned the loss of Mark Sloan (Eric Dane), as the doctor was pulled off life support in yet another tragic episode of Grey's Anatomy.

For the first few minutes of tonights ninth season premiere of Greys Anatomy, I was convinced we were in the midst of another alterna-reality episode of the ABC soap. My brain knew otherwise, of course, but remember when they did that oddly intriguing and oddly weird What If? episode last season? Yep, this return to the Greys world felt so different that it was reminiscent of the feeling that episode exuded.

So many things were weird: Lexie was dead! There were new interns and residents! Cristina was away working in Minnesota! Karev was headed to Johns Hopkins! There was no sign of Kepner or Arizona! Bailey was deliriously happy! Derek and Callie were shattered with grief! Meredith was tearing around the hospital as the new Bailey/Nazi, nicknamed Medusa! Sloan was laying there on life support! Sorry for all the exclamation marks, but they seemed rather necessary, considering how dire all of these things are. Is this the Seattle Grace we left last May when a huge portion of our beloved doctors were stranded after their plane crashed in Idaho? Nope, not exactly -- in fact, not at all. Clearly, lots had changed, making this an intriguing hour of television.

Granted, while many things had changed as we zeroed back into Seattle Grace Mercy West after a summer away, some were exactly the same. Like, say, how Meredith opened the hour with her patented monologue that cut right to the chase. Dying changes everything, Meredith began, foreshadowing the grim hour to come. The world just keeps on goingwithout you. Meredith was surely referencing the death of her sister Lexie, who died under a chunk of a plane in Mays finale, plus another death to come in this hour, that of Mark Sloan, who was lying in a hospital bed, on life support, presumably after his internal injuries from the finales plane crash got the best of him. And thats probably where we should start.

Because it would never be any other way on a show as sudsy as Greys, creator Shonda Rhimes decided to kill Mark Sloan -- also known lovingly as McSteamy, due to his shower-steam-and-towel introduction to Grey's in season 2 -- in an excruciating and melodramatic way. At the top of the hour, a deadline was set: 5 p.m. We viewers didnt know exactly what the deadline was for, but it wasnt hard to guess, especially after we learned that the life-supported and unresponsive Sloan had a directive in his living will, spelling out that if after 30 days, there were no signs of recovery, Richard Webber said, Mark wanted to be let go. And then he added: Thats all were doing. Honoring his wish.

The weird thing about it whole situation, of course, was the fact that we didnt know how Sloan got to this devastatingly injured point. So his internal injuries must have gotten worse from what we'd seen in the finale? But how exactly? What happened out there in the wilds after last Mays finale cut off? It must have been bad if a guy as strong as Sloan couldnt survive -- or his injuries must have been just that bad and we didn't know it.

NEXT: I keep thinking if I say something big enough or shocking enough hell open his eyes.

See original here:
'Grey's Anatomy' recap: Life Support

Recommendation and review posted by G. Smith

Mayo Clinic Finds Way to Weed Out Problem Stem Cells, Making Therapy Safer

Posted: September 27, 2012 at 2:13 pm

Released: 9/25/2012 1:25 PM EDT Embargo expired: 9/27/2012 9:00 AM EDT Source: Mayo Clinic

MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Video resources, including an interview with Dr. Nelson will be available for journalists at the Mayo Clinic News Network.

Newswise ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Mayo Clinic researchers have found a way to detect and eliminate potentially troublemaking stem cells to make stem cell therapy safer. Induced Pluripotent Stem cells, also known as iPS cells, are bioengineered from adult tissues to have properties of embryonic stem cells, which have the unlimited capacity to differentiate and grow into any desired types of cells, such as skin, brain, lung and heart cells. However, during the differentiation process, some residual pluripotent or embryonic-like cells may remain and cause them to grow into tumors.

Pluripotent stem cells show great promise in the field of regenerative medicine; however, the risk of uncontrolled cell growth will continue to prevent their use as a therapeutic treatment, says Timothy Nelson, Ph.D., M.D., lead author on the study, which appears in the October issue of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine.

Using mouse models, Mayo scientists overcame this drawback by pretreated stem cells with a chemotherapeutic agent that selectively damages the DNA of the stem cells, efficiently killing the tumor-forming cells. The contaminated cells died off, and the chemotherapy didnt affect the healthy cells, Dr. Nelson says.

The goal of creating new therapies is twofold: to improve disease outcome with stem cell-based regenerative medicine while also ensuring safety. This research outlines a strategy to make stem cell therapies safer for our patients while preserving their therapeutic efficacy, thereby removing a barrier to translation of these treatments to the clinic, says co-author Alyson Smith, Ph.D.

Stem cell therapies continue to be refined and improved. Researchers are finding that stem cells may be more versatile than originally thought, which means they may be able to treat a wider variety of diseases, injuries and congenital anomalies. Stem cell therapy is an emerging regenerative strategy being studied at Mayo Clinic.

By harnessing the potential of regenerative medicine, well be able to provide more definitive solutions to patients, says Andre Terzic, M.D., Ph.D., co-author and director of Mayo Clinics Center for Regenerative Medicine.

Other members of the Mayo research team included Clifford Folmes, Ph.D., Katherine Hartjes, Natalie Nelson and Saji Oommen, Ph.D. The research was supported by the Todd and Karen Wanek Family Program for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, National Institutes of Health New Innovator Award OD007015-01, and a Mayo Clinic Center for Regenerative Medicine accelerated research grant.

###

See the original post here:
Mayo Clinic Finds Way to Weed Out Problem Stem Cells, Making Therapy Safer

Recommendation and review posted by G. Smith

Robots to help stroke patients

Posted: September 27, 2012 at 2:13 pm

Starting in October, Phoenix-based neurology specialist Dr. Bart Demaerschalk will be able to roam the halls of Casa Grande Regional Medical Center, look into the eyes of stroke patients, diagnose conditions and consult with colleagues.

And he'll do it all from Phoenix using a joysticklike tool while looking at his computer monitor. His patients will be looking right back at him.

"I use a joystick device," he said. "It's much like a video game. It allows me to drive the robot in another environment."

Demaerschalk is medical director of the Mayo Clinic's telestroke system, which consists of a mobile robot doctors can control, adjust and speak through. ER doctors in Casa Grande will be able to contact the Mayo Clinic staff on a telestroke hotline.

The hospital, at 1800 E. Florence Blvd., in Casa Grande, is 43 miles from Marana.

Using telestroke, doctors can travel with other members of the health-care team throughout the hospital, moving from room to room and through elevators.

The Mayo Clinic developed the technology to care for stroke patients in rural settings. Demaerschalk said stroke neurologists and doctors working at the remote sites have used telestroke together to diagnose strokes with 96 percent accuracy in 1,000 cases.

The Casa Grande hospital is one of 11 in the network. The Mayo Clinic started the program in 2005.

The technology is already in hospitals in Bisbee, Cottonwood, Flagstaff, Globe, Kingman, Parker, Phoenix, Show Low, Yuma and Phoenix, as well as St. Joseph, Mo.

In addition to seeing patients himself, Demaerschalk and six other doctors in a rotation will have access to patients' brain scans to look for damage from blocked arteries or hemorrhages.

The rest is here:
Robots to help stroke patients

Recommendation and review posted by G. Smith

Watson takes glory, risks on medical school

Posted: September 27, 2012 at 2:12 pm

State Sen. Kirk Watson has been the architect and the face of a campaign for a medical school and other health projects in Austin for just over a year. But the Austin Democrat worked quietly on a medical school for several years before he thrust himself into the spotlight last September at the urging of other proponents who felt he had the ability and moxie to get it done.

Now Watson has linked his goal of establishing a medical school to winning voter approval of a Travis County-wide property tax increase in November to support the endeavor.

Watson, 54, has taken on other daunting challenges in more than 20 years of off-and-on public life. He fought off testicular cancer, was mayor of Austin during a tech bust that started in 2000 and in 2002 lost a race for state attorney general.

Yet to hear him speak these days, nothing is more important and, perhaps, more career-defining than establishing a medical school at the University of Texas, as well as a new teaching hospital, comprehensive cancer-care center and other elements of what supporters call Watsons 10 in 10 10 health care goals to achieve in 10 years.

We have so many good people ready to do it that success is immensely possible, and to not do it and not get started on the path would be extraordinarily regrettable, Watson said last fall. This is big. Its going to be hard. But it needs to be done.

A watershed moment will come in November, when Travis County voters decide whether to increase their property taxes to help underwrite those goals. That question has been put on the ballot by Central Health, Travis Countys hospital district, at Watsons urging. He proposed the amount of the rate increase, a nickel per $100 of property value, before the districts board had publicly discussed any figures.

Moreover, it was Watson who helped make it possible for Central Health to hold a tax election. He authored 2007 legislation that gave the agency overseeing health care for the needy Travis County residents broader taxing, contracting and other powers than other hospital districts in the state.

Numerous civic, business and other groups have endorsed the proposed tax increase, but it has drawn criticism as well, including from some people who question Watsons ties to Central Health. For one thing, Central Health has paid Watsons law firm, Brown McCarroll LLP, $262,675 since May for legal work on the 10 in 10 plan and other matters. Four ethicists outside of Texas saw no conflict of interest but said Watson and others could have been more transparent.

Other players in the health initiatives, including officials of the University of Texas System and of the Seton Healthcare Family, say they encouraged Watson to take the lead on the medical school. Watson followed up with a speech a year ago this month at the Four Seasons Hotel unveiling his 10 in 10 plan.

Everybody was going off in different directions, said Kenneth Shine, executive vice chancellor of health affairs for the UT System. We said, We ought to create a community-based activity with people brought together from various entities. In the course of that discussion, we said, You know, the person who has the greatest credibility, the best organizational skills and great interest is Kirk Watson.

Read this article:
Watson takes glory, risks on medical school

Recommendation and review posted by G. Smith


Page 11,381«..1020..11,38011,38111,38211,383..11,39011,400..»