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Source: http://www.facebook.com/ironsky/posts/10153012720575416
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Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Zurich Settles with California Regulators to Keep Workers' Comp Arbitrations in State
Posted on 15 Jul 2013
Zurich American Insurance Co. is the first workers' compensation insurer to reach a settlement with California since a new law that requires insurers to keep arbitration disputes with employers in California.
Under the agreement with the California Insurance Department, Zurich American Insurance Co. and Zurich American Insurance Company of Illinois will no longer force California employers to arbitrate commercial disputes at Zurich's headquarters in Chicago and no longer apply New York law to the arbitrations. Under the settlement, California employers can choose instead to arbitrate disputes in California under California law, the insurance department said.
"Zurich's practices required California employers to resolve disputes in Zurich's backyard, under unfavorable law and circumstances and at added expense to employers," Dave Jones, California Insurance commissioner, said in a statement. "This settlement gives California employers the opportunity to level the playing field by arbitrating disputes in California, under California law."
The department filed an order to show cause against Zurich in 2012, asserting Zurich failed to file workers' compensation large deductible agreement forms with the department as required by the California Insurance Code.
"Zurich has not admitted any wrongdoing, and no fines or penalties have been imposed on Zurich as part of the settlement," said Steve McKay, a spokesman for Zurich, in a written statement.
In 2011, California passed a law that prevents workers' compensation insurers from unilaterally forcing California businesses to other states to resolve disputes. At the time insurers quote a policy, they must say where the insurer proposes to resolve disputes. If the insurers suggests arbitrations be held in other states, California businesses can insist that arbitrations be held in California.
The new law went into effect July 2012. Since then, other insurers have conformed to the law, but Zurich is the first to reach a settlement with regulators in connection with it, said Madison Voss, a spokeswoman for the department.
Zurich never filed its large deductible agreements for review, even after the department advised all insurers in 2011 that filing was required, the insurance department said. Zurich's agreements were generally offered on a take-it-or-leave-it basis to employers. The agreements also required that New York law apply to disputes, and disputes be resolved in Chicago, regardless of whether the employer's business was based entirely in California.
A large-deductible agreement generally refers to a workers' comp policy where the insurer pays the injured workers' claims, but the employer reimburses the insurer up to a large deductible, effectively self-insuring much of its workers' compensation obligation.
Zurich American and Zurich American Insurance Company of Illinois currently have Best's Financial Strength Ratings of A+ (Superior).
Zurich Financial Services, which had a 5.37% market share in California, is the sixth largest writer of workers' comp in the state as ranked by 2012 direct written premiums, according to BestLink, A.M. Best's online financial system. The top five writers of workers' comp in California were: the State Compensation Insurance Fund of California, with a 10.04% market share; Travelers Group, with a 7.58% market share; Hartford Insurance Group, 7.37% market share; Berkshire Hathaway Insurance group, with a 7.30% market share; and American International Group, with a 5.53% market share.
Source: http://www.programbusiness.com/3.0/news/NewsFlashDetails.aspx?newsFlashId=12921$displayType=1
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Monday, July 15, 2013
Apple IPhone on wane in Russia with rise of Microsoft smartphones
Originally published July 14, 2013 at 12:00 AM | Page modified July 14, 2013 at 7:58 AM
Mobile TeleSystems? (MTS) chief said Russia?s largest mobile-phone operator would need better terms to back Apple handsets again after Windows smartphones advanced to almost match iPhones in market share.
?Apple wants operators to pay them huge money, subsidizing iPhones and their promotion in Russia,? Chief Executive Officer Andrei Dubovskov said in an interview in St. Petersburg. ?Now it?s not beneficial for us. It?s good we stopped selling the iPhone as these sales would?ve brought us a negative margin.?
MTS stopped selling Apple?s latest iPhones in its shops at the end of 2012 and has strengthened its relationship with other device makers. It hosted Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Nokia CEO Stephen Elop in Moscow in November.
MTS, controlled by billionaire Vladimir Evtushenkov?s AFK Sistema, agreed to promote Microsoft Windows handsets including Nokia Lumias and opened Windows Phone zones in its flagship stores.
Windows Phone accounted for 8.2 percent of smartphones sold in Russia in the first quarter, or 315,000, compared with 5.1 percent a year earlier, while Apple?s share dropped to 8.3 percent from 9 percent, according to research firm IDC.
?The MTS bet on Windows Phone and its decision not to sell iPhones is clearly contributing to this trend,? said Simon Baker, a Moscow-based handset analyst at IDC. The historical strength of Espoo, Finland-based Nokia?s brand in Russia also helped, he said.
Globally, Windows Phone had 3.3 percent market share among smartphones in the quarter, compared with Cupertino, Calif.- based Apple?s 17.3 percent.
?When a handset producer is ready for co-promotion and offering special conditions to our customers, its share in our sales increase,? Dubovskov said.
?As a result of such cooperation, sales of Windows phone and Android devices in our retail chain grow faster than in the Russian market in general.?
The market share of Windows smartphone sales in MTS? retail network is ?probably two times higher than its share in Russia in general,? Dubovskov said, declining to disclose precise numbers.
MTS, based in Moscow, is increasing smartphone sales to earn more money on mobile data, Dubovskov said.
Its range includes handsets as cheap as a $100 Chinese-made smartphone under the MTS brand, the CEO said.
?We view every subscriber as data user and give out voice for free,? Dubovskov said. This year, MTS said it was the first Russian operator to introduce tariff plans with unlimited voice for data users.
MTS may consider buying Sistema?s wireless unit in India, which uses the MTS India brand, once it becomes profitable, Dubovskov said. ?We see potential synergies there in terms of technology, management team, brand and equipment purchases.?
MTS is also preparing to expand coverage with faster fourth-generation networks. The company plans to cover 600 Russian population centers with 4G by the end of 2014, according to the CEO.
Russia?s total mobile revenue climbed 9 percent to 837.4 billion rubles ($25.6 billion U.S.) last year, according to AC&M Consulting. Data revenue surged 33 percent to account for 100.7 billion rubles ($3.1 billion) of that total.
?Those MTS users who need the iPhone are buying it one way or another ? in a gray market or from independent retailers ? and are still generating data revenue for us,? Dubovskov said.
Svyaznoy, a mobile-phone retail chain, sells iPhones and is also cooperating more closely with MTS after its rival retailer Euroset Holding was acquired by Russian wireless operators OAO MegaFon and VimpelCom, according to Dubovskov.
MTS enjoys a good relationship with Svyaznoy and has no plans to acquire it, Dubovskov said.
?If we take $500 million and buy a certain stake in Svyaznoy it won?t create additional value for MTS,? Dubovskov said. ?We?d better pay Svyaznoy the same money in revenue- sharing over the next decade.?
MTS also isn?t interested in fixed broadband acquisitions in Russia, the CEO said.
?We are present in fixed broadband in more than half of Russian regions,? Dubovskov said. ?We aren?t currently planning to expand this business as it has a longer payback period, while we are focused on mobile broadband.?
Russia may sell a controlling stake in telecommunications operator OAO Rostelecom for at least $5 billion as early as this year, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said in April.
?At first glance, Rostelecom doesn?t seem a very attractive business for MTS to buy,? Dubovskov said.
?The total length of our fiber-optic networks is already more than 140,000 kilometers, we have strong business in regions where Rostelecom has key mobile units.?
Source: http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2021383780_microsoftrussiaxml.html?syndication=rss
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Judicial Portrait Unveiled in Florida's 3rd District Court of Appeal: AZ Artist Chris Saper presents Chief Judge Linda Ann Wells's official oil portrait
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Source: www.streetinsider.com --- Monday, July 15, 2013
Visit StreetInsider.com at http://www.streetinsider.com/Press+Releases/Judicial+Portrait+Unveiled+in+Florida%27s+3rd+District+Court+of+Appeal%3A++AZ+Artist+Chris+Saper+presents+Chief+Judge+Linda+Ann+Wells%27s+official+Oil+portrait/8498283.html for the full story. ...
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[IDEA/REQUEST] UCCW ~ Play Store + Windows Phone 8 OS
First off, I have searched for this theme everywhere. I'm unable to find it.
I have an idea of a UCCW theme. I hope it will interest some of you in this theme.
The playful look of the Play Store:
+
The fun look of the Windows Phone 8:
Each app (Phone, Movies or Music etc) will have a widget of 4x2, 2x2 and 1x1.
Now I have no skills in this. I'm hoping that one of you will be interested in this theme and would make it for me and the rest of the community. Thanks for taking your time to read this.
-BloodLust
Source: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2363315&goto=newpost
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Sunday, July 14, 2013
Free Concert Tickets For Moore Tornado First Responders, Victims
',
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out = renderTemplate('controls', {month:months[month], year:year}) + out + templates.search;
$container.html(out);
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month = 1;
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makeCalendar(new Date(month + '/1/' + year));
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calendar:'',
week:'
Source: http://www.news9.com/story/22836203/free-concert-tickets-for-moore-tornado-first-responders-victims
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Survey: Florida adds 13,000 private sector jobs in June
The Associated Press
Published: July 11, 2013
TALLAHASSEE - Florida continues to add jobs according to a new employment survey.Payroll provider ADP reported Wednesday that the state added nearly 13,000 private sector jobs in June. ADP's survey is separate from the one that is conducted by government agencies.
ADP stated that Florida's job growth was among the highest in the nation behind California, Texas and New York. The survey showed that the growth was largely in service jobs.
The results could bode well for another drop in the state's unemployment rate. State officials will announce the new rate next week. The state's May unemployment rate was 7.1 percent.
State economists, however, recently concluded one reason Florida's jobless numbers have dropped is that people are leaving the labor force or delaying looking for a job.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tbo/money/~3/dRrnezhFpWU/
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Saturday, July 13, 2013
Tulsa Church Fined After Replacing Stolen Air Conditioners
TULSA, Oklahoma -
A Tulsa church was fined for repairing the damage done by crooks.
St. Andrew's Presbyterian in Tulsa said air conditioning units were stolen for the copper inside them.
A member of the congregation we spoke with said they were fined $325 for something she didn't even know they needed a permit for.
When we went to St. Andrew's Presbyterian back in June, members of the congregation, like Emile Tucker, were figuring out how they would cover the cost of replacing two air conditioning units.
6/30/2013 Related Story: Copper Thieves Don't Steal Tulsa Congregation's Spirit
"My first thought was, 'Are you kidding me?'" Tucker said. "I know it's been real popular in Tulsa lately and that they are looking for the copper in them."
The church went ahead and bought two new units worth about $5,000. It also installed a fence and a heavy duty lock to keep another theft from happening.
Tucker said the congregation soon found out they missed a step.
"We have a notice on our door that we're being fined," Tucker said.
Many of us are aware that you need permits for things like plumbing and electrical when constructing a home, but as St. Andrew's found out, you need them for much smaller things, like installing an air conditioner, many of which we may not be aware of.
"I feel for them, I'm so sorry that they had their units stolen," said Crystal Keller, with Tulsa's Planning and Economic Development Department.
Keller said the fines are generally three times the cost of the original permit. She said it's a matter of public safety.
"A lot of people just do it on their own, and you never know if it's installed correctly," Keller said.
Keller said, not only are permits required for air conditioning units, you also need them when installing ceiling fans, duct work, or if you remove a wall when remodeling the interior of your home.
"When you hire a contractor, make sure you let them know that a permit is required, and ask them, because they will generally roll it into their cost," Keller said.
She said, while most contractors or plumbers should know what requires a permit, in the end the building owner is responsible.
"How many people know that, until you get caught?" Tucker said.
Leaders in the St Andrew's church chose not to go on camera. They say they'll be dealing with the permit and licensing office in the future.
More information on permits required here
Source: http://www.newson6.com/story/22830479/tulsa-church-fined-after-replacing-stolen-air-conditioners
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Washington Nationals: Marlins hand Strasburg his worst defeat
MIAMI (AP) - Marcell Ozuna drove in three runs, and Giancarlo Stanton homered for the Miami Marlins, who dealt Stephen Strasburg the worst loss of his career in a 8-3 win over the Washington Nationals on Friday night.
Continue reading
Strasburg (5-7) allowed a career-high seven earned runs and tied a career-high with four walks in two innings after the Nationals spotted him a 3-0 lead.
It was his shortest outing since he pitched two innings on May 31 at Atlanta. He left that game early because of a lat strain that forced him to go on the disabled list.
Washington has lost four of five.
Nathan Eovaldi (2-0) settled down after a rough first inning and held the Nationals without a run over the next five innings. He struck out five and walked four.
The Nationals took a 3-0 lead on a two-run double by Adam LaRoche and an RBI groundout by Jayson Werth.
It was rare run support for Strasburg, who entered the game with a 2.45 ERA, but he was unable to hold the lead.
Strasburg walked three of the first four batters he faced, and Ozuna made him pay with a bases-clearing triple to deep center field that tied the game 3-3.
Derek Dietrich and Eovaldi followed with RBI singles, and the Marlins sent 10 batters to the plate in the first inning and led 5-3.
Stanton's ninth home run of the season, a two-run shot into the Nationals bullpen in right field, stretched Miami's lead to 7-3.
Adeiny Hechavarria, who singled in the first to extend his career-best hitting streak to 11 games, had an RBI double in the seventh to make it 8-3.
NOTES: Strasburg also gave up seven runs on Aug. 28, 2012, against the Marlins, but only five were earned. ... Marlins RHP Henderson Alvarez will start on Sunday, replacing Kevin Slowey, so Alvarez can get another start before the All-Star break. ... Marlins RHP Chad Qualls will be placed on the paternity list on Saturday and then join the team in Milwaukee after the break. ... Marlins rookie All-Star RHP Jose Fernandez (5-5, 2.83 ERA) will take the mound on Saturday against Nationals RHP Dan Haren (4-10, 6.00 ERA).
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Sony Alpha 99 Full-Frame 24.3MPx DSLR Made in Japan
Movie: 4x
S: approx. 2.3x
Detector 2: 102 assist points
Focus Lock
Eye-start AF
Image Data Lightbox SR (Windows & Macintosh)
Remote Camera Control (Windows & Macintosh)
Picture Motion Browser (Windows only)
Windows Vista 8 SP2
Windows 7 SP1
Mac OSX (v10.3-v10.8)
Programmed AE (P)
Aperture priority (A)
Shutter-speed priority (S)
Manual (M)
Scene Selection
Sweep Panorama
Tele-zoom Continuous Advance Priority AE
Movie (Programmed AE (P)
Aperture priority (A) / Shutter-speed priority (S) / Manual (M) selectable in manual focus mode)
Landscape
Macro
Sports action
Sunset
Night portrait
Night View
Handheld Twilight
Vivid
Neutral
Clear
Deep
Light
Portrait
Landscape
Sunset
Night Scene
Autumn leaves
Black & White
Sepia (Contrast (-3 to +3 steps)
Saturation (-3 to +3 steps)
Sharpness (-3 to +3 steps))
Movies: ISO 100-6400 equivalent; Auto (ISO 100-3200 equivalent)
High ISO NR: High/Normal/Low/Off
Daylight
Shade
Cloudy
Incandescent
Fluorescent (Warm White, Cool White, Day White, Daylight)
Flash
Color Temperature (2500 to 9900K) & color filter (G7 to M7, A7 to B7) / Custom (3)
4/9-frame index view
Enlarged display mode
Auto Review (10/5/2 sec, off), Image orientation (On/Off selectable)
Slideshow
Panorama scrolling
Folder selection
Delete
Protect
Approx. 1 lb 12.7 oz (812 g) (with battery and memory stick)
SD, SDHC and SDXC memory card
RAW
RAW+JPEG
L: 6000 x 3376 (20M)
M: 3936 x 2216 (8.7M)
S: 2640 x 1488 (3.9M)
APS-C
L: 3936 x 2216 (8.7M)
M: 2640 x 1488 (3.9M)
S: 1728 x 976 (1.7M)
L: 6000 x 4000 (24M)
M: 3936 x 2624 (10M)
S: 2640 x 1760 (4.6M)
APS-C
L: 3936 x 2624 (10M)
M: 2640 x 1760 (4.6M)
S: 1728 x 1152 (2.0M)
Standard: Horizontal 8,192 x 1,856 (15M) Vertical 3,872 x 2,160 (8.4M)
PS - 1920 x 1080/60p@28Mbps
FX - 1920 x 1080/60i@24Mbps
FH - 1920 x 1080/60i@17Mbps
FX - 1920 x 1080/24p@24Mbps
FH - 1920 x 1080/24p@17Mbps
MP4
HD - 1440 x 1080/ 30p@12Mbps
VGA - 640 x 480/ 30p@3Mbps
Simult. Rec (Still/Movie)
Sort (JPEG/RAW)
Sort (Still/Movie)
Copy
Built-in stereo microphone or ECM-ALST1 (with supplied shoe adaptor) / ECM-CG50 / XLR-K1M (sold separately)
Built-in, monaural, Volume settings in 8 steps between 0 and 7.
RAW (Sony ARW 2.3 format)
RAW & JPEG
Focus Magnifier: (35mm full frame: 5.9x, 11.7x APS-C: 3.8x, 7.7x)
Rotation angle: 180 degrees clockwise and 90 degrees counterclockwise
Continuous (Hi:35mm full frame: approx. 6 fps APS-C: approx. 7 fps; Lo: 35mm full frame: approx. 2.5 fps APS-C: approx. 2.5 fps)
Continuous shooting (Hi/Lo selectable)
Self-timer (10/2 sec delay selectable)
Bracket (Continuous/Single/WB/DRO)
Remote commander (RMT-DSLR2)
Bulb Movies: 1/8000 to 1/4 (1/3 step), up to 1/60 in AUTO mode (up to 1/30 in Auto Slow Shutter mode)
Max. 8 faces detectable
Compensation effect: Equivalent to approx. 2.5 to 4.5 steps in shutter speeds
*Varies according to shooting conditions and lens used
Still images: Image Sensor-Shift mechanism
Movies: Electronic
Movies: Approx. 155 min with viewfinder, approx. 155 min with LCD monitor
Source: http://www.geekstuff4u.com/sony-alpha-99-full-frame-24-3mpx-dslr-made-in-japan.html
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Friday, July 12, 2013
Gammapod developed at University of Maryland School of Medicine targets early-stage breast cancer
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 11-Jul-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Karen Robinson
karobinson@som.umaryland.edu
410-706-7590
University of Maryland Medical Center
Revolutionary new system poised for clinical trials, could provide noninvasive treatment
An experimental innovation in cancer treatment from the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine could provide a new, high-precision, noninvasive method of treating early-stage breast cancer. The GammaPod was invented by Cedric Yu, M.S., D.Sc., the Carl M. Mansfield Endowed Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology, who patented the technology in 2006. Although the device has not yet been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be used on patients, the manufacturer is actively seeking that approval and the department hopes to begin clinical trials as soon as October 2013.
Dr. Yu's research was funded initially by $3.5 million in Small Business Innovation Research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). With support from the University of Maryland, Baltimore's Office of Research and Development (ORD), he founded a new company called Xcision Medical Systems, LLC, to pursue the development of the GammaPod. In 2010, Dr. Yu received the University System of Maryland's Entrepreneur of the Year award for his research leading to the development of the GammaPod. "I am so happy that this university encourages entrepreneurship and recognizes the importance of translational research that converts new knowledge into new products," says Dr. Yu.
The GammaPod enables a proven technology called stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to be used for breast cancer. SBRT has been used to successfully obliterate inoperable brain tumors and hard-to-reach lung and liver cancers. However, SBRT technology has not been applied to breast cancer. GammaPod system is the first device created specifically for the treatment of breast cancer. It is designed so that patients can receive external radiation treatments while lying on a comfortable treatment couch. The device uses tens of thousands beams of radiation from 36 rotating sources to focus the radiation to the tumor.
The affected breast is fitted into a patented two-layer, vacuum-assisted cup that immobilizes the breast during imaging and treatment. The breast cups come in 28 sizes to provide a proper fit. Such immobilization allows the radiation to strike only the tumor with pinpoint accuracy and minimizes damage to surrounding healthy tissue and adjacent major organs such as the heart and lungs. Treatment will take anywhere from 5-40 minutes, depending on the treatment plan. "We want to make sure the treatment process is as comfortable for women as can be," says Dr. Yu.
"Dr. Yu's accomplishments represent the type of extraordinary innovation and entrepreneurial spirit that we foster here at the School of Medicine," says E. Albert Reece, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., Vice President for Medical Affairs at the University of Maryland and John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean of the School of Medicine. "His research is turning groundbreaking discoveries from the laboratory into potentially lifesaving solutions for patients. He is an outstanding research scientist, and we are hopeful that his work will revolutionize the field, changing the way that radiation oncologists approach breast cancer treatment."
Although it has yet to be tested on breast cancer patients, Dr. Yu hopes that the GammaPod will one day offer an alternative to invasive surgery in those with early-stage tumors. "With standard therapy, breast cancer patients often have surgery to remove the tumor, followed by five to seven weeks of radiation treatments to destroy any residual cancer cells," says Dr. Yu. "We hope that GammaPod will dramatically reduce the treatment time to a few treatments that can be done over the course of a week. There is potential that the need for surgery could be eliminated altogether, meaning no needles, no knives, no anesthesia and no scars."
Clinical trials are a critical next step to bringing the GammaPod to patients. Principal investigator on the trials at the School of Medicine is Steven Feigenberg, M.D., Associate Professor, Director of Clinical Research and Co-Director of the Program of Excellence in Technology-Based Translational Research in the Department of Radiation Oncology. He is currently seeking approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the trials, although they will not be able to start until the FDA approves the device for clinical testing.
"Patients in the clinical trial will be treated with the GammaPod system before they have a lumpectomy to remove the tumor," Dr. Feigenberg explains. "We want to see if GammaPod can neutralize the tumor and will check for any traces of cancer in the area around the tumor. Patients will, of course, still have the option of partial or whole-breast irradiation, if it is needed."
Another common treatment for breast cancer involves brachytherapy, or "internal" radiation, to treat the cancer with radioactive seeds placed inside the breast through small catheters. Dr. Yu hopes the GammaPod will offer an alternative to this procedure, in which 10-20 catheters are placed, requiring an operating room and general anesthesia for the patient. "I had participated in many of these procedures, and I knew there had to be a better way to get the same or better results without putting women through these invasive treatments," Dr. Yu says.
"One hundred thousand women a year are receiving breast conservation therapy (BCT), traditionally a lumpectomy followed by weeks of radiation therapy," says William F. Regine, MD, the Isadore & Fannie Schneider Foxman Professor and Chair in the Department of Radiation Oncology. "An even greater number could receive BCT if treatment could be done in a matter of 1-3 days and with less radiation exposure. We hope the GammaPod will meet the challenge of developing a simpler and safer treatment for early-stage breast cancer that will help women avoid the self-image distortion that too often is a result of current treatment approaches."
Dr. Yu, who has been at the School of Medicine since 1997, has a Masters in Electrical Engineering and a PhD in medical physics from Washington University in St. Louis. He holds 10 patents and has invented a number of other technological advances that are now used in the field of radiation oncology. Among those is Intensity Modulated Arc Therapy, which delivers radiation directly to a tumor two to eight times faster than conventional intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). His other innovations include direct aperture optimization (DAO), an enhancement of IMRT therapy and Translational Tomosynthesis Mammography.
###
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 11-Jul-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Karen Robinson
karobinson@som.umaryland.edu
410-706-7590
University of Maryland Medical Center
Revolutionary new system poised for clinical trials, could provide noninvasive treatment
An experimental innovation in cancer treatment from the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine could provide a new, high-precision, noninvasive method of treating early-stage breast cancer. The GammaPod was invented by Cedric Yu, M.S., D.Sc., the Carl M. Mansfield Endowed Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology, who patented the technology in 2006. Although the device has not yet been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be used on patients, the manufacturer is actively seeking that approval and the department hopes to begin clinical trials as soon as October 2013.
Dr. Yu's research was funded initially by $3.5 million in Small Business Innovation Research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). With support from the University of Maryland, Baltimore's Office of Research and Development (ORD), he founded a new company called Xcision Medical Systems, LLC, to pursue the development of the GammaPod. In 2010, Dr. Yu received the University System of Maryland's Entrepreneur of the Year award for his research leading to the development of the GammaPod. "I am so happy that this university encourages entrepreneurship and recognizes the importance of translational research that converts new knowledge into new products," says Dr. Yu.
The GammaPod enables a proven technology called stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to be used for breast cancer. SBRT has been used to successfully obliterate inoperable brain tumors and hard-to-reach lung and liver cancers. However, SBRT technology has not been applied to breast cancer. GammaPod system is the first device created specifically for the treatment of breast cancer. It is designed so that patients can receive external radiation treatments while lying on a comfortable treatment couch. The device uses tens of thousands beams of radiation from 36 rotating sources to focus the radiation to the tumor.
The affected breast is fitted into a patented two-layer, vacuum-assisted cup that immobilizes the breast during imaging and treatment. The breast cups come in 28 sizes to provide a proper fit. Such immobilization allows the radiation to strike only the tumor with pinpoint accuracy and minimizes damage to surrounding healthy tissue and adjacent major organs such as the heart and lungs. Treatment will take anywhere from 5-40 minutes, depending on the treatment plan. "We want to make sure the treatment process is as comfortable for women as can be," says Dr. Yu.
"Dr. Yu's accomplishments represent the type of extraordinary innovation and entrepreneurial spirit that we foster here at the School of Medicine," says E. Albert Reece, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., Vice President for Medical Affairs at the University of Maryland and John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean of the School of Medicine. "His research is turning groundbreaking discoveries from the laboratory into potentially lifesaving solutions for patients. He is an outstanding research scientist, and we are hopeful that his work will revolutionize the field, changing the way that radiation oncologists approach breast cancer treatment."
Although it has yet to be tested on breast cancer patients, Dr. Yu hopes that the GammaPod will one day offer an alternative to invasive surgery in those with early-stage tumors. "With standard therapy, breast cancer patients often have surgery to remove the tumor, followed by five to seven weeks of radiation treatments to destroy any residual cancer cells," says Dr. Yu. "We hope that GammaPod will dramatically reduce the treatment time to a few treatments that can be done over the course of a week. There is potential that the need for surgery could be eliminated altogether, meaning no needles, no knives, no anesthesia and no scars."
Clinical trials are a critical next step to bringing the GammaPod to patients. Principal investigator on the trials at the School of Medicine is Steven Feigenberg, M.D., Associate Professor, Director of Clinical Research and Co-Director of the Program of Excellence in Technology-Based Translational Research in the Department of Radiation Oncology. He is currently seeking approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the trials, although they will not be able to start until the FDA approves the device for clinical testing.
"Patients in the clinical trial will be treated with the GammaPod system before they have a lumpectomy to remove the tumor," Dr. Feigenberg explains. "We want to see if GammaPod can neutralize the tumor and will check for any traces of cancer in the area around the tumor. Patients will, of course, still have the option of partial or whole-breast irradiation, if it is needed."
Another common treatment for breast cancer involves brachytherapy, or "internal" radiation, to treat the cancer with radioactive seeds placed inside the breast through small catheters. Dr. Yu hopes the GammaPod will offer an alternative to this procedure, in which 10-20 catheters are placed, requiring an operating room and general anesthesia for the patient. "I had participated in many of these procedures, and I knew there had to be a better way to get the same or better results without putting women through these invasive treatments," Dr. Yu says.
"One hundred thousand women a year are receiving breast conservation therapy (BCT), traditionally a lumpectomy followed by weeks of radiation therapy," says William F. Regine, MD, the Isadore & Fannie Schneider Foxman Professor and Chair in the Department of Radiation Oncology. "An even greater number could receive BCT if treatment could be done in a matter of 1-3 days and with less radiation exposure. We hope the GammaPod will meet the challenge of developing a simpler and safer treatment for early-stage breast cancer that will help women avoid the self-image distortion that too often is a result of current treatment approaches."
Dr. Yu, who has been at the School of Medicine since 1997, has a Masters in Electrical Engineering and a PhD in medical physics from Washington University in St. Louis. He holds 10 patents and has invented a number of other technological advances that are now used in the field of radiation oncology. Among those is Intensity Modulated Arc Therapy, which delivers radiation directly to a tumor two to eight times faster than conventional intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). His other innovations include direct aperture optimization (DAO), an enhancement of IMRT therapy and Translational Tomosynthesis Mammography.
###
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-07/uomm-gda071113.php
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Microsoft links to NSA revealed
Microsoft has collaborated closely with US intelligence services to allow users? communications to be intercepted, including helping the National Security Agency (NSA) to circumvent the company?s own encryption, according to top secret documents obtained by the Guardian newspaper.
Files provided by Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor, illustrate the scale of co-operation between Silicon Valley and intelligence agencies in the last three years.
They also shed new light on workings of the Prism programme.
The Irish Times takes no responsibility for the content or availability of other websites.
The documents show that:
- Microsoft helped the NSA to circumvent its encryption to address concerns that the agency would be unable to intercept web chats on the new Outlook.com portal.
- The agency already had pre-encryption-stage access to email on Outlook.com, including Hotmail.
- The company worked with the FBI this year to allow the NSA easier access via Prism to its cloud storage service SkyDrive, which now has more than 250 million users worldwide.
- Microsoft worked with the FBI?s Data Intercept Unit to ?understand? potential issues with a feature in Outlook.com that allows users to create email aliases.
- After Microsoft bought the web-based phone service Skype in October 2011, the NSA developed a new capability that tripled the number of video conversations being collected through Prism.
- Material collected through Prism is routinely shared with the FBI and CIA, with one NSA document describing the programme as a ?team sport?.
Tensions
The latest NSA revelations further expose the tensions between Silicon Valley and the Obama administration. All the major tech firms are lobbying the government to allow them to disclose more fully the extent and nature of their co-operation with the NSA to meet their customers? privacy concerns.
Privately, tech executives are at pains to distance themselves from the claims of collaboration and teamwork given by the NSA documents, and insist the process is driven by legal compulsion.
In a statement, Microsoft reiterated its argument that it provides customer data ?only in response to government demands and we only ever comply with orders for requests about specific accounts or identifiers?. ? (Guardian service)
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'Dead' U.S. Patient Wakes Just Before Organ Surgery - Health Care ...
It?s probably every surgery patient?s nightmare.
Realizing their patient wasn't dead, the shocked doctors quickly called off the surgery that would have harvested the woman's organs to be donated to patients on transplant waiting lists.
Mere minutes before doctors at a hospital in Syracuse, N.Y., were about to remove the organs of a patient they thought had died, the woman opened her eyes and looked straight up at the operating room lights above her.
Realizing their patient wasn't dead, the shocked doctors quickly called off the surgery that would have harvested the woman's organs to be donated to patients on transplant waiting lists.
The patient, Colleen Burns, a mother of three, had been taken to hospital after overdosing on Xanax, Benadryl and a muscle relaxant.Doctors thought she had irreversible brain damage from the overdose and had a cardiac death, meaning her heart had stopped.
They placed her on a ventilator and consulted with the family, who agreed to donate her organs.
But in fact, Burns was not dead; she was simply in a deep coma with no significant brain damage.
The Syracuse Post-Standard newspaper was the first to learn of the 2009 case after an investigation that chronicled the series of mistakes that led to the near-miss at St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center.
The New York Health Department found the hospital had not done enough to investigate its own errors and what went wrong that day to ensure such an incident wouldn?t happen again.
Then, the health department decided last September that St. Joseph's was negligent in its handling of the case and fined the hospital $6,000, as well as $16,000 for another incident.
The state health department found that staff at the hospital the night Burns arrived had not done enough to try to reverse her overdose. They also did not complete enough brain scans. As well, they found that doctors had ignored the nurses who claimed they saw signs of life in Burns.
The day before the planned surgery, for example, a nurse had performed a reflex test by scraping her finger on the sole of Burns foot. She found that Burns toes curled downward, suggesting there was good brain activity.
What?s more, nurses noticed that Burns seemed to be breathing on her own after being taken off the respirator as she was being prepared to be wheeled into surgery, with her nostrils flaring and her lips moving.
It wasn't until Burns opened her eyes in the operating room that doctors realized their mistake.
Burns eventually recovered and was discharged from hospital two weeks later. Unfortunately, 16 months afterwards, in January 2011, Burns died by suicide at the age of 41.
Her mother, Lucille Kuss, told the Syracuse Post-Standard that her daughter was never upset about the error at the hospital.
"She was so depressed that it really didn't make any difference to her," Kuss told the paper.
Source: http://planehealth.blogspot.com/2013/07/dead-us-patient-wakes-just-before-organ.html
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1&1 Launches Social Media Center - Web Hosting Talk
(The Hosting News) ? 1&1 Internet, Inc., www.1and1.com, a global leader among Web hosting providers, today launched Social Media Center designed to enhance social media activities for 1&1 MyWebsite customers.? The two elements of the center, 1&1 Social Page Manager and 1&1 Social Share, enable SMBs to grow awareness and engage with end customers via the popular online platforms Facebook and Twitter.? The solution allows users to create a Facebook page effortlessly by replicating MyWebsite content into a Facebook page automatically.? Business owners can now increase customer interactions by updating and scheduling their posts simultaneously across different social media platforms directly within 1&1?s Social Share management tool.? At a special offer price of $4.99/month, Social Media Center comprises an affordable and convenient way to conduct consistent social media communications.
Most business owners today recognize that social media channels are a useful way to raise awareness for a business.? Furthermore, search engines are now relying more heavily on social media ?likes?, ?shares? and ?tweets? within their SEO algorithm, making it even more challenging for SMBs to attract traffic and sales leads.? A lack of time and skill can often lead many companies to fail to fully leverage valuable social channels.? As part of its constant enhancements to its MyWebsite, 1&1 has developed a solution for simplifying and achieving greater efficiency in the way small businesses can communicate on social media.
The 1&1 Social Page Manager designs a professional Facebook page based upon website content.? Business name, website headers, logos, contact details and additional site content are quickly synchronized with Facebook to create a business page similar to that of a business?s website.? Within the tool, SMBs can also create customized Facebook tabs specific to individual pages of the website.? A simple on/off slider enables any subpage to sync with Facebook and create unique, custom tabs.
All elements of Social Page Manager can be edited directly within the 1&1 MyWebsite editor tool to eliminate the need for multiple logins.? Once a Facebook page is created, all updates made to a MyWebsite are also automatically revised on the social media page as well.? For example, if a restaurant wishes to include a new special on their website each day, the changes are instantly made to their Facebook page.? Such consistency across multiple online outlets helps to ensure accuracy and build online branding.
?Social media has comprised a paradigm shift in the way businesses communicate.? It represents a new level of transparency as consumers now expect real engagement with their issues?, said Robert Hoffmann, CEO Hosting, 1&1 Internet.? ?In fact, a recent study by 1&1 finds that nearly half of consumers feel that even the smallest businesses should be active on social media in order to remain relevant to them?.
While many companies do create Facebook pages, a common mistake is failing to update them with fresh, compelling content.? It can be a challenge to ensure consistency across social outlets and outreach is often unbalanced across channels. 1&1?s new Social Share tool enables companies to build and maintain relationships by engaging in two-way communication with followers and fans.? All previous posts and messages are organized and tracked within the manager tool.? Posts, comments and tweets can all be made via one, centralized dashboard and login. Small businesses can transform their efforts with the Post Scheduler, allowing them to plan an unlimited amount of posts at times when they are not able to do so manually.
?Our new Social Media Center can be a powerful eBusiness tool, in not only allowing the rapid creation of social media material, but also the centralized and timely management of multiple channels,? continues Hoffmann.? ?All business owners today would be wise to explore solutions to enable them to satisfy social media expectations in the long term.? There is real business value to social media when it can be done in an automated and time efficient manner.?
1&1?s Social Media Center is a further example of how 1&1 actively advises small businesses on how to achieve a successful eBusiness strategy.? Starting today, 1&1 MyWebsite customers can add the 1&1 Social Media Center to their MyWebsite package with 1 month free and currently a special offer price of $4.99/month thereafter ? with no minimum contract term.
1&1 MyWebsite offers industry-specific templates for over 200 business types and is ideal for small companies with either an outdated website or no website at all.? With individual text, picture and design modules, any level of computer user can create a professional looking website in only a few minutes.? 1&1 MyWebsite now offers more than 75 Web applications that can be integrated simply by ?drag and drop? into a website design to add functionality across eCommerce, communication, social media, or business management.? All 1&1 MyWebsite packages include 1 domain, 200 email addresses and unlimited Web space and data traffic.
For more information about 1&1 Internet, Inc., visit www.1and1.com.
Source: 1&1 Launches Social Media Center
Source: http://www.webhostingtalk.com/news/11-launches-social-media-center/
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Ford noticeably absent from St. Pete mayor's debate
ST. PETERSBURG - While polls show Kathleen Ford as the frontrunner in the mayor's race, her absences from recent debates is raising questions.
Today's Suncoast Tiger Bay Club lunch event marked the third debate Ford has missed this week, leading to a series of jokes at her expense. Someone even dressed up in a chicken suit and held a sign accusing her of being too "chicken" to debate her principal opponents, incumbent Bill Foster and former state lawmaker Rick Kriseman.
Foster and Kriseman shied away from attacking Ford - and also from two of the bigger issues defining the mayor's race: the Tampa Bay Rays' future in St. Petersburg and the controversial Lens project, which city leaders selected to replace the aging pier.
The other two candidates in the race, Anthony Cates III and Paul Congemi, also skipped today's debate.
Foster spent much of today's debate defending his record and highlighting the positive changes that have taken place since he took office in 2010.
Political blogger and campaign consultant Peter Schorsch asked Foster whether he thinks he's become "the first black mayor of St. Petersburg" - something Foster said he wanted to do prior to firing former Deputy Mayor Goliath Davis, a powerful link to the city's black community - despite that community's nagging economic woes.
While characterizing his prior comment as hyperbole, Foster said that taking office during a recession has made it difficult to address the needs of the city's hardest-hit neighborhoods.
"The passion was always there," he said. "But the resources and the grant money during this recession were very difficult."
Foster and Kriseman, both former City Council members, were asked whether they had supported tax increases.
The mayor said the city's property tax rate hasn't gone up since he was on City Council, from 1998 to 2008. Kriseman said he never supported tax increases.
"When it came to the budget, I often voted against the budget," he said.
Kriseman and Foster also weighed in on how thoroughly the city should vet people and companies it awards contracts. Those questions came on the heels of a multimillion-dollar fine levied against Mortgage Investors Corporation, which the Federal Trade Commission accused of calling millions of people on the National Do Not Call Registry to pitch home refinancing services. The company is owned by investor Bill Edwards, who manages The Mahaffey Theater for the city and is trying to revive the former BayWalk retail plaza downtown.
"If you had known this at the time Edwards was awarded the contract to manage The Mahaffey, would you have still given it to him?" Pinellas County School Board member Linda Lerner asked.
The candidates differed on how to handle such situations.
"Obviously, anybody the city does business with, it's our obligation to look at their ethics," Kriseman said. "It's clearly problematic to be doing business with someone who has unethical behavior."
Ethics should be a "consideration" in such matters, but not the only one, Foster said.
"The Mahaffey contract is being handled by a different corporation," Foster said. "It's not Mortgage Investors Corporation. And secondly, Bill Edwards has been an incredible philanthropist and giver to this community."
kbradshaw@tampatrib.com
(727) 215-7999
Twitter: @kbradshawTBO
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tbo/pinellas/~3/qz7wER4N9Lg/
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Friday, July 5, 2013
Thursday, July 4, 2013
'American Ninja Warrior? Obviously Needs More Naked Ninjas
What begins as a regular taping of American Ninja Warrior -- you know, just your typical adult getting ready to run through an obstacle course -- quickly becomes YouTube gold when one very nude dude suddenly decides to test his skill (not to mention his humility) over the hurdles and down the rope-swings set up on the Las Vegas Strip. Thing is, naked guy is really good at this game – well, until security tackles him. Check it out below!
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Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Shares fluctuate amid US recovery, Europe stall
PARIS (AP) ? Signs that the U.S. economy is slowly rebounding drove American stocks higher Tuesday, but many other markets struggled to find direction amid indications that Europe is still in trouble.
U.S. factory orders rose 2.1 percent in May, according to data released Tuesday, a slightly higher increase than expected. A day earlier, the ISM manufacturing survey showed a small rebound in June thanks to new orders and higher production.
Signs that industrial production in the world's largest economy is improving are likely to comfort investors, but they will also paradoxically hope that the pace of recovery isn't too robust. As the U.S. economy improves, the Federal Reserve will start to reduce the monetary stimulus program that has buoyed markets.
Many investors fear the Fed will take its foot off the gas before the U.S. rebound really gets under way. Meanwhile, data from Europe showed Tuesday that it is still struggling.
Industrial producer prices fell 0.3 percent in May in the 17 European Union countries that use the euro, Eurostat reported. While that shows costs are falling, it also indicates manufacturing activity remains weak.
Meanwhile, Spain announced Tuesday that the number of people registered as unemployed dropped for a fourth consecutive month in June ? but the country has a long way to go to bring its jobless rate down to normal levels. It currently stands at 27.2 percent. A separate report on Monday showed the unemployment rate in the eurozone was at 12.2 percent in May, its highest level ever.
"While the European economy appears to be starting to show flickers of recovery particularly in Spain and Italy where the manufacturing sector appears to be showing signs of coming off life support, the unemployment picture remains disturbingly high," said Michael Hewson, a market analyst at CMC Markets UK.
By late afternoon in Europe, France's CAC-40 was down 0.8 percent to 3,738 while the DAX in Germany was off 0.9 percent to 7,910. The FTSE index of British shares dropped 0.2 percent at 6,296.
In the U.S., by contrast, Wall Street opened higher. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.4 percent to 15,036; the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index was up the same rate at 1,622.
"It seems investors are now looking for a major catalyst to tempt buying to help offset the continued worry that central banks may cut back this year," said Lee Mumford, a financial sales trader with Spreadex.
Many Asian stocks rose earlier in the day. Tokyo's Nikkei 225, the region's heavyweight index, jumped 1.8 percent to 14,098.74. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was up 2.6 percent at 4,834.00 after the country's central bank left interest rates unchanged and said the Australian dollar is likely to continue falling, easing pressure on exports.
In China, the Shanghai Composite Index reversed early losses to rise 0.6 percent to 2,006.56 after reports on Monday that Chinese manufacturing weakened in June amid a credit crunch. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.7 percent to 20,658.65, led by Chinese banks, which are facing central bank credit restrictions.
Amid tentative signs of economic recovery, benchmark oil for August delivery rose $1.09 to $99.08 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $1.43 to close at $97.99 a barrel on Monday.
The euro fell to $1.3024 from $1.3065 late Monday in New York.
___
Associated Press writer Kay Johnson in Bangkok contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/shares-fluctuate-amid-us-recovery-europe-stall-151115501.html
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Tuesday, July 2, 2013
National Pharmaceutical Council and GW award comparative effectiveness research policy fellowship
Public release date: 1-Jul-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Andrea Hofelich
ahofelich@npcnow.org
202-827-2078
George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services
Post-Doctoral fellow Chuck Shih, Ph.D., will address health care policy implications of CER during 2-year program
Washington, D.C. -- The National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC) and the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) today announced the selection of Chuck Shih, Ph.D., as the recipient of a new two-year fellowship in comparative effectiveness research (CER) policy.
The NPC/SPHHS Fellowship in the Policy Impact of CER aims to combine training in CER and CER programs with an increased understanding of related health care policy. Dr. Shih, who joined NPC on July 1, will be focusing on the study and application of CER and its implications on health policy.
"If we are going to realize the full potential of CER to improve health care, it's critical to understand the policy ramifications of CER and how the research impacts the environment within which clinical decisions are being made," said NPC Chief Science Officer Robert Dubois, M.D., Ph.D. "Dr. Shih's work will help us gain a greater understanding of the relationship between a growing body of CER and policy."
Dr. Shih, who joined SPHHS as a Professorial Lecturer in the Department of Health Policy on June 1, earned a Ph.D. in 2012 from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Department of Health Policy and Management. He previously received a Master of Health Science in Health Policy and Bachelor of Science in Biomechanical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.
"CER does not exist in a vacuum and this position is an exciting opportunity to assess CER's impact on public health by identifying the public policy mechanisms through which CER may be used in our health care system," said Dr. Shih.
Dr. Shih's academic concentration in health economics and experience with both health policy and CER strongly positioned him for the fellowship program. He has held positions as an analyst for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Center for Clinical Standards & Quality and as a service fellow for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Center for Outcomes and Evidence, where he reviewed and managed CER studies.
"Linking with NPC on this fellowship is an exciting opportunity for SPHHS, as we will be working together to move the field of comparative effectiveness research forward," said Paula Lantz, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Health Policy at SPHHS. "Dr. Shih is an ideal fit for advancing our understanding on this important and dynamic issue."
###
About the National Pharmaceutical Council:
The National Pharmaceutical Council is a health policy research organization dedicated to the advancement of good evidence and science, and to fostering an environment in the United States that supports medical innovation. Founded in 1953 and supported by the nation's major research-based pharmaceutical companies, NPC focuses on research development, information dissemination, and education on the critical issues of evidence, innovation and the value of medicines for patients. For more information, visit http://www.npcnow.org and follow NPC on Twitter @npcnow.
About the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services:
Established in July 1997, the School of Public Health and Health Services brought together three longstanding university programs in the schools of medicine, business, and education and is now the only school of public health in the nation's capital. Today, more than 1,100 students from nearly every U.S. state and more than 40 nations pursue undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral-level degrees in public health. http://sphhs.gwu.edu/
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 1-Jul-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Andrea Hofelich
ahofelich@npcnow.org
202-827-2078
George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services
Post-Doctoral fellow Chuck Shih, Ph.D., will address health care policy implications of CER during 2-year program
Washington, D.C. -- The National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC) and the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) today announced the selection of Chuck Shih, Ph.D., as the recipient of a new two-year fellowship in comparative effectiveness research (CER) policy.
The NPC/SPHHS Fellowship in the Policy Impact of CER aims to combine training in CER and CER programs with an increased understanding of related health care policy. Dr. Shih, who joined NPC on July 1, will be focusing on the study and application of CER and its implications on health policy.
"If we are going to realize the full potential of CER to improve health care, it's critical to understand the policy ramifications of CER and how the research impacts the environment within which clinical decisions are being made," said NPC Chief Science Officer Robert Dubois, M.D., Ph.D. "Dr. Shih's work will help us gain a greater understanding of the relationship between a growing body of CER and policy."
Dr. Shih, who joined SPHHS as a Professorial Lecturer in the Department of Health Policy on June 1, earned a Ph.D. in 2012 from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Department of Health Policy and Management. He previously received a Master of Health Science in Health Policy and Bachelor of Science in Biomechanical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.
"CER does not exist in a vacuum and this position is an exciting opportunity to assess CER's impact on public health by identifying the public policy mechanisms through which CER may be used in our health care system," said Dr. Shih.
Dr. Shih's academic concentration in health economics and experience with both health policy and CER strongly positioned him for the fellowship program. He has held positions as an analyst for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Center for Clinical Standards & Quality and as a service fellow for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Center for Outcomes and Evidence, where he reviewed and managed CER studies.
"Linking with NPC on this fellowship is an exciting opportunity for SPHHS, as we will be working together to move the field of comparative effectiveness research forward," said Paula Lantz, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Health Policy at SPHHS. "Dr. Shih is an ideal fit for advancing our understanding on this important and dynamic issue."
###
About the National Pharmaceutical Council:
The National Pharmaceutical Council is a health policy research organization dedicated to the advancement of good evidence and science, and to fostering an environment in the United States that supports medical innovation. Founded in 1953 and supported by the nation's major research-based pharmaceutical companies, NPC focuses on research development, information dissemination, and education on the critical issues of evidence, innovation and the value of medicines for patients. For more information, visit http://www.npcnow.org and follow NPC on Twitter @npcnow.
About the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services:
Established in July 1997, the School of Public Health and Health Services brought together three longstanding university programs in the schools of medicine, business, and education and is now the only school of public health in the nation's capital. Today, more than 1,100 students from nearly every U.S. state and more than 40 nations pursue undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral-level degrees in public health. http://sphhs.gwu.edu/
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-07/gwus-npc070113.php
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