When he was in medical school, a friend told Dr. Richard Wender he should consider the field of family medicine. The appeal was instant.

I liked the idea of being someones physician, who they would name when someone asked, Whos your doctor? he explains. You treat all ages, he adds, while, from the patients standpoint, You dont have to know whats wrong before you come in.

I valued the doctor-patient relationship you could form, he said. I was interested in preventive care. Primary care is where you get a chance to do that.

Wender has been following that passion for more than 30 years, the past 11 as Alumni Professor and Chairman of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University.

Now, you might say, he is expanding his practice in a big way. The Merion Station resident was recently named to a newly-created position with the American Cancer Society. A longtime volunteer and former national president of the organization, he has been tapped to be its first chief cancer control officer.

In an announcement, the organization said the position was created as a part of the societys work to align resources to focus on the most effective strategies to fight cancer on a national and global scale.

Wender will officially take up his new duties full-time at the ACSs headquarters in Atlanta in November. He calls this a pivotal moment in redesigning how we deliver health care in the United States. There are outstanding opportunities to accelerate the war against cancer by working with the [health-care] system and our partners to make sure everyone has access to the right type of prevention and counseling, he said in an interview. That can be done, he said, by taking a sharper focus on the critical areas of prevention, cancer screening and early access to care. We want to take this fight globally.

A Pittsburgh native and Princeton University graduate, Wender received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1979. He began residency at Thomas Jefferson, going on to direct the hospitals residency program in family medicine for 10 years. He was named vice chair of his department in 1995 and chair in 2002.

All of my career has been here in Philadelphia, he said. Friends encouraged Wender and wife Diane, who holds a law degree from Penn and currently serves as the universitys research integrity officer, to settle in Lower Merion. The couple has a daughter who attended and graduated Lower Merion schools. What could be better than living seven miles from work in such a beautiful area?

Wender said, in addition to his patient practice, his primary academic focus has been on cancer prevention and screening. He has served in a variety of volunteer capacities with the American Cancer Society for 26 years, since a colleague asked him to help start a newsletter for primary care doctors. It became a national publication. Continued...

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Dr. Richard Wender named ACS's first-ever Chief Cancer Control Officer

wwltv.com

Posted on August 20, 2013 at 12:37 PM

Updated today at 5:17 PM

Dominic Massa / EyewitnessNews

NEWORLEANS- Dr. Charles Farris Jr., a nationally-respected obstetrician and gynecologist, who delivered nearly 15,000 babies in New Orleans during his 60-year career, while caring for their mothers and researching womens health issues from the child rearing years through menopause, died Monday of congestive heart failure. He was 87.

WWL-TV medical reporter Meg Farris is among Dr. Farris six children.

Dr. Farris remained active up until the past month, still driving to his Uptown practice daily and seeing patients, some of whom he had delivered as babies more than 50 years earlier. He delivered nearly 15,000 thousand of babies during his career as a physician at Ochsner Baptist Medical Center, formerly known as Southern Baptist Hospital, on Napoleon Avenue in Uptown New Orleans.

Dr. Farris was board certified in obstetrics & gynecology with special certification as a menopause clinician specializing in hormone replacement therapy. He was internationally known for his research into the much-debated therapy for women entering menopause, a treatment he studied and wrote about extensively and strongly supported. He was also a senior lecturer at Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Australia and a member of the International Menopause Society.

Dr. Farris was a longtime member of the physicians staff at Ochsner Baptist Hospital, even serving as a member of the executive committee of the hospital in the 1980s. He was also a former president of the New Orleans Gynecological and Obstetrical Society.

Born in Leland, Miss., in the heart of the Mississippi delta, Dr. Farris graduated from the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and attended Ole Miss medical school before earning his medical degree from the University of Tennessee. He completed his internship and residency at Charity Hospital in New Orleans.

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Dr. Charles Farris Jr., noted local OB/GYN and women's health expert, dies at 87

Schenectady

Nearly three years after settling a dispute over money bequeathed to the hospital, Ellis has opened a sparkling 17,280-square-foot school that its director says will make area students better nurses.

"We're being well-positioned to move nursing education forward in our community," said Marilyn Stapleton, director of the new Belanger School of Nursing, which opened to much fanfare on the campus of Ellis Health Center in the Health Services building at 650 McClellan St. "We are setting the stage for our preferred future."

That future, she explained during a phone interview, includes eight out of 10 nurses obtaining their baccalaureate degree, a standard the profession has set as a goal.

"We are taking some finite steps to educate nurses toward baccalaureate education," said Stapleton, adding that the school plans to partner in the future with a local liberal arts college so students can earn their bachelor's degrees.

To that end, Belanger features a skills lab and a high-fidelity simulation room complete with a mannequin that can "breathe, blink, cough, and talk" and also has a pulse and vital signs" to enhance the learning experience of students.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday attracted politicians, including Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy and Sen. Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk, as well as medical professionals.

Stapleton said the theme of her message to them and others in the crowd of more than 150 people was new beginnings.

The facility was formerly the Ellis School of Nursing on Erie Boulevard.

In 2010, Ellis Medicine paid $5.6 million and agreed to rename its nursing school as part of a settlement with the family of John and Anna Nordgreen Belanger, who alleged Ellis misused a major bequest made to the hospital in the 1970s.

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Belanger nursing school opens

1. Expect empty seats.

Many people sought shelter from the recession by heading to graduate school, but enrollment has declined as the economy has improved. The number of first-time masters and doctoral students starting classes on campuses around the country dropped 1.7% in the fall of 2011 from the year before, according to the most recent data from the Council of Graduate Schools, a national organization that advocates for graduate programs. (Applications to law school and full-time two-year M.B.A. programs, not included in the councils data, are also declining. Medical school applications rose slightly last year.)

It was the second consecutive drop in first-time enrollment, following a stretch of annual increases going back to the fall of 2003.While people with advanced degrees generally earn more than the average American, and are less likely to be unemployed, more people are now skeptical about whether those advantages are worth the upfront costs and the growing debt burden.

In 2010, enrollment dropped more significantly at public universities, but that shifted in 2011, when private not-for-profit universities saw the largest declines. When it comes to majors, the biggest drops in 2011 were in education, arts and humanities. Enrollment still grew in health sciences, math and computer science, according to the report.

For some niche schools, a significant drop in enrollment can threaten the future of their programs. Last month, to shore up its finances, the Thunderbird School of Global Management, a global business school, struck a deal to sell its campus to a for-profit college operator. Applications to Thunderbirds two-year full-time M.B.A. had declined over the past several years, in line with industry trends, president Larry Penley says. If we stand still with existing programs, he says, Thunderbird doesnt survive.

2. But youll still be competing with the whole world to get in.

With fewer Americans going to grad school, international students are filling the void. First-time enrollments were up 7.8% for temporary residents or people in the U.S. for the purpose of earning a degree in 2011 from 2010; for U.S. citizens and permanent residents, enrollments were down 2.3%, according to the Council for Graduate Schools. In fact, temporary residents made up 17% of all first-time graduate students in 2011, up from 15.8% in 2010.

Foreign students are mostly flocking to science and engineering majors. They made up 45.5% of engineering grad students in the fall of 2011, 42.4% of mathematics and computer sciences grad students, and 31.9% of physical and earth science students. In contrast, they made up just 3.3% of grad students majoring in education, 4% of grad students studying public administration, and 5.5% of those studying health sciences.

Even international enrollments appear to be tapering off: Preliminary data shows the number of applications coming from prospective international students to U.S. graduate schools grew by only 1% for the fall of 2013, much less than the typical annual growth of rate 9% to 11%, says Debra Stewart, president of the Council of Graduate Schools.

3. Prepare to write a bigger check.

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10 Things Grad Schools Won’t Tell You

Dr. Jerry Hemenway of Fairfield is to be honored by Fairfield College Preparatory School with the St. Ignatius of Loyola Alumni Award. Hemenway will receive the award at the school's Mass of the Holy Spirit on Sept. 6 in Alumni Hall.

Hemenway, a pediatrician, is being recognized for his volunteer work both internationally and at home. He is a board member of Physicians, Residents and Nurses As Needed Relief Inc. and travels with a volunteer medical team to Jamaica twice a year.

His team has also traveled to the Dominican Republic, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Ethiopia and Central America delivering pharmaceuticals and medical supplies and offering medical care.

Hemenway also volunteers every year as a medical staff member at the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for children with serious illnesses and for Wakeman Boys & Girls Club camps as camp physician. He also mentors students in the Ignatian College Residential College program at Fairfield University, is a board member of St. Catherine's School for special needs children in Fairfield, and volunteered for 25 years as a board member of the Guenster Rehabilitation Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Bridgeport.

Hemenway grew up in Fairfield and attended St. Thomas Aquinas School, Fairfield Prep, Fairfield University and the Tufts University School of Medicine. He also served as a medical officer in the U.S. Navy. He practices with Pediatric Healthcare Associates in Southport.

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Fairfield Prep honors Hemenway

Alyssa Nieves (10).

Summertime bring vacations and social events for Miami Christian students and alumni alike.

Beginning in June, students gathered for an overnight lock-in held in the school gymnasium from early evening to 8 a.m the next morning. During a mostly sleepless night, they played various sports and socialized.

In early August, a special event at Rapids Water Park was followed by the schools annual Back to School Bash where students mingle and have a chance to meet the incoming new students.

In addition, some members of the 2013-2014 victorious Varsity Baseball Team participated in the Auburn University team camp, providing individual instruction with the universitys baseball staff that focused on individual as well as team skills. Each player participated in an extensive pro-style workout and was able to play at one of college baseballs best venues.

June wedding bells for classmates Ariel LaRoche

Miami Christian congratulates MCS faculty member Charlene Coulter and MCS staff member Donna Gehring, both committing countless hours to community service this past year and receiving the prestigious Presidential Service Award. Numerous charities have been enriched with their gifts of talent and time.

In alumni news: Alyssa Nieves (10) was appointed Chair of the Freshman Leadership Council at the University of Florida. She will oversee an estimated $12,000 budget and direct a team that works with freshmen students to provide leadership development and programming experience. Alyssa has also worked with the Leadership Council throughout her tenure at UF as a Council Member in her first year, a Director in her second year, then Vice President of Public Relations in her third year, and now Chairwoman of the Student Council as she enters her senior year. Shell graduate in 2014 with a major in Public Relations and a minor in Theater.

Ariel LaRoche (08) and Alex Leyva (08) were married on June 22, 2013. Ariel just graduated with a Masters Degree in Speech and Language Pathology from Florida International University. Alex graduated early last year from the University of Miami with a Major in Biology and a Minor in Chemistry. He then applied to 15 different medical schools and was accepted at all of them. He settled on Johns Hopkins, doing neurology research this summer before beginning his second year of studies in the fall.

Michael Gehring (09).

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Socials, Alumni Mark Miami Christian School Summer

Steve Chronister has big plans for his Alumni Challenge.

The former golf pro and golf course owner is starting his new charity golf tournament in seven weeks. It's set for Sept. 27 at Grandview Golf Club near Dover.

He's hoping for a full field of 192 golfers, which would allow him to offer $3,000 in merchandise prizes. He's also planning to use some of the proceeds to make charitable donations to some local families in the area who have fallen on hard times because of medical expenses.

Of course, to do all that he needs to attract nearly 200 golfers to his tournament. He's hoping that the event's unique format will help him do just that. Unlike most charity golf tournaments, Chronister's event will not feature a scramble format with a shotgun start. Instead, it will be a stroke-play event with tee times.

Nostalgia will also play a big role in the tournament, which will allow former high school golfers the opportunity to rekindle old rivalries. That includes Chronister, the current York County president commissioner who was a standout golfer for York Catholic in his high school days.

All York County golfers who graduated from high school from approximately 1960 through 2013 are invited to participate. The grads will compete for their old high schools, while also playing on an individual basis. The five lowest scores from each high school will count toward that school's aggregate team score. A traveling trophy will be given to the winning school each year.

There will also be two individual divisions -- 18-49 and 50-and-over.

Prizes will be awarded to both team and individual winners. The cost to enter is $80 ($65 if you don't attend the awards reception and dinner after the event).

"This is a great opportunity to compete against former rivals from other schools to see who still 'has it' on the golf course," Chronister said.

Chronister believes the unique event has serious potential.

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GOLF: Alumni Challenge offers unusual format

Englewood, NJ (PRWEB) August 14, 2013

Graduate students nationwide have weighed in at http://www.graduateprograms.com and chosen the best med schools in the country based on quality of network and social life.

A key consideration for med school applicants is the peer, faculty and alumni connections and networking opportunities that will be available to them. According to graduateprograms.com, the Top Medical Schools for Quality of Network are:

1University of Southern California(9.85 stars) 2Duke University(9.80 stars) 3The University of Chicago(9.75 stars) 4Stanford University(9.75 stars) 5Emory University(9.67 stars) 6Temple University(9.65 stars) 7University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center(9.50 stars) 8Harvard University(9.46 stars) 9Vanderbilt University(9.38 stars) 10University of Washington Seattle(9.33 stars) 11Northwestern University(9.25 stars) 12University of California-San Francisco(9.10 stars) 13Tulane University(9.05 stars) 14Tufts University(9.03 stars) 15Eastern Virginia Medical School(9.02 stars) 16University of South Florida(9.01 stars) 17University of Michigan-Ann Arbor(9.00 stars) 18University of Utah(8.99 stars) 19Johns Hopkins University(8.98 stars) 20Yale University(8.96 stars) 21University of Virginia(8.95 stars) 22Case Western Reserve University(8.90 stars) 23Drexel University(8.78 stars) 24University of California-Los Angeles(8.75 stars) 25Washington University in St. Louis(8.73 stars)

In addition to ranking their respective programs at http://www.graduateprograms.com/, students also posted comments regarding their experiences. A Class of 2016 med school student from second ranked Duke University commented, Duke Med, beyond its status as an excellent academic institution, is also a very nurturing, supportive learning environment. The degree of support and enthusiasm received from faculty members is indicative of how they value the students and seek to assist us in our learning and career process.

Med students also rated the quality of their social lives at their respective schools. Despite unarguably arduous schedules throughout med school, accessibility to the social scene may be an important factor influencing prospective students. How easy is it to go out, meet people and/or date?

Graduateprograms.coms Top Med Programs for Social Life are:

1Tulane University(10.00 stars) 2University of Southern California(9.85 stars) 3University of Washington Seattle(9.75 stars) 4The University of Chicago(9.70 stars) 5University of Miami(9.67 stars) 6Stanford University(9.50 stars) 7New York University(9.30 stars) 8University of California-Los Angeles(9.25 stars) 9University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center(9.25 stars) 10Tufts University(9.15 stars) 11Washington University in St. Louis(9.05 stars) 12University of Rochester (9.00 stars) 13Vanderbilt University(8.88 stars) 14Eastern Virginia Medical School(8.83 stars) 15Yale University(8.82 stars) 16University of Virginia(8.77 stars) 17Northwestern University(8.75 stars) 18Loyola University Chicago(8.73 stars) 19Case Western Reserve University(8.70 stars) 20University of California-San Francisco(8.65 stars) 21Duke University(8.60 stars) 22Emory University(8.50 stars) 23University of South Florida(8.40 stars) 24Medical College of Wisconsin(8.38 stars) 25University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill(8.37 stars)

A current NYU Med School student said, I have truly loved my experience at NYU med so far. The fact that everything is pass fail is great and has allowed me to have a life outside of medical school. The workload is challenging yet manageable and everyone truly does work together and wants to see each other succeed, while still striving to do their best. The absolute best thing about NYU is our awesome location in NYC and our close proximity to so many great neighborhoods.

Students can continue to submit ratings and reviews at http://www.graduateprograms.com/. Those who do may qualify to win a $1,000 scholarship, awarded once per semester. Reviews will be incorporated into upcoming program rankings.

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Graduateprograms.com Announces Top Medical Schools for Quality of Network and Social Life

Bonnie L. Cook, Inquirer Staff Writer Posted: Wednesday, August 14, 2013, 1:08 AM

David Y. Cooper III, 88, emeritus professor in the department of surgery at the University of Pennsylvania and a longtime surgical researcher, died Friday, Aug. 2, of cancer at Waverly Heights in Gladwyne.

A 1948 graduate of Penn's medical school, Dr. Cooper was widely known for his work on the cytochrome P-450, a series of enzymes involved in drug metabolism.

In layman's terms, Dr. Cooper was looking at how the enzymes acquired the ability to perform biological functions in the body, and why. The goal was to better understand how medicines break down once they are taken or administered.

Keenly interested in medical history, he was also coauthor of a history of Penn's medical school.

He entered medical school at Penn that year and earned a medical degree two years later. After graduating, he interned at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania for a year.

Dr. Cooper returned to active duty with the Navy Reserve in 1949 - he had served from 1943 to 1945 - and continued through 1952. Rising to the rank of lieutenant, he received an honorable discharge in 1958.

From 1953 to 1957, he was a resident in surgery at the Penn hospital while also serving as a resident and fellow at Penn's Harrison Department of Surgical Research. He earned board certification in surgery in 1959 and was appointed to the Harrison Department faculty.

Although he taught the graduate students who helped him, he focused on research. His contact with patients was minimal.

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David Cooper, surgery professor

Governor asks citizens to imbibe spirit of giving at St John's 50 yr celebration

From Our Special Correspondent Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Aug 11: Wamly applauding the service and achievements of St Johns Hospital and Medical College, which commenced its golden jubilee, Karnataka Governor Hans Raj Bharadwaj described the institutions as one of the best that made the State and the country proud by being the embodiment of the love, compassion and tolerance.

Inaugurating the Golden Jubilee Year of St Johns Medical College, he advised the people, particularly the well-off and affluent sections, not to be too materialistic in their attitude and learn to be more philanthropic in helping the poor, needy and less privileged sections of society. In a country of pluralistic society with people of diverse religions, castes, communities and cultures living together in harmony, St Johns College was a shining example in its service to the poorer and needy sections, especially from rural and remote areas.

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Governor asks citizens to imbibe spirit of giving at St John's 50 yr celebration