In the AMA House of Delegates, the principal decision-making body of the American Medical Association, nearly one in 25 physicians were of Indian origin.

Indian doctors have made extraordinary contributions to the American medical system, Emmanuel G. Cassimatis, president and CEO, Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), has said.

Inaugurating the scientific session of Diamond Medcon 2012 organised by the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College (TMC) Alumni Association as part of the colleges diamond jubilee here on Sunday, Dr. Cassimatis said Indian medical professionals provided quality service in all specialities of medicine in the United States.

Jeremy Lazarus, president of American Medical Association, delivering the Diamond Jubilee Oration, said one in four physicians practicing medicine in the U.S. had attended medical school in India. In the AMA House of Delegates, the principal decision-making body of the American Medical Association, nearly one in 25 physicians were of Indian origin.

Mani Menon, Director, Vattikutty Urology Institute, Henry Ford Hospital, USA delivered the Dr N. Balsalam Memorial Oration on Surgeon controlled robotics a paradigm shift while Kalpalatha Guntupalli, former president, American College of Chest Physicians, USA delivered the P.K.R. Warrier Memorial Oration on Emerging Concepts in Management of ARDS.

The V.S. Mony memorial seminar that followed the orations dealt with prevention of suicide with Roy Abraham Kallivayalil, president, Indian Psychiatric Society, leading the seminar along with C.J. John, Consultant Psychiatrist, Kochi.

M. Krishnan Nair, founder-director of Regional Cancer Centre, moderated a subsequent seminar on recent advances in management of cancer, which had Dattatreyudu Nori, professor of Radiation Oncology, New York Presbyterian Hospital, M.V. Pillai, clinical professor of Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University, and P. Venugopal, associate director, Hemo-oncology, RUSH University Medical Centre, United States, as speakers.

The scientific sessions also had presentations by Sanjeev Kothare, Harvard Medical School, Boston, on recent advances in paediatric sleep disorders and by Shrikant K. Mishra, UCLA Medical Centre, Los Angeles on the history of neurology in India.

A session on diabetes, moderated by Sreejith N. Kumar, chairman of Indian Diabetics Education Association, brought the scientific sessions to a close.

This had Sreekumaran Nair, Professor and Head Diabetology, Mayo Clinic, USA and R.V. Jayakumar, Professor Endocrinology and Diabetology, AIMS, Kochi, as speakers.

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Indian-origin physicians, a dedicated and erudite lot

Salem Computer Center owner Frank Zamarelli said his father, big Frank, taught him to leave his community a little better than he found it.

His unending practice of that advice, and the philanthropic practices of two other local groups, the Salem High School Alumni Association and the United High School cheerleaders, were recognized recently as outstanding.

The Mahoning-Shenango Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals honored them during the 2012 National Philanthropy Day awards luncheon last month, recognizing Zamarelli and the Salem Computer Center as Outstanding Small Business, the United cheerleading squad as Outstanding Young Philanthropist and SHSAA with Special Recognition for Valley Impact.

For the 2011-2012 United cheerleaders, their efforts focused on helping one individual, former cheerleader and 2008 United graduate Alissa Boyle, who was seriously injured coming to the aid of an accident victim on the side of a Pennsylvania highway. Their Cheers for Alissa campaign, though, not only resulted in much-needed financial assistance to cover some of Boyle's medical expenses, but also brought together the entire United community for a one-day fundraising event.

In the program bio about the cheerleaders, it was noted that "when young people are faced with a great need, it might be easy for them to say that the problem is too large and their resources are too limited to make a difference. But the cheerleading squad at United High School did not focus on the size of the problem. Rather, they focused on what they could do to find a solution."

"We're proud of them," United High School Principal Bill Young said.

He said much like Alissa's positive outlook about what she was facing, "Cheers for Alissa was a positive, uplifting way of letting her know the people in the community were there for her."

With help from cheerleading coaches Renee Congo and Stacey Zines, the cheerleaders put together activities other students would support and came up with a plan the whole community and people in other communities could support. The day-long Cheers for Alissa event included a silent auction, bake sale, face painting, corn hole tournament,, basketball throw, soccer kicking contest and manicures and pedicures provided by a local salon.

Young said they came up with a pretty novel idea and it was an honor for them to be recognized. He said their leadership is to be commended.

"Cheers for Alissa grew to involve the entire community, but it started with the energy and determination of the United cheerleading squad - a great example of young philanthropists," the program bio said.

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Groups honored for philanthropy

By MATT ERICKSON, The Lawrence Journal-World

Internal candidate Douglas Girod will take over the top job at the Kansas University Medical Center, KU announced Wednesday.

Girod currently the senior associate dean for clinical affairs at the KU School of Medicine, will become the Medical Centers new executive vice chancellor on Feb. 1.

A surgeon, Girod joined the faculty at KUMC in 1994. He is also the chairman of the medical schools Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery.

One of Girods first tasks after stepping in as the new KUMC leader is likely to be to begin a search for a dean of the School of Medicine.

Barbara Atkinson, who retired in June, had served as both medical-school dean and the executive vice chancellor for the campus. But KU Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little indicated a desire to split the jobs, and a search for a dean had already begun when Atkinson announced in April she would be leaving KU earlier than expected.

That search morphed into an effort to hire a new executive vice chancellor instead.

Girod and two external candidates medical leaders at the University of Washington and Louisiana State University were announced as finalists for the job in November.

The three finalists were selected by a search committee and took part in town hall meetings on the KUMC campus. After that, the hiring decision was in Gray-Littles hands.

Dr. Girod has been a steadfast leader during a time of profound transformation at the University of Kansas Medical Center, playing crucial roles over the last several years as we saw dynamic growth in all of our educational, clinical, research and community engagement missions, Gray-Little said in a release. He is enormously respected by his colleagues, his students, his fellow physicians and our community, and his vision will undoubtedly lead to more significant transformation in the years ahead.

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Internal candidate named new executive vice chancellor at KU Medical Center

American Red Cross Northeast Pennsylvania

Polly Patterson is the interim regional chapter executive following the departure of John Hughes, who has accepted a leadership role as regional executive of the American Red Cross, Heart of Carolina Region in Greensboro, N.C. Ms. Patterson is a 21-year Navy veteran, who served in the Navy's Civil Engineer Corps. She and her husband, Mike, have two grown children and live in Lewisburg.

The Commonwealth Medical College

Marise Garofalo has been named vice president for institutional advancement. In this position, Ms. Garofalo will have oversight for development, alumni relations and marketing communications. She will be directly responsible for planning and executing TCMC's development activities to create widespread and significant philanthropic support of the college's mission. Ms. Garofalo joins TCMC from the University of Scranton, where she was assistant vice president for development. Ms. Garofalo earned a Bachelor of Science degree in liberal studies summa cum laude from the University of Scranton.

First Citizens Community Bank

Mike Barrouk has joined the bank as a vice president and business development officer. As a BDO, Mr. Barrouk will lead First Citizens' efforts to provide commercial services to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton business community as a resource for financial planning, and by providing funding for their growth and expansion needs. He is a 2004 graduate of Leadership Wilkes-Barre. Mr. Barrouk earned his master's degree in business administration from Wilkes University, and is a 2010 inductee to the Wilkes University Sports Hall of Fame. He lives in Dallas with his wife, Jill, and their children, Sam, Nina and Nick.

Highlights Press

Dolores Motichka has been named to the new post of senior designer of Highlights Press at the Highlights for Children editorial offices in Honesdale. She began her career in 1977 at Highlights and then became a fashion illustrator for the Globe Store in Scranton, and later a textbook designer at the International Correspondence Schools in Scranton. She returned to Highlights in 1980 to work on the Zaner-Bloser spelling series. In 1983, she became a designer for the National Wildlife Federation, and from 1984 to 1995, she was a staff illustrator and features designer for The Washington Times newspaper in Washington, D.C. Ms. Motichka designed editorial products for U.S. News & World Report from 1995 until 2002. The Honesdale High School graduate holds an associate degree in fashion illustration from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Ms. Motichka and her husband, John Kascht, a caricaturist, live in Honesdale.

Inn at Pocono Manor

Robert Baldassari has been appointed director of sales and marketing for the property. Mr. Baldassari was most recently director of sales and marketing for Skytop Lodge. Mr. Baldassari has held managerial positions at a number of properties in the Poconos, including Mount Airy Lodge. He is a graduate of the University of Bridgeport, in Connecticut, where he earned his bachelor's degree. He lives in Canadensis.

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People on the Move, Dec. 30, 2012

They slept in large rooms, a dozen beds to a row. They hitchhiked so they could stash back their dime bus fares to buy fried bologna sandwiches at a nearby bar they weren't allowed to enter. They snuck out to date or get their ears pierced, risking suspension or expulsion.

And they worked, long, long days sometimes 16-hour shifts at Knoxville General Hospital, caring for the sick, the wounded, the contagious, black and white, poor and prominent alike.

These are the memories of Jo Ella "Jody" Tipton McCall and Mary McCall McNamara, and hundreds of the other nurses who came from rural counties and even other states to attend the Knoxville General Hospital School of Nursing in Old North Knoxville.

McNamara's daughter, Billie McNamara, is determined that their memories be preserved through a recently launched effort.

McCall and Mary McNamara met and roomed together at the nursing school, which was in a large house adjacent to the hospital on Cleveland Place, near where Knox County Health Department now sits. Mary persuaded Jody to start writing her brother, an enlisted man serving in Korea, and by the time the women were full-fledged nurses, they were sisters-in-law as well.

These days, they're also president and vice president, respectively, of the nursing school's alumni association. For decades, the association has had an annual reunion for graduates of the school, their instructors and the doctors and other staff who worked at the hospital, which closed in August 1956 when what is now University of Tennessee Medical Center opened.

As their numbers dwindled, the annual reunion became a luncheon at St. James Episcopal Church. In June, about 45 attended.

It was about a month before the reunion that Mary McNamara had the idea for a program on the nursing school's history. She assigned her daughter, who has genealogy experience, to pull it together.

"She said, 'That should be easy; all our material is at UT,' " which supposedly took custody of the contents of the nursing school after it closed, Billie McNamara said. But when she called UT, "they didn't have anything" no photos, records or uniforms, nor the silver tea set used during the ceremony where nurses received their caps.

Photo by KNS Archive // Buy this photo

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'Virtual museum' pays tribute to graduates of Knoxville General Hospital School of Nursing

Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Medical Education Resources, and Consensus Medical Communications are pleased to announce the HCV Nova roundtable meetings will launch in January 2013.

AUSTIN, TEXAS (PRWEB) December 18, 2012

Gastroenterologists, hepatologists, infectious disease specialists, and other health care practitioners who are involved in the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are invited to attend.

Effective management of hepatitis C virus (HCV) continues to pose a challenge for health care practitioners. The discovery, development, and availability of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) offers new treatment options and the possibility of improved outcomes for newly diagnosed patients as well as those who have experienced a relapse or failed to respond to previous treatment; however, their use introduces new challenges and adds to the complexity of HCV treatment and care.

The purpose of the HCV NOVA initiative is to provide specific, targeted educational opportunities for clinicians who are involved in the management of patients with HCV. The NOVA meetings will incorporate a case-based approach to present the most current data on the following topics:

Upon completion of the HCV CME program, participants should be better able to:

For more information about this HCV CME activity and to register, please visit:

Online at http://www.hcvmeetings.com

or

Give us a call at 855-276-6855

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NOVA Announces HCV Continuing Medical Education Meetings for 2013

Director of Chicago Medical Legal Partnership for Children at Health & Disability Advocates accepts PILI Distinguished Intern Alumni Award.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) December 16, 2012

PILI connects law students, graduates and law firms with opportunities to provide pro bono legal services as part of fostering an overall culture of service and commitment in the legal profession. The annual award is bestowed upon a former intern whose work epitomizes the ideal of justice for all.

In accepting the award, Amy thanked PILI for helping her realize that, ...if I wanted to make a difference, I didnt have to travel halfway across the world...I could make a difference at home...PILI became my entre into the real life challenges of the disenfranchised in Chicago.

As a law student, Amy Zimmerman served as a PILI Intern at the American Jewish Congress after her first year at Northwestern University School of Law. Since then, Amy has devoted her legal career to children's health advocacy, program and policy analysis and community-based partnerships. She is a frequent speaker at national conferences, and serves on numerous advisory boards and committees including the Attorney Generals Special Education Advisory Committee, the Early Learning Councils Systems Integration and Alignment Heath Subcommittee, the Illinois Early Intervention Interagency Councils Service Delivery Approaches workgroup, the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics EDOPC Policy and Legislative Advisory Committee, the Premature Infants Health Network, and the Governors Lead Safe Housing Advisory Council.

Celebrating their 35th anniversary this year, PILI also honored Deere & Company (Pro Bono Initiative Award), Judge Edmond E. Chang (Distinguished PILI Fellow Alumni Award) and Harvey Grossman (Distinguished Public Service Award). The event also commemorated important milestones and impact of this unique resource to the Illinois legal community.

PILI is nationally respected for cultivating a remarkably unique, strong and collaborative pro bono community in Chicago and across Illinois. PILI fills a void that would otherwise exist if it werent there, says Lee Ann Russo, president of the PILI board of directors and partner at Jones Day, By bringing together law firms, corporations, law schools, retirees... [PILI] enables individuals who otherwise dont have access to justice to have it. Adds Northwestern Law School professor Cindy Wilson, When I talk to my colleagues in law schools around the country, they are in envy of what we have here.

Since joining Health & Disability Advocates in 2006, a national health, education and employment nonprofit based in Chicago, Amy has led the Chicago Medical Legal Partnership for Children. This pioneering program joins two powerful professions law and medicine to improve the health and economic security of vulnerable people and places. One of the first such innovative projects in the nation, the Chicago project works closely with partner sites at Lurie Childrens Hospital, La Rabida Childrens Hospital, University of Chicagos Comer Childrens Hospital, Friend Family FQHC and specialty care clinics.

The idea of looking at social determinants of health and recognizing that without impacting social factors, health outcomes can and often will be compromised this is the cornerstone of medical legal partnerships. Our approach involves direct representation, training and technical assistance at our partnership sites and systemic advocacy. In keeping with the core values that underpin PILIs work, we focus the bulk of our trainings on medical residentsendeavoring to imbue these future medical leaders with the tools to both understand the value of legal assistance to their patients and their medical practice and the ability to recognize a legal need, hopefully preventativelyso that legal assistance is available before a crisis occurs.

Amy has also provided leadership to growing medical legal partnerships (MLPs) nationwide, spearheaded legislative initiatives and helped implement groundbreaking health policies including changes to: the Illinois Childrens Product Safety Act on recall requirements, the Illinois School Code on classroom access and home and hospital instruction and the Early Intervention Services System Act, as well as a first-in-nation district-wide asthma policy for Chicago Public Schools. Her work on behalf of children and families has also included individual and class action representation.

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Public Interest Law Initiative Honors Amy Zimmerman, Illinois Child Health Advocate with Prestigious Award

This is the fourth installment of our series on what you should be doing in advance of submitting your graduate school applications. Here are some suggestions on what to do nine months before your application deadlines.

1. Plan to visit campuses: It's one thing to review a website, read printed materials, and communicate with admissions staff on the phone or via E-mail. It is quite another thing to visit a campus in person. Most institutions offer a variety of campus visit programs, which they usually describe on their websites.

[Learn how to use social media to bypass grad admissions offices.]

If you can afford to visit an institution more than once, arrive unannounced the first time. Seeing how you are treated as a complete stranger can be very revealing about what the institution is really like. If you can't afford the time or funds to visit campuses multiple times, consider waiting until you have started the application process before visiting schools.

While on campus, make sure to do the following four things:

-- Meet with an admissions staff member: Come prepared with a few questions to ask about the program and about the application process. Also ask if you can sit in on a class.

-- Find the student lounge or caf: Talk to a few students who are hanging out or studying in popular meeting areas and ask them some questions about the program. Take notes on what you learn.

[Find out when to contact the graduate admissions office.]

-- Check out the career development office: When you visit this office, which might also go by "career services," see if you can obtain a list of the services available to students. That list will give you an idea of how helpful the staff is, and how much attention the institution pays to this important aspect of assisting students.

-- Visit the alumni office: Ask officials in the alumni relations office if they have information about services offered to graduates of the program. In addition, ask if you can get the names and contact information for recent graduates who live in your geographic area. You will want to contact these individuals down the road to find out how they feel about their overall student experience while enrolled.

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Grad School Application Checklist: 9 Months Out

NEW YORK--(BUSINESSWIRE)-- On January 11, 2013, New York University Stern School of Business will convene its faculty thought leaders and some of Indias top corporate leaders and policymakers for a full-day event entitled, India in the 21stCentury: From Potential to Progress. The participants will investigate the unique opportunities and challenges facing India, an emerging market leader and driving force in the global economy.

The conference will include sessions on the future of Indias urban growth, valuation in the Indian context, the impact of corporate governance and building Indias infrastructure.

We are driving the conversation around the world about the most pressing issues that will affect growth in the 21st century. How India conducts business, serves its citizens and interacts with the world is a critical part of this global conversation, said Geeta Menon, dean of NYU Sterns Undergraduate College, and conference host. Dean Menon is among the first women deans of a top-ranked business school who is Indian-born and was educated mostly in India.

NYU Stern has meaningful connections with India. More than 300 Stern alumni live or work in India. At the Stern School, nearly 100 percent of Undergraduate College business students have at least one global academic experience, and among their options for global study is a short-term immersion course, Stern Around the World: India, which includes an academic trip to Mumbai. Stern also offers a Doing Business in graduate-level course in India in which MBA students study its business and culture in the country. According to the College Board, in India, NYU is the 5th most searched university online. Sterns inaugural India Business Forum aims to deepen ties by convening faculty, alumni, students, and the Indian business and policy community to discuss Indias role in 21st century global economic growth.

NYU and NYU Stern faculty who will participate in the Forum include:

Industry leaders and policymakers who will participate in the Forum include:

Access the complete conference agenda online.

If you are a member of the media and plan to attend the NYU Stern India Business Forum, please contact the following to reserve a seat:

Joanne Hvala, jhvala@stern.nyu.edu, 212-998-0995, NYU Stern Jessica Neville, jneville@stern.nyu.edu, 416-516-7677, NYU Stern Erin Potter, epotter@stern.nyu.edu, +001 917 699 4252, NYU Stern Vasudha Rao, vasudha.r@prpundit.com, + 91 9820347118, PR Pundit

NYU Stern will also broadcast the conference via live webcast on January 11, 2013, beginning at 9am IST.

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NYU Stern Hosts Inaugural India Business Forum in Mumbai on January 11, 2013

Alumni and supporters have taken to the Internet to express their discontent with the University Athletic Associations recent decision to ground UF cheerleaders.

A Save Florida Cheerleading Facebook page has garnered nearly 1,000 likes since its creation Nov. 28, as of press time.

Other cheerleading squads, like one at Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, posted pictures with signs that support reversing the UAAs ban on tumbling and stunting at events, games and practices.

The Facebook page coincides with a Save Florida Cheerleading website. Both sites ask The Gator Nation to contact UF athletic director Jeremy Foley and assistant athletic director Martin Salamone asking them to let the cheerleaders fly.

Jason Merslich, a former UF cheerleader and one of the Facebook page creators, said he hopes the pages will bring awareness to boosters and alumni.

The dangers associated with acrobatic stunts are not worth the risk for the cheerleaders or UF, senior associate athletics director Steve McClain wrote in an emailed statement.

Instead of waiting for a tragedy to occur, we are taking a proactive stance to protect the cheerleaders, who represent the University of Florida with enthusiasm and class, McClain wrote, and allow them to lead cheers at Gator games for years to come.

Merslich, a 27-year-old physical therapist, said he has never treated a patient who was injured because of cheerleading.

In the 2005-2006 school year, 12 high school and college female cheerleaders suffered catastrophic injuries, according to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. That amount has dropped steadily, and in the 2010-2011 school year, one catastrophic injury was reported for high school cheerleaders, and none for college.

UF first-year dental student and former cheerleader Patrick Fitzgerald, 23, said banning the cheerleaders from stunts was a caring approach, but a quick decision without much research.

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Grounded UF cheer squad sees support