GLADSTONE, NJ--(Marketwired - Jun 7, 2013) - The NFL Alumni Association will support a benefit event for the Autism Think Tank on June 28, 2013 in Gladstone, NJ, underscoring the organization's commitment to "Caring for Kids" in need.

"Autism affects 1 in 50 children in the United States and 1 in 29 boys in New Jersey, and divorce rates are reported to be 89 percent in families affected by autism. In view of the seriousness and pervasiveness of autism, the NFL Alumni are honored to join this worthy fight," said Joe Pisarcik, Executive Director of the NFL Alumni. "The Autism Think Tank brings together leading specialists in different medical disciplines to create a comprehensive approach to improving the lives of individuals with autism and their families. As former NFL players we identify with that team approach, and we're happy to support that effort for the benefit of these kids and their loved ones."

Since taking the reins as Executive Director in January, Mr. Pisarcik has re-energized the NFL Alumni Association. Founded in 1977, the Association is a non-profit, 501(c)(5) organization that serves as an advocate for greater quality-of-life benefits for all former NFL players, and creates programs to enhance the health and lives of retired players and their families. The Association's extensive track record of "Caring for Kids" and other community charities dates back to the 1980s. For information about the NFL Alumni Association, please visit http://www.nflalumni.org.

The Autism Think Tank is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to facilitate the medical and psychosocial stabilization of the child with autism and their family. Bringing together a team of world-renowned medical experts via teleconference, this innovative outpatient medical center is designed to provide a multidisciplinary team approach to the identification and treatment of the complicated medical impacts of autism.

"Gaining these leaders of the sports community as allies will help us advance toward our goal of medically stabilizing individuals with autism to improve their quality of life in the home, school and community," said Sheri Marino Haiken, Executive Director of the Autism Think Tank. "We are deeply grateful to the NFL Alumni for stepping up at a time when we are making a real, positive difference for those with autism and their loved ones around the world." For information about the fundraiser for the Autism Think Tank, please visit http://autismthinktanknj.com/events.html.

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NFL Alumni 'Caring for Kids' by Supporting Autism Think Tank

The possibilities of more affordable health care in America was the subject of an alumni-faculty panel discussion led by Wilson School professor Uwe Reinhardt on Friday morning titled, Affordable Health Care: The Next Chapter.

The panel consisted of five University alumni, all of whom discussed their connection to health care legislation or potential plans of action in making health care more affordable in the future.

The panel included Richard D. Krugman 63, Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Dean at the University of Colorado School of Medicine; Raymond J. Baxter 68, Senior Vice President of Kaiser Permanente International; Jonathan C. Javitt 78, founder and CEO of Telcare, Inc. and former White House health care adviser; Melinda Beeuwkes Buntin 93, deputy assistant director for health at the Congressional Budget Office and Lisa Keels Lowenstein 03, health insurance specialist and legislative adviser.

We are having this discussion today because the cost of health care is too high, Buntin said. Ten percent of our GDP is spent on health care. Buntin said her role at the Congressional Budget Office is to help Congress with the financial implications of health care related legislation.

She offered four possible options of lowering the cost of health care, which include shifting costs to patients by charging a higher premium for instance, encouraging more cost-conscious behavior, restructuring the way we pay for health care or combining the first three options.

There isnt a silver bullet for this situation, Buntin said. We will most likely need a combination of the three factors.

One of Lowensteins main duties is to implement the Affordable Care Act and to help control the cost of health care on the side of the consumers, a task that is increasingly difficult as health care costs rise.

One of the areas in which Lowenstein suggested action could be taken is in the risk pool in the marketplace. She explained that the bigger the risk pool in the marketplace, the lower the cost of health care. Spreading the risk will be a major part of 2014, Lowenstein said. If there are more young people in the marketplace, the cost will go down.

She also discussed various cost control programs, such as Rate Review, in which insurance companies must justify any rate increase greater than 10 percent.

Technology may also be introduced to mediate rising health care costs, Javitt suggested.

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Alumni panel considers next chapter in affordable health care

Published: 6/5/2013 4:03 PM | Last update: 6/5/2013 4:03 PM

Solomon, population 1,095, sits along Interstate 70, sandwiched between Salina and Abilene, and adjacent to the river that gave the city its name. Those who grew up inside Solomon were known as town kids, and all others were farm kids. I was one of the latter, having grown up on a farm 10 miles to the northwest of the city.

Walking into Solomon High School past a huge likeness of a gorilla, the school mascot since 1928, I could not help feeling a little like Rip Van Winkle as a sea of unfamiliar faces appeared in the banquet hall.

John Krisher, from the Class of 1960, arrived wearing his FFA (Future Farmers of America) jacket from high school, and it still fits perfectly.

Numerous graduates beyond the age of 90 were evident, and most were walking with the gait of someone 30 years their junior.

Clyde Venneberg arrived in Solomon in 1946 following service in World War II and would remain a part of the school system until his retirement in 1983. After an 18-year stint as Vocational Agriculture instructor, he switched gears to become the school's guidance counselor and high school principal.

Arriving moments before the start of the dinner, we were seated next to Don and Janice Janssen, neighbors whose farm is barely a stone's throw to the south of the Shank farm.

Don is a youthful 80 years old this year and is making plans for the wheat harvest. I won't be surprised if he is still harvesting wheat at age 100.

Actually, longevity of life is something not all that uncommon in Solomon, as a result of a healthy lifestyle, hard work and positive attitude.

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Alumnus takes tour - literally and on Memory Lane

India, June 5 -- Efforts to engage society in the rehabilitation of victims of sexual assault by the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) have finally paid off.

Nearly a month after the committee announced a scheme in which individuals or organisations can help rehabilitate victims of such crimes, the welfare committee of the Alumni Association, Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan, have offered their services.

Members of the committee met Delhi government's Child Welfare Committee (east) and expressed their desire to sponsor such victims either by paying for their education, accommodation or health expenses.

"Few of the members of our association met CWC (east) authorities. The final decision in this regard will be taken in July at a meeting of all the members," said an association member, who was present in the meeting but wished to remain anonymous.

So far people used to sponsor orphans or under-privileged students but rarely did one sponsor a rape victim.

"The Army Public School's Alumni Association has shown a keen interest in sponsoring rape victims. It is good that people are coming forward to help victims of sexual assault. While sponsorship programmes are common for orphans, it is probably the first time that an initiative like this is being taken," said Ajay K Singh, chairman, CWC (east).

"Even traders' associations have come forward to help. Some individuals have offered books, pencils and pens. Every bit of help counts," Singh added.

The CWC will prepare a database of sponsors. They can help with the education, medical treatment or the entire rehabilitation of the victim.

Individuals or organisations who want to offer help will have to get themselves enrolled with the CWC, which will contact them whenever a sexual assault case will be reported.

Published by HT Syndication with permission from Hindustan Times.

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Army Public School's alumni body offers to sponsor rape victims

ATLANTIS, Fla., June 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --/Continental Who's Who/ --Dr. Beth-Ann Lesnikoski, MD, FACS is recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Pinnacle Woman of the Year in the field of Healthcare as a result of her role as Medical Director with The Breast Institute at JFK Medical Center.

Dr. Lesnikoski is a Harvard trained surgeon who completed a specialized breast fellowship. She moved to Palm Beach County after practicing at such prestigious institutions as Dana Farber Cancer Center,Brigham and Women's Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital between 1996 and 2011. She specializes in oncoplastic breast surgery and innovative approaches to breast cancer treatment.

Dr. Lesnikoski completed an Internship with Deaconess/Harvard Surgical Service in Boston, Massachusetts and served as a Clinical Fellow in Diseases of the Breast at Faulkner Breast Center, Faulkner Hospital. Furthermore, she completed a Research Fellowship in Surgical Research and Transplantation Immunology at Sandoz Center for Immunobiology, also in Boston.

Dr. Lesnikoski earned her MD at Temple University School of Medicine located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In addition, she holds a BA from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. She is currently a member of the Yale Alumni Association; American Cancer Society; American College of Surgeons; as well as a Fellow of the American Society of Breast Surgeons.

As a result of her dedication and professionalism within the field of Healthcare, Dr. Lesnikoski has been named as one of Castle Connolly Top Doctors in 2012 and 2013, given to physicians who are among the top 1% in the nation in his or her specialty. She was a member of the Brigham & Women's/Faulkner Hospital/Harvard Business School Physician Leadership Program from 2008-2009. She received the Curtis Prout Fellowship in Medical Education in 2007.

Dr. Lesnikoski has been honored by the Palm Beach County Medical Society as Project Access Surgical Physician of the Year in 2012, for her outreach work to the underserved community. She also facilitated the opening of the first Palm Beach County site for the Florida Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program for low income women.

Dr. Lesnikoski has a strong interest and expertise in quality and innovation in healthcare. She is invited to speak around the U.S. because of her experience in developing interdisciplinary breast and cancer programs throughout her career. She has been a surveyor for the American College of Surgeons National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers since 2010.

For more information, please visit http://www.hcahealthcare.com.

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Dr. Beth-Ann Lesnikoski, MD, FACS is recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Pinnacle Woman of the Year

SAN JOSE -- San Jose High School was born haphazardly in 1863, and it's something of a miracle that it has survived the century and a half since. The second-oldest public high school in California is throwing itself a yearlong birthday party, and one proud alumna is joining in the festivities with a photo essay marking the sesquicentennial.

Josie Lepe, class of 1990 and a photographer for this newspaper, returned to campus to photograph some of the school's most successful seniors in their favorite spots on campus, the places where they found inspiration and strength, the ones they would remember for the rest of their lives. Lepe then tracked down some prominent and very busy alumni for the photo essay, including a congressman, champion fighter and 102-year-old doctor.

It would take an enormous coffee-table picture book to tell the story of a school whose students collectively witnessed the Civil War, the destructive earthquakes of 1906 and 1989, two World Wars separated by the Great Depression, the turmoil of the 1960s, the attacks of 9/11 and more. Lepe's trick was to take these individual memories and stitch them together into an inspirational, if abbreviated, history of San Jose High. What is education if not inspiration?

Distinguished alumni

According to San Jose's late historian, Clyde Arbuckle, San Jose High was commissioned soon after John Joseph Bowen, a civil engineer and principal of a grade

Several campus changes and four decades later, a gifted 12-year-old, Jewish boy enrolled.

"I was declared a child prodigy," Dr. Ephraim Engleman, class of 1927, said recently in his office at the University of California Medical School in San Francisco. "I was the greatest nonathlete in the class."

At age 102, and after winning numerous awards and honors, he still runs the Rosalind Russell Medical Research Center for Arthritis he founded in 1979. After so many years, he hardly thinks about San Jose High, but one spot on campus springs to mind quickly.

"The auditorium," he said. "I played jazz on the piano in the auditorium."

Dozens of students spent their lunch hours listening to this skinny kid play this crazy-fast, revolutionary and controversial brand of music. Back then, the student body was nearly all white, the result of racial segregation and the preference of many immigrant Catholic families for parochial schools.

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San Jose High's 150th birthday celebrated in photos

DANVILLE Three Westville High School alums will be honored Saturday as the first inductees of the new Westville Wall of Fame during the annual Westville High School alumni banquet.

Westville High School Principal Guy Goodlove said he hatched the idea to create a wall of fame for Westville after learning of similar tributes in Danville and Villa Grove.

I read in the paper that Danville High School has a wall of fame, and when we were at Villa Grove for a game, I noticed they had a wall of fame, too, he said.

I thought, How neat would it be if Westville had a wall of fame, he said. It creates pride in the high school and pride in the community.

Those nominated for the honor needed to be Westville High School alumni with at least one year of attendance at the high school or employees of the Westville school district, Goodlove said.

A committee selected the three individuals for this years honor from nominations received from other alumni, family members and people in the community.

The nominations were certainly of high quality, and the committee had a difficult time selecting, he said, adding that two new honorees will be inducted every year to the tribute wall.

All three of the individuals selected for induction have distinguished themselves as the cream of the crop within their respective profession and are recognized as such, either locally, statewide, nationally or internationally.

The three represent the qualities that Westville High School aspires for all students to strive for: a dedication to excellence in education, a desire to serve their community and a proven record of success.

The three individuals who will be inducted into the Westville Wall of Fame for 2013 are: Jeffrey D. Cooke, Class of 1979; Dr. Frank L. Lesko, Class of 1938; and the late Lee Albert Miglin, Class of 1941.

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Westville honors alumni with Wall of Fame

SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwired - Jun 3, 2013) - Dean Kamen, holder of nearly 500 U.S. and foreign patents for medical devices that have expanded the frontiers of healthcare worldwide, and founder of FIRST, an organization dedicated to motivating youth to understand science and technology, has been named the tenth recipient of the James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award, The Tech Museum of Innovation revealed today. Sponsored by Applied Materials, Inc., the award honors individuals whose broad vision and leadership are focused on combating humanity's greatest problems.

"Technology and innovation only mean something if they have an impact on people's lives. I am honored to receive this award," said Kamen, who will be presented with the award in November at Silicon Valley's premier science and technology recognition ceremony, The Tech Awards. "I strive to inspire the younger generations to continue innovating."

Kamen's DEKA Research & Development Corporation is responsible for breakthrough inventions in medicine and clean energy in addition to providing research for major corporate clients. While an undergraduate, Kamen developed the first portable infusion device to deliver drug treatments that previously required round-the-clock hospital care. Through DEKA, Kamen developed a portable dialysis machine, a vascular stent, and the iBOT -- a motorized wheelchair that climbs stairs. Kamen also led teams in the development of devices such as the Segway Human Transporter, an insulin pump for diabetics, portable energy and water purification devices for the developing world, and a prosthetic arm for maimed soldiers.

"Dean's entrepreneurial spirit and drive behind his inventions to better the lives of people globally makes him an inspiring and deserving recipient of this year's award," said The Tech President Tim Ritchie. "He is a tireless advocate for innovation with a purpose. His passion to use technology for good and his determination to teach and motivate others to do the same is increasingly crucial because the future belongs to those who can innovate."

Kamen joins an impressive roster of past award recipients of the Global Humanitarian Award that includes Infoysys founder N.R Narayana Murthy, social entrepreneur Jeff Skoll, education and cross-cultural dialogue advocate Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, Nobel laureate and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Applied Materials' Chairman Emeritus James C. Morgan, who inspired the award a decade ago.

"We congratulate Dean on this well-deserved recognition," said Mike Splinter, Chairman and CEO of Applied Materials, Inc."Dean represents what this award is all about -- dedication to improving lives through innovation and technology."

Founded in 1989 by Dean, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), is dedicated to motivating the next generation to understand, use and enjoy science and technology. This year FIRST will serve more than 300,000 young people, ages 6 to 18, in more than 60 countries around the globe.High-school-aged participants are eligible to apply for more than $16 million in scholarships from leading colleges, universities, and corporations.Studies have shown that FIRST alumni are highly motivated to pursue careers in science and engineering, thus fulfilling Kamen's goal of inspiring the next generation of technological leaders.

Kamen will accept the award in Silicon Valley at the Santa Clara Convention Center on Thursday, November 14, 2013 during The Tech Awards gala, presented by Applied Materials Annually, more than 1,400 esteemed innovators in the technology industry gather at the formal charity event to celebrate the power of technology to address global challenges and benefit humanity. The gala also recognizes 10 technologists, educators, scientists and entrepreneurs who are using technology to improve our world.

For more information about The Tech Awards, visit: thetechawards.thetech.org/

For the latest updates follow @TheTechAwards on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

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Pioneering Health-Care Technologist Dean Kamen Named 2013 James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award Recipient

1943 wartime graduate William Myrkle accepts his diploma Sunday from Michelle Helmuth-Charles, Dowagiac Board of Education president.

From five co-valedictorians and a 1943 diploma to windy weather in the 50s, Dowagiacs 148th Commencement Sunday afternoon on Chris Taylor-Alumni Field was uncommon.

Breeze stole so many garments draped around necks it seemed to suggest how they got their name.

C.J. Brooks Union High School band performed Anchors Aweigh, the U.S. Naval Academy fight song, in honor of William Myrkle of Bangor, called to active World War II duty 70 years ago before he could graduate with his classmates.

Jeff Robinsons singers Celebrated with Kool and the Gangs 1980 No. 1 hit, then the choir director turned son Jonathans tassel.

First-year Principal Pieter Hoekstra said the 121-member DUHS Class of 2013 was the first time he had ever been associated with graduation outdoors.

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Local news and sports reporting covering Niles, Dowagiac, Cassopolis, Edwardsburg, Cass County, Berrien County in ...

The School of Medicine at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans has named three of its graduates 2012 Medical Alumni of the Year. Drs. Mario Calonje (59), Lester Wayne Johnson (71) and Fred Rodriguez (75) will be honored during the LSUHSC Medical Alumni' annual scientific session June 8 at the New Orleans Hilton Riverside Hotel.

Calonje is a retired radiologist in New Orleans who served as Chairman of Radiology Departments at East Jefferson Hospital, Hotel Dieu Hospital and Touro Infirmary. He is a former President of the New Orleans Radiology Group and is a Past President of the LSU Medical Alumni Board.

Johnson is still actively practicing surgery and currently serves as Chief of Surgery at LSU Health Sciences Center Monroe. Dr. Johnson has served as a passionate advocate for the LSU medical education programs in Louisiana and has worked selflessly to support the states medical institutions.

Rodriguez is a New Orleans pathologist who has been a member of the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Medicine faculty since 1977. He currently serves as the Emma Moss Professor of Pathology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans. He is a former National Director of Pathology and Laboratory Services for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Rodriguez is the President-Elect of the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science.

The criteria for selection of the LSUHSC Medical Alumnus/Alumna of the Year include recognition in three areas: bettering the LSUHSC New Orleans School of Medicine, improving the profession, and participating in other important civic activities.

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LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans announces its Medical Alumni of the Year