The World News (WN) Network, has created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to user privacy. The following discloses our information gathering and dissemination practices for wn.com, as well as e-mail newsletters.

We do not collect personally identifiable information about you, except when you provide it to us. For example, if you submit an inquiry to us or sign up for our newsletter, you may be asked to provide certain information such as your contact details (name, e-mail address, mailing address, etc.).

When you submit your personally identifiable information through wn.com, you are giving your consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information as set forth in this Privacy Policy. If you would prefer that we not collect any personally identifiable information from you, please do not provide us with any such information. We will not sell or rent your personally identifiable information to third parties without your consent, except as otherwise disclosed in this Privacy Policy.

Except as otherwise disclosed in this Privacy Policy, we will use the information you provide us only for the purpose of responding to your inquiry or in connection with the service for which you provided such information. We may forward your contact information and inquiry to our affiliates and other divisions of our company that we feel can best address your inquiry or provide you with the requested service. We may also use the information you provide in aggregate form for internal business purposes, such as generating statistics and developing marketing plans. We may share or transfer such non-personally identifiable information with or to our affiliates, licensees, agents and partners.

We may retain other companies and individuals to perform functions on our behalf. Such third parties may be provided with access to personally identifiable information needed to perform their functions, but may not use such information for any other purpose.

In addition, we may disclose any information, including personally identifiable information, we deem necessary, in our sole discretion, to comply with any applicable law, regulation, legal proceeding or governmental request.

We do not want you to receive unwanted e-mail from us. We try to make it easy to opt-out of any service you have asked to receive. If you sign-up to our e-mail newsletters we do not sell, exchange or give your e-mail address to a third party.

E-mail addresses are collected via the wn.com web site. Users have to physically opt-in to receive the wn.com newsletter and a verification e-mail is sent. wn.com is clearly and conspicuously named at the point of

If you no longer wish to receive our newsletter and promotional communications, you may opt-out of receiving them by following the instructions included in each newsletter or communication or by e-mailing us at michaelw(at)wn.com

The security of your personal information is important to us. We follow generally accepted industry standards to protect the personal information submitted to us, both during registration and once we receive it. No method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100 percent secure, however. Therefore, though we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

Read more:
Claridad Clan Reunion

AUBURN, AL (WSFA) -

A meeting held Friday to discuss the future of Auburn University's embattled Aviation Management program ended with College of Business Dean Dr. Bill Hardgrave promising to save and improve the program, but students and alumni are not fully pleased with all they heard.

"We're putting a plan in place that addresses some recent challenges and puts the program in a position to grow," said Hardgrave, who is recommending it continue to operate under the College of Business.

Hardgrave said the Aviation Management program will get better facilities and other improvements designed to make it available to more students and responsive to changes in the aviation industry.

While the Aviation Management program may be saved, alumni said there was "shock" in the boardroom full of industry leaders, professors, flight education employees, students, parents and alumni that Hardgrave plans to "sunset" the Aviation Management Profession Flight Program, effectively terminating it.

Hardgrave says the University is exploring options including one recommendation that would involve partnering with a commercial firm that would allow the expansion of flight training beyond students in the College of Business. Hardgrave said outsourcing flight education to a professional flight school, or PFS, partner would provide the opportunity for flight instruction to any Auburn student, community member, Southern Union student, Tuskegee University student or high school student wishing to obtain pilot ratings or simply learn to fly.

"This decision puts in jeopardy Auburn University's recent agreement with JetBlue Airways," the students and alumni said in a statement. "It also puts our long-standing relationships with corporations and other segments of the industry in peril."

Auburn is one of just four universities in the country to offer the Gateway Program with JetBlue, helping pilots fly for major air carriers in half the time.

Those in the meeting say Dr. Hardgrave originally said he wasn't planning on coming to the meeting, but when he arrived he read a prepared statement and then "hastily departed without engaging those in attendance."

"While we are pleased that he chose to retain the Aviation Management program, the decision to close the flight program falls well short of our stated goal and desire of maintaining our nationally recognized flight program," students and alumni, collectively working through FlyAuburn.org, said. Auburn has offered aviation education since 1941.

Read the rest here:
Students, alumni only half pleased with latest plan to save AU Aviation program

News Study by UChicago professor finds that the South Side will be hit the hardest by the influx of newly insured patients from the Affordable Care Act.

A study published in the journal Health Affairs by University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC) Associate Professor Elbert Huang forecasts that 29 million people will be insured for the first time in 2014 as a result of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), requiring 7,200 more primary care providers at a time when prospective doctors are being driven into more lucrative specialty areas.

The likely influx of insured patients has medical researchers, practitioners, and leaders in the industry worried that the South Side of Chicago, particularly the neighborhoods of Lawndale and Englewood, will be hit especially hard because of the number of currently uninsured people.

Englewood, for example, is predicted to see a 10 percent increase in demand for primary care, requiring the addition of four doctors to the existing group of 40 practitioners in the neighborhood.

In absolute numbers it doesnt seem that bad, but this doesnt account for the fact that the baseline 40 people already represents a shortage. Also, whos going to do it? Four doctors who open a clinic? A provider who expands? Huang said.

Attempting to meet the increasing demand of primary care physicians, the federal government has prepared incentives to accompany the implementation of the ACA, offering a 10 percent hike in salary to primary care doctors choosing to work in medically underserved areas.

But Huang is skeptical of how effective these incentives will be.

Such incentives are never designed on any empirical data. They are entirely designed on what can be affordable, Huang said. Also, we dont know if these incentives have been noticed by people. Im quite concerned that its not enough. The [salary] gap between specialists and primary care practitioners is much more than 10 percent.

Non-governmental institutions are taking matters into their own hands. For instance, the Pritzker School of Medicine, the UCMC, and the Urban Health Initiative are encouraging current medical students to choose a career in primary care.

Pritzker Associate Dean of Students James Woodruff, M.D., has noted a trend of student interest in practicing in underserved areas and as primary physicians in the last five years. According to Woodruff, this correlates with the schools concrete steps to grow and develop mentorship programs, classes, volunteer opportunities, and scholarships emphasizing service learning and working in underserved communities.

Read more:
Under ACA, doctor supply won’t meet demand

Longtime Yolo County educators and UC Davis alumni Sandi Redenbach and Ken Gelatt are the 2013 winners of the Charles J. Soderquist Award, an honor bestowed by the university in recognition of exceptional volunteer leadership and philanthropy benefiting the campus community.

In 2011, Woodland residents Tom and Meg Stallard also won the award for their volunteer involvement with the university.

Created in 2005 by the UC Davis Foundation, the award honors the late Charles "Charlie" Soderquist -- a UC Davis alumnus, management professor, and well-known Sacramento-area entrepreneur and philanthropist.

"Sandi and Ken's commitment to philanthropy and passion for UC Davis truly exemplify Charlie Soderquist's legacy and the UC Davis

Foundation's vision," said Shaun Keister, president of the UC Davis Foundation and vice chancellor of development and alumni relations at UCD. "Their generosity, volunteerism and compassion have made a tremendous, lasting impact on improving the lives of students at UC Davis and throughout the region. We are very fortunate to have them as members of our community."

The award comes with a $5,000 prize that recipients give to the university program or area of their choice. Redenbach and Gelatt are donating their prize money to the School of Education's Guardian Teachers Scholarship. This program was created in 2011 with seed funding from the San Francisco-based Stuart Foundation to encourage former foster youth to pursue careers in

"I think we all have a responsibility to give back," said Gelatt, a math teacher and coach in Davis for nearly 40 years. "I want our gifts to UC Davis to serve as a way to let people know that giving is not hard to do. All of us can do more than we think, especially educators."

Redenbach, a veteran speech, drama and English teacher, agreed. "If two teachers can make that type of contribution, it must be clear to others that there is much they can do as well. My education proves that anyone can overcome obstacles and work toward a life of fulfillment and contribution," she said. "Our education at UC Davis helped Ken realize his dream of being a teacher and coach; it helped me discover my passion for teaching; and together, we discovered how we can effectively contribute to others."

Supporting the Guardian Teachers Scholarship resonates with Redenbach since she herself was adopted, a teenage runaway and a former high school dropout. Redenbach and Gelatt hope others will join them in their support of the Guardian Teacher Scholarship to inspire more former foster youth to pursue careers in teaching.

"Even when I was a dropout, I knew someday and somehow I would go back to school, get my diploma and find a way to be somebody," said Redenbach, who is currently president and founder of Esteem Seminar Programs and ESP "Wise" Publications. "And I just really want that for every kid."

Read the original:
UC Davis Foundation honors Yolo County educators for supporting foster youth

The University of Maryland School of Medicine announced this week a $500 million fundraising goal the Baltimore institution's largest campaign ever.

Donors already have given $339 million during the quiet phase of the campaign, dubbed "Transforming Medicine Beyond Imagination." The money will be used to advance research, fund top-notch training of doctors and devise ways to improve patient care, said Dean E. Albert Reece.

Reece said institutions like his need to look more to private donors as government funds fail to keep pace with growth.

State funding made up 9 percent of the medical school's $417.3 million budget in fiscal year 2002. That had dropped to 3.5 percent of a nearly $1 billion operating budget in fiscal year 2012.

Future federal funding also is more uncertain as the government seeks to reduce its debt by slashing spending. Research institutions around the country are bracing for $1.6 billion in cuts to the $30 billion budget of the National Institutes of Health under the across-the-board spending cuts known as sequestration.

"With this very, very difficult environment for institutions like us, we have to depend on philanthropy becoming much more of a major player to allow us to continue to do the things we do," Reece said.

The medical school also is looking to increase its $160 million endowment, which it said is much smaller than those of institutions its size. Until 2000, the medical school didn't do much fundraising, depending instead on public funding, tuition and revenue from caring for patients.

"We value state support and wouldn't want to lose it," Reece said. "The reality is it's not expanding at amounts that keep up with inflation."

The money raised will be used to support scholarships for medical students and to develop procedures and surgical techniques that are less invasive with quicker recovery times. It will allow the institution to make advances in emerging fields where it has already made progress, including regenerative medicine and stem cell biology.

The medical school also hopes to advance trauma care and vaccine development, and conduct further research on deadly viruses such as HIV and hepatitis C.

Original post:
University of Maryland School of Medicine aims to raise $500 million

The choice to come lead the Kansas University School of Engineering wasnt a tough one, Michael Branicky said Thursday. And he should know.

Photo by Mike Yoder

Kansas University has named Michael Branicky as the new dean of the School of Engineering. Branicky, who teaches and chairs the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, will officially take over as dean on July 1. Branicky was touring the KU campus and meeting with faculty Thursday, May 9, 2013.

In my field, theres things called decision trees that enable you to figure out exactly whats the best thing to do at any time. In this case, it was a very easy decision, said Branicky, a specialist in robotics and control systems who will become KUs new engineering dean July 1.

Branicky, a professor and department chairman at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, on Thursday made his first appearance at KU since he was announced as the next engineering dean in February. He spoke briefly at an annual School of Engineering banquet to honor distinguished alumni, where he received a great big Kansas welcome from the 150 or so alumni, current and retired faculty and others present at the direction of interim Dean Stan Rolfe.

Branicky told them his choice to come to KU was a no-brainer, considering the state of the school, which is expanding rapidly in the areas of facilities, faculty and students.

Our program here is not just growing, Branicky said. It is thriving. He showed hes already learned a way to enliven a room at KU with a Rock Chalk Jayhawk call and response though he wont officially take over for about two more months.

Thats when Rolfe, a faculty member in the school for 43 years, will step back down after a year overseeing the school. Rolfe had actually begun a phased retirement before he was approached to lead the school as KU searched to replace Stuart Bell, who left to become provost at Louisiana State University.

It wasnt what I figured on in retirement, Rolfe said with a laugh earlier this week.

And this wasnt just any year for the engineering school. Rolfe has overseen the opening of a new $23.6 million research building, the groundbreaking for another $80 million education building, 16 faculty position searches and a once-every-six-years national accreditation review, all as the school grows its enrollment and faculty with orders from the state to produce more engineers.

Read the rest here:
Incoming dean praises KU engineering school

Dr. Ronald Dunlap (Courtesy photo)

A Norwell cardiologist has been elected officially to be the next president of the Massachusetts Medical Society. Dr. Ronald Dunlap will serve a one-year term beginning Monday, after serving a year as president-elect. Dunlap is a physician with South Shore Cardiology in Weymouth with appointments at South Shore Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

He is a long-time leader at the society, which is the largest organization representing doctors in Massachusetts.

Dunlap began his career as a biomedical engineer before studying at Tufts University School of Medicine, where he is now a member of the alumni board. He is an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and board member at malpractice insurer Coverys.

Dr. Richard S. Pieters, Jr., a radiation oncologist at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, was named president-elect. Dr. Dennis Dimitri, a family medicine doctor also at UMass Memorial, will be vice president.

Excerpt from:
Dr. Ronald Dunlap to be president of the Mass. Medical Society

Two esteemed alumni of Plymouth Whitemarsh High School returned to their alma mater May 3 to be added to the PW Distinguished Graduates Organization.

NBA player and PW state champion John Salmons joined Renee Turchi, an associate professor at the Drexel School of Public Health and dignified childrens physician, to address the school and receive their honors.

Its truly humbling to have this honor bestowed upon me, Turchi said.

In 2011 alone, Turchi was a state champion in children and youth with special health care needs in the Maternal & Child Health Bureau, received the Nations Best Doctor Award and was given the Best Research Award at the annual Physical Therapy Association Conference.

I remember being in biology lab and schlepping this huge binder with all these biology notes here at PW that absolutely influenced my education, Turchi said.

Her compassion and humility for the well-being of others, and children specifically, have made her into the sought-after and respected doctor she is.

My prayer on Sunday in church after I pray for the health of my family, my friends and myself, I say, God, help me to help them, because it is way bigger than me or you or any of us and we can never, ever forget that, Turchi said.

After PW, Turchi studied at Cornell University, receiving her B.A. in psychology. She then received her Masters of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University and became an MD at the Medical College of Pennsylvania.

Theres so much to be done in our City of Brotherly Love, just 10 miles from here, Turchi said. I dont think I realized until I was in medical school in Philadelphia how much work we have to do.

Another Philadelphian, or even closer in Conshohocken, Salmons also gave the people of Southeastern Pennsylvania something to cheer about. Continued...

See original here:
Plymouth Whitemarsh honors alumni

Reading High School alumni honored some of their own Thursday night, as well as a handful of students about to join their ranks.

The Reading High School Alumni Association held its annual dinner at Riveredge in Bern Township. The event serves two purposes: to recognize distinguished alumni who proudly have carried on the Reading School High name and to welcome graduating seniors into the fold through a scholarship program.

A total of 12 seniors - 10 from Reading High and two from Reading Muhlenberg Career & Technology Center - each received a $1,500 scholarship.

And three past Reading High graduates were honored with distinguished alumni awards:

Lee Ann Graul, Class of 1975: Graul is a career employee of the Defense Department. She most recently was a member of the Joint Coordination Element, a team established to improve cooperation between the departments of defense and homeland security.

She has also served as a member of the National Security Agency's Cyber Task Force, which deals with issues related to national cybersecurity.

Graul's former experience includes intelligence analysis and operations and management positions at the National Security Agency over the past three decades.

Michael J. Eppihimer, Class of 1986: Eppihimer is director of the cell biology, pathology and therapeutic area groups at Boston Scientific Corp., a worldwide developer, maker and marketer of medical devices.

He previously used his scientific skills as an associate professor of biology at Penn State University, as a staff and principal scientist at the former pharmaceutical company Wyeth and as a post-doctorate fellow at Louisiana State University Medical Center.

Eppihimer has published or contributed to dozens of scientific papers.

More here:
High school alumni honor past, current graduates

Durham, NC - Eight high school seniors have won prestigious Angier B. Duke Memorial Scholarships, which are undergraduate merit awards to attend Duke University.

The awards cover full tuition, room and board and mandatory fees for four years, as well as a six-week summer study program at the University of Oxford in England. Scholars are also offered up to $5,000 for research or other educational enrichment programs. Based on estimated tuition rates, a scholarship will be worth more than $200,000 to a student over a four-year period.

The scholarships are awarded to outstanding students who show promise of being intellectual leaders. The awards stem from the Angier B. Duke Memorial Inc., established in 1925 by university co-founder Benjamin Newton Duke in memory of his son, Angier Buchanan Duke.

The scholarship's alumni include 18 Rhodes Scholars and 13 Marshall Scholars, including the renowned writer/Duke English professor Reynolds Price, who passed away last year; Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Anne Tyler; NASA project scientist Hal Weaver; and Dr. Lynt Johnson, chief of transplant surgery at Georgetown University Medical Center.

This year's winners are:

-- Thasos Athanasiou Athens of Davis, Calif., a graduate of Davis Senior High School, and son of Kiley and Kyriacos A. Athanasiou.

-- Puja Bansal of Dix Hills, N.Y., a graduate of Half Hollow Hills High School East, and daughter of Archana Somani and Vipul Bansal.

-- James Emery Ferencsik of Savannah, Ga., a graduate of St. Andrews School, and son of Beth Quigley and David Ferencsik.

-- Grace Danting Li of Manvel, Texas, a graduate of Glenda Dawson High School, and daughter of Shixia Huang and Yi Li.

-- Brody Donovan Kellish of Manlius, N.Y., a graduate of Cazenovia High School, and son of Sherry and Mark Kellish.

More:
Duke Announces Winners of A.B. Duke Scholarships