NIH Releases Strategic Plan on Research for Health of Women; Hospitals Cybersecurity Fallout; CDC Tracking Influenza A Through Wastewater Monitoring; and Other Items of Interest
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) released its complete NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for Research on the Health of Women 2024-2028. The plan outlines strategic goals to guide and inform NIH-supported research on women’s health with five goals, which include better understanding of the science behind women’s health issues, understanding the impact of data science and data management, looking at women scientist career development and work experience understanding the basic science behind underlying sex influences and gaining better understanding of ways to advance dissemination and implementation of evidence-based solutions.
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After recent high-profile cyberattacks against health systems and insurers, the Biden administration is planning to introduce minimum cybersecurity mandates for hospital that receive Medicare or Medicaid funding, along with free training for smaller facilities, reported Becker’s Health IT. In its reporting on the attacks, Fierce Healthcare covered lawsuits from patients that are now starting to come into focus after the cyberattack, along with providing a timeline of events leading up to what has been confirmed as a “ransomware incident.”
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AAMCNews discussed what academic experts have to say about the possibility that avian flu could become a human epidemic and how to prevent that from happening.
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Similar to surveillance tactics used during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is examining wastewater to detect the spread of influenza A and H5N1 bird flu outbreaks within dairy cows, since many dairy farmers are reluctant to report outbreaks or test their workers, reported STAT.
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Politico ran an article this week, “Hospitals’ New Message for Patients: Stay Home,” about a groundswell of interest among hospital executives and Washington policymakers alike encouraging more at-home recovery and care among patients, based in part on innovations in care made during the COVID-19 pandemic. Proponents of the effort note that the trend could be a boon for people in rural areas through telehealth improvements, and it also could help address reimbursement difficulties and other administrative challenges in medicine. Others aren’t so sure what it potentially means for the delivery of care and the finances and jobs of hospital staff, not to mention a potential overreliance on technology in health care.
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KFF Health News discussed the rationale for the hospital systems that choose to sue patients for unpaid medical bills and the rationale for others, such as Rochester Regional Health in upstate New York, that bar all aggressive collection activities.
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The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) banned funding for EcoHealth Alliance, a virus-hunting nonprofit group, after members of the House of Representatives grilled the company’s president, Peter Daszak, PhD, over allegations that he misrepresented work with virologists in Wuhan, China, reported the New York Times. The Washington Post provided a summary of the events leading up to the HHS defunding decision.
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Researchers from Harvard Medical School and Google created a new, complex map of the human brain by scanning one cubic millimeter of tissue with an electron microscope to reveal the wiring diagram at a cellular level, according to an op-ed in the Washington Post that covered a study published in Science. “Talk about a paradox: For all its mysterious powers, the brain boggles at the miracle of itself. Weighing about three pounds in most adults, the organ is primarily made of fat mixed with lesser amounts of water, salts, protein and carbohydrates. Powered by blood and a little electricity, this concoction conceived the plays of Shakespeare, composed the symphonies of Beethoven and placed a telescope a million miles into space to see almost to the dawn of time.” STAT also covered the story.
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A new blood test can assess the risk of a pregnant woman developing preeclampsia in her first trimester, but the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) said that the new test doesn’t change clinical guidance on the condition, reported CNN. ACOG is a CFAS-member society.
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Scholarly publisher Wiley announced that it is closing 19 of its over 2,000 journals after having to retract thousands of papers, reported the Wall Street Journal.
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As artificial intelligence transforms medicine and its vast implications for certain specialties such as radiology come into focus, the Washington Post explored the question of whether AI will replace or empower doctors who read X-rays.
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A new generation of more affordable and portable MRI devices is obviating the need to travel to the hospital for a scan, creating a need for a new neuroimaging counseling profession in medicine, wrote Nancy Lu, Sumita Strander, and Francis Shen, JD, PhD — all affiliated with Harvard University — in an opinion piece in STAT+.
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MedPage Today reported that, according to a study, the actual rate of patient participation in cancer treatment trials is 7.1%, which is higher than the historical estimate of under 5%.
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In a move that could help rural hospitals save more lives of patients with severe heart and lung conditions, the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust issued a $19.7 million grant to the University of Minnesota to support its Mobile extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) program and awarded $11.6 million to three health systems in Nevada health systems to expand their ECMO services, reported Health Leaders.
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Nurse practitioners have stepped in to help primary care amid a shortage of primary care doctors, but more NPs are now joining cardiology, dermatology, and other specialties, threatening to potentially destabilize the primary care system, reported CBS News.
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In a sign of the ballooning illicit drug supply driving the opioid crisis, more than 115 million pills containing illicit fentanyl were seized by law enforcement last year, compared to over 71 million in 2022, reported NPR.
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In related news, Lawrence Mark Sherman, a doctor in Michigan, was sentenced to more than a decade in federal prison for illegally distributing opioid pills worth more than $6 million, reported USA Today.
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Becker’s ASC Review explored the reasons why most physicians wouldn’t recommend a career in medicine according to a 2023 survey conducted by the Physicians Foundation. The responses ranged from a less favorable employment market and a loss of control and respect among professionals in medicine to a declining immediate work environment with less autonomy and the amount of debt many aspiring physicians assume in order to complete their education and training.
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Rick Slayman, the first man to receive a kidney transplant from a genetically engineered pig, has died, reported STAT.
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The AAMC Center for Health Justice conducts regular nationally representative polling to ask the public about health equity issues, such as civic engagement, birth experiences, trustworthiness, and more. Earlier this year, the center designed a multitopic poll and surveyed a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. Research teams applied to receive access to polling data on Americans’ financial equity, child health, disability justice, access to health care, and understanding of health equity terms and concepts. Five teams have been selected to receive access to the data and conduct their own research for evidence-based solutions to achieve health equity.
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The AAMC has developed a new video to highlight upcoming enhancements to the Electronic Residency Application Service® (ERAS®). With new resources and reduced pricing, the ERAS program is the single most comprehensive residency application solution. Learn more about these innovations for the 2024-25 residency application season — including improved holistic review, integrated interview management, lower fees, and applicant-friendly updates to the MyERAS® platform.
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The AAMC Advancing Health Equity Through Telehealth Learning Series highlights the role of academic medicine in promoting and advancing health equity through telehealth. The next webinar takes place on May 31 at 3 p.m. ET. Panelists will discuss how they have been able to improve specialty care access for pediatric and rural populations with the help of the AAMC Project CORE® program and through the use of eConsults.
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The AAMC will host a webinar on May 22 from 3-4 p.m. ET to explore emerging applications of AI that impact the classroom, including the development and delivery of curriculum and the assessment of learning. Panelists will examine the possibility of AI-driven assessment technologies, shedding light on practical uses and where they have potential in the comprehensive evaluation of both students and components of educational programs. The editor of CFAS News, yours truly, will be the moderator of the webinar.
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There is still time to register for the AAMC Minority Faculty Leadership Development Seminar, which will be held June 12-15, 2024, at the Hyatt Centric Chicago Magnificent Mile in Chicago.
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John Sampson, MD, PhD, MBA, has been appointed dean of the University of Colorado School of Medicine and vice chancellor for health affairs for CU Anschutz Medical Campus, effective July 1. Dr. Sampson currently serves as the senior vice president of Duke University Health System and the Duke Health Integrated Practice, as well as the Robert H. and Gloria Wilkins Distinguished Professor of Neurosurgery.
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Anthony Hollenberg, MD, an endocrinologist and physician-in-chief at Boston Medical Center (BMC) and chair of the Boston University Aram V. Chobanian & Edward Avedisian School of Medicine Department of Medicine, has been named president of BMC, Boston University’s primary teaching hospital and New England’s largest safety-net facility. The appointment is effective June 3.
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Paul Picton, MB, has been appointed interim chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at University of Michigan Medical School. Dr. Picton is the David W. Learned Collegiate Professor of Anesthesiology at U-M Medical School.
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The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) has announced the establishment of a new Department of Health Professions Education within its F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine. Steven Durning, MD, PhD, an Air Force veteran with more than 25 years of educational leadership experience, will serve as the inaugural chair of the new department, effective May 20. Dr. Durning previously served as professor and vice chair of the Department of Medicine at USU and founding director of its Center for Health Professions Education. He also holds an appointment as professor of pathology at USU.
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Myles Wolf, MD, MMSc, a physician-scientist in nephrology, has been appointed chair of the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and physician-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, effective July 1. Dr. Wolf was recruited from Duke University School of Medicine, where he has served as chief of the Division of Nephrology and the Charles Johnson, MD, Distinguished Professor of Medicine.
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Daniel Brown, MD, professor and interim chair of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, has been named as the department’s next chair. His appointment is effective immediately. Dr. Brown, who is also a professor of biomedical engineering, has served as the department’s interim chair since 2023.
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Samuel Ball, PhD, professor of psychiatry and deputy chair for career development for the Department of Psychiatry, will assume the role of deputy dean for academic affairs in the Office of Academic and Professional Development at Yale School of Medicine, effective July 1.
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Manimaran (Maran) Ramani, MD, MSHA, has been appointed chief medical officer for University of South Alabama Health Children’s and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Ramani serves as the division chief of neonatology and medical director for the neonatal intensive care unit and will continue in these roles.
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Xuemei Huang, MD, PhD, has been named chair of the Department of Neurology at University of Virginia School of Medicine, effective Aug. 1. Dr. Huang comes to UVA from the Penn State College of Medicine, where she has served as associate dean for physician-scientist development and chief of the Division of Movement Disorders.
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You can now count cute and furry otters among the handful of animals that use tools to simplify their lives, according to research conducted at the University of Texas, among others, and published in Science. Interestingly, it’s the females who are most likely to use tools they find in their environment, such as shells and rocks, to make it easier to eat bigger and harder prey and to protect their teeth from damage along the way. That detail is not unique. Female dolphins, chimps, and bonobos are also known to use tools more readily than their male counterparts. Researchers have observed that females tend to raise offspring, and they are often the ones who pass down tool-use behavior.
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And finally, if you low-key hate yourself about overindulging in something, there may be relief in your future. Pay attention to your enjoyment. Research published by the American Psychological Association looked at “hedonistic consumption,” the act of buying and using products and experiences because they make you feel good and not necessarily because you need them. (If you don’t know what that is, we can’t be friends.) It turns out, the level of distraction you experience while indulging is a good indicator of how much overconsumption you exhibit. So, if you’re engaged in a stretch of “hedonistic consumption” it’s a good idea to pay attention to your enjoyment. You’ll derive more pleasure in your splurge, and you’ll likely be able to better control overconsumption. It happens to be Friday night. Have a great time (but be sure to pay attention)!
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Visit the CFAS Resources page for an archive of the previous edition of CFAS News as well as our People of Academic Medicine page, which features a running list of academic promotions, appointments, and departures.
Your comments and news tips are always welcome. Please email them to Eric Weissman at eweissman@aamc.org.
Read the previous edition of CFAS News.
Eric Weissman
Senior Director, Faculty and Academic Society Engagement
AAMC
eweissman@aamc.org
www.aamc.org/cfas