APEX MEDICAL GROUP WILL PAY $4.36M TO RESOLVE FEDERAL AND STATE HEALTH CARE FRAUD INVESTIGATION - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., May 3 -- The U.

S. Department of Justice's Federal Bureau of Investigation Knoxville Field Office issued the following press release:

A settlement was finalized this week with Apex Medical Group, P.

C., d.b.a. Nephrology Consultants, a local nephrology physician practice group, and certain affiliated dialysis centers in Knox and surrounding counties. Apex Medical Group (Apex) agreed to pay $4.36 million to settle alleged violations of the federal False Claims Act, the Tennessee Medicaid False Claims Act, and other federal and state laws and regulations.

A government investigation revealed that from at least 2001 through 2006, Apex submitted numerous false and fraudulent claims to government health programs, including Medicare and TennCare, for payment through a pattern of upcoding for various physician services. During that same time frame, the six dialysis clinics owned by Extracorporeal Technologies, Inc., and Fort Sanders Kidney Center, Inc., improperly submitted inaccurate claims to these government health programs for a variety of dialysis services.

'The federal False Claims Act is intended to provide a means for the government to recover moneys paid by federal programs to persons and companies who have knowingly sought and received funds to which they were not entitled.' explained U.

S. Attorney Bill Killian. The payment Apex must now make in connection with this settlement is to compensate both federal and state government health programs, for funds it received as a result of improper billing practices. 'Public funds pay for the largest share of healthcare services provided in the United States and we must ensure that such funds are paid only when authorized by law,' said U.

S. Attorney Killian.

As part of this overall settlement, Apex and Dr. Naseemul Siddiqi have entered into a comprehensive five-year Integrity Agreement with the Office of Inspector General of the U.

S. Department of Health and Human Services to ensure the future compliance of the Apex with federal health care benefit program requirements.

'This settlement is another example of our strong commitment to aggressively pursue health care providers who recklessly bill the Medicare program,' said Derrick L. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge of the U.

S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General in Atlanta, Georgia. 'The Office of Inspector General and the U.

S. Attorney's Office will continue to protect taxpayer dollars.'

Tennessee Attorney General Bob Cooper said, 'The successful resolution of this case required a high degree of cooperation between agencies. The coordinated pursuit of fraud is an essential component of a well-run health care system.'

U.

S. Attorney Killian further noted that this settlement resolves a comprehensive investigation into allegations regarding the Apex billing practices in an action filed on behalf of the United States and the State of Tennessee under the qui tam (commonly known as the whistle-blower) provisions of the federal False Claims Act.

The investigative team whose diligent efforts resulted in this settlement was comprised of representatives from the U.

S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.

S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), and the Tennessee Valley Authority Office of Inspector General (TVA-OIG).

U.

S. Attorney Killian commended all who participated in this complex investigation. He specifically noted the work of lead HHS-OIG Special Agent Tony Maffei, FBI Forensic Accountant/Certified Fraud Examiner LeAnn Lanz, TBI Special Agent Margaret Chiunard, and TVA-OIG Special Agent Elizabeth Sherrod, along with Assistant U.

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR RODERICK HORI OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER RECEIVES $112,266 GRANT FOR PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., April 18 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

Roderick Hori, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has received an award of $112,266 from the U.

S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity for a study titled, 'Delineation of Methyl-DNA Binding Protein Interactions in the Prostate Cancer Genome.' The award will fund a one-year study to further prostate cancer research.

Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in American men. About one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime and about one in 36 men will die from prostate cancer. This study will analyze the activity of DNA of both prostate cancer and normal cells, which are regulated in part by methylation -- the addition of a small chemical group. The pattern of DNA methylation differs between prostate cancer cells and normal cells. These differences lead to the improper expression of critical genes. Methylated DNA can be bound by a family of proteins -- known as MBD proteins -- which determine the eventual consequence of DNA methylation.

The primary goal of Dr. Hori's research is to define and compare the binding of MBD proteins throughout the entire genome of prostate cancer and normal tissues, and identify the differences in MBD protein binding. This information will allow Dr. Hori and his team to identify novel genes regulated by DNA methylation and MBD binding during prostate cancer progression, which could lead to the development of new biomarkers.

'When DNA becomes methylated, it is bound by MBD proteins and results in altered gene expression, which contributes to cancer,' said Dr. Hori. 'This study will both unravel the steps that lead from DNA methylation to altered gene expression and identify new genes that are inappropriately expressed in prostate cancer due to MBD proteins.'

These studies could also provide insight into understanding the steps that regulate genes during prostate cancer progression and lead to designing new directions in therapy.

The U.

S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity is the contracting element of the U.

S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command and provides support to the Command headquarters and its worldwide network of laboratories and medical logistics organizations. For more information, please visit http://www.usamraa.army.mil/index.cfm.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrated its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit. In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

PROFESSOR CHRISTOPHER NOSRAT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER PUBLISHES MANUSCRIPT IN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY DESCRIBING DEVELOPMENT OF A RODENT MODEL FOR SUPERTASTING - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., June 19 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

Christopher Nosrat, DDS, PhD, professor of Dentistry and director of the Oral Cancer Division in the Center for Cancer Research at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), recently published a manuscript in the Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC), one of the highest impact research publications in the field. The manuscript titled, 'Targeted Taste Cell Specific Over-Expression of BDNF in Adult Taste Buds Elevates pTrkB Levels in Taste Cells, Increases Taste Bud Size and Promotes Gustatory Innervation,' discusses making new models for 'supertasting.' The manuscript, which was featured in the May 11 issue, is the second paper Dr. Nosrat has had published in the JBC.

In 1995, Dr. Nosrat, a dentist by training with doctorate and postdoctorate education in neurosciences, showed that a specific protein, called Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), is found in the developing and adult taste buds of rodents and humans. To prove the importance of BDNF in the taste system, he showed that transgenic rodents that lack this protein lose their taste buds as well as the nerves that connect the taste sensors to the brain.

With his laboratory partner and spouse Irina Nosrat, DDS, and Robert Margolskee, MD, PhD, the team embarked on developing a new genetically modified mouse model, in which taste cells strongly overproduced this protein. Dr. Margolskee is co-director of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, Pa., -- the largest research institute for studies of taste and smell disorders in the United States.

Based on research findings, they hypothesized that these rodents might represent a model for a phenomenon seen in humans known as supertasting. Human supertasters perceive a much greater intensity from tastants* than the average person. About 25 percent of Americans are supertasters, directly correlating with a larger number of taste sensory cells and detection threshold for different taste substances. There is evidence in scientific literature that due to the intensity of their sensory ability, supertasters need to consume less sugary and fatty substances, helping to protect the cardiovascular system. This novel model is significant because it will allow therapeutic strategies to be developed that will improve nerve recovery after injury, where the taste wiring to the brain is damaged.

'BDNF is an evolutionary important protein, not only for the taste system but also for the development and correct wiring of the nervous system. By generating the supertaster rodent model, we are able to study the supertasting phenomenon in detail.'

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrated its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit. In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

3 FINALISTS SELECTED IN SEARCH FOR DEAN, COLLEGE OF NURSING, AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Jan. 20 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

The search committee charged with finding top candidates to fill the position of dean for the College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) has selected three finalists. During the next few weeks, each of the finalists will visit the main UTHSC campus in Memphis for interviews.

The finalists include:

* Sally J. Reel, PhD, RN, FNP, BC, FAAN, FAANP, associate dean for Academic Practice and clinical professor, College of Nursing, and director, Arizona Area Health Education Centers Program, University of Arizona

* Laura A. Talbot, PhD, EdD, RN, GCNS-BC, Dean W. Colvard Distinguished Professor in Nursing, professor, and director of the Health Services Research PhD Program, College of Health and Human Services, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

* Sarah Ann Thompson, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor and associate dean of Academic Programs in the College of Nursing, and professor in the College of Public Health, Department of Health Services Research and Administration, University of Nebraska Medical Center

Co-chaired by Kennard Brown, JD, MPA, PhD, executive vice chancellor and chief operations officer at UTHSC, and David Stern, MD, executive dean of the College of Medicine and interim vice chancellor of Research at UTHSC, the 14-member search committee represents a broad-based group of faculty, students, alumni and UTHSC hospital partners.

'As a committee, our mission is to recommend to Chancellor Steve Schwab a list of proven leaders who will aggressively promote the continued success of the College of Nursing's academic programs, research initiatives and national reputation of excellence,' Dr. Brown said.

* 'We are pleased with the initial, diverse pool of applicants we reviewed. We think each of the three finalists is a well-qualified, capable leader, and we look forward to hosting them on our campus,' he added.

Each finalist will take part in two full days of meetings in Memphis. The campus visits will provide UTHSC administrators, faculty and staff a chance to familiarize themselves with each candidate, as well as give each candidate an opportunity to get acquainted with the main UTHSC campus.

The search for a new dean began in August 2011. The search committee, with the assistance of Parker Executive Search, an Atlanta-based firm, considered 14 candidates. Six were chosen for a round of preliminary interviews in December. From that group, the three finalists were selected. After the campus interviews, the committee will provide Chancellor Schwab with its evaluation of the candidates.

The dean for the College of Nursing is the chief academic and administrative officer who provides inspirational leadership for the College of Nursing, administers the annual budget, and serves as the principal external representative of the college. The dean is expected to develop an effective, collegial environment that supports excellence in education, research, clinical care and public service. The dean reports to the chancellor of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and will be part of the leadership team.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrated its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. UTHSC has additional colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy plus an Allied Health Sciences unit in Knoxville, as well as a College of Medicine campus in Chattanooga. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

JAMES DALE, PROFESSOR AND CHIEF, DIVISION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER RECEIVES $315,000 GRANT FOR VACCINE DEVELOPMENT - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Nov. 21 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

James Dale, MD, Gene H. Stollerman Professor of Medicine and chief, Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has received a grant for $315,000 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Funding will be used to continue the development of vaccines against one of the most common bacterial infections in humans, streptococcal sore throat, more commonly known as strep throat. Subject to funds availability and project progress, the grant is renewable annually over five years with a projected total value of $1,575,000.

The project titled, 'Vaccine Prevention of Group A Streptococcal Infections,' is an extension of ongoing work by Dr. Dale and his research team. Their work has resulted in the discovery, development and clinical testing of highly complex recombinant M protein-based vaccines to prevent streptococcal infections in North America and Europe. The new funding will allow Dr. Dale and his colleagues to identify a new generation of vaccines that can extend the potential coverage of treatment in areas of the world where group A streptococcal infections account for 90 percent of the global disease burden.

Group A streptococcal infections cause a number of clinical syndromes, ranging from uncomplicated strep throat and skin infections to serious infections that include sepsis, toxic shock syndrome, and pneumonia. In some individuals, infections can also trigger acute rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease or acute kidney disease.

'The world needs a safe, effective and affordable vaccine to prevent streptococcal infections and their most serious complications,' said Dr. Dale. 'The new funding from the NIH will support the basic research needed to develop a vaccine for the entire world that could have a major impact on the health of millions of people.'

In the United States, the economic toll of streptococcal sore throat alone is estimated to be $2 billion. However, the most significant burden resulting from these infections is rheumatic heart disease, which remains rampant in poorer countries and results in nearly one million premature deaths annually.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.

S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrates its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit. In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

PHYSIOLOGY PROFESSOR ANJAPARAVANDA NAREN OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER RECEIVES $1,217,250 GRANT FOR DIARRHEAL DISEASES RESEARCH - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Oct. 25 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

Anjaparavanda Naren, PhD, professor of Physiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has received a research grant totaling $1,217,250 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health. The award will be distributed over a four-year period to fund his study on diarrheal diseases. Diarrhea is a common cause of illness and death globally, especially among the elderly and young children in developing countries. The condition can lead to physical dehydration and chemical imbalances.

Worldwide, four billion diarrhea episodes occur annually, leading to 4 percent of all deaths each year. In the United States, approximately 300 million episodes of acute diarrhea occur annually, resulting in about eight million physician visits and more than 900,000 hospitalizations. Many of these cases involve the activation of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), a protein that functions as a channel across the membrane of cells and produces digestive enzymes and the secretion of body fluids.

Using a mouse model, Dr. Naren's research will examine the formation of the macromolecular complexes* of CFTR under physiologically healthy conditions, as well as diseased states. By reviewing the condition at the molecular level, Dr. Naren and his team will determine ways to control fluid loss, and thus cure secretory diarrheal diseases, which cause secretion of water through the intestine.

'Secretory diarrheas affect a large number of people worldwide, and it is important to study the disease at the molecular level,' said Dr. Naren. 'Results from this study will help us to better understand the pathogenic process of deadly secretory diarrheas and assist us with discovering new treatments.'

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) conducts and supports research on many of the most serious diseases affecting public health. Studies include a array of metabolic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, inborn errors of metabolism, endocrine disorders, mineral metabolism, digestive and liver diseases, nutrition, urology and renal disease, and hematology. For more information about NIDDK and its research, visit http://www2.niddk.nih.gov/.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrates its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit. In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

PROFESSOR LAWRENCE PFEFFER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER FINDS STRATEGY FOR MAKING ANTI-CANCER DRUGS WORK BETTER - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Nov. 18 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

Lawrence Pfeffer, PhD, Muirhead Professor of Pathology and director of the Center for Cancer Research at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) has identified a pathway that is proving successful in making several anti-cancer drugs work more effectively in cancer cells. His study was published in the journal, Cancer Research, in October.

In his study, Dr. Pfeffer and his UTHSC research team (assistant professors Chuan He Yang, PhD; Meiyun Fan, PhD, and Junming Yue, PhD) learned that a specific member of a class of small, genetic molecules referred to as microRNAs* (miRNAs) regulate the sensitivity of cancer cells to anti-cancer drugs. MiRNAs regulate the expression of genes, and in human cancers, certain miRNAs are over-expressed and may function as oncogenes (genes that contribute to cancer). Dr. Pfeffer found that anti-cancer drugs, including Interferon** (IFN), increase the levels of a specific miRNA called miR-21, which is already at high levels in many cancers. Since IFN is useful for treating some cancers, Dr. Pfeffer became concerned that IFN was not as effective as hoped for treating prevalent cancers such as prostate, brain, skin and breast cancer.

Determined to make IFN and other anti-cancer drugs more effective, Dr. Pfeffer targeted his research on IFN to treat several malignancies, including prostate cancer, the leading cancer in males in Tennessee. He confirmed that in cancers where IFN was ineffective for killing cancer cells, IFN rapidly increased the levels of miR-21. In response, Dr. Pfeffer developed a strategy (infusing a specific virus into the cancer cells) to lower the levels of miR-21. The strategy was a success and proved that IFN is quite effective for killing cancer cells when high levels of this specific miRNA were lowered. In addition, lower miR-21 levels makes more cells sensitive to IFN, as well as to a variety of other anti-cancer agents, such as camptothecin and staurosporine.

Dr. Pfeffer's study is moving into the next phase of research which will be conducted over the next two to three years. If the researcher continues to find success with his strategy, he will test his discovery in human clinical trials.

The research is partly funded through a $500,000 five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health that is shared between Dr. Pfeffer and Andrew M. Davidoff, MD, chair of Surgery at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Dr. Davidoff is directing the clinical study as it relates to brain cancer, while Dr. Pfeffer is leading the basic science component. Both scientists are in their second year of this study. Additional funding of $80,000 to $100,000 annually derives from the UTHSC Muirhead Endowed Chair of Excellence held by Dr. Pfeffer.

*MicroRNAs - Short, RNA genes in plants and animals that are transcribed from DNA, but not translated into protein. MicroRNAs regulate the expression of genes and are usually 20-25 nucleotides in length (a small fraction of the width of a human hair). Although microRNAs generally act within the cell, recent reports show that microRNAs can also be released into the bloodstream.

**Interferon - A protein which triggers the immune system to eradicate pathogens or tumors.

About the University of Tennessee Health Science Center

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrates its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. UTHSC has additional colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy plus an Allied Health Sciences unit in Knoxville, as well as a College of Medicine campus in Chattanooga. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR KENICHI TOKITA OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER RECEIVES $444,000 GRANT FOR TASTE PROCESSING RESEARCH - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Oct. 28 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

Kenichi Tokita, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has received a grant totaling $444,000 from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health. The grant will fund a study examining the role taste perception and function play in brain function. Funding for the study titled, 'The Role of the Thalamus in Taste Processing,' will be distributed over a three-year period.

Many sensory functions are linked to the thalamus, which is a symmetrical structure located in the center of the brain. Once the thalamus detects a sensation, such as taste, sound or movement, it then, through neurological connections, relays the perception throughout the brain. In this study, Dr. Tokita and his research team will examine how taste perception and behavior contribute to brain functioning as a whole, using rodents as research models.

The rodent has become a vital research model, due to the obvious advantages of genetically modified strains. However, from an anatomical, physiological or behavioral perspective, relatively little is known about the function of the rodent gustatory system, the sensory system for the sense of taste known as VPMpc.

'In this project, we take a multi-level approach towards clarifying the function of the mouse VPMpc,' said Dr. Tokita. 'These basic studies will also set the table for future studies in taste processing utilizing genetically targeted lines of rodents.'

In this novel project, each experiment represents the very first study of VPMpc function in the mouse, a species of burgeoning use in the gustatory field.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.

S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR JUNLING WANG OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER RECEIVES $886,742 GRANT TO FURTHER MEDICATION THERAPY MANAGEMENT RESEARCH - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Sept. 27 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

Junling Wang, PhD, associate professor of Health Outcomes and Policy Research in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has received a grant totaling $886,742 from the National Institute on Aging, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health. The award will be used to further her study on medication therapy management (MTM) and its effects on racial and ethnic disparities. The award will be funded over a three-year period for the study titled, 'Health Implications of MTM Eligibility Criteria.'

The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act -- implemented in 2006 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services -- requires prescription drug plans for Medicare beneficiaries to establish MTM programs with a purpose to 'optimize therapeutic outcomes by improving medication use and reducing adverse events.' However, Dr. Wang and her team's recently published analyses of historical data demonstrate that racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to be eligible for MTM than Caucasians.

'Our long-term goal for this project is to determine the types of government policies and congressional legislation that can reduce disparities,' said Dr. Wang. 'To understand the health implications of MTM eligibility criteria for minorities, we will determine whether the racial and ethnic disparities in health status, health services utilization and costs, and medication utilization patterns among MTM-eligible individuals are different from the disparities among MTM-ineligible individuals.'

This research proves important because significant differences among MTM-ineligible individuals would suggest that the MTM eligibility criteria have the potential to aggravate racial and ethnic differences.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.

S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrates its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit. In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER JOINS LARGEST EARTHQUAKE DRILL IN CENTRAL UNITED STATES: GREAT CENTRAL US SHAKEOUT - APRIL 28 - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., April 5 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

What would you do if an earthquake struck Memphis? Too many people stare dumbfounded at that question. Do you run outside? Jump in your car and head for home? Freeze in place and hope it will stop? Who knows what's best? On Thursday, April 28, more than one million participants in the Great Central U.

S. ShakeOut will practice exactly what to do when they participate in the largest earthquake drill in the Central United States. The more than 5,000 faculty, staff, students and administrators on the Memphis campus of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) will join the one- to two-minute drill, taking time to Drop, Cover and Hold On.

At precisely 10:15 a.m. on the designated day, UTHSC team members will Drop to the ground, take Cover under a sturdy desk or table, and Hold On to it until the shaking stops - in this case until the one-minute drill is completed. Following the drill, participants will assess their surroundings to identify any items that could have fallen and caused injury, such as unsecured bookcases or improperly stored lab chemicals. This information will be used to make the UTHSC campus more earthquake resilient.

As a linked event of the New Madrid Bicentennial and the National Level Exercise 2011, this first ever central U.

S. ShakeOut is being organized and coordinated by the Central U.

S. Earthquake Consortium and its member and associate states, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.

S. Geological Survey, and dozens of other partners.

Scientists estimate that there is a 25 to 40% probability of a damaging earthquake occurring in the central United States within the next 50 years. The ShakeOut is designed to help individuals and communities in the region get ready for damaging earthquakes, practice how to protect themselves (Drop, Cover, and Hold On), and to prevent disasters from becoming catastrophes.

'Drills are designed to make us think and plan ahead for what we know will eventually happen,' said John Bossier, safety officer for UTHSC. 'The ShakeOut will help participants be ready to react to this particular type of emergency.

'Knowing and practicing these three simple steps can prevent serious injury when an earthquake strikes,' Bossier observed. 'When you drop to the ground, that prevents you from falling or being thrown to the ground by the violent movement of an earthquake. Taking cover under a heavy table or desk protects you from falling objects loosened by the earthquake's force. Holding on for the duration of the emergency can help keep you protected from flying debris. The recovery process can begin only after the shaking stops.'

The Great Central U.

S. ShakeOut is free and open to the public. All individuals or organizations interested in disaster preparedness are encouraged to participate including schools, businesses, governments and families. States participating in the ShakeOut include Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. These are the states most at risk from damaging earthquakes along the New Madrid Seismic Zone. Additionally, the states of Georgia, Oklahoma and South Carolina are participating in the ShakeOut. These states also have varying degrees of earthquake risk. For more information about the Great Central U.

S. ShakeOut visit www.

ShakeOut.org/centralus/dropcoverholdon.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrates its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit. In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

TONIA S. REX ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AWARDED $200,000 GRANT FROM RESEARCH TO PREVENT BLINDNESS - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., March 24 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

Tonia S. Rex, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has been named the recipient of the Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) Career Development Award, a $200,000 grant. Dr. Rex serves as an assistant professor in two UTHSC departments - a primary appointment in Ophthalmology, which is organized under the auspices of the UT Hamilton Eye Institute, and a secondary appointment in Anatomy and Neurobiology. She will continue to pursue her academic and scientific responsibilities in both departments.

The grant will be used to help equip Dr. Rex's laboratory and finance her research efforts. The term of the grant runs through 2014.

The RPB Career Development Award Fund was established in 1990 to attract young physicians and basic scientists to eye research. To date, the program has recruited 152 vision scientists to research positions in departments of ophthalmology at universities across the country.

'Dr. Rex is a talented research scientist and clinician who is very deserving of this award,' said Barrett G. Haik, Hamilton Professor and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, and director of the Hamilton Eye Institute (HEI). 'We are grateful to Research to Prevent Blindness for their long-standing commitment to support sight-saving research.'

Founded in 2004, HEI consistently ranks among the top 10 providers of ophthalmic clinical care across the country. Its mission is to prevent blindness through patient care, research and education. As a premier eye center providing an advanced level of vision care, the institute's team manages more than 40,000 outpatient visits annually. HEI is the only university eye center providing an advanced level of vision care within a 200-mile radius of Memphis.

ABOUT RESEARCH TO PREVENT BLINDNESS

RPB is the world's leading voluntary organization supporting eye research. Since it was founded in 1960, RPB has channeled hundreds of millions of dollars to medical institutions for research into the causes, treatment and prevention of blinding eye diseases. For information on RPB, RPB-funded research, eye disorders and the RPB Grants Program, go to www.rpbusa.org.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrates its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit. In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

Health Net Management Inc. Announces Communications Department Personnel Changes - The Tennessee Tribune

Tennessee TRIBUNE, The
05-30-2001
HEALTH NET MANAGEMENT INC. ANNOUNCES COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL
CHANGES

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Health Net Management, Inc., has promoted Lisa Daugherty
from communications specialist to communications manager and added Andrea
Lybarger to its communications department as a communications specialist.

'We're very excited about having Lisa move into her new role as
communications manager and about having Andrea join our team,' Cynthia
Howard, senior vice president, sales and marketing, said. 'Lisa has done
outstanding work for us in the past, and we know that under her leadership
the best is yet to come for our communications department. Based on her
health care industry experience, we believe that Andrea will be a valuable
addition to Health Net.'

In her new position, Daugherty will oversee Health Net's marketing and
communications efforts, including-, direct mail, print, television, radio,
special events and manage a two-person staff.

Daugherty brings more than eight years of advertising, marketing and
communications experience to Health Net. Before Joining the Health Net
team, she worked for Saint Thomas Health Services as a marketing and
communications specialist. She also served as an account executive for Bill
Hudson & Associates and as an assistant account executive for Ericson
Marketing Communications.

Daugherty earned a degree in liberal arts from the University of Tennessee,
Knoxville and currently resides in Nashville.

As a communications specialist.. Lybarger will assist in putting Health
Net's marketing and communications plans into action. She will be involved
in efforts to distribute information about and promote Health Net through
multimedia channels.

Prior to joining Health Net, Lybarger served as a guest and community
services department representative for Abilene Regional Medical Center.
Before that she served as a medical information representative for the
center.

Lybarger earned her bachelor of applied studios, human services degree from
Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas.

Health Net www.healthnettn.com was formed in 1984. The Nashvillebased
company provides health benefits through a network of 35 contracted
hospitals and more than 3,000 physicians. Baptist Hospital, Saint Thomas
Hospital and Tenet HealthSystem hold interests in Health Net Management,
Inc., while TennQuest Health Solutions is the majority owner.

Article copyright Tennessee Tribune.

Article copyright Tennessee Tribune.
V.11;

WAFA KHASAWNEH, DOCTORAL NURSING STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER RECEIVES FELLOWSHIP AWARD FROM SOUTHERN REGIONAL EDUCATION BOARD - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Aug. 8 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

This year, Wafa Khasawneh, a doctoral nursing student at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), is one of six individuals nationwide to receive a three- to five-year doctoral fellowship award from the Southern Regional Education Board. The doctoral candidate's work is focused on identifying strategies that support and promote breastfeeding for the health of both the mother and baby.

The incidence of breastfeeding in the United States has been declining over the past two decades. Such a decrease in prevalence and duration of breastfeeding can be attributed to numerous obstacles. Khasawneh explains, 'My primary concerns are to improve the health and quality of life for women and children. These are my strongest interests because they are fundamental to our nation's health.'

Khasawneh's goal is to be exposed to high-quality scientific research and education and share information about promoting mother-child health through breastfeeding practices within the scientific and health care communities. She intends to help create an awareness of this emerging national concern with the general public. The UT College of Nursing's Doctor of Philosophy program offers her the opportunity to participate in cutting-edge research projects that will benefit women and children's health. Khasawneh will conduct her dissertation using data from the CANDLE Study, Conditions Affecting Neurocognitive Development and Learning. Funded by The Urban Child Institute, CANDLE, http://www.candlestudy.org, is conducted by a cross-disciplinary team headed by the UTHSC Department of Preventive Medicine. CANDLE investigators examine factors that promote or inhibit a child's development and ability to learn from birth through the child's third year. More than 60 percent of women in the program are African-American. Data collected from the study will allow Khasawneh to analyze various factors that facilitate or hinder the act of breastfeeding.

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with 16 member states to improve public pre-K-12 and higher education. Founded by the region's governors and legislators in 1948, SREB was America's first interstate compact for education. Today it is the only regional education compact that works directly with state leaders, schools and educators to improve teaching, learning and student achievement at every level of education. For more information, visit www.sreb.org.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrates its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit. In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR TONIA REX OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER RECEIVES $1.8 MILLION GRANT TO CONTINUE GLAUCOMA RESEARCH - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., April 9 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

Tonia Rex, PhD, assistant professor in the Departments of Ophthalmology, and Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has received a grant totaling $1,874,688 from the National Eye Institute, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health. The award will fund research on glaucoma. The study titled, 'Novel Therapy and Mechanisms in Glaucoma,' will be conducted over a five-year period.

'I am grateful to have received this grant in this competitive environment,' said Dr. Rex. 'I am excited about performing this translational research geared towards providing important insights into the pathogenesis of glaucoma and the development of much-needed treatments for this blinding disease.'

The primary goal of Dr. Rex's research is to treat glaucoma using systemic neuroprotective gene therapy. Nearly three million people have been diagnosed with glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness in the United States. Current preventive therapies are directed at lowering the intraocular pressure (IOP), the most significant risk factor for the development of glaucoma. However, the need for daily treatment can lead to poor patient compliance.

Dr. Rex and her research team focus on an alternative IOP-independent neuroprotective therapy, wherein they modify the glycoprotein hormone that controls red blood cell production, known as erythropoietin. This modification diminishes the erythropoietic activity while preserving its neuroprotective activity, and packages it into a format to provide sustained, systemic delivery. Early results have shown that this therapy could lead to breakthroughs in glaucoma treatment.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.

S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrated its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit. In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

METHODIST TRANSPLANT INSTITUTE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER SETS RECORDS FOR TRANSPLANT VOLUMES, PATIENT SURVIVAL RATES - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Feb. 27 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

In 2011, the Methodist University Hospital (MUH) Transplant Institute, which is operated by physicians at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), set new records for transplant volumes and patient survival rates. The institute's 140-person team has become recognized as one of the top 10 transplant programs in the United States. Last year, a total of 270 transplants were performed, the most ever at the MUH Transplant Institute, up to 13 percent more than the prior year. The 2011 numbers included 122 kidney transplants, 138 liver transplants, and 10 kidney/pancreas transplants. Additionally, in 2011 adult patient survival rates markedly improved to 90 percent for liver transplants and 97 percent for all transplants combined.

'We are committed to working in tandem with UT Health Science Center to provide the best quality transplant services to our patients,' stated Gary Shorb, president and chief executive officer of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare.

James D. Eason, MD, professor of Surgery at UTHSC and program director for the MUH Transplant Institute, noted, 'Some people still think a transplant is like this end-of-the-world, doomsday scenario, but most of our patients are in and out of the institute in a week. They spend as little as one or two days in the Intensive Care Unit.'

'The experience, skills and team commitment to quality care are the elements that make our transplant unit so successful,' observed Kevin Spiegel, chief executive officer of MUH. 'Our Transplant Institute receives patient referrals from some of the most prestigious cancer centers in the country, including MD Anderson, Sloane-Kettering, and Stanford.'

'UTHSC is a pivotal partner with Methodist in transplant, bringing a commitment to academic excellence and recruiting that has enabled us to achieve and sustain a top-tier program,' said David M. Stern, executive dean of the UTHSC College of Medicine, and vice chancellor for Health Affairs.

An alumnus from the UTHSC College of Medicine, Dr. Eason and the institute he leads are known worldwide for performing the 2009 liver transplant on Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. The surgery saved the billionaire's life, returned him to the maximum level of health possible, and extended the visionary's time.

'The UT-Methodist partnership enabled us to really create a dream team by recruiting what I consider to be the top transplant physicians from all over the country and world,' Dr. Eason said. 'This year, we are going to probably be one of the largest liver transplant programs in the United States and probably one of the 10-largest liver transplant programs in the world.'

The MUH Transplant Institute is a partnership program with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Methodist assumed management of UT Bowld Hospital and its transplant program in November 2002. Almost two years later, the UT Bowld Transplant Program moved to MUH, and the MUH Transplant Institute was formed. UTHSC continues to staff and operate the Transplant Institute.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrated its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit. In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

TERESA WATERS, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER RECEIVES $793,056 FROM DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Sept. 12 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

Teresa Waters, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has been awarded a grant totaling $793,056 from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, part of the Department of Health and Human Services. The award will fund her two-year study titled 'Responses to Medicare's Nonpayment for Preventable Hospital Complications.'

Dr. Waters' research project will examine the impact of a new Medicare payment policy on the quality of hospital care delivered to Medicare beneficiaries. On October 1, 2008, Medicare implemented a policy that denies payments to hospitals for any additional care associated with eight complications of medical care deemed preventable. These eight 'hospital acquired conditions' include such complications as an object left in patient during surgery, blood incompatibility, catheter-associated urinary tract infection, vascular-catheter-associated infections and inpatient falls. Medicare believes that its nonpayment policy will cut costs and improve quality of care. This new policy is unusual, however, because it is the first major use of negative incentives by Medicare.

'I'm very excited that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has chosen to fund this research because we really need timely information on the impact of Medicare's new nonpayment policy,' said Dr. Waters. 'Other insurers often follow Medicare's lead, and Medicare is likely to consider expanding this payment change to additional areas of care.'

Dr. Waters will lead a team of researchers from UTHSC, the University of Florida, Virginia Commonwealth University, Kansas University Medical Center, and the University of Iowa in examining whether the policy has been effective in reducing targeted complications and how specific hospital circumstances have affected responses to the policy. The results will inform Medicare and other insurers about those aspects of the policy that are working as intended and those that are not , and can be used to tailor future payment policy changes.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the United States government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves. HHS represents almost a quarter of all federal outlays, and it administers more grant dollars than all other federal agencies combined. HHS' Medicare Program is the nation's largest health insurer, handling more than one billion claims per year. Medicare and Medicaid together provide health care insurance for one in four Americans. For more information, visit www.hhs.gov.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrates its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit. In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

BEN ZARZAUR, MD, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER RECEIVES $300,000 GRANT FROM NATIONAL TRAUMA INSTITUTE - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Feb. 17 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

Ben Zarzaur, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of Surgery in the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, is the recipient of a $300,000 research grant from the National Trauma Institute (NTI). Dr. Zarzaur's study is one of nine awarded grants this year by NTI, a non-profit organization dedicated to funding trauma research in the United States in an effort to reduce death and disability, and the associated costs, related to trauma injury.

Dr. Zarzaur will study blunt splenic injury (BSI), which affects nearly 39,000 adults in the United States each year due to traumatic incidents such as car crashes and falls. Dr. Zarzaur seeks to fill a gap in medical knowledge regarding the risk of sudden spleen rupture for BSI patients after they have been discharged from the hospital. Zarzaur's team will follow 1,000 patients with BSI from 11 trauma centers across the country for six months in order to obtain an accurate estimate of the six-month risk of spleen rupture after BSI. His team will also seek to enumerate the factors associated with delayed splenic rupture and determine which of several treatments are best for patients with a BSI. The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) is providing coordinating support for the study and served as the source through which the participating trauma centers were recruited.

'This research will be significant because we expect it to lead to the development of strategies to reduce risks for adults with BSI while preserving the most spleens,' said Dr. Zarzaur. 'We are grateful to NTI for providing the funds required to pursue this much-needed trauma research and to AAST for acting as the conduit for the connection to NTI.'

NTI is committed to facilitating translational research - that is, research whose results may affect the practice of medicine and patient outcomes in the near-term. Dr. Zarzaur's study and the other eight funded by NTI in this cycle will get under way this year and may be completed within one year. Preliminary results from the principal investigators may be presented at the NTI's Annual Trauma Symposium in 2012.

To sign up to receive announcements related to research funding opportunities, visit the NTI website at www.nationaltraumainstitute.org and go to the Research page.

About the National Trauma Institute

The National Trauma Institute (NTI) is a non-profit organization that assembles public and private resources to support trauma research across the country, sets a national trauma research agenda, and supports military and civilian innovation and collaboration in trauma care and research. This year, NTI will distribute $2.46 million in grants to nine important studies. Since 2008, the organization has awarded $4 million to 16 studies taking place in 20 states. To learn more about NTI, visit www.nationaltraumainstitute.org.

About the University of Tennessee Health Science Center

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrates its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit. In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER GRADUATES 155 - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

On Friday, December 5, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) will graduate 155 health care professionals. The fall graduation ceremony will be held at 1:30 p.m. at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts in the Cook Convention Center, 255 North Main.

William R. Frey, PhD, dean of the College of Allied Health Sciences at UTHSC, will serve as commencement speaker. Well-known for his thoughtful eloquence Dean Frey's charge to the graduates is certain to be memorable and poignant since he is retiring in December. Dr. Frey has served as dean of the college since January and was previously interim dean for more than two and a half years.

Dean Frey moved to the Mid-South and joined UTHSC in 2003. He will retire with some 35 years of teaching and administrative experience at educational institutions across the country. Originally from Springfield, Tenn., Dean Frey is in the midst of his two-year term as president of the Alpha Eta Society, the largest scholastic honor for allied health professionals. The society has 62 chapters and more than 12,600 members throughout the United States.

'During Bill's tenure, each of the six programs within the College of Allied Health Sciences has flourished,' observed Hershel P. Wall, MD, chancellor at UTHSC. 'He has assembled a team of dynamic faculty members who have created an exciting and supportive interdisciplinary learning culture that permeates the college. Bill leaves his college well positioned for continued success and we wish him the very best in his retirement,' he added.

Chancellor Wall will preside over the graduation ceremony. University of Tennessee President John Petersen will confer the degrees.

The 155 graduates represent five of the UT Health Science Center's six colleges: 22 from the College of Allied Health Sciences; three from the College of Dentistry; 32 from the College of Graduate Health Sciences; two from the College of Medicine; and 96 from the College of Nursing. Traditionally, the UTHSC Colleges of Dentistry, Medicine and Pharmacy graduate large classes in the spring.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is focused on a four-tier mission of education, research, clinical care and public service, all in support of a single goal: to improve the health of Tennesseans. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. UTHSC has additional College of Medicine and College of Pharmacy campuses in Knoxville, and a College of Medicine campus in Chattanooga. For more information, visit www.utmem.edu.

Contact: Sheila Champlin, 901/448-4957.

PROFESSOR HARRY S. COURTNEY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER RECEIVES $126,000 GRANT TO CONTINUE STREPTOCOCCAL INFECTION RESEARCH - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., March 15 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

Harry S. Courtney, PhD, professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has received a grant totaling $126,000 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health. The award will fund research on streptococcal infections. The study titled, 'Role of M-Related Protein and IgG Interactions in Virulence of S. pyogenes,' will be conducted over a two-year period.

The focus of Dr. Courtney's research is on molecular mechanisms of group A streptococcal infections. Group A streptococci, which is caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes, produces an array of diseases ranging from mild and self-limiting infections of the throat and skin to highly invasive diseases with significant rates of morbidity and mortality. The incidence of severe, invasive infections by S. pyogenes has been increasing throughout the world, and it is the ninth-leading cause of mortality among all microbial pathogens worldwide. Infections due to S. pyogenes are limited to humans, but the basis for why people are the target host is relatively unknown.

'This award will provide the opportunity to make meaningful contributions to our understanding of the pathogenesis of group A streptococcal infections,' said Dr. Courtney. 'It will hopefully identify a new target for vaccine development as well.'

Currently, the rodent model is used extensively to study streptococcal infections. However, rodents are naturally resistant to S. pyogenes, thus large doses are required to initiate infections. This award will allow Dr. Courtney and his research team to examine the role of IgG*,which are antibody molecules, binding to the streptococcal surface protein - M-related protein (Mrp) - as it relates to virulence and host specificity. The team will then use their findings to determine if the passive transfer of human IgG to mice will increase their susceptibility to S. pyogenes. Knowing this would improve the animal model by allowing investigators to avoid using high doses that may obscure results.

The findings from this study relating to Mrp-IgG interactions may provide more insight into host specificity of streptococcal infections and lay the foundation for developing therapies or vaccines to block this interaction and prevent infections from this bacteria.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.

S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrated its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit. In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

Research Findings from University of Tennessee Update Understanding of Qualitative Health Research. - Health & Medicine Week

Scientists discuss in 'Narrative methods in a study of trauma recovery' new findings in Qualitative Health Research. 'Multiple narrative perspectives can guide narrative research. The complexity of health narratives presents a significant challenge,' scientists in the United States report (see also Qualitative Health Research).

'Trauma recovery accounts are health narratives demonstrating successes as well as struggles. In this article, I describe a large-scale narrative study in which specific qualitative methods were combined to fit research aims, stories elicited, and emergent questions in the analysis process. Under my direction, an interdisciplinary team conducted this constructivist, feminist, narrative study describing the trauma recovery process. The study was focused on success or thriving in women surviving childhood maltreatment. I took an advocacy stance in favor of participants' interests, as is commensurate with a critical feminist standpoint. Through initial analyses the research team constructed a trauma recovery process termed 'becoming resolute.' Subanalyses were focused on key relationships, life trajectories, self-strategies, and perceptual changes,' wrote J.M Hall and colleagues, University of Tennessee.

The researchers concluded: 'My purpose is to explain the various kinds and levels of analysis used here to provide options for others studying recovery narratives.'

Hall and colleagues published their study in Qualitative Health Research (Narrative methods in a study of trauma recovery. Qualitative Health Research, 2011;21(1):3-13).

For more information, contact J.M. Hall, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee USA.

Publisher contact information for the journal Qualitative Health Research is: SAGE Publications, USA , 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA.

Keywords: City:Knoxville, State:Tennessee, Country:United States, Qualitative Health Research.

Take Care Health Systems Now Offering Nebulizer Treatments for Respiratory Illness in Preparation for Upcoming Cough, Cold & Flu Season. - Biotech Week

Take Care Health Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walgreens (NYSE, NASDAQ: WAG) and the largest and most comprehensive provider of convenient care clinics and worksite health and wellness centers in the country, is now offering nebulizer treatments, when clinically appropriate, for clinic patients exhibiting acute respiratory distress (see also Take Care Health Systems).

The expansion of services to include nebulizer treatments comes as a direct response to conversations and integration with the medical community, patient and provider feedback and demonstrated market need. According to National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care surveys, 'diseases of the respiratory system' were the third largest primary diagnosis among visits to the emergency room in 2005 and 2006, comprising 2.8% and 3.1% of all ER visits respectively.

'Take Care health professionals routinely evaluate and treat patients with respiratory symptoms including wheezing, coughing and other symptoms that could be related to bronchitis, asthma exacerbations or other respiratory illnesses,' said Sandra Ryan, RN, MSN, CPNP, FAANP and chief nurse practitioner officer for Take Care Health Systems. 'Offering nebulizer treatments at Take Care Clinics across the country provides our nationally certified clinicians another tool to ensure individuals and families can receive clinically appropriate care where and when it's needed.'

Nebulizer treatments will be available year-round to patients two years of age and older at all Take Care Clinics. All nebulizer treatments will be administered, if deemed medically necessary, in conjunction with an evaluation at a Take Care Clinic. While undergoing treatment at a clinic, patients can receive prescriptions for nebulizers that can be filled at the patient's pharmacy of choice. In addition, providers will offer the patient demonstration and education on the use of nebulizers and inhalers as needed.

'Over the past year, we have seen more than 300,000 cases of acute respiratory conditions. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants have written prescriptions for nebulizers or meter dosed inhalers for roughly 10 percent of visits,' said Peter Miller, Take Care Health Systems president and CEO. 'Our team based approach involved conversations with the medical community, combined with feedback from our health care professionals and market research, illustrating for us that nebulizer treatments are a necessary, timely and appropriate treatment to offer in Take Care Clinics. This valuable new service provides greater convenience for those who would normally go to an emergency room or urgent care clinic, or patients traveling away from home and are in need of a nebulizer treatment.'

Take Care Clinics are professional walk-in health care centers open seven days a week, with extended evening and weekend hours. Clinics are staffed by board certified nurse practitioners and physician assistants who treat patients 18 months and older for common illnesses such as strep throat, ear and sinus infections, pink eye and poison ivy, and are able to write prescriptions as clinically appropriate that can be filled at the patient's pharmacy of choice. The clinics also offer preventive services such as camp, sport and back-to-school physicals; men's and women's health evaluations and vaccinations including GARDASIL (HPV), Menactra (meningitis), the shingles vaccine and others.

Take Care Health Systems encourages all patients to have a health care home, a primary care provider they see for ongoing medical needs and routine exams. If a patient's condition falls outside the scope of service at a Take Care Clinic, the patient is referred to an appropriate site for care, such as a primary care provider or specialist.

Take Care Health Systems currently manages more than 340 Take Care Clinics at Walgreens drugstores in 35 markets across 19 states, including locations in: Atlanta, Boulder-Longmont, Colo., Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Ohio, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Green Bay, Wis., Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Louisville, Madison, Wis., Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Nashville, Tenn., New Orleans, Orlando, Fla., Oshkosh, Wis., Peoria, Ill., Philadelphia-area, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Rockford, Ill., St. Louis, Tampa, Fla., Topeka, Kan., Tucson, Ariz., West Palm Beach, Fla. and Wichita, Kan. About Take Care Health Systems Take Care Health Systems (www.takecarehealthsystem.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Walgreens and part of Walgreens Health and Wellness division, is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and convenient care clinics in the country. TCHS is comprised of Take Care Consumer Solutions (www.takecarehealth.com) and Take Care Health Employer Solutions (www.takecareemployersolutions.com). Take Care Consumer Solutions manages Take Care Clinics at select Walgreens drugstores throughout the country. Patient care at each of the Take Care Clinics is provided by Take Care Health Services, an independently owned state professional corporation established in each market. Take Care Health Employer Solutions manages primary care, health and wellness, occupational health, pharmacy and fitness centers at large employer campuses. Combined, Take Care Health Systems manages more than 700 worksite and retail health care centers. About Walgreens Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) is the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2008 sales of $59 billion. The company operates 6,943 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Walgreens provides the most convenient access to consumer goods and services and cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services in America through its retail drugstores, Walgreens Health Services division and Walgreens Health and Wellness division. Walgreens Health Services assists pharmacy patients and prescription drug and medical plans through Walgreens Health Initiatives Inc. (a pharmacy benefit manager), Walgreens Mail Service Inc., Walgreens Home Care Inc., Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy LLC and SeniorMed LLC (a pharmacy provider to long-term care facilities). Walgreens Health and Wellness division includes Take Care Health Systems.

Keywords: Nebulizers, Health, Hospitals, Infectious Diseases, Pharmaceutical, Other Health, Allergies, Allergy Medicine, Asthma, Infectious Disease, Medical Device, Nebulizer, Pharmaceuticals, Strep Throat, Wellness, Take Care Health Systems.

Activists dispute ORNL health report. - The Knoxville News-Sentinel (Knoxville, TN)

Byline: Frank Munger

May 12--OAK RIDGE -- An environmental activist group Wednesday blasted a federal report that said nuclear discharges here didn't pose a public health threat in the past, present or future.

The Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance said the conclusions could not be 'supported by science or common sense' and called the report 'unconscionable' and 'flat-out false.'

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry released a report earlier this week that evaluated the health impacts of radioactive materials discharged into the Clinch River and Watts Bar Lake. Oak Ridge National Laboratory has released a variety of nuclear elements into the downstream waters via White Oak Creek, which runs through the lab's nuclear burial grounds.

A statement released by ATSDR, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said: 'People who have used or might continue to use the Clinch River and Watts Bar Reservoir for recreation, food or drinking water may have been exposed. However, this radiation dose is well below levels associated with a health hazard. Therefore, use of the waterways does not pose a public health hazard.'

Ralph Hutchison, coordinator of the environmental peace alliance, said, 'ATSDR's finding is either the result of half-hearted work or simple duplicity.'

Hutchison served on the steering panel for a state-supported study of Oak Ridge pollution in the 1990s. He said it makes no sense for ATSDR to acknowledge that people were exposed to radiation but conclude there were no health effects.

'Radiation health experts agree on few things, but there is consensus that there is 'no safe level' for exposure to radiation,' he said.

He also said there's a conflict of interest when ATSDR, a federal agency, does health assessments on federal operations.

'This conflict is never clearer than today, when the federal government gives itself a high five for being such a good, clean citizen in Oak Ridge,' Hutchison said.

In addition to evaluating the health impacts of historical pollution, the ATSDR team analyzed drinking water samples around the cities of Kingston and Spring City from 1990 to the present. The report said the water was considered safe for consumption and other potable uses.

To see more of The Knoxville News-Sentinel or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.knoxnews.com.

Copyright (c) 2005, The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Tenn.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

PUBLIC HEALTH STAFF GOING DOOR-TO-DOOR IN KNOX COUNTY. - States News Service

NASHVILLE, TN -- The following information was released by the Tennessee Department of Health:

Knoxville residents living near downtown may get an unexpected knock on the door next week. The Knox County Health Department, in conjunction with the East Tennessee Regional Health Office of the Tennessee Department of Health, will be conducting door-to-door interviews as part of a training exercise on Thursday and Friday, March 24 and 25. Staff members from both health departments will be interviewing a selection of residents who live within a roughly three-mile radius of downtown Knoxville in order to evaluate a rapid assessment tool called CASPER, which stands for 'Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response.'

In the event of an emergency, the CASPER methodology allows officials to rapidly assess the status of a community by visiting pre-selected census blocks (parts of census tracts) and surveying residents during the crises. Answers to questions such as the extent of injuries and illness, whether residents have adequate supplies of food and water, or if utilities might not be operating help improve emergency response. An example is the Kingston coal ash spill. In that event, a community assessment was performed, asking residents about potential symptoms related to the spill. The psychological stress of residents was rapidly identified as an unmet need that then could be addressed.

Teams in the community will be clearly identified by orange vests and will be wearing identifying badges. Residents in targeted neighborhoods may be visited between the hours of 4 and 7 PM. Each health professional participating in the drill will be accompanied by a University of Tennessee graduate student in public health, who also is taking part in this learning experience. Residents will be questioned as to whether they have taken basic precautions to prepare for emergencies, such as stockpiling supplies of food, water and medications, and what preparations they might have made for contacting relatives or for their pets' needs.

CVS Caremark Teams with Google Health - Wireless News

Wireless News
05-27-2008
CVS Caremark Teams with Google Health

WIRELESS NEWS-May 27, 2008-CVS Caremark Teams with Google Health (C)2008 10Meters - http://www.10meters.com

CVS Caremark announced a partnership with Google Health, a new product launched by Google, which allows users to securely store, organize, and manage their medical records and health care information online.
The companies stated that this partnership will facilitate and enhance communications between consumers and health care providers by providing individuals with secure access to their medication history and personal health care information.

'In today's health care environment, information related to an individual's overall health is often fragmented, creating gaps in the availability of data and missed opportunities to coordinate care,' said Helena Foulkes, Senior Vice President, Health Services at CVS Caremark. 'At CVS Caremark, given our presence across the health care continuum as a retail pharmacy, pharmacy benefits manager and retail clinic provider, we can help bring together key health information of importance to our consumers and provide them with a holistic view of their health status.'

By integrating on the Google Health platform, patients who receive treatment at MinuteClinic, the retail-based health clinic subsidiary of CVS Caremark, will be able to securely import their visit summaries into their Google Health Accounts. This function will be immediately available to MinuteClinic patients in Knoxville and Chattanooga, Tennessee and will roll out nationally to the more than 500 MinuteClinic locations in 25 states during the course of the next several weeks. In addition, within the next several months, consumers who fill their prescriptions at a CVS/pharmacy or have prescription coverage from CVS Caremark will also be able to securely import their prescription and medication histories into Google Health

'We believe that Personal Health Records, or PHRs, show great promise as a tool to enable patients to engage in their own health care and we are committed to working with industry leaders to further develop and advance the utility of PHRs,' said Jon Roberts, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at CVS Caremark. 'Given our commitment to facilitating greater consumer engagement in health care and our mission to make innovative and high-quality health and pharmacy services safe, affordable and easy to access, we are excited to partner with Google at the launch of Google Health.'

CVS Caremark is the largest provider of prescriptions and related health care services in the nation. The company fills or manages more than one billion prescriptions annually.

((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))

((Distributed via M2 Communications Ltd - http://www.m2.com))

(Copyright M2 Communications Ltd. 2008)

Embracing global nursing: the Ghana Health Mission. - Tennessee Nurse

In response to a growing emphasis on transcultural nursing and global health, nursing education is challenged to provide international experiences to enhance cultural competence and the global awareness of students and faculty. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2006) document, Preparing a Culturally Competent Workforce, outlined cultural competencies and provided a framework for implementation and evaluation in baccalaureate nursing education. While current curricula may incorporate piecemeal information or elective courses, such approaches have been recognized as inadequate in preparing nurses for increased population diversity and the global scope of nursing (Calvillo et al., 2009).

The University of Tennessee College of Nursing has embraced the integration of multiple curricular strategies to promote knowledge and understanding of diverse cultures, including a defined course in transcultural nursing practice and several opportunities for international immersion experiences. With university-level support through the Ready for the World program, faculty develops innovative partnerships and opportunities for international experiences in nursing and health care. Participation in the Ghana Health Mission is a recent example of these efforts.

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Founded in 1994, the goal of the Ghana Health Mission is to provide community-based primary health care services to a population in need. The initial collaboration between Dr. Leda McKenry from the University of Massachusetts School of Nursing and Reverend Robert Andoh, pastor of the Assemblies of God Church in Sekondi, has continued to sustain and expand the mission for many years. Each health care team consists of volunteer students and faculty from various academic programs. The University of Massachusetts, the University of New England (UNE) Portland, and the University of Tennessee Knoxville College of Nursing (UTK CON) have partnered consistently to provide services for a two-week time period during March and/or August. In August 2009, a total of 23 health care providers made the trip, including two University of Tennessee nursing faculty, Maureen Nalle, PhD, RN, and Karen Lasater, DNP, RN, APN.

The makeup of the team varies, depending on availability of undergraduate and graduate (advanced practice) nursing students, as well as faculty resources to support the clinical learning activities. In recent years, the UTK CON team is primarily composed of nursing students and faculty, while UNE has provided a multidisciplinary team including nurses, physician's assistants, physical therapists, and occupational therapists. Faculty and students are allocated to the diverse tasks of the clinic, including triage, pharmacy, primary care, and wound care. Sharing of talents and resources amongst the team members creates a rich learning environment for all participants; for many students, this is their first opportunity for interdisciplinary care. Experienced community health care workers are invaluable for interpretation and facilitating clinic operations.

The August 2009 health care team provided care to more than 600 patients in a 10-day period, challenging the skills and knowledge of every provider. The health care needs of the Sekondi community reflect both the poverty and lack of resources of its residents. Malaria, malnutrition, and infectious diseases are the most common reasons to seek treatment, with greatest effects on young children and the elderly. Frequently, patients have not seen a health care provider for many months or even longer, which exacerbates their symptoms and the severity of their illness. Skin infections and diabetic ulcers of the legs and feet are common examples of inadequate preventive care, poor sanitary conditions, and lack of treatment for chronic illness. Hypertension is very common among the adults and even some of the young adults seen in the clinic. The majority of patients seen have high blood pressure and are referred to a community health nurse for follow-up. While the health care demands far exceed the capacities of a two-week clinic, some critical needs for antibiotics, anti-malarial drugs and hypertension treatment clearly ensure some measure of health care that would otherwise be lacking in this population.

Both Nalle and Lasater have made previous trips to Ghana, although this time they were not accompanied by students. 'In past years, we have accompanied one of the other academic groups and wanted to explore the potential for an additional yearly trip by our students and faculty for a separate health mission,' Nalle said. 'The more consistently health care services are available, the greater the impact on overall community health and disease prevention. Ideally, a health mission team would be present at least twice a year if faculty and student resources were available.' This exploratory trip was supported by faculty grants from the University of Tennessee Center for International Education and the UT Ready for the World Initiative, two university initiatives to promote global competence.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Beyond the important health care provided, nursing faculty took advantage of the opportunity to meet with Matilda Bansah, the Director of the Sekondi Nursing and Midwifery Training School. Reporting that faculty resources and educational materials are areas of serious need, Bansah also discussed prospects for shared educational experiences between GHM students and the nursing students in the Sekondi program. Such collaboration would be mutually beneficial to U.S. students and local public health nursing students, creating an opportunity to exchange ideas, develop cultural competence, and to role model international nursing. Faculty exchange of research ideas and teaching strategies is also a priority for supporting growth of this nursing program.

The next Ghana Health Mission is scheduled for August 2010 under the leadership of Jennifer Morton, DNP, MPH, nursing faculty at UNE. Interested students and faculty may contact Dr. Maureen Nalle at 865-974-7598 or mnalle@utk.edu to request more information, or visit the Ghana Health Mission website at www.ghanahealthmission.org.

UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER EARNS $1.7 MILLION GRANT FROM BLUECROSS BLUESHIELD TO EXPAND INFANT MORTALITY PROJECT - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., May 3 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

The University of Tennessee Research Foundation has received a $1.7 million grant from the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Foundation to expand the Blues Project (BLUES) in Shelby and Hamilton Counties in Tennessee. BLUES, a study aimed at reducing infant mortality rates, is administered by the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). The project provides TennCare-eligible pregnant women access to quality prenatal care and services through clinic-based group visits at approved community health centers. Additional services include case management, social support, patient education, and referrals to community resources. Participants can access services from onset of pregnancy until the child's second birthday. Each site includes a team of professionals providing clinical and social services.

After the Bluff City was dubbed as having the highest infant mortality rate among the nation's 60 largest cities in 2004, BLUES Phases I and II were launched in Memphis between 2005 and 2009. The study, which assists large numbers of women, has served nearly 1,000 at-risk mothers resulting in more than 900 healthy deliveries, only 0.24 infant deaths and 9 percent low birth weight babies. The $1.7 million grant will be used for the Phase III expansion to extend services to 500 pregnant women at two health care centers in Chattanooga (Hamilton County), as well as to an additional 500 women in Shelby County.

In 2006, Hamilton County posted the second-highest infant mortality rate (11.2 deaths per 1,000 live births) in the state and the highest African-American infant mortality rate (23.7 deaths per 1,000 births). From 2001 to 2005, nearly 16 percent of Hamilton County's live births were born preterm. Of the preterm deliveries, 72 percent resulted in infant deaths. Hamilton County has the highest occurrence of low birth weight in the state at 12 percent. The low birth weight for its African-American babies is almost double that of whites (18.6 percent compared to 9.7 percent, respectively).

Given the expansion into Hamilton County, BLUES purposes to: (1) duplicate the BLUES model to prove the effectiveness of intervention for decreasing infant mortality risks (prematurity and low birth weight); (2) compare the birth and child health outcomes of the Hamilton County participants to those in Shelby County, and (3) establish the Blues Project as an effective, data-driven and cost-efficient model for reducing the health disparity of infant mortality in Tennessee.

'We want to demonstrate the scalability of BLUES and work to build a self-sustained structure of care that will expand, not only in the state of Tennessee, but across the country in cities with similar demographics to Memphis,' said Kimberly Lamar, PhD, MPH, MSEH, principal investigator of BLUES and assistant professor for the UTHSC Department of Preventive Medicine. The BLUES model is holistic in scope compared to other programs and empowers women to overcome social and economic barriers adversely affecting their health and that of their children. Results show African-American BLUES mothers have made significant improvements in their educational and employment goals by the end of their second year follow-up.

'The $1.7 million BlueCross BlueShield grant will also be used to measure the impact of patient education, social support and prenatal care on infant mortality in pregnant women,' stated Dr. Lamar. 'The overall goal of BLUES is to decrease primary risk factors of infant mortality.'

BLUES works to reduce: preterm and low birth weight deliveries, maternal and neonatal hospital days, infant death rates within the first year of life, emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and accidental child injuries. Additionally, by the end of the 24-month postpartum period, BLUES serves to improve the mother's educational status, employment status, parenting skills and psychosocial status (stress, depression, mental health, substance abuse, and incidences of domestic violence).

Dr. Lamar emphasizes that intervention only at the clinic level is not sufficient for significantly addressing health disparities.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. UTHSC has additional colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy plus an Allied Health Sciences unit in Knoxville, as well as a College of Medicine campus in Chattanooga. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu.

For more information please contact: Sarabjit Jagirdar, Email:- htsyndication@hindustantimes.com.