== Office of Management and Budget issues notice of proposed guidelines on
"information quality"
== University of Pittsburgh Medical Center unveils $600 million expansion
project
--
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
AAMC working diligently to address AMCAS glitches
The AAMC has encountered some significant problems in getting the Web-based
version of AMCAS into production. Applicants are experiencing an extremely
slow Web application. Software bugs delayed data transmission testing by
medical schools, a prerequisite for preparing their local environments to
receive applicant data. These problems are causing considerable frustration
for both applicants and schools. The AAMC is working around the clock to
resolve these issues. A new server configuration better capable of handling
the volume of users is being established. AAMC staff expect dramatic
improvement in the performance of the Web application for students in early
July. AMCAS is confident that it will be ready to transmit processed
applications to schools by July 15.
Information: Robert Beran, AAMC Division of Student Affairs and Education
Services, 202.828.0250, rberan@aamc.org.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
AAMC announces editorial changes for "Academic Medicine"
"Academic Medicine," the AAMC's peer-reviewed journal that publishes
monthly scholarly articles addressing issues relevant to the education,
research, and patient care missions of medical schools and teaching
hospitals, will soon undergo a change in its editorial leadership and
direction. In November, Michael Whitcomb, M.D., AAMC senior vice president
for medical education, will be installed as the journal's new editor-in-chief.
In his new role, Dr. Whitcomb will be challenged to build upon the
journal's strong foundation of success and integrity built by Addeane
Caelleigh, who has served as editor of "Academic Medicine" since its first
issue debuted in January 1989. Under her stewardship, Caelleigh has engaged
a widely respected cadre of manuscript reviewers, assembled an editorial
board of distinguished medical educators, and recruited a highly skilled
staff. Dr. Whitcomb will enhance the journal's distinguished position as
the publication of record for research in medical education and will
continue to make "Academic Medicine" the premier source for the most timely
scholarly perspectives and analyses of crucial issues facing medical
schools and teaching hospitals.
Information: Todd Bentsen, AAMC Office of Communications, 202.828.0989,
tbentsen@aamc.org.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
President Bush nominates director for Office of Science and Technology
President Bush has announced his intention to nominate John H. Marburger
III, Ph.D., to the position of director of the Office of Science and
Technology. Dr. Marburger is currently director of the U.S. Department of
Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and president of Brookhaven Science
Associates. Dr. Marburger is a graduate of Princeton University and
received his doctorate in applied physics from Stanford University. He
served as dean of the University of Southern California's College of
Letters, Arts, and Sciences from 1976-1980. In 1980, he assumed the
presidency of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, a position
he held until 1994. He has since taught and conducted research at Stony
Brook as a professor of physics and electrical engineering. In 1998 he
became the director of Brookhaven. Dr. Marburger's nomination is subject to
Senate confirmation.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Office of Management and Budget issues notice of proposed guidelines on
"information quality"
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) this week published a notice of
proposed guidelines to federal agencies on the "quality, objectivity,
utility, and integrity" of information that such agencies (including the
NIH and the National Science Foundation) disseminate. The notice would
require these agencies to develop administrative mechanisms for "affected
persons" to "seek and obtain correction" of information, as required by a
provision in the FY 2001 Treasury/Postal Appropriations Act (PL 106-554).
The proposed guidelines note that "[W]ith respect to scientific research,
the results must be substantially reproducible upon independent analysis of
the underlying data." The role of peer review in the validation and
dissemination of scientific or other research is not recognized. The
notice, published in the June 28 Federal Register, is available at
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces140.html. This provision and the
related 1999 "Shelby" data disclosure law were discussed in detail at a
panel of the National Academies on March 13-14; a transcript is available
at http://www.nas.edu/stl.
Information: Steve Heinig, AAMC Division of Biomedical and Health Sciences
Research, 202.828.0488, sheinig@aamc.org.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center unveils $600 million expansion project
Officials from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Health
System announced on June 26 a $600 million building project that will
transform UPMC's Oakland medical campus. This ambitious project will
include the construction of three new buildings (a biotechnology center, a
new children's hospital, and a child and adult ambulatory care center),
extensive renovations to existing buildings, and overall environmental and
aesthetic improvements. Construction will begin with the groundbreaking for
a children's hospital slated for late this year. It is estimated that all
phases of the entire medical campus project will be completed in seven years.
Information: Jane Duffield, UPMC Health System News Bureau, 412.624.2607,
duffielddj@msx.upmc.edu.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Ohio State University medical school partners with University of Toyko
A five-year academic cooperation agreement recently took effect between
Ohio State University's (OSU) College of Medicine and Public Health and the
Graduate School of Medicine at the University of Tokyo. OSU Senior Vice
President and College of Medicine Dean Fred Sanfilippo, M.D., Ph.D., and
Takaaki Korino, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the University of Tokyo Medical
School, were signatories to the agreement, which aims to promote mutual
cooperation in education and scientific research.
The collaboration will include exchanges of scientific materials and
information, the mutual enrollment of visiting students for clinical or
research electives for periods of one to twelve months, the appointment of
postdoctoral research fellows in Tokyo for one to three years, visits or
temporary appointments of OSU faculty and research scholars in Tokyo, joint
research activities, and the organization of joint conferences.
Information: Sara Strong, Ohio State University Medicine and Public Health
Administration, 614.688.4419, strong.5@osu.edu.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Hot headlines
GOP Moves to Ban Stem Cell Research
http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/jun01/assem23062201a.asp, Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel, 6/23/01
How a Cancer Trial Ended in Betrayal
http://www.sunspot.net/news/health/bal-te.research24jun24.story?coll=bal%2Dhome%2Dheadlines,
Baltimore Sun, 6/24/01
Death Heightens Scrutiny of Clinical Tests
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41063-2001Jun24.html,
Washington Post, 6/25/01
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
On the move
James N. Thompson, M.D., has announced his resignation as vice president
and dean of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, effective July 1.
Dr. Thompson will remain on the medical school faculty as professor of
otolaryngology and will expand his teaching duties and the clinical
practice he has maintained throughout his years in administration. C.
Douglas Maynard, M.D., who recently retired as chair of the Department of
Radiology at Wake Forest, will serve as acting dean and chair of the search
committee for Dr. Thompson's replacement.
Anna C. Epps, Ph.D., senior vice president for academic affairs and dean of
Meharry Medical College School of Medicine, has decided to step down as
dean, effective June 30. Dr. Epps will remain at Meharry as senior advisor
to the president and a scholar-in-residence. She will continue her duties
as dean until a successor is appointed.
Michael L. Friedland, M.D., has been named associate dean of the West
Virginia University (WVU) School of Medicine and associate vice president
of WVU's Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, effective July 1. Dr.
Friedland, who has been serving as dean of the University of
Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine since 1999, will also serve as dean
of the Eastern West Virginia Health Professions Education Initiative of the
WVU School of Medicine.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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