by Susan D. Hall
April 29, 2014
Not all happy as telemedicine policy is adopted
The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) adopted without changes a revised policy on appropriate use of telemedicine--ignoring recommendations from the American Telemedicine Association. Read article.
~May 2, 2014 article: What's necessary for a sustainable telehealth program?
Recently in News Category
by John Timmer
April 16, 2014
Senior researchers who helped build the system now think it's unsustainable
It's no secret that biology research in the U.S. is facing a number of challenges. After years of rapid growth, the funding for biomedical research has dropped by 25 percent in real dollar terms since 2003, leaving researchers scrambling to keep their labs running. Meanwhile, the system is still training far more graduates than there are faculty positions to fill. But it's tempting to think that taking care of the first by increasing the funding would help take care of the second. Learn more.
by Nicolas Hallett
April 10, 2014
Every year, the U of M receives about $10 million in biomedical research grants from the department. This funding has grown in importance in recent years, said associate vice president for research Tucker LeBien. U of M Medical School's Pamela Andreatta also comments on her team's work with U.S. Department of Defense funding. Learn more.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy (op-ed)
by John Notter
April 10, 2014
Money, we can all agree, matters. It doesn't buy happiness, but it certainly buys a ton of scientific research of vital importance to human health. Without that, the pursuit of happiness wouldn't even be possible. And things are beginning to look a bit bleak in that regard.
Government funding, which has long supported the bulk of basic scientific research, is increasingly threatened in the U.S. If we hope to capitalize on the remarkable progress made in molecular medicine over the past few decades to solve such intractable problems as cancer, diabetes, and other diseases, something will have to change--and soon. Learn more.
NIH News Releases
April 17, 2014
Scientists have traced vulnerability to depression-like behaviors in mice to out-of-balance electrical activity inside neurons of the brain's reward circuit and experimentally reversed it - but there's a twist.
Instead of suppressing it, researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health boosted runaway neuronal activity even further, eventually triggering a compensatory self-stabilizing response. Once electrical balance was restored, previously susceptible animals were no longer prone to becoming withdrawn, anxious, and listless following socially stressful experiences. Learn more.
~April 30, 2014 Reuters' article: Is depression less common among men or are they less likely to acknowledge it?
by Ethan Nelson
April 29, 2014
An ongoing University of Minnesota research project from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs is collecting stories from immigrant Somalis in the Twin Cities to find out why many are returning home. U of M Humphrey School of Public Affairs' Ryan Allen comments on his research. Full article.
~The Somali Diaspora's Role in Somalia: Implications of Return
Last month Dr. Francis Collins, MD/PhD, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) discussed the $29.9 billion budget being implemented within FY 2014, a billion more in funding than the previous fiscal cycle, including $4.9 billion for cancer research. Check out the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) interview.
~ASCO 2013 annual report
The UMN Institutional Review Board (IRB) announced changes that will affect UMN academic health researchers. Highlights include:
- Significant revisions to the biomedical application
- New, revised and retired appendices for drugs, devices, tissue use/storage, genetic testing
- Changes to training requirements: Effective Feb. 1, 2014 all researchers and staff listed on new biomedical and social IRB applications will be required to undergo basic human subject's protection training