CDU News
4-Year Independent Medical School Application Approved by Trustees
By unanimous vote at its October meeting, the CDU Board of Trustees approved the next steps toward developing the 4-year independent medical school program. The letter of intent and application fee was then filed with the LCME and CDU is now an official applicant. With two years of informal planning under our belts, we are one step closer to fulfilling the California Future Health Workforce Commission’ s recommendation 2.5 for CDU to begin its independent 4-year medical degree program. The Core planning team consists of Dean Prothrow-Stith, Sr. Associate Dean Ronald Edelstein, Assistant Dean Roberto Vargas, Anthony Teran- COM Director of Finance and Consultants Paul Umbach, Angie Vincent and Lance Williams. It will regularly report progress to Provost Steve Michael and President David Carlisle. The 18 month clock for submission of our self-study has started and a half day retreat for the full team will follow the President’ s Breakfast on February!
Ogunyemi Elected Fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics
Academic Senate president Dr Lola Ogunyemi was recently elected as a Fellow the American College of Medical Informatics( ACMI). ACMI is the principal honorary society for the field of Biomedical Informatics.
Election by current ACMI fellows is considered one of the highest honors in this field, recognizing at least a decade of sustained, high-quality contribution to the discipline. In the 35 years of its existence, only 400 fellows have been elected worldwide. Dr Ogunyemi will be inducted into ACMI in Washington, DC during the Annual Symposium of the American Medical Informatics Association( AMIA) in November.
Lola Ogunyemi, PhD
Director of Center for Biomedical Informatics, Associate Professor
Dean Prothrow-Stith is feature on a cover story of her alma mater’ s magazine, the Spelman Messenger – the story: Healing Hands
Of Note …
Judge Sides With Harvard In Race-Based Admissions Case
A federal judge ruled that Harvard University is within its legal rights to use race as a criterion for student admissions. The lawsuit alleged that considerations of race discriminate against Asian American applicants. The Justice Department supported the lawsuit, considered to be the latest in an ongoing effort to challenge affirmative action and diversity-oriented admissions policies on university campuses.
In her ruling, Judge Allison Burroughs stated that Harvard’ s admissions policy does indeed meet the strict scrutiny standard that the Supreme Court has set for using racial preferences in admissions. Harvard University President Lawrence Bacow noted that the " consideration of race, alongside many other factors, helps us achieve our goal of creating a diverse student body that enriches the education of every student."
California Man Receives First Face Transplant for Black Patient
( Source: POLITICO)
Robert Chelsea lost his lips and part of his nose and left ear when his car was struck by a drunk driver and exploded in flames on a Los Angeles freeway in 2013. He was burned over 60 percent of his body, and underwent more than 30 surgeries to graft skin to his shoulders, arms, and fingers.
His lips were missing, so Chelsea had to tilt his head back to swallow food and use a syringe to squirt liquids into his throat. His teeth were exposed, putting him at risk for gum disease and tooth loss.
Boston’ s Brigham and Women’ s Hospital announced a turning point for Chelsea, 68, saying he had become the first black patient and the oldest to receive a full facial transplant. Chelsea had to wait a year and a half to find a face that would match his skin tone, and donor advocates hope his experience encourages more people of color to become organ donors.
Chelsea underwent the 16-hour surgery in July that involved a team of more than 45 physicians, nurses, anesthesiologists, residents, and research fellows. He returned home to Los Angeles earlier this week. Chelsea’ s year-and-a-half wait for a face was longer than the previous 14 patients who had the operation performed at the Brigham, where the average wait is four to six months.
( Source: Boston Globe)
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