Sixth annual Cover the Uninsured
Week begins today
With health care reform at the forefront of debate for the 2008
election, organizers and participants of Cover
the Uninsured Week (CTUW) are building on that momentum as the
sixth annual national campaign begins today. The campaign, sponsored
by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is a grassroots effort to
build awareness of the crisis of the uninsured and to encourage
solutions. Campaign research shows that while employment-based insurance
is predominant, there are still nearly 28 million workers who are
uninsured. This year, thousands of activities will take place all
over the country to help build support for the cause, including
health fairs, school outreach events and enrollment fairs that will
allow people to take advantage of the free or low-cost health care
options available to them.
The AAMC continues to be a national supporter of CTUW and, through
a grant program administered by the association's Organization of
Student Representatives, awarded funding to nine schools for CTUW
activities. Those schools include: Johns Hopkins University School
of Medicine, "APAMSA 2008 Blood Pressure Screening Day"; Southern
Illinois University School of Medicine, "Health Fair"; State University
of New York Downstate Medical Center, "Health Care Reform Summit";
State University of New York Upstate Medical University, "CTUW Programming";
University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, "Understanding
& Promoting Health Insurance Programs in SF"; University of Kansas
School of Medicine, "Covering the Uninsured Lecture Series"; University
of Oklahoma College of Medicine, "OU Community Health Alliance:
Bridges to Access"; University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine,
"Pitt CTUW 2008"; and University of Washington School of Medicine,
"Al-Shifa Free Clinic & CTUW Awareness Event."
House stops small business programs
from cutting deeper into science agency budgets
On Tuesday, AAMC President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, M.D., sent
a letter
to Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.) endorsing an amendment he sponsored
to legislation to reauthorize the Small Business Innovation Research
(SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR)
programs; the amendment prevents an increase in the amount of money
taken from federal science agency budgets to fund these programs.
The legislation was passed by the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
In the letter Dr. Kirch stated, "While the AAMC supports the objectives
of the SBIR and STTR programs, it is essential that increases for
these programs not come at the expense of the funding for the science
agencies' other core programs." The amendment also was supported
by the Association of American Universities, the Federation of American
Societies for Experimental Biology, and the National Association
of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges.
AAMC issues follow-up comments on NCRR strategic
plan
The AAMC has issued follow-up
comments to the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Center
for Research Resources (NCRR) draft strategic plan for 2009-2013.
In comments, the association commended NCRR for its leadership in
the NIH's effort to re-engineer the clinical research enterprise
and for its support of innovative approaches and emerging partnerships
and collaborations. While fully endorsing the NCRR strategic plan,
the AAMC restates two points of concern that were originally expressed
in the association's Sept. 10, 2007, comment letter, but which are
not addressed in the current NCRR draft. First, the AAMC is concerned
that the plan lacks specific strategies to address the translation
of discoveries from clinical research into medical practice. Second,
the plan does not address the transition of all existing general
clinical research centers to the newer Clinical and Translational
Science Award structure.
CGS Report: graduate education has positive
affect on world
The Council
of Graduate Schools (CGS) released a report, "Graduate Education
and the Public Good," at a legislative forum held at the Library
of Congress last week. The original report and the companion document,
"Making a Difference," showcases more than 300 graduates who exemplify
the positive ways in which graduate education impacts both the country
and the world. Some exemplars include scientists, researchers, teachers,
business and government leaders, as well as Members of Congress
and Nobel Prize winners. The report lists a number of ways in which
graduate education has a positive economic affect on society, including
developing entrepreneurs and innovators, establishing new start-ups
that create jobs, and conducting groundbreaking research. But, beyond
that, the report states that those with advanced degrees also have
a social and cultural impact as well, enhancing society through
arts and humanities and fostering positive relationships with international
partners.
Dept. of Education formally announces increase
in med student loan limits
The Department
of Education has issued a "Dear Colleague" letter announcing
an increase in the combined aggregate Stafford loan limit for certain
health professions students (including medical students) from $189,125
to $224,000, effective immediately. This increase is entirely in
unsubsidized Stafford loans and will allow medical students to borrow
at a 6.8 percent interest rate, avoiding higher rates available
through GradPLUS and other private loan programs. The loan limit
increase comes in response to an AAMC coordinated sign-on letter
sent to Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings in Sept. 2007.
Partners sought for cooperative
agreement for education in environmental medicine
The U.S.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), part
of the Department of Health and Human Services, is seeking proposals
for a cooperative agreement to improve environmental medicine education
for health professionals through collaborations with primary care
professional associations and medical schools. Funding for the cooperative
agreement is estimated at $1 million over five years. Applications
are due May 27.
On the move
Jeff Balser, M.D., Ph.D., associate vice chancellor for research
for Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has been named interim
dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, effective mid-May.
