RAUL RUIZ TO RECEIVE ER PHYSICIANS' HUMANITARIAN AWARD. - States News Service

Riverside, CA -- The following information was released by the University of California - Riverside:

Emergency physician Raul Ruiz doesn't sleep much. He's too busy balancing his work at the Eisenhower Medical Center and the UCR School of Medicine with his passion for community service-providing free medical care in the poorest neighborhoods of the Coachella Valley, answering medical questions on Spanish language television, shepherding organizations to improve health care access in the Coachella Valley and mentoring local students who are interested in medicine.

With a focus like that, it wasn't hard for the California chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) to chose Ruiz as this year's recipient of its annual Humanitarian Award, to be presented Friday, June 24, at noon at the organization's 40th annual Scientific Assembly in Newport Beach.

The award recognizes members who work on humanitarian causes in their communities, outside of their normal medical practice, according to Deputy Executive Director Ryan Adame.

In addition to his job as UCR School of Medicine's senior associate dean for community engagement and partnerships, Ruiz is also an emergency physician at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage. But this son of farmworkers who was raised in the Coachella Valley strongly believes in community service, especially when it comes to improving access to medical care.

'My social life has taken a beating, but I love what I do. I love the people of the Coachella Valley and the Inland Empire and it's a joy to help them find solutions to the real problems we face in our communities,' said Ruiz. 'It's always an honor to be recognized by our professional society, and I am very proud to be representing the Inland Empire with this award; especially the Coachella Valley, because we're sort of isolated here. When you think of emergency physicians from big cities like LA, San Diego and the Bay area, having the Humanitarian Award going to someone from the Coachella Valley is pretty significant to me.'

Ruiz earned his bachelor's degree at UCLA and his medical degree and a master's in public health at Harvard University, where he also did a fellowship with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative in International Emergency Medicine and Disaster Aid.

He was the founding medical director of the Jenkins-Penn Haitian Relief Organization following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and received a Commanders Award for Public Service from the 82nd Airborne of the U.S. Army. But Adame said many of ACEP's members helped in Haiti and other disaster areas. The organization chose to recognize Ruiz because of the many ways he is serving the Coachella Valley.

'It's most impressive to see how he's involved very closely with the Latino community, reaching out to them and addressing their needs,' said President Elect Andrew Fenton, an emergency physician in Napa, Calif., who nominated Ruiz for the award. 'Emergency physicians know a lot about dealing with out-of-control medical problems that could have been avoided if they had been addressed earlier. Raul wants to do something more than just curing an illness; he wants to prevent it and he's actually making a difference by educating the community about how it can care for itself. That's something we all need to do as emergency physicians.'

Ruiz agrees. 'Emergency physicians are really at the front lines of the social ills we have in America; whether it's a surge in gang violence or lack of health care insurance because of joblessness or a public safety or public health issue, we feel it and see the effects in the emergency department. So I believe if there's a problem, (emergency physicians) have to step up to the plate and help create the change that's needed.'

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE SCHOOL TO STUDY EXERCISE IN CANCER SURVIVORS - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

The Southern Illinois University School of Medicine issued the following news release:

A physician at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield has been awarded a two-year grant from the American Cancer Society Illinois Division for the study of exercise behavior and attitudes among breast cancer survivors in rural Illinois. The total budget for the grant is $230,972.

The study will look at the factors that influence exercise behavior and the preferences for exercise programming among breast cancer survivors in rural counties in Illinois. Results of the study may be used to design and test programs that increase exercise participation of cancer survivors in rural areas because rural residents exercise less than those in urban areas, so they are at a greater need for such programs.

Dr. Laura Q. Rogers, associate professor of internal medicine is the project's principal investigator. Steve Verhulst, Ph.D., associate professor of medical education, is a collaborating investigator. Two other experts in the field, Edward McAuley, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology and psychology at the University of Illinois in Urbana, and Kerry Courneya, Ph.D., professor and cancer research chair in physical activity and cancer at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, are involved in the project as consultants.

A researcher since 1989, Rogers' previous research has also focused on healthy lifestyles related to high cholesterol management, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.

Rogers joined the SIU faculty in 2000. She completed a fellowship in faculty development in general internal medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1990) and her internal medicine residency at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta (1987). She earned her medical degree at the University of South Florida School of Medicine in Tampa (1984), master's in public health at the University of South Carolina in Columbia (2000), and bachelor's at Erskine College in Due West, S.C. (1980).

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY MED SCHOOL TO STUDY EXERCISE IN CANCER SURVIVORS - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

The Southern Illinois University School of Medicine issued the following news release:

A physician at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield has been awarded a two-year grant from the American Cancer Society Illinois Division for the study of exercise behavior and attitudes among breast cancer survivors in rural Illinois. The total budget for the grant is $230,972.

The study will look at the factors that influence exercise behavior and the preferences for exercise programming among breast cancer survivors in rural counties in Illinois. Results of the study may be used to design and test programs that increase exercise participation of cancer survivors in rural areas because rural residents exercise less than those in urban areas, so they are at a greater need for such programs.

Dr. Laura Q. Rogers, associate professor of internal medicine is the project's principal investigator. Steve Verhulst, Ph.D., associate professor of medical education, is a collaborating investigator. Two other experts in the field, Edward McAuley, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology and psychology at the University of Illinois in Urbana, and Kerry Courneya, Ph.D., professor and cancer research chair in physical activity and cancer at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, are involved in the project as consultants.

A researcher since 1989, Rogers' previous research has also focused on healthy lifestyles related to high cholesterol management, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.

Rogers joined the SIU faculty in 2000. She completed a fellowship in faculty development in general internal medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1990) and her internal medicine residency at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta (1987). She earned her medical degree at the University of South Florida School of Medicine in Tampa (1984), master's in public health at the University of South Carolina in Columbia (2000), and bachelor's at Erskine College in Due West, S.C. (1980).

Wheels to Meals; A Crescent City chef's evacuation plan returns him to the White Dog. - Philadelphia Weekly

'I'm doing a little bit of everything,' Paul Chell says of his new job at the White Dog Cafe. 'I work the line a few days a week and prep most of the other times. I clean up things.'

White Dog executive chef Andy Brown, sitting behind Chell, interrupts him.

'Like a good refugee,' Brown says.

Chell laughs and repeats the phrase: 'Like a good refugee.'

Chell worked at the White Dog from late 1999 to early 2001, when he left to work for star chef Susan Spicer at Cobalt, a restaurant she was opening at the Hotel Monaco New Orleans. About five months ago he went to work at Spicer's Bayona, a highly acclaimed Mediterranean, Asian and Indian restaurant in the French Quarter.

Chell said that as Hurricane Katrina approached, it seemed just like all the other ones he'd lived through since moving to the Big Easy: not all that bad.

'I heard about it,' he says. 'I saw the spiral on television. At first they were saying it was just going to hit Florida. But then it hit the Gulf, and after being down there five years, you learn that it's kinda bad.

'Everybody was calling each other: 'Are you staying? Are you leaving?' It's kind of a big thing every hurricane. Most people were like, 'Oh, we're going to stay.' The past five years the hurricanes we'd been through were not bad at all.'

But Chell heeded the warnings that Hurricane Katrina wasn't like any other hurricane New Orleans had faced in his lifetime. He kept listening to news reports and watching the weather coverage. Then he made a decision.

'I think we'd better go,' he told his fiancee Rachel Witwer, and he spent the next two days trying to convince his friends that they should go too. He made a few converts, and headed out of New Orleans at 5:15 a.m. on Sun., Aug. 28, a day before Katrina hit, heading toward Baton Rouge on gridlocked highways. After some trekking around Louisiana, he knew he wouldn't be returning to his job for a while, even though his restaurant is preparing to reopen in the next few weeks.

Chell, who's from York, Pa., was a line cook at the White Dog before moving to New Orleans. He still had friends in Philadelphia, including Brown, who was a line cook with Chell before becoming executive chef.

'I called Andy up and I asked if there was any way I could work here,' Chell says. 'And he said, Absolutely.''

White Dog Cafe owner Judy Wicks immediately approved the hire.

'I wanted to rehire him right away,' Wicks says. 'I was just hoping he'd stay longer.'

Chell thinks he'll return to New Orleans and Bayona sometime in December.

On Thurs., Oct. 13, the White Dog will host a five-course meal of New Orleans cuisine, with all the proceeds benefiting a drop-in center for homeless people run by Chell's fiancee Witwer.

Chell and Brown will be cooking all of the food at the $55 dinner, which will also feature live New Orleans music. That night the waitstaff will work for free, and they'll even donate their tips.

The White Dog will also match all monetary contributions people make to the restaurant (beyond the cost of their meals) dollar for dollar, with $1,000 already going to Community Labor United, a coalition of grassroots groups working in some of the hardest-hit areas.

Brown conceived the benefit, and the staff coordinated it. Wicks says she'll be 'just a guest' at the dinner.

'I love New Orleans,' Brown says. 'I love the cuisine. After talking to Paul and feeling so bad about what's happening, we wanted to do something. And I didn't want to mourn New Orleans, because New Orleans funerals are nothing like that. We wanted to celebrate what it is. We wanted to have as much fun as we could.'

For now, Chell is sleeping at a friend's house on 50th Street in West Philly, keeping in touch with his fiancee--who is finishing up her master's in public health from Tulane at George Washington University--and hoping New Orleans will be rebuilt to its former glory.

'New Orleans really catered to the tourist market, but there was a real New Orleans that was really, really cool,' Chell says. 'If, when they rebuild it, it's all touristy, it's not going to be the same. And I probably wouldn't want to stay. But I have a good feeling about it. I hope it will be restored to its former glory.'

Daniel McQuade (dmcquade@philadelphiaweekly.com) last wrote about street artists Frost and Bob Will Reign.

Article copyright Philadelphia Weekly.

South Florida mourns loss of longtime community activist Cora Eaves Braynon - Westside Gazette

Cora Eaves Braynon, a native of Louisville, Ky., passed away on Friday, Sept. 16, following a brief illness. Cora Braynon, a resident of Broward County, since 1955, spent her entire career in public heath - as a nurse, educator, and administrator and as a North Broward Hospital District (NBHD) commissioner. Mrs. Braynon received a bachelor's degree in nursing from Tuskegee Institute in Alabama and a master's in public health from the University of Michigan.

Mrs. Braynon was appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush to the North Broward Hospital District board in 1999 and reappointed in 2003. Her last role was that of vice chair. Mrs. Braynon also served on numerous District committees including the Executive Committee, Joint Conference Committee, Minority Business Enterprise Committee, and the Quality Assessment/Oversight Committee.

'Mrs. Braynon's entire career was dedicated to the profession of nursing and health administration. She was a life-long crusader for better healthcare for the residents of Broward County,' said Wil Trower, president/CEO, NBHD. 'It was an absolute honor to have her as a board member and work with her over the years. Her passing is a tremendous loss personally, and to the entire District family.'

The NBHD, providing service for more than 50 years, is a community health system offering a full spectrum of healthcare services. The District encompasses more than 30 healthcare facilities, including Broward General Medical Center, North Broward Medical Center, Imperial Point Medical Center, Coral Springs Medical Center and Chris Evert Children's Hospital.

Prior to receiving the appointment as commissioner of the NBHD, Mrs. Braynon was the first Black registered nurse employed by the Broward County Health Department. She served as Senior Executive Nursing Director for 18 years and retired in 1994. Mrs. Braynon was also an instructor at Broward Community College, Florida Atlantic University and an adjunct faculty member of Barry University Adult and Community Education Program. She also served on the Advisory Council on Nurse Education, Division of Nursing for the Public Health Services, Department of Health and Human Services.

Aside from her commitment to public health, Cora Braynon served 52 years as a life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a public service sorority. She was a pioneer in developing programs for teenage mothers and healthy babies and moms. Her interests were reflected in her sorority work where she implemented the Reaching Adolescent Parents Program. She was also devoted to the Delteen youth program, where she mentored many young women on their role and commitment to finer womanhood. Mrs. Braynon, the immediate past president of the Broward County Alumnae Chapter, served three terms as president. Additionally, she served on regional and national committees of the sorority.

Cora Eaves Braynon leaves to mourn her beloved husband, Ronald W. Braynon, Jr.; three children: Oscar J. Braynon (Patricia), of Miami, Fla.; two daughters: Andrea A. Braynon, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. and Terri Braynon Glasford (Jason), of Miramar, Fla.; one sister, Carrie Eaves Evans (Willis), of Louisville, Ky.; one brother, Frank Eaves (Ella) of Prospect, Ky.; one brother-in-law, Roger Forbes of Fenton, Mich.; sisters-in-law: Betty Sharpe of Lauderdale Lakes, Fla. and Rosemary Braynon of North Miami, Fla.; grandchildren: Oscar Braynon, II, Jina Braynon and Marina Braynon-Moore, a host of nieces, nephews and other family members and friends.

Funeral arrangements for Commissioner Braynon are as follows: The wake is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 23, from 6 to 9 p.m., at St. Mark's Episcopal Church Multi-Purpose Center, 1750 East Oakland Park Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. The funeral service will be held on Saturday, Sept. 24, 11 a.m., at St. Mark's Episcopal Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Delta Education & Life Development Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 9504, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33310, earmarked for the Cora Eaves Braynon Scholarship to benefit students pursuing a bachelor's degree in nursing.

Article copyright BI-ADs, Inc.

Mom 'horrified' at cop's suspension Son's accidental slaying at Red Line stop warrants manslaughter, she says - Chicago Sun-Times

The mother of a man accidentally killed by a Chicago Policeofficer last year is 'shocked and horrified' at the officer'spunishment: a 30-day suspension and some additional training.

'I think he should have been charged with manslaughter,' saidPamela Pleasance, whose 23-year-old son, Michael, was shot themorning of March 8, 2003, by Officer Alvin Weems at the CTA's 95thStreet Red Line station.

Michael Pleasance and two acquaintances were involved in a fightwith two other men when Weems broke up the altercation. With his gundrawn and his finger on the trigger, Weems was trying to subduePatrick Anderson at the same time he turned to face Pleasance, who,the officer said, was threatening him. Then Weems' gun, a .38-caliber snub-nosed revolver, accidentally went off.

Michael Pleasance 'died of a near-contact gunshot wound to thehead,' according to a Cook County medical examiner's report.

His mother, who has filed a wrongful death suit against Weems, thecity and the CTA, says she was 'blindsided' by Friday's announcementby Police Supt. Philip Cline that Weems will be suspended without payfor 30 days for 'failure to adhere to his training' by keeping hisfinger on the gun's trigger during the incident.

Pleasance said she was expecting that Weems, an 18-year veteran onthe force, would get a far stiffer penalty.

But a Cook County state's attorney's investigation concludedWeems' conduct was not criminal, and police officials said thesuspension is in line with department standards.

'The officer failed to follow his training and the rules at greatperil to his own safety,' Cline said Friday. 'This is an officer whoran toward the danger in order to save the victims. He encounteredhostile and dangerous offenders who, despite the officer repeatedlyannouncing his office, ignored the officer's orders.'

Pleasance takes issue with the characterization of her son ashostile and dangerous. 'I know better than that,' she said. 'I knowmy child better than that. Now, if you say he tried to run, maybe . .. but he wouldn't threaten [a police officer].'

Pleasance said she had often spoken with her son about what to doif he was ever stopped by the police.

Pleasance, 56, had spent much of her life steering Mike, theyounger of her two sons, out of trouble. When he was a teenager, shemoved with him to Springfield, where she completed a master's inpublic health as he finished high school.

A registered nurse, she managed her work schedule around droppinghim off and picking him up at different places, so she'd always havean idea of where he was.

'He was a real quiet kid,' she said. 'You wouldn't hardly know hewas even around.'

Pleasance's case was one of 41 in which Chicago Police officersshot someone in 2003, police spokesman Dave Bayless said. The Weemscase is one of three in which the Office of Professional Standardsfound rules violations, but it is the only one in which disciplinehas been formally handed down so far.

Weems has remained on active duty since the incident and hasreceived no additional use-of-force training, beyond standard in-service training, Bayless said.

He will undergo further training after he completes the 30-daysuspension.

Pick the best health chief - whether he's an M.D. or not - Chicago Sun-Times

Kudos on your excellent editorial Nov. 29 regarding therequirements for city health commissioner.

We agree that the M.D. requirement does not ensure the bestpossible person for the commissioner position. It limits the field.

A master's in public health (M.P.H.) or the equivalent providesthe tools necessary to assess public health needs and manage publichealth programs. These skills are more relevant to the commissionerposition than those provided by the M.D. requirement.

Chicago's Board of Health is doing an excellent job in searchingfor the best possible person for the commissioner position. Theyhave narrowed the field and will interview top candidates this month.

Acting commissioner Richard Krieg, who is not an M.D. but has aPh.D. in health policy and management, should be encouraged tocompete for the permanent appointment, along with other candidates(with or without M.D. degrees) from across the nation.

The U.S. Conference of Local Health Officers has gone on recordas supporting the change from M.D. or Ph.D. requirements for publichealth officials.

Nationally, the trend for local health agencies is away from theM.D. requirement: Michigan, Washington, Wisconsin, the city ofMinneapolis, Massachusetts, Oregon, and South Carolina have recentlyamended their laws. Chicago should follow this trend. Clark Burrus, chairman, Health Care Task Force, Deborah Stone, director, Health Care, Metropolitan Planning Council Remedies for DUI

In response to Larry Thompson's Dec. 3 article 'The drinkingdilemma: illness or willfulness?' jail and driver's licenserevocation appear to be remedies for the illness or willfulness ofthose who drive under the influence.

I greatly resent Mr. Thompson's statement that 'Skepticism ofthe medical model abounds; blaming the victim is in.'

The victims of this abuse are the 24,000 people killed inalcohol-related crashes each year in this country.

Larry Mahoney drove drunk and killed 27 people. JosephHazelwood ran the Exxon Valdez aground spilling 11 million gallons ofcrude oil.

It is of no concern to me whether these two were plain drunks orsuffered from a disease. Neither should have been in the driver'sseat. Driving under the influence is a crime, not a disease. Louise E. Kilborn, Loop Wrong speed

Are we getting lax on boater safety? Does ESPN (sports cableTV) condone drinking and boating?

During last Sunday night's broadcast of the Bears-Viking game,ESPN aired a commercial in which a man seated on a sailboat showed asix-pack of beer and said, 'This is my speed.'

Since I do not have cable at home, I usually do not watch ESPN.Now I feel hesitant to order cable TV. What else will I besubjecting my children or myself to?

The commercial might have just as well put the actor, with beerin hand, in the front seat of an automobile saying, 'This is myspeed.' Dale Jordan Sr., East Side Henry offends

It is inexcusable for Ald. William C. Henry (24th), who has aproblem with grocers of Arab and Korean ancestry, to make a statementagainst the Mexican community.

His statement 'You have to know more than Mexican' isirresponsible and demonstrates insensitivity and ignorance of otherpeople's cultures in this city.

There is no such language as Mexican. It is called Spanish andhas been spoken in many parts of this country even before the UnitedStates was founded.

Ald. Henry should know that an attack on the Spanish languageoffends the Mexican community as much as an attack on the color of aperson offends the black community. Just as ignorance of the law isno excuse, so should ignorance of cultures be no excuse. Hector Gamboa, South Lawndale Something foul

I find it interesting to watch politicians when they cry'outrage.' Usually it is done because they need to point a publicfinger at another politician - who is doing the same thing they do,only for a cause they stand against.

So it is with state Rep. T. J. McCracken Jr. (R-Downers Grove)in his Dec. 4 letter 'Not surprised.' He yells 'foul' over theattorney general's decision to attempt to settle the Ragsdale case.

He says the attorney general is 'usurping constitutionalauthority'.

The Illinois Constitution has an article that prohibits theLegislature from enacting a pay raise 'mid-term.' Earlier this year,with Rep. McCracken's hearty approval, the Legislature voted certainof their members a quick $6,000 increase.

Of course, in their enlightened, progressive thinking, it wasnot a pay raise - it was a 'stipend.'

Amazing how Rep. McCracken finds no problem running around theConstitution and bending its intent to line his wallet, but on issueswhere he can possibly pick up some quick votes by calling 'foul' he'sa 'Tommy-on-the-Spot' to point out possible misuse. StanleyModrzyk, Archer Heights Newsy nukes

I was very pleased with Jim Ritter's article on Nov. 26 aboutnuclear waste ('Hot rods,' first of three parts.)

I never knew how many million pounds of radioactive fuel rodswere stored in northern Illinois. It was very surprising to me andmy friends.

How the fuel rods are stored in underground pools of water hadalso interested me.

I was wondering how nuclear waste would affect residents nearthe power plants. Any news stories with information about nuclearwaste as a health hazard would be greatly appreciated. Kwang Kong, Orland Park Sterile stand

Charles Krauthammer is the perfect apologist for ourgovernment's position when he says we are saving El Salvador fromcommunism and therefore right to help fund its current government(column, Dec. 2).

He says in effect this government's anti-communism is all thatmatters. This is our going ideology, anti-communism. We call on itto justify anything.

But it's a simplistic view, and one that our government wants usto buy. We have been patsies for anti-communists, no matter theirwillingness to suppress peaceful political opposition.

'We were knighted in Liberia' - The Charleston Gazette (Charleston, WV)

Lady Bartlett? That's right. She's an honest-to-goodness knight, atitle bestowed by the Liberian government.

Johnnee Bartlett, 90, lives quietly in a modest apartment in SouthCharleston. Age has softened her deep voice and stooped her statelyframe. No one would guess the adventurous, whirlwind life thatpreceded her move to West Virginia.

She grew up in British Columbia, flew her own plane at 18 andworked later as a public health nurse, flying into Alaskan villagesto treat the natives.

She married Pan American executive Stanley Bartlett and lived allover the world. 'I stopped counting the countries,' she said.

Charles Lindbergh was a close friend.

In the early 1970s, oil lured her retired husband to Spencer, thento Kellys Creek.

Oh, yes. She had her first heart attack at 36, a minor detail inher eventful 90-year biography.

'I was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. My father was apoliceman from Scotland. I did the highland fling, the sword dance,all the Scottish dances.

'My mother was Irish, a Murphy. She was deaf. Most people didn'trealize it, because she lip-read perfectly. My mother had theheartiest laugh. It was contagious.

'I got my adventuresomeness from my father. I had two sisters. Iwas my father's boy. I was 5 foot 8. He taught me how to wrestle andbox. Anything a boy could do, I could do, practically. He took memany places with him. If he'd had a son, it would have been a sonhe'd taken.

'Amelia Earhart disappeared during the time I was first startingto fly. I learned when I was 18. My father saw that I got lessons. Iliked doing things everyone else didn't do. Women pilots were anoddity.

'I wore pants to fly, and there weren't many women wearing pantsin those days. I was flying in pretty rugged country. I realized thatif anything happened and I had to land out some place, I should bedressed suitably.

'I went to St. Anne's Academy in Vancouver, then to the Universityof British Columbia, then to Columbia in New York for my master's inpublic health and psychiatry.

'I went to Alaska as a public health nurse, flew to the villagesand delivered babies and looked after people. The Eskimos were verygrateful for every little thing you did for them. In Gnome, we had anawful time with measles. If I remember rightly, we lost 10 people tomeasles. That was before the vaccine. They had a great deal ofsickness because of poor food and poor living conditions. There wasonly so much the Bureau of Indian Affairs could do.

'I was there when they started allowing Eskimos to have liquor.That was their ruination. They couldn't tolerate it. One drink andthey were drunk, and of course, they didn't stop at one drink. So wehad quite a bit of trouble with them getting intoxicated.

'One time, this Eskimo man came and said everyone in his villagewas sick and I had to come. I discovered that he wanted a ride homein an airplane and there wasn't a lot of sickness there at all. AfterI took off, I found this little boy crouched down in the plane, astowaway. I had to circle around and get him out of there.

'I got married in Gnome. My husband managed airports for PanAmerican World Airways. He used to say that when there was a hole inthe dike, he put his finger in it.

'My daughter was born in Seattle. I had her out of the hospitaltwo hours when I got on the plane headed for Gnome. My son was bornfour years earlier in Fairbanks.

'We went down to southeastern Alaska on Annette Island and fromthere to California. After California, we went to the Pacific. Wewent west in the Pacific until it became the East.

'We were among the first 100 people in Tokyo after the war. Myhusband set up a Pan American station there. Pan American flew infood for us. Food supplies were quite limited. It was really quitegrim. We had a housekeeper who had been a high school teacher beforethe war. A lot of people who were doing ordinary work had beeneducated people.

'We lived on Wake Island. It was very isolated, but we had a veryactive social life. There were two airlines there beside PanAmerican, and Pan American ran the island.

'When we were on Wake Island, Charles Lindbergh spent a week withus. He was with Pan American. When we went back to Annette for 10days, doing relief work, Charles visited us again. And he visited uswhen we were in Africa.

'He could ask more questions. He asked about where I flew and whyI flew and how. He was very interested in everything, especially mychildren. He would sit with them and ask one question after another,and they were delighted with him.

'He was very quiet. He didn't want people to know he was on theisland, didn't ever want any kind of fuss. He consented to us havinga party with Pan American employees, and we had several of the topisland people in. He was very gracious, but you could see that wasn'this forte.

'He was going up to Juneau one time when we were living onAnnette. The planes used to stop at Annette and offload passengers.Someone on Annette found out he was coming through, so photographerscame over. My husband went on board and told Charles there werenewspaper people there, and he stayed on board.

'He was such a humble person in so many ways. He did his ownlaundry. At night, he would wash his underpants and undershirt andhang them in the bathroom.

'From Wake Island, we went to Guam. Later, I was in China. Then wecame back this way and lived in West Africa for seven years. We livedin Liberia. You see it quite often in the news these days. When wewere there, it was a very peaceful, very wonderful country. It wassettled by the freed U.S. Negroes who went back there.

'Children used to sell vegetables in front of the store where weshopped. At Christmas, they would say, 'Where's my tip?' Except thisone boy came over and said, 'Here, Missy, here's your Christmas.' Itwas bananas. He used to come to our house and bring vegetables andthings, and he would always say he wanted to go to school. He wasabout 9 or 10 then.

'I finally said to my husband, 'Let's find out about this boy.' Sowe went to the village to see the chief. He said, 'If there's any boywho will do well with an education, it's this one.' His mother wasvery elderly. His father was dead. His older sister said it would befine if we would send him to school. So we sent him to boardingschool, and when school was out, he would stay with us. Even after weleft there, we continued his education and brought him to the States.He's an American citizen. So we have an adopted son, a wonderful man.He lives in Baltimore.

'We were knighted by the Liberian government, both my husband andI. I started three orphanages while we were in Liberia. We were bothvery active in doing things for the people of the country. It wasalmost too much of a social life though. It was nothing to go outfive or six nights a week to social things.

'My husband retired after we left Africa, in 1971. We came back tothe States, bought an Airstream and became trailerists. We came toWest Virginia for a matter of days. My husband became interested inoil mining, so we bought into that, and stayed in West Virginia.

'We came first to Spencer. People in Spencer are among thefriendliest in the world. We came there as absolute strangers, and ina matter of weeks, we were part of the community. Then we moved toKellys Creek, where he had oil wells.

'I had my first heart attack in Gnome when I was 36, and I've hadseveral since. I didn't let anything hold me back. I still don't.Here I am, at age 90. Four years ago, I got a pacemaker. I live withmy nitroglycerin.

'I have no regrets about anything. I was married to a wonderfulman. We had two terrific children. I've had a very interesting life.'

THERE - Filipinas

THERE.

Dom Martin de Jesus: Chants Encounter

He used to be the darling of Manila's fashion glitterati. Now Eduardo 'Gang' Gomez would rather spend his days in contemplation. Gomez, who now goes by the moniker Dom Martin de Jesus, joined the Monastery of the Transfiguration in Bukidnon several years ago to fill a void in his life. These days, Dom Martin attends Matins at three a.m. -- around the time his former self would just be getting into bed.

Gomez, 47, is currently in a period of 'deepening,' where his contact with the outside world is gradually diminishing. He has two more years to go before he has to decide whether or not he wants to take the vow of 'poverty, obedience, celibacy and stability.' For the son of one of the biggest land-owning families in Pampanga, it would mean relinquishing his considerable wealth in order to become a full-fledged monk.

Florence Tadiar: Lady's Choice

Dr. Florence Tadiar's allies call her a lady. But her foes call her an abortionist. Either way, Tadiar doesn't waver in her fight for women's reproductive rights. Simply put, she believes in a woman's right to control her own body. Of particular interest to her is the right of women to choose.

Tadiar took up medicine to help her mother, who was La Union's first woman doctor. In 1966 the United Council of Churches in the Philippines sent her to Singapore to train in family planning. The UCCP also sent her to Haiti to study family planning programs there. Tadiar, who also has a master's in public health from Harvard, eventually set up -- together with her husband -- the La Union chapter of the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines.

'I am not pro-abortion; it's just that I respect the choice,' Tadiar explains. 'Sino ba sila na magsasabi, `Enjoy ka ba sa pag-abort (Who has the right to ask whether you enjoyed going through an abortion)?''

Tadiar knows that the issues she espouses are controversial, and that her stand leaves her vulnerable to religious backlash. But she has no regrets.

'Basta 'yung kailangan, 'yun ang pupuntahan (I go where I am needed),' she says.

Albert Gamos: Tell-Tale Works

If a picture paints a thousand words, then Albert Gamos's illustrations never stop speaking to the hearts of children. As the illustrator of such children's books as Pandaguan: Bakit Namamatay and Tao and the retelling of The Love of Lam-Ang, Gamos has helped transform children's book illustrations from mere space-fillers to unique art forms that tell the story almost as well as the text.

After a stint in film production, Gamos came to children's illustrations via the publishing firm Adarna House in 1980. His ability to make his drawings work with the text has met with acclaim, earning him an honorable mention in the 1983 Biennale of Illustration in Bratislava, Slovakia and the runner-up award in picture-book illustration in the 1992 Noma Concours in Tokyo, Japan.

Gloria Tan Climaco: Plaudits for Audits

Gloria Tan Climaco has always blazed trails in her life. During her stint as chairperson and managing partner of SGV, the biggest auditing firm in the Philippines, she led the company in new directions, expanding into such ventures as revolving trade facility arrangements, capital structuring and debt-to-equity swaps. Recently, she left SGV to blaze another trail by forming her own firm.

Climaco graduated magna cum laude from the Ateneo de Zamboanga with a degree in business administration and went on to graduate work as an SGV scholar at the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management in Northwestern University. Education is still important to her, judging from her involvement with student groups and the activities of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports.

Climaco's drive and expertise has not gone unnoticed. She was one of 100 young leaders worldwide selected to participate in the 1994 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. She was also a 1995 recipient of The Outstanding Women in the Nation's Service (TOWNS) Award in the field of business management.

Proposal to increase nuclear medicine residency program for 2 to 3 years - The Journal of Nuclear Medicine

Nuclear medicine is an evolving field of medicine that has undergone major changes in the last few years. Specific new areas that residents must now master include PET, sentinel node mapping, radioimmunotherapy, and correlative image interpretation with coregistered CT or MRI images. All these aspects of nuclear medicine have been in existence for several years but have only recently become part of the standard clinical repertoire that every nuclear medicine physician must be able to do well. Nuclear medicine physicians act as advisors to other physicians who provide direct care for the patient. As advisors it is essential that they are well trained and able to effectively optimize patient care.

When they finish training, most nuclear medicine residents currently have a broad experience in the field but are not fully capable of stepping into the role of physician advisor. Many take an additional fellowship year in PET. The others continue to learn on the job and gradually mature into capable physicians.

The major goal in extending the nuclear medicine residency program is to give the residents more experience, particularly in the new areas identified previously, as well as in nuclear cardiology. This will ensure that they will be adequately trained to confidently advise their fellow physicians when they finish training and begin their post-training careers.

Background

When originally founded in 1971, the American Board of Nuclear Medicine (ABNM) was a joint board with representation from internal medicine, pathology, and radiology. It became an independent entity in 1976. The requirement for entry into a nuclear medicine residency position was initially 2 years of postgraduate residency training. In 1990, the ABNM voted to decrease the entry requirement to 1 year of postgraduate training, usually an internal medicine or rotating internship. Since the beginning, the nuclear medicine portion of the training has been for 2 years. The only exceptions are for individuals who have completed training in radiology. These physicians can train for 1 year in a nuclear medicine program to become board eligible for ABNM.

Nuclear medicine and preventive medicine are the only secondary specialties in medicine with such short training programs. Preventive medicine is very different, with a requirement for a year of nonclinical academic training, which usually extends longer to a master's in public health degree. Internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, and emergency medicine all are 3-year programs.

Nuclear medicine training in other countries is considerably longer than that in the United States. In Canada, the requirement is 1 year of internship followed by 4 years. Three of those years must be in nuclear medicine. In the United Kingdom, the requirement is 2 years of general clinical experience followed by 4 years of nuclear medicine. In Australia, 3 years of clinical experience are followed by 2 years of nuclear medicine. After this training, the residents are strongly encouraged to spend an additional year of training outside the country.

Throughout the world, training in nuclear medicine is more rigorous than in the United States. This is definitely having an impact on US. productivity in the field. The relative numbers of publications by U.S. nuclear medicine physicians versus those from other countries is dropping. Many U.S. academic nuclear medicine physicians have been trained outside the United States, and their numbers are increasing.

Other Specialties Involved with Nuclear Medicine

Radiology. Radiology residents are required to train for 6 months in nuclear medicine, although this is rarely achieved. More typically, they spend 4-5 months in nuclear medicine rotations and receive credit for lectures and on-call experience for the remaining time. Once they have completed their training in radiology, they are allowed to practice nuclear medicine as well as radiology. Those who are interested in gaining more expertise can take a fellowship year in nuclear radiology. They are then eligible to take a certifying examination and receive a CAQ certificate in nuclear radiology. Alternatively, they can take a residency year in nuclear medicine to become eligible to take the ABNM examination and become board qualified.

Cardiology. Cardiology fellows who wish to practice nuclear cardiology (myocardial perfusion imaging and first-pass and gated blood pool imaging) are required to obtain 200 hours of training in basic concepts in nuclear medicine, including 50 hours of radiation safety training. They must also document involvement with 300 myocardial perfusion studies. Many of these fellows take a certifying examination given by the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC). A small number take the 2-- year nuclear medicine residency program and become board certified by the ABNM.

Endocrinology. The major interest of endocrinologists in nuclear medicine has been in thyroid disease, particularly Grave's disease and thyroid cancer. Nuclear medicine studies are used in diagnosis of these diseases, and high-dose radioiodine is used for therapy. Other areas of interest include octreotide imaging of carcinoid and other neuroendocrine tumors, adrenal imaging, and parathyroid imaging. A small number of endocrinologists are licensed to treat patients with high-dose radioiodine. Training requirements to do this are determined by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and are currently 200 hours of study in basic concepts and radiation safety, along with participation in 30 thyroid treatments.

Radiation oncology. Radiation oncologists treat patients with external beam radiotherapy or with encapsulated sources placed within the body. Nuclear medicine physicians treat patients with unencapsulated radioactive agents. In some areas, this differentiation is becoming blurred. In many rural areas, most of the radioiodine therapy is done by radiation oncologists. They also often direct therapy with ^sup 82^Sr or ^sup 153^Sm for skeletal metastatic pain and are likely to be involved in therapy with radiolabeled antibodies as they become available. The training they receive as part of the radiation oncology residency program qualifies them in the eyes of the NRC to perform these therapies.

Mechanism for Making the Transition

Additional program requirements must be carefully defined. These should include experience in PET, lymphatic mapping, radic,immunotherapy, and correlative imaging. Specific numbers of studies required should be defined. Arrangements should be made for residents to spend at least 4 months in a radiology CT-MRI rotation to become competent in correlative imaging.

Once agreement has been reached and a start date for the 3-year program has been fixed, all residents entering a nuclear medicine residency program after that date would be required to be trained for 3 years to be board eligible. Residents who entered a program before that date would continue to be board eligible after 2 years but would be encouraged to continue for a third year.

The board examination would be modified to test applicants in the new areas beginning 3 years after the start date.

In recognition of the complex nature of our relationship with radiology, we probably have to allow radiologists, who have completed 4 years of training in an American Counsel of Graduate Medical Education-- approved program and are American Board of Radiology board eligible to train for 1 year in a nuclear medicine program to be ABNM board eligible. In anticipation of changes in the radiology training requirements, a resident who has trained for 1 clinical year and 2 years in radiology would be required to train for 2 years in nuclear medicine. Anyone else would need 1 clinical year and 3 years in nuclear medicine.

Impact and Implications

The major impact would be to improve the training of nuclear medicine physicians. This would result in more optimal use of nuclear medicine in both diagnosis and therapy. U.S. nuclear medicine physicians would be trained to a level similar to that in the rest of the world, which is certainly not the case currently. It is likely this improved training would attract more high-quality residents into nuclear medicine. Together with the better training, this would ensure continuation of innovation in the field.

The major impact would be seen in the specialty of radiology. The current arrangement whereby radiologists practice nuclear medicine after minimal training of 4-5 months is not optimal. Although some radiologists have taken the effort to obtain additional training, many have not. This results in low-quality nuclear medicine, decreased referrals for studies, and inappropriate underutilization. It is part of a much larger issue: how much training in nuclear medicine should a radiologist have to be able to competently supervise and interpret nuclear medicine studies? This issue will be resolved only by joint discussion between the ABNM and ABR and with the RRCs of radiology and nuclear medicine.

The impact in other specialties should be minimal. The NRC defines how much basic physics and radiation safety training is necessary to handle radionuclides and administer them to humans. Training requirements in nuclear cardiology are largely defined by ASNC, although ABNM could propose an explicit 2-year program for cardiologists.

A healthy dose of optimism - Swati Piramal ; Doctor-turned businesswoman Swati Piramal runs Piramal Healthcare with a smile - and quiet resolve. - Business Today

In the mid-1970s, a medical student at the University of Mumbaiwas driving in the city's Parel mill district, when she saw a girl,about four years old, hobbling on tiny crutches. The child hadpolio. The future Dr Swati Piramal, then all of 19 years old,decided to fight this preventable yet widespread disease. Today, thequiet resolve that drove her to choose - and win - this battle helpsher run one of the country's top five pharmaceutical companies.

Battling polio in the crannies of working-class Mumbai was afight that took not only medical expertise but organising skills.'The polio-afflicted children in the area were from mill workers'families,' says Piramal. Her goal was to establish a 'no poliozone'. She and her medical school friends set up a polio centre. Inthe first year, they treated 25,000 children. To convince localresidents to get their children immunised, Piramal and her friendsliterally resorted to song and dance - they performed street playsabout polio prevention. They also went door to door, educatingfamilies. They treated children, mostly for free. Ten years later,everyone in the area who needed vaccination or treatment hadreceived it, so they closed the centre.

Swati Piramal, who followed up her MBBS with a Master's in PublicHealth from Harvard University, is now Director, Strategic Alliancesand Communications, Piramal Healthcare. Her company headquarters arein Parel, but her vast office, with works by M.F. Husain on thewalls, is a far cry from the workers' tenements where she spent muchof her student days. Her conversation is peppered with optimism andquotes from the Upanishads.

'Whatever you dream, you can do,' she says. 'At every step, it isyour effort. If you just wait for things to happen, they won't.' Sheand her husband Ajay Piramal, Chairman, Piramal Healthcare, builtthe company against the odds. The Piramals were textile industryveterans, but the 1982 mill strike crippled the business. 'It hadbeen our family business for over 100 years,' she says. As if thatwas not enough, Piramal's father-in-law died soon afterwards, andher brother-in-law was diagnosed with cancer.

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH

Strategic alliances was a new portfolio and a challenge for me.We have tie-ups with many global companies

BUSINESSPERSON I ADMIRE THE MOST

My husband, Ajay Piramal

PRICE I PAID TO BE HERE

Not enough time to do what I enjoy: read, cook up a gourmet meal,take holidays

BIGGEST ADVANTAGE OF BEING AN MPW

The network of strong women with diverse interests

LAST TIME I USED MY MPW TRUMP CARD

As the first woman head of ASSOCHAM, I had to present views onthe economy to the Reserve Bank. I roped in four MPW bankers. Theirviews were appreciated

Her husband, then just 29, was made group chairman. 'Everybodysaid: 'You are too young',' she says. 'But I told him: 'You can doit. We can do it.'' The couple steadied the business and brought itback on track. 'It was a hard journey,' says Piramal.

The couple knew nothing about the pharmaceutical business whenthey decided in 1988 to bid for Nicholas Laboratories, an Australianmultinational that was exiting India. Piramal was just 28 at thetime, and her husband was 33. Their move was a bold step at adifficult time. When they met Mike Barker of Nicholas Laboratoriesand told him of their dream to make the company one of the top fivein Indian pharma, he laughed in disbelief. Nicholas Laboratories wasranked 48th in the Indian industry at the time. Barker sold them thecompany for Rs16.5 crore. A decade later, the Piramals went to seehim with the company's annual report, which showed that the companyhad indeed reached the fifth spot.

Piramal has a deceptively self-effacing manner and plays down herrole in running the company. Asked whether she was behind thegroup's bold move into pharmaceuticals, she says with a laugh: 'Myfamily often says so.' She credits her husband for his clear vision,and the goal of taking the company to the top five. Then, shequietly adds: 'With my husband and me, it is very hard to say whodid what.'

Today, even as grandparents, the Piramals remain the archetypalbusiness couple, working tirelessly to make Piramal Healthcarebigger and stronger. Their company employs hundreds of scientists,and manufactures not only in India but also in Britain and the US.

In the 23 years since the Piramals decided to buy NicholasLaboratories, there have been many mergers, acquisitions andspinoffs. Piramal Healthcare recently announced that it will buy a5.5 per cent stake in Vodafone Essar for around Rs2,890 crore. Themoney for this would come from the May 2010 sale of its brandedgenerics business to Abbott Laboratories, an American company, forRs17,140 crore. The sale to Abbott was followed by another one ofPiramal Healthcare's diagnostics business to Super Religare forRs600 crore.

The swiftness of Piramal's decision in 1998 to acquire a researchcentre in Mumbai from Hoechst Marion Roussel, a subsidiary of theGerman drug maker Hoechst, attests to her role in the company. Shegot a call asking whether her company was interested in buying theresearch centre. Her decision was made in minutes, after a quickconsultation with her husband. The centre's 400 scientists areworking on 18 molecules in various stages of development.

Here's the skinny on new health officer Dayton native James Gross will take up baton to lead county health board. - Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH)

DAYTON -- The picture of health is Montgomery County's new healthcommissioner.

James W. Gross, a Dayton native and avid runner with about all thebody fat of the Olsen twins combined, will assume the role onSaturday after being tapped this week by the health board for PublicHealth -- Dayton & Montgomery County.

'It is a pleasure and an honor to serve my hometown in thiscapacity,' Gross, 51, said Thursday.

A 29-year veteran of the public health arena, Gross is the healthdepartment's assistant health commissioner. He served a brief stintas interim commissioner prior to Allene Mares taking the top job lastyear. Mares leaves today for a similar role in her hometown of GreatFalls, Mont.

Gross said the biggest challenge of his job will be working withresidents, the medical community and other groups to create 'healthycommunities within Montgomery County.'

Health board President Dr. David Page said, 'We are excited tohave someone within our organization who grew up in our area, knowsour public health challenges and has worked closely with Allene.'

Gross, a former youth basketball and track coach and the father oftwo grown children, is a 1973 graduate of Belmont High School. Heearned his bachelor's degree from Wright State University in 1977 andhis master's in public health there in 2005.

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE RECEIVES GRANT TO STUDY HEAD AND NECK CANCER - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., March 29 -- The Southern Illinois University School of Medicine issued the following news release:

A physician at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield has been awarded a national grant from the American Institute for Cancer Research to test a program designed to prevent loss of muscle mass during treatment for head and neck cancer. Total budget for the two-year grant is $165,000.

Dr. Laura Rogers, associate professor of internal medicine and member of the Simmons Cancer Institute at SIU, is the principal investigator for the project.

Patients with head and neck cancer often suffer serious decreases in their ability to eat, causing them to lose weight and muscle tissue as well as experience a negative impact on their quality of life. The study will evaluate a number of head and neck cancer patients, who are starting radiation therapy. They will be enrolled in a 12-week diet-counseling program. Half will also receive strength training. Results of the study may provide new ways to improve treatment and quality of life for head and neck cancer patients.

A researcher since 1989, Roger's research funding at SIU also includes two exercise and breast cancer grants currently funded by the National Cancer Institute. For more information about SIU exercise and cancer research, visit www.siumed.edu/medicine/beatcancer.htm. In addition to Rogers' exercise and cancer research, her previous research has focused on healthy lifestyles related to high cholesterol management, smoking cessation and osteoarthritis.

Rogers joined the SIU faculty in 2000 and is a member of SIU HealthCare. She completed a two-year faculty development fellowship in general internal medicine at the University of North Carolina (1990) and her internal medicine residency at the Medical College of Georgia (1987). She earned her master's in public health at the University of South Carolina (2000), medical degree at the University of South Florida School of Medicine (1984) and bachelor's at Erskine College (1980).

Passion for helping others inspires humanitarian travels - Honolulu Star - Advertiser

Yes, Nancy Pace has spearheaded medical missions to Ethiopia to help those widowed and orphaned by AIDS. No, she and the Dalai Lama are not BFFs.

Yes, it is also true that Pace has worked to help Thai prostitutes get off the streets. No, there is no truth to the rumor that Mother Teresa once told her to take it down a notch.

And, yes, Pace really did take part in Rotary International's polio immunization campaign in Nigeria under the protection of local police and a retinue of machine-gun-toting security guards. Alas, no, she does not stay up until the wee hours negotiating peace in the Middle East and teaching unicorns how to fly.

Scoff if you must, but it isn't always easy to discuss Pace's humanitarian adventures without lapsing into hyperbole or based-on-a-true-story artistic license.

The facts as we know them are these: Pace grew up in Columbus, Ohio. Her father was assistant dean of surgery at Ohio State University and the type of person who would wake at 4:30 a.m. during the winter so he could anonymously clear snow from the driveways on the block.

'He did it because that's what good neighbors do,' Pace said.

Pace's mother was an avid community volunteer, the trusted friend people sought out first when there was a crisis.

Pace did her undergraduate studies at Vassar and earned a master's in public health from Harvard. A couple of weeks before she was to start medical school at Cincinnati, Pace met her future husband, Mel Kaneshige.

The couple courted long distance for the three years it took Pace to complete her studies. She eventually moved to Hawaii 28 years ago to marry the love of her life and figure out how to make good on her lifelong plan to work on behalf of the world's less fortunate.

Pace does not practice medicine in Hawaii. Rather, she works as a consultant to earn the money she needs to fund her humanitarian missions around the world. In the past 10 years she has traveled to Thailand to share food, education and medical assistance with refugees and prisoners, led Kaimuki Christian Church volunteers in a medical mission to western Kenya, served as the Global Hope Network International physician coordinator for another medical mission to Ethiopia and Kenya, and participated in that Nigeria immunization project. Last year she returned to Thailand to work with prostitutes, bring supplies to prisons, teach at a government school and conduct a medical clinic.

Pace's work earned her the 2010 Jerry Chang Peacemaker Award from the Rotary International Hawaii District. Yet Pace measures her own success by whom she helps, inspires and empowers. She counts among her greatest accomplishments the fact that her and Mel's two children have grown into concerned, engaged citizens of the world.

'It's important to realize that when you have nothing, when you're stripped of everything, what matters is connecting with other people as one human being to another.'

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@staradvertiser.com.

Director avoids spotlight/ Health official may not keep job - The Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO)

Rosemary Bakes-Martin, deputy director of the El Paso CountyDepartment of Health and Environment, now occupies the top spot atthe department - but it's not a spot she hopes to stay in.

Bakes-Martin was named acting director after the Board of Healthrecently dismissed Dr. Tisha Dowe. She doesn't plan to seek the No. 1job permanently. Bakes-Martin, who is not a doctor, says the boardshould seek a physician with a strong public-health background forthe job of director. She is more comfortable, she says, in the deputyrole.

'I prefer to work behind the scenes,' she says. It's not clear howlong she'll be in the spotlight. The board has not publicly discussedhow it will search for a new director, nor has it offered a timeline.

Bakes-Martin, 56, joined the Health Department in August 2000after nine years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention inAtlanta, and she formally remains a CDC employee. The HealthDepartment pays about three-quarters of her annual $88,000 salary tothe federal agency, which funds the rest and issues her paychecks.

'We've kidded about that,' says Larry Schaad, who worked closelywith Bakes-Martin in assuming the new Health Department post ofdirector of bioterrorism and emergency preparedness last fall. 'Wecall her a rental deputy director.'

The job here offers her a chance to be closer to family - she hasa daughter in Denver and a son in Grand Junction - and to gain hands-on experience in public health. Part of her time at the CDC inAtlanta was as program manager for the National Public HealthPerformance Standards Program, an effort to develop standards forpublic-health practice.

The CDC supports employees getting practical experiences throughinteragency agreements such as hers, Bakes-Martin says.

'I have very little obligation to CDC, even though they help payme. During this time, they expect me to do the job that I am here todo.'

As acting director, Bakes-Martin directs a staff of nearly 250 andguides the day-to-day activities of an agency that touches the livesof every county resident through restaurant inspections, monitoringof communicable disease and other services. Schaad says thedepartment is lucky to have her.

'She brings a tremendous wealth of public-health expertise fromthe federal sector. She's very down to earth, very personable. Ithink staff (members) feel really comfortable in coming and talkingwith her.'

Bakes-Martin describes her leadership style as one of mentoring.Michael Hatcher, a longtime co-worker at the CDC, agrees.

'She has a lot of respect for those that are capable around herand gives them latitude to work and get the job done,' Hatcher says.'She is as steady as a rock as a manager.'

Bakes-Martin grew up in Burlington, Iowa, the oldest of fivechildren.

Her mother was a nurse and she was interested in the medical fieldat an early age, but her interests lie more in the lab than in acareer as a nurse or doctor.

She earned a degree in general biology and medical technology atthe University of Iowa, then underwent a one-year medical-technologist internship at St. Anthony's Hospital in Denver.

She spent the next 20 years in Colorado in a variety of jobsbefore going to work in Atlanta.

'I feel like my careers have built upon each other,' she says. 'Itwas maybe a natural progression that I hadn't planned.'

She has continued her education, completing her master's in publichealth last year.

Bakes-Martin, who in addition to her two grown children has a 17-year-old son at home, acknowledges she doesn't have much time foroutside interests. She enjoys live theater and Colorado's naturalbeauty although she doesn't go hiking as much as she'd like.

She once thought she might like to end her career in Washington,D.C., but she now hopes to stay in El Paso County.

'I'm glad to be back in Colorado,' she says. But she knows herfuture here rests in the hands of the Board of Health, the CDC andwhoever is chosen to lead the Health Department.

The department has had a stormy history in recent years. Dowe wasdismissed after fewer than three years on the job. Her predecessor,Dr. Steven Englender, was fired by the board in 1998 after 16 monthsas director.

Bakes-Martin praises the staff as resilient in light of thatturmoil and devoted to serving as a watchdog over public health.

'I really have a lot of respect for this staff.'

Moving up - AZ Daily Star

The changing face of Tucson's business

Dentist of the Year award presented to McMaster

Dr. Douglas E. McMaster, a dentist in private practice, waspresented with one of two Dentist of the Year awards by the ArizonaDental Association. This is the first year two dentists havereceived the award. In addition to his work in the field, McMasterwas recognized for his efforts chairing for the past two years theAzDA Council on Dental Education, the council responsible forplanning the associations' annual convention.

Drs. Burton E. Becker and William Becker of Tucson, in privatepractice together, were also honored by the AzDA, receiving Hall ofFame Service awards.

Duarte will direct Hispanic marketing

Luis Duarte has been named director of Hispanic marketing andexecutive partner at Design and Build Marketing Solutions. Duarte'spartner is Catherine Cortes, who had been serving as the company'sprincipal director.

Service organization adds 3 to board, elects leaders

Jewish Family and Children's Service of Southern Arizona hasadded three members to its board and elected three to executivepositions. Jeff Goldberg, Nancy Robertson and Tandy Kippur joinedthe nonprofit's board of directors this year. Bruce Beyer, Jill Richand Larry Leiken were appointed chairman, chair-elect and vicechairman, respectively.

Attorney Sherlock joins Karp Heurlin Weiss

Kevin M. Sherlock recently joined the law firm of Karp HeurlinWeiss. His practice focuses on the areas of complex commercial andcontract litigation, as well as entity formation and employment law.Sherlock is also vice president and director of the PerimeterBicycling Association of America Inc., which organizes the annual ElTour de Tucson.

Community Bank elects podiatrist to board

Dr. Amram Dahukey has been elected to the board of directors ofSouthern Arizona Community Bank. Currently the head of podiatricsurgery at Tucson Medical Center, Dahukey has served in the medicalfield for 25 years and is the founder and chairman of Premier Footand Ankle Surgeons.

Hall joins Rusing & Lopez litigation department

Elizabeth A. Hall has joined the law firm of Rusing & Lopez PLLCas an attorney in the litigation department. She was formerly withJones, Skelton & Hochuli PLC in Phoenix. Hall is a 2005 graduate ofthe University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law andpreviously received her master's in public health from the Mel andEnid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the UA.

Legal Administrators elect Glave top officer

The Tucson Old Pueblo Chapter of the Association of LegalAdministrators has elected its board of directors for 2007-2008.They are:

Stephanie Glave, Fennemore Craig PC, president;

Sharon Hansen, Snell & Wilmer LLP, vice president;

Pat Money, Rusing & Lopez PLLC, secretary;

Mark Hamblin, Pima County Public Defender's office, treasurer;

Chris Goff, Bancroft Susa & Galloway, member-at-large.

Celebrations - Washington Jewish Week

Zauderer-Baldwin

Juditii and Donald Zauderer of North Betiiesda have announced die marriage of their daughter, Laura, to Grant Baldwin, son of Teresa and Michael Baldwin of Sanibel Island, FIa., on May 2. The wedding took place at Frogtown Cellars, in Dahlonega, Ga., and was officiated by Rabbi Joshua Lesser.

The bride is also the granddaughter of Ediel Zauderer of Rockville.

She received a master's degree in public healtii from Emory University in 2001, and works for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Adanta, where she leads communication efforts for the Division of Diabetes Translation.

The groom received his master's in public health from Emory University in 1996. He received his doctorate in public health from the University of Michigan. He is director of CDCs Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention.

The couple honeymooned in Corsica and Provence before returning home to Adanta.

Lichtenstein-Burka

Jodee and Michael Lichtenstein of Betiiesda have announced the marriage of their daughter, Allee, to Lawrence Burka, son of Ruth and Benjamin Burka of Olney, on July 4. The wedding took place at Strathmore Music Center; Rabbi Ari Sunshine and Cantor Marshall Kapell officiated.

The bride is the granddaughter of Roz and George Zitelman of Betiiesda.

The groom is the grandson of Alice Kronman of Olney and Phyllis Burka of Rockville.

The bride graduated from Elon University in Elon, N.C., with a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education. She works in the area of educational outreach for Close Up Foundation.

The groom received a Bachelor of Science degree in business management from Babson College. He is product manager for Intercontinental Hotels Group.

The couple reside in Atlanta.

Kvell about it in WJW

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA LAW STUDENTS, ALUMNA PURSUE HUMAN RIGHTS WORK WITH HELP FROM FELLOWSHIPS - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., May 28 -- The University of Virginia issued the following news release:

Recent University of Virginia law graduate and Sri Lanka native Nilakshi Parndigamage has been working on human rights issues since she was a teenager.

'I don't think I ever seriously considered any other line of work,' said Parndigamage, who, before attending Yale University, worked with the United Nations in Sri Lanka to stop forced domestic child labor. 'If you do that at an early age, you have some sort of realization and it's hard to go back to something else.'

Parndigamage and more than a dozen other U.

Va. law students and an alumna are the recipients of human rights fellowships sponsored or co-sponsored by the Law School this year.

The fellowships allow recipients to work anywhere from South Africa to Ecuador with the goal of tackling some of the world's most troubling human rights problems.

Annalise Nelson, a 2007 graduate of the Law School, has been named the Orrick International Court of Justice Traineeship Fellow for 2010-11. Sponsored by international law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, the fellowship includes an award of up to $50,000 to cover expenses while Nelson works at the World Court in The Hague.

Nelson -the sixth U.

Va. alumnus accepted into the trainee program in six years - will begin her nine-month position in September.

'It's very rare to have an opportunity to get to really be immersed in the field full-time doing public international law, and the ICJ is a great opportunity for me to be able to do that,' Nelson said.

She said she was heavily invested in human rights issues in law school, including the International Human Rights Law Clinic.

'Because I've been well-versed on the private international law side, I wanted to try something that was going back to my first interest, which was public international law.'

Rising second-year law student Laura Jolley is this year's Class of 1957 South Africa Human Rights Summer Fellow. The N.

C. State graduate worked on HIV issues during her time in the Peace Corps in Lesotho, in southern Africa, after which she pursued a master's in public health from George Washington University.

Although she had planned to work for the AIDS Law Project in Johannesburg, South Africa, that organization was recently incorporated into one that also addresses larger human rights concerns. The new organization is named Section 27, after the portion of the South African constitution concerned with socioeconomic rights.

'They exemplify one type of cause-lawyering in how they've addressed the needs of those infected and affected by the disease, and now they've expanded to a broader purpose, and to work with them and see how they've made that progression will be really interesting,' Jolley said.

Jolley, a participant in the Law School's Program in Law and Public Service, has been involved in the fight against HIV for much of her life.

'I've always been interested in diseases of poverty, ever since I was a child,' she said.

For Parndigamage, recipient of the Monroe Leigh Fellowship in International Law, the funding offers a way to continue her life's work in human rights.

Parndigamage plans to complete an unpaid internship with Cohen, Milstein, Sellers & Toll, a mid-sized law firm in Washington, D.

C., with a prominent but small human rights litigation practice.

The two-person department primarily represents foreign victims of U.

S. companies in lawsuits filed under the Alien Tort Claims Act and other U.

S. laws. 'Cohen Milstein is greatly respected for their groundbreaking international human rights litigation work, and I'm lucky that I can start my career as an attorney getting hands-on experience with them,' said Parndigamage, whose international human rights work after graduating from Yale included assisting the Slobodan Milosevic prosecution before the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia in the Hague and interning for the International Center for Transitional Justice in Cape Town.

Parndigamage is sharing the Monroe Leigh Fellowship with Calleigh McRaith, who is receiving a smaller portion of the award to work for the International Center for Transitional Justice in Cape Town, South Africa. McRaith also received a Public Interest Law Association grant.

Other students earning PILA fellowships for human rights or public international law work include:

* Micki Bloom, Institute for International Law and Human Rights, Washington, D.

C.

* Wes Boling, Institute for International Law and Human Rights, Washington, D.

C.

* Claire Boronow, Minority Rights Group International, London

* Salima Burke, Center for Applied Legal Studies, Gender Unit, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

* Ashley Brown, U.

N. International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Arusha, Tanzania

* Robert Castillo, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Arusha, Tanzania

* Amelia Dungan, Secretariat of Pacific Communities, Fiji

* Kathryn Fennig, International Justice Mission, Guatemala City

* Hernando Montoya, Asylum Access, Quito, Ecuador

* Katherine Reynolds, Center for Human Rights Legal Action, Guatemala City

* Joel Sanderson, U.

N. International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Arusha, Tanzania

* Madison Saniuk, International Justice Mission, Manila, Phillippines

* Anisha Singh, International Bridges to Justice, New Delhi

Some students are self-funding human rights work:

* Carolyn Greco, International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia, The Hague

* Emerald Greywoode, Timap for Justice, Sierra Leone

* Geoffrey Grissett, International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia, The Hague.

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

HEALTH RESOURCES & SERVICES ADMINISTRATION ISSUES GRANTS NOTICE ON 'ARRA: DENTAL FACULTY LOAN REPAYMENT' - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

WASHINGTON, April 28 -- Health Resources & Services Administration issues grant opportunity to plan, develop, and operate a loan repayment program under which individuals agree to serve full-time as faculty members; and the program of general, pediatric or public health dentistry agrees to pay the principal and interest on the outstanding student loans of the individuals. Estimated total program funding is $2,500,000.

The funding opportunity number HRSA-10-260 was posted on April 28, 2010 with an application closing date of May 28, 2010.

Category of Funding Activity is Health.

Expected Number of Awards: 20

Eligible Applicants: Others

Additional Information on Eligibility: Entities eligible for grants to support training in general, pediatric, or public health dentistry include entities that have programs in dental or dental hygiene schools; or have approved residency or advanced education programs in the practice of general, pediatric, or public health dentistry. Therefore, for the purposes of this announcement, the use of 'general, pediatric, and public health dentistry', 'primary care dentistry' and 'dental faculty' shall include dental hygiene unless otherwise noted. Grants may be made to accredited dental or dental hygiene schools, public or private not-for-profit hospitals, or other pubic or not for profit entities to plan, develop, and operate, or participate in, an approved professional training program in the field of general dentistry, pediatric dentistry, public health dentistry, or dental hygiene for dental or dental hygiene students, dental residents, practicing dentists or dental hygienists, or other approved primary care dental trainees, that emphasizes training in general, pediatric, or public health dentistry. Eligible entities may partner with schools of public health for the education of dental students, residents or dental hygiene students for a master's in public health in an accredited program. Training activities must be conducted by an accredited entity; therefore, either the applicant or a partner organization responsible for the dental or dental hygiene training must be accredited.

The description of the Grants Notice is 'A grant may be awarded to a program of general, pediatric, or public health dentistry described in subsection to plan, develop, and operate a loan repayment program under which individuals agree to serve full-time as faculty members; and the program of general, pediatric or public health dentistry agrees to pay the principal and interest on the outstanding student loans of the individuals.'

Full Announcement: https://grants.hrsa.gov/webExternal/SFO.asp?

HEALTH RESOURCES & SERVICES ADMINISTRATION ISSUES GRANTS NOTICE ON 'ARRA: FACULTY DEVELOPMENT IN GENERAL, PEDIATRIC, PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTRY, DENTAL HYGIENE' - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

WASHINGTON, April 28 -- Health Resources & Services Administration issues grant opportunity to plan, develop, and operate a program for the training in oral health care providers who plan to teach in general, pediatric, public health dentistry, or dental hygiene; and to provide financial assistance in the form of traineeships and fellowships to dentists who plan to teach or are teaching in general, pediatric, or public health dentistry. Please note that the estimated amount of funding and number of awards encompasses all dental primary care programs. Estimated total program funding is $20,000,000.

The funding opportunity number HRSA-10-263 was posted on April 28, 2010 with an application closing date of May 28, 2010.

Category of Funding Activity is Health.

Expected Number of Awards: 60

Eligible Applicants: Others

Additional Information on Eligibility: Entities eligible for grants to support training in general, pediatric, or public health dentistry include entities that have programs in dental or dental hygiene schools; or have approved residency or advanced education programs in the practice of general, pediatric, or public health dentistry. Therefore, for the purposes of this announcement, the use of 'general, pediatric, and public health dentistry', 'primary care dentistry' and 'dental faculty' shall include dental hygiene unless otherwise noted. Grants may be made to accredited dental or dental hygiene schools, public or private not-for-profit hospitals, or other pubic or not for profit entities to plan, develop, and operate, or participate in, an approved professional training program in the field of general dentistry, pediatric dentistry, public health dentistry, or dental hygiene for dental or dental hygiene students, dental residents, practicing dentists or dental hygienists, or other approved primary care dental trainees, that emphasizes training in general, pediatric, or public health dentistry. Eligible entities may partner with schools of public health for the education of dental students, residents or dental hygiene students for a master's in public health in an accredited program. Training activities must be conducted by an accredited entity; therefore, either the applicant or a partner organization responsible for the dental or dental hygiene training must be accredited.

The description of the Grants Notice is 'To plan, develop, and operate a program for the training in oral health care providers who plan to teach in general, pediatric, public health dentistry, or dental hygiene; and to provide financial assistance in the form of traineeships and fellowships to dentists who plan to teach or are teaching in general, pediatric, or public health dentistry. Please note that the estimated amount of funding and number of awards encompasses all dental primary care programs.'

Full Announcement: https://grants.hrsa.gov/webExternal/SFO.asp?

Women's History Month: Valencia P. Covington, MD, MPH - The Charlotte Post

Medical Director at C.W. Williams Community Health Center

Valencia P. Covington MD, MPH is medical director at C.W. Williams Community Health Center Inc., a federally qualified health center that provides comprehensive health care to underserved individuals. In addition to accepting commercial insurance, the center takes Medicare 3^ Medicaid clients and uses a discounted fee structure based on federal Poverty guidelines for qualified patients.

Covington, who returned to C.W. Williams after assuming the director's position in the late 1980s, supervises a staff of 10 board-certified health providers. She is also an active participant in patient care, keeping appointments with clients at least three days a week. C.W. Williams treats patients at two offices: 3333 Wilkinson Blvd. and 1918 Randolph Road, Suite 670.

Covington is board certified in family medicine and has been part of Charlotte's medical community since 1986. A Johnson C. Smith University graduate, she earned a medical degree and a master's in public health from UNC Chapel Hill. Covington's professional affiliations range from past president of the Charlotte Medical, Dental, and Pharmaceutical Society and a term as chair of the Presbyterian Hospital Department of Family Medicine. She serves on the Clinical and Network Directors Committee at Community Care of North Carolina, which makes decisions for the Carolina Access Medicaid program across the state.

On the Net:

C.W. Williams Health Community Center

Catalina Foothills Unified School District: Almost $20 million will be on ballot - AZ Daily Star

Voters in Catalina Unified School District will decide Nov. 2whether they like the way their school board is representing themand whether to allow the district to spend close to $20 million onbuilding renovations and updating textbooks and technology.

The district is asking voters for permission to sell $18.8million in bonds to pay for expanded parking, a storage facility,construction of a preschool and renovation of district buildings.

The district also is asking for a $600,000 budget override to payfor library maintenance and updating textbooks and technology. Theoverride would raise the secondary tax rate on a $100,000 home by$13.61 per year.

Five candidates are running for two open seats on the district'sgoverning board. Three candidates indicate they'd like to see theboard better represent its constituents. The other two want to seethe district maintain its superior academic standing. The districtboasted a 98.6 percent graduation rate last year.

STEVEN J. ADAMCZYK

Age: 40; Family: Married; two children, 10 and 7

Occupation: University of Arizona attorney

Education: Bachelor's in finance and marketing from New YorkUniversity; law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law

Major campaign issue: 'Taxation without representation. Theschool board represents its administration, but not the constituency- the parents and the community'

Campaign contact: 400-3539

TIM ALBERTS

Age: 38; Family: Married; two children, 3 and 5

Occupation: Manages a small biotech company, director of businessoperations

Education: Bachelor's in math from Colorado College, M.B.A. fromTulane University, master's in public health administration fromUniversity of Arizona, master's in sports administration fromUniversity of Massachusetts at Amherst; teaching certificate (taughthigh school math).

Major campaign issue: 'Parents are the board's constituency andit's very important to make sure they're part of the process, theirinput is received and their concerns taken seriously.'

Campaign contact: 748-2586

ALICE A. CATALLINI

Age: 47; Family: Married, two children, a junior and an eighth-grader in district

Occupation: Homemaker

Education: Bachelor's of science in medical technology fromSoutheast Missouri State University

Major campaign issue: 'To continue to work on the kinds of thingsthat provide excellent education for our students.'

Campaign contact: 544-9586

GEORGE H. GARCIA

Age: 55; Family: Married; one child, 18

Occupation: Real estate appraiser and consultant

Education: Some college, didn't finish degree in psychology

Major campaign issue: 'Make sure the money is all going to thekids in the classrooms.'

Campaign contact: 270-8006

CAROLE SIEGLER

Age: 62; Family: Married; three grown sons.

Occupation: Volunteer and former teacher

Education: Bachelor of science in education from Drake University

Major campaign issue: 'It's continuing doing the really goodthings that we're doing.'

NAU taps demand for classes here - AZ Daily Star

CORRECTION RAN JANUARY 21, 2004 A2

The subject Patricia Bolle teaches was incorrect in a story on A1Monday. Bolle teaches seventh-grade science at Mansfeld MiddleSchool.

A growing number of Tucsonans are becoming Lumberjacks withoutever leaving home.

Enrollment in the distance learning programs Northern ArizonaUniversity offers in Tucson increased 14 percent in the last schoolyear, and last fall 809 students were enrolled in a variety ofevening, accelerated and online courses.

'We're offering a lot of new programs that we haven't offered inthe past in Tucson, and that's going to increase enrollment,' saidFred Hurst, NAU's vice president for extended programs and dean ofdistance learning.

Far from siphoning students from either NAU's mountain campus orthe University of Arizona, the distance courses offered in Tucsonand 27 other places statewide attempt to meet the growing demand fornon-traditional education - typically older students, careerchangers and work force needs.

NAU offers 44 programs in Tucson, ranging from undergraduate andgraduate degrees to a variety of certificates and endorsements.

'We've probably doubled the number of programs we're offering inthe last five years,' Hurst said.

Much of the growth has been in undergraduate programs that areideal for students who spend their first two years at a communitycollege, then transfer to NAU for their upper-division study.

NAU has long offered graduate education degrees in Tucson andfound a niche developing programs, like hotel and restaurantmanagement, that the UA didn't offer. Then last spring the ArizonaBoard of Regents abolished geographic boundaries as part of itsChanging Directions initiative to give the universities morefreedom, essentially freeing NAU to offer any programs statewide.

'Anything the university system can do to encourage individualsto pursue a four-year degree is incredibly valuable to the future ofthis state's economy, and I'm delighted to see NAU being soaggressive,' Regent President Chris Herstam said.

Pima Community College Chancellor Roy Flores, who is working withUA officials on ways to help more Tucson students earn bachelor'sdegrees, called it 'a very, very positive thing to have NorthernArizona University here. I don't think we need to be worried aboutthere being duplication or too much education taking place downhere,' he said. 'From our perspective, it's important to have otheruniversities here that are providing access for the kinds ofstudents that wouldn't perhaps go to the University of Arizona.'

Distance learning accounts for nearly 6,000 students, or 32percent, of NAU's total enrollment. The main campus has suffered asteady decline in enrollment since the mid-1990s, and distancelearning had been on pace to surpass it within the decade until fall2003, when distance learning and on-campus each lost 500 students -bringing total enrollment down to 18,824.

Those off-campus losses, felt most acutely in rural Arizona andthe education master's program in Maricopa County, made Tucson evenmore of a bright spot for NAU as the fastest-growing of 28 sitesstatewide, Hurst said. Tucson accounts for 14 percent of NAU's off-campus enrollment.

The Lumberjacks see big potential in Tucson.

'We believe the market will continue to expand for distancelearning,' Hurst said. 'Most of the research says the average personwill have five different jobs or careers in their lifetime. Whatthat means is the need for adult education, to allow people toadvance in careers or move to a new career, continues throughoutlife, especially with the growth in population in Arizona.'

NAU officials crunched census data and found that 26,500 peoplewith associate's degrees and 63,000 with bachelor's degrees livewithin a 20-mile radius of Tucson's center. 'Those are all potentialstudents for NAU or another educational institution,' Hurst said.

That's not even counting the students who come from throughoutSouthern Arizona - from Sells to Sierra Vista and south to Nogales.'We're going to continue to grow,' said Debra Castelan, NAU'srecently hired student recruitment specialist.

Susie Townsend, who directs NAU Tucson's Alternative TeacherCertification Program, logs hundreds of miles visiting her studentsin classrooms from Toltec to Douglas. Her post-baccalaureateteaching program, which has grown to more than 100 students since itstarted in 2001, appeals to working professionals like PatriciaBolle, who had already earned her bachelor's degree in nutritionalsciences and a master's in public health from the UA when shedecided she wanted to teach.

Bolle was in the first class, and finished in less than two yearsby taking evening and online courses while substitute teachingduring the day.

'I thought it was excellent. It's very flexible. You can stillhave a 40-hour-a-week job and go to school at night,' said Bolle,who teaches seventh-grade math at Mansfeld Middle School and feelsshe was well- prepared. 'I love it,' she said.

Adriana Manrique, 26, was also in that first class but went on tocomplete her master's degrees in elementary education - she visitedFlagstaff only for last month's commencement, where many of theother graduates 'graduated the same way I did, through the extensionprograms.'

It was also a homecoming of sorts because Manrique had attendedNAU as a freshman, although she earned her bachelor's degree infamily studies in May 2001 as a Wildcat.

Manrique, who today teaches kindergarten at Safford MagnetSchool, was so happy with NAU Tucson that she encouraged her brotherto transfer from the UA when he had trouble getting the courses heneeded to finish his business degree. 'This is his second semester,and he's going to graduate in May,' she said, noting her dad is alsoan NAU alum.

The bachelor of science degree in business administration is oneof the programs NAU added since the change in regents policy.

NAU offices are at Pima Community College's Community Campus, 401N. Bonita Ave., and most of its advertising so far has been donethrough word of mouth - especially among teachers. Classes aretaught at Pima College campuses and schools throughout Tucson.

'You know you're going through NAU,' Manrique said. 'You log onas a student - you have your own e-mail,' she said. 'The people atthe front desk are very helpful. They know you by name,' she said.

Arizona State University also has offices at the community campusand has offered a master's degree in social work in Tucson for manyyears.

However, ASU Provost Milt Glick said the state's largestuniversity has no plans to bring new programs into Tucson.

How to enroll

NAU's distance learning program offers a mix of ongoing degreeand certificate programs. For course availability and registration,call 879-7900. Many courses are offered in accelerated eight-weeksessions, or in the evenings.

HOW MUCH IT COSTS:

Loma Linda University students get in the dirt to learn about crops - Redlands Daily Facts

LOMA LINDA - College students who study food and nutrition havetaken the plunge into dirt.

After a yearlong planning effort, Nichol Hall Sprouts Gardenopened Friday with some 30 students from the Loma Linda Universityschools of Allied Health and Public Health planting seeds intoraised beds.

Sophie Hung, 26, a who recently received a master's in publichealth, began working on the project as a student and came back toparticipate and help coach students on proper seed plantingtechniques.

Since graduation, she has enrolled in a 'Master Gardener' programto learn some of the finer points in plant raising.

Like many students participating in the garden project, Anny Ha,31, in her second year of study for a master's degree in nutrition,plans to use what she learns about raising crops to teach others.

Among the first seeds planted in a total of eight raised bedswere carrots, beets, spinach, lettuce, peas and kale.

Some beds were left untouched so that future crops can be added.

'Usually, people find a recipe they like in a book, then buy thefood to make it,' said Cory Gheen, executive chef for the nutritionand dietary programs.

But with the garden, students will be learning how to deal with'the plants dictating what the cooking will be.'

When the crops come in, students will be challenged to findinteresting and diverse ways to cook them while they are still attheir freshest point, he said.

Growing the food they eat will give them a new respect for theirfood and cause the students to waste less, Gheen said.

Eddy Jara, an assistant professor of nutrition and global health,said students will be learning techniques they can use to teach low-income people how to supplement their diets with inexpensive,healthy foods.

jim.steinberg@inlandnewspapers.com,

HEALTH LAW SCHOLAR TO ADDRESS PRESIDENTIAL DNA THE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO KNOW - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

The University of Georgia issued the following news release:

The University of Georgia School of Law's 104th Sibley Lecture, titled 'Presidential DNA and the Public's Right to Know the (Future) Health of Its Leader,' will be delivered by Boston University's Utley Professor George J. Annas. The lecture will be held Nov. 13 at 4:30 p.m. in the law school's Hatton Lovejoy Courtroom and is free and open to the public.

Specializing in health law and bioethics, Annas has authored or edited 17 books, most recently 'Public Health Law' and 'American Bioethics: Crossing Human Rights and Health Law Boundaries.' He has also written regular features for the Hastings Center Report, the American Journal of Public Health and the New England Journal of Medicine.

'The law school is privileged to host such a respected legal scholar as George Annas,' Georgia Law Associate Dean Paul M. Kurtz said. 'His insights on the American public's right to know the health of its chief executive should prove especially relevant in this presidential election year.'

At Boston University, Annas teaches in the School of Public Health, the School of Medicine and the School of Law and serves as chair of the department of health law, bioethics & human rights. He is the founder and first director of the university's Law, Medicine and Ethics Program and co-founder of Global Lawyers and Physicians, a transnational professional association of lawyers and physicians working together to promote human rights and health.

Annas is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and co-chair of the American Bar Association's Committee on Health Rights and Bioethics (Individual Rights and Responsibilities Section). He has held several government regulatory positions, including vice chair of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine, chair of the Massachusetts Health Facilities Appeals Board and chair of the Massachusetts Organ Transplant Task Force.

A three-time Harvard University graduate, Annas earned his bachelor's degree in economics in 1967, his Juris Doctor in 1970 and his master's in public health in 1972. After law school, he served as a judicial clerk to Justice John V. Spalding of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

Established in 1964 by the Charles Loridans Foundation of Atlanta, the Sibley Lecture Series honors the late John A. Sibley, a 1911 graduate of Georgia Law, and hosts renowned legal academics.Contact: Drew Bloodworth, 706/542-5172, lawprstu@uga.edu; Cindy Herndon, 706/542-5172, cindyh@uga.edu.

AVMA Congressional Fellows Placed in Senate Offices - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

The American Veterinary Medical Association issued the following news release:

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) announced today that its Congressional Science Fellows have accepted positions in offices on Capitol Hill and are serving in capacities that coincide with their interests and enable them to provide expertise to Congress, all while serving the veterinary profession.

Both of the 2008-2009 fellows, Dr. Gail Hansen and Dr. Whitney Miller, are working in offices supporting the US Senate. Dr. Hansen has accepted a position in the office of Senator Bernard Sanders, I-Vt., where she is working on the national cancer registry, healthcare reform and antibiotic resistance. Dr. Whitney Miller is working on the Senate Homeland Security Committee and focusing on biosecurity and emergency medical preparedness issues.

Dr. Hansen, who received her doctor of veterinary medicine degree from the University of Minnesota and a master's in public health from the University of Washington, was previously the state epidemiologist for the Kansas Department of Health, specializing in infectious diseases. Dr. Hansen has an adjunct faculty position at the Kansas State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, and works with the public health programs at both KSU and the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Dr. Miller received a doctor of veterinary medicine degree and an MBA from Colorado State University and has experience in food safety, foreign animal disease diagnosis and control, the drug approval process, and various aspects of creating, implementing and interpreting policy.

AVMA fellows provide science-based knowledge and information to the public policy-making process. Additionally, the fellowship program offers veterinarians a wide variety of opportunities to learn how federal public policy is made and to influence outcomes.

Fellows spend one year in Washington, D.C., beginning at the end of August, and receive a stipend, plus other reimbursable expenses.

For more information about the fellowship and the specific criteria requirements, or to apply, contact Dorothy Gray, associate director of the AVMA Governmental Relations Division, at (800) 321-1473, Ext. 3209, or at fellowship@avma.org. The application deadline for the 2009-2010 AVMA Congressional Science and Executive Branch Fellowship is February 12, 2009.Contact: Eric McKeeby, 202/289-3213, emckeeby@avma.org

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