New York, NY (PRWEB) October 15, 2013

American University of Antigua (AUA) College of Medicine, member of the Manipal Global Education Group with campuses throughout Asia, has entered into an affiliation agreement with the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University (FIU HWCOM) a U.S. medical school accredited by Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), located in Miami, FL.

The agreement allows qualified AUA students to enroll in the FIU HWCOM Clinical Clerkship Certificate Program. AUA students who successfully complete their core clinical rotations at FIU HWCOMs affiliated teaching site will receive a HWCOM transcript and a HWCOM Certificate of Completion.

This groundbreaking affiliation between FIU HWCOM and AUA was made possible because of both institutions commitment to foster global medical education, said AUA Co-Founder and President Neal Simon. Florida International University has been a leader in international education and the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine by establishing a clinical clerkship certificate program for AUA students has taken a leadership position in international medical education, while also providing an opportunity for medical students of all nations, who study medicine at AUA, to complete their core clinical rotations.

The Clinical Clerkship Certificate program at HWCOM will provide an augmented academic and clinical experience for AUA students, said AUA Vice President of Global Medical Education & Executive Dean, Clinical Sciences Dr. Peter Bell. The addition of a transcript and certificate from FIU HWCOM will further improve the resumes of our students.

"The Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine is committed to growing an international presence and this affiliation with the American University of Antigua and Manipal University is but the latest example of our commitment to this effort," said FIU HWCOM Dean and Senior Vice President for Health Affairs Dr. John Rock.

Two of his colleagues, FIU HWCOM Associate Dean for International Affairs Dr. Eneida Roldan and FIU HWCOM Associate Dean for Community and Clinical Affairs Dr. Fernando Valverde, concurred.

"As Associate Dean for International Affairs, I am very happy that our international partnerships continue to grow as is the case with the American University of Antigua and Manipal University, said Dr. Roldan.

"We hope that this partnership will help enhance our clinical network and collaboration with our international affiliates of the American University of Antigua and Manipal University, said Dr. Valverde.

About American University of Antigua

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American University of Antigua Signs Landmark Clinical Clerkship Agreement with Florida International University

Parker S. Dorman, a urologist in the Washington region for more than 30 years, died Sept. 23 at Asbury Methodist Village retirement community in Gaithersburg. He was 91.

The cause was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, said his son, Thomas Dorman.

Dr. Dorman practiced urology in Washington and Chevy Chase with his father and brother from 1955 until his retirement in 1987. He served on the clinical faculty at Georgetown University medical school and was head of residency training at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda.

Parker Sturgis Dorman, a native Washingtonian, was a 1940 graduate of the old Western High School. He was a 1944 graduate of Amherst College in Massachusetts and a 1947 graduate of the University of Maryland medical school. Five years later, he received a masters degree in medical science from the University of Pennsylvania.

He served 13 years in the Navy Reserve and was on active duty as a physician in 1950 and 1951.

Dr. Dorman was a past president of the mid-Atlantic section of the American Urological Association and the Southern Society of Urological Surgeons. He also served on the board of Bethesda Cares, an organization that helps the homeless. His other memberships included the Kiwanis Club, Bethesda United Church of Christ and Amherst College Alumni Association.

He lived in Rockville for 33 years before moving to Bethesda in 1991 and to Gaithersburg in 2004.

A daughter, Anne Hope, died in 2011. Survivors include his wife of 69 years, Janet English Dorman of Gaithersburg; five children, Thomas Dorman of Portland, Maine, William Dorman of Takoma Park, Joan Davis of Seattle, Deborah Kirk of Woodstock, Conn., and Janet Bruce of Brookneal, Va.; 11 grandchildren; and two great-grandsons.

Megan McDonough

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Parker S. Dorman, urologist

(PRWEB) October 11, 2013

Southern Illinois University Edwardsvilles School of Business is named again as one of the best in the country by The Princeton Review. The education services company features the school in the new 2014 edition of its book The Best 295 Business Schools.

We are very pleased to once again be selected by The Princeton Review, said School of Business Interim Dean John Navin. The fact that this list is based on students ratings of their educational experience is a sound acknowledgement of the quality of education we provide our students.

According to Robert Franek, Princeton Review senior vice president-publisher, We recommend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville as one of the best institutions a student could attend to earn a business school degree.

We chose the schools we profile in this book based on our high regard for their academic programs and our reviews of institutional data we collect from the schools. We also solicit and greatly respect the opinions of students attending these schools that rate and report on their experiences at them on our 80-question student survey for the book.

The Best 295 Business Schools: 2014 Edition has two-page profiles of the schools with write-ups on their academics, student life and admissions. In the profile of SIUE, The Princeton Review editors describe the school as: exceptional and convenient, and located close to a metropolitan area.

SIUE students in the publication are quoted as saying, Most of my professors still consult in their respective industries. They are very current on business trends and developments. Additional comments from students about faculty included, They seem to truly care about students learning and being able to apply information in the real world, and that faculty know how to communicate their information to their students effectively.

In a Survey Says . . . sidebar in the profile, The Princeton Review lists good peer network, solid preparation in general management, communication, interpersonal skills and doing business in a global economy as topics that students it surveyed were in most agreement about pertaining to the University. The 80-question survey asked business school students about their school's academics, student body and campus life, as well as about themselves and their career plans.

The Princeton Review tallied lists based on its surveys of 19,000 students attending the 295 business schools. The survey asked students to rate multiple attributes of their schools, including their professors and fellow classmates. The Best 295 Business Schools is one of more than 150 Princeton Review books published by Random House. The line includes The Best 169 Law Schools and The Best 167 Medical Schools, plus guides to graduate school admission exams and application essays.

The Princeton Review is also known for its guides to colleges and to standardized tests, its classroom and online test-prep courses, tutoring, and other education services. Headquartered in Framingham, Mass., The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University, and it is not a magazine.

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Princeton Review Tabs SIUE School of Business Among Nation’s Best

Stanford Report, October 10, 2013

School of Engineering Dean Jim Plummer will step down next summer after nearly 15 years.

Jim Plummer, dean of the Stanford School of Engineering, has announced that he plans to step down next summer after nearly 15 years as dean.

"Jim Plummer will be the longest serving dean in the history of Stanford's distinguished School of Engineering, leading an era that included creating an exciting new department, renewing or replacing much of the school's laboratory and classroom space, and dramatically increasing the number of undergraduate majors," said President John Hennessy, himself a former dean of the school. "During Jim's tenure, the school has enhanced its partnerships with other Stanford schools and with outside entities to play a larger role in solving the most pressing global problems. We are grateful for his patient and collaborative leadership both within the school and across the university."

Stanford Provost John Etchemendy said, "Jim Plummer's leadership has changed the character of Stanford's graduate and undergraduate engineering education, which has become known internationally for its hands-on, creative, multidisciplinary approach. The soaring numbers of students and the accomplishments of our engineering alumni are proof of that success."

Since Plummer assumed his post in September 1999, the engineering school has worked across disciplines and across the campus to create programs that have changed the character of undergraduate and graduate engineering education. These include the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school), which has become known globally for its hands-on, product-centered approach to education; the Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP), which has provided resources to boost Stanford research in alternative energy; and the Bioengineering Department, which is jointly managed with the medical school and has risen in national rankings since its inception in 2002.

"I have been privileged to serve as dean and to work with some of the best faculty, staff and students in the world, but it is time for me and the School of Engineering to move on," Plummer said. "Change is good. It is good for people and it is good for institutions."

Among other milestones, Plummer has presided over a complete upgrade of the school's physical plant that has put all nine departments into state-of-the-art facilities. This includes construction of the Science and Engineering Quad (SEQ), which will be complete in 2014. During Plummer's tenure, the percentage of Stanford undergraduates choosing engineering majors has risen from an historical average of 20 percent to almost 35 percent, with most of the increase occurring in computer science, product design and other new programs such as bioengineering.

"Students come to Stanford because they want to change the world, and more of them are deciding that engineering provides the means to do this," said Plummer, who defines engineers as problem-solvers who translate ideas into reality.

Plummer plans to take a year's sabbatical, after which he expects to return to research and teaching in the Electrical Engineering Department. This fall, Etchemendy will appoint a search committee to identify a new dean.

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Engineering Dean Jim Plummer to step down after record tenure at Stanford

Dallas Cowboys owner and Arkansas native Jerry Jones, along with two Little Rock Catholic High alumni, pledged nearly $10 million to the all-boys school in a Thursday afternoon press conference.

The donation, which will go toward the school's capital campaign, comes from the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Charities of Dallas, Denise and John York of San Francisco and an anonymous Catholic High alumnus, according to a news release from the school.

The donation will be split evenly among the donors, Jones said. A gift-matching element is also included in the terms.

Jones' sons Jerry Jr. and Stephen graduated from Catholic High in 1988 and 1983, respectively, and his son-in-law Shy Anderson graduated from there in 1981, the release stated.

John York, who currently serves as co-chairman of the San Francisco 49ers, is of the Class of 1967. York is a former co-owner of the 49ers and a retired cancer research pathologist.

Catholic High's capital campaign, which has a goal of $15 million, aims to improve the school's technology, mechanical systems and classrooms, according to a previous news release from the school.

The school is undergoing upgrades for the first time since it opened in 1960, the same release stated.

Jones Sr., a North Little Rock native, has been the owner of the Dallas Cowboys since 1989. In that time, Jones, a member of Arkansas' 1964 national championship team and former all-Southwest Conference lineman, has won three Super Bowls and turned the Cowboys into the most profitable sports franchise in America, according to Forbes Magazine.

Jones' net worth is estimated to be around $2 billion.

Read more about this story in Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

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Cowboys owner Jones, alumni give $10 million gift to Catholic High

McCallie School Alumni Achievement Award winners are, from left, the Rev. W. Edward Snodgrass, C. David Sherrill, Morris K. Thuku, Robert F. Huffaker Jr., Andrew H. Trotter Jr., Luther Killian, Dr. Joseph B. Cofer and Allen L. McCallie. Winners not pictured are M. Zane Birdwell, Stanley M. Skip Brock and Timothy K. Gulick. Eleven honored with McCallie School Alumni Achievement Awards

McCallie School presented its annual Alumni Achievement Awards on Oct. 5 to 11 graduates who have shown outstanding accomplishments in a chosen career.

Alumni are eligible to be nominated after their 15th reunion and are selected in accordance with their reunion-year cycle. This years nominees are graduates of class years ending in 3 or 8. The award focuses solely on career accomplishment without consideration of service to McCallie or other service endeavors.

Achievement Award recipients were: M. Zane Birdwell, class of 1998, producer/director, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Stanley M. Skip Brock, class of 1968, CEO, ServisFirst Bank, Birmingham, Ala.; Dr. Joseph B. Cofer, class of 1968, surgeon; Timothy K. Gulick, class of 1983, minister/counselor; Robert F. Huffaker Jr., class of 1978, insurance; and Luther Killian, class of 1968, teacher/coach.

Also, Allen L. McCallie, class of 1973, lawyer; C. David Sherrill, class of 1988, professor, Mableton, Ga.; the Rev. W. Edward Snodgrass III, class of 1973, teacher/minister; Morris K. Thuku, class of 1993, education, Kenya; and Andrew H. Trotter Jr., class of 1968, religious studies, Charlottesville, Va.

Presenting a check to Lee President Paul Conn, second from left, are, from left, Monty Montgomery, Jerry McGaha, and SouthEast Scholarship Director Tommy Schumpert.

SouthEast Bank and Lee University have selected two students for a new scholarship program called the SouthEast Bank Scholar Award. This scholarship will provide each student with $7,000 in the 2013-2014 school year to offset the cost of tuition.

SouthEast Bank Scholars are students chosen by participating post-secondary institutions for their exceptional character and academic commitment of either a 23 ACT score or 3.25 high school grade-point averge.

Lee recipients are Janna Crisp, a freshman from Knoxville, and Hannah Stott, a sophomore from Maryville.

SouthEast Bank is proud to support Lee University in awarding scholarships that help keep our future leaders here in Tennessee, said bank president Monty Montgomery. We are a true community bank operated by local employees who live and work alongside the people we serve, and we are committed to using our resources to reinvest in our schools, organizations and neighborhoods.

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Good for you: Eleven honored with McCallie School Alumni Achievement Awards

HOPEWELL VALLEY: HoVal to induct four into Hall of Fame

Hopewell Valley Central High School will add four alumni to its Distinguished Graduates Hall of Fame on Oct. 17.

DATE POSTED: Wednesday, October 9, 2013 6:05 PM EDT

Michael Cimarusti, Annette Compton Fiertz, Jill Gora and Debbie Ryan will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at 9:15 a.m. at the Hopewell Valley Performing Arts Center when they also will address students.

The morning ceremony is open to the public. The group also will be feted that evening at the Mountain View Golf Club. Cocktails start at 7 p.m., and dinner and the induction ceremony starts at 8 p.m.

Space is limited for the dinner; contact Aidavalcarcel@hvrsd.org for more information.

Mr. Cimarusti is a Los Angeles chef. He is a 1987 graduate of CHS.

After two years at the Culinary Institute of America, he joined the kitchen at An American Place in Manhattan where he learned to go native with his cuisine, championing the wild rice farmer and the local venison hunter.

He went on to spend three years at the Manhattan restaurant Le Cirque where he learned how to run a restaurant. He now is chef and owner of Providence in Los Angeles, and his recently debuted new restaurant, Connie and Teds in West Hollywood.

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HOPEWELL VALLEY: HoVal to induct four into Hall of Fame

Newswise Brooklyn, NY (October 7, 2013) SUNY Downstate Medical Center announced today that Sheryl Smith, PhD, professor of physiology and pharmacology, has published new findings demonstrating a reproducible pathology that may help shed light on anxiety and mood volatility in methamphetamine dependence. In her animal study, Dr. Smith demonstrates that neuroactive stress steroids can trigger identifiable changes to the brains of methamphetamine dependent rats in withdrawal. Interestingly, Dr. Smith notes, these changes appear to be reversible by an existing pharmacological agent flumazenil. The paper, titled, A Stress Steroid Triggers Anxiety via Increased Expression of a4bd GABAA Receptors in Methamphetamine Dependence, was recently published online in Neuroscience.

Methamphetamine is an addictive stimulant drug. Dependence on this drug is difficult to treat because of the severity of the symptoms of methamphetamine withdrawal, said Dr. Smith. In addition to drug craving and lethargy, withdrawal from methamphetamine is associated with stress-triggered anxiety that may compromise therapeutic intervention. In our recent publication, we show that the system that provides inhibitory control in the brain is dysregulated during methamphetamine dependence in laboratory rodents.

The novel inhibitory receptor that is increased by exposure to methamphetamine is also the target for a stress steroid that produces anxiety during withdrawal from methamphetamine. This receptor is also a novel target for flumazenil, a drug commonly used to treat tranquilizer overdose. Flumazenil reduced expression of the inhibitory receptor and also prevented the anxiety triggered by the stress steroid during methamphetamine withdrawal. These findings suggest a novel mechanism for stress-triggered anxiety in methamphetamine dependence where flumazenil may have important therapeutic value.

One component of the stress response is the release of the steroid allopregnanolone or THP. This steroid modulates GABAA receptors, with 4 GABARs the most sensitive target. These receptors are extrasynaptic and generate a tonic current that is neuroprotective. They also exhibit a high degree of plasticity in response to increases in neuronal excitability, which would accompany METH exposure. In some cases, flumazenil was administered during the 24 hour withdrawal period. Although this drug is a benzodiazepine antagonist, it also binds to 4 GABARs and has been shown to regulate 4 expression.

The study results show that chronic METH treatment and its withdrawal significantly increased expression of 4 and GABAR subunits by 2 to 3-fold. This effect was prevented, however, by flumazenil administration during the withdrawal period.

Dr. Smith continued, Our results suggest that increased 4 GABARs mediate the anxiety response to stress steroids after METH withdrawal, an effect prevented by flumazenil. Because stress-triggered anxiety can result in drug relapse, flumazenil may have important therapeutic benefit in METH dependence.

The work in this study was supported by grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health: DA09618, AA12958 and MH100561, and was also supported by a contract from Hythiam, Inc. SUNY Downstate Medical Center, founded in 1860, was the first medical school in the United States to bring teaching out of the lecture hall and to the patients bedside. A center of innovation and excellence in research and clinical service delivery, SUNY Downstate Medical Center comprises a College of Medicine, Colleges of Nursing and Health Related Professions, a School of Graduate Studies, a School of Public Health, University Hospital of Brooklyn, and an Advanced Biotechnology Park and Biotechnology Incubator.

SUNY Downstate ranks ninth nationally in the number of alumni who are on the faculty of American medical schools. More physicians practicing in New York City have graduated from SUNY Downstate than from any other medical school.

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New Findings Identify Stress Steroid Mediated Withdrawal Anxiety in Methamphetamine Dependent Rats: Reversible by ...

Public release date: 7-Oct-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sheryl Smith, Ph.D. sheryl.smith@downstate.edu 516-353-4714 SUNY Downstate Medical Center

Brooklyn, NY (October 7, 2013) SUNY Downstate Medical Center announced today that Sheryl Smith, PhD, professor of physiology and pharmacology, has published new findings demonstrating a reproducible pathology that may help shed light on anxiety and mood volatility in methamphetamine dependence. In her animal study, Dr. Smith demonstrates that neuroactive stress steroids can trigger identifiable changes to the brains of methamphetamine dependent rats in withdrawal. Interestingly, Dr. Smith notes, these changes appear to be reversible by an existing pharmacological agent flumazenil. The paper, titled, "A Stress Steroid Triggers Anxiety via Increased Expression of a4bd GABAA Receptors in Methamphetamine Dependence," was recently published online in Neuroscience.

"Methamphetamine is an addictive stimulant drug. Dependence on this drug is difficult to treat because of the severity of the symptoms of methamphetamine withdrawal," said Dr. Smith. "In addition to drug craving and lethargy, withdrawal from methamphetamine is associated with stress-triggered anxiety that may compromise therapeutic intervention. In our recent publication, we show that the system that provides inhibitory control in the brain is dysregulated during methamphetamine dependence in laboratory rodents."

The novel inhibitory receptor that is increased by exposure to methamphetamine is also the target for a stress steroid that produces anxiety during withdrawal from methamphetamine. This receptor is also a novel target for flumazenil, a drug commonly used to treat tranquilizer overdose. Flumazenil reduced expression of the inhibitory receptor and also prevented the anxiety triggered by the stress steroid during methamphetamine withdrawal. These findings suggest a novel mechanism for stress-triggered anxiety in methamphetamine dependence where flumazenil may have important therapeutic value.

One component of the stress response is the release of the steroid allopregnanolone or THP. This steroid modulates GABAA receptors, with 4 GABARs the most sensitive target. These receptors are extrasynaptic and generate a tonic current that is neuroprotective. They also exhibit a high degree of plasticity in response to increases in neuronal excitability, which would accompany METH exposure. In some cases, flumazenil was administered during the 24 hour withdrawal period. Although this drug is a benzodiazepine antagonist, it also binds to 4 GABARs and has been shown to regulate 4 expression.

The study results show that chronic METH treatment and its withdrawal significantly increased expression of 4 and GABAR subunits by 2 to 3-fold. This effect was prevented, however, by flumazenil administration during the withdrawal period. Dr. Smith continued, "Our results suggest that increased 4 GABARs mediate the anxiety response to stress steroids after METH withdrawal, an effect prevented by flumazenil. Because stress-triggered anxiety can result in drug relapse, flumazenil may have important therapeutic benefit in METH dependence."

###

The work in this study was supported by grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health: DA09618, AA12958 and MH100561, and was also supported by a contract from Hythiam, Inc.

SUNY Downstate Medical Center, founded in 1860, was the first medical school in the United States to bring teaching out of the lecture hall and to the patient's bedside. A center of innovation and excellence in research and clinical service delivery, SUNY Downstate Medical Center comprises a College of Medicine, Colleges of Nursing and Health Related Professions, a School of Graduate Studies, a School of Public Health, University Hospital of Brooklyn, and an Advanced Biotechnology Park and Biotechnology Incubator.

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Stress steroid mediated withdrawal anxiety in dependent rats reversible by flumazenil

Melanie Burney, Inquirer Staff Writer Posted: Monday, October 7, 2013, 2:01 AM

Given a choice years ago to retire and enjoy life, businessman Robert Healey Sr. decided to dig in. He is on a personal crusade to help save Catholic schools in the region.

Healey, 84, of Lumberton, a successful lawyer and entrepreneur, has become a champion for Catholic education, turning around struggling schools in New Jersey and Pennsylvania by showing them how to operate more like businesses.

As the cofounder of Viking Yacht in Burlington County, one of the world's top luxury yacht builders, and the chief executive of more than a half-dozen companies and several charities, Healey knows how to run a business.

That means no more cake sales to keep the school doors open and the lights on, but a more aggressive strategy used by colleges and private schools for fund-raising and student recruiting.

"I have a passion about children and schools," Healey said in an interview last week. "My focus is to save these schools."

His approach has garnered national attention, and the National Catholic Educational Association will award Healey its highest honor Monday in Washington in recognition of his contributions.

Healey and four others will receive the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award, named in honor of the first native-born American saint.

In a statement, Brother Robert Bimonte, NCEA president, said the award "recognizes great leaders who are supporting Catholic education in many ways."

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A Catholic school-saving mission