Five Southern Illinois University Edwardsville alumni are considered among the best and brightest business leaders in the St. Louis community. Munier El-Beck, MD BS 00, Ryan Freeman BS 01, Travis Liebig BS 02 MS 08, Tolga Tanriseven MS 03, and Scott Thoma BS 98 MS 00 were named to the St. Louis Business Journals 40 Under 40 Class of 2015.

The SIUE alums were among more than 750 nominees vying for a spot on the competitive list. When considering the multitude of candidates, the Business Journal indicates it looked mainly for statistical value that each nominee added to his or her company or organization.

El-Beck is the medical director of both the Hospitalist Program and the Observation Unit at St. Anthonys Medical Center in St. Louis. After receiving his bachelors in biological sciences and chemistry from SIUE, El-Beck went on to complete medical school at Ross University, School of Medicine in Roseau, Dominica.

I am humbled and honored to receive such recognition, El-Beck said. I want to be sure to thank the amazing people who I am fortunate enough to work for, and with, whose efforts I feel this honor also represents.

El-Beck has helped develop and maintain the day-to-day operations of a group of board certified physicians practicing hospital medicine at St. Anthonys Medical Center. His leadership also aided in the development of a short-stay observation unit.

The unit is designed to evaluate and manage patients who require a more extended period of observation than the emergency department can provide, but are not quite sick enough to require an official hospitalization, El-Beck explained.

El-Beck credits SIUE with laying the foundation for his current professional career.

My degree was always recognized and highly regarded at every stage of my professional growth, from medical school, all the way to my current position, El-Beck said. The curriculum I went through provided a solid background in the sciences, and also in areas such as business and information technology that continue to serve me today.

Freeman was surprised to learn he had been nominated for the 40 Under 40 list. Made apparent by his nomination letter, Freemans brother and colleague, Reed Freeman, also an SIUE alum, believed Ryan was deserving of this accolade due to his accomplishments in the construction industry.

I was both surprised and proud to have been selected from what I am sure was a very accomplished group of individuals, said Freeman.

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SIUE grads listed among 40 Under 40

It counts some of the worlds most famous faces and families among its alumni.

Students who are privileged enough to attend this school spend their winters on the ski slopes and the warmer months on the shores of picturesque Lake Geneva.

This is how super-rich kids live.

But life at Institut Le Rosey doesnt come cheaply and just getting accepted is a process in itself.

For those fortunate enough to attend the private international boarding school, a world of privilege awaits.

The 135-year-old institution not only offers state-of-the art classrooms and gyms but also a shooting range, a 1,000-seat concert hall and an equestrian center complete with around 30 horses.

Lucky students also have access to a 40-foot yacht on Lake Geneva, and a spa where they can kick back and unwind.

However, the oldest and largest boarding school in Switzerland insists money isnt the focus of getting in, despite fees hovering around $120,000 annually.

Even if a family is wealthy enough to afford the huge sum, students still face a tough and rigorous process in order to be accepted,The Telegraph reported.

Heres just a taste of what the famous Swiss school is all about.

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Welcome to the most expensive boarding school in the world

Theres a full field of candidates for the upcoming Lawrence City Commission and school board races.

At the Tuesday filing deadline, 14 candidates had signed up for three at-large seats on the City Commission; four candidates will contend for a two-year term on the school board and seven others will compete for four four-year terms on the board. The 14 candidate-field for the City Commission is the largest field in at least a decade, according to records from the Douglas County clerks office.

Two incumbents, however, wont be a part of the mix. City Commissioner Mike Dever, a two-term incumbent, and school board member Randy Masten both decided not to seek re-election.

The large number of filings means there will be a primary election for both the City Commission and the school board on March 3. The primary will narrow the City Commission field down to six candidates. The primary will narrow the field of candidates for the two-year term on the school board to two candidates. The seven candidates competing for the four-year terms will not be part of the primary, but instead will all move onto the general election. The general election will be April 7.

Kristie Adair, 41, a Lawrence school board member, co-owner of Wicked Broadband, and director of the Lawrence Center for Entrepreneurship.

Mike Anderson, 33, host of the local cable television program The Not So Late Show.

Stuart Boley, 60, a retired tax auditor and revenue agent for the Internal Revenue Service, and a part-time administrator for the not-for-profit Douglas County Community Foundation.

David Crawford, 65, a retired boilermaker and union instructor who has led a grass-roots group to bring a grocery store to downtown Lawrence.

Matthew Herbert, 32, a Lawrence High civics and government teacher who also is a landlord and owner of a local property maintenance company.

Justin Priest, 41, a Lawrence bus driver and leader of the local transit union.

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Field of candidates for Lawrence City Commission, school board elections set

Most college students spend four years wandering around campus in an effort to reach their goals or to find out what their goals even are. Once graduation arrives, they are thrust into reality to set the world on fire. As the spring semester begins and May steadily approaches, some seniors are starting to solidify these plans.

Its been a long process, said Ben Beltran, a senior majoring in advocacy and social change. Beltran is applying to graduate schools, an undertaking that started with research last summer.

Recent graduates agree that preparing for life after college can be consuming.

My senior year was definitely filled with its moments of high stress as I convinced myself that I needed to figure out where I was going or what I would be doing with my life, said Sebastian Villa, who graduated last year.

But alumni also advise current students to not worry too much about post-grad life, just keep up with all of the things you need to do.

When it comes to the immediate, post-grad life, I thought it was useful to not just make a plan B, but also plan C, D, E, F, G, H, I and so on, said Adilla Menayang, Loyola class of 14. Youll face rejection and tough decisions, but if going into the unknown is something that intimidates you, like how it does me, doing research and preparing gave me a lot of comfort.

The decision of what to do after undergrad can be stressful, but there are three main paths people usually choose from: go to graduate school, get a job or become a volunteer.

1. Go to grad school

From medical school to history PhDs to higher education, graduate school can provide many opportunities. In 2013, more than 450,000 students enrolled in grad school. In 2009, grad schools had an average cost of $9,000 per year for public universities and $20,000 per year for private universities, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Pauline Tolentino, who graduated last year, decided to continue her education, a choice that didnt come easily.

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What happens next: A look into post-grad planning

Improving patient handoffs, autotransfusion, Epic alumni and a couple of women-led startups figure into DreamIt Health Baltimores second class of early stage healthcare companies. They will also be the first to occupy its permanent office at a new shared working space.

In a phone interview with DreamIt Ventures Managing Director Jason Hardebeck, he noted that the accelerator has added new partners University of Maryland in Baltimore, including its medical school, and The Abell Foundation.

He added that DreamIts Baltimore headquarters would be in Power Plant Live! in Mosaic Building 113. It will be an anchor tenant at the 16,000 square foot shared workspace facility in the Inner Harbor.

Heres a brief look at the six companies taking part in the healthcare accelerators four month program:

Baton Health Shift changes are frequently cited as the time when mistakes are most likely to be made in patient care. Baton Healths mobile application to improve handoffs joins the growing list of communication tools to improve patient safety. The co-founders include the assistant dean for Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Harry Goldberg, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering, and Dr. Stephen Milner, director of the Hendrix Burn Research Center and a professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery. Ive seen several approaches to problem geared for nurses and entire care teams, but it will be interesting to see what this group come up with, given their experience.

Decisive Health Systems based in San Francisco, has developed a software platform that emphasizes helping physicians and patients with shared decision-making. Its an alumnus of Blueprint Healths accelerator and won Livestrongs Big C competition. Its treatment explorer tool for cancer patients matches cancer patients lifestyles with the most appropriate corresponding treatment. Its founders include Jonathan Shih and Nathanael Rosidi.

InsightMedi is a photosharing network for healthcare professionals. Its designed as a collaborative tool for consults and medical education. Among the co-founders are CEO Juan Gonzalez and Luis Rodrigues, the CTO, who hail from Navarra in Spain .

REAL Dietitian from Chicago combines telemedicine and nutrition counseling for patients with chronic conditions. Its CEO is Sidonia Swarm.

Redox is part of the community of health IT startups from Madison, Wisconsin. It was founded by former Epic employees tolower technical barriers to healthcare IT entrepreneurship by making it easier to share data with the electronic health record, according to a description of the company on LinkedIn. NikoSkievaski, a co-founder, also co-founded 100health. Its product seeks to help software developers to rapidly integrate with installed legacy health IT systems through a modern API, according to a statement from DreamIt Health. Other co-founders include James Lloyd, Luke Bonney and Christopher Tobin-Campbell.

Sisu Global Health from Grand Rapids, Michigan develops medical devices for developing countries. Its first product is designed to enable autotransfusion of hemorrhaging patients in the field. The business is led by CEO Carolyn Yarina, the CTO is Gillian Henker and Katie Kirsch is the chief marketing officer.

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Autotransfusion, telemedicine for nutrition, Epic alumni part of DreamIt Health Baltimores 2nd class

The Supreme Courts Justice Roslyn Atkinson, AO, is among University of Queensland alumni who received awards in the Australia Day 2015 Honours List.

Justice Atkinson became an officer in the General Division, for distinguished service to the judiciary and to law reform in Queensland, through contributions to the legal profession and to promoting awareness of issues of injustice and inequality in Australia and internationally.

A Bachelor of Arts in 1970 was her first UQ degree, followed by a Bachelor of Education in 1974 and a Bachelor of Laws in 1985.

Another new Officer in the General Division is Adjunct Professor Daniel Wood AO, for distinguished service to the mining and resource industry, particularly mineral exploration, through contributions as a geologist and an academic and in executive roles.

His first degree from UQ was a Bachelor of Science in 1967, followed by Honours in 1969 and a Master Science in 1975.

UQ President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Hj congratulated the award recipients and said they epitomised the community spirit that UQ valued so highly.

I thank all these wonderful people for their dedication and congratulate them on their contributions that undoubtedly are making the world a better place, Professor Hj said.

The breadth of UQs teaching and research endeavours and the universal and global issues we address in this University are represented in these awardees.

Professor Sylvia Rodger, AM, is a great example of the specialist knowledge and dedication we are so fortunate to have at UQ.

Sylvia heads a Cooperative Research Centre that is the worlds first such national Autism Spectrum Disorder research effort. The centres work is expected to benefit more than one million Australians, improving their quality of life, education and employment options.

The rest is here:
UQ alumni recognised for contributions to society

Regional News of Friday, 23 January 2015

Source: GNA

The 1997 year group of the Presbyterian Boys Senior Secondary School (Presec) has donated several items to the clinic of the school and undertaken a major facelift of the clinic building in Legon, Accra.

The project executed in January 2015 was funded through contributions from group members in Ghana and the Diaspora which amounted to GH 10, 000 to refurbish the clinic building and donate a stock of materials and drugs to the clinic.

The project involved painting of the external and internal walls of the clinic, replacement of old louvre blades, window nettings and bulbs. Other items provided to the eight-bed clinic were mattresses, bedsheets, pillowcases, curtains, ceiling fans, a fridge and cleaning equipment.

As an outcome of a needs assessment undertaken in 2014 that involved consultations with the headmistress of the school and student leaders, the 1997 Year Group also donated a full years stock of over-the-counter drugs and other medical supplies to the clinic which now caters to over 3000 students every term.

The items included analgesics, antimalarial drugs, antibiotics, ORS, hand sanitizers, cough mixtures and first aid kits.

At a formal event to mark the completion of works and donation of items to the school, Dr Eugene Tettey, the president of the 1997 year group, expressed the groups commitment to working closely with the apex Old Boys Association in making Presec one of the most sought-after secondary schools in Ghana. He shared fond memories of the group members days at Presec and how the schools great legacy had inspired its alumni to great exploits and heights in both public and private sectors in Ghana.

According to Dr Tettey 'the group was taking the first step in helping the school deal with an increase in malaria cases by piloting the use of malaria test kits at the clinic." He also indicated that, the year group is also looking at the possibility of alumni doctors attendding to sick students once every week.

He added that aalthough Presec is better known as one of the best science schools in West Africa, it has spawned many icons in all areas of human endeavor. Indeed, the 1997 year group has produced a good number of budding businessmen and entrepreneurs; an attestation that the school produces more rounded students than it is usually credited for.

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Presec School Clinic gets major facelift

Researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center have found an apparent link between human population density and vegetation cover in Africa and the spread of the Ebola virus from animal hosts to humans.

Michael G. Walsh, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics in the School of Public Health at SUNY Downstate, notes that there is significant interaction between population density and green vegetation cover in the parts of Africa that have seen outbreaks of Ebola virus disease (EVD).

In contrast, in areas of very low population density, increasing vegetation was associated with a decrease in risk of animal-to-human transmission. The findings were published in the open-access journal PeerJ, on January 20, 2015, in an article titled, "The landscape configuration of zoonotic transmission of Ebola virus disease in West and Central Africa: interaction between population density and vegetation cover."

"These findings cannot be viewed as causal due to the observational nature of the data," says Dr. Walsh, "but they do suggest that the specific landscape configuration of interaction between human populations and forested land may facilitate transmission of the Ebola virus from animals to humans."

He adds, "The reservoir species of the Ebola virus is believed to be fruit bats, with a secondary source being non-human primates. As human populations increase and move into forested areas that are home to these animals, the risk of humans contracting EVD appears to increase, judging from our analysis of EVD outbreaks in Central and West Africa."

The article is available online at: https://peerj.com/articles/735/ .

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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.

SUNY Downstate ranks twelfth 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. For more information, visit http://www.downstate.edu.

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

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Transmission of Ebola appears tied to increasing population density in forested regions

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Newswise Researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center have found an apparent link between human population density and vegetation cover in Africa and the spread of the Ebola virus from animal hosts to humans. Michael G. Walsh, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics in the School of Public Health at SUNY Downstate, notes that there is significant interaction between population density and green vegetation cover in the parts of Africa that have seen outbreaks of Ebola virus disease (EVD).

In contrast, in areas of very low population density, increasing vegetation was associated with a decrease in risk of animal-to-human transmission. The findings were published in the open-access journal PeerJ, on January 20, 2015, in an article titled, The landscape configuration of zoonotic transmission of Ebola virus disease in West and Central Africa: interaction between population density and vegetation cover.

These findings cannot be viewed as causal due to the observational nature of the data, says Dr. Walsh, but they do suggest that the specific landscape configuration of interaction between human populations and forested land may facilitate transmission of the Ebola virus from animals to humans. He adds, The reservoir species of the Ebola virus is believed to be fruit bats, with a secondary source being non-human primates. As human populations increase and move into forested areas that are home to these animals, the risk of humans contracting EVD appears to increase, judging from our analysis of EVD outbreaks in Central and West Africa.

The article is available online at: https://peerj.com/articles/735/ .

********

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 twelfth 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. For more information, visit http://www.downstate.edu.

###

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Animal-to-Human Transmission of Ebola Virus Appears Tied to Increasing Human Population Density in Forested Regions

Norway's largest charitable foundation bestows cash prize for TAU cancer geneticist's research on cell survival and DNA stability

IMAGE:This is professor Yosef Shiloh of Tel Aviv University. view more

Credit: American Friends of Tel Aviv University (AFTAU)

Norway's largest charitable organization, the Olav Thon Foundation, which invests heavily in medical research, awarded its first international research award in the medical and natural sciences to Tel Aviv University's Prof. Yosef Shiloh and Prof. Judith Campisi of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, California. The prize money, NOK 5,000,000 (approximately $660,000), was split between the two winners.

Prof. Shiloh, the Myers Professor of Cancer Genetics and Research Professor of the Israel Cancer Research Fund at TAU's Sackler School of Medicine, was recognized for his pioneering research on the mechanisms that maintain the survival of human cells and the stability of human genetic material.

A member of the Israel National Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Prof. Shiloh was a recipient of the prestigious Israel Prize (considered "Israel's Nobel") in Life Sciences in 2011, the 2011 American Association of Cancer Research G.H.A. Clowes Award, and the 2005 EMET Prize in Life Sciences.

"A prize means scientific recognition," said Prof. Shiloh. "Scientists do not work in order to get prizes or any other monetary benefits, but the award of a prize means that our work is recognized by our colleagues, and this is probably the true reward of a scientist."

Unraveling the genome

Prof. Shiloh has spent much of his career investigating the processes that maintain genome stability and the defense mechanisms against substances that damage our DNA. He has investigated how the harmful effects of such substances can be countered and offered insights into how mammalian cells react to DNA damage produced by environmental factors, such as radiation and carcinogenic chemicals.

According to the Foundation, "The laureates have provided us with new insights into the molecular basis of aging, aging-related diseases, and cellular degenerative processes."

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Tel Aviv University's professor Yosef Shiloh Receives first Olav Thon Foundation Prize