By MICAH McCARTNEY

Editor

East Texas Communities Foundation is currently accepting applications from East Texas students for 41 scholarship funds.

In addition to the traditional scholarships offered yearly, the Foundation recently announced the establishment of two new scholarships this year. New scholarships available to East Texas students this year include the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose High School Scholarship and the Frederick Michael Nachman Scholarship.

The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose High School Scholarship, a $5,000 scholarship, is available to graduating seniors from Smith County high schools who exemplify the characteristics of East Texas football legend and National Football League Hall of Famer Earl Campbell. The scholarship also emphasizes the participation of applicants in varsity athletics.

The Frederick Michael Nachman Scholarship, a $1,500 scholarship, is available to graduating seniors from Smith County public and private schools, as well as students graduating from Bellaire High School, located in Bellaire, who have been accepted to attend the University of Texas at Austin and plan to major in business.

As it has in the past, the Foundation will continue to offer East Texas numerous other scholarships offered every year.

The David G. and Jacqueline M. Braithwaite Scholarship for Vocational/Technical Study in Medically Related Fields, a $1,500 scholarship, is available to East Texas students pursuing a vocational or technical associates degree or certificate in a medically related field. The scholarship is renewable for the length of the program.

The David G. and Jacqueline M. Braithwaite Scholarship in Chemistry, a $3,000 scholarship, is available to East Texas graduating seniors planning to major in chemistry in college. The scholarship is renewable for a total of four years.

The David G. and Jacqueline M. Braithwaite Scholarship in Medicine, Biotechnology, and Veterinary Medicine, a $3,000 scholarship, is available to East Texas graduating seniors who plan to major in biology, mathematics, engineering or a related field, allowing them to pursue a future career as a doctor, dentist, veterinarian, or biotechnologist. The scholarship is renewable for a total of four years.

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East Texas Communities Foundation accepting applications for scholarships

Rice Alumni in Medicine, a network of Rice University alumni in the medical field, officially launched with a lecture and alumni-student mixer the day before Homecoming.

RAM was formally launched this year just before homecoming but has been in the works over the past year as we [recruited] alums [for] the initial leadership body, RAM President Freddy Nguyen said.

Rice alumni in medical and health care professions had expressed a desire to give back more to the Rice community by helping Rice students interested in medicine. There was also a need for alumni to band together to support Rices large body of pre-health professions students, leading to the creation of RAM, according to Nguyen (Lovett 02).

Nguyen said RAM allows Rice alumni in medicine to support Rice pre-health students by mentoring students and hosting networking events, among other activities.

Rice alums already participate in a number of programs throughout campus on an individual basis, Nguyen said.

Some of these programs include Rice Pre-Medical Societys mock interviews for juniors preparing for interviews, as well as RPMSs Big Owl, Little Owl program, where Rice pre-medical students learn about medical school and the medical field from medical students and physicians, according to Nguyen.

RAM will look to further strengthen those programs in working with the Rice Pre-Med Society, Nguyen said. This allows for easier access to these opportunities for alumni instead of reinventing the wheel each time. RAM is also looking into potential opportunities with [the] Rice 360 Institute for Global Health Technologies.

Some pre-medical students said they supported a network for alumni in medicine.

I believe RAM will be helpful because it is kind of like networking and will help the [pre-medical students] have connections even after graduating, Tamer Ghanayem, a Duncan College sophomore, said.

Other students had some ideas for how such a network could best help them.

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Medical alums form support network

Couple suing Dr. Atiq Durrani, questioning if he was a licensed doctor

A Tri-State spinal surgeon accused of performing dozens of unnecessary procedures is facing new allegations.

A Taylor Mill couple has filed a new lawsuit against Dr. Atiq Durrani claiming he never went to medical school.

According to his resume, Durrani attended an army medical college in Pakistan from 1986 to 1991.

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But the medical college said Durrani is not an alumni and was never registered as a student.

"It really makes me angry. It really does, because this has been an ongoing thing for three years and Im not the one thats been in physical pain, but it's caused a lot of disruption in the family," the victims husband Chris Mann said.

A jury awarded another one of Durrani's patients $750,000 for pain suffered from an unnecessary surgery.

There are more than 200 similar lawsuits against the doctor who fled to Pakistan in 2013.

He also faces federal health care fraud charges.

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Couple files suit against Durrani, claiming he isn't licensed doctor

IMAGE:This is Dr. Morton H. Levitt and Cynthia Levitt. view more

Credit: American Friends of Tel Aviv University (AFTAU)

With a generous commitment of more than $2.8 million, Dr. Morton H. Levitt and Cynthia Levitt have established the Dr. Morton H. Levitt and Cynthia Levitt Endowed Scholarship for Medical Education at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University.

Morton Levitt, MD, professor of Clinical Biomedical Science, former chair of the Integrated Medical Science Department and Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs at Florida Atlantic University's Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, is a board-certified pathologist. He is recognized nationally for his expertise in medical and pathology education, advocacy, and medical policy and governance. His professional career includes service in the National Cancer Institute's Carcinogenesis Bioassay Testing Program, service as a hospital executive and chief medical officer, and more than 20 years in the United States Air Force.

The Levitt scholarship continues a familial legacy of support for the Sackler Faculty of Medicine that includes Dr. Levitt's parents, their families, and his great-uncle, Harry C. Bernard. "I am very proud to be a member of the Levitt family -- a family that taught me from an early age that charity, philanthropy, and service were the true measure of a person's success," he says.

Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine is the largest medical and research training complex in Israel, serving two million people annually. It comprises 1,400 affiliated doctors, including some 1,000 teachers, in preclinical departments and affiliated clinical departments and institutes in seven major medical centers, six psychiatric hospitals, and a large rehabilitation center. It developed the Sackler Medical School New York State/American Program, Israel's first and only medical school program accredited in North America, widely considered to be the premier example of successful cultural and academic cooperation in the field.

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American Friends of Tel Aviv University supports Israel's most influential, most comprehensive and most sought-after center of higher learning, Tel Aviv University (TAU). US News & World Report's Best Global Universities Rankings rate TAU as #148 in the world, and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings rank TAU Israel's top university. It is one of a handful of elite international universities rated as the best producers of successful startups, and TAU alumni rank #9 in the world for the amount of American venture capital they attract.

A leader in the pan-disciplinary approach to education, TAU is internationally recognized for the scope and groundbreaking nature of its research and scholarship -- attracting world-class faculty and consistently producing cutting-edge work with profound implications for the future.

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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Levitts endow scholarship for medical education at Tel Aviv University

NEW YORK (WABC) --

Participating in our chat are Dr. Roger W. Yurt, the director at New York-Presbyterian's William Randolph Hearst Burn Center, and Heather Caldwell, marketing and communications manager for Kidde Fire Safety. Yurt has also been a long-time contributor to our special "Operation 7: Save a Life," which airs on Jan. 24 at 7 p.m.

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Roger W. Yurt, M.D., director at New York-Presbyterian's William Randolph Hearst Burn Center: Dr. Yurt is the Johnson and Johnson Distinguished Professor of Surgery and Vice Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University and serves as the Chief of the Division of Burns, Critical Care and Trauma at the New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center. He is the Director of the William Randolph Hearst Burn Center at the same institution.

Dr. Yurt received his M.D. degree at the University of Miami School of Medicine and performed his initial residency training at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, TX. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Medicine at the Robert B. Brigham Hospital and Harvard Medical School and was Chief Resident in Surgery at the New York Hospital - Cornell Medical Center. He subsequently served on active duty in the Army at the United States Army Institute of Surgical Research for three years.

He has authored over 100 original manuscripts and book chapters dealing with trauma, burns and acute inflammatory response to injury. In addition, he is an ad-hoc reviewer for six professional journals.

In 2003, the American Skin Association presented Dr. Yurt and the William Randolph Hearst Burn Center with the Meritorious Humanitarian Recognition Award. During that same year, the Royal Society of Medicine presented Dr. Yurt with the Richard T. Hewitt Award, recognizing him as an influential contributor to quality assurance in surgery, medical education, public health, and research in the burn and trauma areas.

Dr. Yurt received the Outstanding Physician of the Year Award in 2006 at the New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center. In 2009, he received the Jim Curran Memorial Award given by the Stephen Siller, FDNY "Let Us Do Good" Children's Foundation and was also the recipient of an Excellence in Teaching Award given by the Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

He is a member of the Regional Emergency Medical Advisory Committee of NYC and a past member of the NY State Trauma Advisory Committee. Previously, he served as the Chairman of both the Regional Trauma and the Regional Burn Advisory Committees.

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WEB CHAT: 'Operation 7: Save a Life'

An Etowah High School teacher died Sunday after battling several medical issues, officials said, and students have planned for a memorial at the school for him tonight.

The memorial for Coach Keith Roddy will be at 7 p.m. at the Alumni Plaza outside of the Etowah auditorium, and those who attend are encouraged to wear orange in honor of the teachers love of the University of Tennessee.

Roddy, hired by the Cherokee School District in August 1999, was teaching science this school year, said School District spokeswoman Barbara Jacoby.

Principal Keith Ball said Roddy always looked out for his students.

He taught and coached football at Cherokee High School, Woodstock High School and Etowah High School.Over the past three years, Mr. Roddy did not coach football at Etowah, but instead focused on teaching new subjects in science, and supported our at-risk students in our Summer Bridge program, Ball said. Keith always offered a helping hand to his colleagues and was loved by his students.

The funeral will take place at Anthonys Funeral Home in Hartsville, Tennessee, but the local, student-led memorial is set for tonight.

A candlelight vigil and balloon release are planned to remember Roddy at the event.

In addition, students in the Etowah Video Broadcasting Program are planning to record messages during the memorial to create a video dedicated to Roddys memory. Students, both past and present, friends and colleagues are invited to participate to celebrate Roddys life and contributions, organizers said.

The Etowah Newspaper will also pay tribute to the teacher, with a special dedication page in the next issue.

Etowah High School is at 6565 Putnam Ford Road in Woodstock.

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Memorial for Etowah teacher tonight

The Alumni Association has announced the recipients of this years winter awards.

The Zimmerman Award went to John Mateczun, the Bernard S. Rodey Award went to Garrett Sheldon, the winner of the Erna S. Fergusson Award is Michelle Coons, and the Faculty Teaching Award went to Steven McLaughlin.

The Alumni Association presents awards seasonally to alums who have dedicated their lives to making the world a better place.

(The recipients) are all stellar individuals. They have made contributions in the military, healthcare, education and banking. Their contributions have really made them stand out, said Jane Algermissen, unit 1 administrator at the Alumni Relations Office.

Mateczun, who obtained his Bachelor of University Studies in 1973 and his medical degree in 1978, is receiving the Zimmerman Award for having made a significant contribution which has brought fame to UNM and to the state.

After 38 years of service in the Navy, Mateczun retired in 2012 with the rank of vice admiral, according to the Alumni Associations website. During his last four years on duty he oversaw the most complex Base Realignment and Closure project in the history of the Department of Defense. He also worked on the merging of the National Naval Medical Center into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the largest military medical center in the country, according to the website.

The Bernard S. Rodey Award recognizes those who have displayed significant leadership efforts in the field of education. This years winner, Sheldon (Bachelor of Arts, 1977), has published 10 books on political theory and political theology and is the John Morton Beaty Professor of Political and Social Sciences at the University of Virginia College at Wise, according to the Associations website. He has also worked as a visiting professor at Oxford University, the University of Vienna and Trinity College, Dublin.

Michelle Coons (Bachelor of Business Administration, 1983) will receive the Erna S. Fergusson Award for accomplishments and commitment to UNM. She has served as the National Alumni Association President and the chair of the Anderson School of Management Foundation and is currently a member of the UNM Hospital Board, according to the website. She is expected to become chair of the UNM Foundation Board in July.

Steven McLaughlin is a Regents Professor and chair of the department of emergency medicine. He will be presented with the Faculty Teaching Award, which recognizes outstanding teaching and service to students. He ran the emergency medical residency program for seven years and is recognized nationally as one of the experts in simulation-based education for emergency medicine, according to the website.

The recipients for these awards are selected by a committee of 10 alumni out of a pool of nominees submitted to the Alumni Associations website, Algermissen said.

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Alumni award winners announced

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Newswise BIRMINGHAM, Ala. University of Alabama at Birmingham Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Professor Robert Cerfolio, M.D., has formed a partnership with Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery, Alabama, to assist and support students interested in pursuing a career in medicine.

As part of this initiative, students at Sidney Lanier will participate in webinars with Cerfolio and other UAB faculty, staff and students to hear the latest research strategies and literature and gain access to mentors and other resources that introduce them to the broad field of medicine. UABs Office of Undergraduate Admissions also is partnering with the surgery division to provide follow-up services regarding the college-admission process, financial aid and strategies for success.

Cerfolio, chief of Thoracic Surgery and the James H. Estes Family Lung Center Research Endowed Chair in UABs School of Medicine, will speak at 8:15 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13, at Sidney Lanier and will spend the day meeting teachers and students and touring the academic and athletic facilities.

This is an exciting and unique opportunity for me personally to be involved with Sidney Lanier Principal Antonio Williams and his wonderful faculty, staff and, of course, students, which is what this is all about, Cerfolio said. I believe there are opportunities in front of us every day, and most of us miss them. We sometimes fail to recognize these events, the very minute they happen, as a chance to grow, get better and improve ourselves. Career opportunities are available as well, and through hard work and the drive for personal excellence, they can be maximized. Life is full of opportunity, and true and diligent preparation done every day will enable these students to capitalize on their future opportunities.

The partnership will include the use of technology to provide supplemental materials for science courses at Sidney Lanier, and Cerfolio along with other UAB faculty, staff and students will consult and advise on efficiency and excellence in student performance.

Williams cast a vision to Reclaim the Castle a longtime affectionate term for the school when he was hired this past year as principal of his alma mater. Williams views this partnership with UAB as a crucial part of that mission.

To have someone as successful as Dr. Cerfolio willing to take time out of his busy schedule to come into Lanier and help us change the culture is outstanding, Williams said. We are always happy anytime we can expose our students to new ideas and different world-views.

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UAB Surgeon Partners with Principal to Promote Excellence at Historic Alabama High School

ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Monday, Jan. 12, 2015 marks the first day of class for 85 students from across the country who enrolled in the nations first hybrid on-campus/online program at an ABA-approved law school.

The aspiring lawyers are medical doctors, college professors, bankers, baggage handlers, mothers, and fathers, from 31 states and two countries. They range in age from 22 to 67. At least 35 have advanced degrees including 14 MBA degrees, five medical doctors, and three Ph.D. degrees. Forty-five percent of the students are women and 19 percent are people of color.

The new enrollment option builds on the law schools tradition of innovation by combining the best of face-to-face instruction with the best of digital learning. Students are able to attend courses from anywhere in the world.

The innovative program enables people to attend law school who cannot be on campus to participate in a traditional full-time or part-time schedule, says President and Dean Eric Janus.

Brooke Baker, a student from New Mexico shares, I appreciate this opportunity to pursue a J.D. from a well-respected law school without having to uproot my family or disrupt my career. I am excited to be part of this innovative and historically important milestone in legal education.

William Mitchell is the first law school to ask for and receive ABA approval for a hybrid enrollment option. The part-time, four-year, hybrid program is offered alongside the traditional full-time and part-time J.D. programs.

Weve learned that when implemented thoughtfully, courses blending face-to-face and online instruction offer students the best of both worlds, Janus said. By embracing e-learning technologies, professors expand their teaching repertoire, fostering greater creativity, engagement and flexibility in learning, while also preparing students to use technology they will encounter in practice.

The hybrid program has a clear and carefully designed curricular focus. Students visit campus nine times during the four years. The first and third semester start with an on-campus preparatory week where students work alongside faculty and each semester concludes with an on-campus Capstone week. Students in this unique program also have the opportunity to complete externships in their communities under the supervision of practicing attorneys.

More information about William Mitchell College of Law and the new hybrid enrollment option can be found at http://www.wmitchell.edu/hybridoption.

About William Mitchell College of Law William Mitchell College of Law was founded in 1900 to provide an accessible, practical legal education rooted in the real-world needs of lawyers, the legal profession, and the community. Today, it is home to the top-ranked clinical program in the region; robust externship and mentoring programs; faculty who are teachers, scholars, and practitioners; and a large, proud, and supportive alumni base. Accredited in 1943, Mitchell is the only ABA-approved law school to offer three distinct enrollment options: full time, part time, and a new on-campus/online hybrid option. For more information, visit http://www.wmitchell.edu.

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First Class of On-Campus, Online Law Students Matriculate to William Mitchell College of Law

The Yale School of Art (YSA) launches its 2015 season at the 32 Edgewood Avenue Gallery with Side Show, an exhibition devoted to the believe it or not world of the American sideshow, in which display of the abnormal and bizarre was the focus of the event. On view Jan. 13Mar. 20, 2015, the exhibition is free and open to the public TuesdaysSundays from noon to 6 p.m.

Side Show presents more than 50 works by 29 artists including Diane Arbus, Otto Dix, John Waters, and Riva Lehrer ranging from the mid-18th century to the present. The show includes original sideshow banners, props, promotional cards, photographs, historical ephemera, and works of art inspired by circus and carnival culture from the Yale University Art Gallery (YUAG), Yale Medical School Library, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the International Center of Photography, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and private collections.

Side Show joins an array of television programs, Broadway shows, and books in recent popular culture highlighting showmanship of the exceptional. While some works in the exhibition celebrate the offbeat, taboo world of the sideshow, others explore issues ranging from racism to misogyny to politics to a society obsessed with superficial values, as well as the attitude toward those with disabilities.

The sideshow celebrates the human spirit's ability to overcome any and all challenges, and the acts performed there proved that nothing is impossible, said performer and collector Todd Robbins, who is contributing a folk sculpture from his collection to the exhibition.

Traditionally, a sideshow was a secondary production associated with a mainstream carnival or circus, offering spectacles in a makeshift tent. The popular 10-in-1 format included 10 acts in one show for one ticket. The sideshows would feature people born with physical oddities, such as bearded women or conjoined twins; death-defying acts such as sword-swallowing or fire-breathing; and exotic animals. A final, extra act not advertised on the outside, called the blow-off, could be viewed for an additional fee.

They were a fad of popular entertainment for the masses looking to forget their worries and cares and fears and problems, said Lisa Kereszi 00 M.F.A., critic and director of undergraduate studies in art at the YSA, and curator of the exhibition. They were not unlike the proliferation of reality television today, the Honey Boo-Boos and the various Housewives, or the afternoon talk shows of the eighties and nineties, like Sally Jesse and Geraldo.

Side Show ends with a wink and a nod to the blow-off. After seeing the main show, visitors can walk down a side gallery to view historical sideshow banners. They are confronted with a velvet curtain and a sign warning of the graphic nature of what they are about to see. According to exhibition organizers, the final ding, to use carny lingo, it is not to be missed.

A complementary exhibition, Teratology: The Science and History of Human Monstrosity, will be on view Jan. 22May 15 at Yales Cushing Medical Library, which is lending three works to the School of Art show. Located at 333 Cedar St., the librarys exhibition includes more than 40 books, prints, and broadsides. It is also free and open to the public.

In addition, an exhibition opening in January at the Wadsworth Athenaeum in Hartford, Connecticut Coney Island: Visions of Americas Dreamland, 1861-2008 has been organized by Robin Jaffee Frank, former YUAG senior associate curator of American paintings and sculpture. Kereszi, who consulted on the Wadsworth exhibition, will have her own work featured in the Hartford show.

Side Show has been made possible at Yale by an anonymous donor, with support from the Hayden Fund for Arts and Ideas. An opening lecture by Ricky Jay, magician, collector, and historian, will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 5:30 p.m. at 36 Edgewood Ave., Rm. 204. The talk will be followed by a reception at the 32 Edgewood Avenue Gallery 6:308:30 p.m., with sideshow acts Johnny Fox and The Great Fredini, as well as a performance piece by Mat Fraser and Julie Atlas Muz.

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Step right up and see the Side Show at the Yale School of Art