Even though concussion awareness has increased tenfold the past several years, it is still a hot-button issue and cited by some as a reason participation in football California's most popular high school sport has declined since 2007.

Recent headline-grabbing stories of former NFL players committing suicide, as well as a lawsuit against the league filed by nearly 3,000 former players and players' family members claiming a cover-up over the perils of head trauma, has left some questioning whether the sport is too dangerous for teens and their still-developing brains.

But coaches and administrators say much is being done to protect players from head injuries, including cutting-edge baseline testing at some schools.

Coaches are being more resourceful about the amount of contact in practice; more cognizant of helmet wear and fit; and vigilant about teaching techniques to avoid helmet-to-helmet contact.

"I think the concern about concussions is hurting numbers a little bit, but I also think there's a lot more awareness now than when I played," said Rio Linda football coach Mike Morris, who said he suffered a severe concussion as a high school player only to play the next week.

Referees now have the authority to remove a player from a game if they suspect a concussion has been suffered. Under state law, players are not allowed to return to practice until they have been cleared by a medical professional.

A bill (AB 1451) requiring high school coaches to complete concussion training also passed the California Assembly and Senate by unanimous votes and was signed into law Friday by Gov. Jerry Brown. High school coaches would be required to take a concussion course every two years, just as they now do for CPR and first aid training.

Mesa Verde football coach and athletic director Ron Barney is a supporter of the new law, having suffered a severe concussion in an alumni football game years ago.

"It's a good course and covers everything you need to know," Barney said. "I'm excited about it."

Some schools are being proactive on the issue of concussions.

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High school football: Concussion prevention and treatment a priority

Eight graduates or former students of Laurel Highland High School or its predecessors, North and South Union high schools, will be honored Sept. 8 as the first inductees into the Lifetime Achievement Hall of Fame.

The hall of fame is sponsored by the Laurel Highlands Academic Foundation. Its purpose is to honor former students of the three schools who have made an impact by distinguishing themselves in their career, community or society and/or brought recognition to the district.

We had a quality group of nominees, said Jes Hutson, who is on the hall of fame committee. We did try this first year to make sure we had candidates from all three schools.

District Superintendent Jesse Wallace said the hall of fame not only honors alumni, but may have a positive effect on current students as well.

Were pretty excited about it, said Wallace.

Wallace said the current students will have a chance to meet the alumni who are being honored.

It will give our students an opportunity to have some time with these people who are tops in their field. The people we are recognizing in the inaugural class are just amazing, Wallace said.

The first group to be honored includes the late Robert Eberly, a 1935 North Union graduate and a Fayette County philanthropist; and the late Harry Brownfield, a 1946 South Union graduate, who was an educator for 43 years in Fayette County.

Also being honored are:

n Dr. Randolph Nudo, a 1971 Laurel Highlands graduate. Nudo is the director of the Landon Center on Aging at the University of Kansas Medical Center, where he is also a professor in the department of molecular and integrative physiology and the Marion Merrell Dow Distinguished Professor in Aging.

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LH foundation to honor alumni

News

Advisory Panel Formed For UAPB Chancellor Search

By Arkansas News Bureau Wednesday, August 22, 2012 10:50 AM CDT

LITTLE ROCK The University of Arkansas System announced Tuesday formation of an advisory committee to assist in the search for a new chancellor for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

Dr. Robert McGehee, a UAPB alumnus, Pine Bluff native and dean of the graduate school at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, will serve as chairman of the 14-member committee. The panel will be comprised of members representing UAPB students, faculty, staff and alumni, along with members of the Pine Bluff community, the university said.

Im grateful to each of these individuals for taking the time to participate in this very important search, UA System President Donald R. Bobbitt said. I believe this position will be attractive to talented candidates largely because of the strong support of our students, faculty, staff and alumni, and Im excited to begin the search process.

Longtime chancellor Lawrence Davis Jr. retired May 25. Former state Rep. Calvin Johnson, a former UAPB dean of education, is serving as interim chancellor. He will not be a candidate for the permanent job.

The advisory panel will work with a search firm to review applications and recruit potential candidates for the position. Bobbitt hopes to have a new chancellor selected by June 30, 2013.

Other members of the committee are:

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Advisory Panel Formed For UAPB Chancellor Search

The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a full weekend of activities for alumni and their families, as well as welcoming 201 first-year students just embarking on the path to become physicians.

With 340 graduates expected, along with guests, reunion events such as Friday evenings country BBQ and concert under the tent and Saturdays elegant dining and dancing function at The Greenbrier resort are sure to be well-attended.

Registration/check-in for grads and their families will begin today from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Alumni Center.

Also scheduled for alumni today is a class offering four hours of continuing medical education (CME) credits. The on-campus class runs from 4 to 8:30 p.m.

Registration will continue all day Friday, and another class this one offering eight hours of CME credits will be offered from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

While the doctors are in class, a range of activities is in store for their children and spouses/significant others. Beginning at 2 p.m., the adults will choose among several cooking classes and a tour of historic Lewisburg, while the children will enjoy supervised activities on the WVSOM campus.

The family barbecue dinner will run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Alumni Center, and then a family celebration concert will be staged under the tent on the campus parade field.

The Friday concert will feature the Ramp Supper Band and acclaimed duo The Dueling Fiddlers Adam DeGraff and Russell Fallstad who plug-in and perform rock n roll standards on violins.

Saturday at 9:30 a.m., 201 new medical students will receive their white coats, symbolic of the profession they have chosen to pursue, in a solemn ceremony on the parade field. The public is invited to attend the Convocation and White Coat Ceremony, which will also be aired live on the http://www.wvsom.edu website.

Dr. Rodney Fink, D.O., chairman of the WVSOM Board of Governors and a 1987 graduate of the school, will deliver the ceremonys keynote speech.

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WVSOM plans to celebrate 40th anniversary this weekend

TODAY

CAR SEAT SAFETY CLASS: 6-7 tonight at Palmetto Health Childrens Hospital, 7 Medical Park Drive, first floor conference room. Free. (803) 296-2273; http://www.palmettohealth.org

THURSDAY

WOMEN IN PHILANTHROPY: WIP 101, a free event to educate the public about what the group is doing in the community and how to get involved, will be 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday at the Nelson Mullins Meridian Building, 1320 Main St. Register at http://www.womeninphilanthropy.com/events

JOSEPH McGILL AT THE SUMTER COUNTY MUSEUM: 7 p.m. Thursday at 122 N. Washington St., Sumter. The historical preservation expert and Civil War re-enactor will discuss the history of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry in South Carolina and the Sumter area. Free; refreshments will be served following the presentation. Sponsored by the Humanities Council SC. (803) 775-0980

FRIDAY

FRIENDS OF THE SWANSEA BRANCH LIBRARY: Centennial celebration of the Lexington County Library system, 4-6 p.m. Friday at the Swansea Library, 199 N. Lawrence Ave. Door prizes, refreshments, childrens face painting and more. (803) 785-3519

B-C HS MULTI-CLASS REUNION WEEKEND: 6 p.m. Friday, join alumni from 1986, 1987 and 1988 for the Brookland-Cayce vs. Airport football game; meet in the cafeteria. Family fun day at Lake Murray (Lexington side of the dam), 1 p.m. Sunday. Information at (803) 920-2682.

PINKALICIOUS THE MUSICAL: 7 p.m. Friday and Aug. 31; 10:30 a.m., 2 p.m. Saturday and Sept. 1; 3 p.m. Sunday and Sept. 2 at the Columbia Childrens Theatre, 3400 Forest Drive (Richland Mall); $8. (803) 691-4548; http://www.columbiachildrenstheatre.com

CAPITAL SENIOR CENTER DANCE: 7:30-10:30 p.m. Friday at 1650 Park Circle (Maxcy Gregg Park). Annual luau with live music featuring the Dancetimers, dress: Island casual; $5. BYOB, bring snacks to share. (803) 779-1971; http://www.capitalseniorcenter.com

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Community Calendar, Aug. 22

Newswise WASHINGTON (August 21, 2012) On Thursday, August 23, students at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Science (SMHS) will put down their books and study materials to help those in need at this years Commitment to Community Day. Hundreds of faculty, students, residents, staff, and alumni will spend the day painting murals for clinics affiliated with Operation Smile and preparing 100,000 bagged meals through the Kids Against Hunger DC Metro.

This annual day of service reaffirms our mission to improve the world around us, said Jeffrey S. Akman, M.D., interim vice president for health affairs and dean of SMHS. The murals will provide a warm and welcoming environment for the children as they meet their physicians and have surgeries to fix their smiles that will help them lead more confident lives. The meals will provide hope for families who are suffering from malnutrition and starvation. The experiences of this day will be the beginning of a great journey of giving back to the community.

Groups will meet at the Charles E. Smith Center in Foggy Bottom at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. for orientation, after which part of the group will paint murals at clinics affiliated with Operation Smile, an international children's medical charity that provides free cleft lip and cleft palate repair surgeries to children worldwide and assists countries in building long-term self-sufficiency with these surgeries.

Another part of the group will work with Kids Against Hunger DC Metro to package 100,000 meals to distribute to local community kitchens in the Washington, D.C. area and to Haiti. This part of the event was organized in partnership with Groupon Grassroots, the philanthropic arm of Groupon. To raise money for the event, Groupon asked subscribers to pledge support with donations in increments of six dollars as part of the Feeding Kids initiative. Each six dollar donation provides 26 nutritious meals. One hundred percent of the Groupon Grassroots campaign proceeds will be used to provide meals to feed hungry kids, both locally and around the world.

Kids Against Hunger's meals have been formulated by food scientists to provide a rich source of easily digestible protein, carbohydrates, and vitamins needed by a malnourished child's body and mind. The meals offer all nine of the essential amino acids required for complete nutritionsomething that can't be said about other typical food relief sources such as rice or beans alone.

We are excited to employ the collective action model of Groupon Grassroots to raise support for the Feeding Kids Initiative, said Mink Chawla, M.D., associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at SMHS and co-founder of Kids Against Hunger DC Metro. We look forward to creating new awareness for Kids Against Hunger DC Metro as one of the local organizations in Washington, D.C. to be featured on Groupon Grassroots.

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About the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences: Founded in 1825, the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) was the first medical school in the nations capital and is the 11th oldest in the country. Working together in our nations capital, with integrity and resolve, the GW SMHS is committed to improving the health and well-being of our local, national and global communities. http://www.smhs.gwu.edu

About Operation Smile: Operation Smile, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, is an international childrens medical charity that works in more than 60 countries. More than 5,000 medical volunteers from over 80 countries volunteer with Operation Smile to help improve the health and lives of children. Since its founding in 1982, Operation Smile has provided more than 2 million healthcare evaluations and conducted over 200,000 free surgeries for children and young adults born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities, as well as patients suffering from burns. To build long-term self-sufficiency in developing countries, Operation Smile donates medical equipment, provides year-round medical treatment through Comprehensive Care Centers, and trains doctors and local medical professionals in its partner countries so they are empowered to treat their own local communities. http://www.operationsmile.org.

About Kids Against Hunger: Kids Against Hungers mission is to significantly reduce the number of hungry children in the United States and to feed starving children throughout the world. Our approach to achieving the eradication of world hunger is the packaging of a highly nutritious, vitamin-fortified rice-soy casserole by volunteers and the distribution of those meals to starving children and their families worldwide.

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GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences to Paint Murals, Bag Meals on Community Service Day

Barbara A. Hall, a former secretary who was a longtime volunteer at Greater Baltimore Medical Center, died Sunday of pneumonia at St. Joseph Medical Center. She was 92.

The daughter of a high school principal and a homemaker, the former Barbara Abbott was born in Fort Fair, Maine, and in 1926 moved with her family to Providence, R.I., where she graduated in 1937 from Hope Street High School.

She was a 1941 graduate of Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, where she earned a bachelor's degree in European history.

After teaching school for a year in Bryant Pond, Maine, where her annual salary was $900, Mrs. Hall moved to Boston and enrolled at Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School, from which she graduated in 1945.

She was working as a secretary in the dean's office at Harvard College when she was promoted to house secretary at Harvard's Kirkland House.

Mrs. Hall was sitting at her typewriter on her first day of work in her new job when a handsome World War II veteran, Richard Leland Hall, who was about to begin graduate studies, walked through the door.

"She said, 'He took me off the shelf,'" said a daughter, Nancy Abbott Cooper of Wilmington, Del.

The couple married in 1948 and remained at Harvard, where her husband earned his doctorate in organic chemistry.

In 1950, they moved to Rodgers Forge when Dr. Hall was hired by McCormick & Co. The couple later settled on Wellington Court in Stoneleigh, where they lived for many years, before moving in 2000 to the Blakehurst retirement community in Towson.

Mrs. Hall delivered her three daughters at the old Hospital for the Women of Maryland on Bolton Hill. After its 1965 merger with the Presbyterian Eye, Ear and Throat Charity Hospital that created Greater Baltimore Medical Center, she began volunteering at the new hospital.

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Barbara A. Hall, longtime GBMC volunteer

STANFORD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

A new program on scaling fast-growth companies will gather 61 entrepreneurs from around the world at the Stanford Graduate School of Business Aug. 26-31. The course is the first educational program to be offered by the Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies (SEED). The institutes aim is to stimulate innovation through research, education, and on-the-ground action that enables entrepreneurs, managers, and leaders to stimulate growth in developing economies. SEEDs work is based on the belief that a critical route for economic growth is through the creation of new entrepreneurial ventures and by growing existing enterprises.

In cooperation with Endeavor Global, a nonprofit organization that selects, supports and mentors high-impact entrepreneurs around the world, the new StanfordEndeavor Leadership Program is designed specifically for entrepreneurs from developing economies. Endeavor selected the 61 high-impact entrepreneurs from among its global networks. The program will include representatives from a bakery in Egypt, a retailer in Mexico, and a growing electronic restaurant-ordering business based in Turkey.

The weeklong program will draw on the world-class faculty and network at the Stanford Graduate School of Business to help Endeavor entrepreneurs build growth companies in a competitive global marketplace. In addition to faculty, Silicon Valley-based business school alumni with expertise in operations will return to Stanford to coach working groups during the program. Increased management know-how is a critical tool that empowers entrepreneurs to scale businesses and create employment opportunities in emerging economies, said Hau Lee, faculty director of SEED and the Thoma Professor of Operations, Information and Technology. This course represents our first major interaction with on-the-ground entrepreneurs who will return to their respective countries to change peoples lives by creating both jobs and products that solve problems in a sustained way.

Led by George Foster, the Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Management at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, the program will allow participants to develop core competencies to grow companies, present frameworks to manage growth and tools to drive a vibrant corporate culture, develop leadership skills to operate in a competitive global economy, and address the special opportunities and challenges involved in scaling global companies. "We're thrilled to be working with Stanford to provide our Endeavor Entrepreneurs with such a unique opportunity," said Endeavor cofounder and CEO Linda Rottenberg."Access to programs like this can make the difference in helping enterprises scale and reach their high-impact potential."

While entrepreneurs contribute to program costs, the effort, including housing on the Stanford campus, is subsidized through a generous grant from SEED.

SEED Executive Director Named

Also this month, Stanford Graduate School of Business Dean Garth Saloner named Tralance Addy as SEEDs first executive director. Working with faculty director Hau Lee, Addy will assume both strategic and operational leadership of SEED as the institute pursues its mission to accelerate entrepreneurship and innovation in developing economies. He will also work closely with faculty members Jesper Srensen, who leads the SEED education and dissemination area and is the Robert A. and Elizabeth R. Jeffe Professor of Organizational Behavior, and Jim Patell, who leads SEEDs on-the-ground area and is the Herbert Hoover Professor of Public and Private Management.

Addy brings to SEED a distinguished professional career marked by innovation and entrepreneurship in corporate and start-up environments, spanning multiple sectors. He founded and has served as chief executive of Plebys International LLC, an enterprise development company targeting underserved markets worldwide. Plebys was founded to serve as a vehicle to spur new enterprise formation and sustainable growth in developing markets. Until 2009 he also served as president and CEO of WaterHealth International Inc., the first Plebys venture, which develops and provides water purification systems and facilities; it currently provides access to affordable clean water to more than 5 million people in rural and urban communities in developing economies.

Prior to Plebys, Addy was an international vice president at Johnson & Johnson, where during a 21-year career he also held senior executive responsibilities including worldwide president of a leading global subsidiary, and vice president of R&D and a member of the global management committee for Johnson & Johnson Medical Inc.

Link:
Stanford Launches First SEED Program for Entrepreneurs Scaling Business in Developing Economies

Published: Saturday, August 18, 2012 at 7:54 p.m. Last Modified: Saturday, August 18, 2012 at 7:54 p.m.

Three Auburndale High School students were honored by the Health Occupations Students of America. Shayla Jordan placed eighth in medical assisting, Morgan Faneuf placed seventh in dental science and Lori Hyde placed fourth in veterinarian science. The awards were given at the 35th annual National Leadership Conference held at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando.

VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY

Leslie Schichtel from Lakeland graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in communications studies and English from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. She was initiated into Phi Beta Kappa on May 10. She works as a producer with NBC Olympics.

WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE

Alexander Misch of Bartow, a senior majoring in biomedical engineering, was named to the dean's list for academic excellence for the spring 2012 semester at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Mass.

AZUSA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY

Marjorie West of Haines City, a nursing major, made the academic dean's list at Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, Calif.

LAKE GIBSON MIDDLE SCHOOL

More than 6,700 members, advisers, alumni and guests of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) gathered in Orlando July 8-12 for the National Leadership Conference. Throughout the year, FCCLA members tackle issues such as cyber-bullying prevention, traffic safety, family issues, career exploration, and much more.

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