Following a flurry of media attention concerning a possible military training center at the Yale School of Medicine, the University issued a statement Tuesday afternoon maintaining that the potential program would meet appropriate academic standards but also denying that it has yet been formally proposed.

School of Medicine psychiatry professor Charles Morgan told the News in January that he hopes to propose the creation of a center at the Medical School in cooperation with the U.S. Army Special Operations Forces called the U.S. Special Operations Command Center of Excellence for Operational Neuroscience, which would teach soldiers interview techniques. Yales statement said the School of Medicine has not formally proposed opening the center, and denied media reports that the training facility will teach interrogation tactics and that the research will take advantage of minority populations in New Haven.

Michael Siegel MED 90, a donor for the Medical School, criticized the center in an open letter to Medical School Dean Robert Alpern on Monday morning, arguing that the center will violate the mission of the School of Medicine by fulfilling military objectives, and the letter grabbed the attention of the national media.

In short, the center, if established, would be designed in the best traditions of Yale research and scholarship, the Office of Public Affairs and Communications said in the release. Public reports stating otherwise are premature and based on speculation and incomplete information.

Morgan would direct the proposed center, using a $1.8-million grant from the Department of Defense. The center would ultimately function to teach Army soldiers interviewing techniques Morgan developed, he said in January.

Morgan also told the News in January that the Yale Office of Grant and Contract Administration is working with the Psychiatry Department to finish paperwork securing the grant funding, which was delayed due to both congressional budget issues and the need for more time to work out funding for administrative expenses. Morgan declined to comment for this article.

No matter what I say, it doesnt seem to quell rumors, Morgan added.

Alpern told the News that the public would normally not know about ideas at the phase of development before a formal proposal but exposure from a Jan. 7 New Yorker Magazine article profiling a possible instructor for the center, theatrical pickpocket Apollo Robbins, exposed the plan to national attention.

Siegel said he sent the open letter to Alpern after learning about the proposed center on Monday, and he followed up with a second letter after speaking with Morgan Tuesday morning. He will stop donating to the Medical School, he said, because the proposed centers goal of furthering military objectives contradicts the Medical Schools mission to improve health and further medical research. In addition, Siegel described the center as unethical because it will allow soldiers to practice interview techniques on New Haven immigrants information that Siegel said he found in the Yale Herald.

But the statement declares that the interviewing techniques envisioned for the center are both central to the psychiatry discipline and part of medical student and resident education. According to the University, interviewees will be volunteers from diverse ethnic groups and will be protected by oversight from Yales Human Research Protection Program.

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Proposed DOD center stirs controversy

FOR the second year, the St. Scholastica Bacolod Alumnae Foundation Inc. launched its Run/Walk for a Cause 2 with an overwhelming participation.

The Foundation is alumni-based inspired by the Benedictine Spirit of Ora et Labora, committed to the upliftment of the poor and marginalized sectors of Negros Occidental through socio-economic programs.

Among its socio-economic programs are: Free Measles and DPT Immunization; Sponsor medical needs of indigent pediatric patients in a government hospital. On Educational Projects: they provide full or partial scholarships for deserving underprivileged children at St. Scholastica's Academy Bacolod or Holy Family Vocational High School.

They also provide preferred scholarships of the donor and financial assistance to the Holy Family Vocational High School, a school for indigent children.

In training and development projects, the foundation subsidizes and conducts skills training (livelihood, sports, and youth development) and values education for indigents.

Among the latest of the projects accomplished by the Foundation are: a Successful open-heart surgery of 1st beneficiary with Medical City partnership; SSBAFI MOA signing with The Medical City for open-heart surgeries; Negros Occidental receiving 178 wheelchairs; Provincial Hospital receiving medical equipment; 5,183 surgeries and consultations for Aloha Medical Missions 1, 2, and 3.

Save A Life beneficiaries now total 445 patients and Give A Life medical missions, which has benefited 9,000 patients.

The heart and life blood of foundations are generally donations from well meaning philanthropists who have been most generous with their sharing. Donations are received through their office in The St. Scholastica's Bacolod Alumnae Foundation, Inc. 2nd Floor, MC Metroplex Building, B.S. Aquino Drive, 6100 Bacolod City, Philippines 6100 or you can write them at: ssabfincom@ssabfoundation.org.

The Kolasa are a very innovative lot and to relieve benefactors of donation fatigue, last year they organized the Run/Walk for Life to raise funds. Because of its resounding success, another charity Run/Walk Part 2 with 1k, 3k, 5k and 10k was held again last Sunday with a humongous participation from the many invited groups milling around the Capitol Building at dawn.

To make the Run/Walk most interesting 3 celebrities from the small screen and big screen came to add glitz, excitement and fun to the event. These hunks are Derek Ramsay, Rovilson Fernandez and Fabio Ibe. It goes without saying that there were endless photo ops with these delicious, gorgeous hunks!

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Run/walk, save a life 2

BOSTON & GENEVA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

PHT Corporation announced that Jonathan S. Helfgott, FDA Compliance Officer for CDER, within the office of Scientific Investigations, will present: FDA Perspective on the Compliant Use of ePRO Instruments to Support FDA Studies at the 17thPRO & eCOA Congress, March 26-28 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Congress is sponsored by PHT Corporation, the leading provider of innovative technology systems used to collect patient-driven eData for clinical research.

Mr. Helfgott specializes in Computerized Systems used in FDA regulated Clinical Investigations. Prior to joining CDER in 2010, he worked at the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) within the Division of Bioresearch Monitoring (BIMO). Mr. Helfgott is also a Lecturer for Johns Hopkins Universitys Graduate Program in Bioscience Regulatory Affairs. He is the Co-Editor of the Food and Drug Law Institutes 2009 Publication, Biomedical Software Regulation. Mr. Helfgott has also been published in Peer Reviewed Journals such as Applied Clinical Trials, RAPS Focus, Association of Clinical Research Professionals, FDLI Update, Touch Briefings, and Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry. Mr. Helfgott has also lectured for organizations such as DIA, ACRP, RAPS, SOCRA, SCDM, AdvaMed, CHI, CBI, and FDA News as well as academic institutions such as Northwestern University, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Colorado Denver Medical School, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Georgetown University, Stanford University School of Medicine, Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, Shriners Hospitals, and NIHs National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Mr. Helfgott co-developed the Software Education Program for the CDRH Staff College through the Medical Device Fellowship Program. Prior to joining FDA in May 2006, Mr. Helfgott conducted genetic research using micro-array technology at the NIHs National Institute on Aging. Mr. Helfgott received his MS from Johns Hopkins University and his BS in Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics from the University of Maryland College Park.

The PRO & eCOA Congress Agenda features 20 new presentations, case studies, debates and roundtable discussions from professionals actively involved in eClinical research programs. Educational sessions are based on best practices and lessons learned, and provide actionable information attendees can implement at their organizations.

Space is limited. Register today for the 2013 Baltimore PRO & eCOA Congress at http://www.bit.ly/PbKR6Z.

PHT invites all Congress alumni to join the exclusive PRO & eCOA Congress LinkedIn Community to exchange information, ideas and experiences throughout the year.

About PHT Corporation

PHT Corporation helps pharmaceutical companies and CROs conduct clinical trial programs with greater confidence, ease and accuracy. Proven PHT eCOA (electronic Clinical Outcome Assessment) Systems collect patient-driven eData via smartphones, tablets and the web. This data, available via the PHT StudyWorks online portal, provides sponsors and clinicians with a real time window into how patients feel and function. The service and technology that PHT provides helps clients speed new therapies to market that ultimately improve patient quality of life around the world. PHT has helped trial sponsors collect patient-driven eData in 600+ global trials resulting in 16 regulatory approvals. PHT offers the regulatory, technological, and scientific expertise todays market demands and patients deserve. Visit http://www.phtcorp.com for more information on PHT. Follow PHT on LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

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Jonathan S. Helfgott, FDA Compliance Officer for Center for Drug Evaluation & Research (CDER), to Address PHT ...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Stanford University has set a new record for college fundraising, becoming the first school to collect more than $1 billion in a single year, according to a report released Wednesday.

For the eighth straight year, Stanford ranked first in the Council for Aid to Education's annual college fundraising survey, which shows that elite institutions continue to grab a disproportionate share of donor dollars.

In the 2012 fiscal year, roughly 3,500 U.S. colleges and universities raised $31 billion, 2.3 percent more than the previous year. The record was set in 2008 when schools took in $31.6 billion before fundraising dropped during the height of the financial crisis.

"We're climbing out of the doldrums," said survey director Ann Kaplan. "We haven't returned to the high point of 2008, but we're approaching it. I think you can say that about a lot of industries."

Topping the list was Stanford at $1.035 billion, followed by Harvard University at $650 million, Yale University at $544 million, the University of Southern California at $492 million and Columbia University at $490 million.

The top 10 fundraising colleges collected $5.3 billion, or 17 percent, of the $31 billion, even though they represent only 0.3 percent of the 3,500 accredited, nonprofit schools included in the survey.

Stanford benefited from a surge in donations at the end of its multi-year Stanford Challenge fundraising campaign, which netted $6.2 billion. It also benefited from the successful launch of a $1 billion campaign for its medical school and hospitals.

The 10-campus University of California system raised $1.56 billion, which doesn't include money collected by its individual campuses. UC Berkeley was the leading fundraiser among all public universities, taking in $405 million.

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Stanford's alumni list includes the founders of major tech companies like Yahoo Inc. who have given to the school in recent years.

Stanford raised 46 percent more in its 2012 fiscal year than the $709 million it collected in 2011 and surpassed its previous record of $911 million set in 2006. The $1.035 billion haul is equal to nearly $56,000 for each of its roughly 18,500 undergraduate and graduate students, though much of the money will be used for research and construction.

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Stanford University is 1st college to raise $1B

Jonathan Lai, Inquirer Staff Writer Posted: Tuesday, February 19, 2013, 3:01 AM

Dan M. McGill, 93, a professor emeritus at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania who helped shape the study of pensions, died of heart failure Tuesday, Feb. 5, at Lankenau Medical Center in Wynnewood, Pa.

Born in Greenback, Tenn., on Sept. 27, 1919, Dr. McGill moved as a boy to Maryville, Tenn. He received a bachelor's degree from Maryville College in 1940 and a master's degree from Vanderbilt University in 1941, before serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps, which was succeeded by the U.S. Army Air Forces, from 1942-46.

He rose to the rank of major, serving in noncombat roles reporting to the Pentagon, his wife, Elaine, said.

He received his Ph.D. from the Wharton School in 1947, returned to serve in the Air Force from 1951-52, and joined the faculty of the Wharton School in 1952. He also taught at the University of Tennessee from 1947-48 and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1948-51.

Elaine McGill said she and Dr. McGill married on June 26, 1952, and their marriage was a source of pride for the noted academic.

"My husband was a very modest man," she said last week. "The one thing that he said he was the proudest of was the fact that we had been married for 60 years."

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Dan M. McGill, 93, Wharton professor

Marco Antonio Magallon, born two years after his parents moved to California from Mexico, grew up in Rancho Cucamonga between the Santa Monica Pier and the Big Bear Mountains.

While most of his friends, "nerds" from high school AP classes, went to Berkeley or UCLA, he made a strategic decision about his future and moved to the Midwest.

That route, he figured, went through a science-business major where he could both learn business and conduct research. He volunteered with Memorial Hospital for 21/2 years, where his Spanish-speaking skills helped comfort many parents of sick children.

"I did that so I could have some more experience with the actual community," Magallon says. "It would give me a reason to get off campus on a weekly basis. That was my chance to explore how I felt about medicine and if I could see myself doing that as a career."

After a stint with Notre Dame's Haiti salt project in the spring of 2009 and entrepreneurship classes in his senior year, Magallon decided to veer off the medical school track, at least for a while.

"Those afforded me a perspective there's a lot of ways to help and make a positive impact on society, not just through helping individuals as a doctor but creating businesses that fuel the economy, create innovation and move us forward as a species," he says, adding that such an opportunity was unlikely once he started a medical practice.

"By then I would probably be interested only in my career as a doctor. I would never get another chance to explore entrepreneurship the way I would after college."

Magallon joined Notre Dame's ESTEEM Program, strengthening his business skills and choosing research in the field of energy rather than medicine. When the opportunity came to put entrepreneurship into practice in South Bend with enFocus, rather than substitute teaching in California while filling out med school applications, he seized it.

"This is real life," he says. "We're sort of learning by doing, to a great degree, but we also have to remember that this isn't an experiment. In many ways it is an experiment because it hasn't been done before in South Bend, but it's something you have to get right the first time because people's lives are invested in this.

"This extra year in South Bend with enFocus would be especially worth it if I would be making a decision to stay here not only for that year, but for the first few years of my professional career, potentially making a life here. This is a life-altering choice -- as important, if not more than, when I went to college."

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'This isn't an experiment'

The Leominster Education Foundation is reaching out to Leominster alumni, requesting that they submit updated information sharing what they have been doing since graduation from Leominster High School.

LEF held a drawing from among alumni that responded with updated information, and Danielle Randall was the first winner, receiving a $100 gift certificate.

Danielle lives in Los Angeles and emailed her information to the foundation.

Danielle was born and raised in Leominster. After spending nine years at Johnny Appleseed School and leaving as a member of its last eighth-grade class, she attended Leominster High School, graduating in 2004. Her avid involvement in LHS's theater and television production programs throughout her high school career influenced her decision to attend Emerson College in Boston, where she received a degree in visual and media arts in 2008. Since then, Danielle has been living and working in Los Angeles at film production company Offspring Entertainment, known for the movies "The Last Song," "Hairspray," and "Rock of Ages," at Twentieth Century Fox, and most recently as a writer's assistant on medical drama "Private Practice," which concluded its run on ABC in December after six seasons. Danielle is currently working on the production of an upcoming ABC drama pilot.

Stephanie Santucci, LEF administrative assistant, is coordinating the "Alumni Project." Send LEF your information by posting on Facebook (

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LHS grads: Share your stories