In the News

January 2008

Health Advice for Game Day: Keep Your Cool
Associated Press - Jan. 31
The Wall Street Journal - Jan. 31

New York and New England fans watch out: Sunday's Super Bowl just might be dangerous to your health. In a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, German researchers found that Bavarian soccer fans more than doubled their risk of heart attacks and cardiac trouble while watching televised matches of the 2006 World Cup soccer championships in Germany. The finding adds to other research results suggesting that watching sports is a health hazard. University of Maryland researchers who studied emergency-room visits on days of collegiate and professional sporting events warned in 2006 that male fans who needed care tended to put it off until the games were over. "You've got a lot of people eating cheese nachos and waiting to have a big myocardial infarction," says David Jerrard, MD, associate professor at the School of Medicine and an emergency physician who led the Maryland research.
ap.google.com
online.wsj.com

New Health Board Members
The Washington Post - Jan. 31

Sue Song, PHD, RN, an adjunct instructor at the School of Nursing, has been named to the Howard County board of health. Song has been active in reducing cultural barriers and securing health services for members of the countyýs Korean-American community.
www.washingtonpost.com

Students Focus the Nation on the Environment
Community Times - Jan. 31

A symposium today at the School of Law with keynote speaker Shari Wilson, JD, MA, Maryland secretary of the environment, plus environmental and energy organizations, is among events on the environment that are planned at colleges in Maryland.
www.communitytimes.com

Disease Management Program Expands to Harford
Prime Times (Harford County) - February, 2008

An innovative, effective program that helps people manage their chronic diseaseýorganized in cooperation with the School of Pharmacyýis expanding into Harford County, offering patients better overall health and reduced health care costs. The Maryland P3 Program provides participating employers and their employees with links to pharmacists who are trained to help patients manage their diabetes through regular counseling sessions. Magaly Rodriguez de Bittner, PharmD, BCPS, CDE, chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science, said, "We know that pharmacist counseling helps patients stick to their prescribed medication regimen, and better adherence makes for healthier patients." Dean Natalie D. Eddington, PhD, said, "Diabetes is a very difficult disease. A program like this where the pharmacist is actually intervening in health care delivery is fantastic because it not only helps the patients improve their quality of life, but in the long run, it can help reduce health care costs for everyone."

Mortgage Crisis
WUSA-TV, Ch. 9, 9 a.m. - Jan. 30

Michael Greenberger, JD, professor at the School of Law, director of the Center for Health and Homeland Security, and former division director of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, discussed why the Federal Reserve is expected to lower interest rates again today, and why the FBI has opened an investigation into the subprime mortgage crisis.

Reputation Managers Step in Against Internet Thugs
Agence France Press - Jan. 30
AFP.Com - Jan. 30

Anonymity and strength in numbers are fueling online attacks on other web users, with significant consequences, both to the people online and to their reputation offline. Danielle Citron, JD, assistant professor at the School of Law, likened vicious cyber-mobs to the mob mentality of the Ku Klux Klan. "If youýre in a crowd where people hold the same negative view as you, and you feel anonymous, youýre going to do things you would never dream of doing if you had no mask and hood on," Citron said.

Students Focus the Nation on the Environment
The (Baltimore) Examiner - Jan. 30
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 29

Students across the country will bring together educators, policymakers, and activists on Jan. 31 for a national teach-in called ýFocus the Nationý to concentrate on climate solutions. ýItýs an appeal to student activism,ý said Rena Steinzor, JD, professor at the School of Law. "Climate change news grows bleaker by the day. Around the world, policymakers struggle to find politically workable solutions to these problems. Students want to help them," wrote Andrew Gohn, a second-year student at the School, in an Op-Ed about the consequences of inaction in regard to the environmental issues.
www.examiner.com
weblogs.baltimoresun.com

UM Law Students Travel to New Orleans in the Ongoing Relief Efforts
WYPR-FM - Jan. 29
WYPR.Org - Jan. 29

More than 80 students from the School of Law spent their winter break in Louisiana and Mississippi, donating their time with criminal and civil cases, and rebuilding projects in an area still struggling to recover from 2005ýs Hurricane Katrina. Douglas Colbert, JD, professor at the School, described how Eric Garvey, a first-year student, skillfully answered a question from a judge. It showed, Colbert said, how Maryland students think on their feet. "Being a lawyer is about helping people, and you lose sight of that," said Garvey. "It helped us reconnect. These aren't just names, faceless people. These are real lives and these are real people." Anne Deady, a third-year student, marveled at how this program has become part of the law school culture. "It's amazing. Something that started as an idea with a few students has become a rite of passage."
www.publicbroadcasting.net

UMB Agrees to Put Bookstore on West-Side Block
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 30

After heavy lobbying by city officials, University of Maryland, Baltimore administrators have agreed to locate a college bookstore on the northeast corner of Baltimore and Paca streets, a move city boosters hope will continue to fuel the west sideýs revival. The decision would locate a Barnes & Noble bookstore in the 400 block of W. Baltimore St. The new bookstore would have about 10,000 square feet and primarily function as a University store with textbooks but would also include books for the larger community and likely a cafe section. The project is several years from completion.
www.baltimoresun.com

Device Zeroes In on Small Breast Tumors
Science Daily - Jan. 28

A new medical imager for detecting and guiding the biopsy of suspicious breast cancer lesions is capable of spotting tumors that are half the size of the smallest ones detected by standard imaging systems, according to a new study. The results of initial testing of the PEM/PET system, designed and constructed by scientists at the Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, West Virginia University School of Medicine, and the University of Maryland School of Medicine will be published in the Journal Physics in Medicine and Biology on Feb. 7.
www.sciencedaily.com

Hope and Cure for a Tree Man
News.com.au - Jan. 29

An Indonesian fisherman, Dede, age 35, has hands and feet that resemble something out of the "Alien" movie series, with huge root-like growths that render his arms and legs useless. Dermatologist Anthony Gaspari, MD, professor at the School of Medicine, flew to Indonesia and determined that Dedeýs condition was caused by a genetic inability to restrain the growth of warts ("cutaneous horns") produced by the human papilloma virus. Gaspari prescribed a regimen of vitamin A, which he said should reduce the size of the warts enough so that, with surgery, Dede could use his hands again.
www.news.com.au

More Than a Bookstore
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 29

The 400 block of W. Baltimore St. is a sorry sight, and efforts to redevelop that stretch between the University of Maryland, Baltimoreýs stately law school and the classy revival of the Hippodrome Theatre have been unimpressive. But an agreement reached yesterday to relocate the UMB bookstore (under a Barnes & Noble banner) in a renovated building on the northeast corner offers great promise for an expanded, revitalized west side. Mayor Sheila Dixon reached out personally to UMB President David J. Ramsay, DM, DPhil, who said he favored the proposal, but it had to work financially for the University.
www.baltimoresun.com
www.baltimoresun.com

ACLU Stresses Public Health's Role in Pandemics
Amednews.com - Feb. 4

Efforts to prepare for a pandemic or other type of mass disease event belong squarely in the realm of public health and not law enforcement, contrary to the direction taken since Sept. 11 by the federal government, argues a new report by the American Civil Liberties Union. More funds need to be provided to public health, said Michael Greenberger, JD, professor at the School of Law and director of the Center for Health and Homeland Security, who spoke during a panel discussion following the report's release. And when federal plans require each household to stockpile supplies and medications, they aren't taking the elderly, disabled, and poor into account, Greenberger said.
www.ama-assn.org

Brushing Up on Good Habits
The Washington Post - Jan. 27

We are on the cusp of National Childrenýs Dental Health Month. You should brush and floss your teeth every day, but if you've been a bit lazy, February is a good time to get back on track to a happy, healthy smile. The Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry in Baltimore wants to help. Museum officials will be at Port Discovery on Saturday to show how to brush and floss properly. On Feb. 17 from 1 - 4 p.m. you can tour the museum for $1 and learn all about dental care in Colonial times. There will be a costumed Washington re-enactor and special treats in honor of the first president's birthday.
www.washingtonpost.com

Downtown Banking On Bookstore
planetizen.com - Jan. 27

Construction of a new University bookstore in downtown Baltimore is seen as a critical piece of the downtown's rebirth. City officials are looking at offering tax incentives to ensure the bookstore deals comes through. To city officials, a half block in the 400 block of W. Baltimore St. is a critical piece for revitalization, a bridge between the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus to the west and the Hippodrome Theatre and Starbucks to the east. And so the city is pressing the University to put a student bookstore, to be managed by Barnes & Noble, at the northeast corner of Baltimore and Paca streets, a move officials hope will inject more energy and visibility to an area undergoing a slow transformation.
www.planetizen.com

Employee Assistance Programs in Germany
Handelsblatt (Germany: A Business Newspaper) ý Jan. 11, 12, 13

In an article about nascent employee assistance programs (EAP) in Germany, Jodi Jacobson, PhD, an assistant professor at the School of Social Work, was interviewed about the roles EAPs play for employees and for employers. "Employers don't implement EAPs purely out of unselfishness. EAPs prevent personal problems from becoming personnel problems," she said.

Experts Issue Guidelines on Diagnosing Seizure
TamilStar.com (India) - Jan. 27

Routine electroencephalogram (EEG) and MRI or CT brain scans should be considered when diagnosing and treating adults who've had their first unprovoked seizure, according to a new guideline released by the American Academy of Neurology. "Since even one seizure is a frightening, traumatic event with serious potential consequences, such as loss of driving privileges, limitations for employment and bodily injury, information about optimal, evidence-based approaches for treating people with a seizure is important," guideline author Allan Krumholz, MD, a professor at the School of Medicine and director of the University of Maryland Epilepsy Center, said in a prepared statement.
www.tamilstar.com

From Campus to Startup
The Gazette - Jan. 25

Faculty inventors and cutting-edge researchers are taking advantage of campus resources that fuel business development. Alba Therapeutics Corp., a biopharmaceutical company in Baltimore, is a success story out of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, school administrators say. Co-founded by a professor almost four years ago, it raised $20 million in less than two years and has grown to more than 50 employees. ýýDoing science for science, just to prove a concept, is a tremendous waste of money, time, and talent,ý said Alessio Fasano, MD, professor of pediatrics, medicine, and physiology at the School of Medicine. Fasano co-founded Alba Therapeutics. "The University saw about eight new companies spring from technology developed there over the past four years," said James Hughes, MBA, vice president for research and development at the school. "In 2007, three licenses went to new companies and 21 went to existing businesses," he said.
www.gazette.net

Shelf Life
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 27

While using something beyond its "use by" date typically isn't tragic, it's often not ideal. Medication is another matter. "In many cases, especially for persons taking drugs for some fairly serious conditionsýhigh blood pressure, diabetesýin these cases, if the drugs donýt work, you could be in serious trouble from a health standpoint," said Frank Palumbo, PhD, JD, a professor at the School of Pharmacy and executive director of the Schoolýs Center on Drugs and Public Policy.

Today's Newsmakers
The Daily Record - Jan. 25

Alexander MacKerell Jr., PhD, has been appointed the first Grollman-Glick Professor at the School of Pharmacy. MacKerell is an internationally recognized scholar on theoretical approaches to understanding complex biological systems. His leadership and vision led to the establishment of the Computer-Aided Drug Design Center. Sarah Michel, PhD, an assistant professor at the School of Pharmacy, has won a prestigious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF CAREER award is for $570,000 over five years and provides work funding for new faculty. Michel earned her award for her work studying two specific proteins. One is involved in inflammatory response and the other in the development of neurons.

Vaccines Get a Boost: Global Market Increases Profitability
AMEDnews.com - Feb. 4

Excitement is bubbling in the public health world about the renewed interest in vaccines. Experts cite several reasons for this resurgence, ranging from new science to existing policies and changed attitudes. "Notice was taken by those in public health that, not only were the immunized children healthier, but so were their families,ý said Myron Levine, MD, professor at the School of Medicine and director of the Schoolýs Center for Vaccine Development. ýWhat this means for public health is that if you vaccinate infants, you have an important extra public health advantage of great economic importance, because you are actually preventing disease in other ages."
www.ama-assn.org

Homes to Rise by B&O Center
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 25

A "work force" housing project of 99 townhouses and condominiums is slated to rise on a parking lot near the B&O Railroad Museum in southwest Baltimore's Washington Village/Pigtown neighborhood. The development will be located just south of the UMB BioPark and about a mile from the Inner Harbor.
www.baltimoresun.com

Nurses Strive to Find Safer Working Conditions
NurseZone.com - Jan. 25

Surrounded by toxic chemicals, sharp instruments, radiation and sometimes violent patients, nurses have to defend themselves from physical harm on a near daily basis. Referring to findings in a recently-released report about chemical exposure to nurses, Barbara Sattler, DrPH, RN, FAAN, a professor at the School of Nursing and director of the School's Environmental Health and Education Center, said, "Cleaners, pesticides, medications turned into dust when pulverized, disinfectants, both gas and liquid, all create conditions for health hazards. Almost all of them are severely irritating to the lungs. Interestingly, the nursing profession is seeing increases in the rate of adult onset asthma."
nursezone.com

Overdose, Murder Deaths Comparable
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 25

The number of people who died from drug and alcohol overdoses in Baltimore during the past 12 years was comparable to the number of murdered people each year, according to a report released yesterday. Christopher Welsh, MD, an assistant professor at the School of Medicine and addictions specialist at the University of Maryland Medical Center, said methadone use is on the rise because doctors who used to prescribe OxyContinýwhich is highly addictiveýhave turned to methadone instead. "Part of the issue has to do with these are very good treatments for pain but they are also highly abusable," Welsh said.
www.baltimoresun.com

The Fat You Can't See Could Be Most Harmful
Cincinnati Enquirer - Jan. 25

Subcutaneous fat, the jiggly stuff thatýs easy to see and pinch, collects under the skin and on top of the abdominal muscle wall. For most people, that kind of fat is more harmful to appearance and self-regard than to health. "But excessive fat deep inside the belly, the visceral fat, that's a problem," says Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH, clinical assistant professor at the School of Medicine. "It's highly associated with colon and other forms of cancer, like uterine and ovarian cancers."
news.enquirer.com

Today's Newsmakers
The (Baltimore) Examiner - Jan. 25

Sue Song, PhD, RN, was appointed to Howard Countyýs health board. Song is an advanced psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and works as an adjunct assistant professor in the School of Nursing. She established Care Line, an information and training service, for the Korean-American community.

Convicted Killer Described as Neglected Child
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 24
The Herald-Mail - Jan. 24

Arguing that convicted killer Brandon T. Morris should be spared the death penalty because of his difficult childhood, defense attorneys yesterday presented experts who testified that children who grow up neglected and abused are more prone to violence when they become adults. Caroline Long Burry, PhD, MSW, an associate professor at the School of Social Work, based her testimony on a federal study that listed childhood risk factors for predicting violent behavior, including poor family bonding, poverty, and the availability of drugs and firearms.
www.baltimoresun.com
www.herald-mail.com

Lie Detectors Used In TV Show Not Admissible in Court
WBFF-TV, Ch. 45, 5:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. - Jan. 23

Judge John Fader II, JD, a senior judicial fellow at the School of Law, discussed the use of lie detectors on the new television show, The Moment of Truth, saying that information gleaned on the show "is not admissible in court."
media.umaryland.edu:8080

Researcher Criticizes Alternative Medicine
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 24

Barker Bausell, PhD, professor at the School of Nursing, says he arrived at the University of Maryland's alternative medicine center with an open mind toward exploring the potential of acupuncture, herbal remedies, and other unconventional treatments. But after five years as research director, he quit the Center for Integrative Medicine in 2004, convinced of one thing: None of the alternative treatments he has seen works any better than a placebo. In his new book, Snake Oil Science: The Truth about Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Bausell lays out his case against alternative medicine. Brian Berman, MD, who founded the center in 1991, said he skimmed the book, calling its arguments "misleading about what the state of research is." He called any conclusions about the value of complementary and alternative medicine premature.
www.baltimoresun.com

U.S. Faces Challenges in an Appeal of Padilla Sentence
Associated Press - Jan. 24

U.S. prosecutors face steep legal hurdles if they appeal prison terms imposed on Jose Padilla and two other men convicted of terrorism conspiracy and material support charges because of the broad powers federal judges have to decide sentences. "Judges are now untethered from the guidelines," said Michael Greenberger, JD, professor at the School of Law and director of the Center for Health and Homeland Security. "It means they have a lot more discretion."
www.nwherald.com
www.heraldtribune.com

Buildings & Grounds
The Chronicle of Higher Education - Jan. 23

The city of Baltimore believes a University of Maryland, Baltimore bookstore is a key part of a plan to revitalize a city commercial district, according to The (Baltimore) Sun. The commercial area, known as the West Side, is home not only to the University and its hospital but also to a number of run-down (but historic) buildings and small businesses. The city has pushed to redevelop the neighborhood amid protests from business owners and residents, who say they will be displaced by gentrification. City officials believe that a University bookstore will speed the transformation process. "Overnight, a University bookstore will transform that area into a college town," Kirby Fowler, president of the Downtown Partnership, told The Sun.
chronicle.com

Can Anything Be Done to Bring Down Baltimore's Homicide Rate?
City Paper - Jan. 23

Homicide in Baltimore is not a theoretical problem for the family members of victims, nor for Carnell Cooper, MD, associate professor at the School of Medicine who has spent more than a decade trying to put gunshot victims back together at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. In 1998, Cooper founded the Violence Intervention Program (VIP), which aims to help Shock Trauma patients get out of a lifestyle where they are likely to become victims of violence. The idea of VIP was to find out what the risk factors were for its clients and how those factors could be diminished. "If you're going to ask people to pull themselves up by their bootstraps," Cooper notes, "you've got to make sure first that everyone has bootstraps."
www.citypaper.com

Harbor Point Project to House Hotels, Residences, Businesses
The Daily Record - Jan. 23
TheDailyRecord.com - Jan. 23

Ground has been broken for what will be one of Baltimoreýs largest waterfront developments. Harbor Point, the $830 million office and residential campus, is being built on 27 acres near Fells Point. The property is the site of the former AlliedSignal chromium plant. Its redevelopment involved a massive environmental effort that was meant, in effect, to strengthen and solidify the soil, rather than break it, in order to prevent chemical runoff. ýIn any industrial city, there are a large number of places where there was previous industrial development, and thereýs a mess, and you have to figure out how to reclaim or reuse them,ý said Rena Steinzor, JD, professor of environmental law at the School of Law. "It's a penny-wise and pound-short approach, from a policy perspective, to be scared and shy away from these contaminated properties."

Interest Rate Cut
WUSA-TV, Ch. 9, 9 a.m. - Jan. 23

Michael Greenberger, JD, professor at the School of Law and former division director at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, discussed the Federal Reserve's decision Tuesday to lower its federal funds rate, which eventually helped calm U.S. markets. "The fact that the stock market reacted well yesterday does not indicate that we're in for a smooth ride because a lot of people believe that all of the losses that have been reported, as huge as they are by these banks, is only the beginning, not the end," said Greenberger.
media.umaryland.edu:8080

Bay Protection Eroded, Bit by Bit
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 21

Nearly 25 years after the General Assembly passed the Critical Area Law, a groundbreaking law to protect Maryland's coastline and the health of the Chesapeake Bay, the land closest to the water is more developed than environmental advocates ever thought possible. Frustrated by the lack of information, the stateýs river keepers, nonprofit environmental watchdogs affiliated with a national group, asked the School of Lawýs Environmental Law Clinic to study the Critical Area Law and determine how often it was violated. The study found that while major violations popped up every few years, the much more common affronts to the law involved small incursions. The study concluded that enforcement varied widely and that it was hard to determine the cumulative harm to the bay.
www.baltimoresun.com

It's All in the Data
Frederick News-Post - Jan. 17

The Maryland Technology Development Corp. announced today that it has helped fund the new technology and intellectual property database InvenioIP. The Web-based resource, developed at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, allows free access to technologies available for commercialization from academic institutions, federal government research facilities, and private companies in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia.
www.fredericknewspost.com

Local Pandemic Preparation Lacking
Medill News Service - Jan. 20

Days after the American Civil Liberties Union released a report critical of the Bush administrationýs disaster planning strategy, local experts said Marylandýs strategy isnýt in much better shape. An estimated 1 million people statewide would fall ill if a pandemic struck, leaving 45,000 hospitalized and about 10,000 dead, according to state and county health officials. ýPart of the problem is that Marylandýs allocation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for pandemic planningýabout $7 millionýisnýt enough,ý said Michael Greenberger, JD, professor at the School of Law and director of the Center for Health and Homeland Security. "The federal government has passed the preparation buck to state and local health departments without providing sufficient funding," Greenberger said.
www.fredericknewspost.com

Money, Policy Changes Needed to Save Next Bryanna Harris
The (Baltimore) Examiner - Jan. 17

In an Op-Ed, Richard P. Barth, PhD, MSW, dean of the School of Social Work, says that the public and state legislature are right to be deeply troubled about the death of 2-year-old Bryanna Harris and to seek changes in how vulnerable children are monitored. Much of the Department of Human Resourcesý work is related to very young, vulnerable children. They represent the largest group of children placed into foster care in Baltimore City, and most of the nation, and are the group with the highest death rate.
www.examiner.com

New Tenant Joins UMB BioPark
MacroWorld Caliber - Jan. 9

The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) BioPark today announced that Gliknik Inc., a Baltimore-based biotech company, is the first tenant in the BioInnovation Center, located in UMB BioParkýs Building Two. Gliknik is creating novel biotechnology drugs for autoimmune diseases and cancer, the foundation of which resulted principally from the labs of Scott Strome, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Otorhinolarynogology at the School of Medicine.
calibre.mworld.com

Next in Flight: Antimissile System
The Christian Science Monitor - Jan. 23
CSMonitor.com - Jan. 23

This April, the first tests of technology to counter shoulder-fired missiles will begin aboard commercial airplanes. Three American Airlines 767s that fly daily between New York and Los Angeles will be fitted with little laser-equipped robots designed to detect and divert shoulder-fired, heat-seeking missiles. "It's always hard to make these judgments," said Michael Greenberger, JD, professor at the School of Law and director of the Center for Health and Homeland Security, about whether the plan is a good use of resources. "It is wise to test to see how it works, but I just don't think it should be a priority, given that there are just so many other things we should be doing that weýre not."
www.csmonitor.com

TEDCO to Seed UMB BioPark Incubator with $1M Loan
TechJournal South - Jan. 16

The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) received $1 million Tuesday from the Maryland Technology Development Corp. to support a business incubator at the UMB BioPark along Baltimore Street. The 10-year, no-interest loan, matched by UMB BioPark developer Wexford Science + Technology, will be used to fund 8,500 square feet of lab space and offices for startup companies.
www.techjournalsouth.com

Terror Case Relies on 'Coded Talk'
The Associated Press - Jan. 20

Federal prosecutors acknowledge they donýt have direct proof that Hassan Abujihaad, a former Navy sailor, leaked details of ship movements. Instead, they hope his coded speech and obsession with security will persuade a jury to convict him of helping terrorists target U.S. citizens when his trial starts next month. Defense attorneys say that the governmentýs case is weak, echoing civil liberties groups and lawyers who have made similar accusations in some high-profile terrorism cases that have fizzled recently. ýI think the government has taken a risk with borderline cases and tried to make them into something theyýre not,ý said Michael Greenberger, JD, professor at the School of Law and director of the Center for Health and Homeland Security. "I don't think the government can view this as a slam-dunk, but they have a plausible case here."
ap.google.com

The Next Page in Downtown Plan
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 22

To city officials, the half a block in the 400 block of West Baltimore Street is a critical piece for revitalization, a bridge between the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus to the west and the Hippodrome Theatre and Starbucks to the east. According to city officials, it's a good site for the University to locate its bookstore. University officials, however, had planned to open the bookstore in a new campus center currently under construction in the 600 block of West Lombard Street, said James Hill, MPA, vice president for administration and finance. Putting the bookstore in a building owned by the University would obviously be less costly, Hill said. "It's just a matter of economics," he added.
www.baltimoresun.com

A Simple Swish-and-Spit Test Could Soon Lead to Early Detection of Head and Neck Cancer
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 17

Researchers published findings this month in Clinical Cancer Research showing they are close to developing a mouth rinse that can detect head and neck cancer. Scientists elsewhere are developing saliva tests to detect HIV, Alzheimerýs disease, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, Type II diabetes, and other cancers. "It's the future of cancer diagnosis," said Feng Jiang, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of pathology at the School of Medicine who is developing a lung cancer test from sputum.
www.baltimoresun.com

Antidepressant Effectiveness Probably Overstated, Report Says
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 17

Research on antidepressants is 12 times as likely to be published in medical journals if the results show the drugs work, making it hard for doctors to pick the right medication for their patients, according to new findings in this weekýs New England Journal of Medicine. Not knowing about negative results, doctors said, can keep them from best treating their patients. "It's a misinformation of the public," said Teodor Postolache, MD, an associate professor of psychiatry at the School of Medicine. "The effects of agents we have now in our hands is not as large as we believe."
www.baltimoresun.com

Calls Mount to Corral Rogue Traders
The Globe and Mail (Canada) - Jan. 18

There is growing pressure in the U.S. Congressýand around the worldýto turn the spotlight on the opaque world of energy market speculation and to rein in the traders. There are now two bills before Congress that would beef up regulations of the energy futures market. At last monthýs subcommittee hearing, legislators heard from Michael Greenberger, JD, professor at the School of Law, director of the Center for Health and Homeland Security, and former division director of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, who testified that as much as $25 of the then $90-a-barrel price of oil could be attributed to speculation that largely occurs out of sight of regulators.
www.theglobeandmail.com

Proponent of Reform Disputes Findings
The Daily Record - Jan. 17
TheDailyRecord.com - Jan. 17

Based on the proposal of Douglas Colbert, JD, a professor at the School of Law, to re-examine the bail set for certain nonviolent defendants in Baltimore, the Baltimore City Stateýs Attorney's Office delivered a report that just 20 people in pretrial custody met a list of predetermined criteria, and that the additional inquiry into their cases benefited only four of those. Colbert said the 20 represented a ýtiny fractioný of those in custody whose bails should be reviewed and only demonstrate the research efforts of one employee working overtime on a Sunday. "It's the equivalent of saying the emperor is wearing clothing when an objective review would show that the emperor is naked," Colbert said after the meeting.

School of Medicine Surgeons to Perform First Facial Transplant in Two Years
The Associated Press - Jan. 18
The (Baltimore) Examiner - Jan. 18
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 18
The Daily Record - Jan. 18

The School of Medicine has received a $3 million federal grant to improve tissue-transplant techniques in ways that would benefit soldiers and other victims of trauma. Surgeons at the School will perform their first facial transplant within the next two years, the school's top surgeon predicted Thursday. Stephen Bartlett, MD, the Barbara Baur Dunlap Professor and chair of the School's Department of Surgery, made the prediction after receiving $3 million to fund research into new tissue-transplant techniques that could benefit military personnel and others who suffer severe disfiguring injuries. ýIým telling my group in 18 to 24 months we'll do our first one," Bartlett said.
www.examiner.com
www.baltimoresun.com
www.mddailyrecord.com

Three-Minute Interview
The (Baltimore) Examiner - Jan. 18

More than 57 percent of American households own pets, according to the U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographic Sourcebook. In the "Three-Minute Interview" column, Erika Friedmann, PhD, a professor at the School of Nursing, is featured for her research on health and pet ownership. "Pet owners have less stress, lower blood pressure, and fare better after heart attacks," she said.
www.examiner.com

Antidepressant Effectiveness Probably Overstated, Report Says
U.S.News & World Report - Jan. 17
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 17

A systematic review of studies on antidepressants concludes that the positive effects of these drugs are probably overstated in the medical literature. But it's not clear if the bias comes from a reluctance to submit negative manuscripts or decisions by journals not to publish them, or a combination of both, according to Oregon Health & Science University researchers, whose report is published in the Jan. 17 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. ýThis is, in my opinion, an excellent paper and what it shows is really consistent with the past five years,ý said Adil Shamoo, PhD, a professor at the School of Medicine and founder of Citizens for Responsible Care and Research. "Publications have indicated that [the] industry basically has a tendency to bias publications toward positive results and to not publish negative results."
health.usnews.com
www.baltimoresun.com

Hospitals, Nursing Schools Disappointed With Funds for Health Education
The (Baltimore) Examiner - Jan. 17

Gov. Martin O'Malley included $8.8 million in his budget for an ongoing program to expand the number of nursing graduates in Maryland. But he did not fund the additional $11 million to $34 million hospitals and nursing schools were hoping to get for a new initiative to double the number of nurses educated in Maryland by boosting the number and salaries of faculty. "We are experiencing a public health crisis in Maryland," said Carolyn Yocom, PhD, RN, FAAN, chair of the School of Nursing's Department of Organizational Systems and Adult Health

MH Education Foundation announces 2008 Honorees
The Baxter Bulletin - Jan. 17

Sherry Bowman Perkins, PhD, an adjunct associate professor at the School of Nursing, has been inducted in the Mountain Home Education Foundationýs 2008 Hall of Honor. Perkins also works in cardiac care for the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, and she serves as vice president for patient care services. Recently, Perkins was named a 2006 Johnson & Johnson-Wharton fellow.
www.baxterbulletin.com

Names in the News
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 17

Bryan Soronson, MPA, CRA, was recently named a fellow at the American College of Medical Practice Executives. Soronson is the senior administrator in the School of Medicine's Department of Neurology, a position he has held for 23 years. The fellowship requires some testing, demonstrating management skills and other contributions to medical practice management.
www.baltimoresun.com

Proteins That Could Be Used to Halt HIV Are Identified
The Washington Post - Jan. 17
The New York Times - Jan. 17

A research team announced yesterday that it has identified about 270 human proteins that the AIDS virus apparently needs to infect a person, instantly providing researchers with dozens of new strategies for blocking or aborting HIV infection. The discovery was made with a technique called a ýgenome-wide scan,ý which is only a few years old. Current AIDS drugs work by interrupting one of four main steps in HIV's life cycle. The new study suggests that there are many more to target. "This is likely destined to be one of the best papers on HIV for this coming decade," said Robert Gallo, MD, professor at the School of Medicine, director of the Institute of Human Virology, and co-discoverer of the AIDS virus, who was not involved in the study. "I think it is terrific."
www.washingtonpost.com
www.nytimes.com

UM Law Students Help Victims of Katrina
WBAL-TV, Ch. 11, 11 p.m. - Jan. 16; 5 and 6 a.m. - Jan. 17
WBALTV.com - Jan. 16

More than 80 students from the School of Law spent their winter break in Louisiana and Mississippi, donating their time with criminal and civil cases, and rebuilding projects in an area still struggling to recover from 2005ýs Hurricane Katrina. ýMost of New Orleans fled to Baton Rouge so their population doubled,ý said Douglas Colbert, JD, a professor at the School. ýOf course, there was no doubling of the few public defenders who work in Baton Rouge.ý Anne Deady, a third-year student, said she discovered that many defendants spent weeks in jail awaiting trial for misdemeanors like trespassing. Alicia Welch, a third-year law student, volunteered at a clinic designed to cut through common post-Katrina legal complaints and "generally fighting the bureaucratic issues that are still going on down there."
media.umaryland.edu:8080

$3M For Transplant Research
The Daily Record - Jan. 16
Examiner.com - Jan. 15

The School of Medicine will receive $3 million to study tissue transplantation that would not require immunosuppression drugs, a key issue in the care of many of the thousands of military personnel injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. Immunosuppressants have serious side effects that can cause medical problems over time. The grant will pay for research into the development of composite tissue transplants, including facial and limb transplants that would not require the drugs. Maryland Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin is scheduled to announce the funding Thursday along with University officials.
www.examiner.com

BioElectronics Corp. Recipient of Maryland Industrial Partnership Award
Sys-Con.com - Jan. 16
Biloxi Sun Herald - Jan. 16

BioElectronics Corp. announced today that it has been selected as a recipient of the Maryland Industrial Partnership award for its dental study, "Pulsed Electromagnetic Therapy for Healing." The study will be conducted by the Dental School. Sharon Gordon, DDS, PhD, MPH, associate professor at the Dental School, will be the University's principal investigator.
www.sys-con.com
www.sunherald.com

Home Aid Plan; Court Rules Against Investors
WUSA-TV, Ch. 9, 9 a.m. - Jan. 16

Michael Greenberger, JD, professor at the School of Law and former division director of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, discussed how Gov. Martin OýMalleyýs plan to confront an unprecedented rise in home foreclosures and combat predatory mortgage schemes would impact homeowners and lending companies. Greenberger also analyzed the recent U.S. Supreme Court case that ruled that investors who are seeking to recover damages in securities fraud cases cannot sue lawyers, banks, and other businesses who allegedly helped corporations manipulate stock prices.
media.umaryland.edu:8080

Many Blacks Remain Wary of Clinical Trials
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 15

Many African-American patients refuse to join medical studies because they fear they will be lied to and harmed by scientists who view them as human guinea pigs, according to a new study published online in the journal Medicine. ýWhile distrust is an issue, you have to ask yourself why is there still distrust,ý said Claudia Baquet, MD, MPH, associate dean at the School of Medicine and director of its Center for Health Disparities. "One of the problems is physicians don't discuss clinical trials with their patients. People don't feel like they can make an informed decision about participating."
www.baltimoresun.com

TEDCO to Seed UMB BioPark Incubator with $1M Loan
BizJournals.com - Jan. 15

The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) received $1 million Tuesday from the Maryland Technology Development Corp. to support a business incubator at the UMB BioPark along Baltimore Street. The 10-year, no-interest loan, matched by UMB BioPark developer Wexford Science + Technology, will be used to fund 8,500 square feet of lab space and offices for startup companies.
www.bizjournals.com

Bellyful of Trouble
Tucson Citizen - Jan. 21

Subcutaneous fat, the jiggly stuff that's easy to see and pinch, collects under the skin and on top of the abdominal muscle wall. For most people, that kind of fat is more harmful to appearance and self-regard than to health. "But excessive fat deep inside the belly, the visceral fat, that's a problem," says Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH, clinical assistant professor at the School of Medicine. "It's highly associated with colon and other forms of cancer, like uterine and ovarian cancers."
www.tucsoncitizen.com

Clutter a Sign of Health Problem?
The (Santa Rosa, Calif.) Press Democrat - Jan. 15

Getting organized is unquestionably good for both mind and body―reducing risks for falls, helping eliminate germs, and making it easier to find things like medicine and exercise gear. "If you can't find your sneakers, you aren't taking a walk," said Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH, clinical assistant professor at the School of Medicine and the author of Fit to Live (Rodale, 2007), which devotes a section to the link between health and organization. "How are you going to shoot a couple of hoops with your son if you can't even find the basketball?"
www1.pressdemocrat.com

Report Urges U.S. to Abandon Containment Strategy For Pandemic Flu Planning
Congressional Quarterly - Jan. 14
Congressionalquarterly.com - Jan. 14

The United States should abandon its mandatory containment strategy for pandemic flu planning in favor of a more traditional public health approach centered on voluntary participation, according to an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) report released Monday. ýPandemic flu preparations in the U.S. are a tragedy,ý said Michael Greenberger, JD, a professor at the School of Law and director of the Center for Health and Homeland Security, who spoke before the ACLU panel. "No serious thought has been given [to it] at the federal level and this is an issue that requires federal direction."
www.cqpolitics.com

TEDCO Funds Tech and IP Database InvenioIP
TechJournal South - Jan. 15

The Maryland Technology Development Corp. announced today that it has helped fund the new technology and intellectual property database InvenioIP. The Web-based resource, developed at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, allows free access to technologies available for commercialization from academic institutions, federal government research facilities and private companies in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia.
www.techjournalsouth.com

A Growing College Rivalry: The Fight for Faculty Stars
The Washington Post - Jan. 14
WashingtonPost.com - Jan. 14

Deal making is constant, delicate, and increasingly competitive as schools hunt for ways to attract top educators and keep their own stars from straying. Claire Fraser-Liggett, PhD, said she had been thinking about leaving her job as president and director of The Institute for Genomic Research in Rockville, where she helped pioneer the field of comparative genomics. Her husband, Stephen Liggett, MD, a professor at the School of Medicine, mentioned to a colleague that his wife wanted a new challenge. In no time, negotiations were started, and Fraser-Liggett made the move to start the Institute for Genome Sciences with a team of scientists that instantly elevated the School to a world-class player in the field of genomic research. That was a big win for the University of Maryland, Baltimore. But, like all schools, it has recently been on both sides of the win-loss equation. Out: Prominent nanotechnology scientist Hamid Ghandehari, PhD, former associate professor at the School of Pharmacy, to the University of Utah in 2007. In: Mandeep Mehra, MBBS, a nationally recognized cardiologist, to the School of Medicine in 2005 from Louisiana. He joined leading cardiologist Bartley Griffith, MD, professor at the School and head of cardiac surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center, who had been wooed from the University of Pittsburgh a few years before.
www.washingtonpost.com

DHS Announces New License Security Standards
"World News Tonight with Charles Gibson," ABC, 6:30 p.m. - Jan. 11 (broadcast in 220 cities)
ABCNews.com - Jan. 11

Under new Department of Homeland Security regulations, Americans born after Dec. 1, 1964, will have to get a new secure driver's license sometime in the next six years, by 2014. This is to comply with the REAL ID Act of 2005, which is intended to make it harder for terrorists, criminals, and illegal immigrants to fraudulently obtain or counterfeit our most common form of ID, the driver's license. ýThe key question is that the states are going to have to create massive databases, use massive databases, and are these databases going to be secure?ý said Michael Greenberger, JD, professor at the School of Law and director of the Center for Health and Homeland Security. "The track record on the security of these databases is not good. They are hacked into on a regular basis."
abcnews.go.com
media.umaryland.edu:8080

Dental Program Helps Both Students and Patients
The Daily Times - Jan. 13

A Dental School program is not only helping its students learn, but it also is providing Eastern Shore residents with affordable dental care. Last year, the Schoolýs Dental Hygiene initiated a program on the Eastern Shoreýat Three Lower Counties Community Services in Princess Anneýthat has students giving patients dental exams. The seven University of Maryland students currently enrolled in the program provide patients with dental hygiene exams, oral cancer screenings, and dental cleaning for a reduced fee.
www.dailytimesonline.com

Fact or Fiction: Pets: Good for Health
Newsweek - Jan. 11

Sure, pets provide companionship and unconditional love. But research has shown that they can also help reduce stress and blood pressure in owners, increase longevity in those who've had heart attacks, and even relax and improve the appetites of Alzheimer's patients. "Any disease condition that has a stress-related component to it, we believe pets could ameliorate stress and moderate the situation," says biologist Erika Friedmann, PhD, a professor at the School of Nursing. "It's providing a focus of attention that's outside of someone's self. They're actually letting you focus on them rather than focusing inward on yourself all the time."
www.newsweek.com

Graying of the Workforce
Baltimore Business Journal - January 2008

With growth in the baby boomer retirement market expected during the next decade and an aging workforce exiting health care professions, hospitals and medical officers could be among the hardest hit in the state. Jane Kapustin, PhD, RN, CRNP, assistant dean for masterýs studies at the School of Nursing, said that five faculty members retired last year and that the School turned away roughly 300 students. "We are seeing a graying of nursing faculty," she said. "The retirement issue is crucial."

Legal Clinic For The 'Ignored'
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 14
BaltimoreSun.com - Jan. 14

A group of Maryland lawyers and advocates is raising funds for the FreeState Law Project, an effort to start a law clinic that would provide direct legal services to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Marylanders. The clinic would be the first in the state and one of a few in the nation, its organizers said. ýThereýs a large population in the city of homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth who have been sort of abandoned by their families, especially the transgender youth,ý said Aaron Merki, a third-year student at the School of Law, one of the organizers of the project. With homeless youths, issues include discrimination in the foster care system and schools, Merki said.
www.baltimoresun.com

New Way of Looking At Autopsies
Des Plaines Journal (Ill.) - Jan. 8

Every year thousands of people who die as a result of murders, suicides, accidents or unclear, unexplained or suspicious circumstances are autopsied. No matter how skilled and careful a forensic pathologist can be, autopsies disfigure the victim and can further distress family members. A study conducted by the School of Medicine was reported at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago. Researchers believe that computed tomography scans are nearly as accurate as traditional autopsies in revealing the cause of death. Autopsies can take hours but it takes just 30 minutes to scan and interpret the results.
www.journal-topics.com

NovaMin Sees Breakout Year for Tooth Renewing Products
TechJournal South - Jan. 11

NovaMin, one of the presenting companies at the second annual Southeastern Venture Conference Feb. 27-28 at Tysons Corner, Va., sees 2008 as ýa breakout year,ý for its tooth renewing technology, which has been called ýthe most important discovery for dental hygiene since fluoride.ý Two dental scientists at the Dental School adapted the compound for renewing teeth. Gary Hack, DDS, associate professor, and Leonard Litkowski, DDS, MS, associate professor who retired last fall, won the University of Maryland Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2007 for their collaboration that led to the establishment of NovaMin.
www.techjournalsouth.com

Some Executives Enjoy Working Into Their 60s and Beyond
Baltimore Business Journal - January 2008

The "R" word can be a tough pill for a longtime professional to swallow. For Joseph Proulx, EdD, RN, a professor at the School of Nursing, teaching is in his blood. His mother was an elementary school teacher and his dad taught high school. "Fortunately, I seem to have great success in the classroom," says Proulx, who is over 65. "My health seems to be pretty good and Iýd like to stay for a little while longer."

State Task Force Seeks to Fix Voting Flaws Before They Surface Again
The Daily Record - Jan. 14
MDDailyRecord.com - Jan. 14

For some Maryland voters heading to the polls next month, the long lines, faulty machinery, and stressed-out election volunteers during the 2006 primary and general elections are a not-so-distant memory. The concerns prompted Attorney General Douglas Gansler to appoint a statewide Task Force on Voting Irregularities, co-chaired by Sherrilyn Ifill, JD, professor at the School of Law, last May to study the problems that occurred during the last general election and issue a report with recommendations that address the root causes of 2006ýs Election Day failures. Ifill said the report would give a sense of ýthe scope and array of voting problems that are out there.ý She noted that the language should also cover the applicable laws and historical background to put the report in context, and include ýdoableý short-term and long-term recommendations to be decided on by the panel in the coming months.

Text Messages Are Shortcut For Investigators in Teacher-Student Cases
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Jan. 13

Private text messages between lustful schoolteachers and their student paramours are undoing many furtive liaisons. Parents and police are discovering evidence of the illegal sexual activity through text messages, and prosecutors increasingly are using the messages sent via cell phones to win convictions. ýPeople say things in text messages that they might not in face-to-face conversations because their inhibitions are down,ý said Michael Plaut, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry at the School of Medicine. "The strong emotional needs of teachers and students involved in sexual relationships can cause them to minimize possible ramifications of text communications," he said.
www.pittsburghlive.com

Update - Dental Care Death Still Haunts
The Washington Post - Jan. 14

On Wednesday, Laurie Norris, a lawyer and children's advocate with the nonprofit Baltimore-based Public Justice Center, hopes to speak at a briefing held by the Maryland Senate Finance Committee. During this General Assembly session, legislators are considering budget proposals that would raise Medicaid reimbursement rates and fund dental clinics to help address the scarcity of dentists available to treat poor people. In the case of the family of the 12-year-old Prince Georgeýs County boy who died a year ago of an infection that started in an abscessed tooth and spread to his brain, Deamonte Driver's brothers have managed to catch up on most of the dental care they need. DaShawn, now 11, got extensive treatment at the Dental School.
www.washingtonpost.com

Baltimore BioParks Nab New Tenants
Baltimore Business Journal - Jan. 10
The Daily Record - Jan. 11

Two Baltimore-based companies plan to move into space this spring at new biotechnology parks being developed at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore. On the cityýs west side, Gliknik Inc., a Baltimore-based biotechnology firm creating drugs for autoimmune diseases and cancer, signed a lease for 8,500-square-feet of business incubator space and labs at the UMB BioPark's second building. The company was spun out of work by Scott Strome, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Otorhinolarynogology-Head & Neck Surgery at the School of Medicine.
www.bizjournals.com

Hidden Health Hazards
Advance for Nurses Magazine - Jan. 2

A new surveyýthe first of its kind that shows workplace exposure may risk nurses' health and safetyýasked nurses across the nation to detail their exposures to chemicals, radiation and medications, and their health. ýWe are becoming aware of the potential risks, and we are also discovering our great potential to make a change in a way that is going to make a difference not just for nurses but for patients and their families,ý said Barbara Sattler, DrPH, RN, FAAN, professor and director of the Environmental Health and Education Center (EHCH) at the School of Nursing. Brenda Afzal, MS, RN, director of health programs in the EHCH, added that "we need to revamp the chemical policies in the U.S. to better protect the public from unintentional exposures to carcinogens, reproductive hazards, asthmagens, and other risks associated with many common consumables."
nursing.advanceweb.com

Judge Tosses Session Suit
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 11
BaltimoreSun.com - Jan. 11

A Carroll County Circuit judge yesterday dismissed a Republican-backed lawsuit seeking to invalidate Novemberýs special legislative session. The plaintiffs had argued that when the Senate took a five-day break during the special session while waiting for the House to finish its work, it failed to get proper approval from the House, thereby invalidating all the tax and spending-reduction bills that were later passed. "The remedy that plaintiffs sought was so draconian as to be nearly impossible," said Dan Friedman, JD, adjunct professor at the School of Law who has written a book about the state constitution. "The remedy for this would be to force them back to work, not to invalidate their work."
www.baltimoresun.com

Names and Faces
The Gazette - Jan. 11

SNBL Clinical Pharmacology Center Inc. of Baltimore promoted Mohamed Al-Ibrahim, MB, ChB, to president and CEO. Al-Ibrahim holds a joint academic appointment as clinical professor of medicine at the School of Medicine, and medical staff appointments at the University of Maryland Medical Center, Maryland General Hospital, and the Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
www.gazette.net

Report Urges Foster Care Support
NASW News - January 2008

A recently released report has revealed widespread deficiencies in reimbursement rates for children in foster care as well as major disparities among states and proposes a new standard rate for each state to use. Foster care reimbursement payments cover the basic needs of children in foster care, including food, shelter, clothing, and school supplies. The report, developed by the School of Social Work, Childrenýs Rights, and the National Foster Parent Association, was released at a congressional briefing held in October. Social worker Julie Farber, director of policy at Children's Rights, and Diane DePanfilis, PhD, associate professor, associate dean for research, and director of the School's Ruth H. Young Center for Families and Children, were among the speakers.
www.socialworkers.org

Scientists Discover Proteins Linked to HIV
The New York Times - Jan. 11
Science - Jan. 11
Kaiser Network.org - Jan. 11
Dogflu.ca - Jan. 11
TampaBay.com - Jan. 11

Using a new type of genetic screen, researchers at Harvard Medical School have identified 273 proteins that the AIDS virus needs to survive in human cells, opening up new potential targets for drugs. ýThis is just terrific work,ý said Robert Gallo, MD, director of the Institute of Human Virology at the School of Medicine and a co-discoverer of the HIV/AIDS virus. "I think it's destined to be one of the top papers in this field for the decade."
www.nytimes.com
www.sciencemag.org
www.sciencemag.org
www.dogflu.ca
www.sptimes.com

Transplant Saves Musician's Life
WJZ-TV, Ch. 13, 6 p.m. - Jan. 10

Jon Glik, one of this country's top bluegrass fiddlers, is finally able to play again after a year where he almost died. Glik's liver was failing, his body in pain almost all the time, and he was unable to use his hands. Luckily, a liver became available, and transplant surgery was performed Nov. 18 at the University of Maryland Medical Center. "Without the new liver, I doubt if Jon would have lived till the new year," said Glik's transplant surgeon, Luis Campos, MD, assistant professor of surgery at the School of Medicine.
wjz.com

UMB BioPark Takes Step to Add Up to 10 Acres
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 11

Developers of the University of Maryland, Baltimore's BioPark took a preliminary step yesterday on a plan that will encompass up to 10 acres along West Baltimore Street on the city's west side and develop up to 10 buildings dedicated to research. "It's a good scale and scope that makes for a very economically viable [project] with a critical mass of companies," said Jane Shaab, senior director of business development for the University.
www.baltimoresun.com

Acupuncture Works for Low Back Pain
Fosters.com (via AP) - Jan. 10

Fake acupuncture works nearly as well as the real thing for low back pain, and either kind performs much better than usual care, German researchers have found. Brian Berman, MD, a professor at the School of Medicine and director of the Center for Integrative Medicine, said the real and the sham acupuncture may have worked for reasons that can be explained in Western terms: by changing the way the brain processes pain signals or by releasing natural painkillers in the body.
www.fosters.com

How Acupuncture Works
Cape Cod Times - Jan. 10

Practitioners say that acupuncture works because the needles stimulate peripheral nerves and aid in the release of neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. The chemicals decrease inflammation and pain, according to the Center for Integrative Medicine at the School of Medicine.
www.capecodonline.com

New Book Takes Aim at Alternative Medicine
The (Baltimore) Examiner - Jan. 10

Most herbal supplements, acupuncture, and other "alternative medicine" treatments have no scientific basis for their claims, says Barker Bausell, PhD, a professor and researcher at the School of Nursing. Bausell takes aim at such treatments in his new book, Snake Oil Science: The Truth about Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
www.examiner.com

Program Aims to Ease Shortage of Black Nurses
The (Baltimore) Examiner - Jan. 9

Health care professionals said they hope a new nursing program at historically black Morgan State University will help alleviate the stateýs nursing shortage, particularly the dearth of black nurses. Nearly 800 qualified applicants to nursing programs at University of Maryland, Baltimore, Coppin State University, and Towson University were turned away in 2005 because of a lack of faculty and space, according to a capacity study conducted by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.
www.examiner.com

Rehabbing the Heart
The Wichita Eagle - Jan. 5

In a profile about Professor Robert Enright, the pioneer of the science of forgiveness, Frederick DiBlasio, PhD, MSW, a professor at the School of Social Work, says, "To write about forgiveness studies without mentioning him is like doing a paper on psychoanalysis and leaving out Sigmund Freud."
www.kansas.com

Sweet Temptation
The Washington Times - Jan. 9

Dietitians and nutritionists advise against eliminating refined sugar, but urge learning to eat it in moderation instead. "You can unteach your taste buds to crave supersweetness," said Rosanna Gibbons, MS, RD, LDN, nutritionist at the Center for Integrative Medicine at the School of Medicine. "You can retrain [them] to enjoy moderate levels of sugar over a timeline of several weeks."
www.washingtontimes.com

Telos Wins Key Ruling; Shareholder Derivative Claims Dismissed
The Daily Record - Jan. 10

A judge in Baltimore has thrown out the shareholder derivative claims in a $79 million-plus lawsuit against several directors and officers of Telos Corp., an information technology contractor for the military. Telos convinced the court that its Special Litigation Committee, made up of two disinterested directors advised by outside counsel, acted reasonably when it concluded that the suit was not in the companyýs best interest. After considering those claims and others, and taking expert testimony from Lisa Fairfax, JD, professor at the School of Law and director of the Business Law Program, the judge concluded the challenges were insufficient to cast doubt on the committee's independence or investigation.

Workshop to Spotlight Teen Self-Injury
The Arizona Republic - Jan. 9

Lisa Ferentz, LCSW-C,MSW, an adjunct instructor at the School of Social Work who is nationally known for her work with teens and self-injury, will present a workshop on the topic on Monday, Jan. 15 in Phoenix, Ariz. An estimated 1 million to 2 million people in the United States intentionally and repeatedly engage in self-injury as a coping strategy. Frequently the injuries occur in secret, and are dismissed as accidents or go unnoticed, meaning many teens and adults never receive the help they need.
www.azcentral.com

Clipping Away at Illness
The (Racine, Wis.) Journal Times - Jan. 9
The Washington Post - Nov. 16

In the annals of beauty, the pompadour, the beehive and the Afro all had their day. Now comes the lifesaving haircut. Modeled after a Baltimore program coordinated by the School of Medicine, the D.C. program trains stylists how to screen clients for obesity and high blood pressure and when to urge them to follow up with a doctor.
www.journaltimes.com

Law Students Help Residents in Katrina-Ravaged Big Easy
The (Baltimore) Examiner - Jan. 9

Katrina came first, then the litigation, a whole lot of it: Lawsuits, property disputes, will readings, divorces, all resulting from the hurricane that battered the Gulf Coast. Eighty School of Law students are volunteering there this week, helping to keep families from losing their homes now that a moratorium on mortgage foreclosures has been lifted in Mississippi.
www.examiner.com

Lawsuit by City Targets Lender
The Daily Record - Jan. 9

In a potentially groundbreaking lawsuit intended to stem foreclosures in Baltimore, Mayor Sheila Dixonýs administration is suing Wells Fargo Bank, a leading mortgage provider, for what the city says has been a pattern of predatory lending in black neighborhoods. Peter Holland, JD, MA, adjunct professor at the School of Law, said the specifics of the suit shocked him. "If the statistics hold up, in my opinion this proves that it's predatory lending at its absolute worst," said Holland. "We're not talking about the improvident loan ý we're talking about targeting and creating and gouging a subprime class of people, the vast majority of whom are black."

UM Law Student Strikes a Chord with YouTube Video
The (Annapolis) Capital - Jan. 8

Owen Jarvis, a third-year law student at the School of Law, has created a YouTube music video about his experiences titled ýLaw School Musical.ý Jarvis sings about the travails of a first-year law student, including a lack of money and sleep. By the end of December, the three-minute clip had been seen nearly 146,000 times and generated more than 150 comments. "I'm the closest thing to a rock star at University of Maryland law school," Jarvis said with a laugh.
www.hometownannapolis.com

Not Enough Doctors Treating Patients
The Daily Record - Jan. 8
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 8
WJZ-TV, Ch. 13, 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. - Jan. 7
WBFF-TV, Ch. 45, 5:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. - Jan. 7
WBAL-TV, Ch. 11, 5:30 p.m. - Jan. 7
WMAR TV, Ch. 2, 5:30 p.m. - Jan. 7
BaltimoreSun.com - Jan. 7

Although the state has plenty of doctors, it doesn't have enough who actually see patientsýa situation that creates ýa silent and growing crisis,ý the head of the state medical society said yesterday. Maryland needs to recruit more out-of-state doctors, said Robert Barish, MD, MBA, chair of the steering committee that developed the study and the vice dean for clinical affairs at the School of Medicine. "It's unfortunate that fewer people are choosing medicine as a profession out of college. I mean when your training ends, you're at least $100,000 in debt. For people who go into the medical profession, it's a commitment for the rest of their lives," said Anis Frayha, a third-year radiology resident at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC). "If you're doing this for financial reasons, you made the wrong decision," said Robert Pugatch, MD, professor at the School. "It's a field of giving and caring." Michael Abraham, MD, in his last year of residency in emergency medicine at UMMC, said: "I get two or three e-mails a day" from recruiters, particularly from rural areas. "They're paying a ton of money in the middle of nowhere."
wjz.com
www.baltimoresun.com
media.umaryland.edu:8080

Psychosis Can Be Forecast in Teenagers
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 8

Doctors who watch for warning signs often can predict whether a teenager will develop schizophrenia or another psychotic illness, researchers in a government study reported yesterday. William Carpenter, MD, director of the School of Medicineýs Psychiatric Research Center, said the risk factors may actually be ýminorý symptoms of psychosis. Some people begin to lose IQ points and become socially withdrawn by puberty, problems that may not be taken seriously until the person becomes disabled. Early help won't stop the disease or lessen its severity, Carpenter said, but it can help some graduate from high school and maintain family relationships.
www.baltimoresun.com

Supreme Court Hears Guantanamo Bay Case
National Journal - Dec. 8, 2007

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments last month in the case of Boumediene v. Bush, which involves writs of habeas corpus brought on behalf of the Guantanamo Bay detainees. ýIf the administration wins the case,ý said Michael Greenberger, JD, professor at the School of Law and director of the Center for Health and Homeland Security, "that is, [if] the detainees donýt get habeas access to U.S. courtsýitýs going to be a field day for the media depicting the denial of process in ongoing Guantanamo military proceedings. But if it loses, the prospect of these federal court proceedings may very well lead the president to surrender quickly to those within his government who have long advocated shutting Guantanamo down and bringing the detainees here as POWs or for U.S. criminal prosecutions."

Disappearing Doctors
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 7

For the last five years at least, Maryland has been losing in the national competition to attract new doctors and retain the ones already here. The reasons for this growing problem will be detailed today at the School of Medicine, when the results of a comprehensive study of Marylandýs physician work force, sponsored by the state medical society and the Maryland Hospital Association, will be presented to the public.
www.baltimoresun.com

Health Risks Hinge on Where Your Fat Is
Argus Leader (Sioux Falls, S.D.) - Jan. 7

Subcutaneous fat, the jiggly stuff thatýs easy to see and pinch, collects under the skin and on top of the abdominal muscle wall. For most people, that kind of fat is more harmful to appearance and self-regard than to health. "But excessive fat deep inside the belly, the visceral fat, that's a problem," says Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH, clinical assistant professor at the School of Medicine. "It's highly associated with colon and other forms of cancer, like uterine and ovarian cancers."
www.argusleader.com

I Love You, Man
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 6

With the NFL playoffs starting this weekend, the country enters prime man-crush season. Not that it's anything your girlfriend would object to, except for the part about sitting in front of the TV for four hours every time a game is on. There are only two kinds of men that heterosexual men can express affection for and know itýs safe, say Geoffrey Greif, DSW, MSW, a professor at the School of Social Work and author of The Buddy System: Men and Their Male Friendships, to be published this summer. The first is war heroes. The second is sports figures.
www.baltimoresun.com

In Business
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 5

Sarah Michel, PhD, assistant professor at the School of Pharmacy, won a Faculty Early Career Development Program award from the National Science Foundation. The award is for $570,000 over five years.

Influential Books
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 6

Thomas Scalea, MD, a professor of surgery at the School of Medicine and physician-in-chief at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, discussed the three books he considers the most influential in his life.
www.baltimoresun.com

Law Students Confront Katrina's Lasting Legacy
The Daily Record - Jan. 7
TheDailyRecord.com - Jan. 7

Nearly 80 students from the School of Law are spending part of their winter vacation working on legal cases and home rebuilding projects with Hurricane Katrina survivors in Louisiana and Mississippi. "Katrina added to the deficiencies in New Orleansý access to counsel," said Douglas Colbert, JD, professor at the School. "Most people were in jail for the better part of the year before finding their way to a courtroom," Colbert said. Anne Deady, a third-year student, said the trip changed her career. "I never envisioned myself doing criminal defense work," she said. "But what New Orleans taught me is that people who are arrested can be anybody. These are just normal, regular people that need help." As one of the trip's founders, Alicia Welch, a third-year student, said she is excited that the concept has grown each year and that she would love to see that continue.

Legal Advice
The Daily Record - Jan. 7

In this Op-Ed, James Astrachan, JD, adjunct professor at the School of Law, discusses why actor Andy Griffith lost the lawsuit he filed against a man who changed his name to Andy Griffith and ran for sheriff in a Wisconsin town.

Maryland Study Finds Dental Treatment Lacking Among Poor Children
Education Week (via AP) - Jan. 7
The (Baltimore) Examiner - Jan. 6
WJZ.com - Jan. 5

Tooth decay is the most common childhood disease in America, five times as common as asthma, research shows. And it is especially common among the poor. Across the state, there is a chronic shortage of dentists skilled in treating children and willing to deal with Medicaidýs paperwork and reimbursement rates. Ilaya Rajagopal, DDS, MS, a pediatric dental fellow at the Dental School, is working a two-year stint at the Walnut Street Dental Clinic in Hagerstown, which receives a federal grant to provide care to the poor. He is nearly alone in serving Medicaid children in Washington County, the gateway to Western Marylandýs Appalachian region.
www.edweek.org
wjz.com
www.examiner.com

Names in the News
Baltimore Business Journal - Dec. 28

Laurette Hankins has been named associate dean for development and alumni relations at the School of Nursing.

Obama Takes Iowa, Hopes to Win New Hampshire
WJZ-TV, Ch. 13, 5:30 and 11 p.m. - Jan. 4; 6 and 7 a.m. - Jan. 5
WJZ.com - Jan. 4

After his win in the Iowa Democratic caucuses, Sen. Barack Obama hopes to capture the vote tomorrow in New Hampshire. His supporters are being called a new breed of voters, those who pay attention to issues and not race. ýI think the country is beginning to overcome this racial issue both ways,ý said Larry Gibson, LLB, a professor at the School of Law.
media.umaryland.edu:8080
wjz.com

Study Finds Racial Gap in Treatment of Pain by Physicians in ER
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Jan. 7

Emergency room doctors prescribe strong narcotics more often to patients who complain of pain, but minorities are less likely to get them than whites, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Linda Simoni-Wastila, BSPharm, PhD, an associate professor at the School of Pharmacy who was not involved in the study, said the findings suggest doctors are more likely to suspect minority patients of faking pain to obtain narcotics.
www.post-gazette.com

Task Force on Voting Irregularities to Meet
State News Service ý Jan. 4

Sherrilyn Ifill, JD, professor at the School of Law, is co-chair of the Task Force on Voting Irregularities, which will hold a first public hearing Tuesday night at the Montgomery County Council Office Building in Rockville. Created last year by Attorney General Douglas Gansler, the Task Force on Voting Irregularities is holding hearings across Maryland to find if citizens encountered problems when voting in the 2006 primary and general elections. The task force will compile a report detailing any irregularities and make recommendations to resolve those problems.

Zoning Rules Revisited
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 7

Renewing debate over a controversial proposal that has failed twice before, the Baltimore City Council is again considering legislation that would permit live-in drug treatment centers to open in more residential neighborhoods. Ellen Weber, JD, an assistant professor at the School of Law and an activist on the issue who filed the complaint with the federal government, noted that facilities covered under the legislation are licensed by the state. Denying group homes the ability to operate through the zoning code, she said, is illegal.
www.baltimoresun.com

New Clinic Will Expand Dental Care in Cecil County
Cecil Whig - Jan. 3

A new 26-chair dental clinic will be part of Principio Health Center when it opens its doors this fall in Perryville. The clinic is the result of a partnership between the Dental School and Union Hospital formed to provide oral health care to the poor and uninsured in Cecil County. ýTo educate students, you have to go into the community to make it work,ý Christian Stohler, DMD, DrMedDent, dean of the Dental School, said. Cecil College also announced Wednesday a new collaboration with the School for a dental hygenists program. "Children as young as 1-year-old should visit the dentist," said Norman Tinanoff, DDS, MS, professor and chair of the Department of Health Promotion and Policy.

Today's Newsmakers
The (Baltimore) Examiner - Jan. 4

Sarah Michel, PhD, an assistant professor at the School of Pharmacy, has won a $570,000 award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to help fund her work for five years. Michel, 35, received NSF's Faculty Early Career Development Program award for her work studying two proteins: one involved in inflammation; the other, in the development of neurons.

Video Bail Hearings Silence Defendants
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 4
BaltimoreSun.com - Jan. 4

In two letters to the Editor, Douglas Colbert, JD, professor at the School of Law, and Anne Deady, a third-year student at the School, commented on a story that described Baltimore Countyýs move to video bail hearings broadcast from jail. "Are video bail hearings conducted without a lawyer a step toward guaranteeing equal justice for the poor or toward silencing the accused in the name of efficiency?" asked Colbert.
www.baltimoresun.com

Week in Review
The Daily Record - Jan. 4

When Union Hospital was thinking of expanding to better serve its Cecil County communityýs needs, its leadership was shocked to hear the No. 1 demand of community residents and health advocates ý more access to dental care. The hospital's response is a new partnership with the Dental School. And Cecil College in Elkton has agreed to create a dental hygienist training program using the universityýs distance-learning technology.

'Pot Belly' Linked to Diabetes, Heart Ills
The (Palm Springs, Calif.) Desert Sun - Jan. 3

Subcutaneous fat, the jiggly stuff thatýs easy to see and pinch, collects under the skin and on top of the abdominal muscle wall. For most people, that kind of fat is more harmful to appearance and self-regard than to health. "But excessive fat deep inside the belly, the visceral fat, that's a problem," says Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH, clinical assistant professor at the School of Medicine. "It's highly associated with colon and other forms of cancer, like uterine and ovarian cancers."
www.mydesert.com

A Clutter Too Deep for Mere Bins and Shelves
The New York Times - Jan. 2

Getting organized is unquestionably good for both mind and bodyýreducing risks for falls, helping eliminate germs and making it easier to find things like medicine and exercise gear. "If you can't find your sneakers, you aren't taking a walk," said Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH, assistant clinical professor at the School of Medicine and the author of Fit to Live, which devotes a section to the link between health and organization. "How are you going to shoot a couple of hoops with your son if you can't even find the basketball?"
www.nytimes.com

Holding Her Ground
BaltimoreSun.com - Dec. 22

Darlene Dixon's neighbors had agreed to sell their houses to a developer trying to assemble land for possible inclusion in the University of Maryland, Baltimore's (UMB) biotechnology center off West Baltimore Street. But Dixon refused. So when the new biotech park owners, Wexford Science + Technology, and the University stepped in, they realized this was not a fight they wanted to pursue. "She was quite clear: 'I don't want to move,'" recalled James Hughes, MBA, vice president for research and development at UMB. "We had great relations with the community and we didnýt want to take that for granted."
www.baltimoresun.com

If You Are White, You Can Get More Painkillers
DiversityInc.com - Jan. 2

An analysis of more than 150,000 emergency room visits over 13 years found that in all U.S. regions and for every type of chronic pain, doctors prescribed less pain medication to black and Latino patients than white patients, reports The Associated Press. The study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Linda Simoni-Wastila, BSPharm, PhD, associate professor at the School of Pharmacy, said the race gap may reveal some doctors' stereotypes of black and Latino patients, suspecting they are more likely to be drug abusers than white patients.
www.diversityinc.com

Law Students to Help Victims of Katrina to Keep Their Homes
The (Baltimore) Examiner - Jan. 3

School of Law students plan to travel to the Gulf Coast this weekýand give up their winter vacationýto offer their legal smarts and rebuild broken lives. Hurricane Katrina hit during the first week of law school for Alicia Welch, who, along with other students, wanted to take a break from the theory-heavy first year of law school to put her knowledge to practice. ýWhen people are remaining in jail for many months before they are able to see an attorney, that does a great harm to the criminal justice system,ý said Douglas Colbert, JD, professor of criminal law at the School and the projectýs faculty advisor. Third-year student Melissa Martinez, 25, will lead the home-rebuilding effort. "Whole neighborhoods are still abandoned so sometimes it feels like weýre only helping a small part," she said.
www.examiner.com

Names in the News
The (Baltimore) Sun - Jan. 3

Laurette Hankins has been named associate dean for development and alumni relations at the School of Nursing.
www.baltimoresun.com

Partnership with UM To Help Ease Shortage of Dentists in Cecil
The Daily Record ý Jan. 2, Jan. 3
Baltimore Business Journal ý Dec. 24
Washington Business Journal ý Dec. 26

When Union Hospital was thinking of expanding to better serve its Cecil County community's needs, its leadership was shocked to hear the No. 1 demand of community residents and health advocatesýmore access to dental care. The hospitalýs response is a new partnership with the Dental School. And Cecil College in Elkton has agreed to create a dental hygienist training program using the Universityýs distance-learning technology. Children and the elderly will be the initial focus of the clinic, said Dean Christian S. Stohler, DMD, DrMedDent. "We feel we can make a huge difference, notably in those that you would like to see have a future [where] their learning is not affected by a toothache," Stohler said. The concept is to ensure students feel confident with patients of all backgrounds, said Norman Tinanoff, DDS, MS, professor at the School and chair of its Department of Health Promotion and Policy.
www.bizjournals.com
www.bizjournals.com

The Final Passage
Washington Jewish Week - Jan. 3

Increasingly, a living will has become a viable alternative for Washington-area Jews of all denominations, according to rabbis, attorneys, and others with experience in this area. The trend, they said, is driven largely by high-profile, end-of-life cases that have illustrated wrenching problems that can result when a patient has failed to clearly communicate―in legally binding fashion―his or her final-stage care wishes. "Cases like these have sensitized families as to the need for a way to initiate certain actions when patients are not capable of making the decision themselves," said Yitzchok "Irving" Breitowitz, JD, associate professor at the School of Law and rabbi of Orthodox Woodside Synagogue-Ahavas Torah.
www.washingtonjewishweek.com

Billions and Billions
The (Baltimore) Sun - Dec. 26
BaltimoreSun.com - Dec. 26

At nearly $1.5 billion, the Johns Hopkins University led the nation's academic centers in funding for medical, science, and engineering research for the 28th straight year in 2006, and it was tops for federally supported research and development, too, according to recent reports. The University of Maryland, Baltimore earned 35th place on the overall list, with $405.2 million in private and public research funding, The Sun said.
www.baltimoresun.com

Black on Black Crime Is A Problem for Everyone
The (Baltimore) Examiner - Dec. 24
BaltimoreExaminer.com - Dec. 24

Michael Lindsey, PhD, MSW, MPH, assistant professor at the School of Social Work, discussed the problem of black-on-black crime in the wake of Redskins player Sean Taylor's murder.
www.examiner.com

Commentary: Trading One Evil for Another
The (Baltimore) Examiner - Dec. 27
BaltimoreExaminer.com - Dec. 27

Steven Soifer, PhD, MSW, associate professor at the School of Social Work, co-wrote an Op-Ed with Johanna Neumann, a policy analyst at the Maryland Public Interest Research Group, about the dangers of replacing oil-based energy with nuclear energy. "Radioactive waste generated at nuclear power plants must be guarded and kept from the environment for tens of thousands of years. Already, the federal government has spent decades and billions of dollars unsuccessfully trying to devise a storage solution for nuclear waste," the Op-Ed said.
www.examiner.com

Doctors Cite Pressure to Keep Silent on Bhutto
The Washington Post ý Jan. 1

Pakistani authorities have pressured the medical personnel who tried to save opposition leader Benazir Bhuttoýs life last month to remain silent about what happened in her final hour and have removed records of her treatment from the facility, according to doctors. The government has said Bhutto was killed after the force of a suicide bombing caused her head to slam against the lever of her vehicleýs sunroof. Bhuttoýs supporters have pointed to video footage as proof that she was killed by gunfire. Thomas Scalea, MD, professor at the School of Medicine and physician-in-chief at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, said that while there was no evidence of a bullet wound, he was also perplexed by how the blunt force of Bhutto's head against an object could have caused brain damage severe enough to kill her so quickly. "The whole thing strikes me as very unusual," said Scalea.
www.washingtonpost.com

Fat Seems to Eat Away at Healthy Sleep
The (Baltimore) Sun - Dec. 27
BaltimoreSun.com - Dec. 27

For years, experts have warned that obesity increases the risk of diabetes, hypertension, and heart attack. Now, thereýs more bad news: Recent studies show that being fat makes it harder to sleep, and sleep deprivation can increase your craving for food. Obesity also increases the risk of sleep apnea, a common disorder in which the airway is repeatedly obstructed during sleep, making it difficult to breathe. "Does being obese put you at risk of sleep disorders? Yes. But the fact is there's a lot going on in obesity," said Steven Scharf, MD, PhD, professor at the School of Medicine and director of the Sleep Disorders Center.
www.baltimoresun.com

For Too Many Md. Children, Too Few Trips to the Dentist
The Washington Post - Dec. 26

Tooth decay is the most common childhood disease in America, five times as common as asthma, research shows. And it is especially common among the poor. Across the state, there is a chronic shortage of dentists skilled in treating children and willing to deal with Medicaidýs paperwork and reimbursement rates. Ilaya Rajagopal, DDS, MS, a pediatric dental fellow at the Dental School, is working a two-year stint at the Walnut Street Dental Clinic in Hagerstown, which receives a federal grant to provide care to the poor. He is nearly alone in serving Medicaid children in Washington County, the gateway to Western Maryland's Appalachian region.
www.washingtonpost.com

Healing at the Holidays
The (Annapolis) Capital - Dec. 21

For the past four years, the University of Maryland Medical Center has held a Christmas party as part of the Transplant Patient Education Series that it hosts each month for recipients. Benjamin Philosophe, MD, PhD, associate professor at the School of Medicine who runs the center's transplant division, said more than 2,000 Marylanders are on organ waiting lists right now. And people still die waiting, partly because of a shortage of people who sign up as donors. "We have work to do," he said.
www.hometownannapolis.com

High Court To Review Voter ID Law
WUSA-TV, Ch. 9, 9 a.m. - Dec. 26

Michael Greenberger, JD, professor at the School of Law and director of the Center for Health and Homeland Security, discussed why the U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether voter identification laws unfairly deter the poor and minorities from voting, stepping into a contentious partisan issue in advance of the 2008 elections. The justices will hear arguments this month in a challenge to an Indiana law that requires voters to present photo ID before casting their ballots. The state has defended the law as a way to combat voter fraud.

Holding Her Ground
The (Baltimore) Sun - Dec. 22
BaltimoreSun.com - Dec. 22
WBFF-TV, Ch. 45, 5:30 and 10 p.m. - Dec. 20; 6 and 7 a.m. - Dec. 21

Darlene Dixonýs neighbors on either side had agreed to sell their rowhouses to make way for the University of Maryland, Baltimoreýs new west side biotechnology park. Only Dixon, and her house filled with memories, stood in the way. The developer not only backed down but built Dixon a new patio and fence, installed a new heat pump, and gave her money to buy patio furniture and a grill. Walls and windows that cracked during BioPark construction were repaired. Now that the building is complete and University police are patrolling the area, Dixon said the neighborhood is safer and cleaner.
media.umaryland.edu:8080
www.baltimoresun.com

If You Think The 'Terrible Twos' Are Trying, Just Wait a Year
The (Baltimore) Sun - Dec. 27
BaltimoreSun.com - Dec. 27

The so-called ýterrible twosý are so much a part of the American lexicon that even people without children know that 2-year-olds and tantrums are synonymous. What, then, of the threes? As it turns out, "threes" can be a whole lot more terrible than "twos." "Three-year-olds are more challenging than 2-year-olds because developmentally they're so much more sophisticated than they were at 2," said Brenda Hussey-Gardner, PhD, MPH, assistant professor at the School of Medicine and the author of a parenting book.
www.baltimoresun.com

Less Emphasis on Terrorist Threat This Travel Season
WTTG-TV, Ch. 5, 5:30 and 10 p.m. - Dec. 26

After the Department of Homeland Securityýs warning this past July that al-Qaida had been rebuilt, the department did not issue any new terror warnings this holiday travel season. Michael Greenberger, JD, professor at the School of Law and director of the Center for Health and Homeland Security, said itýs because intelligence warnings are now more focused. "My guess is that we're not hearing anything particular about this holiday season because there's no raw intelligence to dictate it," he said.
www.myfoxdc.com

Md. Lags in Funds to Halt Smoking
The (Baltimore) Sun - Dec. 26
BaltimoreSun.com - Dec. 26

Maryland currently spends about 60 percent of the minimum recommended by the federal government on tobacco prevention programsýless than a tenth of what tobacco companies spend on marketing in the state, according to a new analysis by anti-smoking groups. Kathleen Dachille, JD, assistant professor at the School of Law and the director of the Legal Resource Center for Tobacco Regulation, Litigation, and Advocacy, said given current funding, state tobacco programs are effective, but funding must be increased to create more prevention and cessation programs. Dachille said more anti-smoking media campaigns are necessary to keep children from starting smoking and to help adults kick the habit.
www.baltimoresun.com

Popular Diet Has a Caveat: It Can Be Hard on Hearts
The (Baltimore) Sun - Dec. 27
BaltimoreSun.com - Dec. 27

The Atkins diet that promotes high-fat meats and cheeses over breads and pastas is still generating questions from the medical community. In a recently released study, a group of researchers at the University of Maryland Medical Center says it might help people drop pounds but also might hurt the heart. The group compared three popular eating regimensýAtkins, the low-carb and low-fat South Beach diet, and the vegetarian Ornish diet. Researchers concluded that Atkins alone puts people at higher risk of heart disease and did it after only one month. The lead researcher said he was surprised by how fast there were impacts on cardiovascular health. As a result, "we don't recommend the Atkins diet," said Michael Miller, MD, associate professor at the School of Medicine. "Why not start out with a diet that will be healthier for you in the long run after weight loss?"
www.baltimoresun.com

State Probes Bond Insurer
The (Baltimore) Sun - Dec. 28
BaltimoreSun.com - Dec. 28

The troubled bond insurer ACA Financial Guaranty Corp. has agreed to give the Maryland Insurance Administration far-reaching authority in running the companyýs operations, and could be forced to turn over control of the company to the state regulator. Michael Greenberger, JD, professor at the School of Law and the former director of the Division of Trading and Markets at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, said he met with the Maryland Insurance Administration in September to raise alarms about ACA's business. "CDOs [collateralized debt obligations] are the biggest problem we face, even more than home loans going bad," Greenberger said. "All sorts of financial institutions believed they were stable bonds that were insured, but their value was assessed using blue smoke and mirrors."
www.baltimoresun.com

Study Finds Racial Gap in Treatment of Pain by Physicians in ER
The Associated Press ý Jan. 2 (published in 127 newspapers and 133 Web sites)
WBAL-AM, 7:30 a.m. ý Jan. 2

Emergency room doctors are prescribing strong narcotics more often to patients who complain of pain, but minorities are less likely to get them than whites, according to a new study in todayýs Journal of the American Medical Association. Linda Simoni-Wastila, BSPharm, PhD, an associate professor at the School of Pharmacy who was not involved in the current study, said the race-gap finding might reveal some doctorsý suspicions that minority patients could be drug abusers lying about pain to get narcotics. The irony, she said, is that blacks are the least likely group to abuse prescription drugs. Hispanics are becoming as likely as whites to abuse prescription opioids and stimulants, according to her research.
ap.google.com

Supreme Court to Hear D.C. Handgun Case
WUSA-TV, Ch. 9, 9 a.m. - Jan. 2

For the first time in nearly 70 years, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case involving the Second Amendment, concerning the rights of Americans to ýbear arms.ý Michael Greenberger, JD, professor at the School of Law and director of the Center for Health and Homeland Security, discussed how this case will determine if the District of Columbia handgun ban is constitutional or not.

UM Law Student Strikes a Chord with YouTube Video
WTOP.com - Dec. 30

Owen Jarvis, a third-year law student at the School of Law, has created a YouTube music video about his experiences titled "Law School Musical." Jarvis sings about the travails of a first-year law student, including a lack of money and sleep. By Dec. 27, the three-minute clip had been seen nearly 146,000 times and generated more than 150 comments. "I'm the closest thing to a rock star at University of Maryland law school," Jarvis said with a laugh.
www.wtopnews.com

UM Law Students to Aid Victims of Katrina
The (Baltimore) Sun - Dec. 25
BaltimoreSun.com - Dec. 25

In the Gulf Coast region of Mississippi where Hurricane Katrina roared through more than two years ago, frustrated homeowners still struggle. Their plight is again attracting the attention of the School of Law. Nearly 80 law students plan to forgo part of their winter vacation and chip in on a variety of legal matters affecting hurricane survivors in Louisiana and Mississippi. ýWhat weýve heard is that the immediacy of the problem isn't any less now,ý said Alicia Welch, a third-year law student and coordinator of the project. Douglas Colbert, JD, a professor at the School who leads a clinic on indigent defense, said the growth of the program from three dozen last winter to about 80 this year is a testament to the public-mindedness of the next generation of lawyers. The success of the program also drew in James Archibald, Maryland Class of 1975 and of counsel at Venable LLP law firm. A member of the law schoolýs alumni board, Archibald said he was so encouraged by the programýs track record that he and another alumnus will join the students traveling to Mississippi from Jan. 5 through 12. "I think it's a great opportunity to help, as well as a time for alumni to ... interact with students," Archibald said.
www.baltimoresun.com

UMB Plans to Extend a Development Trend
The (Baltimore) Sun - Dec. 24
BaltimoreSun.com - Dec. 24

Three historic buildings on the west side of downtown Baltimore will be preserved as part of a $40 million hotel, apartment, and restaurant complex conceived by the University of Maryland, Baltimore. The University System of Maryland Board of Regents selected a team headed by A & R Development of Baltimore to carry out the project, which will preserve the former Drovers and Mechanics National Bank building at the northwest corner of Eutaw and Fayette streets, the front portion of the former Sons of Italy lodge on Fayette Street, and the former Devine Seafood building at 110 N. Eutaw St. "It's ideal for this neighborhood," Terrence Smith, MPA, the University's senior associate vice president for operations and planning, said of the proposed development. "It meets a variety of needs that the University has."
www.baltimoresun.com

Winter Poison Warnings
WBAL-TV, Ch. 11, 7:20 a.m. - Dec. 22

During a live interview, Angel Bivens, RPh, MBA, CSPI, public information coordinator for the School of Pharmacyýs Maryland Poison Center, discussed holiday poisoning hazards, including holly berries, snow globes, and bubble lights.