Associated Press
Canadian boy moved to US over end-of-life dispute
03/15/2011
A Canadian couple transferred their terminally ill toddler son to a Catholic hospital in St. Louis after an Ontario court ruled doctors could remove breathing tube keeping the boy alive. Rebecca Dresser, a professor of law and medical ethics at Washington University in St. Louis, said U.S. courts generally side with families in such cases, even in seemingly hopeless medical cases. “Because of the growing concerns about costs, we’re going to see more of this,” she said. Link to Article See also CTV (Calgary, Canada), Ohio Tribune Chronicle, MyFox Maine, Anchorage Daily News, Kansas City Star, Boston Herald, Forbes, Marietta (Ohio) Times, Tri-City Herald (Yakima, Wash.).
The Christian Science Monitor
Next up for Wisconsin — the mother of all recall drives
03/15/2011
The partisan fight over collective-bargaining rights in Wisconsin is moving from the streets of Madison toward the ballot box. A recall drive of unprecedented scale is underway. Some say the Wisconsin recall drive is unique in American history. “In Wisconsin, nothing like this has ever happened; in terms of the US, nothing comes close to such a wholesale effort,” says Greg Magarian, an election law expert at Washington University in St. Louis. Link to Article See also Minneapolis Post, Press TV, Yahoo News, Rocket News
Technology Transfer Tactics
Reduce cost, not quantity, of foreign patent filings
03/09/2011
A New York firm helps universities with the patent process, including the handling of foreign patent applications. Michael T. Marrah, associate general counsel and co-director of the Office of Technology Management at Washington University in St. Louis, says to make sure outsourcing is strategic and cost-effective, his institution routinely works with as many as two dozen law firms on patent prosecution. “Can you get all of them to use one outsourcing company for that one slice of patent prosecution workflow?” he asks. “It’s no small feat. Link to Article
WITI-TV
(Milwaulkee, WI)
Betting on March Madness is no fun
03/14/2011
Want to have fun watching the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament? Then don’t bet on the games. A marketing professor at Washington University found that people who make predictions about uncertain events actually enjoy the games less. Oh — and he says picking a winner doesn’t necessarily help either. Link to Broadcast See also KLRT/Fox 16 (Arkansas), NBC WTWO-TV (Terre Haute, Indiana), Fox 56 News Edge (Pennsylvannia) /WOLF-TV,
Related news release http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/22010.aspx
Frost Illustrated
New heart disease guidelines for women
03/15/2011
Pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia, pregnancy induced hypertension and gestational diabetes, are now included as risk factors for cardiovascular disease in guidelines issued from the American Heart Association. “If women have had a history of preeclampsia, they are at twice the risk of having cardiovascular disease as they age,” said Dr. Jennifer Lawton, a cardiac surgeon at Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. “They should be referred to a cardiologist to be treated as a patient at higher risk of cardiovascular disease.” Link to Article
KTVI – FOX2 (St. Louis, MO)
Japan radiation concerns
3/15/2011
Japanese officials say the radioactive material leaking is enough to impact human health and the risk of more leaks is very high. What does this mean for Japan? Its prevailing winds eventually blow over Missouri and Illinois: could they affect us? Dr. Henry Royal, a professor of Radiology at Washington University School of Medicine, talks about what’s at stake. Royal was involved in examining people for health impacts following the nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl plant in the former Soviet Union. Link to Article
The St. Louis American
BJC gets portion of $10 million award to help reduce health care-associated infections
03/15/2011
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is awarding $10 million for new research to five academic medical centers as part of its Prevention Epicenter grant program to support development and testing of innovative approaches to reducing infections in health care settings. Washington University and the BJC Epi-Center for Prevention of Healthcare Associated Infections here in St. Louis will receive part of the funding. Link to Article
Riverfront Times
Global warming, Version 1.0
03/15/2011
Until recently, scientists could only estimate how cold the Ice Age seas got and how massive glaciers grew. But now a research team led by David Fike, an assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences at Washington University calculated definite temperatures to figure out how long this ice age lasted and recreate the climate changes that led to a mass extinction. Fike and his team also analyzed samples of limestone fossils. Link to Article
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Shaken baby’s death leads to 2nd guilty plea by baby sitter
03/15/2011
In a move that may have cut new legal ground, prosecutors charged babysitter Amy Johnson in 2008 with second-degree murder, even though she already served one year in jail for shaking 2-month-old Kelsey McGinnis in 1994. McGinnis died in 2007. Peter Joy, a law professor at Washington University, said he has seen successful prosecutions in other states in similar cases. “What do you do to somebody who has caused the death of a child? Do you have them not be responsible for it?” Joy asked. “You can’t hold them in jail waiting to see what happens to a child. Link to Article
KTVI-TV (St. Louis, MO)
Lady Bears headed to NCAA Div. III Final Four
03/14/2011
The Washington University women’s basketball team is once again headed to the NCAA Division III “Final Four” championship this weekend. This marks the Lady Bears’ record 10th appearance in the Final Four. Link to Broadcast See also Chicago Daily Herald
Related news release http://bearsports.wustl.edu/Sports/Content/Pages/wbk3-12-11.aspx
Riverfront Times
Wash U Lady Bears battle their way to D-3 Final Four
03/14/2011
Yeah, yeah, Mizzou and Illinois pussyfooted their way into the NCAA tournament, which gives area hoopsters another week to celebrate mediocrity. But if you’re looking for a more legit reason to get your March Madness on this week, turn your attention toward another set of brackets, in Division 3-Land, where the Washington University Lady Bears have ascended to the Final Four. Link to Article
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Preview for the new Twice Blessed Resale Shop, which supports Our Lady’s Inn
03/15/2011
Lucy Hannegan and the crew at the new Twice Blessed Resale Shop, 3312 Meramec Street, greeted supporters, donors and visitors today to a preview of the shop, which is scheduled to have a grand opening on April 9. Twice Blessed renovated the space with a $40,000 grant from the Skandalaris Center at Washington University. The expansion triples the space of the old store. Proceeds from the business are used to support Our Lady’s Inn, an emergency maternity shelter for pregnant, homeless women and their children. Link to Article
News in Higher Education
New York Times
Budget stalemate leaves chaos at many federal agencies
03/14/2011
With political parties battling over the budget, many federal agencies have been operating in chaos, confusion and uncertainty. The National Institutes of Health, for example, has notified biomedical researchers that they will receive less money than previously promised, at least until Congress approves a final appropriations bill. Link to Article
CBS | Money Watch
Student loans: How excessive debt limits career options
03/14/2011
College students taking out hefty loans for their education often have no idea how those loans will restrict their career choices — or how layering credit card debt on top of their loans is more limiting still. Link to Article
US News & World Report
Top MBA programs embrace online education
For-profit, online colleges like the University of Phoenix and Kaplan University have garnered a tremendous amount of attention in recent years. But several traditional MBA programs, some highly ranked, have also made the push into the online realm. Link to Article
For additional higher education news (subscription may be required):
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Inside Higher Ed
University Business
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