UVA Today News Blog

There are a few government employees who risk their lives every time they set foot outside the door: soldiers, police officers, firefighters … and the folks who test new drivers at the Division of Motor Vehicles.

The latter group could eventually live more sedate and secure lives, if Daniel Cox of the U.Va. School of Medicine has his way. Cox has long used remarkably realistic driving simulators to test various populations’ ability to drive — those on medications for ADHD, for example, or people who have diabetes.

Now, he’s testing the simulators in two DMV branches — on Pantops in Charlottesville, and in Fairfax County — as a potential replacement for the dreaded driving test, according to our colleagues in the Health System.

DMV’s patrons will be invited to test the simulators, but Cox stressed that the tests will have no effect on the volunteers’ ability to obtain or renew their driver’s licenses. Individual test results will not be shared with DMV, he said.

There’s lots of upside to testing on a driving simulator. Beside not risking any lives, it doesn’t use gas, may save some time, and most of all, provides a consistent testing environment. Certainly, the current rubber-on-pavement testing experience is much different for those in bustling Northern Virginia than it is for those in more rural parts of the state, and driving on a beautiful spring day is much easier than battling rain or snow.

With a simulator, everyone can be tested in heavy traffic in snowy weather, even in July.

Cox is hoping to get 1,000 volunteer testers in the next 12 months.

Medical School, research | Monday, December 17th | By: Dan @5:44 pm | 1 Comment     

We’ve written before about Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Michael Vitez and his book about Matt Miller, the former U.Va. student who, while out cycling on the Blue Ridge Parkway, crashed face-first into an oncoming vehicle — and not only lived to tell the tale, but graduated on time. (He’s now in med school at the University of Pennsylvania.)

Vitez wrote a gripping three-part series on Miller’s tale for the Inquirer (subsequently reprinted in the Daily Progress), and then expanded it into a book, “The Road Back: A Journey of Grace and Grit.”

All of this is preamble to say that Vitez will speak Wednesday at the weekly Medical Center Hour, which begins at 12:30 in the Jordan Hall Conference Center auditorium. Joining him will be one of the doctors who treated Miller, surgeon Dr. J. Forrest Calland. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Medical School, On Grounds, People, Student Life | Tuesday, October 9th | By: Dan @3:37 pm | 1 Comment     

She didn’t wear a white coat or wield a tongue depressor, but President Teresa Sullivan did what’s called “Grand Rounds” Wednesday – a sort of annual report – at the School of Medicine’s McKim Hall. There, she offered a succinct diagnosis of what makes up a U.Va. education.

In a word: value.

Type “value of college education” into a Google search and you get 19 million results, she said. “Everyone seems to be talking and writing about the value of a college education, or the value of a college degree,” she said.

Continue reading…

Medical School, News, On Grounds, People, President Sullivan | Wednesday, May 16th | By: Dan @4:23 pm | 1 Comment     

The School of Medicine recently published the winter/spring edition of its online literary and arts journal, Hospital Drive. (The cover photo at right looks a little out of place on an 80-degree day, but you never know about March weather in Charlottesville, do you?)

According to a press release, “The issue has more than 30 poems, essays, short stories, paintings, photographs and music. The eight photographs include the underwater adventure “Pyramid” and the black-and-white “A Little Soul.”

The journal is named for the actual road that runs between the Academical Village and the University’s medical precinct.

Arts, Medical School, On Grounds | Thursday, March 15th | By: Dan @4:34 pm | 0 Comments     

Last month, UVA Today reported on U.Va. Innovation, a new University-wide initiative that will provide guidance and services to U.Va. researchers seeking support for strategic partnerships, entrepreneurial networks, new ventures and technology commercialization.

Part of the initiative involves the launch of the “What’s Next?” blog to update readers on the latest tech transfer news and successes. Today’s post highlights SpermCheck, an at-home male fertility test developed by U.Va. spin-off ContraVac Inc., that is now available for sale on websites and soon will be on the shelves at Walgreen’s and CVS stores.

You can read the blog’s introductory post here.

Medical School, research, Science, technology | Tuesday, February 7th | By: Dan @4:45 pm | 0 Comments     

Students met Jane Canning, a 101-year-old resident of St.Kitts-Nevis

Not all education happens in the classroom, especially compared to going abroad, second-year University of Virginia student Jeffrey Roberson said he learned when he took the international January-term course, “Disaster Preparedness in the West Indies” with 26 other students, led by Dr. Marcus Martin, vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity and former chair of the Health System’s Department of Emergency Medicine.

The group spent the first two weeks of January studying the fundamentals of emergency care and disaster preparedness in St. Kitts-Nevis. The small two-island nation is about one-and-a-half times the size of Washington, D.C.

From dancing in the streets during Carnival, celebrated for 10 days after Christmas, to learning about the small nation’s universal health care, Roberson said his experiences there showed him the importance of a strong community.

Continue reading…

Health System, International, Medical School, News, Student Life | Monday, January 23rd | By: Anne Bromley @4:22 pm | 3 Comments     

An update from UVA Today’s Matt Kelly:

First Lt. A.W. Simmons, the 2009 graduate from the College of Arts & Sciences who was injured in a mortar shell explosion in Afghanistan eight days after appearing in a video broadcast in Scott Stadium during U.Va.’s Military Appreciation Day game against Duke, is recuperating nicely.

“I’ve been able to beat every doctor’s timeline thus far,” said Simmons, who is taking a convalescent leave at his parents’ home in Fairfax. “All stitches from every wound are out and my only limiting factor now is the wound to my right hamstring that still needs time to close fully.”

He is waiting for the four layers of muscle to bind together and is stretching his now-shortened hamstring out to its full range of motion. He may be allowed to resume running next week, and his surgeons expect a full recovery with no loss of function. He hopes to be able to return to Afghanistan in January, but before that he plans to attend the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta on Dec. 31, when the Cavaliers face off against Auburn University.

“I’m eager to see U.Va. win, but for me it’s also about using my time in the States to catch up with as many friends and fellow alumni as I can,” he said.

Continue reading…

Alumni, Arts & Sciences, College of Arts & Sciences, Medical School, Nursing School, People, Sports | Wednesday, December 21st | By: Dan @2:58 pm | 3 Comments     

UVA Today’s Matt Kelly reports:

First Lt. Andrew W. Simmons, 24, a 2009 graduate of U.Va.’s College of Arts & Sciences, was wounded Nov. 20 while serving as an infantry platoon leader in Eastern Afghanistan.

Just eight days earlier, he appeared in a video on Scott Stadium”s Hoovision video board during Armed Forces Appreciation Day at the U.Va. vs. Duke football game. Simmons received shrapnel wounds to both legs and his right arm in a mortar attack. Simmons is currently recuperating at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

View Lt. Simmons’ Hoovision Greeting

“I am very fortunate to be alive,” Simmons said today from his hospital room.

The mortar round landed about five feet behind him. He said the shrapnel wounds were deep, but missed bones, arteries and tendons.

“I think I will make a full recovery with no loss of function,” he said.

Continue reading…

Alumni, College of Arts & Sciences, International, Medical School, News, Nursing School, Sports | Tuesday, November 29th | By: Dan @2:52 pm | 5 Comments     

Among questionable U.Va. traditions, one that University officials and most students would love to see go away is the Fourth-Year Fifth. (That and yelling “not gay” during the “Good Ol’ Song.”)

So fourth-years have been reminded by their peers of the dangers of alcohol over-consumption through events and emails these past couple of weeks. Messages have come from the ADAPT peer educators; the Peer Health Educators;  Inter-Fraternity and Inter-Sorority councils; and the Class of 2012 Trustees, who wrote to their classmates:

Drinking a fifth of liquor is the equivalent of 17 drinks. Regardless of your perceived tolerance, this is a dangerous amount of alcohol.  Drinking that much alcohol in a short period of time increases your risk. At a minimum, you’ll have an awful hangover and won’t remember much, if any, of your last football game as a U.Va. student.  At worst, the consequences of that choice may be much more long lasting. We encourage you to sign the pledge not to attempt the fourth-year fifth. Please consider the consequences of the fourth-year fifth, discourage any friends who may consider attempting it, look after your friends on game day and NEVER leave an intoxicated friend alone. Ninety-four percent of fourth-years report that they intervene to stop intoxicated friends from hurting themselves – let’s continue looking out for each other and push that to 100 percent.

To drive home the point,  the Blue Ridge Poison Center, based at the School of Medicine, put out this message about alcohol poisoning.

Eighty-percent of fourth-year students don’t participate in this potentially dangerous practice, says Courtney Lester, chair of ADAPT. During Substance Abuse Awareness Week Nov. 12-18, she says, nearly 500 fourth-year students pledged not to participate and to look out for their intoxicated friends. The campaign message: “I’ll remember the game.”

We hope the messages are taken seriously, particularly on the eve of our game against Virginia Tech – which may indeed be an event worth remembering. — Marian Anderfuren

Community, Medical School, safety, Student Life | Tuesday, November 22nd | By: Dan @6:16 pm | 0 Comments     

"Chromosome Crossing," by Norm Trigoboff

The sixth edition of Hospital Drive, the School of Medicine‘s online literary magazine, is out.

Among the highlights, according to a Health System press release:

This issue includes 30 poems, ranging from the bittersweet “Watching Bees” to the internal contrasts of “Blossom Houdini Medicine.” The six stories include the reminiscent perfection of a fall afternoon in “Free Fall” and the surprises of “Tattooed Nurse,” as well as the nighttime encounter of “The Goose.”

The art includes the playful “Chromosome Crossing,” the drenched colors of “Bone Collage,” and the deceptively simple “Kids at Art.” In addition there is “God Lives on Brown’s Mountain,” another contribution from the Grandpa Moses of Wyoming Cattle Ranchers.

For the first time, Hospital Drive includes a piece of original music, “Patient G,” written by a medical student as part of a reflections assignment.

Each issue now links to a display from the historical archive of UVA’s Health Sciences Library. In this issue there are letters to an 8th Evacuation Hospital nurse from the families of soldiers who died in action. The hospital was staffed by UVA physicians and nurses during World War II. The display is a collaboration with the Historical Collections and Services of the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library at the UVA School of Medicine.

Arts, Medical School, On Grounds | Tuesday, September 13th | By: Dan @3:14 pm | 0 Comments     

Check out the new episode of the UVA Today Radio Show, a weekly five minute segment on WTJU radio. Look for new editions of the show every Wednesday at 11:55 a.m. on WTJU. Afterward, all of the segments will be posted on iTunesU.

Read more about the stories featured in this week’s program:

• New Chair of Biomedical Engineering Conducts Medical Imaging Research to Personalize Treatment of Heart Ailments (Frederick Epstein)
• U.Va. Researchers Find High Energy Output From Algae-Based Fuel, But ‘No Silver Bullet’ (Andres Clarens and Lisa Colosi)
• Preludes, Symphony’s Instrument of Outreach, Celebrates Decade of ‘Aha’ Moments (Elizabeth Roberts)

•Air Date: 8/24/2011

To download mp3, click here.

Arts, engineering, Health and Safety, Medical School, Radio, research | Wednesday, August 24th | By: brevy @12:53 pm | 0 Comments     

U.Va.’s School of Medicine is hosting its 17th annual “Mini-Med School” this fall, and is now taking applications.

You probably will not receive a major boost in pay for graduating, but then again, there is no tuition, so there won’t be any of those pesky loans to repay.

The course “brings an abridged version of medical school to participating community members,” according to an announcement. It’s open to just about anyone high school-aged or older.

Here’s a more thorough description:

Continue reading…

Community, Health and Safety, Health System, Medical School, News, On Grounds | Tuesday, June 7th | By: Dan @3:45 pm | 0 Comments     

The winter edition of Hospital Drive, a U.Va.-based online journal of creative work exploring themes of health, illness and healing, is out.

The journal is one of only a handful of literary journals nationwide published by a medical school, according to a press release announcing the latest issue. According to the release:

In this issue there are over 30 poems, ranging from the matter-of-fact accounting of “Waiting Room Mathematics” to the revelations in “A Drunk in the ER.” And, there are eight pieces of prose, from the rueful memories of “Stat Her!” to the whimsical hope in “A Love Story,” to the satire of “What’s In a Name?”

There’s also photography. In this issue is the online exhibit “Patients’ Voices in Early 19th-Century Virginia,” an exploration of doctor-patient relationships as shown through the correspondence of father-son physicians James and Edward Carmichael of Fredericksburg, Virginia. All future issues will carry a link to an online exhibit and a short introduction. This is a collaboration with the Historical Collections and Services of the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library at the UVA School of Medicine.

Arts, Health System, Medical School, On Grounds, Student Life | Monday, February 21st | By: Dan @5:37 pm | 0 Comments     

(From UVA Today reporter Anne Bromley)

In the spirit of Thomas Jefferson’s Academical Village, students and professors lived together, dined, learned, ventured and explored together earlier this month – in the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Continue reading…

Health and Safety, International, Medical School, safety, Student Life, Thomas Jefferson | Tuesday, January 25th | By: Dan @4:46 pm | 0 Comments     

(UPDATED JAN. 28, 11:20 A.M.) Many medical researchers today work with HeLa cell lines. Most probably don’t know that “HeLa” is short for Henrietta Lacks, the woman who was the source of the line, the oldest such cell line in research. Nor do they know of her story.

As part of the University’s observance of the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Paramount Theater was the site of a panel discussion Sunday, “Overcoming a Legacy of Distrust: Reflections on ‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.’”

Lacks was an African-American woman and cervical cancer patient who in 1951, without her consent, became a medical research subject, and ultimately the source of the stem-cell line still in use today. Her family, while proud of her contributions to science, are also deeply resentful of how her body was used for science without her consent.

The discussion was moderated by U.Va. bioethicist James Childress, University Professor and John Allen Hollingsworth Professor of Ethics in the College of Arts & Sciences. The panelists included Charlottesville Vice Mayor Holly Edwards, a parish nurse in the Westhaven community; Karen Waters of the Charlottesville Quality Community Council; Dr. Jeanita Richardson; and Patrick Tolan, a Curry School of Education professor and director of Youth-Nex, the U.Ca. Center to Promote Effective Youth Development.

You can listen to audio of the discussion here.

The event was organized by the Curry School of Education.

Arts & Sciences, Community, Diversity, Health and Safety, Health System, Medical School, Nursing School, politics, research, Science | Monday, January 24th | By: Dan @4:24 pm | 1 Comment