Perspectives
A Word From the President
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
“That’s when I knew I wanted to be a doctor”
by Darrell G. Kirch, MD, AAMC President and CEO
Leading in challenging times
by Darrell G. Kirch, MD, AAMC President and CEO
Viewpoints
Monday, June 11, 2018
Cancer and our kids: We can do better
by Lois Ramondetta, MD
Less than half of U.S. teenagers have been protected against HPV. Here’s why physicians must do more to promote timely vaccination—and how.
Tuesday, May 01, 2018
Black and White: Are Racial Categories Too Narrow?
by David E. Hayes-Bautista, PhD
Current options for identifying race fail to provide an accurate picture of health data and disparities. More diverse voices can change that, argues one expert.
Every day, 20 people die waiting for an organ transplant. Every 10 minutes, someone new is added to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) national transplant waiting list.
If you need a kidney—the organ most in demand—you might wait three to five years on the UNOS list before being matched. A liver or lung transplant could take six months to a year.
What’s more, the number of people on the waiting list continues to far outstrip supply. In 2016, more than 115,000 Americans were waiting for an organ, but just 16,000 people donated. Yet 5,000 organs were discarded from deceased donors in 2016 alone, according to a 2017 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
In light of these startling statistics, academic medical centers have been exploring new ways to boost the supply of viable organs. The use of organs from so-called marginal donors—defined as those who are older or who have diabetes, hypertension, or even infectious diseases such as Hepatitis C or HIV—has opened new avenues for research, says Janis Orlowski, MD, a transplant nephrologist and AAMC chief health care officer. So has improving the transport of organs to limit tissue damage.
“Reducing the number of discarded organs could help fill a critical need for organs,” Orlowski says.
Academic Medicine in the News
Friday, July 13, 2018
‘PulsePoint’ app launches thanks to medical students
Students at the Eastern Virginia Medical School worked with local fire and rescue responders to teach CPR to the community to improve the effectiveness of new app ‘PulsePoint’. The app alerts people trained in hands-only CPR to nearby cardiac emergencies so the patient can get help as quickly as possible.
Friday, July 13, 2018
Researchers find genetic makeup affects prostate cancer treatment prognosis
A new Cleveland Clinic study showed that a variant in the HSD3B1 gene causes men with the anomaly to metabolize a common prostate cancer drug differently than men without the genetic anomaly, leading to poorer outcomes. Researchers hope the findings lead to a tailored approach to treating prostate cancer patients based on their genetic makeup.
Friday, July 13, 2018
Girls introduced to careers in science, technology
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences hosted a workshop to get girls interested in STEM fields and allow them to meet women in science-related careers. The girls were shown how to use gait- and motion-detection technology to monitor each other’s movements, something orthopaedic physicians use in their practice.
Videos
In Brief
Thursday, July 05, 2018
AAMC Briefing on Pipeline Programs and Health Equity
The AAMC and the Congressional Academic Medicine Caucus held a Capitol Hill briefing to highlight examples of innovative workforce diversity pipeline programs that help promote a culturally-competent, diverse, and prepared health care workforce to enhance patient care and ensure health equity.