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MMS News & Announcements
MMS, DPH Collaborate On Concussion TV Program
The severity and long-term health effects of concussions -- mild traumatic brain injuries -- are now being recognized by coaches, parents, players and fans at all levels of sports. In Massachusetts alone, an estimated 36,000 student athletes each year experience a possible concussion according to state public health officials. To raise awareness about this injury, the MMS and DPH have collaborated on the September edition of Physician Focus. Guests for the program are Lauren Smith, M.D., M.P.H., DPH medical director, and Alan Ashare, M.D., a physician at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Boston and chair of the Massachusetts Medical Society's Committee on Student Health and Sports Medicine. Hosting the show is Bruce Karlin, M.D., a primary care physician in Worcester, Mass. Watch the program online at www.physicianfocus.org/concussions, or check the listings of your local public access television stations for airtimes. Physician Focus episodes are also available for download on iTunes.
2012 International Health Studies Grant Applications Due Sept. 15
The MMS is accepting applications until September 15 for 2012 International Health Studies Grants. Students and resident physician members of the Society are eligible to apply for grants in the amount of $2,000 to defray the costs of study abroad. Click here for more information on the program.
Education Programs & Events
Live CME Activities
Women's Leadership Forum: Effective Team Leadership
Monday, September 24, 2012, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Management of Carotid Artery Stenosis and Acute Stroke: How to Provide the Best Treatments for Your Patients
Saturday, September 29, 2012, 7:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
CME Accreditation Orientation
Tuesday, October 16, 2012, 8:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
Federal Funding Opportunities
Thursday, October, 18, 2012, 3:00 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.
Controversies in the Screening and Management of Breast Disease
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Managing Workplace Conflict
Thursday, November 1, 2012, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Friday, November 2, 2012, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
MSCO 2012 Annual Meeting: Burkitt's Lymphoma: From Uganda to the U.S.; a Personal Journey
Thursday, November 8, 2012, 5:30 p.m.to 8:30 p.m.
The above activities have been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Save the Date
Directors of Medical Education Conference
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Online CME Activities
* Also available in print. Call (800) 322-2303, ext. 7306.
Coming Soon: Acid Suppression Therapy: Neutralizing the Hype, Legal Advisor: Legal Duties and Options When a Patient Raises Suicide
For additional risk management online CME activities, visit www.massmed.org/cme.
Contact us at MMSContinuingEducation@mms.org
This Week in Health Care
Campaign Aims to Spur End-of-Life Conversations
A new Massachusetts-based coalition aims to encourage open and honest discussions among families and friends about how they want to live life at the end, so that their wishes will be followed.
Parishes Oppose Proposal On Doctor-Aided Death
The Catholic parishes of Salem are campaigning to defeat a question on the November ballot that would allow doctors to assist terminally ill patients who want to end their lives.
For $83, A Sling and No Simple Answers
Coming under financial focus is a little-understood corner of the health care system: durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies.
Mass. Whooping Cough Cases Rise Significantly
Massachusetts has seen a three-fold increase in the number of reported whooping cough cases so far this year.
Fourth West Nile Virus Case Confirmed in Mass.; 6 more probable
The DPH said this week that the latest confirmed patient is a Newton woman in her 50s who was briefly hospitalized and is recovering. National News: CDC: West Nile cases rise 40 percent in 1 week
EEE a Game Changer for South Shore School Sports
Several towns have called off night games due to the heightened danger of people getting infected with the mosquito-borne virus.
Hub Team Pumped About 'Smart Heart' Technology
A Hub medical-miracle team is working on a breakthrough that may someday lead to a "smart heart" - implant-ready artificial tissue rigged with super-sensitive triggers that could sound an alarm when a patient's ticker is off-kilter, and possibly even fix the faux organ without so much as a call to the doctor.