Outliers was reminded of an Introduction to Philosophy course when we heard about the American College of Physicians' new “What is Internal Medicine?” public relations campaign. Rene Descartes' most famous line gets a retread in the effort: “I think, therefore I.M.”That slogan along with a few others are available on T-shirts, coffee mugs and posters as the prominent organization representing internal medicine physicians endeavors to, well, tell the public what internal medicine physicians do.
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Dr. Michelle Eads doesn't have a large staff at Pinnacle Family Medicine, the solo practice she operates in Colorado Springs, Colo. But since 2008, the office has had an official greeter.The greeter's name is Murphey, a golden retriever whose staff Web page lists her duties as bringing smiles to faces, lowering blood pressure and making patients feel loved “with big doses of warm fuzzies.”
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With dogged de-termination, scientists at the University of California at Davis have identified a gene they believe can be an important risk factor for neural tube birth defects such as spina bifida, which is caused by the incomplete closure of the spine.The researchers, with the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and University of Iowa, originally identified the gene in four Weimaraner dogs with spinal dysraphism, a disorder that impairs motor skills and causes partial paralysis of the legs.
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“I bet you more people could tell you the name of the new prince of England than could tell you that the health market opens Oct. 1.”—HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
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An innocent Twitter exchange back in February with Green Bay Packers star quarterback Aaron Rogers has thrust a Colorado travel nurse into the media spotlight.
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For its 30th anniversary this year, the Salt Lake City-based Wilderness Medical Society decided to say it with paper. Posters, to be exact. The group commissioned a series of nine posters “in the style of the grand art deco travel posters of the early 20th century,” according to its website. The posters celebrate its various member activities, including its third Everest Base Camp Trek set for March 24-April 13 next year. The accredited hands-on wilderness medical training will be held in the Khumbu Valley of Nepal.
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In the United Arab Emirates, the phrase “worth its weight in gold” now has a literal meaning. As part of an effort to get the oil-rich Middle Eastern country to slim down, the government is offering to give residents a gram of gold for each kilogram, roughly 2.2 pounds, they lose by Aug. 16.
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“We have one last chance to stop this if the White House won't cooperate, and that's through our budgeting process. Some will say, 'Well, that's crazy. You are going to shut down the government over Obamacare?' No, what's crazy is moving forward with this thing.”—Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), co-sponsor of the Defund Obamacare Act Of 2013Follow Outliers on Twitter: @MHOutliers
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While the hospital construction boom is a well-documented phenomenon, less attention has been paid to a corollary trend: an uptick in hospital demolitions.
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Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder—but it's also in the brain cells, heart cells and stem cells, too.Medical researchers at the University of Michigan are showcasing the beauty of science in a collection of brightly colored prints that appear to invoke the abstraction of modern art more than the groundbreaking study of disease.
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Outliers believes that one of the great joys of summer is being able to step outside, strap on a helmet and tool around on our bike, enjoying the great outdoors. That's why we're touched to hear about a local group in Northern California that assembles and distributes bicycles to underprivileged children—year-round.
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The staff of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York know Josh Friedland as their former director of communications turned food blogger. But after he left healthcare he assumed a secret identity as @RuthBourdain, author of a parody Twitter account begun in 2010 that sends up Ruth Reichl, former Gourmet editor, and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. Friedland's identity was recently revealed in a New York Times article.
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On July 27, a former patient of Dr. Frank Jobe will stand before a large audience and tell everyone what a great physician Jobe is.What will make the event different from other patient testimonials is that the patient doing the talking will be former baseball pitching All-Star Tommy John, and he will be speaking at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.
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Outliers loves going to London, especially for the performing arts. And while the Royal Albert Hall may be the first place visitors think of when they want to hear a good performance in London, they might get more of a unique experience down the road at Royal Brompton Hospital. That's because once a week, patients with respiratory problems, including asthma, emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, are treated to vocal exercises and sing songs that have their origins in places as far away as Ghana and Polynesia.
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Shortly after the Chicago Blackhawks captured the National Hockey League championship June 24, defeating the Boston Bruins on the road, the sport's legendary trophy began a road trip of its own.The Stanley Cup, whose history traces back 120 years, has been making the rounds in the Chicago area, putting in surprise appearances at popular nightspots, city events and parades, among other stopovers. Per tradition, the cup travels for 100 days after a new champion is crowned, with players and team members allowed to take the cup wherever they wish.
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“I'm sure it's tempting for those who have stood against reform and progress from the beginning to see this as a chance to rip Obamacare apart. The irony of objecting to the delay of a program you've been trying to stop is, no doubt, lost on this room.”—Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) to the House Subcommittee on Health on the employer mandate delay
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Seems if you want to lose weight, you have to think right. A new study finds that what you think about obesity can influence your waistline. For the study, researchers asked 301 South Koreans what they thought was the principle cause of obesity: About half blamed diet, 40% cited not enough activity and 8% said it was genetic. The kicker? Those who cited overeating had an average body mass index about 1.5 points lower than those who blamed not sweating enough at the gym.
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Nurses just starting their careers have a lot to worry about. Adjusting to a new job while keeping patients and administrators happy can't be easy. Now you can add fear of being bullied to the list. Verbal abuse is a particular problem for nurses just starting their careers, according to a study released recently by researchers at the NYU College of Nursing.
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Outliers knows researchers can make a lot of sacrifices to do their work. But snatching eggs from alligator mothers-to-be? Now that's dedication. Louis Guillette, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology and director of marine biomedicine and environmental sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina, has researched alligators in the Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge and Lake Apopka in Florida for 25 years.
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Outliers was intrigued to learn HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is turning to professional sports leagues to get the word out on open enrollment for the insurance exchanges that starts in a few months.But why stop there when you can turn on some real super power for the educational campaign? Say Wonder Woman—or at least the actress best known for playing her, Lynda Carter?
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Outliers doesn't usually think of the Cleveland Clinic as a pop culture epicenter. But then it was revealed in June that the medical center was being credited with saving the life of rock legend Lou Reed with a liver transplant in May. Now the clinic is apparently a movie set. A source told a local Cleveland newspaper and a comic-book trade publication that the renowned medical center is serving as a set location in the latest Captain America film.
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“How are you going to feel if you have to go into an emergency room? You'll walk in there, and see chair after chair of working poor people—hard-working people—knowing that's their healthcare system, when we could have given them a better answer.”—Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, in a Reuters story, appealing to fellow Republicans to expand Medicaid in the state
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Urgent-care physician and hockey fan Dr. Patricia Higgins got a taste of her own type of medicine after an encounter with a puck during a recent Stanley Cup final game between the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins.
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What is the Flopbuster X1 5000, you ask? It's the device used by biomechanics experts at Southern Methodist University to study how basketball players attempt to fool referees into calling fouls by unnecessarily falling to the ground.
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The annual American Medical Association House of Delegates meeting basically consists of several days of doctors talking for hours on end. While pontification is often the order of the day, a few delegates manage to crack wise.
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