Synapse - Life Sciences News Digest of the Medical center of the americas

In 2009, the UT School of Public Health El Paso Regional Campus and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine collaborated to create a dual degree in medicine and public health: the MD/MPH. This is the only MD/MPH dual degree program in the region. The program prepares future health professionals to integrate medical and public health skills into practice and research.  In the summer of 2010, the first eight MD/MPH students entered the program.   The first two MD/MPH graduates will participate in the Spring Hooding Ceremony, taking place May 1st at 6:30 pm at the El Paso... [more]

The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) Paul L. Foster School of Medicine has officially been approved for full accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for a period of eight years.   

“It has been an arduous task moving the accreditation process to a successful outcome, but well worth it. The rewards can be seen everywhere,” said Jose Manuel de la Rosa, M.D., Paul L. Foster School of Medicine founding dean and vice president for health affairs. “It is because of a team effort that our students, our city and the world now have the only fully accredited,... [more]

The Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH) has accredited only 27 simulation centers in the world and only one in Texas. It belongs to the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine. Of the 27 institutions, the Center for Advanced Teaching and Assessment in Clinical Simulation (ATACS) at the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine is one of only 10 that belong to a school of medicine. It holds this designation along with the prestigious Penn State Hershey College of Medicine and Canada’s McGill Faculty of Medicine.

“Simulation is still relatively new – 15, 20... [more]

During the Christmas holiday trip to India, New Mexico State University (NMSU) Interim President Manuel T. Pacheco and NMSU Vice President Vimal Chaitanya met with S. Ayyappan, director general of Indian Council of Agriculture Research and H.S. Gupta, director of Indian Agriculture Research Institute in Delhi to discuss avenues for greater collaboration in agriculture research and education. Pacheco also signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Yogesh Singh, vice-chancellor of Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda; G. Raghurama, director of BIRLA Institute of Technology and Science and K.N. Ganesh, director of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Pune. In addition, Pacheco met... [more]

Eight students from the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program in the University of Texas at El Paso’s School of Nursing were honored as the first Paso del Norte Health Foundation Fellows. Foundation Fellows include:

Joyce Meserve (project title:  How Does Readmission Rates from Telemedicine Patient Management Compare to Face                 to Face, Utilizing a Standard Assessment Protocol -- $3,500)

Hector Rodriguez (project title:  Erectile Dysfunction and Depression: A practice guideline for Men's Health and Wellness along the US-Mexico Border -- $3,500)

Hector Morales (project title:  A Couples/Marital Therapy Which Would be More Effective for Law Enforcement Personnel -- $3,500)

Kimberly Miller (project title:  Congestive Heart Failure:... [more]

After a year of training, 26 soldiers graduated from the William Beaumont Army Medical Center's practical nurse program on Jan. 11.  The soldiers received their diplomas and were recognized for their accomplishments during the 54-week practical nurse course.  Upon successful completion of the course, all 26 graduates successfully passed the National Council Licensure Examination-Practical/Vocational Nurse. 

The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) announced on Friday that it "is collaborating with members of the international medical education community to develop the Global Education in Medicine Exchange (GEMx), an exciting new service to facilitate and promote international exchange in medical education. GEMx will allow medical schools to promote their electives to students around the world, and to establish strong relationships with other schools to provide students with a wide range of high quality international educational opportunities." The ECFG said that development of the web-based GEMx application system is underway and it expects to launch a pilot of the... [more]

New Mexico State University Regents Professor Elba Serrano was recently named as a 2012 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Election as a fellow is bestowed upon members by their peers. Fellows are recognized for meritorious efforts to advance science or its applications. Serrano, a neuroscientist in the College of Arts and Sciences, will be recognized Feb. 16, 2013 at the Fellows Forum in Boston for her contributions to neuroscience, research, teaching and service; as well as program leadership and efforts to diversify the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.

Serrano directs NMSU's National... [more]

The Texas attorney general's office has ruled that no laws prevent the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board from allowing foreign medical schools to send students to complete their training in Texas hospitals. "In sum, nothing in the statute indicates that foreign schools are excluded from consideration," the ruling notes. "By the same token, nothing indicates the board must include them, either." The AG ruling suggests that there are also no time limits on responding to such requests, and that the board could delay so lawmakers could take up the issue in the legislative session. 

         Last spring, the coordinating board's commissioner, Raymund Paredes, recommended that the... [more]

The PhD program in counseling psychology at New Mexico State University was recently awarded a $930,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The money will fund scholarships for students in the program. The grant is funded through the Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) program to increase diversity in health professions by providing grants to eligible programs for use in awarding scholarships to financially needy students from disadvantaged backgrounds.  Eve Adams, associate professor of counseling and educational psychology, is the director of training for the counseling psychology doctoral program.

Release   
... [more]