Dear Colleagues and Friends:

I know you share my belief that we are extremely fortunate to work at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.  Not only is it a joy and a privilege  to work around a highly skilled, caring group of people who are doing work that really matters, but so far, the Medical Center has been spared from layoffs and severe cutbacks or closings others have experienced over the last year.

That makes it all the more important that we consider the needs of our neighbors in the UMMC Cares campaign.  This year's campaign, which begins Monday, Nov. 2, and runs through Nov. 13, will allow you to

Grad school alum plays key role in novel H1N1 vaccine deployment

One of the nation’s top scientists and a prominent player in the development of the forthcoming H1N1 swine influenza vaccine is Mississippi native Dr. Robin Robinson, a graduate of what became the School of Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

As director of the Biomedical Advanced Research Development Authority, an organization within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Robinson promotes the development of vaccines, treatments and therapies for a range of public-health emergencies.

Since June, the BARDA office has helped develop, license and move the H1N1 flu

Nurse-run clinic celebrates 10 years in midtown Jackson

When asked what he ate for dinner the night before, Jackson resident Jerome Thompson confessed that he violated his dietary guidelines and scarfed down some chicken nuggets. That earned him a lecture from his nurse practitioner on how to properly manage his diabetes.

“It’s not quantity, it’s quality,” explained Dr. Audwin Fletcher, advising Thompson to avoid fried foods and to stick with vegetables and meats that have been baked or broiled.

“It’s a lifestyle change,” he told him. “It’s going to take some time. We need to work on you losing 26 pounds. When was the last time you’ve been to the dentist?” Thompson,

Teaching through simulation comes of age at UMMC

The eyes are open, he’s wheezing and coughing, his fingernails turn blue, he gasps for breath, says he can’t breathe, his airways constrict, and he dies.

This high fidelity patient simulator – going through the cascade of symptoms of anaphylactic shock – is about as real as it gets without flesh and bones. It responds to whatever students do or don’t do in the attempt to save him.

“A real patient near death in the hospital may not be the best teaching moment,” said Dr. Anna Lerant, associate professor of anesthesiology and co-director UMMC’s Medical Advanced Skill and Simulation Education Center.

Simulation is the next big advance in health-care education, but it’s expensive.