Kerry Redican (left), Susan West Marmagas (center), and Dr. François Elvinger, discuss curriculum for Virginia Tech's new Master's of Public Health program, due to launch later this month.

Virginia Tech plans to offer a  Masters degree in Public Health. Here is a press release from the university:

Virginia Tech has launched a new Master of Public Health program as the United States and, in particular, Southwest Virginia and the greater Appalachian region face a critical shortage of trained public health professionals.

The 42-credit professional degree program, which offers concentrations in public health education and infectious disease, integrates and significantly expands public health opportunities at the university. The program is administered through the new Population Health Sciences Department (http://www.mph.vetmed.vt.edu/) in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (http://www.vetmed.vt.edu/) and was developed in collaboration with the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. Read more »

Dr. Joseph Callicott Jr. has received this years Barney Award from Centra. Here is a press release from Centra:

A large group of physicians, spouses and hospital staff attended the Central Virginia Medical Community Reception, at which the twelfth annual Barney Award was presented to Dr. Joseph H. Callicott Jr. This award presented by the Lynchburg Academy of Medicine is given in honor of Dr. William Barney. The award recognizes a member physician who has worked to promote the academy of medicine.  As a pathologist with the now Centra, Dr. Callicott worked tirelessly to provide superb laboratory and pathology services in Lynchburg. As President of the Lynchburg Academy of Medicine he worked to organize a society which would benefit both patient care and the medical providers who offer the care. Read more »

Thomas Nygaard has received the John Bell Memorial Clinical Excellence Award from Centra. Here is a press release from Centra:

Thomas Nygaard, MD, received the annual John Bell Memorial Clinical Excellence Award at the Central Virginia Medical Community Reception held on Wednesday, September 1.  This award honors Centra physicians or employees for their outstanding contribution to the furtherance and improvement of clinical care for patients.

Nygaard, a cardiologist at The Cardiovascular Group of the Stroobants Heart Center, has been practicing medicine in Lynchburg for 27 years and has been a leader in the development and expansion of cardiovascular services for our region. Read more »

Thurmon Lockhart

Engineering professor Thurmon Lockhart has been chosen to serve on a National Institutes of Health review board. Here is a press release from Tech:

Thurmon Lockhart, an associate professor with the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech’s Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (http://www.ise.vt.edu/main/index.php), has been invited to serve a five-year term on the Center for Scientific Review’s Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Sciences Study Section at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Read more »

Neathawk Dubuque & Packett is now working with a health care system in Chattanooga to run a new lung care campaign. Here is a press release from the advertising agency:

Neathawk Dubuque & Packett (ND&P), an advertising agency, has acquired Chattanooga-based Memorial Health Care System as a new client where they will be working with Memorial’s Thoracic Center of Excellence.

“We are excited to be working with Memorial on this important health issue,” said Denise Rushing, ND&P senior account executive and Chattanooga office director. “Lung cancer kills more people than any other form of cancer. We look forward to communicating to the community the importance of prevention, early diagnosis and treatment.” Read more »

The next class of students have begun classes at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg. Here is a press release from VCOM:

The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine: Virginia Campus (VCOM) matriculated a class of 189 students during the week of August 9^th-13th.  Thirty-seven percent of the new students are Virginia residents, matching the percentage from the class of 2013.  Academic benchmarks such as GPAs and MCATs continue to be strong.

Top feeder schools in the VCOM first year class include Virginia Tech (32); UVA (8); Radford University (6); NC State (6); Liberty University (4); and James Madison University (4).  Student from the following Virginia institutions also matriculated to VCOM: George Mason University, College of William and Mary, Eastern Mennonite University, Old Dominion University; University of Mary Washington, Virginia Commonwealth University; Christopher Newport University; Emory and Henry; Hampden-Sydney College; Hampton University; Hollins University; and Virginia Military Institute.

Pablo Sobrado

Virginia Tech biochemistry professor Pablo Sobrado has received a grant to research the basic metabolism of fungi and bacteria that cause disease. Here is a press release from the university:

Pablo Sobrado (http://www.biochem.vt.edu/faculty.php?lname=Sobrado&view=yes), assistant professor of biochemistry with the Fralin Life Science Institute at Virginia Tech, has received a $1.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to advance his research on the mechanism of iron acquisition in fungi and mycobacteria.

Iron is essential for all life. The level of free iron in humans is less than Aspergillus fumigatus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis need. To satisfy their metabolic needs and enable infection, these microbes secrete molecules called siderophores to obtain iron from the host. The synthesis of siderophores requires special enzymes. Sobrado is studying these enzymes. Read more »

Carilion Clinic has received a $6,258 grant to study the use of medical helicopters. Here’s more information from a Carilion news release:

Carilion Clinic Patient Transportation (CCPT) received a grant from MedEvac Foundation International to study helicopter utilization and educate emergency medical services (EMS) agencies on how to best utilize medical helicopters. This is the first study of its kind in the nation.

At a conference in February 2009, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) identified helicopter utilization as an area of concern. According to the NTSB, medical helicopters are a scarce resource and should be used for patients that need the speed or critical care that can only be provided by the helicopter’s medical crew. Read more »

As Elaine Harnsberger lay seriouly ill in a hospital bed, officials at Carilion Clinic were drafting a lawsuit that seeks to collect more than $350,000 she has accumulated in medial bills since March.

The lawsuit was served on Harnsberger Aug. 9 — while she was still a patient at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Reporter Laurence Hammack of The Roanoke Times has more on this story.

CVS Pharmacy and Walgreens both are pushing flu shots much earlier and harder than previous years, in an attempt to drive store traffic and sales.

Business writer Jenny Boone of The Roanoke Times has details on her retail blog, The Storefront.