uncnews.unc.edu

Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:

National Coverage

Swine Flu Vaccines to Arrive Next Week, High-Risk Patients First in Line
"Good Morning America" ABC
After all the waiting and worrying, the first of the swine flu vaccines will begin arriving in the United States next week. They are coming just in time, as doctors across the country, particularly in the hard-hit Southern states, report sharp increases in the number of swine flu patients. ...And, in North Carolina, Dr. David Weber of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill said H1N1 cases have been increasing in the past two weeks.

Dementia Risk Seen in Players in N.F.L. Study
The New York Times
A study commissioned by the National Football League reports that Alzheimer’s disease or similar memory-related diseases appear to have been diagnosed in the league’s former players vastly more often than in the national population — including a rate of 19 times the normal rate for men ages 30 through 49. ...After the University of North Carolina’s Center for the Study of Retired Athletes published survey-based papers in 2005 through 2007 that found a correlation between N.F.L. football and depression, dementia and other cognitive impairment, a member of the N.F.L. concussion committee called the findings “virtually worthless.”

Government Eyes Crackdown on Texting And Driving
National Public Radio
The research is in — and it's been in for a while: The nation's addiction to constant communication has led to a crisis on its roads, where behind-the-wheel texters and cell phone chatters have become the new drunk drivers. ..."Most people know that it's a dangerous thing to do, but there's a disconnect," says Arthur Goodwin, a senior research associate at the University of North Carolina's Highway Safety Research Center.

State and Local Coverage

Governor to give University Day keynote speech
The Chapel Hill Herald
Carolina officials will remember the university's past and celebrate its future during the 216th annual University Day Oct. 12 in Memorial Hall. Gov. Beverly Perdue will give the keynote speech at the celebration, which begins at 11 a.m. ...University Day marks the laying of the cornerstone of Old East, the institution's first building and the oldest state university building in the nation. The Carolina community first celebrated University Day in 1877.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2920/1/

Three UNC-CH researchers snag big NIH awards (Blog)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Three UNC Chapel Hill scientists have received prestigious National Institutes of Health awards that target high-risk research and innovation. They are Joseph DeSimone, Klaus Hahn and Mark Zylka. DeSimone received one of 18 Pioneer awards, which honors a scientist's creative in proposing pioneering biomedical and behavioral research. The award is worth up to $500,000 a year for five years. ...Hahn and Zylka received the T-RO1, or "Transformative" awards, which free scientists from budget restraints and allow them to propose new, bold ideas that may require significant resources.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2898/71/

UNC gets $8.6M award for new genetics center
The Chapel Hill Herald
Autism, depression, anxiety. Antipsychotic drug side effects. What are the genetic and environmental factors that underlie and contribute to these complex problems? And how do genes and environment interact to shape them? To seek answers, the National Human Genome Research Institute and the National Institute of Mental Health has named UNC a Center of Excellence in Genomic Science and awarded the university $8.6 million over five years to fund a new Center for Integrated Systems Genetics, or CISGen.
UNC Release:
http://www.unchealthcare.org/site/newsroom/news/2009/September/cisgen

Early Alzheimer's diagnosis key to treatment (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Chapel Hill News
It is estimated that the number of people with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders in North Carolina will just about double in the next 20 years. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, but there are many others, including vascular dementia (often due to multiple, often silent strokes), Lewy body dementia (related to Parkinson's disease), and frontotemporal degeneration. (Daniel Kaufer, M.D., is associate professor and director of the UNC Memory Disorders Program in the Department of Neurology at the UNC School of Medicine.)

Group calls for national insurance
The Chapel Hill News
Health care workers and patients from around the Triangle gathered Friday afternoon in front of UNC to support universal health care coverage and a publicly funded insurance system similar to Medicare. ..."The U.S. spends more money than any other country, yet the quality of care is not up to snuff," said Dr. Charles van der Horst. "With insurance premiums increasing at four times the rate of wages, the current system is simply not sustainable."

Behind the strings
The Chapel Hill News
PlayMakers Repertory Company opens its 2009-10 mainstage season with a behind-the-scenes look at the personal discord and professional harmony that compete for control of the world's finest string quartet. "Opus," by Michael Hollinger, a former concert violinist, will see its regional premiere at UNC's Center for Dramatic Art through Oct. 11.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2822/66/

Roses and Raspberries (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill News
Raspberries to UNC students and bicyclists who cross campus roads outside of crosswalks and against the light. ...So today UNC will again work to remind pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers about the importance of visibility and attentiveness as part of the Yield to Heels education campaign. Volunteers and the Department of Public Safety officers will distribute educational fliers, retro-reflective items and T-shirts to pedestrians at crosswalks across campus between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the following crosswalks...
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2908/68/

Simply an outrage (Letter to the Editor)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Just when I think that politics and government in North Carolina can't get any more corrupt, any more appallingly wasteful, I get hit by another article that utterly disgusts me. U.S. Rep. David Price secured $10 million to help deployed soldiers of the National Guard and Army Reserves (news story, Sept. 25). I shouldn't be surprised, but it seems that not a dime of the $7.3 million spent so far has helped one soldier. Instead it has lined the pockets of UNC-Chapel Hill, consultants and over-paid directors. (Pam Jackson, Raleigh)
Related Link:
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/letters/story/118297.html

Issues and Trends

Hospital wins conditional OK
The Chapel Hill Herald
The state of North Carolina has granted UNC Hospitals conditional approval to build a 68-bed acute care hospital in Hillsborough. The hospital will include 18 intensive care unit beds, 15 observation beds, six shared operating rooms and a small emergency room. The hospital will be located in the Waterstone development north of the I-40 and Old 86 interchange on 83.4 acres of land on the south side of Hillsborough.
Related Link:
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-New+UNC+hospital+is+one
+step+closer%20&id=3743733-New+UNC+hospital+is+one+step+closer

Police video of shooting kept sealed
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
A Superior Court judge has refused to unseal the video of the fatal shooting of a UNC-Chapel Hill student by Archdale police officers last month. ...The News & Observer and four other media organizations filed a motion Aug. 31 requesting that police video recordings of the incident and an unedited version of Smith's call to 911 be released to the public.
Related Links:
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/6102757/
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=7039198
http://www.wchl1360.com/detailswide.html?id=11954
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Judge+rules+against+releasing+
tape+involving+UNC+student+who+was+killed%20&id=3745477-Judge+rules+
against+releasing+tape+involving+UNC+student+who+was+killed

UNC red tape pesters patient (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Chapel Hill Herald
A recent Triangle Business Journal article ("UNC Hospitals paying $9M in bonuses," Sept. 22, 2009) addresses a subject that might be hard for top UNC administrators to swallow. Do bonuses for purportedly meeting benchmarks result in better efficiency within public institutions such as UNC Hospitals?

Public will have input on homeless shelter project (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Chapel Hill News
I got a couple of calls after last week's column about this being a pivotal election for Chapel Hill. In the column I noted how a reader had asked about the public process behind picking Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near Homestead Road as the site for the new men's homeless shelter. ...To date, there has been only one town meeting on the new IFC shelter, although presentations have been made to the UNC Board of Trustees and two other campus committees, according to that fact sheet. The university is leasing the land to the town, which is leasing it to the IFC.