OMB releases final peer review bulletin
The White House Office of Management and Budget has released a bulletin that sets the standards for peer review of scientific information disseminated by the federal government. It requires federal agencies to peer review all "influential" information for which dissemination could significantly affect policies or private sector decisions. The AAMC and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology criticized earlier versions of the bulletin, first released in Sept. 2003, in part for its proscriptions against some accepted review practices, and for potentially preempting the timely release of urgent health information. The final bulletin is more amenable than the original proposal to established norms for peer review in academia and scientific publishing and addresses AAMC and FASEB's concerns that that the new requirements not interfere with dissemination of important, time-sensitive public health or safety information. These final peer review standards could significantly affect many federal regulatory agencies that rely on science in their decision-making, and public interest organizations are expected to monitor the implementation closely. For more information, please contact Stephen Heinig, AAMC Division of Biomedical and Health Sciences Research, at (202) 828-0488 or sheinig@aamc.org or visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg/peer2004/peer_bulletin.pdf.
AHRQ, health insurers partner to reduce disparities
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has formed a public-private partnership with nine of the largest health insurance plans in an effort to reduce disparities in health care for people with diabetes and other conditions. The "National Health Plan Learning Collaborative to Reduce Disparities and Improve Quality" will test ways to improve the collection and analysis of data on race and ethnicity, match those data to existing quality measures, and develop quality improvement interventions that can be replicated by other health insurers and providers. For more information, please visit http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2004/dispcolpr.htm.
Survey gives medicine positive results
A recent Gallup survey that ranked the honesty and ethical standards of various professions found that nurses received the highest rating, followed by elementary school teachers, pharmacists, military officers, and physicians. Less than 25 percent of respondents awarded high marks for honesty and ethics to nursing home operators, reporters, politicians, business and advertising executives, lawyers, and car salesmen. Less than six percent of respondents gave doctors a low or very low rating for honesty and ethical standards.
A related survey released by Gallup last month, found that Americans are visiting their doctors more frequently. The percentage of respondents who reported seeing a doctor in the past 12 months, as well as the average number of doctor visits per person, has increased since 2001. Survey results indicated that 90 percent of Americans visited a physician at least once in the past year; more than 14 percent of Americans made more than 10 doctor visits in those 12 months. Data show that the average person sees a doctor 6.3 times in one year. For more information, please visit http://www.gallup.com.
National Health Service Corps offers loan repayment
The National Health Service Corps, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is accepting applications for its 2005 loan repayment program. The program helps to ensure an adequate supply of health professionals to provide primary health services to people living in designated "health professional shortage areas." Program applicants must be trained health professionals who agree to provide primary care services in these designated shortage areas for two years. In return, the National Health Service Corps will help the participating clinicians to repay their educational loans. Eligible clinicians include: allopathic and osteopathic primary-care physicians, primary-care-certified nurse practitioners, general-practice dentists and licensed clinical social workers. Applications must be postmarked by March 25. For more information, please visit http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov/applications/lrp_05/index.asp.
Cancer research fellowship seeks medical student applicants
First and second year medical students are encouraged to apply for the 2005 National Cancer Institute Summer Student Fellowship Program at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. This eight-week program is designed to promote interest in oncology and research careers. Twenty-five $5,000 fellowships are available for the 2005 program, which begins in June. Although the fellowship guidelines and online application will not be available on the program's Website until Jan. 11, the completed application materials are due Feb. 11. The National Cancer Institute is part of the National Institutes of Health. For more information, please visit http://www.mskcc.org/summerfellowships.
CDC internship opportunity for Hispanic students
Hispanic-Serving Health Professions Schools is accepting applications for an internship program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The 2005 HSHPS/CDC Student Internship Program develops the public health and research skills of Hispanic health professions students in order to increase the number of individuals who pursue careers in epidemiology, preventive medicine and public health research. The eight-week internship will provide students with experiences in disease surveillance and interventions directed at improving the health of Hispanic populations. The program will cover participants' costs for travel, housing, transportation, and miscellaneous expenses. Applications are due Feb. 15. Medical and public health students are encouraged to apply. For more information, please visit http://www.hshps.com.