Keiara Bell made national headlines at age 13 when she scolded then-Detroit councilwoman Monica Conyers for being disrespectful toward a fellow council member. Reporter Charlie LeDuff caught up with the former Detroit Public Schools student who grew up on Detroit’s west side. "I have been preparing for graduation this year," Bell said. "I have been a major for political science, pre-law, with a minor in music. I have been elected to student senate for the upcoming fall. I am going to pursue my master’s degree in urban planning with a concentration in housing and community development. And I recently just got engaged." LeDuff observed: “Keiara Bell is 21 now, living proof that the best among us can be found in most any neighborhood in most any town if given the chance to flower.” Bell was chosen to deliver a commencement address to her fellow graduates May 5 at Wayne State University.  

Infant mortality among African Americans in Wayne County is three times higher than that among their white neighbors, according to data released Tuesday at the inaugural Mayor’s Summit on Health Equity in Detroit. Led by Detroit Mayor Mike Duggen and Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson, the summit focused on how social inequities such as poverty, crime and blight affect the health of Detroit residents and how best to improve public health. “There is a tie between health and revitalization of any city,” Wilson told the gathering of about 100 that included researchers, public health workers, foundations and community groups. “Together ... we want to come away with something that’s tangible, and we can build on. This is about coming up with action plans.” A new report, called “A Data Snapshot on Health in Detroit 2016,” was unveiled at the summit and includes data on preterm births, diet and exercise, lead exposure and other health issues. The event brought federal and state officials, community leaders and health advocates together with Detroit public health officials and Wayne State University researchers to brainstorm ways to improve the health of Detroit residents.        

"None of us is as smart as all of us." While it's easy to look inward for answers, Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson shows us the critical importance of collaboration, thought diversity and listening. Daily FUEL provides inspiration and practical learning, all in two minutes or less. Learn directly from some of the most successful people in the world – celebrity entrepreneurs, captains of industry, top performers. You’ll hear inside secrets, behind-the-scenes stories, and even learn from their failures.   

There have long been disparities when it comes to life expectancy, infant mortality, and other health indicators between racial and ethnic groups in America. Despite recent improvements, those disparities persist. That’s according to a recent study from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. While White Americans’ life expectancy today is age 79, African-Americans on average live 75.6 years. The city of Detroit and Wayne State University are partnering to hold an invite-only summit on health equity. Mayor Mike Duggan and Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson will lead discussions on how to address the city’s health disparities. Wilson says Detroit faces major hurtles with infant mortality, and other childhood health concerns such as asthma. “Unfortunately, Detroit is among the worst” of major U.S. cities with health issues,” says Wilson. And he says it’s important for the city to address those disparities as it rebuilds. “There’s a tie-in between the health of a city and the revitalization of a city,” he says.     Other media mentionshttp://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=2980&DateTime=5%2F2%2F2016+12%3A23%3A50+PM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=2980&playclip=True&RefPage=

Tucked inside the building that houses TechTown Detroit is the office of Wayne State University’s Front Door for Business Engagement program, which connects local companies to WSU’s various resources—research assistance, access to cutting-edge or highly specialized equipment, student interns, and more. Established in 2012, the Front Door program is designed to be a public-facing entity that works to “create interactions between the local business community and the university,” said Dennis Atkinson, the Front Door’s director of corporate engagement. “We’re here in TechTown to be a resource for the small-business community.” The Front Door offers different levels of engagement, which Atkinson describes as something like a concierge service. “We can also lend expertise,” he said, adding that the Front Door works with the University Research Corridor and the Michigan Corporate Relations Network (MCRN) to find those experts at the state’s other major research universities. “They can consult with faculty or we can help with sponsored research projects for companies at a certain point in their commercialization process.  

Tim Gritten was recently named associate dean of the Wayne State University Libraries. The appointment was announced by Dean Sandra Yee, who oversees the Wayne State University Libraries and School of Library and Information Science. Gritten joins the libraries from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries, where he was the assistant director of libraries for user services. Gritten has more than 20 years of experience in libraries, serving in escalating roles within circulation, collections, acquisitions, technology and administration.    

A group from Wayne State University met in Bay City yesterday to gather local input on the muck fouling Saginaw Bay shorelines and the effort to control it. Headed by Wayne State Associate Professor Donna Kashian, the group is putting together a report called "Where people meet the muck: An integrated assessment of beach muck and public perception at the Bay City State Recreation Area, Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron -- Management options." Muck has been a perennial issue for years at the state park, where local people have battled federal and state regulators to allow them to clean muck from the beach. Bay County Board of Commissioners Chairman Ernie Krygier, a leader of the beach-cleaning effort, was one of the people to meet with the Kashian and study co-author Darrin Hunt at the Delta College Planetarium and Learning Center in downtown Bay City. Krygier said after the meeting that federal and state regulations about muck removal and beach cleaning need to be relaxed. Kashian acknowledged the tension between regulations intended to protect the environment and the desire for clean, sandy beaches free of muck. "Any time you are cleaning up anything in the water, there are state and federal regulations," she said.  

Financial support for homeless college students varies wildly among Michigan campuses, and among low-income students raised by relatives. The patchwork system of aid allows some of Michigan’s most vulnerable students to attend college for free, while others attend universities where no staff member is assigned as a point of contact for homeless students, who like others in extreme poverty are far less likely to complete their degree. Wayne State University founded the HIGH program in 2013 to help homeless students, when Jacqueline Wilson, wife of Wayne State President M. Roy Wilson, discovered that a Wayne State student was living in a car. Both the EMU and Wayne State programs offer assistance to homeless students, but both are dependent on donations. Neither programs receives institutional support.  

Peter Lichtenberg, director of the Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University, worked with Kay Malek, director of the doctoral program in physical therapy at DeSales University in Allentown, to measure the effectiveness of neurocognitive engagement therapy (NET). He said he was most impressed by how it kept people with cognitive problems on task. "It's very hard to get them motivated. . . . This did that." Wheelchairs are discouraged on the unit, which also offers more social activities than usual to keep patients active. Therapists tend to work in quiet rooms rather than a physical therapy gym, which can be too distracting. The staff creates a written history for each patient that describes what he or she likes to do.  

Wayne State University athletes and volunteers are set to distribute toiletry kits to homeless people in Detroit. Athletes and volunteers are set to hand out 1,000-plus kits today to homeless people in and around Detroit's Cass Park. Items are also to be donated to Mariners Inn, Neighborhood Service Organization and Covenant House Michigan. The university athletics department "W'' Week Community Service Initiative has hosted an annual drive in partnership with Wayne Cares and Covenant House Michigan to collect toiletry items for homeless kids and adults in the area since 2011. This year's drive culminates Friday.             Other media mentionshttp://www.wtol.com/story/31789670/wayne-state-athletes-to-give-toiletry-kits-to-homelesshttp://www.dailyjournal.net/view/story/0ce98d1cddf54b2a8cbca1914479cfc9/MI--Wayne-State-Homelesshttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/apr/22/wayne-state-athletes-to-give-toiletry-kits-to-home/http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=2785&DateTime=4%2F22%2F2016+6%3A14%3A02+AM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=2785&playclip=True&RefPage=

Wayne State University athletes distributed toiletry kits to homeless people in Detroit. Athletes and volunteers handed out 1,000-plus kits Friday to homeless people in and around Detroit's Cass Park. The university athletics department "W'' Week Community Service Initiative has hosted an annual drive in partnership with Wayne Cares and Covenant House Michigan to collect toiletry items for homeless kids and adults in the area since 2011. Other media mentionshttp://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=8255&DateTime=4%2F22%2F2016+12%3A05%3A54+PM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=8255&playclip=True&RefPage=

Eric Woodcock, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences in Wayne State University's School of Medicine, has been awarded a two-year, $76,000 predoctoral fellowship from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the National Institutes of Health for the project, “Neuropharmacological investigation of frontostriatal network function and nicotine seeking behavior in current smokers." The NIH predoctoral fellowship is a highly regarded, prestigious award, which will provide training support for Woodcock to investigate the effects of stress in cigarette smokers in a controlled experiment, and relate physiological and smoking behavior changes to changes found in brain imaging markers (chemistry, function and network dynamics). "The study design integrates multiple neuroimaging technologies that are highly novel and will provide Eric with a unique set of skills and expertise that will establish a sound foundation for his continued training in academic research," said Mark Greenwald, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Wayne State. "This NIDA award reflects Eric's academic promise and specific plans to achieve his objectives, and will position him in the top tier of emerging addiction neuroscientists."     Other media mentionshttp://www.newswise.com/articles/view/652111/?sc=rsla

Wayne State University's School of Social Work is ready to show off its new home and plans for further development. The Detroit university is holding an open house and ceremonial ribbon-cutting on Thursday. The public event marks the social work college's January move into its own building on Woodward Avenue from space it occupied for about 25 years in The Thompson Home. The open house includes tours and short speeches by Wayne State President M. Roy Wilson and School of Social Work Dean Cheryl Waites. Guests also will see renderings of future additions at the school: a media center for online learning, video conferencing and continuing education and corresponding on-site classrooms. The school also plans lectures, forums and other events in a "community engagement lounge" and new conference room spaces. Other media mentionshttp://www.wtol.com/story/31778044/wayne-state-event-to-show-off-new-school-of-social-work-homehttp://www.therepublic.com/view/story/b85c1ccf504f47449cbfe2b580e89944/MI--Wayne-State-Social-Workhttp://www.pendletontimespost.com/view/story/b85c1ccf504f47449cbfe2b580e89944/MI--Wayne-State-Social-Work/#.VxjQt_kgtD8http://baytownsun.com/article_204719a2-711b-55e6-8a0b-5eebaffa9b65.html

Jocelyn Benson is due to give birth to her first child in the next six weeks, but she did not let that stop her from running in the Boston Marathon. Benson, 38, the dean of the Wayne State University Law School, completed a rare feat Monday, finishing the nation’s most prestigious 26.2-mile race in her eighth month of pregnancy. Her finishing time: 6 hours, 12 minutes and 32 seconds. It was her 22nd marathon, including a previous Boston run in 2009, when she finished the race in four hours. Benson qualified for this year’s race in Beantown by finishing the San Diego Marathon last May in 3 hours, 37 minutes. “I found out in September that I was accepted to run in Boston, and I found out a month later that I was pregnant,” Benson said. “Initially, I thought that eight months would be too far along for me to compete. But then I read a story about Amy Kiel, who had my same due date, was in her mid-thirties and had finished Boston in 2015. Her story inspired me to realize what seemed impossible was possible. So, I started training and, with the blessing of my doctor, flew to Boston to run.” Benson was appointed dean of Wayne State’s Law School in June 2014, after having been interim dean since December 2012.   Other media mentionshttp://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=1014&DateTime=4%2F19%2F2016+6%3A44%3A38+AM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=1014&playclip=True&RefPage=http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=2785&DateTime=4%2F19%2F2016+2%3A23%3A03+AM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=2785&playclip=True&RefPage=

Wayne State Placemakers is looking for help to make and install signs around Wayne State University and its surrounding neighborhoods in an effort to help people see all that the area has to offer. The signs are going to be prepared from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Thursday at the Student Center Building’s café, and from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at TechTown. Signs will be installed on Thursday and Friday in areas around the university. The signs not only show where attractions like the Farmer’s Market or Yamasaki Reflecting Pools are, they also show how long it would take to ride a bike or walk to them. “This campaign is intended to direct pedestrians and cyclists to nearby destinations of interest, and encourage walking and biking as sustainable and healthy forms of transportation,” the group said in a press release. It is partially funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.  

“All Things Considered” host Jerome Vaughn talked with Keith Whitfield about his upcoming role as provost at Wayne State University. Whitfield was recently named provost effective June 1, 2016. He currently serves as vice provost for academic affairs at Duke University and is an expert on aging among African Americans. Whitfield also holds Duke appointments as professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, research professor in the Department of Geriatric Medicine at Duke University Medical Center, and senior fellow in the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development.  

Researchers at Wayne State University have received a $2.5 million grant to help study antibiotics for the treatment of multidrug-resistant diseases. The funding announced Thursday by WSU is from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health. The project is led by professor David Crich in the Department of Chemistry at Wayne State’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The project will study antibiotics used to treat complex infectious diseases. The goal is to help design the next generation of compounds. There are several collaborators on the research project, including the Kresge Hearing Institute at the University of Michigan.             Other media mentionshttp://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/education/2016/04/14/wayne-state-antibiotics-study/83043474/http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20160414/NEWS01/160419891/wayne-state-receives-2-5-million-grant-to-study-antibioticshttp://www.shorelinemedia.net/ludington_daily_news/news/state/m-grant-to-help-wayne-state-university-study-antibiotics/article_0c60f0fc-4990-58c3-a577-2cc3a84d5515.htmlhttp://www.fox28.com/story/31725191/news-minute-here-is-the-latest-michigan-news-from-the-associated-press-at-1240-pm-edthttp://www.chron.com/news/article/2-5M-grant-to-help-Wayne-State-University-study-7248365.phphttp://www.pendletontimespost.com/view/story/80181727801c41829a877b45731a42a7/MI--Wayne-State-Research/#.Vw_vVfkgtD8http://www.dddmag.com/news/2016/04/wayne-state-receives-25m-nih-grant-study-next-gen-antibioticshttp://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=8255&DateTime=4%2F15%2F2016+7%3A21%3A31+AM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=8255&playclip=True&RefPage=

The Brookings Institute has identified areas that contain concentrations of universities, research institutions, and companies as "innovation districts," or places that "supercharge the economy." In 2014, Mayor Duggan participated in this national initiative by establishing the area extending from the Detroit River to New Center -- which contains much of the city’s academic, health, and biomedical infrastructure – including Wayne State University - as an innovation district. Leveraging the creative culture spawned by the educational and cultural legacy of Midtown, many believe this district could become a nexus of innovative thinking and commercial development for the entire region. The Detroit Medical Center (DMC) collaborates with the Henry Ford Health System indirectly through Wayne State University research. The environment is "very exciting," says Suzanne White, M.D., chief medical officer at the DMC. "You look around and see the vibrancy. It’s an interwoven sense of innovation where many projects and physician scientists are linked." TechTown Detroit provides yet another linkage between academic researchers and the commercial world. A business incubator created by Wayne State University in 2000, TechTown serves as a nexus for collaboration, in part through institutional partners General Motors and HFHS. Paul Riser, director of technology-based entrepreneurship at TechTown, meets with a team of executives in residence to review entrepreneurial proposals for potential startups. He also has monthly meetings with the Wayne State Tech Transfer office to identify prospective intellectual property, and works with the university’s engineering and medical schools to support the development of ideas from students, faculty, and researchers. Ideas are not actually "transferred" to TechTown Detroit, but "shared" with the Labs Venture Accelerator. Riser estimates that 200 ideas were evaluated by TechTown in 2015.    

Wayne State University is hosting a series of conversations about the benefits of eating bugs. It’s part of the university’s “Knowledge on Tap” series. On Tuesday, the university will hold its latest installment called “Eating Insects: Exploring the Culture of Bugs as Food” at HopCat Detroit. Julie Lesnik is an assistant professor in Wayne State’s Department of Anthropology. She told WDET’s Eli Newman that for most people around the world, eating insects is not that unusual.  

Michigan has reached its highest rate in six years of people earning post-secondary degrees, but it’s slightly below the national rate. Residents between 25 and 64 years old who earned a degree increased from 35.7 percent in 2008 to 39.3 percent in 2014, according to a report from the Lumina Foundation, the nation’s largest private foundation focused on increasing success in higher education. That’s a 3.6 percent increase. “Progress is being made in Michigan,” said Daniel Hurley, CEO of Michigan Association of State Universities. “It’s a long climb up, boosting the levels of educational attainment. But it is absolutely critical to the state’s future and it’s good to see progress is being made.” Nationally, the proportion of adults 25-64 who held two- or four-year college degrees reached 40.4 percent in 2014. That is up 4.7 percent from 2008, when educational attainment was 35.7 percent. The bulk of Michigan residents with a degree — about 18 percent — earned a bachelor’s degree, according to the report, which was released Friday. Nearly 11 percent held either a graduate or professional degree while 10 percent held associate degrees.