Dr. Sonia Hassan, associate dean for maternal, perinatal and child health care at Wayne State University's School of Medicine, is selected among Crain's "Health Care Heroes 2014" as the winner of Advancements in Health Care. Hassan made it her mission to help combat the staggering premature birth rates that affect not only those in Michigan, but everywhere. It's the reason she took the reins as the lead author of a worldwide clinical study on a new method for preventing premature birth and the problems and costs that can follow. Her study showed that the preterm delivery rate can be reduced among at-risk women (those with a short cervix) by 45 percent with the self-application, once-daily dose of a natural gel called progesterone from mid-trimester until term. The treatment is expected to result in 30,000 fewer preterm births per year and save $500 million in U.S. health care costs. The Michigan Department of Community Health in August 2012 deployed a plan based on her study. "I was lucky to have the opportunity to help others clinically with patient care," Hassan said. "But now I consider myself even luckier to have the chance to change the practice of medicine with interventions that can reduce the rate of preterm birth. It is critical to implement this research."

Anthony Holt, Wayne State University chief of police, comments during a report on community policing in the Midtown Detroit area and safety measures employed by the university's police department. On Wayne State's campus, more than 800 high definition cameras are always rolling. Some cameras are hidden, and others can be easily spotted. Officers monitor activities on campus, which helps solve crimes. Holt says the area in and around campus is setting a new trend noting that crime has dropped 45 percent since 2008. In addition, Wayne State's police officers usually respond to calls within 90 seconds.

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in women, behind heart disease and cancer. Earlier this month, the American Stroke Association and the American Heart Association issued the first-ever guidelines for reducing stroke in women, bringing into sharp focus gender-specific risk factors - complications during pregnancy, long-term use of oral contraceptives and a higher disposition to certain migraines, for example. The "Guidelines for the Prevention of Stroke in Women" recommends health providers better screen women for these risk factors and broadens the spotlight beyond the need for immediate medical care. The guidelines are a clear signal to physicians to have more regular conversations with female patients about stroke risks, said Dr. Sandra Narayanan, director of neurology and interventional neuroradiology at Oakwood Hospital and a neurology professor at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. She said doctors often rush through explanations in the exam room, and assume that patients understand the severity of certain medical issues. "When we say, 'Your cardiovascular risk factors aren't under control,' we think they know what that means. Many times, they don't," she said. "It's our responsibility to use these guidelines ... to either refer patients to them or let them know we can translate for them." Moreover, clinicians often reserve conversations about stroke for elderly patients, she said. "We see now that we need to have those conversations among younger patients. ... The 30- and 40-year olds with stroke - that's become more common over the past 10 years," she said.

The Wayne State men's and women's teams both won Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament titles at Geneva, Ohio. Dylan Szegedi won the 3-meter dive (532.50) and was named conference male diver of the year. The Warriors' Kristina Novichenko won the 1,650-yard women's freestyle with a time of 16:54.90.

Eugene Applebaum, formerly a trustee at Beaumont Health System from 2006-08 and currently a director on the nonprofit Beaumont Foundation board since 2007, is selected among Crain's "Health Care Heroes 2014" as the winner of Trustee. From opening his first Arbor Drugs Inc. store to performing decades' worth of humanitarian and philanthropic efforts, Eugene Applebaum carries a passion to help others through sickness and in health. "I have a strong belief in philanthropy and a desire to give back to my community," said Applebaum, who spoke to Crain's through his daughter, Pamela, from Florida. "I'm most proud that my philanthropy helps further the discovery of cures for diseases. I want to continue upon that path." Applebaum founded the successful Troy-based Arbor Drugs drugstore chain in the 1970s, beginning his journey through the health care sector. Arbor Drugs eventually grew into 208 stores before he sold the chain to CVS Corp. in 1998 for $1.5 billion. He received $400 million from the deal. Applebaum's support extends to a multitude of causes and organizations such as the United Jewish Foundation of Metropolitan Detroit and Wayne State University. WSU's College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is named for him. The university also created the Chairman of Community Engagement position after a $2.1 million donation.

Michael Rolnick, Beaumont Health System's director of speech-language pathology, is selected among Crain's "Health Care Heroes 2014" as the winner of Allied Health. Rolnick's credits an encounter during his undergraduate days in the 1960s that put him on a different career path. "I was originally in radio and television at Wayne State University," Rolnick said. "I interviewed for the Wayne State radio station a gentleman who turned out to be my mentor. He was the director of speech pathology at the university." The future mentor, Anthony Holbrook, had invited the young mass communications major to come meet children and adults who had speech and language problems. It was supposed to be a routine interview. Instead, it left a lasting impression. "My original training was in communications," Rolnick said. "When I realized that a person's ability to communicate could be taken from them, it moved me enough so that I wanted to be part of helping them get the ability to communicate." For more than 45 years, Rolnick has spent his life helping others find their voice: He founded Beaumont's speech-language program in 1968, which now has 80 clinicians.

German automaker Volkswagen is finding itself in the unusual position of having to answer to critics who say the company should oppose efforts by the United Auto Workers to unionize its Chattanooga, Tenn., assembly plant. Workers in the plant are voting by Friday on whether or not to join the UAW. If successful, it would be the first unionized automotive assembly plant in the South. Unionizing the Tennessee plant "would be absolutely historic and, I would argue, critical for the UAW," says Mike Smith, a labor historian specializing in the history of the UAW at Wayne State University.

Anthony Bass, a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros, visited Grogan Elementary School Tuesday. He was accompanied by Wayne State University's baseball head coach Ryan Kelley and three student baseball players - Spencer Church, Jake Davis and Kirk Stambaugh. Bass, 26, graduated from Trenton High School and went on to play baseball at Wayne State University for three years. A video of the school visit is included.

Wired magazine touches on the highlights of a Pew Research Center report released this week examining the impact of the internet, cell phones and social media on American relationships. Researchers found "sexting" is growing across the board among couples and singles, and is doing so rapidly amongst young people and smartphone users. Karen McDevitt, a communication lecturer at Wayne State University who specializes in new media, says she expects the sexting phenomenon to continue growing and attributed its increased popularity to the widespread availability of devices like smartphones. "The technology is in your hand," McDevitt says. "I truly believe it's just accessibility that makes the difference. What's distinct about new media technology is that it's permanent." Rather than receding with time like many youthful indiscretions, digital images can circulate indefinitely or resurface in unwanted and unintended ways. "We haven't really seen the long-term effects of sexting but it can affect those who are participating for their lives ahead, not just their lives now."

Wayne State University and Blackstone LaunchPad will host Spotlight Detroit, an event celebrating entrepreneurship in Detroit, from 1 to 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 21 at the College of Engineering. The event will include a keynote address from WSU alumnus Steve Plochocki, and an exhibition of more than 15 local businesses, including Tech Town, Bamboo Detroit and many others. Spotlight Detroit is sponsored by Wayne State University's Blackstone LaunchPad, College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts, School of Business Administration, College of Engineering, the Graduate School and the Office of Economic Development as well as the Coleman Foundation. Funded by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, the Blackstone LaunchPad opened in September 2010 offering career guidance, resources and advice to entrepreneurs, innovators and inventors at Wayne State University.

Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson co-wrote an op-ed with the other presidents of the University Research Corridor (URC) universities - University of Michigan and Michigan State University - about the importance of funding university research which helps to boost the national economy and improve lives. "In striving to educate students, attract talented workers to Michigan, support innovation and encourage the transfer of technology to the private sector, our institutions are making a difference in Michigan and especially in Detroit, where the URC universities are deeply involved in assisting the city's resurgence." The recently released URC Economic Impact Report shows that the URC contributed $16.6 billion in state economic activity in fiscal year 2012. Activity attributable to the URC boosted state tax revenue by $449 million that year, an increase of $98 million over FY 2006. The URC was responsible in 2012 for more than 66,000 direct and indirect jobs statewide, with the impact being felt in regions ranging from the Upper Peninsula to Michigan's southern border with Indiana and Ohio.

Wayne State's theater department sees its latest play, "In the Red and Brown Water," closing this weekend at the Bonstelle Theatre. The relatively new work from 2013 MacArthur Fellow Tarell Alvin McCraney blends West African mysticism with traditional Shakespearean themes. Director Aku Kadogo and actor Dante Jones spoke about the production with WDET's Travis Wright.

Elder abuse: Not a topic that's easy to detect or deal with. But, an aging population means the topic is something that will become more and more of a serious concern across America. Peter Lichtenberg, director of Wayne State University's Institute of Gerontology, recently completed a study, "Is Psychological Vulnerability Related to the Experience of Fraud in Older Adults?" published in Clinical Gerontologist. The study, of 4,440 participants, reported financial fraud victimization of older adults and found that the combination of high depression and low social-status fulfillment was associated with a 226 percent increase in fraud prevalence. "Early detection of potential problems by health practitioners, case managers, etc. and better assessment tools can help families receive intervention before abuse becomes full blown or worsens," said Lichtenberg. "Advocacy and education and repeated messaging about the need to stop elder abuse is also important."

New research shows that getting acquainted with a new couple spurs passionate feelings about your own partner. "What's important is that it's a setting that allows for some deep conversation," says Richard Slatcher, an assistant professor of psychology at Wayne State University. He will present the research this week at the annual conference of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology in Austin. "Opening up about your thoughts and feelings can increase feelings of passionate love," Slatcher says. "And when you and your partner are opening up to this other couple and getting to know them, the extent to which the other couple really responds to you in a way that conveys understanding and is really validating of you increases your feelings of passionate love toward your own partner." Wayne State University researcher and doctoral student Keith Welker said: "Relationships have widely been thought to flourish and develop in a broader network of social relationships. The more that the other couple responds to your self-disclosures in a validating and caring way when on a double date, the more passionate you feel about your own relationship."

Getting college students out of their classrooms, out of the "academic bubble" and into communities, giving eager students an opportunity to take what they're learning and put it into practice, and, at the same time, hopefully help their communities certainly seem like a win-win for all sides. And that's why students from Wayne State University are permeating the city of Detroit in many ways, through many programs. Jerry Herron, founding dean of the Honors College at Wayne State University provided information about the efforts at the College. Herron pointed out that students take a year-long course on citizenship.

Global research overseen by and conducted at the Wayne State University School of Medicine will immediately change the treatment regimen of millions of multiple sclerosis patients around the world. The U.S. Food and Drug administration recently approved a new drug application that calls for the injection of Copaxone at a higher dose, but fewer times per week for patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. "The availability of three-times-a-week Copaxone 40 mg/mL is a significant advancement for patients as they now have the option of effective and safe treatment with the drug, while reducing the number of injections by 60 percent," said Dr. Omar Khan, professor and chair of neurology at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. "Patients in the United States can now benefit from an improved dosing regimen without compromising the known benefits of Copaxone." The study was published in the Annals of Neurology, a leading clinical neuroscience journal and the official publication of the American Neurological Association.(pg. 4)

On Dec. 6, 2013, Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson co-wrote an op-ed for the Detroit Free Press in collaboration with the presidents of the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. On the brink of Congress' sequestration cuts that would slash federal research funding to universities nationwide, the presidents of Michigan's three major research universities, which are collectively known as the University Research Corridor (URC), decided to publicize their apprehensions about the forthcoming legislation. "We are an entity that's recognized because of our common bond with respect to research," Wilson said of the URC. "And as a result, when issues come about that concern research, we typically band together. And that's how this happened [writing the article]. We were all concerned about the sequestration and the possible effect of it, if Congress did not get together and do something rational." On Dec. 18, Congress passed a two-year budget deal that curtailed the proposed cuts, including those relevant to research funding at universities. "I think that the Free Press article was one of many efforts throughout the country," Wilson said. "A number of university leaders have spoken up about this issue, and a number of op-eds were written. And we were one of many voices. But I think the voices were very consistent, and it raised a certain level of alarm, if something wasn't done."

Professor Scott Millis, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Wayne State University's School of Medicine and the director of research at the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, talked about the risks of Olympic training and brain injuries. Several Olympians have suffered traumatic brain injuries as a result of ski jumping and snowboarding.

Wayne State University will host a symposium on big data and business analytics Wednesday, March 26 at Wayne State's McGregor Memorial Conference Center. Wayne State has a Big Data and Business Analytics Group made up of faculty and staff experts ready to help business and IT executives, decision makers and marketing professionals learn how to use big data to take action, seize new growth opportunities and make their organizations more efficient. The symposium will focus on pragmatic issues faced while deploying big data strategies to drive business success. It will have a special focus on managing and analyzing the data captured through product development, manufacturing, distribution, marketing, sales and service in a global setting. The symposium also seeks to provide a clear distinction between legacy analytics pervasive in industry and the emerging next generation tools, technologies and processes that will form the foundation for a new wave of innovation and growth.

Detroit is flush with startup help. But the statistics of business failure are still staggering. If there's one mistake Aubrey Agee, of Wayne State University's Blackstone LaunchPad accelerator, wishes entrepreneurs would stop making, it's this: fail to plan. "The strength and weakness of the entrepreneur is that they have this great idea that they are passionate about or they think they will make a whole lot of money on," he said. "But they get so focused on it that they lose sight on a lot of things. They don't do their homework; they don't understand competitors."