Dr. Mark Favot, associate professor of EM ultrasound education at Wayne State University School of Medicine, spoke about how artificial intelligence guidance can make a different with point-of-care ultrasound. For patients who need care in rural areas, getting diagnostic testing can be a complicated process, and innovation in point-of-care ultrasound devices can help make care more broadly available and less expensive in remote regions. Dr. Favot noted that today’s medical students are very technology savvy, and that institutions, like Wayne State, that have strong point-of-care ultrasound curricula have seen increases in applications from prospective students. “…they will not stand idly by and accept that the 200-plus year-old technology like a stethoscope is the most effective diagnostic tool for their patients. They have and will continue to demand more out of their education,” Favot said.  

Hunter Brown, a 23-year-old St. Clair Shores native and Houston Astros pitching prospect, witnessed first-hand in spring training what it’s like to go head-to-head against Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals, who’s already an All Star and two-time Silver Slugger award winner. “I threw up-and-in, and he did the Soto shuffle on me,” Brown said, laughing. “It was an experience.” Hunter bested Soto on an inside pitch to force a fielder’s choice, showing a side of Brown in which he prides himself: He doesn’t pitch in fear, regardless of the hitter. The Astros selected Brown in the fifth round (No. 166 overall) of the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft out of Wayne State. The selection made Brown the second-highest drafted player in Wayne State history, behind right-hander Anthony Bass, who went No. 165 overall to the San Diego Padres in 2008.  

Wayne State University will hold various commencement ceremonies May 6-8 at the new Wayne State University Fieldhouse. More than 3,200 students have applied for graduation. In addition to the diplomas for the graduates, honorary degrees will be awarded to Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony, Stevie Wonder, Gurmale Singh Grewal, Tim Meadows, and Bill Prady.  

Michigan's Financial Exploitation Prevention Act, which took effect last September, requires banks and credit unions to train employees and put procedures in place to spot signs of financial exploitation. The goal is to make Michigan's financial institutions better equipped to identify and report the financial exploitation of older consumers and vulnerable adults. The Michigan Legacy Credit Union now partnering with Wayne State University's Institute of Gerontology to offer a survey to customers that can help prevent financial abuse. The survey, which is voluntary, can help give a baseline of someone's vulnerability and then alert employees at the cred union to be on the lookout for potential issues. Peter A. Lichtenberg, director of the Institute of Gerontology, said adults don't have to be well into their retirement years to end up being financially vulnerable. "Older adults are not scammed more often than other people are," Lichtenberg said. "Unfortunately, they lose more money." Lichtenberg, who has spent nearly two decades researching financial vulnerability, said the main goal of the survey is to prevent financial exploitation. "We look at it as a risk scale," he said. Often, Lichtenberg said, people view financial decisions as purely an intellectual activity, but ignore the emotional and psychological triggers. One's financial health, he noted, is part of one's overall health. 

By Jake Neher  Wayne State University President Dr. M. Roy Wilson is turning inward with a new memoir that is both reflective and at times deeply revealing. “The Plum Tree Blossoms Even in Winter” looks back on Wilson’s troubled childhood starting in Japan. It then journeys through his accomplishments, setbacks, and terrifying medical troubles as an adult. The book will be released on May 4. President Wilson will host a book signing and meet-and-greet that day at the Wayne State University Barnes and Noble from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. “The book is about challenges and not giving up and even in the darkest of times that you can persevere,” said President Wilson. 

Arash Javanbakht, associate professor of psychiatry and the director of the Stress, Trauma, and Anxiety Research Clinic at Wayne State University, wrote an article explaining how images of disaster affect us and provides some practical tips about how to stay informed while minimizing harm. “A wide of body of evidence has shown that trauma affects not only those who suffer through it; it also affects other people who are exposed to the suffering in other ways. This is in part because humans are empathetic and social beings. Indirect and vicarious exposure to trauma often occurs in the lives of first responders, refugees, journalists and others, event when they do not directly experience the trauma themselves,” Javanbakht writes. He provides a list of tips to stay informed while minimizing harm, including limited exposure and emotional intensity from media, time away from the news, an awareness of positive news, finding activities that allow for emotional recharging, and talking to others. “We can also reduce the negative impact on ourselves through helping others, especially those affected by these calamities. When I feel affected by the traumatic experiences of my patients, remembering that the end goal is helping them and reducing their sufferings helps me process my feelings. Sadness, anxiety, anger, and frustration can be channeled into actions such as attending fundraising activities and volunteering to help the victims. This can even be a family activity that teaches children a mature and altruistic response to others’ suffering,” said Javanbakht.

Wayne State University announced that Stevie Wonder will receive an honorary degree at the school’s May 7 commencement at 1 p.m. He will receive the Doctor of Human Letters in recognition of his contributions as a musician and advocate for civil rights and the disabled community. More than 3,200 students have applied for graduation this spring. Commencement will feature seven ceremonies over three days: May 6, 7, and 8.  

Detroit is the Motor City and as a result, change is speeding toward us fast. We are witnessing a historic shift toward electric vehicles. There is no doubt rapid technological change will impact the lives of many. Some jobs will go away, by many will also be created. As electrification decreases demand for internal combustion engine vehicles, some jobs will over time become obsolete. There is not a clear picture of how fast this will happen and whether the number of jobs needed in electrification will outnumber them regionally. The globe is competing for the new jobs. The idea is knowing that change can be empowering. “The state leadership is thinking ahead of many other states, so I’m happy and proud to see this,” said Weisong Shi, an associate dean at the Wayne State University College of Engineering and a computer scientist. Shi says Michigan’s Office of Mobility, created by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, may give the Motor City a big advantage as it works to coordinate between companies, educators and other stakeholders to bring businesses here as we shift not just to electric, but also autonomous vehicles. Shi says computer science graduate students are getting multiple opportunities above six figures. The university works to have partnerships with many industries in its lab to give students many opportunities, but companies still ask for exclusivity.  

n the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Michigan's public higher education institutions have found themselves in a landscape rife with challenges, some long-anticipated, others entirely now. Enrollment in Michigan's public institutions overall took a downward turn during the pandemic, dropping 6.24% between fall 2019, when 280,490 students enrolled, and fall 2021 when 262,985 students enrolled. The landscape of higher education has changed, including class modality. Despite a push for in-person classes, assistant dean Kiantee Rupert-Jones said remote and hybrid classes will remain at the university's Mike Ilitch School of Business due to student demand. "Our students are usually working full time or have family obligations. So they're looking for flexibility and online and hybrid classes," she said. "And so at the graduate level, that's what we're offering, because we'll see an even greater decline in our enrollment if we don't offer that type of flexibility." Wayne State University bumped tuition for first-year undergraduates by 3.83%  for the 2021-22 school year after freezing tuition for 2020-21. Annual tuition for lower-division resident undergraduates at WSU for 2021-22 was $14,043. "It was a priority for us to keep any increase to the lowest level possible while not jeopardizing academic and student resources and investment," said Mark Kornbluh, Wayne State's provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. "Also, there was a significant increase in financial aid over this period." Between 2020 through 2022, WSU increased its commitment to financial aid by $16.6 million dollars, an increase of 21%. 

By Jessica Wehrman  Much of a trucker’s day is spent waiting to drop off and deliver goods, and many are paid by the miles driven, rather than hours worked. As a result, drivers who spend four or five hours waiting to deliver or pick up cargo are often not paid for those hours. All of this is perfectly legal. The 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act, which requires employers to pay workers time-and-a-half for more than 40 hours worked, carved out an exemption for truck drivers. But a bipartisan bill in the House aims to eliminate that exemption. The bill would repeal the motor carrier exemption in the Fair Labor Standards Act, allowing truck drivers to be compensated for all the hours they work. The bill has no counterpart in the Senate and would face an uphill battle. Michael Belzer, a professor of economics at Wayne State University, cautions that companies will likely fight the idea of paying overtime. “Consumers will consume an infinite amount of free goods,” he said, arguing that companies have treated much of drivers’ time as free for years.  

Michigan Legacy Credit Union (MLCU) has announced a pilot program with Wayne State University’s Institute of Gerontology to help protect its vulnerable members from financial exploitation. New members of the credit union age 50 and up are automatically offered the Financial Vulnerability Survey – and dozens have taken it thus far. Their scores are included in a database to help monitor these members’ accounts for abnormal financial activity. All MCLU credit union staff participated in multiple training sessions with Wayne State on the survey and learned how to identify and discuss cognitive risk factors before exploitation occurs. As a result of this training, staff members have already been able to address several cases of older financial exploitation. The Financial Vulnerability Survey (FVS) is one of several tools created by Peter Lichtenberg, director of the Institute of Gerontology, to combat fraud and financial exploitation in older adults. “The FVS is easy to understand and to complete,” Lichtenberg said. “It resonates with older people who are concerned about their financial decision making. Finances are often a taboo topic for discussion, yet people are hungry for information about their own financial vulnerability level.” 

Wayne State University Law School student Fatima Dakroub recently received the Dickinson Wright Scholarship from the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan (WLAM) Foundation and the Kaminski Law Scholarship from WLAM-Wayne Region. The scholarships are awarded to law students who demonstrate leadership capabilities in advancing the position of women in society, in business, and in the community. “I am honored to be selected as a recipient of these scholarships,” Dakroub, a rising 3L, said. “I never thought I would enjoy transactional work, but  I am grateful that I came to Wayne Law with an open mind and ready to explore every facet of the law in an environment that fosters my personal and professional growth.” 

Colleges are testing new tactics to increase the number of adult learners in the classroom after years of a downturn in enrollment. Postsecondary enrollment in Michigan declined by 1.7%, or 7,463 students, in fall 2021. From fall 2019 to 2020, enrollment dropped 9.2%, or 44,578 students, according to estimates by National Student Clearinghouse. The problem isn’t limited to traditional college-age students because students 24 and older experienced the sharpest relative enrollment decline. Many universities and community colleges are making efforts to reduce those numbers and, in the process, designing ways to meet the needs of older learners, such as child care options and advising services. At Wayne State University, the Warrior Way Back program is aimed at re-enrolling adult learners with some previous education. Amber Neher, adviser for the program, said that having a dedicated support team has made all the difference for adult learners once they are on campus. “We developed a strong team, including adult learner advisers, an adult learner career coach, and an adult learner liaison, so there are some folks who are specific to adult learners,” Neher said.   

By Kaitlyn Tiffany    The internet is a powerful machine for twisting the meaning of language. A new word gets pushed through various subcultures that use it for their own purposes, then out to broader audiences that will use it in whichever way they first hear it. ‘Doxxing’ is a special example, in that it originally referred to somewhat specific, dangerous, and unethical behavior — “dropping documents” — or making private information public and calling unfriendly attention to it. By naming that behavior, the word allowed for the development of shared norms against it on the nascent internet. But ‘doxxing’ has since been used to describe so many different situations – with varying degrees of sincerity and fairness – that its original utility has faded. Where the term once defined a category, it now expresses an emotion. Whoever feels doxxed will claim to have been doxxed. Any time a person’s information is “purposefully moved, lifted, and repurposed in other spaces” without their consent, that could be called “doxing,” according to Stine Eckert, an associate professor of communication at Wayne State University who has written about the history of doxxing. There is “usually an element of bad intentions,” she said.   

Anyone can choke under pressure, as evidenced by a seemingly simple puzzle on “Wheel of Fortune” that stumped two players who have faced ridicule online. Physical and mental tasks you normally perform with ease become challenging under pressure, which comes from people watching, big rewards or losses at stake, fear of judgment, or even your own memories. Under stress, working memory is disrupted by external factors, like an audience, time pressure, or potential embarrassment. The clutter interferes with the prefrontal cortex’s communication with the rest of the brain. “Humans really only have one way of dealing with stress, and that’s our ‘fight, flight, or freeze’ reflex,” said Seth D. Norrholm, a professor of psychiatry at Wayne State University’s School of Medicine. “…Your body doesn’t discriminate between a game show versus a predator. It’s just going to kick in the responses inborn within us.”   

Wayne State University and Wayne Health, its affiliated physician practice group, have received a $900,000 grant from Bank of America to strengthen the Wayne Health Mobile Unit (WHMU) program. The innovative fleet of health delivery vehicles was established in partnership with Ford X in April 2020 to deliver COVID-19 testing, education, and vaccinations to underserved populations in Detroit. The support from Bank of America will provide two fully outfitted electric vehicles from Ford Motor Company that will bring preventative health care to Detroit workers in an environmentally sustainable way. The new electric Ford Transit vehicles will make regular site visits to an estimated 16-20 small- and medium-sized businesses in Detroit through partnerships between Wayne Health, the businesses, and their health insurance providers – offering comprehensive or preventative health care services to thousands of workers. Each mobile unit will function as a mobile clinical setting with an examination and consultation area and a telehealth component. The funding from Bank of America will support the purchase of the vehicles, along with three years of personnel, medical supplies and vehicle maintenance. “We are helping businesses help their workers and with these new electric vehicles, we are doing so with a small environmental impact,” said Phillip Levy, M.D., M.P.H., project lead for the WHMU program as well as Wayne Health’s chief innovation officer. “Healthier workers mean healthier business, which translates to greater economic health for the Detroit region. We are grateful to Bank of America for helping us move from crisis response to destination care, and for giving these businesses the capacity to offer high-quality, affordable health care for their workers.”  

Most histories of law schools focus on the notable deans and professors, and the changes in curricula over time. In “Detroit’s Wayne State University Law School: Future Leaders in the Legal Community,” author Alan Schenk highlights the students and their influence on the school’s development, character, and employment opportunities. Schenk, a longtime professor at Wayne State Law School, has devoted his academic career to tax law and is regarded as an expert on value added taxation. His decision to write a book about the law school stemmed from a question posed by his wife, Betty, in the fall of 2014 when she asked him if he was the longest serving faculty member there. “When I determined that I was, I started reminiscing about my years at Wayne, my students, my colleagues, and the law school administration,” Schenk wrote in the preface to the book. “I taught at almost a dozen law schools and I always returned to Wayne – for two important reasons. First, I was treated well at Wayne and there is a tendency to return to a place that treats you well. Second, and more importantly, Wayne students were special. I enjoyed teaching them more than the students I taught at other law schools.”  

Thirty-five years after the federal government created a public health campaign to raise awareness of a growing epidemic of alcoholism in the U.S., the problem became more pronounced, especially among young women, during the pandemic. Figures from Nielsen report national alcohol sales surged 54% in March 2020. April is National Alcohol Awareness Month, an opportunity to reexamine your relationship with alcohol, said Erika Bocknek, an associate professor of counseling psychology at Wayne State University. “It’s a moment to step back and reflect before your drinking gets out of hand,” she said. The first step to evaluating your drinking is to ask yourself why you’re having a drink, Bocknek said. “Alcohol plays a pervasive role in our culture, so it’s easy to make drinking issues seem less problematic. It’s important to remember that the problem can be invisible…The reason alcohol works as a coping strategy is because it dulls your senses and forces you to relax,” Bocknek said.  

Researchers from the University Research Corridor (URC) with local officials Monday to discuss ways to address the storm-related home flooding experienced in Detroit and other southeast Michigan cities, months after the second “500 year rain event” in seven years left thousands in the region with drowned basements and downed power lines. Experts from the University Research Corridor gathered on the Wayne State University campus to present research on updating outdated infrastructure to make communities more resilient in the face of extreme weather events that are exacerbated by climate change. “The problem is that we’re impoverishing people that are already at the edge of poverty in a series of Detroit communities,” said Lyke Thompson, director of Wayne State’s Center for Urban Studies. The URC works with industries like infrastructure, water, and mobility.  “We know that water always wins, as it has the time and energy to find the paths of least resistance, which are often our basements or other infrastructure,” said William Shuster, chair of the Wayne State University civil and environmental engineering department. “We need to respond to the way that water plays this game and give it other options.” The money for necessary large-scale infrastructure repair is available to Michigan and should be used to mitigate future impacts of severe weather, according to Britany Affolter-Caine, executive director of the URC. “We are in a unique time in where we’re getting a ton of money and communities are sort of staring down at an influx of infrastructure dollars and COVID dollars,” said Affolter-Caine. “…We have to use it smartly.”  

Wayne State University Law School’s Student Bar Association Board of Governors announced its 2022-23 executive board, elected by the student body. The Executive Board includes President Christina Atanasoska; Vice President Katie Prebelich; Treasurer Ila Zielke; Secretary Andrew Nurmi; ABA Representative Alexandria Sharpe; and Student Senate Representative TK Khan.