Dr. Ron Deprez of the UNE Center for Health Policy Planning and Research (part of the Center for Community and Public Health) recently presented two research papers on health reform in the US. The first paper “Achieving Universal Coverage Through Comprehensive Health Reform: The Vermont Experience” was presented on November  5th  at the 31st Annual Research Conference of the American Public Policy Analysis and Management  Association (APPAM) held in Washington D.C . Dr. Deprez’s presentation was one of four papers selected for a panel entitled Using State Evidence to Inform State and National Health Policy organized by the State Health Access Reform Evaluation program (SHARE) of the University of Minnesota. His paper presented preliminary results of the Center’s larger study on the effectiveness of Vermont Act 191 in providing universal access to comprehensive, affordable health insurance coverage. This study is being funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

On November 11th Dr. Deprez presented a research paper on “Access to Care in Pennsylvania: The Impact of Health Reform” at the 137th Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association in Philadelphia, PA.  At this meeting, he presented the results of the Center’s evaluation for the Pennsylvania Department of Health Insurance on the impact of state comprehensive insurance reforms on private and public health insurance coverage before and after state health reform. Both papers were the work of study teams headed by Dr. Deprez that included staff at Center as well as experts from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Market Decisions of Portland, Maine and Policy Integrity, Inc. of Montpelier, VT.

Dr. Timothy Ford and his research are highlighted in the November issue of Microbe Magazine, in the “Current Topics” feature entitled “Better Satellite Surveillance Could Help Counter Disease Outbreaks." 

The magazine also features an online audio interview, during which Dr. Ford states: "The earth is responding to escalating carbon dioxide levels with rising seas, flooding, droughts, forest fires, and a corresponding surge in infectious disease- some all too familiar; others new.  If properly done, predictive modeling will give us enough time to contain and possibly even prevent potential epidemic and pandemic diseases."

Charles W. Ford, Ph. D., Professor of Health Sciences, College of Health Professions, served on an accreditation team for the National Association of Clinical Laboratory Sciences participating in a site visit at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Medicine, Pathologists' Assistant M.S. Program, November 20, 2009.

  The Portland Press Herald on Nov. 16, 2009, published a column by Jeffrey Doss, DDS, adjunct faculty member and former UNE trustee, advocating UNE's proposal to create a college of dental medicine that would recruit local students and provide community-based education. "It is time to stop importing dentists from around the country, but rather begin to educate our own right here in Northern New England," Doss wrote.

Ali Ahmida, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Political Science, gave an invited talk Nov. 4 at a conference titled "Writing and Speaking Libya's Histories: Historiography of Modern and Contemporary Libya" organized by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies and Department of Italian Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. The title of Ahmida's lecture was “Engaging Modernity: Pedagogy and Urbanization as viewed by two Libyan intellectuals during the 20th Century.”

   Drs. Frank Willard and Ed Bilsky, both professors in UNE’s College of Osteopathic Medicine and members of the Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences (CEN), spoke at Maine Medical Partners’ 2nd annual Spine Conference on November 17th. The conference was held in Portland and focused on translational research and its role in driving treatment algorithms to optimize patient care and clinical outcomes. Dr. Raj Desai (medical director of the Maine Medical Center Neuroscience Institute) and his colleagues organized the event that was attended by over 100 health care professionals from around the region. Dr. Willard’s presentation, entitled “Anatomy and Neurophysiology of the Spine: Research Driving Healthcare”, included a detailed description of the anatomy of the spinal column/cord in health and disease. Dr. Bilsky presented research on the pathophysiology of acute and chronic pain and provided updates on current and emerging pharmacotherapy that targets the spinal cord. The Neuroscience Institute at Maine Medical Center and the CEN are building collaborations that will benefit the research education missions of both institutions. Additional information is available on the institute web sites. Maine Medical Center Neuroscience Institute; UNE Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences.

Tim Ford, VP for Research & Dean of Graduate Studies, will present Tribal Science Webinar Series #3 entitled "Community Based Risk Assessment of Exposures to Contaminants via Water Sources on the Crow Reservation in Montana" together with Crescentia Cummins, and Mari Eggers, M.D.  This webinar will be held on November 18, 2009 and is open to EPA staff and representatives from the tribal community.

   Ed Bilsky, Ph.D., UNE professor of pharmacology and director of the UNE's Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences (CEN), represented the university November 13th on a panel that featured Maine's Biotech Sector and its impact on the Maine economy. Dr. Bilsky described UNE’s investment in building biomedical research capacity and the new CEN. The presentation included a progress report on research initiatives and the unique partnerships UNE is establishing with non-profit and for-profit institutions in Maine. In keeping with the theme of the conference, Dr. Bilsky emphasized the CEN’s efforts to weave together the arts, technology, and entrepreneurship to inspire and foster innovation. The biotech panel included representatives from the Biomedical Association of Maine, three private companies (Bioprocessing Inc., Inverness Medical Innovations and  Aiko Biotechnology), and The Jackson Laboratories. Tim Ford, Ph.D., VP of Research and Graduate Studies, also represented UNE at the conference.

Matthew Anderson, Ph.D.,  Associate Professor and Chair, Department of English and Language Studies, was invited to present a paper at the first annual Law & Literature symposium, on "Law, Literature, and Religion," at Villanova University Law School, Oct. 1-3 2009.