Francisco Fernandez, MD, professor and chairperson, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, was featured May 12 on WFLA Channel 8, discussing the benefits of the Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) for patients who suffer from depression.

Theresa Dary, BS, PT, USF Physical Therapist, was interviewed by WTSP Channel 10 about the iBOT wheelchair on May 30. The iBOT™ Mobility System is a $30,000 revolutionary power wheelchair that increases user access and self-reliance. Full wheelchair and physical therapy assessments are done at the USF Physical Therapy Center. WFLA Channel 8 also ran a small segment on the iBOT, and the story ran in the June 1 St. Petersburg Times.

A study by the USF Health Division of Rheumatology was featured June 6 in the The Washington Post Quick Study column, June 7 Reuters Health and June 8 on CNN.com. The study, led by John Carter, MD, and published online in the journal Osteoporosis International, indicated that restricting carbohydrates appears not to harm bones.

USF Health will break ground this month on the first of its Centers for Advanced Healthcare, where paperless technology will support new integrated patient care. This $100-million project will include a first-round infrastructure of $15 million of information technology to provide the foundation for safer, quality, outcome driven health care and excellent service. In addition, USF has partnered with and will become a national demonstration center for Allscripts (Nasdaq:MDRX), the nation's leading provider of electronic health records. This will allow patients to receive seamless care from multiple physicians who will have immediate access to their health information electronically.

U.S News & World Report ranked the University of South Florida's graduate program in nursing as one of the country's top five for largest enrollment in web-based instruction, or e-learning. A special report in the magazine's Oct. 17, 2005 issue listed USF third among 73 nursing schools offering online graduate degree programs, right behind those at the University of Phoenix and New Mexico State University.

"Our achievements in on-line nursing education are helping put the USF College of Nursing on the map," said Patricia Burns, PhD, dean of the college. "We are committed to offering very high quality nursing education that keeps pace with advances in technology."

"Congratulations to our early and new adopters of educational technology, and a special note of recognition to our instructional technology staff under the direction of Denise Passmore."

The University of South Florida College of Medicine is one of 12 medical schools that will be part of the new Flexner Report, a study that will analyze the current state of medical education and innovative approaches to teaching medicine. Six are standard curriculums and six are innovative models: USF is in the innovative category.

The study is the Second Flexner Report (the first was conducted in 1910 and set teaching guidelines that medical schools have followed ever since) and will look at key educational goals, basic practices of teaching and learning, and assessment of student learning. Like the first report, the Second Flexner Report is sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation.

The 2006 USF Faculty/Staff Campaign is gearing up and everyone at USF Health can help. This annual fundraising effort directly affects students by providing much needed funding for scholarships, research and programs.

And what's unique about the campaign is that you may designate where your gift goes, whether it's among the funds at USF Health or other funds across USF that are important to you. This means your donation makes a lasting impact in each area you choose to support.

GE Healthcare announced that the USF Health Physicians Group will upgrade its Flowcast IT systems, which were produced by IDX before its acquisition by GE in 2005.

The upgrade is part of a $15 million program to create a national healthcare center at the university. It will make use of GE's web-based patient information systems, including patient financial information and referrals.

GE will also provide tools for managing electronic medical records and allowing both caretakers and patients online access to their records. The IT system will be rolled out in USFPG's 12 locations over the next year, GE said.