Start-up Nation - Millennials as Entrepeneurs

An interesting book that I recently enjoyed reading is "Start-up nation". The author tells us about the infrastructure, support, capital and overwhelmingly nurturing culture that the Israeli government has created in order to foster start-up companies, esp in life-sciences.

Fast forward to 2011...a tough job market...and the # 1 employer of college graduates being Teach for America (> 46,000 applications last year!) and Andrew Yang has an idea and decides to launch Venture for America (VFA), which will attract our best and brightest grads to start-up companies in the US and plant an entrepreneurial seed in their mind, early in their careers. Interesting!  

The question remains, what is the best way to educate our future generations, particularly Millennials who are just graduating and entering a tough job market?

Some (Peter Thiel included) argue that education, in the traditional sense, is too costly and does not have value for certain people. Street smarts, starting a company, leading, and entrepreneurship are not skills best acquired in a classroom. But isn't there a baseline foundation that one needs before getting to all of that?  Peter's experiment is to offer a handful of students funding for their companies in exchange for not attending college and jumping right in.  Time will tell whether this proves to be a positive experience.

Increasingly, part of the debate has been home-schooling, online education, and most recently a new institution (Avenues) which turns the entire preparatory/Northeast feeder school curricula upside down and offers a unique educational model for our next generation.

As someone who has invested a lot in my personal education, including ivy league school, graduate school, post-graduate training, and then sub-specialty training, I argue that there is tremendous value in a formal education. However, most of my important life lessons and the ethos of who I am, were formed outside of the classroom...and some really by chance. Those experiences have really colored the fiber of who I am....but all layered on a strong foundation of a formal education.

Apps as revolutionary medical tools

With the advent of the iPhone and near introduction of the 5-th generation phone, we are starting to see more advanced applications. These more 'mature' apps are now beginning to have an impact in healthcare -- particularly with the ability to act as diagnostic tools. From reading EKG's to checking blood pressure, analyzing a urine sample, and even this -- checking your blood glucose through nano-sensors? Now that's revolutionary!
http://www.tuaw.com/2011/07/22/iphone-reads-blood-glucose-level-with-nanosensor-tattoo/

GSK - Corporate Responsibility

I received the attached "Dear Doctor" letter yesterday, and upon reading the contents, I must commend GSK on their corporate responsibility in creating a positive effect on our healthcare delivery system in the US. The elimination of sales goals as an incentive compensation measure and new guidelines for how pharmaceutical representatives are compensated and evaluated (effective July 1) is a powerful indication of big-pharma regulating itself and improving its image in the eyes of providers and patients. GO GSK!

Kiawah 2011 Meeting Agenda:
http://www.kiawaheye.com/kiawahprogram/contents/faculty.asp

Pretty Cool... Bascom Palmer goes to Japan!

Standing in front of the Bascom Palmer Vision Van as it was loaded into an Anatov 124 yesterday afternoon at Miami International Airport are Richard Lee, MD, PhD, Eduardo Alfonso, MD, and Kazushi Miyatake, MD, Medical Attaché with the Consulate-General of Japan in Miami. All expenses for transport of the Vision Van are being incurred by the Government of Japan.


This morning, the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute Vision Van is on its way to Sendai, Japan to join forces with Keio University School of Medicine in a special Japan Eye Rescue Mission to assist Japan with recovery from the devastation caused by the Tohoku-Pacific Ocean Earthquake. Launching the relief operations this morning, our Vision Van departed on a cargo jet flight from Miami International Airport on its first international rescue mission and it is expected to stay in Japan for approximately three months. Richard Lee, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and glaucoma specialist, is accompanying the Vision Van and will provide training to the Japanese ophthalmologists who will be using the Vision Van based on his extensive experience with the Institute’s relief work in Haiti and the thousands of vision screenings he has supervised on the Vision Van in many underserved communities over the years.

While in Japan, the Vision Van will allow Keio University ophthalmologists and trained volunteers to offer emergency vision screenings and treatments for people suffering from eye injuries incurred during or after the earthquake, infections and inflammations from contaminated water and other hazards, and to replace eyeglasses lost while fleeing the earthquake. The Vision Van is stocked with over 1,000 ready-made lenses donated by Eye Care Centers of America that treat a wide range of prescriptions for people who lost or broke their eyeglasses.

“I really appreciate Bascom Palmer’s support for the healing of Japan. I went with my team to Northeastern Japan last week to assess the damage and find ways to help the survivors with their ocular needs. I knew, just as you have seen on the news, that many towns had been destroyed. But when I was there I was so shocked that it brought me to tears. From the bottom of my heart I feel that I want to help,” said Dr. Kazuo Tsubota, Chief of the Department of Ophthalmology of the Keio University School of Medicine in Tokyo and a former classmate of Dr. Alfonso's.

“I hope that by making every effort to promptly support Dr. Tsubota and the people of Japan in this time of crisis, we help to improve the medical conditions in Japan and help facilitate a rapid recovery. Knowing the success we had with the Vision Van in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, I believe the Bascom Palmer Vision Van will prove to be an invaluable resource for Dr. Tsubota’s team,” said Eduardo Alfonso, M.D., Chairman of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.

The Bascom Palmer Vision Van had its inaugural run in 2004 as a vehicle for bringing early detection of eye diseases such as amblyopia, glaucoma and macular degeneration to underserved areas from the Florida Keys through Martin County. It also provided vital emergency eye care services to the people of New Orleans and first responders following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The Vision Van was donated to Bascom Palmer Eye Institute by the Josephine Leiser Foundation. The late Mrs. Leiser was a longtime Bascom Palmer patient who dreamed of providing free eye care to the medically underserved. The fully-equipped, 40-foot converted bus contains a comprehensive examination room, three screening stations, a waiting room and state-of-the-art ophthalmic equipment. It is uniquely suited for use in environments where the health care and public works infrastructure is essentially nonexistent.

Here are some stories from today's news http://miami.cbslocal.com/2011/04/11/um-bascom-palmers-vision-van-headed-to-japan and
http://univision23.univision.com/videos/video/2011-04-11/doctores-de-bascom-palmer-llevaran. Plus check out the front page of the Local & State section of today's Miami Herald for a cover photo with the headline reading Mission of Mercy.

Bon voyage and safe return to Dr. Richard Lee who will be back in Miami for one day at the end of this week and then flies to Haiti the following day to address the continuing eye care needs of the Haitian community following last year's January earthquake.

Ocular Surgery News New York

http://www.osnsupersite.com/view.aspx?rid=79599

Biomedical Nanoscience 2010

Dr. Awdeh presented early results from his nanotechnology laboratory today at the Biomedical Nanoscience Initiative Annual Meeting at the Ritz Carlton, Coconut Grove.

Today's meeting was a great success! Thanks to all, specifically Dr. Richard Cote and Ram Datar for organizing.