School of Medicine Professor Victoria Richards offers insight into FDA’s decision to lower age on Plan B pill

Victoria Richards, assistant professor of medical sciences in the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University, is available to discuss the FDA’s decision to lower the age for buyers of the Plan B pill to 15.

“Levonorgestrel is referred to as the “morning after” pill because it can prevent pregnancy about three days after unprotected intercourse or in the event of the failure of another contraceptive,” Richards said. “Levonorgestrel is not an abortifacient, an agent that induces an abortion, which I think helps fuel the controversy.”

To speak to Richards, please call John Morgan, associate vice president for public relations, at 203-206-4449.

Founding Dean Dr. Bruce M. Koeppen testifies before U.S. Senate subcommittee

Dr. Bruce M. Koeppen, founding dean of the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University, will testify before a subcommittee hearing on Successful Primary Care Programs: Creating the Workforce We Need on Tuesday, April 23 at 10 a.m. in Room SD-430 at the Dirksen Building, Constitution Avenue and 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC.

Dr. Koeppen was invited by Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders and Ranking Member Richard Burr to testify about the new medical school, which admits its first class this fall and was created with the mission to train primary care physicians, foster collaborative, team-based care and serve as a national model of interprofessional health professions education.  Dr. Koeppen will discuss the growing shortage of primary care physicians and efforts to restructure the health care system to provide high quality, cost-effective and patient-centered care to successfully create the primary care workforce this country so desperately needs.

Dr. Koeppen’s testimony will address reasons for the primary care physician shortage and its extent; his efforts to change the traditional care model where physicians are viewed as the captain of the ship to something akin to a NASCAR pit crew, where highly efficient and effective teams, comprised of individuals with unique knowledge and expertise are all focused on a single goal-the patient; changes in the new medical school’s curriculum; programs such as the Teaching Health Center program in the Affordable Care Act, which allows Community Health Centers to establish residency programs to train physicians; and how an expansion of federally funded residence positions could encourage more people to enter primary care.

View a full copy of Dr. Koeppen’ s testimony.

View a live stream of the senate subcommittee hearing.

To interview Dr. Koeppen, email John Morgan at john.morgan@quinnipiac.edu or call 203-206-4449.

Professor Alexander Laskin available to offer insight in the Boston Marathon bombings investigation

Alexander Laskin, associate professor and director of graduate public relations in the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University, is available to offer insight in the Boston Marathon bombings investigation.

Officials said that the two suspects are of Chechen origin. Chechnya, a predominantly Muslim territory in southern Russia, is a long-disputed territory.

Laskin, who is originally from Moscow, is available to offer perspective about the Russian Federation, its political, ethnic and religious make-up.

“Russia is one of the most diverse countries in the world with almost 200 different nationalities living within its borders and practicing many different religions,” Laskin said. “Although most of the nationalities live peacefully, Russia has been exposed to violent clashes in its Caucasus region, especially in Chechnya, for the last 200 years. Unfortunately, this conflict intensified after the break-up of USSR.”

To speak with Laskin, please call John Morgan, associate vice president for public relations, at 203-206-4449.

Professor discusses effects of bear deterrent following discharge in Connecticut hotel

Victoria Richards, an assistant professor of medical sciences at the Frank H. Netter School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University, is available to discuss the effects of bear deterrent.

An intoxicated woman reportedly discharged a large canister inside of a Milford hotel Wednesday night, resulting in an evacuation.

“Anyone who uses pepper spray should undergo adequate training on proper use and storage,” Richards said. “Although these types of sprays are used for both self-protection and crowd control, this bear spray would probably contain a certain percentage of oleoresin capsicum to deter the animal long enough for a person to hopefully escape. Oleoresin capsicum is both a direct irritant but also can produce a local inflammatory response.  Exposure can cause respiratory symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, a burning feeling in the throat, etc., and ocular symptoms, including corneal abrasion. Those exposed can also suffer from temporary panic and disorientation.”

Richards will teach pharmacology and toxicology.

To speak to Richards, please call John Morgan, associate vice president for public relations, at 203-206-4449.

Navy petty officer uses graduate program to help serve America

Xander Gamble’s work space is an old Soviet-era building with exposed wiring, a very slow Internet connection, tiny AC units and a hodge-podge of wood and metal desks – all of which is covered in a stubborn layer of thick dust. From this modest office, Gamble creates sophisticated communication pieces for military members. He’s also a part-time graduate student in Quinnipiac University‘s master of science in interactive media program.

As the news director for the American Forces Network (AFN), Afghanistan’s Bagram media station, Navy Petty Officer Gamble needed a program that was flexible as well as offered the latest in cutting-edge information, research and industry best practices to advance his career, which led him to Quinnipiac University Online. Shortly after beginning the program, Gamble was promoted to Mass Communication Specialist First Class Petty Officer.

“I feel that the Quinnipiac staff and faculty are some of the best that I have worked with,” said Gamble. “The professors have been understanding [during my deployment] without degrading the integrity of the program.”

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Free yoga class offered at Albert Schweitzer Institute May 4

Students took a break from their studies to meditate and do yoga on Sleeping Giant State Park, located across the street from our Mount Carmel Campus. (Photo by Tami Reilly, associate director of fitness.)

A free yoga class will be offered at Quinnipiac University on Saturday, May 4, at 10 a.m. at the Albert Schweitzer Institute, 660 New Road.

The class will be taught by Ellen Lepore, a Quinnipiac physical therapy student and level-one certified yoga instructor, and is open to all level yoga students.

The class will be held outdoors; in case of rain, it will be moved indoors. Participants are asked to bring a yoga mat or towel.

The class is free and open to the public. For more information, call 203-582-3144.

Garvey Young’s sports site takes first prize in business plan competition

 

 

Dean O’Connor, right, presents Garvey Young with first place for “Draftspot,” a web-based business for high school athletes and college recruiters.

Garvey Young will graduate this spring with a MBA from Quinnipiac University, and among the things he’ll be taking with him when he moves back to Washington, D.C. is a very promising business.

Young, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in marketing in 2012, won the $5,000 first prize in the Quinnipiac University School of Business‘ Business Plan Competition on April 12. He has been working since last spring on Draftspot, which he describes as “a social branding platform that introduces athletes and coaches through digital media.”

Young plans to start Draftspot, now in a pre-launch phase, next year, but before that happens he’s got a busy summer ahead, including volunteering as a teacher in Ghana and playing in Europe for the FIBA International Basketball Federation. Young played basketball for two years at the University of Vermont, and then became a big scorer the last two seasons with the Quinnipiac Bobcats.

Young, who plans to raise $100,000 to start the business, believes he will benefit from the first-mover advantage and make Draftspot profitable within three years. He credits Quinnipiac with getting him ready to switch from scholar-athlete to entrepreneur. “It’s great preparation and an intense curriculum,” he said. “I’m definitely prepared.”

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