Iowa news
Second candidate announced for vice president for medical affairs, Carver College of Medicine dean
A University of Iowa search committee has announced the second finalist for the next vice president for medical affairs and dean of the Carver College of Medicine. Mark Rosenblatt is executive dean of the University of Illinois College of Medicine and associate vice chancellor for physician affairs at University of Illinois Health. His scientific work focuses on investigating the mechanism of corneal peripheral nerve regeneration following injury and the use of nanoengineered biomaterials for use in stem cell delivery to the ocular surface. Rosenblatt met with faculty, staff, students, shared governance and campus leadership during a campus visit May 8-9. (The University of Iowa)
Forbes: Iowa among top 10 states for mental health care
Over 50 million Americans have a mental illness, but more than half (55%) of adults with a mental illness don’t receive treatment. In some states, accessing mental health care may be more challenging because of high costs, too few mental health treatment centers and lack of health insurance coverage. To determine the best and worst states for mental health care, Forbes Advisor compared the 50 states and Washington, D.C., using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Mental Health America. States were compared across seven metrics that measured access to and availability of mental health care. Iowa is ranked fourth best according to the study. (Becker’s Hospital Review)
Iowa nurse shortage could be helped by $3 million state boost
Under the Iowa Legislature’s proposed budget that’s awaiting Gov. Kim Reynolds’ signature, the University of Iowa nursing program would get nearly $3 million to hire more staff. Julie Zerwic, the dean of the UI’s College of Nursing, says the university also plans to launch a program in which people who hold a master’s degree in another field can graduate with a master’s in nursing in just 20 months. (Iowa Public Radio)
National news
Major psychologists’ group warns of social media’s potential harm to kids
For the first time, the American Psychological Association has issued recommendations for guiding teenager’s use of social media. The advisory is aimed at teens, parents, teachers and policymakers. This comes at a time when teenagers are facing high rates of depression, anxiety and loneliness. And, as NPR has reported, there’s mounting evidence that social media can exacerbate and even cause these problems. (Iowa Public Radio)
Screen women for breast cancer at 40, instead of 50, new guidelines say
Women should get screened for breast cancer every other year starting at age 40, according to draft guidance issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. That’s earlier than the independent panel of experts previously recommended: The last guidance, from 2016, suggested biennial screenings starting at age 50, but noted that women in their 40s could talk to their physicians about getting screened, particularly if they have a family history of breast cancer. Screenings usually involve a mammogram, which is an X-ray image of the breast. (NBC News)
Four hospitals, health systems testing ChatGPT
Generative artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence-based chatbot developed by OpenAI, is being touted as a tool that can revolutionize health care. Although it’s pretty new, hospitals and health systems are working on piloting this technology to see if it can be applied to the clinical setting. Hospitals and health systems piloting, testing or deploying the new technology include Stanford Health Care, UC San Diego Health, UW Health (Madison, Wisconsin) and Boston Children’s. (Becker’s Health IT and CIO Report)