Hello all!

In true holiday spirit, BBUGS is holding a CANNED FOOD DRIVE beginning Monday, November 23rd (TODAY!) through Thursday, December 17th. Donations go to the Atlanta Community Food Bank and help ensure that families in Atlanta have enough to eat this holiday season! All unopened, unexpired, non-perishable goods are welcome, but if you’re looking for ideas, the food bank lists the following items as “much needed”:

• Peanut Butter
• Canned Tuna
• Canned Beans
• Canned Soups, Stews and Pastas
• 100% Fruit Juice
• Canned Fruits and Vegetables
• Macaroni and Cheese Dinners
• Whole Grain, Low Sugar Cereals

Donations can be made in the bins in the front office of the IBB!

To increase participation and reward your contributions as well as another successful semester completed, we’ll be hosting a Wine Social on December 10th at 5pm.
We encourage you to bring canned or dry goods throughout the food drive. However, we especially ask that you bring an item to the mixer so that while we make merry, we are also able to benefit those who are not so fortunate.

Your BBUGS Social Chairs,

Ian, Rolo, and Katie

The BBUGS Research Committee presents:

“Translating Your Research: IRB Approval and Clinical Trials”

Where: Suddath Seminar Room (IBB 1128)
When: Monday, 30th November 2009, 11am-12pm

From the Georgia Tech Office of Research Compliance:
Barbara Henry – Director
Melanie Clark – Compliance Officer
Kelly Winn – Compliance Officer

Michelle LaPlaca – Assoc. Professor, BME; Advisory Board, Zenda Technologies
Erin Spinner – Graduate Research Assistant, Yoganathan Lab
Jessica O’Neal – Graduate Research Assistant, Guldberg Lab

How do you implement clinical studies or use human tissues for graduate research? Or if you commercialize your technology, how do you deal with clinical trials in a start-up company? To answer these questions, we will have  panelists from the Office of Research Compliance explain IRB policies and submission procedures for  human subject research protocols at Georgia Tech. Current graduate students who have submitted IRB protocols and implemented clinical trials for their research will also share their experiences . For a comprehensive overview of the translational process, Dr LaPlaca will provide the start-up perspective by speaking about clinical studies for Zenda Technologies. This will be an informal and interactive session, so please feel free to come with questions. Food and drinks will be served.

We hope to see you there!

Your BBUGS Research Committee Chairs,
Asha and Chi-Chi

The Biotechnology Policy Forum would like to announce our upcoming seminar on Thursday, November 19th at 2:00pm:

“Health Care Reform and Biomedical Innovation”

New health technologies have contributed to large increases in health care costs.  Are we getting the bang for our buck?  Should cost-control be a priority?  Or is this a futile quest for perfect health with marginal gains?

This talk will review the research on the value of new medical technologies and discuss the impact of health reform on the pace of technological innovation in medicine.

Who: Professor David H. Howard of Emory’s Rollin’s School of Public Health
When: Thursday, November 19th at 2:00pm
Where: Institute for Bioengineering & Bioscience (IBB) Suddath Seminar Room 1128
Directions: http://www.ibb.gatech.edu/visitors/

.
—
Professor David H. Howard

:

David Howard is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Emory University. A health economist by training, Dr. Howard’s research employs economics and statistics to better understand physician decision-making and its implications for public policy. Dr. Howard’s current areas of research include: the impact of patients’ life expectancy on the use of cancer screening, the impact of quality and outcomes on patients’ choice of provider, and the value of medical care for cancer. Dr. Howard is also studying the impact of waiting time on transplant candidate’s choice of living versus deceased donor transplantation. Dr. Howard has acted as an advisor or consultant to MEDPAC, the American Cancer Society, the Division of Transplantation in the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Howard received his doctorate in health policy from Harvard University in 2000.
We hope to see you there!
–The BBUGS Public Policy Committee