News in brief - March 14, 2005

California medical board intact - Gene therapy case settled - New York State gives $35 million for physician training - North Carolina board names members - Medical students seek more U.S. help for AIDS

California medical board intact

The Medical Board of California was in jeopardy of being abolished under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to eliminate many state boards. But in February the California governor dropped the plan after legislators and others criticized it.

Under the plan, the medical board's duties would have been shifted to the State and Consumer Services Agency. An oversight panel that makes recommendations to legislators said that would have reduced public oversight.

"Obviously, this is welcome news to the board," board spokeswoman Candis Cohen said. "[Board members] believe their contributions further our public protection mandate."

Gene therapy case settled

The U.S. government in February announced a settlement with two research institutions and three individual researchers stemming from alleged false statements made during a 1999 gene therapy trial that led to a teenager's death.

The University of Pennsylvania, where the gene therapy trial took place, agreed to pay more than $517,000 and Children's National Medical Center, which assisted with the trial, agreed to pay more than $514,000, said Patrick L. Meehan, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The three researchers named in the case also will have restrictive controls placed on their future research, Meehan said.

The gene therapy trial focused on the development of a new drug to treat an enzyme deficiency. Jesse Gelsinger, an 18-year-old from Tucson, Ariz., died during the Phase I study.

The settlement is not an admission of guilt.

New York State gives $35 million for physician training

New York Gov. George E. Pataki released this year's graduate medical education grants, giving $35 million to 98 teaching hospitals.

"The governor recognizes the importance of ensuring access to skilled training and research for New York's physicians," said New York State Dept. of Health Commissioner Antonia C. Novello, MD, MPH, DrPH. "The patient care provided by young doctors in training is the most critical aspect of their educational experience. New York's comprehensive graduate medical education initiatives provide new physicians with the skills and background they need to flourish in medicine."

Since 1997, the governor has dedicated more than $289 million in GME grant awards to New York's teaching hospitals.

As a result of the Graduate Medical Education Reform Incentive Pool, New York has helped increase the number of residents training in ambulatory settings by 9%, minority faculty positions by 22% and hospitals offering academic support to minority students by 26%. The funding also helps support cultural diversification training for residents.

North Carolina board names members

North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley recently appointed Sarvesh Sathiraju, MD, to the North Carolina Medical Board, and reappointed two other physicians.

Dr. Sathiraju is an internist and director of medical-surgical services at Broughton Hospital in Morganton, N.C. He also has served as president of the Burke County (N.C.) Medical Society and as delegate to the house of delegates of the North Carolina Medical Society.

Easley reappointed Robert C. Moffatt, MD, of Asheville, and Michael E. Norins, MD, of Greensboro. Dr. Moffatt, whose practice focuses on surgical oncology, was appointed to the board in 2001.

He has served on the investigative, licensing and physicians health program committees. He is the board's president-elect.

Dr. Norins practices primary care and internal medicine and is medical director of LeBauer HealthCare. He also is an adjunct associate professor at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

Easley also appointed Cary resident Dicky Walia to be the board's public member.

Medical students seek more U.S. help for AIDS

The global AIDS epidemic should be a higher priority for the United States, according to a recent survey by the American Medical Student Assn., an independent medical student organization.

Nearly 90% of respondents said AIDS should be a top or higher priority for the government; 72.7% believed that global HIV/AIDS is the "crisis of our generation."

"Medical students are interested in learning more about global HIV/AIDS and want to learn the skills necessary to fight the pandemic," said AMSA President Brian Palmer, MD, MPH. "With over 8,000 AIDS-related deaths each day, our nation's medical schools need to amend curricula to address the greatest health crisis of our generation."

AMSA designed and conducted the online, unscientific survey in which 425 AMSA members participated. AMSA is a student-governed, nonprofit organization representing the concerns of physicians-in-training. It has nearly 50,000 members, including medical and premedical students, residents and practicing physicians.