Mosquitoes/UF College of Medicine/SFC

Note: After considerable thought to how I use this blog, I thought it would be a good resource to use for professional development--as in, post my published articles here at the end of every week.

Buzz. Slap. Ouch. Itch. Mosquitoes are back in area
By Jessica Chapman
For The North Florida Herald, Thursday July 2, 2009

It’s that time of year again. Mosquitoes are here.And as the summer lingers on, the pesky mosquitoes latching onto arms and legs will only get worse.


Until about October, the 80 different species of mosquitoes will continue to be a problem, with numbers increasing as the rain does.


The recent rains have unleashed flood water mosquitoes, a species of mosquitoes that breed in places like moist soil and wait to hatch until the rainy season, such as the summer, comes along.


Permanent water mosquitoes are a continuing problem, too. These mosquitoes, which can be found near standing water such as ponds and swamp marshes, die if the water dries up, similar to a plant thriving on water.


But while the number of mosquitoes increases, only about three or four species of mosquitoes carry the three most common diseases in Florida -- West Nile virus, eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) and St. Louis encephalitis, said Roxanne Connelly, professor and Extension Office medical entomology specialist for the University of Florida.


Usually the West Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis do not become a problem until late August, while EEE, which has a human fatality rate of 35 percent and an 80 percent fatality rate in horses, affects mostly horses and rarely humans, Connelly said.

“EEE isn’t something you want to mess with,” she said, referring to the fact that humans can contract the disease. “It’s usually fatal, and if you survive, you’ll have neurological damage.”


The West Nile virus results in severe illness for one in 150 people infected, and one in five people infected will show no symptoms at all, according to a mosquito-borne virus presentation provided by Bradford County Extension Agent Jim DeValerio.


St. Louis encephalitis has a 3-percent to 30-percent fatality rate.

To view entire article, click here.


College of Medicine's F removed from scorecard
By JESSICA CHAPMAN, Alligator Contributing Writer, Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The failing grade UF’s College of Medicine received on a recent American Medical Student Association PharmFree Scorecard is being changed to “in progress.”


The 2009 Scorecard, conducted by the American Medical Student Association, along with The Pew Prescription Project, based the industry and school relationship grades on how well students and faculty are shielded from free samples, money and educational incentives offered by pharmaceutical companies.


The college failed for not providing information to the 2009 AMSA PharmFree Scorecard and declining to participate in the 2008 Scorecard, while both Florida State University and the University of Miami received Bs.

But Timothy Flynn, senior associate dean of clinical affairs for the College of Medicine, said he was never informed about the request for the college’s conflict of interest policy.


“Had they told us, we would have been happy to send it in,” Flynn said. “We have nothing to hide.”


Flynn said the college recently revised its original Industry Conflicts of Interest Policy, which was created in 1995, customizing it more to UF.


“[AMSA] is the least knowledgeable [in conflicts of interest policies],” Flynn said, referring to the fact that AMSA is an organization made up of medical students. “[No offense to them, but] they’re not even in the profession yet. We’re doing this because we feel it’s the right thing to do, not because of them.”


To view the entire article, click here


SFC student wins $5k to study Chinese
By JESSICA CHAPMAN, Alligator Contributing Writer, Thursday, July 2, 2009

Danielle Rossi doesn’t find Chinese as difficult as she thought she would, partly because she loves China.

Rossi, an international economics major at Santa Fe College, is the first Santa Fe student to receive the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, which was designed for students wanting to study abroad in a non-European country and learn a non-traditional language.

She will use the $5, 000 she was awarded to study Chinese at Jilin University in Changchun in northeastern China from Sept. 1 through April 15.

“I’ve always dreamed of studying internationally,” Rossi said. “(The Gilman scholarship) really gives community college students a chance to compete. They’re great for that.”

Rossi, who plans to go into international law or the U.S. Foreign Service, said after taking economics classes and realizing China’s importance in world affairs, learning Chinese seemed like good preparation for the future.

“We are such strong partners,” she said. “Economically, we are linked at the hip.”

Rossi said although she is excited, she’s worried about communicating and adjusting to life in China.

“It will really be the Chinese culture,” she said. “It’s not Americanized.”