Brody to speak on health care at National Press Club luncheon

President William R. Brody will speak this week at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. His topic is "Health Care '08: What's Promised/What's Possible?" Brody will offer a plain-talk explanation of the fundamental questions that voters and the media need to ask presidential candidates about the future of health care in America.

At a time when the world's richest and most powerful nation has somehow created a health care system that costs twice as much as any other country's, and in many instances delivers results only half as good, Brody will address such issues as, How did we get so far off course? What solutions are available? What are the costs and difficult trade-offs that will likely be necessary?

The event, a luncheon, will be at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 7, at the National Press Club, 529 14th St. N.W. Faculty, staff, alumni and friends can receive a $7 discount on the $35 cost by mentioning their JHU affiliation at the time of booking; student tickets are $16. Reservations can be made by phoning Pat Nelson at the National Press Club at 202-662-7501.

 

Proposals sought for Diversity Conference to be held Nov. 1

The topic — "Answering the Challenges" — has been chosen for the Fourth Annual Diversity Conference, and the Johns Hopkins Institutions Diversity Leadership Council is now soliciting proposals for presentations addressing critical questions related to diversity, cultural awareness, disability matters, inclusion and equity in postsecondary education.

More than 300 Johns Hopkins leaders, faculty and staff are expected to attend the event, which is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 1, on the Homewood campus. The keynote speakers will be Anne Ernie, chief diversity officer at Lehman Brothers, and Ronald Peterson, president of Johns Hopkins Health System and The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

The deadline for proposal submissions is Friday, Sept. 14. Possible topic areas include Recruiting and Retaining Diverse Faculty, The Multigenerational Workplace, Religious Diversity, Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Issues, Cultural Competence in Health Care and The Legal Implications of Retaliation. For information about proposal packets, contact Nicole L. Beverly at 410-516-8075 or TTY 410-516-6225 or send e-mail to [email protected].

 

Zippy Larson to lead Baltimore tour for Johns Hopkins group

The Johns Hopkins community can explore Baltimore this Columbus Day, Oct. 8, with local historian and noted tour guide Zippy Larson, voted Best Tour Guide by both Baltimore magazine and City Paper..

The motor coach tour checks out what's happening now, from Locust Point's grain elevator to the old Procter & Gamble plant in South Baltimore. Cost is $70, which includes lunch at Ikaros in Greektown. Tour departs from Ellerslie Lot, Hopkins at Eastern, at 10 a.m. and returns at 3 p.m.

To register, contact the Office of Faculty, Staff and Retiree Programs at 410-516-6060 or e-mail [email protected]. Registrations are due by Saturday, Sept. 8.

 

Homewood Museum announces training classes for new docents

Homewood Museum, one of the Johns Hopkins University Museums, is looking for history, architecture and decorative arts buffs who would like to be tour guides.

Docent training classes will be held at the museum from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on four successive Tuesdays, Oct. 2, 9, 16 and 23. Volunteers who successfully complete the training will be expected to commit to working a minimum of four hours per month.

Training includes lectures and readings on Baltimore in the Federal era; history of the Carroll family, who built the house; and Federal-style architecture and decorative arts. New guides will also learn about museum practices and will be taught techniques for presenting the house to visitors.

Volunteers will have opportunities for additional training and are invited to social events, openings, lectures and tours of other historic sites.

To reserve a space, or for additional information, contact Alice Lange at 410-516-5589 or [email protected].

 

'Post' writer to discuss his new Condoleezza Rice book at SAIS

Glenn Kessler, diplomatic correspondent for The Washington Post, will visit SAIS this week to discuss his new book, The Confidante: Condoleezza Rice and the Making of the Bush Policy. James Mann, SAIS Foreign Policy Institute author in residence, and Don Oberdorfer, chairman of the U.S.-Korea Institute at SAIS, will provide commentary about the book.

The event will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 6, in the Nitze Building's Kenney Auditorium. Non-SAIS affiliates should RSVP to [email protected] or 202-663-5830.

 

Researchers identify strategies for retaining participants in health care research

Losing participants in a clinical study can compromise the validity of the research project if the rate of attrition is too high, but despite its importance, little research has focused on ways to limit attrition and maintain participants in studies.

Johns Hopkins School of Nursing faculty member Cheryl R. Dennison and others recently conducted a comprehensive literature review and report that "there is sparse evidence concerning strategies aimed at maximizing retention of study participants, and no study that explicitly evaluated retention strategies."

In their review, reported in the online Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, the researchers examined 21 studies culled from more than 3,000 citations and identified 368 retention strategies.

 

Correction

In an article on Aug. 20 about Minnie Hargrow, a retiring staff member, the number and names of buildings that existed on the Homewood campus when Hargrow came to JHU in October 1946 were incorrect. At the time, the campus had eight major buildings, and Whitehead and Merryman halls were not among them. Whitehead was completed in 1947 and Merryman in 1948.

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