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INCLEMENT WEATHER UPDATE read »
PRESS RELEASE: The George Washington University Medical Center to Establish Research Center for Neglected Diseases of Poverty read »
GW Doctors Return to D.C. Following 15-day Deployment to Haiti, Feb. 1 read »
1/22/2010 Rescuers Prepare for an End to the Miracles, The Wall Street Journal
In the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, rescuers are now faced with the tough decision of when to declare an end to the rescue effort. According to a published review by Dr. E. Reed Smith, assistant clinical professor of Emergency Medicine at GW, only under extenuating circumstances have a handful of people survived more than 10 days. Scientists agree that anyone trapped beyond 10 days will only survive if he or she is uninjured and has access to water and air.

Full report online: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704423204575017520891623554.html
1/21/2010 To Survive After Quake, the Desperate Target Haiti's Orphanages, CNN
In the days since the earthquake, Haiti's orphanages have become targets for people desperate for food, water and medical supplies. Dan Kaniewski, deputy director of GW's Homeland Security Policy Institute, says that security needs to be made a higher priority. Kaniewski explains that providing security resources is as equally important as providing all of the other kinds of aid in the country because security is essential for effective distribution.

Full report online: http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/01/21/haiti.orphanages.attacks/index.html
1/21/2010 A New Search for Consensus on Health Care Bill, The New York Times
Passage of a comprehensive bill looked impossible after the Democrats’ loss of a Senate seat in Massachusetts. As an alternative, lawmakers in both parties said, some pieces of the bills already passed by the House and the Senate could be pulled out and packaged together in a measure that would command broad support. GW's Sara Rosenbaum, J.D., Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy and chair of the Department of Health Policy, said the new proposals could still help as many as 15 million Americans.

Full report online: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/22/health/policy/22health.html
1/21/2010 Clinton, Warning China, Urges Internet Freedoms, Los Angeles Times
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently called for free access to the internet and said countries that attack information networks should face "consequences and international condemnation." Frank Cilluffo, director of GW's Homeland Security Policy Institute provided another perspective, saying that sometimes U.S. officials believe they need to monitor, or block, email traffic of suspected terrorists.

Full report online: http://www.latimes.com/dc-clinton-china22-20100121,0,2956784.story
A Nation in Crisis: Learning from the Past and Preparing for the Future
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1/21/2010 Gandhi's Hookworms, Foreign Policy
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) haven't just created a health crisis in the developing world -- they have spurred conflicts in some of the most unstable places on the planet. Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., GW Distinguished Research Professor and chair of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine, discusses NTDs and presents solutions for control and elimination.

Full report online: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/01/21/gandhis_hookworms?page=0,1
1/20/2010 Psychiatrists Predict Haitians Face Long-term Mental Health Issues, Voice of America
In addition to the challenges associated with rebuilding infrastructure, psychiatrists say that the mental health of thousands of Haitians will be an issue long after international aid workers have left the country. Lorenzo Norris, M.D., assistant professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at GW, believes most Haitians will eventually recover from the trauma, but some will need treatment. An estimated eight to 10 percent of the population could develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), brought on by exposure to an event such as the earthquake in Haiti.

Full report online: http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/americas/Psychiatrists-Predict-Haitians-Face-Long-term-Mental-Health-Issues-82150602.html
1/19/2010 Doctors changed diagnosis after woman said allergies weren't causing runny nose, The Washington Post
The fluid dripping from Rebecca Yates’ nose for the past 18 months was not mucus, but an alarming indication of a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak that had caused brain tissue to protrude from her skull. Yates’ rare and serious condition landed her in the hands of Dr. Ameet Singh, assistant professor of Surgery, who directs the GW Hospital's endoscopic pituitary and skull base surgery program along with Dr. Fabio Roberti, assistant professor of Neurological Surgery. Using minimally invasive technology, Dr. Singh successfully performed the surgery by removing the protruding brain matter and patching the leak through the same orifice that revealed the presenting problem—Yates’ nose.

Full report online: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/15/AR2010011503107.html
1/15/2010 Experts question U.S. terror alert system, CNN
Experts discuss the current color-coded Homeland Security Advisory System used to convey the national terror threat level. The system was implemented in March 2002 after the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. Frank Cilluffo, director of GW's Homeland Security Policy Institute, says that the system suffers from public cynicism and indifference and, in order for it to be effective, specific and concrete actions need to be conveyed.

Full report online: http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/01/15/homeland.security.terror.level/
1/15/2010 For emergency medical teams, time and coordination are of the essence in Haiti, The Washington Post
For emergency medical teams, time and coordination are of the essence in Haiti. Dr. Joseph Barbera, GW associate clinical professor of Emergency Medicine, associate professor of Engineering Management and co-director of GW's Institute for Crisis, Disaster and Risk Management, was interviewed. Dr. Barbera left for Haiti with a team from Fairfax County's Urban Search and Rescue Squad.

Full report online: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/14/AR2010011404674.html?hpid=topnews
Public Health Grand Rounds: Joshua Sharfstein Presents “Public Health and the FDA” read »
1/14/10 Haiti a nation in ruins, crying for help, The Globe and Mail
What would be a large-scale disaster at the best of times is made far worse because Haiti lacks any emergency responders of its own, says Daniel Kaniewski, deputy director of GW's Homeland Security Policy Institute. Although the first wave of emergency personnel will help, dispensing them to the devastated region will be “a drop in the bucket.”

Full report online: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/haiti-a-nation-in-ruins-crying-for-help/article1430454/
1/13/10 Haiti earthquake could trigger possible medical 'perfect storm,' CNN
Health experts warn the devastation caused by Tuesday's earthquake could decimate what fragile medical care exists and spawn a "perfect storm" in a country already struggling to fight rare tropical and infectious diseases. Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., distinguished research professor and chair of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine at GW says that because the disaster cut power, electricity and other utilities, people will be without clean drinking water and at greater risk of malnutrition and disease. The potential new mass of displaced persons could create crowded, unsanitary conditions that facilitate the spread of contagious respiratory infections.

Full report online: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/01/13/haiti.earthquake.medical.risks/
1/9/10 International cooperation a challenge for air security, The Washington Post
One of the greatest challenge to tightening aviation security worldwide lies in persuading foreign governments and airports to adopt its proposals, current and former U.S. officials said recently. While machines are "potentially helpful" as a last line of defense, they cannot replace good intelligence, effective use of watch lists and human vigilance, W. Ralph Basham said in a report issued by GW's Homeland Security Policy Institute.

Full report online: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/08/AR2010010803696_pf.html
1/9/10 The Terrorist Mind: An Update, The New York Times
What motivates people to kill themselves and innocent bystanders? GW's Jerrold Post, M.D., clinical professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, cites risk factors for violence, including “generational transmission” of extremist beliefs; a strong sense of victimization and alienation; the belief that moral violations by the enemy justify violence in pursuit of a “higher moral condition;” the belief that the terrorists’ ethnic, religious or nationalist group is special and in danger of extinction, and that they lack the political power to effect change without violence.

Full report online: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/weekinreview/10kershaw.html
1/8/10 Christmas Plane Attack Tests Defense, WTTG-TV Fox5
Daniel Kaniewski, deputy director of GW's Homeland Security Policy Institute, joins Fox5 to provide in-depth analysis of the Christmas Day bombing attempt and the Obama administration's response.

Full report online: http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/christmas-plane-attack-tests-defense-010810
1/07/10 Obama Orders Security Upgrade, USA Today
President Obama has ordered stepped up aviation security and released a declassified report on intelligence failures behind the Christmas Day bombing attempt of a Northwest flight over Detriot. Frank Cilluffo, director of GW's Homeland Security Policy Institute, discusses the nature of the report, saying it "compiles everything and puts it on one page which is obviously something they could not do on the 25th of December."

Full report online: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-01-07-obama-report_N.htm
1/06/10 Airport Security Measures Draw Accusations of 'Profiling,' Fox News
Frank Cilluffo, director of GW's Homeland Security Policy Institute, cites a number of signs that should have set off alarm bells for security officials in the Christmas Day bombing attempt of a Northwest plane over Detriot.

Full report online: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/01/06/airport-security-measures-draw-accusations-profiling/
TIP SHEET: GW Experts Available to Speak on Haiti Earthquake read »
PRESS RELEASE: GW School of Medicine and Health Science Students Expand After-Hours, Volunteer Medical Clinic, Establishing Most Expansive Student Run Clinic Network in Region read »
¡Trabajo Bien Hecho!: The GW Department of Surgery calls Mission in Guatemala a Job Well Done read »
TIP SHEET: Health Policy Experts to Comment on Health Reform, Insurance, Medicare and Medicaid read »

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