Davis

Seattle’s global health organization PATH announced today that Steve Davis has been appointed president and CEO.

In his new position Davis will oversee PATH’s annual budget of $305 million, a staff of nearly 1,200, and a portfolio of projects based in PATH offices in 22 countries.

PATH projects include the development of an affordable meningitis vaccine, improved screening and treatment for HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, and low-cost filters for safe drinking water.

Davis comes to PATH  from McKinsey & Company, where he was global director of social innovation.

In that position, Davis led a global team that consults for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), governments, and the private sector, with a focus on global health and development, research and development, and Asia and Africa.

Previously, Davis was a long-term CEO of Corbis, a global digital media leader, and served as interim CEO of the Infectious Disease Research Institute, a nonprofit biotech working on vaccines, diagnostics, and drug discovery for infectious diseases of poverty.

His previous experiences also include serving as interim director of PATH’s India program, practicing law with K&L Gates, and working on refugee and human rights issues.

Mr. Davis earned his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, his master’s degree from the University of Washington, and his juris doctor from Columbia University.

Davis will join PATH on June 11 and be based at PATH’s Seattle headquarters.

He succeeds former president and CEO Dr. Christopher J. Elias, who led PATH through significant growth for ten years.

Dr. Elias left PATH in January to become president of the Global Development Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Flu virus - courtesy of NAIAD

The flu season has begun late this year in Washington state, but a recent uptick in cases indicate that the bug has arrived, Washington State Department of Health officials said Thursday.

Influenza season usually runs from November to March, peaking in mid-February in Washington state, but this year the season is off to a slow start.

Infection is common: Each year, about  5 to 20 percent of Americans come down with the flu, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),

Flu symptoms can resemble those of a cold but tend to be more severe, typically causing fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, headaches, and fatigue.

Although the vast majority of people recover from the flu, more than 200,000 Americans require hospitalization and about 36,000 die from the infection or its complications, such as a secondary pneumonias, each year.

Most healthy adults can spread the flu before they know they’re sick and for up to seven days after.

Children are two to three times more likely than adults to get sick and are more likely to spread the infection to others.

To avoid spreading the flu, people should wash their hands, cover their cough, and stay home if they’re sick, health officials said.

There is, however, still time to prevent infection by getting vaccinated, Washington state health officials said.

Who should get vaccinated?

Washington State health officials recommend a flu shot each year for everyone six months and older.

Pregnant women are at particularly high-risk of severe complications from flu infections. Vaccination not only can protect them, it also provides some protection for their child after birth.

Some children under age nine may need two doses about four weeks apart to be fully protected, they noted.

For more information about who is at risk and for who vaccination is most important go to www.flu.gov.

Treatment with antiviral drugs

• If you’re sick with flu, antiviral medications can lessen symptoms and help prevent serious complications. They work best when started quickly.

• People at high risk for complications who develop flu-like symptoms should contact their doctor promptly to see if they need medication.

• Those at high risk include people with certain medical conditions, pregnant women and women who recently gave birth, young children, and people 65 years and older.

Flu season is gaining momentum at a time when whooping cough is already very active in many communities in our state, sate health officials noted. Anyone can get whooping cough but it is most serious for infants.

All teens and adults should get a whooping cough booster, called Tdap vaccine, to help stop the spread of this disease and protect babies, they said.

To learn more:

• Go to Flu.gov

To find an immunization clinic:

• Call your healthcare provider,
• visit a local pharmacy,
• use the Department of Health Flu News website
• or call the Family Health Hotline at 1-800-322-2588.

The Flu Vaccine Finder is also a good resource.

The talks will be held 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. every Thursday of the month.

What’s Stress Got to Do with It? — February 2

Dr. Bonnie McGregor is a behavioral medicine pioneer interested in how psychological factors affect the health of our bodies and our minds. Hear how stress influences our vulnerability to disease, and how stress management techniques can help you reduce your own disease risk.

Stem-cell Therapy: The Hope, the Hype and the Real Potential – February 9

Join Drs. Beverly Torok-Storb, Tony Blau, Phil Horner and Chuck Murry in a discussion of stem-cell research. Learn about the different types of stem cells, common misunderstandings about stem-cell work, clinical therapies being explored and what these researchers envision for the future.

Cancer and Infectious Diseases: Making a Global Impact – February 16

Did you know that nearly a quarter of cancers around the world are infection caused or related? Meet Dr. Corey Casper, the force behind the Hutchinson Center’s research on infection-related cancers in Uganda. By focusing efforts in a country with a higher disease burden, we hope to understand how chronic infections lead to cancer, including why this happens in some of us and not in others.

Influenza: A Study in Evolution – February 23

Soon personal genomic sequences will be cheaper than personal computers. But genomic sequences don’t come with instruction manuals, so revealing what they tell us about evolution and disease remains a challenge. Dr. Jesse Bloom will take us on a journey along the evolutionary path followed by one influenza gene over the last 40 years, and reveal the obstacles and forces that shape genetic change as we attempt to understand evolution at the molecular level.

When:

Thursdays
February 2-23
7-8:30 pm

 Where:

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
1100 Fairview Ave. N., Seattle
Thomas Building
Pelton Auditorium

To Register go HERE.

Every week, KHN reporter Jessica Marcy selects interesting reads from around the Web.

TIME: Should Journals Describe How Scientists Made A Killer Flu?

In experiments conducted at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, researchers engineered a strain of H5N1. … The next logical step would be for the researchers to publish studies in major scientific journals, describing the newly created flu, including its genetic makeup. And that would mean that anyone with the proper scientific training — from another researcher to a terrorist — would likely be able to read the studies and potentially make the new H5N1 themselves. Cognizant of that risk, on Tuesday the U.S. government did an unprecedented thing: it asked scientific journals not to publish the details of the H5N1 experiments, for fear that the information could fall into the wrong hands and be used to create a bioweapon (Walsh, 12/21).

Image: 3-D model of the flu virus Credit: Dan Higgins/CDC

The New Republic: The Mandate Miscalculation

The story of the individual mandate is replete with ironies. (Barack) Obama spent much of the 2008 primary season denouncing the mandate, which Hillary Clinton supported.

At the time, Mitt Romney was strongly identified with the idea, which had been central to the reforms he introduced as governor of Massachusetts.

Four years later, Romney may be the nominee of a party that abhors the mandate, while Obama now defends it. Yet perhaps the greatest irony has to do with the mandate’s policy merits.

Many liberals assume that universal health care requires an individual mandate; but there are arguably better alternatives (Paul Starr, 12/14).

Salon: Why Women Have Second Trimester Abortions

Later abortions are no one’s ideal situation. … But as a new quantitative study from the Guttmacher Institute shows for the first time, most of these women aren’t living in ideal situations – they are likelier to be teens, to have less education and to have more disrupted lives.

The stereotype, says Susan Schewel, executive director of the Women’s Medical Fund in Philadelphia, is that women who have second-trimester abortions are “willfully irresponsible.But the women who call our help line are instead women who often are trying to be responsible, but their lives are so difficult. They have so many balls in the air, and more pressing financial needs – for example, housing. They just can’t manage everything” (Irin Carmon, 12/21).

American Medical News: Seven Land Mines Of Hospital Employment Contracts

For some physicians, a job with a hospital is a dream come true. A physician can practice medicine and have a steady paycheck, regular hours and none of the hassles that may come with a solo or small practice.

But to make it less likely that this dream will turn into a nightmare, physicians need not only read the contract but also be wary of potential land mines hidden within. …

Physicians tend to have more negotiating power when a hospital is trying to attract them rather than after several years of service, analysts said (Victoria Stagg Elliott, 12/19).

AARP Bulletin: The Case Of The Very Difficult Mother

Johnnie’s children and neighbors urged her to get medical help, but she refused. … Johnnie looked “real sick,” according to one EMT, and there was a strong odor of feces and urine.

At first, Johnnie would not leave, slapping at a paramedic and knocking off his glasses. Eventually, she agreed to go. When the ambulance personnel picked her up they saw feces, urine, pus and blood in the couch. Johnnie’s gown was covered with feces and urine, and she had bedsores. … After she left the hospital, Johnnie went to live in a nursing home.

On March 4, 2002, Stanley and Barbara were charged with one count of cruelty to the infirm. They argued that they did the best they could with their mother, despite her forceful refusals of help and her threatening manner. … Should Barbara and Stanley be charged with cruelty? How would you decide? (Robin Gerber, 12/19).

Illustration: Michal Zacharzewski

This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

Walgreens in Capitol Hill will offer flu shots at no charge to for adults and children age seven and older who are uninsured and cannot afford to pay.

Walgreens and Public Health – Seattle & King County are partnering to offer flu vaccinations at no charge on Saturday, Dec. 17 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Walgreens located at Broadway and Pine (1531 Broadway) on Capitol Hill in Seattle.

Vaccines will be offered at no charge for adults and children age seven and older who are uninsured and cannot afford to pay.

Health experts recommend that everyone get the flu vaccine to protect their health and the people around them.

The flu can cause significant lost time from work and school, as well as the expense of doctor visits. In some instances, it can also cause hospitalization and even death.

The flu clinic is an excellent opportunity for people who do not have health insurance to get a flu vaccination at no charge.

No appointments needed.

Date:

Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011

Time:

The flu clinic is open from 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. or until there is no more vaccine available.

Where:

Walgreens, 1531 Broadway, Seattle