Michael Hiltzik says the medically uninsured iin America have become a political football. Opponents and supporters of healthcare reform toss assertions about them back and forth.
The report, which says 46.3 million people lacked coverage as of the end of 2008, makes the case for reform stronger than ever by punching holes in arguments that minimize the plight of the uninsured.
Includes comments by WUSTL social work and public health professor Timothy McBride.

References:

1. Sept. 17, 2009 — U.S. Census Bureau data on the medically uninsured simply can't be denied in the Los Angeles Times

WUSTL economics professor David Levine says abolishing 'intellectual property' won't solve all social ills, but it would be a big step in the right direction for solving a range of problems from the high cost of health care, to innovating our way out of the current recession. In a series of posts with his co-author, WUSTL economics professor Michele Boldrin, they will be posting here about green technology, entertainment, free speech, multinationals, and innovation over the next weeks.

References:

1. Sept. 15, 2009 — Save the Whales! Abolish Patents! in the Huffingtonpost.com

U. of Georgia historian Stephen Mihm writes about the late WUSTL economist Hyman Minsky, who "has begun emerging as perhaps the most prescient big-picture thinker about what, exactly, we are going through. A contrarian amid the conformity of postwar America, an expert in the then-unfashionable subfields of finance and crisis, Minsky was one economist who saw what was coming. He predicted, decades ago, almost exactly the kind of meltdown that recently hammered the global economy. "

References:

1. Sept. 13, 2009 — Why capitalism fails in the The Boston Globe

Article on the impact of long-term unemployment.
One of those featured is Rick Rose, who lost his job at a non-profit.
After 15 months of unemployment, he was hired as marketing and communications manager for a new partnership between the Brookings Institution and the Olin Business School at WUSTL.
Includes comments by Jackson Nickerson, director of the Brookings-Olin partnership.

References:

1. Sept. 13, 2009 — Jobless, and Fighting Hopelessness in the The Washington Post

and 7 others.

How much is it going to cost to provide health care for all Americans? Until the details are complete, the only honest answer is: no one knows, reports John Schoen. "We know that the underinsured tend to be healthier," said Timothy McBride, associate dean for WUSTL's public health. "So if they were to get insured they would not be as expensive as the rest of us."

References:

1. Sept. 9, 2009 — Elusive price tag for universal health coverage in the MSNBC.com

Timothy Kuklo, a former U.S. Army surgeon, "voluntarily" resigned from WUSTL, effective Sept. 30, and "will have no clinical, research or educational duties for the university between now and that date," a spokeswoman for the university's medical school said in a statement.

References:

1. Aug. 20, 2009 — Surgeon accused of faking study resigns in the United Press International

and 1 others.

Health-reform moves proposed by the White House and pursued in Congress have largely steered clear of direct hits to the medical-technology sector, with one big exception: medical imaging.
Such proposals follow years of rapid growth for medical scanning that has provoked questions about overuse.
William Peck, who directs WUSTL's Center for Health Policy, suggests the House legislation needs to get at the causes of overuse, such as doctors hedging against the threat of malpractice suits.

References:

1. Aug. 14, 2009 — Medical Imaging Under The Gun In Health-Reform Push in the The Wall Street Journal

and 5 others.

Researchers suggest that unlike money, social experiences can provide happy memories, which don't wear away as fast as the rush of buying a new possession. But WUSTL [marketing professor Joseph Goodman] and a Texas colleague have found that negative experiences can have a more negative impact on happiness than other spending of a comparable amount.

References:

1. Aug. 5, 2009 — Happiness: Staying positive in negative territory in the USA Today

and 1 others.

Not taking some R&R could leave you carrying some heavy baggage down the line, bringing you and your company down. WUSTL entrepreneurship specialist Clifford Holekamp advises that shorter vacations are less stressful for small startups that are "very dependent on the founder to run the day-to-day operations."

References:

1. June 25, 2009 — Vacation: What the Heck Is That? in the MSN Money

Steve Jobs, who has been on medical leave from Apple Inc. since January to treat an undisclosed medical condition, received a controversial liver transplant in Tennessee about two months ago. The chief executive has been recovering well and is expected to return to work on schedule later this month, though he may work part-time initially. WUSTL pancreatic and gastrointestinal surgery professor William Hawkins and surgery professor William Chapman both comment.

References:

1. June 20, 2009 — Jobs Had Liver Transplant in the The Wall Street Journal

Since Facebook started giving out customized Web addresses last Friday, some 9.5 million people have rushed to grab their top choice. But for people signing up for these accounts, the battle over domain names is taking place in murky waters. WUSTL student Jeremy Fancer comments.

References:

1. June 18, 2009 — Keeping a True Identity Becomes a Battle Online in the The New York Times

and 3 others.

Since their advent in 1984, more than 50 American colleges and universities host business plan competitions, yielding prizes worth more than ever. Still, it's really not about the money, says Cliff Holekamp, a senior lecturer in entrepreneurship at WUSTL's Olin business school, which hosts multiple competitions, including the recently introduced Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition, a do-good variation with a $150,000 prize pool.

References:

1. June 11, 2009 — How to Win a Business Plan Competition in the The New York Times

In industry after industry, entrepreneur after entrepreneur is saying the same thing: Being first can surely be an advantage, but so can being second. Those who follow a market leader can actually be more successful in most cases, says WUSTL business strategy professor Anne Marie Knott, who discusses second-to-market advantages on the first day of her entrepreneurial studies class.

References:

1. June 9, 2009 — When Second Really Is the Best in the U.S. News & World Report online

Orthopaedic surgeon Timothy Kuklo, a former Army physician accused of falsifying research involving injured soldiers, has taken a leave of absence from WUSTL medical school and its affiliated hospitals.

References:

1. May 23, 2009 — Former Army Doctor Accused of Research Fraud Takes Leave From University in the The New York Times

and 6 others.

Public service has been a common theme at college commencement ceremonies around the country this past month. Sunday's CBS Evening News gives a sampling, including WUSTL's commencement speaker Wendy Kopp.

References:

1. May 24, 2009 — 2009 Commencement Address Highlights in the CBS Evening News

There has been much hand-wringing over the dangers of medical residents' grueling schedules. One recent study advised that a solution would be to reduce the length of their shifts. But many in the medical community, including residents themselves, worry that shorter shifts could come at the expense of educational opportunities and possibly even patient safety. Includes comments by WUSTL Department of Medicine chairman Kenneth Polonsky.

References:

1. May 21, 2009 — Are Medical Residents Worked Too Hard? in the Time.com

Influential Senator Charles Grassley is investigating a former Army surgeon who the Army says forged signatures and falsified data in a study touting the benefits of an implant from Medtronic. Orthopaedic surgeon Timothy Kuklo retired from the Army in 2007 and is now a professor of orthopedic surgery at WUSTL. WUSTL spokeswoman Joni Westerhouse comments.

References:

1. May 19, 2009 — Sen. Grassley investigating army surgeon who allegedly wrote bogus study of Medtronic graft in the Los Angeles Times

and 8 others.

A top Republican lawmaker has opened an inquiry into a former Walter Reed Army Medical Center doctor whom the Army has accused of falsifying a medical study involving a product made by Medtronic, a company for whom he works as a paid consultant. The doctor currently works as an associate professor at WUSTL Medical School.

References:

1. May 19, 2009 — Senator Seeks Data on Doctor Accused by Army of Falsifying a Product Study in the The New York Times

and 1 others.

According to the Army, WUSTL orthopaedic surgery professor Timothy Kuklo, a former surgeon at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, who is a paid consultant for a medical company, published a study that made false claims and overstated the benefits of the company's product in treating soldiers severely injured in Iraq. A WUSTL official declined to say whether it was investigating Dr. Kuklo but added that he remained on the faculty.

References:

1. May 13, 2009 — Doctor Falsified Study on Injured G.I.'s, Army Says in the The New York Times

and 9 others.

Matthew Herper reports on the controversy surrounding the FDA and its policy for approving new schizophrenia drugs. Includes comments by WUSTL psychiatry professor John Newcomer.

References:

1. May 8, 2009 — Is The FDA Easing Up? in the Forbes