Beth Roscoe and Dr. Stoddard present work in AZ

Shriners researcher/prosthetist, Beth Roscoe, and plastic surgeon, Dr. Phil Stoddard,

presented their ground-breaking work on cleft palate repair in Scottsdale, Arizona last

month. At the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association conference, Beth and Dr. Stoddard

had a chance to chat with some of the 600-plus physicians and other medical professionals

who care for patients with cleft lip and palate. Dr. Stoddard told me that their poster,

"Accomodating Maxillary Growth by Computer-Aided Design and Manufacture of Serial

IntraOral Appliances -- A NEW Approach in the Treatment for Wide Cleft Lip and Palate",

was well received.

Shriners' Rally

April 19, 2007

Here are a few images from the Shriners' Rally. Hope some from WMHIC were able to make it, I could not - was away. From all I hear it was a perfect day for it and there was a sizeable crowd, including many local politicians. Many former and current patients at the hospital spoke to the importance of keeping the Shriners' Hospital open. Now we have to have confidence that the decision makers will make the right one!

Spring Meeting March 20, 2009

W.E.B. DuBois Library

University of Massachusetts

Amherst MA 01003

Although it was in fact the first day of Spring, it certainly was a bit chillier than we might have liked. On the other hand, as it was Spring Break on the campus, no one had problems finding parking or negotiationg the elevators to get to the 13th floor, and we did have a South facing view!

Emily Alling, Coordinator , Learning Commons & Undergraduate Library Services, presented a lively and informative WEB 2.0 applications session. Many of us are aware of all the tech apps that are out there, but it sets one to wondering just how can we find the time to learn and apply these apps in our own environments. It can get a bit overwhelming at times.

Our visit was capped with a tour of the Learning Commons on the lower level of the library. If you missed the meeting, I would encourage you to stop by the campus and visit the DuBois Library Learning Commons - futuristic. Caveat - go when classes are not in session!

March 20 Meeting Photos ~ More on the way

What's New @ PubMed?

On January 12, Lauri Fennell from NN/LM conducted a information/training session at BHS. There were about 10 folks in attendance. Fran Becker and Karen Dorval provided a very nice coffee klatch opportunity before the session. We all got to meet Ray Marcotte of the Elms who has taken Mary Courtney's spot as the the Elms representative to WMHIC.
Seems there have been a number of cosmetic and functional changes to the PubMed site and more are coming.
Lauri strongly recommended that we begin using the Advanced Search all the time. The single citation match will disappear - if it has not already. Those little icons in the result list are mostly history.
Also, Lauri noted that the whole structure and design of the cite is moving towards the Amazon/Google model and it is the National Technology Information Center that is controlling the functionality of the cite. In her discussion, she emphasized the utility of MyNCBI and regularly consulting the NLM Technical Bulletin. She also made note of the Special Queries page and the "Drug Sensor" and "Gene Sensor", commenting that more of these features are forthcoming.
It would be impossible to detail all of which she made note. For the training packet she distributed go to: http://nnlm.gov/training/resources/pubmedpacket.doc

Winter Meeting @ Shriners'

On Dec. 5, 2008, WMHIC held its Winter Meeting at the Shriners' Hospital for Children located in Springfield, MA. This particular meeting has become an annual event at the Shriners due to Susan Laforte's professional association with both the Hospital and WMHIC. Special guest speakers were Beth Roscoe, Research Specialist, and Debra Latour, Senior Occupational Therapist.
Beth presented a slide show and discussed a new cleft palate prosthesis designed and developed at the Springfield Shriners. To date it has been used with three children and has shown remarkable success. It is expected to be patented shortly. This prothesis will cut down on frequency of hosptial visits and will allow parents to be more directly involved with the correction.
Deb talked about her development of an "improved way of harnessing a body-powered prosthesis". She calls her invention "the button", technically it is known as the Ipsilateral Scapular Cutaneous Anchor. In use since 2006, the prosthesis is in patent-pending stage.
We were all just enthralled by both speakers. Both speakers really brought home to each of us just how much the Shriners' and the staff of their hospitals change childrens' lives. Thank you Beth and Deb.
We presented Janet Lussier with a "comfort" gift basket as she has left her postion with Baystate Health Systems @ Mary Lane in Ware. Janet will continue as an individual member. Our next meeting will be held at the DuBois Library , University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.
Happy Holidays to all

And the winner is. . .

. . .Elizabeth Schneider, Director of Mass General Hospital, won our raffle basket. By all accounts, it was a smashing sucess! Thanks to everyone who donated and made basket suggestions. We were a "hit" as they say and let's hope Elizabeth visits Western Mass soon!