Emory to Host World's Largest Collegiate Display of The AIDS Memorial Quilt Dec. 1

Emory University will host an 800-panel display of The AIDS Memorial Quilt on World AIDS Day, Tuesday, Dec. 1. Presented by Emory Hillel, the fifth annual "Quilt on the Quad" will take place on the Emory quadrangle from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., and will be the largest collegiate display and the second largest in the world that day. In the event of rain, "Quilt on the Quad" will be held on the fourth floor of the Woodruff P.E. Center.

The opening ceremony at 11 a.m. will feature a keynote talk by Sandra Thurman, president and CEO of the International AIDS Trust based in Atlanta at Emory's Rollins School of Public Health. She is one of the world's leading experts on AIDS issues, and in 1997 President Bill Clinton appointed her as director of the Office of National AIDS Policy. Thurman also is a former director of AID Atlanta. Following her talk, members of the Emory community will read the names of each individual memorialized by a quilt panel on the quad.

"The AIDS Quilt helps bring more than statistics to the HIV/AIDS epidemic; the Quilt brings a personal, emotional touch to the individuals whose lives were lost," says Emory College sophomore Alexey Abramov, co-organizer of Quilt on the Quad for Emory Hillel. "Until you really see the panels laid out on the campus quad with your own eyes, it's hard to imagine how traumatic and devastating this illness truly is. The Quilt best illustrates how HIV/AIDS does not just affect the victims of the illness, but the toll burdened by their families, friends and communities too."

Emory scientists and physicians also are at the forefront of research efforts to develop effective drugs and vaccines against HIV and AIDS. The Emory Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) is an official National Institutes of Health CFAR site. More than 120 faculty throughout Emory are working on some aspect of HIV/AIDS prevention or treatment.

Many of the scientists within the Emory Vaccine Center are focused on finding an effective vaccine against HIV, and a vaccine developed at the Vaccine Center and Yerkes National Primate Research Center is being tested nationally in a Phase II clinical trial. More than 94 percent of HIV patients in the U.S. on life saving antiviral therapy take a drug developed at Emory University.

The NAMES Project Foundation, Inc., is the international curator of The AIDS Memorial Quilt, now headquartered in Atlanta. The foundation was established in 1987 as a non-governmental organization with the mission of preserving, caring for and using The AIDS Memorial Quilt to inspire action, heighten awareness and foster healing in the age of AIDS.

The entire quilt weighs 54 tons and includes more than 47,000 panels dedicated to more than 91,000 individuals. In November 2005, the quilt was designated as one of "America's Treasures" and was awarded a "Save America's Treasures" federal grant that has established a conservation and preservation program for it.

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John Stossel to Speak at Emory Law Nov. 18

Former ABC News anchor John Stossel will speak at Emory University School of Law at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, in the school’s Tull Auditorium. The lecture is sponsored by the Emory Federalist Society in conjunction with the Emory College Republicans and the Young America's Foundation.

The lecture is free and open to the public. The law school is located at 1301 Clifton Rd., Atlanta, 30322, and parking is available at the adjacent Lowergate South Parking Deck on Gambrell Drive.

Stossel’s lecture, “Bashing Business,” will focus on the role of the free market and self-interest in a prosperous society. A short question-and-answer session and book signing will follow. Copies of Stossel’s books, "Myths, Lies and Downright Stupidity: Get Out the Shovel—Why Everything You Know is Wrong" and "Give Me a Break: How I Exposed Hucksters, Cheats, and Scam Artists and Became the Scourge of the Liberal Media," will be available for sale.

Stossel, a former co-anchor of ABC’s 20/20, is the winner of 19 Emmy Awards, the George Polk Award for Outstanding Local Reporting and the Peabody Award. He also has been honored five times by the National Press Club for excellence in consumer reporting. Stossel recently announced plans to headline a show on Fox News.

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New Emory Partnership Announced to Educate and Improve Access to Care for Atlanta-area Minorities with Diabetes

AADE, Emory University and Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute Partner to Educate and Improve Access to Care for Atlanta-area Minorities with Diabetes


/PRNewswire/ -- The American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) today announced the launch of an Atlanta-based program aimed at improving self-management of diabetes among minority populations. In partnership with Emory University's Latino Diabetes Education Program and the Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute, the program aims to advance diabetes education in Hispanic and African American populations and to improve clinical and behavioral outcomes. The announcement was made at the Association's annual meeting.

The program will be offered in the Chamblee neighborhood, which is served by the North DeKalb Health Clinic. The clinic is part of the satellite neighborhood network of clinics of Grady Health System in the Metro Atlanta area. Emory's Latino Diabetes Education Program is already serving the Latino community in this area, and will partner with Grady and AADE to implement this minority-specific model.

The "Increasing Access to Diabetes Self-Management Education as a Means of Decreasing Health Disparities in Minority Populations" project aims to:

-- Ensure high quality and culturally appropriate services for people
with diabetes by involving different members of the disease management
team including: physicians, educators, health promoters/community
health workers and other health care professionals.
-- Teach the basics of diabetes self management to populations often
lacking in education and community-focused support.
-- Build upon local program capacity to achieve desired clinical and
behavioral outcomes.

Individuals from minority communities that participate in this program will receive support and tools that will empower them to:

-- Improve their health and clinical outcomes.
-- Change behaviors, set goals and gain problem solving and healthy
coping skills.
-- Learn how to navigate the health care system to increase adherence to
evidence-based guidelines and reduce high-cost emergency department
utilization.

"This program is unique in that it promotes a team approach to diabetes care. Each member of the team -- physician, diabetes educator and community health worker -- supports and builds upon one another's work," said AADE President Marcia Draheim, RN, CDE. "Success will be measured by many factors including clinical improvements, behavioral outcomes, participation and patient satisfaction with the program."

Emory University School of Medicine and Grady Health System have been serving Latinos with diabetes through the Emory Latino Diabetes Education Program. "The program started over three years ago and has reached more than 750 Latinos with diabetes and their families," said Amparo Gonzalez, RN, CDE, director of the program. "This grant offers the opportunity to apply the successes and experiences that the Emory Latino Diabetes Education has had had with Latino community to the African American community."

The program is sponsored through a grant from the Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute.

Facts about Diabetes in Minority Populations

Diabetes disproportionately affects minority individuals, who comprise a significant segment of the U.S. population. For example, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Latinos represent the United States' largest minority group making up 14.8% of the population or 43 million people.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
-- Non-Hispanic whites: 14.9 million, or 9.8% of all non-Hispanic whites
aged 20 years or older, have diabetes.
-- Non-Hispanic blacks: 3.7 million, or 14.7% of all non-Hispanic blacks
aged 20 years or older, have diabetes.

Moreover, health disparities are increasing in the U.S. Individuals in African American and Hispanic neighborhoods, in particular, face many barriers to achieving successful self-management of their diabetes. These barriers are attributable to structural factors (e.g., lack of sidewalks or access to food stores with affordable produce) as well as the cultural, socio-economic, and literacy characteristics of the people living there.

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New, Faster Way to Diagnose, Fight Flu

Researchers at Emory University are using a new and faster method of rapidly producing highly targeted monoclonal antibodies for use in diagnostic tests as well as a temporary therapy to stave off infectious diseases such as the H1N1 (swine flu) virus.

Rafi Ahmed, PhD, director of the Emory Vaccine Center and a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar, and his collaborators generated high-affinity monoclonal antibodies against a strain of the influenza virus only a month after vaccinating human volunteers.

This new, timely technique allows researchers to quickly generate human antibodies against a pandemic flu strain as a stopgap therapy or to protect people from infection.

The antibodies, which can be isolated from a small amount of blood of humans infected with the virus, could be targeted against H1N1 and rapidly reproduced to detect or attack the virus. The monoclonal antibody technology was described last year in the journal Nature and is being developed in collaboration with scientists at the University of Chicago.

Not only is the new method quicker and less cumbersome, the researchers' new technique could be applied to almost any infectious disease, says Ahmed.

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"Safety-Net" Hospitals Need Support to Survive

Health care reform may make life easier for low-income Americans in the future, but for now, it’s “safety-net” hospitals that need rescuing in order to serve the needs of millions of uninsured patients and meet the disaster response needs of communities, say experts in the June 18, 2009 New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

Safety-net hospitals are typically found in areas in which the uninsured are concentrated – inner-city neighborhoods and economically depressed rural communities. Private hospitals with a large base of paying patients can shift their relatively modest costs of uncompensated care onto other patients’ bills, safety-net hospitals have little capacity for shifting costs.

Nearly 30 years ago, the federal government developed a plan to partner with states to provide supplemental Medicaid payments to facilities that provided a disproportionate share of care to the uninsured and Medicaid beneficiaries. These facilities came to be called “disproportionate share hospitals (DSHs)” and the supplements were called DSH payments.

But in the years that followed, many state governments figured out how to exploit loopholes in the program to secure large federal DSH payments and direct the money to other purposes. After several cycles of reform, most of these abuses have been eliminated, but wide disparities in DSH payments persist.

“Over the years, the program has had its flaws, but the DSH funds that finally reach safety-net hospitals are vital to their survival,” says Arthur L. Kellermann, MD, MPH, professor of emergency medicine and associate dean, Emory University School of Medicine. In addition to providing ‘safety net’ care, these institutions play several vital roles in their communities.”

Kellermann and co-author Michael Spivey, JD, a principal with Spivey/Harris Health Policy Group, say in the NEJM Perspective article that four changes to the federal law would allow the DSH program to achieve its original purpose.

“First, we believe that DSH funding should be restricted to truly disproportionate providers,” the authors say. “The legislative clause that deems certain hospitals to be DSH facilities should be revised so that DSH payments can be made only to these facilities.” Currently, state governments can direct DSH payments to hospitals that provide little or no charity care if they choose to do so.

Second, say Kellermann and Spivey, the flexibility given to states to designate special classes of DSH providers should be eliminated. They believe that states should not be allowed to favor certain hospitals over those that provide a greater proportion of uncompensated care. DSH payments should be based on a single, uniform method.

Third, because trauma and emergency care are vital to public safety, a hospital should be required to operate an emergency department and participate in its state’s trauma system to receive DSH funds.

Fourth, large DSH hospitals that anchor their region’s disaster plan should receive supplemental funds, provided that they meet strict performance and readiness criteria. A portion of current federal DSH money - perhaps 10 percent - should be held back and awarded for this purpose through competitive grants.

“By allocating federal funds to hospitals that need them most, the reforms we propose would go a long way toward correcting the program’s deficiencies,” say Kellermann and Spivey.

The authors acknowledge that they could have gone farther with their recommendations.

“Our proposals do not correct historical inequities in the allocation of DSH funds among the states,” they concede. “Attempts to do so would probably trigger a legislative battle that would doom any chance for reform.

“Until fundamental health care reform is achieved, millions of low-income Americans will remain dependent on safety-net facilities for care,” say the authors. “Everyone - insured and uninsured alike - benefits from the specialized services, medical education, and trauma and disaster care that many safety-net hospitals provide. Today, DSH is needed more than ever. The program is broken, but we believe it can and should be fixed.”

From Woodruff Health Sciences Center News

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Seeking Work? Why HR Recruiters Embrace Job Fairs

With the U.S. unemployment rate hovering at 9.4% for May, it would seem that companies could do without attending job fairs to attract job prospects. Yet the large number of applicants flooding each advertised position actually prompts many employers to attend job fairs, says Tom Smith, assistant professor in the practice of finance at Emory University's Goizueta Business School.

“With so many people out of work, employers have a better candidate pool, but there’s a lot of noise too,” he says. “Are these people unemployed just because of the economy, or do they have other problems? One way to cut through the noise is meeting with them and talking with them briefly.” Smith adds that attending a job fair can be less expensive for the company than posting an employment ad, and it is also a way for the companies to advertise themselves to jobseekers.

This last point was echoed by Yolanda Hawkes, director of talent acquisition for packaging company RockTenn, who attended Goizueta’s Alumni and Executive MBA Career Fair in March, seeking to fill a director of benefits position, among others. “It’s good branding and you may get in front of someone who did not see your posting on an internet site,” she says.

Kerry McArdle, a Goizueta MBA alum and director of category planning at Coca-Cola Enterprises who also recruited at the fair, agrees. “It’s an efficient way to be exposed to a lot of people in a short time. This job fair worked out well for us. We found people who were a potential fit for the open position [category analyst] and for other positions at our company.”

Vital to sustain the talent pool

Another reason recruiters still flock to career fairs, says Earl Hill, senior lecturer in organization & management at Goizueta Business School, is to maintain ties with prospective employees. “If you turn off the pipeline when you have employees, it’s harder to start it up again when you need people,” Hill observes. “Plus you never know when you will run into a superstar.”

“I’ve had clients come back to me three or six months down the road and ask if candidate A is still available,” says David Shelly, senior vice president at executive search firm firstPRO and a Goizueta career fair attendee. “So you can look at [job fairs] two ways: there may be an immediate need, or you’re planting seeds for the future.”

Shelly’s clients have become more selective, he notes. “It used to be that having six to seven out of 10 job requirements would get you an interview. Now it’s gone up to eight to nine.” Nevertheless, he says clients have a misperception that with so many job seekers out there, they can take their time and lowball salaries. “The standout candidates still get snapped up and command high salaries and multiple offers.”

One drawback to traditional job fairs is the sheer size of the crowds, which can number in the thousands during a time of economic downturn. “Often, you get a mix between people who are qualified and those who just want to drop off a resume,” says Hawkes. “And you have to assess someone in three to five minutes, which is hard.”

Indeed, Goizueta prefers to involve its students in forums, where companies post for specific positions and students apply ahead of time for them. “This is more concrete and focused,” says Wendy Tsung, associate dean and executive director of Goizueta's MBA Career Management Center.

At Goizueta’s Alumni and Executive MBA Career Fair, about 115 students and alumni participated in a “speed dating” format, where a small group of candidates spoke with two or three company representatives for 20 minutes and then moved on to another table. Danielle Rubenstein, associate director, alumni career services, says this style of job fair offers an opportunity for more intimate conversation than the traditional standing in line.

The format seems to have paid off. “People are still in the interview process with some companies, but it looks like at least 10% to 15% may have gotten jobs through the fair,” she says.

Jobs are available

In truth, job fairs continue to flourish because employers still have positions to fill. According to firstPRO's Shelly, there is still a need for employees in the supply chain job market. Another recruiter at Goizueta's Alumni and EMBA job fair, Marcia Englefield of AXA, a financial protection company, says her firm is seeking financial advisors. Englefield, a Goizueta MBA alumna, is actively participating at other job fairs, as well, and she says she thought finding eager candidates would be easier. “Interest is up, but the position is 100% commission-based, so some people, even if they do not have a job, may not want to take the risk.”

Tsung notes that while companies’ hiring goals for MBA grads have decreased overall, there have been increases in the areas of healthcare and nonprofits.

“A lot of students think getting an MBA is a safe haven on the sidelines until the market gets better,” she continues. “But that’s not the reality. Recruiters are looking for people who are extremely proactive, self-starters who really have a passion for their area of specialty. Jobs are out there. You just have to find them.”

For those hoping to stand out at a job fair, recruiters offer these tips:

Research the companies and the positions they are recruiting for ahead of time. “Having to explain what our company does lessens the time we have to talk about you,” says Hawkes. Not to mention the poor impression it gives the recruiter.
Bring a resume and an addendum, advises Shelly. The latter is a page with 5 –10 bullet points showing career highlights that directly relate to the position you are interested in.
Pitch two specific previous experiences that directly relate to the position you want. “If someone says to me, ‘here’s something I did before at another job or in class that will fit in with your needs,' that would really stand out,” says McArdle.
Before getting in line, pick up some of the glossy material at the company booth and take a few steps back, advises collegegrad.com. Not only do you have some valuable pre-interviewing material in hand, you also have an opportunity to hear the conversation between the recruiter and another job-seeker. This is excellent preparation for your turn at the booth.
Don’t give up. Get the recruiter’s business card and follow up if you don’t hear anything. “Have faith and be persistent,” says Hawkes.

From Knowledge@Emory

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What's Ahead for the Global Auto Industry?

Over the course of just a few months, the profile of the U.S. automobile industry has changed in profound ways as GM and Chrysler, two of the Big Three American carmakers, have filed for bankruptcy. The most immediate, visible effects are likely to involve direct and indirect job losses as manufacturing plants are shut down and car-parts suppliers and other vendors go out of business.

Under a “best case” scenario--a relatively smooth and easy bankruptcy and emergence for the two industrial titans--the U.S. auto industry is likely to lose 60,000 jobs by the end of this year, growing to about 179,000 in 2010, according to a Center for Automotive Research study. The bankruptcies and their ripple effects also will shrink the U.S. economy by $3.4 billion in 2009, and by another $9.9 billion in 2010, according to the CAR study.

But the industry also will undergo other significant strategic and tactical changes, says Jagdish Sheth, chaired professor of marketing at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and auto industry consultant whose works include The Rule of Three: Surviving and Thriving in Competitive Markets and The Self-Destructive Habits of Good Companies...And How to Break Them. In a recent interview with Knowledge@Emory, Sheth discusses the latest developments within the industry and the likely outcomes.

Knowledge@Emory: Your “Rule of Three” observes that in almost every mature industry, the natural competitive forces through shakeouts and mergers end up in three large companies as full line suppliers surrounded by many small niche companies. Until recently, the U.S. auto industry was dominated by GM, Ford Motor and Chrysler. With two of them filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, what happens to the Rule of Three?

Sheth: Nothing. The Rule of Three is still valid because the automotive industry, like many others, is no longer a domestic industry, but a global one. We have already seen this in the tire industry. At one time, the U.S. was dominated by Goodyear, Firestone, and B.F. Goodrich. In Europe, the big three were Michelin, Dunlop, and Pirelli. But today’s global tire market is dominated by Bridgestone (Japan), Michelin (Europe) and Goodyear (US). Something similar will happen in the auto market, and we will see three companies from different markets dominating the global auto industry, while others will operate in niche segments.

Knowledge@Emory: Which American companies will likely become global players?

Sheth: First, let us consider what is happening now. Chrysler is not just bankrupt, but is being sold to Fiat. It will get consolidated into a global play. So in the U.S., we are really talking about Ford and GM.

Knowledge@Emory: Which of these two American automakers is likely to dominate the global stage?

Sheth: Ford may be one of them, but only if it makes some strategic international mergers or acquisitions. Ford needs more of a global reach, and may have to merge with a European company; although now that the Nissan-Renault alliance is under strain, there might be a merger of Renault or Peugot with Ford.

If Ford cannot follow through with a significant merger or acquisition, then I think a European carmaker, perhaps Volkswagen, is likely to emerge as a global player; but only after it completes additional mergers such as the one with the owner of the Audi brand [in the 1960s].

Knowledge@Emory: Which carmaker will be the third major player?

Sheth: As things stand, Toyota will be the best candidate. It is already the dominant brand in Japan, which is a big market, and it is active in other Asian markets, such as China and India. Toyota is also entrenched in the United States and in Europe.

Knowledge@Emory: With two of the Big Three U.S. automakers effectively sidelined, will there be any competitive pressure on foreign automakers to maintain or expand their U.S. manufacturing operations?

Sheth: Importing a fully built vehicle is usually not very cost efficient. It means that millions of dollars sit idle as inventory is shipped to a destination, and then further delayed in warehousing and distribution. Instead, as car companies become increasingly globalized, they will find it more efficient to source components globally, while setting up localized assembly facilities. This is similar to the industrial model that PC makers already utilize. But to make this global model work, automakers must improve their supply chain management capabilities. Right now there are still too many delays and other inefficiencies.

Knowledge@Emory: Let’s go back to GM. If it emerges from bankruptcy as a much smaller company, does it still have any competitive advantage?

Sheth: Yes, but not as a carmaker. Instead, GM’s key assets are its capabilities. One of them is OnStar. Right now OnStar is known primarily for its roadside assistance communications, but it can be a key player as automobiles evolve through vehicle telematics, or the integration of sending, receiving and storing multimedia information (voice, data, video) through Internet connectivity. Eventually, vehicles will trade information with each other to reduce traffic accidents and congestion, and will serve as communication centers linking individuals to everything from their home security system to their kitchen appliances.

Knowledge@Emory: These are all innovative ideas, but the U.S. government effectively owns GM right now. Do you think the company can be nimble and responsive when it’s owned by politicians?

Sheth: First, I do not think the federal government wants to be involved in day-to-day management. Instead, I believe the government will act as an institutional investor, setting financial goals and governance targets that will encourage the company to get itself back on track. There is some evidence to suggest that is what happened in the banking bailout. The government initially provided huge sums of money to banks when it loaned money at high interest rates through the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). But the governance requirements and interest rates were so onerous—intentionally so—that banks were incentivized to quickly take steps on their own to raise capital and pay back the TARP funds. Similarly, I think the federal government will quickly move to sell off its stake in GM, or orchestrate a merger or acquisition with a foreign or a private equity company.

Knowledge@Emory: What will increasing globalization mean to the dealership model?

Sheth: I have said before that there are too many dealers and that the traditional model—where state laws often protect dealers’ franchises—is not tenable. But this excess is now being rationalized by GM and Chrysler, which are using their respective bankruptcies to circumvent the state franchise protection laws.

I anticipate more superdealers to emerge, similar to American Nalley of Brunswick and Hennessey Auto Cos. in Georgia [and Reedman-Toll in Pennsylvania]. I also expect we’ll see more regional and national dealers like CarMax and AutoNation.

The automobile industry is changing significantly, and while the developments may cause some initial dislocation, the changes are necessary and will result in greater efficiencies in the long term.

From Knowledge@Emory

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Rare Emory Books Part of New York City Exhibition

Two of Emory University's libraries are contributing items to a New York City exhibition showcasing 16th century Biblical illustrations this summer, and the exhibition will come to Emory's Carlos Museum in the fall.

“Scripture for the Eyes: Bible Illustration in Netherlandish Prints of the Sixteenth Century” is the first major exhibition to explore the form, function and meaning of printed biblical images produced in the 16th-century Low Countries.

The exhibition runs June 5–Sept. 27, 2009, at the Museum of Biblical Art (MOBIA) in New York City, and Oct. 17, 2009–Jan. 24, 2010 at the Carlos Museum on the Emory campus in Atlanta.

Emory's Pitts Theology Library contributed five of the eight volumes comprising the Antwerp Polyglot Bible, published in the 16th century by Christopher Plantin, one of the greatest early printers, says Pat Graham, director of Pitts.

Richly colored woodcuts

“In addition to its scholarly value for biblical studies, this particular copy with its richly colored woodcuts is a stunning work of art and a suitable tribute to this pioneer [Plantin] of 16th-century book illustration,” says Graham.

The Antwerp Polyglot Bible is perhaps the most significant item loaned by Emory, says Walter Melion, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Art History at Emory and co-curator of the exhibit. Polyglot means it was published in several different languages, such as Latin, Hebrew, Greek, Syriac and Aramaic, side by side in the same Bible.

“We have one of the most beautiful copies,” says Melion. “It’s a grand folio book, so it’s very large. And several of the volumes have exquisite pictorial title pages. Ours is really extraordinary because they have several pages that are hand-colored.”

Other rare works from Emory

Two other books are from Emory's Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Books Library (MARBL): "Humanae Salutis Monumenta" (“Monuments of Human Salvation”), published in 1571, and "Septem Psalmi Davidici," a bound series of prints depicting the seven penitential psalms, published prior to 1604. The libraries are also contributing digital images of a few pages from the books for a catalog to accompany the items on display.

Melion says "Humanae Salutis Monumenta" by Benito Arias Montano is the first Catholic scriptural emblem book – a collection of images and descriptive text.

“Emblems were a way of thinking through topics by meditating on the complex dynamics of a mutually interactive image and text,” he says. “This is one of the very earliest emblem books. It’s a very rare thing indeed, and it’s in beautiful condition.”

Antwerp engravings

"Septem Psalmi Davidici" features prints created by Hieronymus Wierix, considered among the greatest engravers of the time. Each scene is surrounded by an elaborate border composed of the entire text of the penitential psalms, says Melion.

“They are seven of the finest engravings produced in Antwerp in the 16th century in terms of technique and skillful execution,” says Melion. “They’re also very inventive in the way they explain the penitential psalms and relate them to the Passion of Christ.”

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Will Over-Regulation Hamstring U.S. Competitive Advantage?

For decades, American presidents from both sides of the political aisle have steadily relaxed regulations governing areas from pollution to finance.

But as the U.S. faces its worst economy since the Great Depression—and with a new president who champions a stepped-up role for government—President Obama’s administration appears poised to move aggressively on a number of fronts: from reigning in the finance segment—including the formerly nearly ungoverned hedge fund market, to embracing new strategies to cut emissions.

A bigger dose of regulation may indeed be in order, say faculty from Emory University and its Goizueta Business School. But they also caution that heavy-handed oversight could pose fresh threats to financial institutions and to other struggling industries.

A new direction for regulation

”From Ronald Reagan onward, the general movement was in the direction of less government regulation,” observes William W. Buzbee, a professor of law at Emory’s School of Law and director of the institution’s Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program. “We will see more regulation under President Obama, but it took a long time for the economy to weaken, and it will take a long time to develop and implement the tighter rules.”

Financial institutions in particular will have to get used to the idea of more oversight, according to Buzbee.

“Many banks went over the edge when it came to overly liberal mortgage lending and exotic mortgage-linked securities, while hedge funds gambled too much on derivatives and other investment instruments,” he says. “The collapse of many companies has increased the momentum to reign in excesses.”

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner struck a similar note in his late-March written testimony to the House Financial Services Committee.

“The crisis of the past 18 months has exposed critical gaps and weaknesses in our regulatory system,” said Geithner. “As risks built up, internal risk management systems, rating agencies and regulators simply did not understand or address critical behaviors until they had already resulted in catastrophic losses. This crisis has made clear that certain large, interconnected firms and markets need to be under a more consistent, and more conservative regulatory regime.”

During his first few months in office, much of Obama’s attention has been focused on economic challenges. But during the presidential campaign, Obama also addressed environmental, healthcare and other issues. Buzbee thinks those issues will not stay sidelined very long.

“The recession has slowed the momentum for legislation targeting climate change,” he says. “Also, to make people pay for greenhouse gas emissions and encourage use of alternative energy sources could raise prices in the short-term, so those efforts too are on a slower track right now. But Obama is not likely to drop them from his agenda.”

In fact, says Buzbee, although industry lobbyists have already mounted a strong push against increased environmental and financial regulation, Obama is likely to get strong public support for some of the changes.

“The recent national recall of peanut products due to salmonella contamination concerns has a lot of people worried,” explains Buzbee. “So the support is there for expanded federal Food and Drug Administration activity. Also, the high number of Americans without health insurance—and the heavy costs to business under our current system—is likely to generate support for new legislation on that front.”


How far does Obama’s mandate go?

Obama may have a clear mandate for change, particularly when it comes to the financial industry, but will he go too far and make U.S. institutions less competitive?

“There is some concern that the administration is using the bank bailout as an excuse to dictate too much to the industry,” according to Narasimhan Jegadeesh, a chaired professor of finance at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. “The salary restrictions and the prohibitions on hiring H-1B visa holders [both imposed on banks that received Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP funds], make some banks jump through very strict hoops and could end up damaging their ability to compete in a difficult market.”

Jegadeesh is quick to point out, however, that he’s not condemning any additional regulation. Instead, it’s a matter of degrees.

“Some enhanced oversight would not hurt,” he says. “For example, perhaps there should be restrictions on insured assets—like accounts that are covered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp—that prevent banks from investing them in risky securities.”

Hedge funds may also be subject to more rules—or at least more transparency, according to Treasury Secretary Geithner.

In the wake of the Bernard Madoff pyramid scheme, “it is clear that, in order to protect investors, we must close gaps and weaknesses in regulation of investment advisors and the funds they manage,” noted Geithner.

“Hedge fund investments are usually limited to wealthy people who should be sophisticated enough to take care of themselves,” says Jegadeesh. “But it would not hurt to require more disclosure, particularly about risk exposures. It’s still too early to determine how far the Obama administration will take regulation, but there is a general concern that restrictions in general can tie industries’ hands and weaken their competitive advantage.”

One concern is that the government may impose heavy regulation on the “low hanging fruit,” or easily visible targets like hedge funds, according to Kevin M. Crowley, an adjunct lecturer of finance at Goizueta.

“Some activity, like credit swaps, collateralized debt obligations and other derivatives that are not very transparent and that were traded with minimal regulations, probably should be subject to greater regulation,” he says. “But plans to increase taxes on money funds’ offshore profits may go too far, and could hinder the investment activity of U.S.-based funds.”

Unintended consequences and moral hazard

In fact, some “heavy handed” government regulation is already resulting in unintended consequences, says Klaas Baks, an assistant professor of finance at Goizueta and director of the Emory Center for Alternative Investments.

“The bonus and salary restrictions placed on banks that accepted TARP money represented a fairly crude measure,” he says. “Performance-based bonuses tend to align employees’ incentives with the interests of shareholders and incidentally, with the government, too. Even if the bonuses during Wall Street’s heyday were not perfectly structured to achieve this alignment, killing these bonuses altogether eliminates the link between the parties.”

Additionally, in the long run, says Baks, “people will follow the best economic opportunities,” so the banking segment is likely to lose valuable talent.

Part of the problem with the Obama administration’s efforts is that “you can’t simply regulate away losses,” says Tarun Chordia, a chaired professor of finance at Goizueta. “The optimal level of loan losses in a bank’s portfolio is not zero.”

Chordia says he can understand the concern among the president’s advisers, but adds that research indicates too much regulation can also hurt the economy.

In addition, Chordia worries about politicizing agencies that are supposed to exercise independent judgment.

“The Federal Reserve is getting more involved in market functions [like directly lending money to Wall St. firms and purchasing some mortgage-backed securities] than it ever did before,” he says. “So far the Fed has retained its independence, but will it stay that way? Its deep involvement with markets could leave it more susceptible to political pressure.”

There is better way, according to Goizueta’s Crowley.

“In a healthy free market, capital should flow to the strongest institutions and best management teams,” he says. “When the government interferes with the free market, this process is distorted. Sick companies and weak management teams are supported, and healthy competitors and strong, prudent managers are denied growth capital.”

Some observers, for example, have argued that the federal government should have saved former Wall Street powerhouse Lehman Brothers Inc. from liquidation. But that would be the wrong move, Crowley argues.

“According to this view, we could have avoided much of the market turmoil if Lehman had been protected,” he says. “In my view, this is not clear. We really do not know what the market reaction would have been if another sick company were propped up. And any potential short-term benefit of protecting insolvent banks would be offset in the long run by a financial system that lacks the necessary market disciplines of both risk and reward. Moral hazard would increase, and institutions would continue to take out-sized risks expecting that the government would shelter them from pain.”

In general, “a heavy regulatory hand could crimp the market, causing financial distortions and creating moral hazards,” he says. “Perhaps the best approach is simply to let people pay dearly for their own sins."

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King Tut Exhibit Closing Soon

The people of Atlanta have a final opportunity to see "Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs" during extended hours for the last two weeks of its run at the Atlanta Civic Center. This exhibition of Tutankhamun’s treasures, on view till May 17, 2009, features more than 130 extraordinary objects from the greatest eras of Egyptian history. The companion exhibition "Wonderful Things: The Harry Burton Photographs and the Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun" at the Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University has been extended through July 26, 2009.

Extended hours at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center for the Tutankhamun exhibition begin May 1:

Monday- Thursday: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. (last ticket sold); exhibition closes at 7:30 p.m.
Friday-Sunday: 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. (last ticket sold); exhibition closes at 9 p.m.
Matinee pricing Mondays-Thursdays from noon until close is available for $15, and packages of tickets for a family of four are $46. For more information about visiting and tickets, visit www.kingtut.org or www.carlos.emory.edu. Carlos Museum members receive untimed tickets at $12, and members at a certain level and above get two free tickets. Admission to the Carlos Museum for"Wonderful Things" is a donation of $7.

As one of the last Egyptian-themed events during the exhibition’s run, Dr. Peter Lacovara, Carlos Museum’s curator of ancient Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern Art, will conduct a tour of revival art and architecture in Atlanta at the Fox Theatre, Oakland Cemetery, and the High Museum on May 9, 2009. The chartered coach for the"Egyptomania in Atlanta Bus Tour" will leave the Carlos Museum at 9:30 a.m. Participants will enjoy a picnic lunch on the grounds of Atlanta’s Oakland Cemetery. Fee: $40 for Museum members; $50 for non-members. To register, call 404.727.4280.

"Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs" includes many artifacts never before seen in the United States, featuring more than 130 extraordinary objects from the reign of Tutankhamun and the most significant pharaohs who ruled the Nile throughout 2,000 years of history. "Wonderful Things" brings to Atlanta 60 photographs showcasing the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun from 1922. These photographs not only bring to life the excitement of the discovery and excavation of the tomb, but also highlight Harry Burton’s artistic genius as he captured some of the most evocative images ever put on film. Visitors will see how the photographs were taken, the way in which they were used, and how they captured the imagination of the world. This companion exhibition also carries objects on view from the Carlos Museum’s renowned Charlotte Lichirie Collection of Ancient Egyptian art, known for its mummies and coffins spanning over 3,000 years including the oldest Egyptian mummy in the Americas.

Developed in partnership with Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University, "Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs" is organized by National Geographic, Arts and Exhibitions International and AEG Exhibitions with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities. Northern Trust is the presenting sponsor and American Airlines is the official airline.

Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center Location: 395 Piedmont Avenue, NE, Atlanta, GA 30308 Telephone: 404.880.3242 Hours: Monday- Thursday: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. (last ticket sold); exhibition closes at 7:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday: 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. (last ticket sold); exhibition closes at 9 p.m.

Michael C. Carlos Museum Location: 571 South Kilgo Circle, Atlanta, GA 30322, U.S.A. Telephone: 404.727.4282 Fax: 404.727.4292 Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sunday 12 noon - 6 p.m. (Closed on Mondays and university holidays) Admission: $7 donation. Free for Carlos Museum members and Emory University faculty, students, and staff. Public Tours: Free docent-led tours of the Museum depart from the Rotunda on Level One every Sunday at 2:30 p.m. during the Emory academic year (call 404.727.4282 to confirm).


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From Swine Flu to Dengue Fever: Infectious Disease Risks on the Rise

Emory University environmental studies professor Uriel Kitron was in Australia last week, assisting health authorities in an outbreak of dengue fever in the state of Queensland, when news broke about the swine flu epidemic in Mexico.

Global travel and human alterations to the environment, such as rapid urbanization, are helping to fuel some infectious diseases outbreaks, says Kitron, also chair of the environmental studies department at Emory and an internationally known researcher of the eco-epidemiology of infectious diseases. Kitron's research focuses on vector-borne diseases carried by insects and ticks and the zoonoses – diseases shared by humans and animals.

"In many developing countries, people are moving from rural areas to mega-cities, where they continue to practice subsistence agriculture," Kitron says. "Whenever you have large concentrations of people, domestic animals and poor sanitation and water supply, you have many opportunities for disease transmission."

Deforestation and other human changes to the landscape are other drivers of emerging infectious diseases, he added. "For example, when you bring agriculture into formerly forested areas, you change the migration patterns of animals and expose people and their livestock to more contact with wildlife," he explains.

Stemming Dengue Fever in Australia

Unusually hot, wet weather, a rapidly developing strain of the dengue virus, and a human traveler created "a perfect storm" for dengue fever in Queensland, Australia – which is experiencing its worst outbreak in two decades. About 1,000 people have become ill with the mosquito-borne illness. Dengue fever causes severe headaches and joint pain, and exposure to a second strain can result in hemorrhagic fever and death.

Kitron joined other experts in assisting Queensland health authorities. Kitron specializes in spatial epidemiology – using geographic information systems (GIS) and other methods to gather environmental data and create maps to pinpoint disease agents and their vectors in time and space.

The outbreak was traced to a patient who had recently traveled to Papua, New Guinea. "Although quite sick, he didn't go to a doctor for several weeks," Kitron says. "Whenever you have a lag time in diagnosis like that, you miss opportunities to prevent the spread of an outbreak."

Queensland's public health efforts – combined with cooler, drier weather – appeared to have stemmed the dengue fever outbreak for now. However, Kitron says the virus may be re-introduced, or could over-winter and re-emerge in the next hot season.

The Queensland government is now considering investing in spatial analysis software. Kitron plans to return for a workshop on using the technology to aid in the response for future outbreaks.

"Use of GIS and spatial statistics can help health authorities determine which cases are more likely to lead to other cases, so that they can better target which houses should be sprayed for mosquitoes immediately, and which ones can wait," Kitron explains.

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Holocaust Web Site at Emory Launches Non-English Versions

Holocaust Denial on Trial (HDOT.org), a Web site founded by Emory University professor Deborah Lipstadt to help readers identify and reject Holocaust denial, is launching in four new languages: Arabic, Farsi, Russian and Turkish. These translations are designed to spread the original site's messages to areas where Holocaust denial goes the most unchallenged.

According to Dr. Lipstadt, over the past few years there has been a serious increase in online Holocaust denial. "Deniers are attacking the entire history of the Holocaust piece by piece. Our site puts basic, easily accessible information into the hands of people encountering sophisticated content designed to confuse them," says Lipstadt.

At each of the new sites, visitors will be greeted by a complete parallel home page, site navigation and content in their language of choice. They will be able to search the site's database in the new languages as well. "This project significantly expands the reach of HDOT.org in regions of the world where a significant amount of Holocaust denial is happening," says Lipstadt.

In addition, HDOT.org has added significantly to its offering of more than 30 myth/fact sheets, available in all five languages. These fact sheets confront Holocaust denial head-on by listing various myths about the Holocaust versus actual facts. The myth/fact sheets have been HDOT.org's most popular destination.

In conjunction with this launch, HDOT also announces the creation of a new podcast series, available through Emory's iTunes University: "Holocaust Education and Online Hate Speech" includes podcasts featuring such figures as Lipstadt, renowned Holocaust historian Saul Friedlander and professor Ken Waltzer, who uncovered fraud in a recent and highly publicized Holocaust memoir.

"As so much of the strategy that deniers employ involves spreading their falsehoods on the Internet, we worked with Professor Lipstadt to have scholarly, authoritative resources available in podcasts. Some of the most respected experts on denial on the Internet are interviewed," observes, Emory University's director of academic technology services.

The podcasts will form the core of several new lesson plans being produced for advanced high school and college courses that will help educators and the public approach the complex of social, historical, political and ideological issues that emerge in the study of Holocaust denial.

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Study Focuses on Barriers to Successful Prisoner Re-Entry Into Atlanta Communities

One out of every 100 Americans is incarcerated. One in 13 adults in Georgia is either in jail or on probation and parole, and the state holds the fifth largest prison population in the nation.

Hundreds of prisoners are released and return to metro-Atlanta neighborhoods every month. For Emory's Office of University-Community Partnerships, which has worked with dozens of community groups, services organizations, policy makers and government leaders for nearly a decade, issues around incarceration are a big piece of the puzzle in developing strategies to build strong communities.

"In many ways, the success or recidivism of former inmates has a tremendous impact on the communities where they settle, but given the stigma attached,.....http://gapublicsafety.blogspot.com/2009/03/study-focuses-on-barriers-to-successful.html

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Child Prostitution Documentary, Panel Discussion Hosted by Emory Law

Emory University School of Law will host a screening of the film "The Sold Project: Thailand" at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 19, in the school's Tull Auditorium, 1300 Clifton Rd. Filmed on location in Thailand, the documentary tells the story of children whose lives have been affected by prostitution. The screening is free and open to the public.

Rachel Sparks, founder of the SOLD Project and producer of the documentary, and Rachel Goble, executive director and associate producer, will speak at the screening. A question-and-answer session and panel discussion on human sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children in Atlanta and internationally will follow.

Panelists include:

Stephanie Davis, policy adviser, women’s issues, Office of the Mayor, Atlanta
Monique Hennink, associate professor, Rollins School of Public Health
Joseph Fonseca, coordinator, Crimes Against Children, Atlanta Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Kaffie McCullough, program manager, Community Collaboratives-Juvenile Justice Fund, A Future Not a Past
Nathan Whiteman, coordinator, MATCH Task Force, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Kirsten Widner, post graduate fellow in law, Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic
The event is sponsored by the Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic at Emory Law, the Emory Law Office of Student Affairs, the Feminism and Legal Theory Project, the Legal Association of Women Students (LAWS) and the Emory University Office of Multicultural Programs and Services.

About the SOLD Project

The SOLD Project is a grassroots organization dedicated to inspiring and empowering individuals to stop child prostitution before it begins.

The SOLD Project prevents the buying and selling of children through scholarships to those at risk. It supports partner organizations in Thailand that work to rescue and rehabilitate at-risk children.

The film tells stories of the children and allows those stories to inspire individuals to react.

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Carlos Museum Announces Events With World-Renowned Egyptologists

The Michael C. Carlos Museum announces several key Egyptian-themed events for March 2009.

Event highlights include:

"Blessings and Curses in Ancient Egypt," David Silverman, curator of "Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs," at the Carlos Museum on March 5 at 7 p.m.
"Mysteries of King Tut Revealed," Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center on March 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Tour of "Wonderful Things: The Harry Burton Photographs and the Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun" by Peter Lacovara, Carlos Museum’s curator of Egyptian, Nubian and Near Eastern Art at the Carlos Museum on March 20 at 7 p.m.

"Mysteries of Tutankhamun Revealed"

In "Mysteries of Tutankhamun Revealed," Hawass will discuss:

-CT-scans of Tutankhamun’s mummy that were obtained as part of a landmark Egyptian research and conservation project, conducted in cooperation by National Geographic,
the ongoing search for the mummy of Queen Nefertiti, and the discovery of KV63, the chamber recently found in the Valley of the Kings,
-new secrets discovered at the pyramids, and
-his search for the tomb of Cleopatra and Mark Anthony.

A member of the Carlos Museum’s advisory board, Hawass is one of the world's foremost authorities on Egyptian archaeology and is known for his devotion and untiring efforts to promote and protect Egypt’s cultural and archaeological heritage. A book signing will follow his lecture.

Tickets are $8 if purchased in advance at TicketMaster. All tickets are $12 at the door. Carlos Museum members receive two free tickets, while quantities last, to Hawass’ lecture and save up to 20 percent on Carlos Museum membership. View more information on the special membership offer or call 404.727.2623.

"The Blessings and Curses of Ancient Egypt" Lecture

David Silverman, curator of "Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs" and Eckley Brinton Coxe, Jr. Professor of Egyptology, Department of Near Eastern Languages, University of Pennsylvania, will speak on "The Blessings and Curses of Ancient Egypt." This event is part of a lecture series bringing distinguished scholars to the Emory campus each year and is generously endowed by the architectural firm Perkins + Will.

Tour of "Wonderful Things"

On March 20 Peter Lacovara, curator of ancient Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern art at the Carlos Museum, will conduct a tour of the companion exhibition "Wonderful Things: The Harry Burton Photographs and the Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun."

Additional March events

"Divine Beasts: Two-part Egyptian Animals Drawing and Painting workshop with Zoo Atlanta" on March 8 at Zoo Atlanta and March 15 at the Carlos Museum from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

"Mythology and Iconography of Divine Kingship in Ancient Egypt" a lecture by Lanny Bell, visiting professor of Egyptology, Brown University, will take place at the Carlos Museum on March 30 at 7 p.m.

More Egypt-related events in Atlanta.

"Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs" is organized by National Geographic, AEG Exhibitions and Arts and Exhibitions International, with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities. Sponsored by Northern Trust, the exhibition in Atlanta is developed in partnership with the Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University and will run from Nov. 15, 2008 to May 17, 2009. Visit carlos.emory.edu for more information.

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Family Life Journal to Explore Economy's Effects

A new online journal at Emory University is set to explore how families are adjusting to the sputtering economy. Journal of Family Life seeks first-person family stories and individual narratives that illustrate the impact of the global economic downturn on family life.

"We want positive and negative stories," says Marshall Duke, journal editor and professor of psychology at Emory. "Some families might actually be spending more time together, for instance."

The journal accepts research papers, essays, poetry and audio/video essays. Each submission is reviewed by scholars with expertise in the subject before editors decide whether to publish it. The journal is only available online and is free to the public. Contributors include professors, students, parents and observers, such as child care providers, teachers and doctors.

Duke says journal editors want to tap into how American families are changing in light of economic turmoil. "We are interested in stories, rather than statistics, about family budgets, unemployment, searching for work, and paying bills and the mortgage," Duke says. "We want the Journal of Family Life to be a forum for how family life has changed because of the economy."

Duke is a child psychologist and expert on adolescent resilience. His recent research with Robyn Fivush, also an Emory psychologist, focuses on the value of sharing family meals. Their Family Narratives Project is funded by the Emory Center for Myth and Ritual in American Life (MARIAL). They found that families who regularly share meals together have children who know more about their family history and tend to have higher self-esteem, interact better with their peers and show higher resilience in the face of adversity. Families who openly discuss emotions associated with negative events—such as the death of a relative or a pet—have children with higher self-esteem and sense of control.

Losing a job has to affect a family’s rhythms and routines, and the journal would like to explore those changes as they occur. Duke says journal editors would like to know whether the holidays were different this year, in light of more limited budgets. Do families eat at home together more, because they cannot afford to eat out as much? Are kids doing fewer extracurricular activities because money is tight? How do families deal with anxiety and depression?

Journal editors also are interested in historical research on what family life was like during the Depression, and what it looks like now, including how the government responds. Will President Obama be the next FDR, with public works projects that put Americans back to work, while building the U.S. infrastructure? How will President Obama communicate with the American public to calm jitters, yet be realistic about where we are and what sacrifices must be made?

Scholars at MARIAL began developing the Journal of Family Life a year ago. MARIAL is one of five Sloan Centers on Working Families, supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The launch and publication of the journal is made possible by the generosity of the Sloan Foundation and Emory.

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Rape Crisis in Congo Topic of Emory Ethics Center Dialogue

'The Vagina Monologues" playwright Eve Ensler and award winning humanitarian Dr. Denis Mukwege of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will hold a public conversation at Emory University's Center for Ethics titled "Turning Pain to Power" at noon, Monday, Feb. 23. Admission is free but reservations are required by contacting the center at 404.727.4954, or ethics@emory.edu.

The Ensler-Mukwege dialogue is part of a five-city tour organized by V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls. The tour is meant to raise awareness and to combat rampant rape and mutilation of women in DRC that has affected hundreds of thousands.

Mukwege, founder of the PANZI Hospital in Bukavu, DRC, was honored in December by the United Nations for his humanitarian work. During his public conversation with Ensler, founder and artistic director of V-Day, Mukwege will describe his experiences treating and performing life-saving surgery on thousands of Congolese women and girls. Their conversations also will explore causes of the brutality, ways to stop the ongoing violence, and Congo's growing movement of women leaders.

The tour is in support of V-Day's joint campaign with UNICEF to stop rape in DRC and will make stops this month in Los Angles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. For more information on V-Day initiative or the tour, contact Margaret Bensfield, 202.751.3476, or Susan Celia Swan, 917.865.6603.

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Emory Crawford Long Hospital Renamed Emory University Hospital Midtown

Emory University has renamed Emory Crawford Long Hospital to Emory University Hospital Midtown (EUHM), following the Emory University Board of Trustees’ decision.

For over 70 years, Emory’s midtown hospital has been wholly owned and operated by Emory University. The hospital will continue its growth in research and clinical trials, educating the next generation of health professionals, and providing the latest and most advanced medical technology and patient care.

"Today’s decision emphasizes the importance of Emory University Hospital Midtown within our health system,” says James W. Wagner, PhD, president of Emory University. “Being more clearly affiliated with Emory in the public eye will help expand upon the hospital’s 100-year tradition of providing outstanding care to people in metro Atlanta and throughout the region.”

Fred Sanfilippo, MD, PhD, Emory’s executive vice president for health affairs and chair of Emory Healthcare, says, “Changing Emory Crawford Long to Emory University Hospital Midtown will fuel progress toward the Woodruff Health Sciences Center’s goal of being the 21st century model for an academic health sciences and services center. By clarifying the hospital’s relationship with Emory’s entire health system, the new name will enhance its already impressive reputation in the community – enabling even greater opportunities for cutting-edge research, world-class education and high-quality patient- and family-centered care.”

Emory’s Midtown hospital celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2008, and is an important part of Atlanta’s health care history and heritage.

Today, EUHM is a 511-bed community-based, acute care teaching facility. Chief Operating Officer Dane Peterson leads the hospital with its nearly 2,900 employees, 947 Emory medical faculty and nearly 537 private practice community physicians. The hospital is well known for services in cardiology, cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, cancer, gastroenterology, emergency medicine and weight management. Women’s services include prenatal and postnatal education, bone density testing, mammography and obstetrics, with a specialization in high-risk pregnancy.

“Emory University, being more visible on the hospital’s campus between the Peachtrees, will strengthen the hospital’s position as a symbolic gateway between Midtown and Downtown,” says John T. Fox, CEO of Emory Healthcare. “This visibility along the connector and public transportation lines will highlight Emory University Hospital Midtown as the clinical powerhouse it is amidst the heart of Atlanta’s business district and exploding live-work-play growth.”

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Expert: Treasury Announcement Signals Help for Housing Crisis

Affordable housing expert Frank Alexander of Emory Law School says the good news for mortgage holders is that this week's announcement by U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is "the first time that we've actually had the administration make a financial commitment to dealing with mortgage foreclosure issues."

"What Geithner announced is considerably further along towards a recovery plan for housing than what we witnessed last in October, when the bailout was first done," says Alexander. "I think the broad elements make sense, each in a different context."

While all the details aren't in place, Alexander notes that Geithner's announcement initially hit the right notes: to maximize the availability of long-term, new residential mortgages, which would encourage people to refinance, and to continue the push for reform of the nation's bankruptcy laws "to permit courts to reduce a mortgage to the value of the house."

Alexander is less hopeful about the Treasury Secretary's push for loan modifications. "I'm not optimistic that any of those initiatives are really going to work because of the nature of secondary mortgage market," he says.

Overall, says Alexander, "we now await the details of the comprehensive housing program being developed by the administration,” which should be announced in the coming weeks. Parts of the programs likely can be implemented directly by Secretary Geithner under his existing powers; some can and will be done by U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan. For other parts of the program they will likely need new legislation."

Alexander is director of the Project on Affordable Housing and Community Development, which provides technical assistance to local governments and nonprofit community development organizations.

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William H. Scott Exhibition Opens Jan. 23 at Emory

An exhibition on the papers and personal effects of an African American leader who brought early attention to the issue of civil rights will open at Emory University’s Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (MARBL) Friday, Jan. 23.

"Slave, Soldier, Citizen: The Journey of William Henry Scott," an exhibition by Randall K. Burkett, curator of African American Collections, will be in display in MARBL Jan. 23-Aug. 8. A public opening and reception is scheduled 1:30-3:30 p.m. in MARBL.

Following the opening will be an address by Julian Bond, chairman of the NAACP, at 4 p.m. in Cannon Chapel, part of the King Week celebration at Emory Jan. 19-27.

Witnessed Civil War

Scott (1848-1910) grew up in Virginia in his master’s house and didn’t realize he was a slave until he was eight years old. He immediately began plotting his escape and found an opportunity in 1862, when Union troops moved into the area. Major Loring Muzzey of the 12th Massachusetts Regiment was looking for a bright young slave to educate, and he and the regiment took Scott under their wing. Scott spent three and a half years as Muzzey’s aide-de-camp, witnessing some of the worst battles of the Civil War.

Scott became a teacher, owned a bookstore in Washington, D.C., and was ordained a Baptist minister. Politically active throughout his adult life, he founded the Massachusetts Racial Protective League in 1896 and was one of the 29 original members of the Niagara Movement, the predecessor of the NAACP.

"As a teacher, historian, preacher and political activist, he was a fearless advocate for full citizenship rights at a time when, increasingly, those rights were being crushed by Northern indifference and Southern intransigence," says Burkett.

Highlights

The exhibition encompasses photographs, sermon manuscripts, broadsides and pamphlets documenting all aspects of Scott’s life, including

A sword Scott snatched from a dead Confederate officer during a lull in the Battle of Fredericksburg.
Recordings of Scott’s sermons read by the Rev. C. T. Vivian, one of Atlanta’s eminent civil rights leaders.
Tintypes and photographs including a portrait of Muzzey, a photo of young Scott in his Union uniform and many family portraits.

Scott’s achievements came to light when one of Burkett’s students in Massachusetts wrote his senior thesis about the original members of the Niagara Movement and located Scott’s grandson, Henry T. Scott. The grandson bequeathed the family papers to Burkett with the request that his grandfather’s story be brought to public attention.

The exhibition is free and open to the public during normal library hours. MARBL is located on the 10th floor of the Woodruff Library on the Emory University campus, 540 Asbury Circle, Atlanta, GA 30322, marbl@emory.edu, 404-727-6887. Cannon Chapel is located at 515 Kilgo Circle on the Emory campus.

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