Today and tomorrow, the first Annual Simulation Science Symposium, sponsored by SimPORTAL/CREST, Department of Anesthesiology and the University of Minnesota Medical School, is happening at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus.

The Symposium will feature lecture sessions, discussion sessions and workshops/train the trainer sessions with Dr. David H. Wilks, Medical Director of the Simulation Training & Education for Patient Safety (STEPS) program at the Robert C. Byrd Health Science Center at West Virginia University…

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the appointment of 15 nationally recognized experts to serve on the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.

Mary Story, Ph.D., R.D., Senior Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs and Professor, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health is among the newly appointed committee members.

An emerging porcine virus capable of rapid transmission and high mortality rates has U.S. swine experts scrambling to determine both the origin of the virus and the most effective way to stop it in its tracks.

The virus, known as the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV), has never been seen in the United States before, but has been seen in parts of Europe and Asia. Reuters reported earlier this week that recent PEDV outbreaks in China claimed more than 1 million piglets. Pigs infected with PEDV will suffer from extreme diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration.

Fortunately, PEDV poses no risk to humans or other animals, and pork or meat products from infected pigs is still safe for people to eat. But the sudden emergence of the virus in five states including Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota, has raised new questions about our ability to monitor emerging animal diseases and potential threats to the U.S. food supply. There is still no definitive answer on how the virus entered the United States.

To combat the emerging virus, University of Minnesota experts from the CVM’s Veterinary Diagnostic Lab are taking a leadership role in helping provide the testing and diagnostic analysis that will allow pork producers, swine farmers and veterinarians to test their herds. Experts from universities in Iowa, South Dakota, and Kansas are also dedicating resources to stopping the PEDV outbreak.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 94,000 Minnesotans over the age of 65 are living with Alzheimer’s. Another 243,000 Minnesotans care for an individual with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. The total cost of care associated with such conditions in Minnesota is $3.57 billion annually.

Unpaid caregivers provide the majority of care to patients with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, and more than 60 percent of those caregivers rate the emotional stress of caregiving as high or very high. Worse, more than one-third of such caregivers report symptoms of depression.

Gunda Georg, Ph.D., is an esteemed researcher and professor in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Minnesota. As head of the Department of Medical Chemistry, Georg has made a tremendous impact in the field of synthetic medicinal chemistry.

Georg is also the director of the Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development and holds both the Robert Vince Endowed Chair in Medicinal Chemistry and McKnight Presidential Chair. This July she will receive the prestigious Volwiler Research Achievement Award for her research accomplishments.

For many this spring, the return of the sun and warm weather also means a return of seasonal allergies. The sniffling, sneezing and itching can be a frustrating characteristic of this time of year. As you head for the pharmacist to combat your allergies once again, keep an eye on your pets — they may be suffering, too.

May is National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month, spotlighting a peak season for asthma and allergy symptoms as pollen and other allergens come out in full force.