Podcasts about msu college

Barbara O'Brien is a Professor of Law at the MSU College of Law at Michigan State University. And she's editor of the National Registry of Exonerations. The National Registry of Exonerations records exonerations won by exonerators such as Innocence Organizations, Conviction Integrity Units, and law school clinics. The registry captures statistics and analyzes trends, which are used by social justice advocates, legislative policymakers, legal scholars and researchers, and the media.The second week or April is National Crime Victims' Rights Week.Conversation Highlights:(0:53) - What's your background? How long have you been at MSU Law, and what attracted you here?(1:33) - What is an exoneration?(3:19) - How did you get interested and involved in tracking exonerations?(4:41) - Why was the National Registry of Exonerations formed and why is it important to document annual exoneration cases? How many cases have you tracked to date?(7:33) - How much work goes intro tracking exonerations? Can you walk us through that process?(9:47) - Every year, you release a report. What were some of the key findings from the 2024 report?(11:59) - Why should people care about this work? How has it helped lead to justice for wrongly convicted Americans?(15:43) - Has our criminal justice and legal system gotten better at investigating and bringing justice for wrongly convicted Americans?(19:54) - Are you able to share any of the applications of the report? Or in other words, are law firms, policy makers, or advocacy organizations using the registry?(21:46) - Where can people connect with the registry?Listen to “MSU Today with Russ White” on the radio and through Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

Welcome to another episode of Kevin's Conversations on MSU Today. Kevin is Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz, who joins me occasionally to elaborate on key initiatives he's leading to guide MSU into its vibrant future. Today, Kevin welcomes the co-chairs of MSU's Health Sciences Council. The Health Sciences Council was convened under the guidance of the Office of the President to advise and support collaboration on curriculum, interprofessional education, clinical care and the development of strategies to enhance our performance in biomedical and public health research.  In today's episode, President Guskiewicz talks with co-chairs Joyce DeJong, dean of MSU's College of Osteopathic Medicine; and Jeff MacKeigan, senior advisor in MSU's Office of Research and Innovation and professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Human Development in the MSU College of Human Medicine. Conversation Highlights: (1:35) - Kevin, last June, you announced a thorough assessment of Michigan State's health sciences structure, given today's complex health care environment and MSU's unique mix of educational, research and clinical assets.  After six months of diligent work, the council has delivered its final report to you with several bold options for a more integrated approach, positioning the university as a model for addressing complex health challenges and advancing health and wellness. Please tell us more about why you have created the Health Sciences Council and what its mission is. What are some of those bold options?  (4:08) - Joyce and Jeff, how did you arrive at these options, and why do you think these are the key ones for us to act on first? (6:56) - Kevin, what do you mean by One Team? And Joyce and Jeff, what do you mean by One Health? (10:15) - Joyce and Jeff, what do you both see as both the challenges and opportunities ahead for MSU Health Sciences? How can this council's work positively impact its future?  (13:26) – Veterinary Medicine Dean Kim Dodd is on the council, too, and Vet Med will play a crucial role as we move forward. (14:36) – Joyce and Jeff, why are you so passionate about these possibilities, and what led you to accept Kevin's invitation to co-chair the council? (16:25) – Talk about the importance our external healthcare providers and partners play in this bold future and how those relationships will be strengthened. (18:45) - Kevin, what are next steps for the Council?  Listen to “MSU Today with Russ White” on the radio and through Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

All guests join us on the Farm Bureau Insurance guest line, and we are LIVE from the BankPlus Studio! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SEND US FAN MAILIn this episode of The Spartan Nurse Podcast, co-hosts Dr. Mike Martell and Dr. Krista Reeves sit down with Dr. Eric Wallis, Senior VP & Chief Nurse Executive at Henry Ford Health, to discuss the powerful partnership between HFH and MSU College of Nursing.Dr. Wallis shares valuable career insights for future nurses, discusses the importance of workplace culture, and explains how nurses can shape healthcare innovation.Are you thinking of a career in nursing? Learn how Michigan State University College of Nursing can help you gain hands-on experience and transition into a rewarding career!Subscribe for more nursing insights & updates.Visit the MSU College of Nursing: nursing.msu.eduFollow us on social media: @MichiganStateNursingTo find your breaking news and latest updates within the College of Nursing, please refer to our website at nursing.msu.edu. You can also find us on all social media platforms @MICHSTNursingIf you have a question for our hosts or a prospective guest, please message us at: MCOM.nursing@msu.edu

Hour 1--J&J Show Friday 12/20/24-- Over/Unders-Grizz seed in West, Tigers margin vs. MSU, College FB Playoff full 3088 Fri, 20 Dec 2024 20:58:32 +0000 CgUFCchDvkK6xRas7Lf9VK1eHvsqJ2yI sports Jason & John sports Hour 1--J&J Show Friday 12/20/24-- Over/Unders-Grizz seed in West, Tigers margin vs. MSU, College FB Playoff Local columnists and hoops insiders Jason Smith and John Martin appear daily 11am - 2pm on 929FM ESPN/680AM! 2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. Sports False https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?feed-link=https%3A%2F%2Frss.amperwave.net%2

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Angela Benton, assistant teaching professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, Dr. James Hardin, head and professor in the Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, And Dr. Manuel Roderio, assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion. These faculty members have all designed new general education classes for their discipline. These classes are true general education classes that anyone can take to learn about the subject, and they each focus on specific topics and are designed to engage students in new and interesting ways. The College of Arts & Sciences has designed nearly a dozen new courses like this for students to take.

Michael Sant'Ambrogio is the new dean of MSU College of Law, effective October 25, 2024. The new dean talks about his and the college's teaching and scholarship strengths. He tells why he wants to be dean of the college. And he shares goals for the college and discusses challenges and opportunities ahead. Conversation Highlights: (0:22) – How long have you been at MSU, and what first attracted you here? (0:59) – What are your teaching and scholarship interests? (1:40) – What are the college's teaching and scholarship strengths? (2:32) – Why do you want to be dean of the college? (4:03) – What are some of your goals for the college? (5:39) – What are challenges and opportunities along the way? (7:38) – What's the state of the law profession your graduates are entering? (8:56) – What kind of student come to MSU Law? And why should those considering a career in law come to MSU? Listen to “MSU Today with Russ White” on the radio and through Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

Katie Sullivan has type 1 diabetes and uses an insulin pump. She is also a health care professional. During the last daylight saving time, or DST, change, she accidentally shifted the settings on her pump from a.m. to p.m. and received an incorrect dose of insulin, which caused an unexpected increase in her blood glucose level. Sullivan developed hyperglycemia because she was not getting enough insulin during the day. Fortunately, she caught the error before going to bed, when the altered insulin dose could have had damaging effects. Sullivan, a nurse practitioner at the Michigan State University Health Care Endocrinology Clinic, shared her experience with colleagues Saleh Aldasouqi, professor in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the MSU College of Human Medicine who also practices at MSU Health Care, and Howard Teitelbaum, professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine in the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. Together, they authored an article on the difficulties of DST, which was published in Clinical Diabetes, a journal of the American Diabetes Association. Conversation Highlights: (0:54) – Katie introduces herself. (1:24) – Saleh introduces himself. (2:20) – What's potentially dangerous about daylight saving time and insulin pumps? (4:54) – Katie, talk about how you discovered this issue. (6:37) – What can happen to a diabetic who doesn't have the correct time set on their pump? (9:30) – What should people who use insulin pumps be careful of? (11:59) – How many people in the country use insulin pumps? Listen to “MSU Today with Russ White” on the radio and through Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

Eric Hegg is the new dean of Michigan State University's College of Natural Science. Hegg talks about his background and career at MSU, and he describes research and curriculum strengths of the college. He tells why he wants to be dean and shares some short- and long-term goals for the college. He discusses how the natural sciences can play a role in better outcomes for society's problems, and he talks about challenges and opportunities ahead for higher education. Conversation Highlights: (0:18) – What's your background, and how long have you been at MSU? (0:53) – Talk about some of the research and curriculum strengths of the college. (4:01) – Why do you want to be dean of the college? (8:31) – What are some of your short- and long-term goals for the college? (12:32) – How can the natural sciences help solve some of society's problems? (14:46) – What are some of the challenges and opportunities ahead for the college, MSU and higher education? Listen to “MSU Today with Russ White” on the radio and through Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

SEND US FAN MAILIn this episode, we welcome Crista Reaves as the new co-host of The Spartan Nurse Podcast alongside Mike Martel. Crista, an experienced nurse educator and researcher, brings her expertise in clinical partnerships and nursing education. Tune in as they discuss her journey, the MSU College of Nursing, and the future of nursing education.#SpartanNursePodcast #NursingEducation #HealthcareInnovationTo find your breaking news and latest updates within the College of Nursing, please refer to our website at nursing.msu.edu. You can also find us on all social media platforms @MICHSTNursing

The Michigan State University College of Law's Indian Law Clinic has received funding to continue its work of assisting tribes with enforcement of the law. The MSU clinic is the only law school clinic in the country that regularly represents tribes in both state and federal courts on Indian Child Welfare Act, or ICWA, cases. The NoVo Foundation has provided $400,000 in funding for the next two years to support the clinic's work. The funding will allow the clinic to hire additional lawyers and administrative support to increase its capacity and provide more MSU law students with the opportunity to work on ICWA cases and take on more tribal clients.  Kathryn E. Fort is director of clinics at the college and directs the Indian Law Clinic. She talks about the clinic's history and mission and talks about the types of cases with which the clinic assists. Conversation Highlights: (0:25) – What's your background, and how long have you been at MSU? (2:01) – Did you always know you wanted to practice law? Why are you passionate about experiential learning? (3:47) – What's the history and mission of the Indian Law Clinic? What do you do, and for whom do you do it? (6:04) – What kind of cases do you work on, and what are the key issues facing Native Americans? (10:08) – Talk about this new funding and what it will allow you to do. Babies in the river? (13:28) – Talk about all the clinics at the MSU College of Law. Listen to “MSU Today with Russ White” on the radio and through Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

Join us for an insightful episode of the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine Statewide Campus System Med Ed eForum Webinar Series! Dr. Bob Cermak, Director of Faculty Development, kicks off the session with an overview of SCS's offerings, including continuing medical education, faculty development, and resident resources. Megan Wake, Director of CME and Administrative Services, provides a detailed look at SCS's programming, resources, scholarly activity and faculty development opportunities. Whether you're a resident, faculty member, or part of the graduate medical education community, this episode is packed with valuable information to better understand what the Statewide Campus System is.

Today's episode was live from Guelker Field, on the bluffs at SIUE. The 25th-ranked Cougars hosted Big 10 heavyweights, the Spartans from Michigan State. An overview of the current program, the visitors, a chat with the women's coach, and a second-half visit from the AD to help explain the new NCAA scholarship and roster rules… it was a blast. Let's go!

As the university physician at Michigan State, Michael Brown advises the president and other leaders on major health policy and programs that impact life on campus or on study abroad trips. He is also chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine in the MSU College of Human Medicine. Here, Brown provides the latest guidance on two viruses that are making news - COVID and Monkeypox, or Mpox. Conversation Highlights: (0:36) – Describe your role as university physician. (1:59) – Where are we with COVID as summer turns to fall? (3:54) – What variants are you seeing, and are up-to-date vaccines available? (5:21) – What are COVID symptoms, and how do we know if we have it? (6:24) – Are the COVID tests on the market reliable? (7:24) – If you test positive, what should you do? (9:34) – Dr. Brown highly encourages vaccines. (12:24) – What's the latest on Mpox? (15:06) – Do you see Mpox coming to the United States? (21:24) – “Infectious disease outbreaks are constantly occurring across the globe.” Listen to “MSU Today with Russ White” on the radio and through Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

On this episode of Mission Control, we talk with Aaryn Richard, former director of marketing and communications at the Michigan State University Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. We spoke about insights into his journey, the mission of the Burgess Institute, and the evolving communication landscape. TO NOTE: This interview was recorded in the spring, and Aaryn has since moved on to be the Senior Director of Marketing & Communications at the MSU College of Law For more on the MSU Burgess Institute, https://entrepreneurship.msu.edu/ The Mission: To prepare Michigan State University students for the real world by equipping them with an entrepreneurial mindset and supporting them as they build their businesses here on campus. If there is someone you know of that you would like to hear about their journey, please email us at missioncontrol@unodeuce.com

New endowed fund to foster next generation of women's health leaders   To close the gap between women's health research and other scientific disciplines, Ward and Mari Walstrom of Harbor Springs have made a $1 million gift to bolster education and research in the MSU College of Human Medicine's Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology.  The Walstrom Family Endowed Women's Health Research Fund is creating an early-career training program to increase the number of scientists and clinicians pursuing a lifelong career focused on women's health care and research.  The program pairs medical and graduate students with research teams and will support independent research projects. Four College of Human Medicine early-career graduate students, including one third-year medical student, were recently selected and awarded the endowed funds; each will utilize the philanthropic funds to push forward current research projects, which would not have been otherwise possible.  Three Spartans describe the impact the gift will have on women's health. Dr. Richard Leach is professor and chair of the MSU College of Human Medicine's Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Health. Shannon Harkins is a PhD candidate and Walstrom fund recipient. And Roksolana Sudyk is a future Spartan MD and Walstrom fund recipient. Conversation Highlights: (0:19) – Leach on the strengths, mission, and evolving excellence of the MSU College of Human Medicine's Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology.   (5:01) – Leach on the Walstroms and the impact of their gift.  (11:24) – Sudyk on her path to MSU, her passion for women's health, and meeting the Walstroms. (15:54) – Harkins on her passion for women's health, her research project, and meeting the Walstroms. (31:02) – Sudyk was attracted to MSU by the College of Human Medicine's focus on women's health and equity. And she describes her research project. Listen to “MSU Today with Russ White” on the radio and through Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

It takes only one case of measles or other vaccine-preventable diseases for an outbreak to begin.  But vaccines can prevent or lessen the severity of conditions for everyone, according to Peter Gulick, professor of Osteopathic Medical Specialties at the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine  and Sean Valles, professor and director of the MSU College of Human Medicine's Center for Bioethics and Social Justice.  Gulick and Valles discuss the disinformation that leads to vaccine hesitancy and share respectful ways to educate citizens on the health benefits of vaccines.    Conversation Highlights: (0:50) – Gulick on his time at MSU and research interests. (2:45) – Valles on his time at MSU, research interests and the Center's mission. (5:13) – Some history of vaccines and their acceptance. What about anti-biotics? How are vaccines like fighting computer viruses? (9:30) – To what do you attribute the rise in vaccine hesitancy? “It's really more of a spectrum of hesitancy.” (14:21) – How do we break through some of the misinformation and get more people to see the health benefits of vaccines? Simple, direct and respectful education is key. (17:19) – What about herd immunity? “It's not about what you have to do, but what is right to do.” (21:01) – Sean's takeaways. “Invest in prevention.” (22:01) – “Respect each patient you deal with.” Listen to “MSU Today with Russ White” on the radio and through Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

The conference provided attendees with actions and solutions they can take back to their institutions. There's a burgeoning relationship between Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine and the University of Buffalo's Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. The school's deans have brought the institutions together to advocate for a public health approach to reducing gun violence.  Aron Sousa, MD, FACP of MSU and Allison Brashear, MD, MBA of UB discuss their shared experiences with gun violence in their respective communities. They talk about how they originally came together on this subject and what led them to exchange students and begin an annual conference. And they define what they mean by a public health approach to reducing gun violence. Conversation Highlights: (0:56) – How did this “grass roots phenomenon” get started?  (5:31) – What do you mean by a public health-focused approach to gun violence? (6:58) – Talk about the February 2024 Remembrance Conference on campus and what came out of it? The 2025 conference will be in May in Buffalo. (9:25) – How can the public adopt this public health focus? The students are providing the energy. They're our doctors of the future. Overall wellbeing is crucial. (17:04) – What are key takeaways from this conversation? Listen to “MSU Today with Russ White” on the radio and through Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

In the news today: For our first story of the day focusing on community news, Lansing nonprofit provides literacy services to the community. For our second story focusing on campus news, MSU College of Law Student Bar Association, Black Law Students Association condemn racism after classroom incident. For our final story of the day focusing on events, APASO celebrates 21st annual Cultural Vogue at Wharton Center.

MC Lyte is an American rapper, DJ, actress and entrepreneur. She is the first female of hip-hop's emcees to release a solo album. She also opened doors for many to join what is now being celebrated as '50 Years of Hip Hop.” She recently received the “I Am Hip Hop” Lifetime Achievement Award from BET and was honored at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors. Lyte was at MSU on February 8 to participate in the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine's Dr. William G. Anderson Lecture Series, Slavery to Freedom: An American Odyssey. “This year marks the 50th year of hip hop. MC Lyte is one of the baddest women in the game, and she has certainly managed to evolve as a hip hop artist and MC,” says Marita Gilbert, associate dean for diversity and campus inclusion at MSU's College of Osteopathic Medicine. “She's a really strong advocate for giving women a voice–not just in music–and for how we can empower girls to walk into their own potential and do things they want and what they're passionate about as their voices grow, stretch, and evolve.” Gilbert leads Lyte through this thoughtful conversation. Conversation Highlights: (0:50) – Marita, tell us about Lyte and why you wanted her to be a part of the lecture series. (2:42) – Lyte, why did you choose to participate in the Slavery to Freedom Lecture Series? (3:50) – Lyte, what messages do you hope to convey during the lecture?  (4:39) – Marita, what are you hoping attendees take from the discussion? (7:07) – How are you reflecting on 50 years of hip-hop? (17:41) – You're now working with a five-year-old? (18:57) – What words of encouragement do you have for young people? (24:16) – Talk about your creative process. (27:07) – You're the voice of the Grammys… Listen to “MSU Today with Russ White” on the radio and through Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

Joyce deJong is the new dean of the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. An alumna of the college, she began her appointment on Feb. 5, 2024. A nationally recognized forensic pathologist, deJong (pronounced DEE-young) was a professor and founding chair of the Department of Pathology at the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, or WMed. She is also the medical examiner for 12 counties in Michigan, overseeing multiple deputy medical examiners and nearly 100 medical examiner investigators.   She is a graduate of the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine and was an associate professor in the MSU Department of Neurology and Ophthalmology and pathology division while she was the medical director for forensic pathology at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing.  Conversation Highlights: (0:30) – What's your background, and what are some career highlights? (2:39) – Did you initially think you would pursue law as a career? (4:20) – Why did you choose to attend MSU for medical school? (6:04) – What's the difference between a DO and an MD? (9:46) – What made you want to be dean of your alma mater? (11:40) – What are some of your goals for the college? (13:51) – Describe the evolving mission of the college. (15:21) – What's the state of the profession your students are entering? (16:41) – What are challenges and opportunities ahead for the college and MSU? Listen to “MSU Today with Russ White” on the radio and through Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

The future of engineering at Michigan State UniversityThe future of engineering at Michigan State University (MSU) is rich with diverse opportunities, boasting a comprehensive range of majors that cater to a wide array of interests and career paths. Under the leadership of Dean Leo C. Kempel, the Dennis P. Nyquist Endowed Professor of Electromagnetics and the ninth dean of the MSU College of Engineering, students can explore at least 10 distinct majors, including: Applied Engineering Sciences, Biosystems Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Electrical & Mechanical Engineering, and more. The focus on continuous education emerges as a key element to keep Michigan at the forefront of advancements in the diversity of engineering fields. 

Thanks to a partnership with Dell Technologies and its iconic gaming brand, Alienware, a new space at Michigan State University provides an elite gaming environment for students to train and compete in esports at the highest level.   Supported by MSU College of Communication Arts and Sciences, or ComArtSci, the Alienware MSU Esports Lounge is the university's first dedicated space for students engaged in esports, a rapidly growing industry centered around organized professional or semiprofessional competitive video game play. It also is the first higher education esports facility Alienware has helped establish in Michigan.   The Alienware MSU Esports Lounge is a 1,027-square-foot space located on the main floor of the MSU ComArtSci building. The lounge is open to all MSU students and features 12 Alienware Aurora R16 battle stations — Alienware's most advanced and most powerful desktop yet, powered by 14th Gen Intel Core processors — as well as Alienware m16 laptops, console gaming space, a varsity room and broadcast studio.  The university celebrated the opening of the Alienware MSU Esports Lounge on Jan. 17 with special guests,including former MSU women's basketball player Aerial Powers, a brand and diversity ambassador with Team Liquid, a well-known esports organization, and WNBA player with the Minnesota Lynx. Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist was also in attendance.  This facility provides a hands-on esports experience for the Spartan gaming community and hosts team competitions.  Comments from ribbon cutting participants: (0:00) – Interim Com Art Sci Dean Teresa Mastin (3:24) – MSU Esports Director Chris Bilski (6:33) – MSU Trustee Dennis Denno,  (7:33) – Interim MSU President Teresa Woodruff (12:32) – Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist (17:21) – Dell Director of Gaming Matt McGowan (20:30) – MSU alumna and Esports influencer Aerial Powers Listen to “MSU Today with Russ White” on the radio and through Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

MISSISSIPPI TURFGRASS: Barry Stewart, William Stark and Jay McCurdy It all started with a contest/challenge from Cubico Sustainable Investments. Cubico is a global renewable energy infrastructure company, owning and operating large-scale solar farms. As part of its corporate responsibility program, Cubico created a competition for MSU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) students to [...] The post Mississippi Turfgrass Association – Searching for the Right Grass on the Delta's Edge Solar Farm appeared first on The Turf Zone.

Join Mike and Harley in an engaging interview with Andy Greger, the Director of Technology & Digital Innovation and Co-Chair of the Wellness Committee at the Michigan State University College of Nursing. Andy leads a dynamic team dedicated to researching, networking, and collaborating with stakeholders, ranging from faculty and staff to students, university services, and vendors. Their mission is to identify and support cutting-edge educational technologies across diverse learning environments, including on-site/off-site classrooms, conference rooms, office spaces, simulation areas, and online platforms. Providing professional development services, the team empowers instructors by sharing effective content delivery methods and best practices.In alignment with the Land Grant Mission of Michigan State University and the College of Nursing's overarching goal of advancing health through inclusive and equitable nursing education, research, scholarship, and practice, Andy collaborates closely with colleagues to determine the most suitable technology options and processes for specific objectives. In today's conversation, we delve into the fascinating world of technology with Andy Greger, exploring the impact of AI on education and healthcare. Don't miss this insightful discussion!

In the news today: For our first headline of the day focusing on campus news, MSU College of Education seniors want to make their voices heard in the face of miscommunication. For our second headline focusing on community news, The Allen Farmers Market: A source of year-round local produce. For our final headline of the week focusing on MSU Football, MSU Football looks to ride momentum to avoid another blowout loss to top-ranked opponent.

Episode 140: Dr. Phil Hellman of Paradox Health DPC - Rochester Hills, MIDr. Philip Hellman is a family medicine physician in Rochester Hills, Michigan. He had no family in medicine, but for him, the path to becoming a physician made the most sense. He went on to Grand Valley State for his bachelor's and then followed with the MSU College of Human Medicine to attain his MD. He did his residency in Greeley, Colorado at North Colorado Family Medicine. His training there was excellent and is owed in large part to an exceptional group of mentors and faculty on staff there.With his wife, Dr. Hellman relocated to Silverton, Oregon for his first job out of residency in the Summer of 2016. Although they cherished their time there, they made the tough decision a year later to move back to their family in Michigan where they felt they were being called. That year and a half of work in the healthcare industrial complex opened his eyes even further to the deficiencies of modern healthcare. Its clunky, bloated, and mis-incentivized structure was not something that excited him. He always felt terrible when a patient would get a large medical bill despite paying large insurance premiums or was told the most effective therapy for their malady was not an option.In March of 2018, he decided to form Paradox Health and start taking part in the DPC model of health care. It is something he thought about since his first year of medical school, and ultimately what he had always wanted to do. It just took the right prodding, and the right people to tell him he wasn't crazy.He currently resides in Rochester with his wife Chelsea and their four children: Merritt, Luella, Hattie, and Hannon.---------------------Check out the My DPC Story RESOURCE PAGE HERE!Find a DPC checklist on how to start your own DPC, DPC conference recordings, and more!---------------------LISTENER'S GUIDE!NEW TO THE POD? Get started by downloading our FREE LISTENER's GUIDE with 10 Episodes that will give you a great introduction to the podcast! The Listener's guide covers the founding of DPC, how to finance your practice, and how to achieve the elusive work/life balance!To get the Listener's Guide...1) RATE and REVIEW our podcast on Apple Podcasts.2) Take a screenshot ***BEFORE you hit submit*** of your review and then email it to support@mydpcstory.comand you'll find the Listener's Guide in your inbox!---------------------HELP FUND THE PODCAST!CLICK HERE to Support the show---------------------Click the link below to learn more about the Hint's website builder and Elation Health:Hint's Website Builder link: HEREElation Health: HERE Email Ember Modern Medicine at: hello@embermodernmedicine.com Ember Modern Medicine Website: HERESupport the showVisit the DPC SWAG store HERE!Let's get SOCIAL! Follow My DPC Story! FACEBOOK * INSTAGRAM * LinkedIn * TWITTER * TIKTOK * YouTube

Michigan State's College of Osteopathic Medicine provides an innovative patient-centered curriculum with multiple specialties and multiple opportunities for clinical exposure. Sound appealing? Well, plug in your earbuds because today I'm speaking with the senior associate dean of admissions at Michigan State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine. Welcome to the 537th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me today. Are you ready to apply to your dream medical schools? Are you competitive at your target programs? Accepted's med school admissions quiz can give you a quick reality check. Complete the quiz, and you'll not only get an assessment, but tips on how to improve your chances of acceptance. Plus, it's all free.  Dr. Katherine Ruger earned her undergraduate degree at Northwood University, her master's in counseling and sports psychology at Wayne State, and her PhD in education and organizational leadership from Pepperdine University. She started at MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine as an admissions' counselor in 2009 and has assumed increasing responsibilities ever since. Since August 2022, almost exactly a year ago, she has served as a senior associate dean of admissions and student affairs at Michigan State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine.  Dr. Ruger, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [1:40] Thank you, Linda. Can you give us, just to start, an overview of MSU's DO program, focusing on its more distinctive elements? [1:54] Sure. I'd love to. MSUCOM, which is what I'll refer to it during the course of the session, is a really special place. I think it has a lot to do with the type of people that we recruit and attract, both from an admissions' perspective as well as faculty and staff. Certainly, it's a college of osteopathic medicine, and so our training really revolves around that holistic approach and focusing on preventative medicine. But we're looking for students and faculty and staff who have a commitment to service, a heart for leadership. That type of community just inspires a lot of growth, curiosity, excitement. It's a really wonderful place to be, and I know that I'm biased in saying that perhaps. But I think something that sets us apart is that we are part of Michigan State University, and we have a lot of wonderful access to resources as part of the university. Our college is committed to local community outreach as well as international outreach. A lot of reasons why folks want to be part of our community is because they get to serve different populations of people. We have street medicine, which is where our students, in partnership with clinicians, get to go and work with individuals who are experiencing homelessness. That's more on the local level. Then from an international perspective, we have renowned faculty that are trying to cure malaria in Malawi. We have students going out there and doing medical missions. We have them going to Peru and Guatemala. It's really fun to be able to get them involved in a lot of different ways. It tends to be a reason why, again, folks want to be here. You mentioned the community focus as well as the international focus. That's a balancing act I assume, but I noticed that you have three campuses. You also mentioned that it's obviously an osteopathic school. How do both the ability to study on three different campuses and the osteopathic nature of the program affect the educational experience for MSU students? [3:43] Good question, and one that I've not been asked. The first thing I thought of was the interconnectedness of systems, which is the osteopathic philosophy in general. Because students can start their preclinical years or years one and two of medical school in Detroit, in Clinton Township, or in East Lansing, Michigan. They have the opportunity to select their geography. Certainly the vibe, if you will, across those campuses. But at the same time, there's an interconnectedness,

Ron DeSantis teams up with everybody's favorite billionaire for a 404-error campaign launch … while Donald Trump hunkers down in Mar A Lago waiting for what could be his summer of indictments. In Michigan, politics and government is a little more on track - the Governor signing another major gun safety law, the state's attorney discipline board takes aim at the lawyers who led the Big Lie lawsuits, and there's still another money-based scandal brewing as part of the Republican legislative legacy. And we're sad to report that neither Jeff nor Mark is on Putin's list of 500 Americans barred from visiting Russia. Barack Obama and Stephen Colbert made the list -- but Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis are still welcome. (Also on the list: former Senators John McCain, Harry M. Reid and Orrin G. Hatch -- who are all currently dead.) The calendar may tell us it's the spring of 2023, but for local election administrators across the state it's already 2024. The newly enacted voter protection rights approved by voters in 2022, the likelihood of an early presidential primary and continuing right-wing claims of 2020 election fraud, have local clerks in full implementation mode for what could well be a very challenging election cycle. Joining the conversation this week is one of the state's leading experts on running fair and accurate elections, Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum. Prior to her election as Ingham County Clerk 10 years ago she served for 6 years in the state Legislature where she was ranking member of the House Elections Committee. She's a lifelong resident of rural Lansing, and the daughter of Dianne Byrum who was the first woman to lead a party caucus in the state Legislature. Barb Byrum has a bachelor's degree in agribusiness management, and a law degree from the MSU College of Law. Also in Clerk Byrum's resume: after the 2014 Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex marriages she presided over the first gay marriage in Michigan. =========================== This week's podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRAEPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in: • Public Opinion Surveys • Market Research Studies • Live Telephone Surveys • On-Line and Automated Surveys • Focus Group Research • Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns • Political Campaigns & Consulting • Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research • Community - Media Relations • Issue - Image Management • Database Development & List Management =========================== Stories We're Following This Week Michigan politics and policy Michigan inked $25M grant without vetting ex-aide to House speaker, ex-convict - Bridge Michigan Gov. Whitmer Signs Extreme Risk (Red Flag) Protection Order Legislation to Keep Michigan Communities Safe - Executive Office How firearms could be confiscated under Michigan's new 'red flag' law - Detroit News AG Nessel Joins Coalition Supporting Federal Restriction Prohibiting Handgun Sales to Individuals Under 21 - Attorney General's Office Whitmer repeals letter grade rankings for public schools - Detroit Free Press Pamela Pugh enters race for Michigan's open US Senate seat Leslie Love announces run for Senate, challenges Slotkin - Lansing State Journal Commission accuses lawyers who tried to reverse 2020 election of misconduct - Detroit News AG Nessel Sues Avid Telecom Over Illegal Robocalls - Attorney General's Office Voting Rights and Candidates GOP state lawmakers try to restrict ballot initiatives, partly to thwart abortion protections - AP News Ahead of 2024 election, several states overhauled voting laws - The Washington Post Biden maintains edge over Trump in 2024 US election - Reuters/Ipsos poll The GOP Culture Wars Transgender Mississippi girl misses graduation after judge's ruling - Reuters Abortion to be included in Michigan anti-discrimination law - Bridge Michigan Nebraska passes 12-week abortion,

Ben Troupe on SEC football, David Murray on Miss. State, Jackson Prep football spring preview, Belhaven softball and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the news: For our first headline of the day focusing on campus news, students create MSU Museum exhibit, memorialize Feb. 13 experiences. For our second headline focusing on MSU athletics, MSU softball defeats Central Michigan 3-0 in home opener. For our final headline of the day focusing on culture, MSU College of Music to present comic Shakespearean opera 'Falstaff'.

Dr. Krista Walker, the assistant dean for college diversity, equity and inclusion at the MSU College of Nursing, sits down with Jackie and Patrick to talk about the importance of diversity in health care, as well as the issues those from various backgrounds face navigating this area.

The center, which launched in June 2022, is housed within the MSU College of Education and the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education. The center's co-directors and other personnel work with individuals and partner with researchers, service providers, employers, and policy makers to provide and efficiently disseminate evidence-based practices of support.Connie Sung is an associate professor of rehabilitation counseling at Michigan State University and one of the co-directors of the MSU STRIDE Center. Marisa Fisher is an associate professor of special education at MSU and the other co-director of the STRIDE Center. “I have always been passionate about supporting adolescents and young adults with disabilities,” says Fisher. “It probably comes from my experience as a sibling of an individual with an intellectual disability. He's older than I am, so I saw his entire school-to-work transition and saw where the struggles were and saw what the successes were. I was really interested in it, and I want to help other people as well.”“I'm passionate about the work because my mother has a medicine background,” says Sung. “I was trained in occupational therapy and psychology. I've worked with people ranging in age from the really young to toddler age and all the way to the elderly.”STRIDE is an acronym for the MSU Center for Services, Training and Research for Independence and Desired Employment.“I have to give credit to Marisa because she came up with the name and each of the letters,” continues Sung. “S stands for the services we provide. T is for training. As part of the land grant mission, we want to provide training for our students, but also for people who are now in service training. And then R is for research. As a faculty at MSU, research is a big part of our role, and we want to make sure all the service and training that we provide is research-based and the best practices for assisting the community. I is for independence and helping people live an independent life. The D and E stand for our desire to see people achieving desired employment because employment is not just about a paycheck. They can have a social network and a routine. Employment is a very important factor leading to positive mental health.”“STRIDE is a dream come true for Connie and me,” Fisher adds. “We have been working together for 9 or 10 years on various projects. And through those projects we really saw the need for comprehensive services within the community. We spoke with several different community organizations and community members and saw where the needs were and what was missing. And we said, ‘Okay. How can we help fill those gaps?' And we brought our heads together and said, ‘We need a center, a center that just focuses on all of this.' And we took that idea to our dean and chair and said ‘This is our vision.' And they said, ‘Okay. Let's see how we can support that.'”How does the STRIDE Center define disabilities?“People may have different understandings of disabilities,” Sung continues. “For us, we really look at disability across the board, including physical disabilities, mobility challenges, and mental illness. Our primary focus is on the intellectual and developmental disabilities because we have expertise and previous experience running programs and projects. We serve people with a variety of disabilities.”Research will be a key component of the STRIDE Center's land-grant mission.“As faculty members, our main goal is to conduct research and translate that research into practice,” Sung says. “We want to make sure we are relying on research and evidence to achieve the outcome that we expect to achieve. The work that we do, the service that we deliver, and the training that we provide are all research based. We want to fulfill the land grant mission of MSU to work with the community. We are not just in a lab. We're doing what we think are the right things to do and getting input from our community stakeholders. We are not just producing research for the purpose of archiving it in the library database, but it's really being used in the real world by our community partners.”“In the research that we do, as Connie said, we're not just asking questions to ask questions,” Fisher continues. “We're not collecting data just to write journal articles that then go into the library and are only read by other academics. We are conducting research to really support those who need support. Everything that we do is community engaged. We are working with individuals, with service agencies, and with other providers to not only find out what they need, but to find the best way to provide it and train others to also provide it. We're not saying, ‘This is our intervention and we're going to deliver it.' We want to say, ‘Here's a great intervention, who else can deliver it? Let us help you learn how to do it and then you can provide it to others so that it's reaching the full community.'” “We are open to the community coming to us to tell us what else we need to develop,” adds Sung. “Then we can hand off these resources and supports so others don't have to reinvent the wheels. We have the capacity and the expertise. We are really aiming to collaborate with communities to find out what the needs are and how can we fulfill the gaps and meet the needs of the disability community. One more thing that we want to really stress is we know sometimes people may get nervous about university faculty coming in and doing all this work. But our main mission is not trying to compete or to replace anyone in a community. We really want to collaborate with what is already in place and work together to improve the resources and support for people with disabilities because we believe we all share a common goal in better utilizing what we have to develop more new things to meet the needs. If our community partners need training, we are more than happy to provide it so organizations can take the programming or the interventions back to their organizations to benefit even more people with disabilities.”Sung and Fisher describe the first services the center is offering. One is Assistive Soft Skills and Employment Training (ASSET), and the other is Employment Preparation and Skills Support (EPASS). Who is the STRIDE Center for? Who should contact you for assistance?“A lot of times people may have a misperception that we only work with people with disabilities,” continues Sung. “In order to have people with disabilities truly integrated into the community, we need to also work with other people around them. The goal is not just to deliver services to individuals with disabilities, but to really become a center of excellence in independence and employment and transition so that people can utilize the resources and support that we develop here. We would like everybody to know we are here. The main purpose of the center is to provide support and assistance to promote independence and employment and enhance quality of life for people with disabilities.”MSU Today airs Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 5 a.m. on WKAR News/Talk and Sundays at 8 p.m. on 760 WJR. Find “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get yours shows.

Jackson describes his background and talks about what attracted him to MSU.“Michigan State really is the prototype for what land grants were built on, and to be at the epicenter for the commitment to the roles and functions that a state should give to its citizens from a post-secondary education opportunity just seemed very opportune. I was also attracted to the hardworking spirit of Michigan State. It's in the DNA. And MSU works hard on access to its excellence.”Jackson describes some of the excellent and highly ranked programs and curricula in the College of Education at MSU - from kinesiology to teacher education and from K-12 policy to foci on STEM education and the global nature of education. And he talks about his own research interests in hiring practices in higher education that have “looked at what we think of as organizational disparities broadly in the sense that inherently most organizations, not all, do find themselves to have consistent sets of disparities that groups have been subjected to across decades.”Dean Jackson talks about the strategic planning going on at the college that is “taking stock of where we are. Let's anchor the important pieces and optimize opportunities to reinforce the other emerging areas in our college. And then dream. Are there spaces where we can be first that will prepare this college for the next 50 years or more?”Jackson shares some thoughts on challenges and opportunities ahead around issues like handling race issues in schools to finding the right hybrid arrangements for remote learning.“We must be able to show parents and the community that we're addressing these issues. We have amazing faculty, staff, and students in the college. We attract students from a full spectrum of backgrounds and experiences. MSU's College of Education is a significant crown jewel that deserves the recognition and support it has warranted locally and across the state, nation, and globe. We're thinking very responsibly about the future with a keen eye toward the beneficiaries being our graduates, and the state, and the localities that count on the College of Education to be a strong partner with them.”MSU Today airs Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 5 a.m. on WKAR News/Talk and Sundays at 8 p.m. on 760 WJR. Find “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

This week Ambika sits down with Dr. Amalfitano DO, PhD, who serves as the Interim Dean at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is also the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation endowed professor of pediatrics, microbiology and molecular genetics and director of the MSU Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. Having earned all of his degrees at MSU, Dr.Amalfitano is an immense inspiration to Spartans - Go Green! Dr. Amalfitano is a proud DO and explains what the osteopathic philosophy entails. He elaborates on "the art of medicine" and osteopathic manipulative therapy (OMT) in which DOs receive 200 hours of training -- a key difference between allopathic and osteopathic medical education. Dr.Amalfitano also describes how MSUCOM is shaping the future of osteopathic medicine through world-class, student-centered medical education and research. SpartanDOs purposely work to build thriving communities, where all can grow and learn together. Therefore, he advises premedical DO aspirants to immerse themselves in their communities to serve and learn from those different from themselves. This episode can provide insight to anyone interested in healthcare, as osteopathic medicine is the fastest growing medical profession in the United States. If you're applying to osteopathic medical schools this application cycle, this episode can better inform your decision and prepare you to answer one of the most important questions you'll be asked during the application process: "Why osteopathic medicine?". For more information on osteopathic medicine, check out Dr.Amalfitano's article. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lasya-marla/message

Read President Stanley's May 2022 Spartan Community letter here. MSU brought a very successful academic year to a close this month with graduation ceremonies honoring 6,917 undergraduate degree earners and 2,684 advanced degree recipients. What struck you and will stay with you about this spring's ceremonies?“It was wonderful to be in person. We had the opportunity because of low COVID transmission to be without masks for people who didn't want a mask, and so that was great. There was really a sense of being together that we haven't had in prior ceremonies. That made it very exciting, and the turnout was phenomenal. “Steve Smith gave a remarkable speech where he talked about how much Michigan State University has meant to him. He talked about his relationship with his mother and the transformational gifts he's given to the university to help student athletes. Even though Steve played against people like Michael Jordan, he said it's not about beating others so much; it's about pushing yourself to be the best you can be. That was a great message for our graduates.”In addition to celebrating our graduates' accomplishments, you helped honor outstanding faculty and academic staff this month at the annual All-University Awards Convocation and support staff in the annual Jack Breslin Distinguished Staff and Ruth Jameson Above and Beyond Awards presentations. You always say MSU's people are the heart and soul of the university.“Faculty and staff achievement and development are key to us; we want our faculty and staff to reach their full potential. And then recognizing the extraordinary work they do is an important part of our strategic plan. These ceremonies are our chance to say thank you and recognize people who are doing exemplary work for the university, and it's a wonderful honor for me to be a part of that. I love the spring semester at Michigan State University because it's the time to acknowledge and recognize the key people who help make this university work.”The U.S. Senate approved President Joe Biden's nomination of MSU economist and professor Lisa Cook to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. She's the first Black woman to sit on the board, which sets monetary policy for the nation's central bank.“I've had a chance to talk to her several times during this process. And she's an extraordinary person in addition to being an extremely qualified candidate for the Federal Reserve Board. Her background and scholarly activity make her a unique choice.”Another distinguished Spartan you'll be honored to introduce at an upcoming recognition event is Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Teresa K. Woodruff, named a Distinguished Woman in Higher Education Leadership by the American Council of Education Michigan Women's Network.“Provost Woodruff is extraordinarily accomplished. She's a member of the National Academy of Medicine and a member of the National Academy of Inventors. And she's a champion for our university and our academic mission and a champion for students and faculty and staff. It's wonderful for her to be acknowledged in this way. She is a leader in higher education. She is a leader in Michigan. We're very fortunate that she's working at Michigan State University.”And Provost Woodruff welcomed you into the membership of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Congratulations!“It's remarkable. And I'm still humbled by this award and very appreciative to those who elected me to this very prestigious society. When you're in a society that contains Thomas Jefferson and others, it's remarkable. And this is a group that really puts as its goal bringing together the talent from the United States and the world to bear on critical issues for our society.“It's not just an honorary society, but rather publishes reports, investigates, does research on critical issues facing the nation, and uses the expertise of its members to do that. I look forward not just to being a member and being surrounded by so many very accomplished people, but also the opportunity to give back and to do work with the Academy on issues that are important, including things like global pandemics, which are an area of interest for me, and, of course, higher education and the impact we can have on these global challenges.”This year's Times Higher Education Impact rankings, which assesses progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, ranked MSU number 33 in the world and number two in the nation among participating universities. “This is wonderful. And the sustainable development goals or SDGs really span several areas, including things like food security, where Michigan State University has very powerful research efforts. From food to poverty, this really reflects the breadth of our efforts in MSU and helps us achieve one of our strategic plan goals. Now we must continue to maintain it and sustain it, no pun intended, but we're very proud of this work we do.”We achieved another major milestone this month with the opening for user operations of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams.“Someday when I look back at my career at MSU, one of the highlights will be that I had the opportunity to cut the ribbon for FRIB. This has been an incredible effort for not just Michigan State University, but the state of Michigan and the people who came together to make this possible. This event came 13 years after the Department of Energy Office of Science awarded the project to MSU and eight years after we broke ground for the $730 billion facility. It's already had a significant economic impact from the jobs it created in Michigan, but it's going to have more going forward.“MSU has the number one nuclear physics graduate program in the country. This facility helps ensure that we can keep that ranking. We generate 10 percent of the nuclear scientists graduated every year; that's amazing for MSU. And this is going to help us keep that lofty status and continue to have an impact on nuclear physics here and around the world.”There are some new Spartan leaders on their way to campus. Jerlando Jackson will be the new dean for MSU's world renowned College of Education. At Wharton Center, Eric Olmscheid has been selected to succeed Mike Brand as executive director. And Spartan hockey has a new head coach in alumnus Adam Nightingale. Your thoughts on these additions to the MSU family?“Professor Jackson is going to be outstanding as the dean of the MSU College of Education. He's going to also hold the title of Chief Foundation Professor of Education. Eric Olmscheid comes to us from Des Moines. He led a significant programmatic expansion there, built a comprehensive education program, and expanded community partnerships, all of which are things we want to see continue at Wharton Center. And Adam Nightingale has had a lot of experience working with young athletes. He brings roots and connections to the Green and White, but also experience in the National Hockey League coaching some of the most talented young hockey players in the country.”And two long-time Spartan coaches are retiring. MSU's winningest men's tennis coach Gene Orlando is retiring after completing his 31st season and recording 361 victories. In addition, women's softball coach Jacquie Joseph announced her retirement from coaching after 29 seasons and 753 wins here.“I play tennis. So, I've gotten to know Coach Orlando. He's been a legend here. His dedication to MSU is extraordinary. It's amazing to be at a place for that number of years and to have the success he's had. Everyone, including me, wishes him all the best as he goes forward. Jacquie Joseph is also a legend. She's going to remain with the athletics department in an administrative role. She's really been an advocate for women in sports, and she is going to continue to push us to make sure that we're living up to the promise of Title IX and giving women every opportunity to succeed and student-athletes to succeed in women's sports.”What are you watching for throughout this year's state appropriations process and what is the Spartan Advocate Program?“We're really working to get at least modest increases in funding. We would like to see that go to our base funding. Certainly, we'll take some one-time money as that's available as well, but we're really interested in increasing the base funding going forward. And both the executive budget and the Senate budget do have increases, significant increases, built into the budgets. The House budget unfortunately does not do that. The House budget provides some money for other capital projects but doesn't really raise the state allocation. “Higher education is so critical for Michigan's future and competitiveness. We have a Spartan Advocate Program in the Office of Government Relations that allows people to get engaged and reach out to their elected officials to tell them how important Michigan State is and how much it's meant to them or their families and the lives they lead. It's amazing that people don't always recognize the value of higher education. It's somewhat disappointing to me that we spend a lot of time trying to convince people that the return on investment from tax dollars that comes in to support Michigan State University or other institutions of higher education in Michigan is incredible. People's lifetime earnings go up and their health improves with a college degree. It really makes a difference to so many facets of people's lives.“I encourage people to consider joining the Advocate Program. We need all the help we can get here. And your voices often are heard more loudly than mine. People see me as advocating for the institution as part of my job. When you do it when it's not your job to do so but rather because it's something you care about, that's very important to elected officials.”Any final thoughts as we head into the summer? “I've told students and faculty and staff to find time for yourselves this summer. People have been under so much stress the last two years. The opportunity to take some time and relax is important. I plan to do some of that for sure. And I've encouraged all the people who work with me at Michigan State University to do the same. And for our students, it's okay to take some summer courses; it's good to get ahead. But try and find some time to relax and recharge, particularly for those of you coming back because we'll have an exciting fall and a big class coming in.”MSU Today airs Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 5 a.m. on WKAR News/Talk and Sundays at 8 p.m. on 760 WJR. Find “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows. 

Paul Bloom, DVM, DACVD, DABVP (Canine and Feline), obtained his doctor of veterinary medicine degree with high honors. He was board certified with the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in 1984 and the American College of Veterinary Dermatology (ACVD) in 2001. He became an Elite Fear Free Certified practitioner in 2018 and completed the Cat Friendly Certificate Program in 2020. Currently, he is the staff dermatologist at Allergy, Skin, and Ear Clinic for Pets and an adjunct professor at Michigan State University (MSU) College of Veterinary Medicine in East Lansing.  Dr Bloom has lectured locally, nationally, and internationally on all aspects of veterinary dermatology and has extensive experience in diagnosing and managing chronic ear and skin diseases, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius/multidrug-resistant infections. He serves on the ACVD scientific program committee and is a reviewer for the professional journals Veterinary Dermatology, The Veterinary Journal, Irish Veterinary Journal, Journal of Small Animal Practice, Veterinary Sciences, JAVMA, and Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care.   In 2019, Dr Bloom was honored to be selected for the Distinguished Veterinary Alumni Award – Practitioner and the Philanthropist of the Year award from the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine. When he's not working, Dr Bloom spends his time playing hockey or relaxing at home in rural Northfield Township, Michigan, with his wife and “menagerie,” which currently includes 3 horses, 2 miniature donkeys, 1 goat, 2 sheep, 2 cats, and 1 dog.

Robby joins Bill Heinrich as a guest speaker on the podcast Mindset in Motion to discuss “what (the heck) the metaverse is,” and how it may modify the learning experience through a range of new virtual experiences, avatar identities, and accessibility in post-secondary education. About the SPARTIE Lab:The Social and Psychological Approaches to Research on Technology-Interaction Effects (SPARTIE) Lab performs research on the effects of human-technology interaction, examining how the use of media technologies (e.g., avatars, agents, automobiles) influences meaningful outcomes (e.g., education, health/safety, persuasion). The SPARTIE Lab is part of the greater academic community at the College of Communication Arts & Sciences at Michigan State University. More information on the lab's research projects, staff, and work can be found on the SPARTIE Lab website. About the host:Dr. Rabindra (Robby) Ratan, Ph. D., is an associate professor and AT&T Scholar at Michigan State University's Department of Media and Information and is the director of the SPARTIE Lab. He is also an affiliated faculty member of the MSU Department of Psychology, the MSU College of Education's program in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology, and the MSU Center for Gender in a Global Context. Ratan received his Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, his M.A. in Communication from Stanford University, and his B.A. in Science, Technology and Society, also from Stanford University. Dr. Ratan conducts research on the effects of human-technology interaction, examining how media technologies (e.g., avatars, agents, automobiles) influence meaningful outcomes (e.g., persuasion, education, health/safety).  He is particularly interested in the Proteus effect, media-rich transportation contexts, perceptions of media as self-representations and/or social others, avatarification for health and education, and gender stereotypes in gaming contexts. Dr. Ratan lives near Lansing with his family. More information on his work can be found on his website. 

This is a recording of a talk Robby gave at Carnegie Mellon University this month. Can you guess one truth against the two lies in this talk title? [Spoilers ahead] The meatverse may have become enamored with the concept of the metaverse during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the term “metaverse” is three decades old and the concept even older. What is so meta-different now? Do we finally have access to an interconnected universe of immersive virtual worlds powered by decentralized platforms that facilitate private ownership over digital goods!? No! Can we teach classes in virtual reality headsets? Yes, and I did so for the first time in spring 2022! Does this mean the end of the Zoom fatigue era? Maybe, but unlikely! During this talk, I will describe my VR class, my recent research on perceptions of the metaverse, and my research on zoom fatigue as an issue of gender and racial equity. I will connect these studies to questions about how avatars may serve as an important facet of improving equity and inclusion in virtual meetings, particularly through the Proteus effect (the phenomenon that people conform behaviorally to their avatars' identity characteristics). About the SPARTIE Lab:The Social and Psychological Approaches to Research on Technology-Interaction Effects (SPARTIE) Lab performs research on the effects of human-technology interaction, examining how the use of media technologies (e.g., avatars, agents, automobiles) influences meaningful outcomes (e.g., education, health/safety, persuasion). The SPARTIE Lab is part of the greater academic community at the College of Communication Arts & Sciences at Michigan State University. More information on the lab's research projects, staff, and work can be found on the SPARTIE Lab website. About the host:Dr. Rabindra (Robby) Ratan, Ph. D., is an associate professor and AT&T Scholar at Michigan State University's Department of Media and Information and is the director of the SPARTIE Lab. He is also an affiliated faculty member of the MSU Department of Psychology, the MSU College of Education's program in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology, and the MSU Center for Gender in a Global Context. Ratan received his Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, his M.A. in Communication from Stanford University, and his B.A. in Science, Technology and Society, also from Stanford University. Dr. Ratan conducts research on the effects of human-technology interaction, examining how media technologies (e.g., avatars, agents, automobiles) influence meaningful outcomes (e.g., persuasion, education, health/safety).  He is particularly interested in the Proteus effect, media-rich transportation contexts, perceptions of media as self-representations and/or social others, avatarification for health and education, and gender stereotypes in gaming contexts. Dr. Ratan lives near Lansing with his family. More information on his work can be found on his website.

This week, Danielle and Aaryn sit down with MSU College of Arts and Letters alumnus and Mott Community College Professor and Program Coordinator Jim Shurter to discuss “fast design.” Together they discuss Jim's educational experience, creative process, workflow expectations, and the jobs that make every graphic designer tear their hair out. This episode is an attempt to define “fast design.” Join them on this journey of self-discovery, and make sure to look out for part 2, where they come to their quandaries' resolutions. _______Like what you hear? Let us know! Subscribe and share—we really appreciate it.Have ideas or comments for us? Email us at hatchcast@msu.edu. For behind-the-scenes content, check us out on Facebook and Instagram.   Hatchcast is made possible by the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Michigan State University in collaboration with the MSU Innovation Center, the MSU Entrepreneurship Association, & MSU Women in Entrepreneurship.This episode was written and executive produced by Danielle TiceOriginal Music & Sound Design by Kakia Gkoudina and Karina Stankowski Engineered & Edited by Will Rowan & Danielle TiceThe Hatchcast is co-hosted and produced by Gabe Hales, Gabe Berke, Diego Fernandez, Danielle Tice, Karina Stankowski, Charlotte Bachelor, Will Rowan, & Aaryn Richard.MSU Burgess Institute The Burgess Institute empowers Michigan State University students to learn through action.TEDxMSU TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading.Women in Entrepreneurship MSU WE's mission is to inspire, support, & empower women interested in building their ventures.

Games have been serving up killer apps for new tech since the early days of model railroads, maybe longer. It's 1982, what do I do with this home computer thing? …mostly play some games! Thus, it should come as no surprise that the video games of recent decades have provided foundational technologies for the impending less-gamey, more-workey metaverse. And so who better to help parse this inevitable metaversatile future than expert Game Studies researchers!? Dr. Trammell, Dr. Williams, and I discuss a range of topics related to this question of connections between video games and the metaverse, from issues of equity and inclusion to the epistemological nature of technology development and adoption. We imagine a future metaverse—facilitated by augmented reality technologies—that layers on top of our meatspace world, enriching but also stratifying social interactions. We also talk about how games provide a safe space for experimentation with new technologies that facilitates a sort of evolution by sociotechnical selection, helping to identify which user experiences are likely to be most compelling in more serious (e.g., business) contexts. For more on our guests, please see: dmitriwilliams.comaarontrammell.com@aarontram About the SPARTIE Lab:The Social and Psychological Approaches to Research on Technology-Interaction Effects (SPARTIE) Lab performs research on the effects of human-technology interaction, examining how the use of media technologies (e.g., avatars, agents, automobiles) influences meaningful outcomes (e.g., education, health/safety, persuasion).The SPARTIE Lab is part of the greater academic community at the College of Communication Arts & Sciences at Michigan State University. More information on the lab's research projects, staff, and work can be found on the SPARTIE Lab website.About the host:Dr. Rabindra (Robby) Ratan, Ph. D., is an associate professor and AT&T Scholar at Michigan State University's Department of Media and Information and is the director of the SPARTIE Lab.He is also an affiliated faculty member of the MSU Department of Psychology, the MSU College of Education's program in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology, and the MSU Center for Gender in a Global Context. Ratan received his Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, his M.A. in Communication from Stanford University, and his B.A. in Science, Technology and Society, also from Stanford University.Dr. Ratan conducts research on the effects of human-technology interaction, examining how media technologies (e.g., avatars, agents, automobiles) influence meaningful outcomes (e.g., persuasion, education, health/safety).  He is particularly interested in the Proteus effect, media-rich transportation contexts, perceptions of media as self-representations and/or social others, avatarification for health and education, and gender stereotypes in gaming contexts.Dr. Ratan lives near Lansing with his family. More information on his work can be found on his website.

Laura Sawyer, ICA's Executive Director, describes her path to leading the organization (she used to be an actor!!), offers some useful tips for students and junior scholars interested in ICA, provides behind-the-scenes insights into the multifaceted foundations of a successful Conference, explains how the organization is structured and run under the guidance of the executive committee (from president elect select to president eject!), compares ICA to NCA (reluctantly but diplomatically), discusses ICA's approach to promoting inclusion both at the local and international levels, and hints at the location (continent) for the ICA 2026. If you're interested in the organization—whether a longtime member or ICA n00b—this episode is a great listen!About the SPARTIE Lab:The Social and Psychological Approaches to Research on Technology-Interaction Effects (SPARTIE) Lab performs research on the effects of human-technology interaction, examining how the use of media technologies (e.g., avatars, agents, automobiles) influences meaningful outcomes (e.g., education, health/safety, persuasion).The SPARTIE Lab is part of the greater academic community at the College of Communication Arts & Sciences at Michigan State University. More information on the lab's research projects, staff, and work can be found on the SPARTIE Lab website.About the host:Dr. Rabindra (Robby) Ratan, Ph. D., is an associate professor and AT&T Scholar at Michigan State University's Department of Media and Information and is the director of the SPARTIE Lab.He is also an affiliated faculty member of the MSU Department of Psychology, the MSU College of Education's program in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology, and the MSU Center for Gender in a Global Context. Ratan received his Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, his M.A. in Communication from Stanford University, and his B.A. in Science, Technology and Society, also from Stanford University.Dr. Ratan conducts research on the effects of human-technology interaction, examining how media technologies (e.g., avatars, agents, automobiles) influence meaningful outcomes (e.g., persuasion, education, health/safety).  He is particularly interested in the Proteus effect, media-rich transportation contexts, perceptions of media as self-representations and/or social others, avatarification for health and education, and gender stereotypes in gaming contexts.Dr. Ratan lives near Lansing with his family. More information on his work can be found on his website.

MSU's excellence is a product of our long presence in the communities we serve. This week, MSU proudly joined the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation in Flint to announce a $25 million grant to support the expansion of the MSU College of Human Medicine's public health research and educational programs there. This month also marks the first anniversary of another notable partnership focused on supporting healthcare in Michigan communities. Last year, MSU joined Detroit's Henry Ford Health System in a 30-year collaboration inspired by a bold vision to discover and advance a new standard of health to help transform the lives of people in Detroit and beyond. “They really are critical programs for the university that have brought great distinction to the university as well as made a huge impact to communities across the state of Michigan,” says President Stanley. “The Mott Foundation has been a really crucial partner in our work over the years to support the Flint community. And this grant really follows up on the Foundation's support over really a 10-year period and is designed to really help us develop a new model for improving public health outcomes.“We're going to be able to support the addition of approximately 18 tenure system faculty members, boosting the program to more than 25 tenure track faculty and approximately 70 faculty members overall. And a community partner advisory committee will help determine priority public health areas for the program's recruiting focus. And this has been a really important part of this work in Flint. It involves the community and shows how important our community partners are in getting this work done.“And it's not a question where we're coming to them and saying here's the problem we'll help you with. It's rather a partnership where they're talking to us about what are the needs of the community, and then we're working together to develop programs that can make a difference in these areas of priority public health issues.“The Henry Ford partnership is something we're very excited about. This is a 30-year collaboration that we're working together on inspired by a really bold vision. And that's to really discover and advance a new standard of health to help transform the lives of people in Detroit, Southeast Michigan, and beyond. And I think we're making significant progress already.“Our plans include building on our joint cancer research task force to increase research that opens up new opportunities for collaboration and innovation. And we're really trying to lay the groundwork for seeking designation by the National Cancer Institute, known as the NCI, for us to create a comprehensive cancer center in or around Henry Ford's Detroit campus.“We're doing education work as well that's really critical for us. Some of our students who are third- and fourth-year medical students from the Colleges of both Human and Osteopathic Medicine are going to be doing their training programs at Henry Ford Hospital. And the MSU College of Nursing will also offer professional development opportunities for Henry Ford employees. Nurses there can have additional professional development opportunities.“We also have partnership goals in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. And we're working on ways to define paths for addressing health equity and health disparities through our partnership, particularly in cancer care. As we've seen before with the pandemic, there are huge differences in healthcare outcomes in rural areas versus urban areas and in urban areas versus suburban areas. And what we want to do is really try to get rid of those gaps and make sure that health disparities are not contributing to poor health outcomes in the state of Michigan.“So, the Henry Ford partnership and the work we're doing with the Mott Foundation and others throughout the state of Michigan is designed to really help us have an impact on healthcare and health outcomes in a broad swath of the population of the state.”At MSU, an important facet of maintaining a healthy and caring community is represented by a new effort based on one of the actions in our Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct Strategic Plan. Can you talk about the Support More Initiative?“The Support More Initiative is a critically important communication initiative that focuses on providing guidance for how to respond to disclosures of relationship violence or sexual assault or misconduct on campus. It helps our faculty, staff, and anyone contacted to respond to those experiences in an empathic manner, and it promotes the availability of related campus resources and services.“We're really taking steps to transform MSU's culture as it relates to instances of relationship violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and stalking. And this really grows out of the work of a number of outstanding faculty at MSU who have developed trauma informed approaches to responding to people who've undergone one of these events.“I'm really grateful to the RVSM Expert Advisory Work Group. Their members have been dedicated to this work and so has the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Division of Victim Services with support for this work through a Victims of Crime Act Grant Award. It's an important program, and I encourage everyone to go to the site because there are ways in which you can help make a difference in this important problem.”On January 31st MSU returns to in-person learning after a three-week remote start for most classes, which was intended to mitigate the impact of potential classroom absences due to the highly contagious Omicron variant of the COVID 19 virus. While you're cautious, I'm sure you're happy that we can return in person.“We're very excited about it. And I know students are as well. And I know faculty and staff have worked hard to get prepared to be in person in the classroom again. I think the important thing to note is that our cases have started to come down on campus. We're absolutely monitoring it very carefully. We did see a surge with Omicron as expected. The case numbers are coming down; they've been down again the past couple weeks. Our hope is by the 31st we will really have seen the peak and be very much on a decline in Omicron related COVID-19 cases.“The critical thing, though, is that employees have been vaccinated and boosted and are wearing masks, and we believe that the classrooms represent a relatively safe environment.”COVID booster shots are required unless an exemption has been granted with a February 1 deadline for most to update their verification forms online.The excellence of several of MSU online degree programs was validated this week in the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings. MSU College of Education programs placed in the top 10 in all four of the U.S. News Graduate Education Discipline program rankings, with curriculum and instruction rising to number one in the nation. Among other highlights, MSU's online master's program in Criminal Justice is ranked number five for the second year in a row. And our non-MBA online master's program in business jumped nine places to number 12. The online master's in mechanical engineering program ranked number 14. Will there be more hybrid instruction even when the pandemic eases?“Oh, absolutely. And I think it's a great mark of the quality of our College of Education, our Broad Business College, our Criminal Justice program, and our College of Engineering that they've reached these kinds of accolades.“This is a very competitive area. Delivering this kind of material in a way that allows students to learn and be successful is a challenge. MSU and our faculty have risen to the challenge and really developed programs that are appealing to our students and that have the potential to appeal to other students as well.“As we think about education in the future, having this combination of the ability to deliver both in person and remotely I think becomes incredibly important. With asynchronous learning, particularly, it allows us to expand the kind of students who can take and receive an MSU education. We have a quality combination of in-classroom and online coursed, and that's very special.”This month Spartans took great pride in seeing MSU economist and professor Lisa D. Cook nominated to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System by President Joe Biden. If confirmed, Cook will be the first Black woman to serve on the board in its 108-year history. “It's wonderful. And professor Cook is really a remarkable economist and leader whose nomination just highlights the excellence of our Spartan faculty. I was really honored in 2020 to help welcome former Federal Reserve Chairperson Janet Yellen as a guest speaker for the American Economic Association summer training program, which was hosted by MSU under Cook's direction.“So, I've had a chance to see her in action and to get to know her. She's a great representative for MSU and I'm sure, hopefully, she will be confirmed and will make a big difference to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve.”Also, this month, we say goodbye to another trailblazing Spartan, that's volleyball head coach Cathy George, who announced her retirement after an impressive 35-season career, the last 17 at MSU. She's MSU's winningest volleyball coach, recording 302 wins with an overall record of 667 and 457 across her outstanding career. “I had a chance to meet Coach George and see her in action coaching volleyball, and she was extraordinarily impressive. She has really been a tremendous asset and treasure to the MSU community. She was the first woman to lead a team to the NCAA Division 1 Final Four in 1989. She guided her team to 15 NCAA tournaments in all, 10 of them at MSU, with three Sweet 16 appearances and one in the Elite 8. And her student athletes were successful in the classroom as well, with 37 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar recognitions and seven academic All-America honors. She departs with our admiration and gratitude, and we'll do a national search for the next head volleyball coach. My thanks to her and my congratulations to her on such an extraordinary career.”Any final thoughts as January turns over to February that you'd like to leave Spartans with today?“Just again, we're so excited about this semester. There are great things that are going to happen. We are working very hard to manage successfully, and we will, through the return to campus in terms of in-person instruction. And I really appreciate all the efforts that people are putting in and the community support that comes forward to us as we continue this vital education mission.”Keep up with President Stanley at president.msu.edu and follow along on Instagram @MSUPresStanley.MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on WKAR News/Talk and Sunday evenings at 8:00 on 760 WJR. Find, rate, and subscribe to “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

This week Ambika sits down with Dr. Katie Ruger, Associate Dean of Admissions and Student Life at Michigan State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Ruger discuses the application process and gives advice on how to “be yourself” in an application In this episode she discusses personal statement do's and dont's as well as the importance of including experiences in Osteopathic Medicine. She details certain student mistakes that admissions committees see through in the Personal StatementDr. Ruger also gives interview tips and gives advice on how to remain authentic in the interview. She is a big advocate for not giving “a text book” answer in an interview. If you are interested in applying to medical school, specifically an Osteopathic medical school, Dr. Ruger has the insider information that you want to know! Be on the lookout for a future episode with Dr. Amalfitano, DO, the Dean of MSUCOM, to hear more about what it is like to be an osteopathic physician and what being a DO truly means! If you are interested in the MCAT retake course that was mentioned during the episode, make sure you visit /www.pillartestprep.com/the-retaker-course and use discount code "PREMEDPERSPECTIVE" for 20% off of your purchase. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lasya-marla/message

“I've been working in gastroenterology for over 20 years,” says Kerschen. “I've been in the mid-Michigan area at different practices. I've actually worked for MSU since 1999. MSU Health Care approached me about starting a practice here at MSU in gastroenterology and we look forward to getting that practice up and running.”“I've been in practice almost 20 years and I've worked with Cathy and Maria for all of that time in some way, shape, or form,” adds Oliveri-LePain. “I'm a graduate of the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, so it's nice to be back where I started.”“I grew up in the East Lansing and Grand Ledge area, so I know this area well,” Reed says. “I also have worked with Dr. LePain and Dr. Kerschen since 2001. I obtained my undergraduate degree from Michigan State and then went to PA school in Miami, Florida. I'm grateful to be back in the East Lansing area working with these truly great physicians to help satisfy the needs of the East Lansing community.”So, talk a little bit about why the new practice and you're coming together. What's the goal, the mission?“The three of us all share the same philosophical goal of wanting a patient-centric community practice where we can take care of the needs of all the people in the Lansing and East Lansing area and some of the outlying areas,” Oliveri-LePain continues. “We're interested in outreach by helping part of the community that doesn't have the best access to healthcare. Today, nobody should be dying from something like colon cancer. We really want to help the community and build a strong program.”What is gastroenterology?“Gastroenterology is the specialty of treating digestive diseases,” Kerschen continues. “We like to say we cover everything from the mouth down to the anus and everything in between. Some of the most common conditions we take care of are colon disorders. Colon cancer screening is something that keeps us busy. We also take care of inflammatory bowel diseases and irritable bowel syndrome. Then we take care of esophageal diseases like acid reflux and peptic ulcer disease. We also cover a variety of liver diseases along with pancreas and gall bladder diseases. We treat a wide range of patients, but we are primarily adult gastroenterologists, so we see patients 18 years and older.”Who should see you? What symptoms would someone be experiencing to cause them to reach out?“There are a wide range of symptoms,” says Oliveri-LePain. “You can experience anything from abdominal pain, heartburn symptoms, diarrhea, constipation, and bloating. And sometimes the symptoms are not so obvious, and a lot of symptoms overlap. You can have minor symptoms that can be a symptom of something more serious, something like Crohn's or colitis or something like irritable bowel syndrome where you can have similar symptoms. Treatments are very different though, and they can affect all ages of men and women.”What is treatment like and what are some of the challenges involved?“Some of the challenges are environmental like what we eat and the stressors we're under,” Reed says. “We've all been through a lot of stress with COVID, and we try to treat our patients from a holistic approach making sure that they're getting the right nutrition and getting their exercise every day. Medication treatments are also available. We partner with Henry Ford and we're hoping to tap into a lot of research in conjunction with MSU to provide treatments for our patients that might not otherwise be available.”Is diet the key contributing factor for someone to get a GI disease? Is it hereditary? Why would someone need to see you?“Every disease entity has a different etiology or risk factors that make it better or worse,” continues Kerschen. “So, in some of our diseases, diet and exercise and mental health make a difference on how well the patient responds. Most colon cancers are sporadic. However, there is an increased risk if you have a family history. So, there can be a genetic link. Some of the liver diseases that we cover have some genetic links, so we'd be more likely to screen patients for certain liver diseases such as hemochromatosis. But a lot of liver diseases are due to risk factors like hepatitis C. If you had a blood transfusion years ago or if you're an IV drug user, that increases your risk. So, we would look at those risk factors for patients. It really depends on what disease we're talking about within the GI system.”Do patients most often start with their primary care physician and then get referred to you?“Yes,” says Oliveri-LePain. “The majority of people start out with their primary care physician and then if it gets to a point where they've exhausted their evaluation, they are referred to us. If they need a procedure, they would be referred to us as well.”Is there some exciting research happening or some new treatments on the horizon that have you excited about treating GI better?“There are a couple things,” says Kerschen. “In the liver world, there's a lot of research right now on fatty liver, which is a big issue in our society right now. It's linked with other disease such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. So, liver disease can be linked with that. Right now, all we have is lifestyle changes to help treat it, but there is a lot of research right now going on about different medications that might help with fatty liver. My anticipation would be in the next 10 years that we may have more treatment options for people with fatty liver.“There's always research going on in a variety of diseases in gastroenterology. Inflammatory bowel disease has something interesting and exciting that they're working on in the research realm. Hopefully again, through our partnership with Henry Ford Hospital, we'll be able to get involved in some of the clinical research.”Talk about the excitement of coming together and doing what you love to do under the auspices of MSU Health Care.“To me, this is a perfect union of the three of us because we do know each other so well,” says Oliveri-LePain. “We know how we work philosophically. We are very similar in how we treat our patients. We're going to be able to bring a lot of positive care to the community and to MSU.“It's important that patients always feel that they're being heard. A lot of patients are tired of the cattle philosophy where they're being herded in and out and they're not really listened to or paid attention to. We think it's important that when patients come in that they're heard and that their concerns are heard and that they're taken seriously. Every patient should know that they're the most important patient at that time. That's really important.”What would you like our listeners to know about GI diseases and how you can help them?“One thing that we've seen over the last few years is improvement in our treatment of hepatitis C. Previously when I first started practice, the treatments for hepatitis C were very intense and the success rate was only about 50 percent. Now over the last several years, our treatment success rate is about 96 percent. For patients who may have had hepatitis C for last 30 or 40 years or maybe don't even know they have hepatitis C, the cure rate is phenomenal right now. The treatments are much shorter in duration and the side effects are very minimal. For people who years ago may have had hepatitis C that progressed to cirrhosis and maybe even liver cancer, we don't have that anymore. We would like to be able to have a hepatitis C clinic here in East Lansing at MSU to help those patients.”“We'd like patients to know that there are a wide variety of GI symptoms that they might be suffering with at home that they don't realize that there's something that can be done about it,” Kerschen says. “I would encourage patients to talk to their primary care physicians because a lot of times there are things that the primary care physician can do for them that will help alleviate it. But when they work with their primary care physician and find that they're still having issues, that's when they'll come to us, and we'll work further to try to figure out what's going on. Particularly in this day of COVID where people aren't asking for help as much for a variety of reasons, we want patients to get back in with their doctors and start talking to them about some of the things that are going on. Then if they need specialists like us, we're now here in the community and we can help work with them and work with their primary care physician to try to improve their symptoms.”Can you elaborate a little bit more on those symptoms?“That's a challenging question because depending on what the issue is, you can have minor symptoms like a little bit of belly discomfort or heartburn,” continues Oliveri-LePain. “For people who wake up in the middle of the night with acid issues or a hard time swallowing, it could be something minor like heartburn. Other symptoms are abdominal pain, which can be again from your ribcage all the way down, and diarrhea or constipation. No symptoms should be ignored. So again, start with the primary care physician and then come to us if things don't get resolved.”“An important part of the gastroenterology practice is that we do endoscopy,” Kerschen adds. “As physicians, we spend a fair amount of time in the endoscopy unit. Right now we'll be working through McLaren Healthcare and Genesis Surgery Center, which is off Jolly Road. That is something that gets arranged through our practice with our schedulers, and we'll take care to make sure our patients are well cared for in those facilities.“Patients can find us at the Hannah Technical Research Center on Hagadorn. We are on the second floor and our phone number is (517) 353-3102. We share a waiting room with the MSU Urology." (Photo session followed COVID protocols. Subjects were unmasked briefly.)MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on WKAR News/Talk and streams at WKAR.org. Find, rate, and subscribe to “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

“The basics are pretty much the same, but I think one of the things that's happened in the pandemic is that more people are much more aware of what nursing is about.” Rasch says in response to Beekman's opening question about how nursing has evolved and what the profession's future looks like. “When people hear nursing, what they hear or what they visualize is what they see nurses doing, like getting patients' medications, baths, and all of those things while you're in the hospital. People are beginning to hear more about what nurses have to know and how they have to think.“I would say that what's going to happen is that the outpatient part of the job outside of hospitals is going to grow. Probably most of our listeners have had family members or they themselves have been in the hospital and they've been there a couple of days and then they're released. Years ago, you would have been there a week or so and had an opportunity to really get prepared to be released.“Where we're moving now for nurses is really to be able to say this patient, as far as nursing is concerned, isn't ready to go. Or if you're getting ready to send them home, we need to be connecting to make sure that nursing care is provided at home so that they and their family members know what to do and can provide that care as well. And that has an impact on patients, of course, because who wants to turn around and get readmitted to the hospital, right? So the outcomes are a big piece. What people don't realize is that if you return to the hospital within a certain amount of time, it's big money because the hospital loses money and they're penalized for it.”Rasch encourages all of us to get our covid vaccine and debunks myths about the dangers of vaccines. And he gets emotional when talking about what inspired him to become a nurse.“Get immunized yourself for your own personal protection, but covid is a public health issue. You also get immunized so that your fellow citizens and residents of this country are also protected.”MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on 105.1 FM and AM 870 and streams at WKAR.org. Find “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

She comes to MSU Law from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Law, where she joined the faculty in 1989 as a full professor and holds the Evjue-Bascom Professorship. She was a visiting professor at both Georgetown University Law Center and Harvard Law School. At Harvard, she was the first African American woman to teach at the law school.“I've been in the Big Ten for three decades at Wisconsin,” says Greene. “MSU has been a big part of that Big Ten experience. The opportunity to be a law dean is so special right now. All of society's challenges and opportunities require legal intervention and legal reform, so it's a great time to be at a great law school. I was also excited to have an opportunity to do this at what I'm calling my sister institution in the Big Ten. This was a really great fit for me. My University of Wisconsin Law School experience has really prepared me to work with my colleagues to carve out a really important role for the College of Law at MSU.“Our societal challenges require multidisciplinary approaches, and this is a new phase of growth for both the College of Law and Michigan State. I always say that the best law schools are embedded in great universities. And conversely, a university will not be truly great without an intellectually preeminent law school. I'm really excited to lead the College of Law, but I'm also excited to expand our work with other colleges at Michigan State University for our mutual benefit.”Dean Greene describes some of the research and curricular strengths of the college.She talks about work in innovation and entrepreneurship and the Center for Law, Technology and Innovation. Intellectual property and copyright law are also strong. And there's the Indigenous Law and Policy Center. Greene also talks about the Immigration, Housing, and Civil Rights Law Clinics and the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute. Greene is a leading scholar in sports law and has done work specifically on Olympic governance. She predicts what controversies she thinks we'll be hearing about this year.“There will be a few. There always are. One controversy is whether the Olympics will take place at all. Given the current COVID surge in Japan, my understanding is that the many thousands of workers who will be working at the Olympics will not be vaccinated. There are so many unanswered questions about whether the Olympics will take place. There have been sports competitions taking place around the world, but not on the scale of the Olympics.“Another is whether the ban against illegal substances will be effectively enforced. That has been a serious problem during prior international competitions, especially at Sochi. Will women be barred from competition because their hormonal levels vary from what is typical in women? This involves the question whether people are allowed to choose their gender identity or whether we will approve a biological definition of womanhood for purposes of competition. This has been an ongoing issue over 10 years.”Greene also writes and speaks on intercollegiate athletics. “There are two big issues right now. One I think people can really understand is whether collegiate athletes will have an opportunity to share in the wealth they produce and whether they will be able to use their images and likenesses for financial gain. There's legislation in many states around the country that will permit athletes to profit from their images and likenesses. That means that if you are a popular athlete, you might be able to get a shoe deal where in exchange for an amount of money, you allow your name to be associated with an athletic shoe. That would be an example. Or you might be able to have branded apparel and then obtain profit from the sales of that apparel.”Greene has been the chief diversity officer at two institutions - the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of California-San Diego - and is a noteworthy scholar and commentator in this area. Diversity, equity, and inclusion will shape her vision as dean of MSU Law.“In a nation that is becoming ever more diverse, our future competitiveness and excellence as a nation, as a state, and as a university, depends upon our capacity to educate a diverse population of students. That is the only way that we are going to be able to draw on all of our talent for our creative scientific and social science advancements. I see our diversity as our future excellence, and I plan to collaborate with my colleagues at the College of Law and at MSU on a vision of excellence through diversity.”Greene shares her short- and long-term goals for the college. She'll work on the colleges' accreditations from the American Bar Association and the American Association of Law Schools.  “During the next academic year, we will complete a College of Law strategic plan. The ABA requires that we complete a strategic plan in conjunction with our self-study review. More importantly, the provost and I agreed that during my first year, we would conduct a strategic planning process so that we can identify our College of Law strategic priorities for the next 10 years. In that strategic planning process, we will be taking into account the strategic priorities of the university's strategic plan, which is close to completion. We'll also be establishing our own strategic priorities for the next decade.“It's really important that we recruit a more diverse cohort of students from every corner of the state, the country, and the world. This is going to be more important because the American Bar Association is considering a standard for accreditation that will focus on the diversity of the student body, staff, and faculty. Diversity is going to be not only important to our service to the state, but it's also going to be important to our success in our review process upcoming.“We want to be sure we're providing service to every corner of the state. Some of our clinics are engaged in that enterprise, but we need to do more. I talk about making sure that the College of Law is a significant presence in our historic home in Detroit. All the way up to the Upper Peninsula, we are Michigan's law school and we need to serve all of Michigan's people. I want to work closely with our alumni. They have so much to offer to our current students. And we also want to be sure that we understand their needs and that we are supporting their development throughout the arc of their legal careers. “Of course, a priority is to raise private money to support the College of Law. We have had some incredibly generous donors in the past. Now we need transformative financial support to retain and recruit faculty. We also need transformative scholarship support to maintain access and affordability to legal education.”What's the state of the legal profession your graduates are entering? How have legal education and the legal profession evolved over the years? What does the future look like?“Legal education is more important than ever. Every controversy and every challenge in which our society is embroiled has a legal dimension. From George Floyd to COVID 19 to the disputes over executive power, there are so many areas of society in which law plays an important role. This is probably one of the most important times for people to attend law school and to become lawyers. “What are some things that have changed? The legal profession and legal education have had a number of ups and downs. We had a diminishment of demand for legal education after the crash of 2008. And then what we're now seeing is a surge in interest in legal education. It's not just an interest in the legal education of the past, but a legal education that focuses on the most important issues in society. The challenges that we face in our communities, in our country, and around the world are significant, but those challenges are fueling a much greater interest in the study of law than ever before. And the challenge of a law school is to make sure that we prepare our students to address these evermore complex problems.“I look at legal education as the beginning of a long process in which our graduates will have to learn and re-learn and acquire new information in order to serve people effectively across a 50-year career. Many of them will practice law for 50 years or more. So how do we provide a legal education that provides a foundation not only in the areas that are currently important, but also the kind of foundation that will enable our graduates to be lifelong learners and leaders in the field of law? There's just more opportunity than ever. It's very exciting.“I would argue that at every stage of our country's development, law has always played an important role. It is the responsibility of the College of Law to provide the kind of legal education foundation that will not only prepare students to hit the ground running as lawyers today, but also to be leaders, policy makers, and servants throughout their careers. And those careers will extend 50 years and beyond. We've got to prepare them to serve society. And I'm so excited to have the opportunity to do that at MSU College of Law College.“The College of Law has a history of over a century of making enormous contributions to the state. This is a new phase of the College of Law's development, and we are very excited to play not only an important role in Michigan State University's activities, but to be an important player in every place in the state. In every place, every neighborhood, every community, we want Michigan State College of Law graduates to make a difference. That's our goal.”MSU Today airs Sunday mornings at 9:00 on 105.1 FM and AM 870 and streams at wkar.org. Find “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

Dogs, and many other animals, are now considered important members of many people's families. Emotional support animals and companion animals are now seen in many workplaces. Moreover, as people work from home, many employees have new four-legged "coworkers." In this episode, Angela discusses issues surrounding working with pets and her upcoming research project involving colleagues from MSU College of Veterinary Medicinee.

Texting is the most alarming distraction. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for five seconds. At 55 miles per hour, that's like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed. You cannot drive safely unless the task of driving has your full attention. Any non-driving activity you engage in is a potential distraction and increases your risk of crashing. Using a cell phone while driving creates enormous potential for deaths and injuries on U.S. roads. In 2018 alone, more than 2,800 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers.On September 19th, 2016, MSU freshman Mitchel Kiefer was tragically killed in an auto accident caused by a distracted driver on I-96 on Mitchel's way to the MSU campus. Steve Kiefer is Mitchel's father. Steve earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University, and he is a member of the Michigan State University College of Engineering Alumni Association Advisory Board. He's GM's key executive at Michigan State University and is a member of GM's senior leadership team. He is senior vice president and president of General Motors, South America and International Operations, meaning he's responsible for GM operations outside of North America and China.Soon after Mitchel's death, Steve founded The Kiefer Foundation to honor Mitchel's legacy. The mission of The Kiefer Foundation is to end distracted driving and all associated traffic deaths and injuries. The foundation focuses on three pillars to support its mission, awareness, technology and policy. Within each of these pillars are specific goals they hope to achieve and initiatives in which they hope to get involved. They've already made some progress, but still have a long way to go.“Until something like this happens to you personally, I don't think people really understand the magnitude of this problem,” Kiefer says. “It's important for people to realize that, around the world, because this is a global problem, 1.25 million people are killed on the highways of the world every year. It's a huge number. Some 50 million are injured or disabled every year in car crashes and pedestrian related car crashes around the world. We lose somewhere between 35,000 and 40,000 people on the highways of the United States each year. It's a staggering number.“The folks who do the analysis on distracted driving estimate that about 10 percent of those are due to distracted driving. We honestly believe that number is way under reported. As a matter of fact, the stats would generally say that 94 percent of crashes that occur on the highways are due to some type of human error. It could be speeding or drinking and driving or drowsiness, but we know a large percentage of those are distracted driving. The simple statistic that I think is most staggering is that, in this country, 10 people every day are killed by distracted driving. And it's just, again, until you go through it, it's just hard for me to imagine that today and tomorrow and the next day, every day, we're going to have another 10 people, another 10 families going through what my family has gone through. And it really is one of the prime motivators for us to get something done here and really bring an end to distracted driving.“The story never gets easier to tell, but as you said, it was September 19th of 2016 - the worst day of our lives. Mitchel was in his first month at MSU. He had come home for a nice weekend to go see a Lions game. He was driving up to MSU on I-96 early Monday morning about 7:50. It was a beautiful Monday morning, the sun was out, the roads were dry, and there was no reason for a crash to occur. There was a little bit of traffic congestion. The traffic slowed down, and Mitchel slowed down. The young lady behind him did not. She impacted Mitchel's car at about 82 miles an hour.“As most people probably know, when airbags deploy, there's a flight recording function inside modern automobiles. You get the forensics from the vehicle. It was clear that the car was going 82 miles an hour, but also that, at the time of impact, the driver's foot was on the throttle, not on the brake. That's a pretty clear indication that the young lady was not paying attention and never touched the brakes. That resulted in Mitchel being rear-ended and driven across a very narrow median on I-96 near Dietz Road, a narrow median that had no guardrails at the time. Mitchel was driven into oncoming traffic where he was hit by a large truck and killed instantly.“It's a horrific thing to think that one small act of lack of paying attention, of distraction, can just really destroy lives forever.”The Kiefer Foundation focuses on three pillars to support its mission, awareness, technology and policy.“First and foremost, we learned how large this problem is, and interestingly enough, we referred to it as a global pandemic several years ago before the more recent pandemic,” Kiefer continues. “And I really believe that it is a global pandemic. This is certainly, as I covered in the earlier stats, causing deaths and disabling injuries all over the world. So we felt, first and foremost, it was important to make as many people realize this as possible. You do find that there are families like ours all over the country that have a similar goal. We do things like advertising, billboards, and a number of community events to help raise awareness. We engaged with a nonprofit organization in Grand Rapids, Michigan called the PEERS Foundation, which brings simulators into schools and churches around the state and around the country to educate young people on the dangers of distracted driving.“We're able to put them in a car and let them drive in a simulated fashion and then distract them and show how it causes crashes. We also had the opportunity to do some things to memorialize Mitchel and to create awareness. “Mitchel was a hockey player. He went to Detroit Catholic Central. He was part of the 2016 State Championship Catholic Central Hockey Team. And he was a goalie. They won that state championship at a USA Hockey rink in Plymouth, Michigan. We worked with the USA Hockey Foundation and actually dedicated that rink in Mitchel's honor. So that ice rink is now known as the Mitchel Kiefer Memorial Ice Rink, which really feels good from the perspective of a father to memorialize your son.“More importantly, we didn't just put Mitchel's name on the rink. It's covered with distracted driving messages. There's a locker room that has a video that runs with distracted driver statistics and other messages. There are 500,000 people who visit that ice rink each year for various activities, whether it's hockey games, ice skating competitions, or figure skating competitions. And I can't tell you how many people contact me and say, ‘Mr. Kiefer, we're in your son's ice rink right now. And it's given me an opportunity to talk to my children and my family about these dangers and your message is having a huge impact in this ice rink alone.' There are several other examples I could give, but that's probably the one that's kind of closest to my heart because every time I visit that ice rink, it's such fond memories of Mitchel and the state championship, but also a really effective way to spread a message of driver safety.“There are many aspects to the technology pillar. In some cases, it's related to awareness and educating people that you need to be more cautious when driving. There are a number of technology tools that people can be using right now. One is using the safe driving mode and do not disturb mode on your Apple phones and your Android phones. Those tools work very well if you can just get everyone that you know and your families and friends to use those tools. Essentially, they disable the phone from receiving texts or calls when you're driving. “There are a number of newer technologies that are being developed, driver monitoring tools by some vendors that are watching the driver as they drive and recording these things. They hopefully alert drivers when their eyes are not on the road for a short period. These technologies are being developed. There are other technologies related to blocking the use of phones like phone bags that, if the phone is in the bag, it can't receive a signal.“And then maybe the final one that we're really quite proud of and it's a little bit of a stretch on the technology theme, is the concept of these cable guardrails. I described in my opening comments about the circumstances of Mitchel's crash. Had there been a guardrail on that narrow median on I-96, it would have stopped Mitchel's car from going into oncoming traffic and he probably wouldn't have even been injured at all. We worked with the Michigan Department of Transportation on these very simple cable guardrails that you see all over the state. We actually did a co-funding project half sponsored by the Kiefer Foundation and half sponsored by MDOT to put in about five miles of cable guardrails at the point where Mitchel's crash occurred.“Now, when we did that, we really thought it was kind of a ceremonial thing. I just wanted that exact point on the highway to be safe. I couldn't imagine, but within the first year, that guardrail was hit 12 times. Simple technology like these cable guardrails is really quite inexpensive and cost-effective, and we know this one saved 12 lives in that short period of time. You continue to see it all over the state where you see these cable guardrails that have been damaged or knocked down. They are effective and they are saving lives.”Kiefer is focusing most of his time and attention on the policy pillar.“While awareness and technology are important, we also realize that legislation and policy can be an extremely important piece of this. Reflect back on the progress that's been made, I would say in my lifetime, since the 1980s and '90s, on drunk driving in those decades. It was a huge problem. We saw a group of very motivated and very influential people called Mothers Against Drunk Driving get very active in the legislative front and in the courts.“They first made sure that there were very stiff drunk driving laws in place. Second, they sat in the courtrooms and made sure that anybody who was guilty of these things received very severe punishment. And when I was young, that seemed like a crazy group of people. And a lot of us didn't understand it, until you lose a child, then you realize exactly why they were doing what they're doing. If you look over the years now, the drunk driving occurrences have completely changed, and I would even say culturally. If you think about the younger generation right now, I know my kids would never even consider getting behind a wheel after drinking. They equate it to holding up a bank or something. You wouldn't do something like that. So behavior has changed completely. And there are now services available like Uber and Lyft, which have also really helped bring down the need for anyone to be driving under the influence.“If I fast forward to the laws that we're working on now it's about hands-free legislation. And really it basically says that if you're in a vehicle and you're holding the phone for any reason, it becomes a primary offense. Law enforcement can see it, and they can pull you over and you receive a severe ticket. By the way, this is not unusual. This is what most developed countries do around the world. I've spent many years living in Europe. In Europe, if you hold your phone in the car, it's instantly a 400 or 500 Euro penalty. So it's not a new or unusual practice, but we're trying to get these hands free laws implemented in every state in the country.“We really believe that if the laws are in place and then the awareness and enforcement are in place, and this is really important, that we have a tool that law enforcement can use. Because right now, laws that ban texting still allow people to hold the phone in the car. And it's just impossible for law enforcement to determine what a person is doing on their phone to distinguish between texting and phone usage. We believe that the hands-free laws will give law enforcement a tool that will basically be able to change behavior. And then through enforcement and education, we're optimistic that we can bring down the traffic crashes significantly. And I would just say that the data supports this effort. Every state that has implemented these laws has seen significant reductions in crashes and deaths as a result of these hands-free laws.“We're in the process of re-energizing a campaign that we refer to as Hands Free Michigan. We first introduced this a couple of years ago, and we agreed to take a bit of a pause during the latest pandemic last year, but it's time now to get re-energized on this. There are now 25 states that have these hands-free laws in place. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to get the law passed here in Michigan. There's a bill that's being developed and sponsored in the House right now in Michigan. Our hope and expectation is to get as many people on board as possible to support this bill and to support the passing of a law. We have a goal here to basically get the bill brought forward and through the State Legislature and passed into law by September of this year.”Kiefer shares his wisdom on the state and future of the automotive industry, and, in particular, General Motors.“I couldn't be more excited than I am today as to where we're headed as an industry and where we're headed as General Motors. “We have a vision at GM of a future of zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion. On this concept of zero crashes, as we get to autonomous driving, and we will, we're convinced that this will essentially eliminate all traffic crashes related to human error. We're optimistic about that, but unfortunately, that's many years in the future. In the meantime, I personally believe that ending distracted driving and keeping drivers' eyes on the road and hands on the wheel is probably the best thing we can do to reduce crashes in the short term.“On zero emissions, we believe in an all-electric future and plan to roll out a whole portfolio of new battery electric vehicles.“Electrification has many forms, but in its broadest sense, it's the idea of moving from propulsion systems that are based on internal combustion engines like gasoline and diesel engines into propulsion systems that are driven by electric motors and electricity. I say it that way because I think even fuel cells, hydrogen fuel cells, which are in our future as well, are another way to produce electricity for an electric vehicle. We're focused on this all-electric future, which is really about battery electric vehicles, and you'll start to see more and more of them roll out.”Challenges and opportunities for GM to reach these mobility goals?“The sky's the limit here. Technology always comes with challenges and risk, but I think one challenge is ensuring a pipeline of extremely bright, intelligent, motivated people for these jobs. I'm excited in my role participating with the MSU College of Engineering to help define some of those needs so that we get some of the best new engineers coming into our company. I think our story at General Motors right now is absolutely fantastic. And I think it's really helping us because I can't tell you how many people want to join the cause, want to join General Motors, whether it's young engineering students or even seasoned industry veterans. A lot of people are looking to General Motors and wanting to be part of the future success story.“The human capital and getting the right people in is always important and a challenge, but I think we're well positioned. The other thing is, there's a whole area of legislative and infrastructure challenges involved in getting electrical charging in place in countries all over the world. And then as you move to the idea of removing the driver from the car in these truly autonomous vehicles, safety is the absolute highest priority. There are some pretty cautious and time-consuming legislative hurdles that need to be overcome.”Kiefer talks about why MSU was the right university for him coming out of high school and more about his role on the MSU College of Engineering Alumni Association Advisory Board. What does he want listeners to keep in mind and take away from our conversation?“First, really think about the idea of what would it feel like if this happened to you? It's really hard to get people's attention and involvement until they personalize it. So, I just ask everyone to think about what you can do differently? What would you do to protect your life and your children's lives and your family if you thought that something you could do differently today might save them tomorrow from a distracted driving related accident? That's a hard thing to imagine, but I'd ask people to recognize that we never in our lives imagined something like this could happen to us. And then one day your life is shattered.“It's about personal accountability. This is a behavioral change and every one of us has to participate. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit how actively distracted I used to drive before this happened to me. I was somebody who could drive really well with my knee on the wheel while looking at the phone in one hand and maybe drinking a coffee in another. And I thought I was very cautious about it because I knew the risks. But I still admit that I did it. And then it happens to you and you realize just how senseless that is. From a personal accountability standpoint, if people could just really internalize that and say, ‘I don't need to be on this phone while I'm driving.' It is just way too dangerous. And it's just not worth the loss of your life or your child's life or the other people on the road.“Use tools like the do not disturb mode and the safe drive mode that are readily available. Commit to them, use them, keep your eyes on the road, drive safely, and make sure your children and all your friends are doing the same. That's the easy first step. If everybody could just do that, we'd be in a better place.“And then in a broader sense, for anyone who's willing to help us with the cause of Hands-Free Michigan, be very vocal on your support for getting laws in place that will help make our roads safer. Speak to your elected officials. Be vocal on this because it does have an impact. We're seeing overwhelming support for these hands-free laws. There is just no reason why we shouldn't be able to push them over the edge and get these things implemented this year.”Please find more again at mkiefer.org or Google the Kiefer Foundation. MSU Today airs every Sunday morning at 9:00 on 105.1 FM, AM 870, and however you stream at home. Follow and subscribe at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.

“I made kind of a circuitous route back to the university, Bill,” Hendrick says. “I did my bachelor's and PhD degrees here and left in 1992. I did a post-doctoral fellowship in Alaska, and then I went to Georgia for 16 years. That's where I spent most of my active faculty career then migrated back a little bit north to The Ohio State University for about seven and a half years. I came back here in the summer of 2016 as dean. “It's an interesting and exciting time for our college, and we do a lot of different things you would expect, of course, related to food and the environment. But I have everything from interior designers to soil microbiologists on my faculty and everything in between. And so my responsibility really is to empower my leaders at many levels in order to do the teaching, the research, and the outreach missions. We are a little different than other colleges because we're also the home for MSU Extension and our statewide presence there. And then also AgBioResearch, which is our agricultural experiment station as Michigan's land grant university. We have a very big international footprint as well and are literally on every continent and in many parts around the world and have remained that way here through the pandemic as well.”Hendrick tells Beekman how the pandemic is impacting the college's efforts.“We do have a very big footprint. I think we are definitely the university's biggest tenant in terms of acres occupied. When the governor's executive order initially came out, there were exemptions for things related to food and fiber production, including research. So we had both the fortune and the big lift of getting our research adapted to this new operating environment. And one of the things that couldn't go interrupted at all was all the care for all the things that we have custodial responsibility for. All of us have been focused on the two legged, right? It's about keeping ourselves and our colleagues and our students and those around us healthy. But I've got a lot to care for with four, six, eight or even 100 legs. And I have entomology and fisheries and wildlife and packaging.“So there are spins and feathers and furs, and all those things require care. Some require more than others. Some it's feeding and watering and looking after basic medical care. But at our dairy facility, those cows need to be milked every day and now we're milking them twice a day. And so much credit to my staff and the staff leaders and faculty and my administrators for keeping all those things going. And we've been remarkably uninterrupted, but it was a very big lift early on getting things going. When we moved to remote work in late March, we were right on the cusp of the start of the growing season. So crops and other things need to go out and not just ours to support our work, but our stakeholders, we're a very agriculturally diverse state.“We are working with our partners and on farms and with them and in their facilities year round. But particularly during the growing season, we can't let insects or disease problems that might decimate an important food crop, for example, get out ahead of us. And we're always on the outlook for animal and wildlife diseases and other sorts of things. So it was a very big lift but with the help of the university and senior leadership and my folks within the college, I think we've done a remarkably good job.”Of the colleges brand around the world Hendrick adds “it's less about the brand and I think more about the positive impact we've had in so many places around the world and continue to have today. It's a real point of pride for Michigan State that a lot of people probably aren't aware of.”And Hendrick says the college faculty had been innovative and really stepped up when the pandemic arrived.“I think finding the proper blend and balance of the hands-on and the distance or remote learning is going to be important for us to find. And that'll take a while to figure out, but the faculty have been very ingenious and the students have been very engaged and accommodating.”MSU Today airs every Sunday morning at 9:00 on 105.1 FM, AM 870, and however you stream at home. Follow and subscribe at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.