Volume 6 - Issue 2 - Home Page

• Anmar Razak, M.D.
• Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology and Ophthalmology
• College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Director, Stroke Outreach and Telemedicine
• MSU HealthTeam

MSU and Sparrow Health System Partner for Telestroke Network

People in mid-Michigan who suffer a stroke might be miles away from lifesaving treatment. Reaching immediate medical attention is important, but often local facilities don't have a neurologist available, or the advanced diagnostics to assess the nature of the stroke emergency.

Dr. Anmar Razak leads mid-Michigan's Telestroke Network, an initiative designed to connect four rural area hospitals to the Sparrow Neuroscience Facility for more rapid patient treatment. The first phase of the initiative began in April 2013, and includes Clinton Memorial Hospital in St. Johns, Eaton Rapids Medical Center, Hayes Green Beach Memorial Hospital in Charlotte, and Sparrow Ionia Hospital in Ionia.

Sparrow Health System, Michigan State University's Department of Neurology and Ophthalmology, and the MSU HealthTeam have a longstanding collaboration that contributed to the Sparrow Stroke Center earning an elite certification in early 2013. It was the first Michigan facility named as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, an independent nonprofit that certifies U.S. healthcare facilities ... read more

• Sandi Smith, Ph.D.
• Professor, Department of Communication
• Director, Health and Risk Communication Center
• College of Communication Arts and Sciences

Empowering High School Students to Educate their Peers about Safe Driving

While driving is considered a rite of passage for many teenagers, the rise in distracted driving is making this privilege increasingly risky. To help reverse this dangerous trend, the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) created the Strive for a Safer Drive (S4SD) program, modeled after Illinois' Operation Teen Safe Driving Program, in which high school students develop and run their own traffic safety campaigns to encourage their peers to drive safely.

The program is a collaborative effort of the Michigan OHSP, Ford Motor Company, AAA of Michigan, and MSU's Health and Risk Communication Center (HRCC), directed by Dr. Sandi Smith.

Smith is widely recognized for her research and work promoting safe and healthy behaviors and has already led the HRCC in several school-based public health projects. Because of her background and expertise, officials from the Michigan OHSP approached her about administering the S4SD program. After Smith applied for and received a grant from the OHSP, her graduate and undergraduate students working on the grant began to develop a protocol for implementing the program in Michigan high schools located in counties with the most teen traffic fatalities and serious injuries ... read more

MSU MTRAC: Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization Program for the Bio-Economy

The State of Michigan and Michigan State University are working together on an initiative to accelerate commercial development of promising bioprocessing, biotechnology, and bio-based products that deliver scientific advancements and boost economic growth.

The statewide enterprise is driven by the Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization Program (MTRAC), and supported by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). The focus is to support innovative, novel, and breakthrough technologies that are commercially viable and regarded as favorable for local, regional, national and/or global economies.

Andrew McColm leads the MSU MTRAC program within the Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies. With a background in venture capital and commercialization, McColm works to unite MSU faculty, agricultural and business leaders, government officials, and entrepreneurs in fostering cutting edge research and corporate partnerships that have potential for financial viability, high growth, and job retention ... read more