Student cohort and presidents
TTUHSC El Paso President Dr. Richard Lange and UTEP President Dr. Heather Wilson with MedFuture's inaugural cohort.

EL PASO, Texas, May 30, 2023 (Newswire.com) - The University of Texas at El Paso and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso unveiled MedFuture, a joint initiative that will create a pathway for highly qualified students in our Borderplex to be admitted to college and medical school in their hometown of El Paso right out of high school.

"UTEP has a very strong pre-med program," said Heather Wilson, UTEP President. "It makes sense for UTEP and TTUHSC El Paso to work together to help El Paso retain the best and brightest future physicians in the region."

The MedFuture initiative is the first of its kind in West Texas, with collaboration from two independent universities on one path to a medical education. Its groundbreaking programming will not only cultivate a deeper interest and understanding of the field but has the potential to change the life trajectories of local students and their families as they embark on a path to high-income earning careers in medicine. Four of the five students in MedFuture's inaugural cohort are first-generation college students.

"We're pleased to partner with UTEP to provide an educational pathway for talented local students who dream of attending medical school and serving patients in their hometown," said Richard Lange, M.D., M.B.A., president of TTUHSC El Paso and dean of the Foster School of Medicine. "MedFuture will address the physician shortage in the region while meeting the health care challenges faced by our residents."

The MedFuture partnership recognizes highly qualified seniors in high school who have expressed an interest in science and medicine — and a strong commitment to serve the region upon graduating. 

While completing their baccalaureate degrees at UTEP, MedFuture students receive foundational pre-med support and enroll in the UTEP PREP summer program to set a solid foundation for their college career. Program opportunities include pre-health advising and mentorship, paid Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) preparation programs, paid summer research experiences and health care internships at TTUHSC El Paso's Foster School of Medicine.

"Our goal is to address our region's severe physician shortage by educating the next generation of medical professionals, and promoting a medical workforce that reflects our community," said Gail Arnold, Ph.D., assistant dean of the College of Science and director of the Medical Professions Institute at UTEP.

A joint committee of UTEP and TTUHSC El Paso's faculty and staff selected the inaugural cohort of students for admission. They are:

• Fernanda Acosta, Clint Early College Academy
• Luke Briggs, Cathedral High School
• Janelle Navarrette, Northwest Early College High School
• Makena Piñon, Texas Online Preparatory School
• Max Serrano, Franklin High School

Piñon was born with a heart defect and has undergone multiple surgeries - including open-heart surgery. The experience gave her an understanding about her heart and how it worked. Her passion for practicing medicine locally grew after learning of TTUHSC El Paso's mission to keep students in the region after graduation.

"As a patient, I have to fly out to Houston for any treatment," Piñon said. "Not only is El Paso underserved, but it's underrepresented. Being part of this program means I can continue my education here and stay involved in our community."

"We're excited to provide mentorship and professional development opportunities, while exposing them to the field of medicine through scribing and shadowing internships," said Cynthia Perry, Ph.D., Associate Academic Dean for Admissions at the Foster School of Medicine. "MedFuture will help us grow our own future physicians and provide the resources to potentially change their life trajectories."

About Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso

TTUHSC El Paso is the only health sciences center on the U.S.-Mexico border and serves 108 counties in West Texas that have been historically underserved. It's a designated Title V Hispanic-Serving Institution, preparing the next generation of health care heroes, 48% of whom identify as Hispanic and are often first-generation college students.

About The University of Texas at El Paso

The University of Texas at El Paso is America's leading Hispanic-serving university. Located at the westernmost tip of Texas, where three states and two countries converge along the Rio Grande, 84% of our 24,000 students are Hispanic, and half are the first in their families to go to college. UTEP offers 169 bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top-tier research university in America.

NIVA|HF

NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 30, 2023 (Newswire.com) - VoluMetrix, a Nashville-based biotech startup dedicated to creating a new wave of solutions for vital monitoring to enhance well-being, announced today that it has been awarded a Phase IIb Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant expected to total $3 million over three years from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, part of the National Institute of Health. This grant, in conjunction with prior financing, supports the development and validation of NIVA_HF, a device designed to provide non-invasive volume status monitoring for heart failure patients.

Heart failure affects over 6 million Americans and is the most common reason for hospitalization of elderly patients.¹ Current heart failure monitoring is inadequate with a majority of patients monitored by clinical symptoms and weights, which are late and unreliable indicators.² Monitoring cardiac filling pressures is the gold standard in heart failure, but this requires invasive procedures or implanted devices.³ VoluMetrix has developed the investigational NIVA_HF, a wrist-worn device designed to provide non-invasive, real-time estimates of cardiac filling pressure from hospital to home.

"The SBIR funding will assist VoluMetrix in bringing NIVA_HF into patients' lives. For us, this NIH SBIR funding allows research discoveries to become healthcare realities for our patients." - Colleen Brophy M.D., VoluMetrix Chief Medical Officer.

The NIH SBIR program provides an important funding mechanism for innovative solutions that address public health challenges. These programs focus on small businesses with high-impact technologies that have strong potential for commercialization. VoluMetrix is pleased to receive this prestigious and highly competitive award and to fulfill the program goals by bringing NIVA_HF to patients and clinicians.

What is NIVA Technology?

NIVA is a proprietary venous waveform technology from VoluMetrix, representing a major innovation in vital monitoring technology. The venous waveform is an energy-based signal generated by the heart and respiratory activity that reflects numerous physiologic conditions, including pulse rate and respiration, as well as intravascular and extravascular dynamics. NIVA is being developed to optimize hemodynamic assessment in three key ways: signal capture (using a non-invasive wrist sensor), signal deconstruction (mapping individual amplitudes within a patient's waveform), and signal decoding.

About VoluMetrix

VoluMetrix is a Nashville-based company that is dedicated to creating a new wave of solutions for vital monitoring to enhance well-being. As pioneers of non-invasive venous waveform technology, we are partnering closely with patients and practitioners to develop the pathway toward the optimal implementation and utilization of our technology, from hospital to home.

NIVA technology is investigational and is not available for sale in the United States.

Research reported in this press release was supported by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health under award number R44HL140669. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

For more information, please visit our website at https://www.volumetrix.com.

Protenus logo
Protenus logo

BALTIMORE, May 30, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Protenus, provider of the leading healthcare compliance analytics platform empowering healthcare to eliminate risk, has been selected by Modern Healthcare as one of the 2023 Best Places to Work in Healthcare. The complete list of this year's winners, in alphabetical order, is available here. Modern Healthcare will publish a special supplement featuring a ranked list of all the winners along with the Oct. 2, 2023, issue of MH magazine.

"I'm very proud of the individuals that make up the Protenus team, and their ability to navigate and adapt to new or evolving work practices that occur in a modern workplace environment," expressed Protenus CEO and Co-founder Nick Culbertson. He continued, "We strive to create an open, collaborative environment where every voice is heard and valued. Together we have created a culture that encourages empowerment, work-life balance, and a sense of community, which enables us to work better together and focus on the ultimate goal of helping our customers eliminate risk through use of our products, services and subject matter expertise."

"An uncertain economy, staffing shortages and increasing demands for flexibility and remote work opportunities are forcing every business in the industry to focus on attracting and retaining talent in unprecedented ways," said Dan Peres, president of Modern Healthcare. "The 2023 Best Places to Work winners proved the value of understanding what employees want — and need — today. The healthcare industry is going through a period of extraordinary change. Having the right people in place is more critical than ever, and the winning workplaces understand that taking care of employees is central to business success."

This award program identifies and recognizes outstanding employers in the healthcare industry nationwide. Modern Healthcare partners with Workforce Research Group on the assessment process, which includes an extensive employee survey. This is the 5th time Protenus has been recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare in the past six years.  

About Protenus

Protenus harnesses the power of AI to provide healthcare organizations with scalable risk-reduction solutions that drive the safest patient outcomes while protecting the reputation of the organizations. We are committed to innovation, determined to reduce risk, and focused on supporting our community of employees, customers, and ultimately, patients. Empowering healthcare to eliminate risk. 

Founded in 2014, Protenus was awarded 2023 Best in KLAS for both patient privacy monitoring and drug diversion surveillance solutions, is a three-time winner of Forbes' America's Best Startup Employers, is a Great Place to Work®-Certified company, was named one of 2021 CBInsights Digital Health 150, one of The Best Places to Work in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare, and one of the Best Places to Work in Baltimore by the Baltimore Business Journal and the Baltimore Sun. Learn more at Protenus.com and follow us on Twitter @Protenus. 

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Integrative Health Logo

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, May 30, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Integrative Health, the Kingdom's pioneering and patient-centric network of digital-first urgent care centers, is thrilled to announce the complete acquisition of Nala, one of the region's most advanced digital health platforms serving over 200,000 patients.

The details of the acquisition have not been disclosed, but the strategic move aims to leverage Nala's powerful platform to significantly enhance Integrative Health's technology capabilities and expand its comprehensive care services across the kingdom.

Established as the first urgent care centers in the Kingdom, Integrative Health is renowned for creating an effective primary care solution driven by cutting-edge technology. The healthcare network has been growing consistently due to its strong contractual alliances with leading insurance companies and government authorities.

"Nala has built a renowned reputation for being the region's most advanced digital health platform," said Dr. Theeb Alqahtani, Founder & Chairman of Integrative Health. "This acquisition underscores our commitment as a technology-powered company to leverage Nala's robust digital health platform to enrich our capabilities, accelerate our growth, and diversify our revenue streams."

This acquisition further solidifies Integrative Health's vision of building the kingdom's next generation of health services. Nala's platform and digital tools will be integrated into Integrative Health's existing services, providing patients with increased access to care and a more personalized treatment experience.

About Integrative Health

Headquartered in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Integrative Health is a patient-centric, technology-powered healthcare network offering a digital-first approach to urgent and primary care. As the first urgent care centers in the Kingdom, Integrative Health is committed to enhancing patient experiences and health outcomes through its innovative services and technology.

For more information, please visit www.integrative.sa

Dr. Jennifer Monaco, DPM

COLUMBUS, Ga., May 30, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Dr. Jennifer Monaco, a distinguished fellowship trained podiatric surgeon, has recently augmented her exceptional skill set in limb reconstruction by completing a mini fellowship in orthoplastic techniques. Dr. Monaco embarked on this educational journey by traveling to Chicago, Illinois, USA, where she had the privilege of mentoring under the esteemed guidance of world-renowned Dr. Edgardo Rodrigues at the prestigious Chicago Foot & Ankle Deformity Correction Center.

The field of orthoplastics and microneurosurgery represents the cutting edge of limb reconstruction and peripheral nerve surgery. With her comprehensive training, Dr. Monaco is now uniquely positioned to provide patients with a wide range of evaluation and treatment options for lower extremity pathologies. As leading Podiatrist in Columbus, GA, her expertise encompasses various conservative and surgical approaches, including the treatment of nerve trauma, drop foot, peripheral neuropathy, chronic pain (resulting from fractures, lateral ankle sprains, and nerve compression syndromes), as well as phantom limb pain post amputation.

By leveraging state-of-the-art ultrasound technology and adopting an interdisciplinary approach to diagnosis, Dr. Monaco dedicates herself to meticulously reaching accurate diagnoses and developing personalized treatment plans for each patient. These plans may involve advanced techniques such as nerve grafts and transfers, lower leg tendon balancing procedures, peripheral nerve stimulators, targeted muscle reinnervation, regenerative peripheral nerve interface, external neurolysis, and neuroma repair.

One of the primary causes of nerve pain includes diabetes, along with various other metabolic conditions, cancer, and post-surgical complications. Patients suffering from nerve-related issues commonly experience symptoms such as burning sensations, tingling, numbness, nocturnal pain, muscle weakness, and cramping. Dr. Monaco's extensive training equips her with the necessary expertise to address these complex symptoms and provide comprehensive care for her patients.

Dr. Monaco's commitment to advancing her skills and knowledge in the field of podiatric surgery is driven by her passion for delivering the highest quality of care to her patients. By embracing innovative techniques and drawing upon her expertise in limb reconstruction and orthoplastics, she remains at the forefront of her profession and continues to improve the lives of individuals with lower extremity pathologies.

To schedule an appointment or learn more about Dr. Jennifer Monaco and her practice, please visit her website or call 762-985-0020.
 

About Dr. Jennifer Monaco

Dr. Jennifer Monaco is a fellowship trained podiatric surgeon specializing in limb reconstruction and orthoplastic techniques. With her exceptional skills and dedication to providing the best possible care, she offers comprehensive evaluation and treatment options for lower extremity pathologies, including nerve trauma, drop foot, peripheral neuropathy, chronic pain, and phantom limb pain post amputation. Dr. Monaco remains committed to staying at the forefront of her field and employs cutting-edge technologies to deliver optimal outcomes for her patients.