Colleagues Overseas Research Articles

Global American Higher Education: Diversity, Unity, Mutuality

In Short Cross-border American higher education is often conflated with international branch campuses. But there are other institutional forms, such as microcampuses, international joint universities, and independent universities. The different forms developed at different times with different missions and serve different roles. Reflecting on their histories and functions provides an opportunity to appreciate the scope and variety of American higher education abroad. Contemporary relations among higher education institutions are often viewed through a lens of competition. But careful consideration of American institutions abroad demonstrates a history of collaboration. The principle of mutuality provides a framework to help international campuses to operate in ways that oppose colonialism. Stateside educators can be key partners for colleagues overseas. Continued and expanded collaboration will be critical in the years ahead when the geopolitical environment for international education is uncertain at best.

Immediate sequential bilateral cataract surgery: The rationale, implementation, and beliefs of ophthalmic surgeons across Europe

To assess the attitudes and beliefs held toward immediate sequential bilateral cataract surgery (ISBCS), including estimating the incidence of European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) members currently performing ISBCS, exploring the barriers of ISBCS implementation, and assessing the relevance of these findings to practice in the United Kingdom. European consultant members of the ESCRS. Survey-based questionnaire. The survey was sent and collected electronically. An initial screening question directed the rest of the survey; participants were asked to rate the importance of several factors with regard to performing ISBCS. Free text options were also available. Descriptive analysis was performed. Of the 2200 recipients, 303 (13.7%) responded, of which 247 were eligible for analysis. Of the 247 eligible respondents, 166 (67.2%) reported performing ISBCS, 71 (28.7%) said they did not perform ISBCS, and 10 (4.0%) said they had previously done so but have since stopped. Of those who were currently practicing ISBCS, the three most important factors to consider were all directly related to infection risk. Of those who did not perform ISBCS, the most important reasons for not performing the surgery were a risk for endophthalmitis (69.0%) and the medicolegal issues should ISBCS go wrong (57.8%). The most common reason for stopping ISBCS was that the respondent no longer believed in the benefit of ISBCS (n=4). The survey reflects ophthalmologists' concerns regarding infection and medicolegal risks; however, reports of bilateral endophthalmitis are extremely rare when the correct recommendations are followed. The findings from this survey could be used to inform service provision of ISBCS in the U.K., taking into consideration the voices of colleagues overseas.

The Burn and Plastic Surgery Association of CPLA in thirty years

The founding and the development of the Burn and Plastic Surgery Association of the People's Liberation Army of China (CPLA) were reviewed. It was in 1962 that the Burn Surgery Association of CPLA was founded on the basis of the Burn Collaboration Group of the Army and it was enlarged to become the Burn and Plastic Surgery Association in 1978. Its members consist of the Burn Units of the four Military Medical Universities, all the major hospitals of the Army, Navy and Air Force, and other military medical services. At present an extensive network for academic communications on burn and plastic surgery has been established within the Army. The association has so far sponsored 14 academic conferences, which in fact were nation-wide gatherings since the participants included most of the colleagues and experts of the field no matter they were civilians or in uniform. In recent years, the research on basic sciences related to burn and plastic surgery is very active and has achieved quite remarkable results.In addition, our communications with the colleagues overseas have also been established and several international conferences on the speciality have consecutively been held by the association.

Top tips for building and maintaining international collaborations

Four researchers explain how working with colleagues overseas has helped them to produce stronger science. Four researchers explain how working with colleagues overseas has helped them to produce stronger science.

WE‐E‐19A‐01: Globalization of Medical Physics

Following successful 2012–2013 International Professional Symposiums as a part of Annual AAPM meetings, representatives of AAPM and International Organization of Medical Physics (IOMP) suggested to make this tradiational Symposium a permanent part of Annual AAPM meetings in future. Following the tradition, this session includes presentations of representatives of AAPM, IOMP, European Federation of Medical Physics (EFOMP), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP). The speakers will cover various aspects of International collaboration such as educational, professional, and scientific issues, as well as help to developing countries.With further developments of medicine and technology and increased communication with our colleagues overseas, Medical Physics becomes more and more global profession. Use of the same technology, significant progress in medical physics research and developing practical regulations worldwide makes it increasingly useful to organize global collaboration of medical physicists. Several international organizations are tasked to promote such collaboration and provide help to developing countries. Not all AAPM members are fully aware of these international efforts. It is very useful for medical physicists to know about success of our profession in other countries. Different schools present different approaches to the same problem, which allows to find the best solution. By communicating with colleagues overseas, one can learn more than from just reading scientific publications. At this session the attendees will receive a glimpse of International Medical Physics activities.Learning Objectives: Understand the globalization of Medical Physics profession and advantages of collaboration with foreign colleagues. See what role AAPM is playing in establishing contacts with colleagues overseas. Understand the role of IOMP and main directions of its activity. Learn about IAEA and how it helps developing countries. Learn about activity of EFOMP and how can help the global development of Medical Physics. Find out about ICTP and its educational programs.

2013 APSA Africa Workshop: Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

The sixth annual APSA Africa Workshop was conducted in partnership with the Institute for Governance and Development (IGD) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, from July 1 to 12. The event is part of a multiyear initiative to support political science research and teaching in Sub-Saharan Africa through a series of residential political science workshops at African universities and research institutions. Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Africa Workshops program is a major component of APSA's efforts to engage with political science communities outside the United States and support research networks linking US scholars with their colleagues overseas.

International

From July 1 to 12, 2013, approximately 30 scholars from across Africa and the United States will gather at the Institute for Governance and Development in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, for this year's Africa Workshop, titled “Religion and Politics in Comparative Perspective.” Now going into its sixth annual iteration, the APSA Africa Workshop program is an academic conference series funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support political science research and teaching in Sub-Saharan Africa. It also forms a major component of APSA's efforts to support research networks linking US scholars with their colleagues overseas and engage political science communities outside the United States. Previous workshops have been held in Gaborone, Botswana (2012); Nairobi, Kenya (2011); Dares Salaam, Tanzania (2010); Accra, Ghana (2009); and Dakar, Senegal (2008).

International

APSA recently announced a new series of annual political science workshops to be held in the Arab Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York for 2013–2014, the MENA Workshops are a multi-year collaboration with early-career political science faculty in the Arab Middle East and North Africa to enhance regional scholarly capacity and networks. The program will deepen APSA's engagement with the international political science community and strengthen efforts to support research networks linking US scholars with their colleagues overseas, building on APSA's successful Africa Workshop program.

The Nazi Symbiosis: Human Genetics and Politics in the Third Reich (review)

Reviewed by: The Nazi Symbiosis: Human Genetics and Politics in the Third Reich Michael H. Kater Sheila Faith Weiss . The Nazi Symbiosis: Human Genetics and Politics in the Third Reich. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010. 392 pp. Ill. $45.00 (978-0-226-891767). Sheila Faith Weiss's study deals with genetics and eugenics in modern Germany, in the periods before and during the Nazi regime. In six chapters she explains genetics, which deals with laws of inheritance, and eugenics, which signifies man's attempt to improve the human race by manipulating genetics—through the elimination of negative traits (genes) and the furtherance of good ones. She also deals with the main protagonists and their interlocking behavior. In Germany those were all physicians who took their cues from Galton and Darwin: Alfred Ploetz, who founded the first eugenic journal, his brother-in-law Ernst Rüdin, who became a psychiatrist, Fritz Lenz and Eugen Fischer, who collaborated in the publication of a hugely popular standard text, Fischer's protégé Otmar Freiherr von Verschuer, and von Verschuer's master pupil Josef Mengele, who eventually continued his teacher's twin studies at the Auschwitz concentration camp. These men corresponded with colleagues overseas: the venerable Charles B. Davenport in the United States and scientists in Great Britain and Scandinavia. Faith Weiss explains how the Germans eventually took over and worked within branches of the vast Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gesellschaft, long before 1933, and how those were partially supported by the U.S. Rockefeller Foundation. All but Mengele held university chairs, preferably in Munich, Frankfurt, and Berlin; in Auschwitz Mengele was working on his postsecondary teaching qualifications. Well into the Third Reich these researchers either received respected foreign colleagues as visitors or joined them at international conferences abroad; their theses permeated the German biology school curricula at every level. Although most of the information the author presents is known in different contexts, she is the first to have connected individual parts of the larger picture of what she calls "biomedicine" and to show the criminal excrescences in Nazi medical experiments and psychiatric and "euthanasia" killing wards. For this she deserves much credit. At various times throughout the book Faith Weiss refers to the "Faustian bargain" these men chose to enter, in order to further their work and their careers. By this she implies that as properly trained professional scientists they sold themselves to the National Socialists, especially after those came to power in 1933, in order to guarantee receiving maximum institutional support. But I take issue with the Faustian paradigm because her group of men did not fit the original Faustian pattern. The "historic" Faust of Marlowe and Goethe was a normal human scholar, neither worse nor better than others of his kind, who concluded a pact with the devil in return for omniscience and omnipotence, to be sent to hell after the conclusion of his earthly life. In the case of modern German eugenics, the men in question were not morally neutral but corrupted to begin with. For all were racists before Hitler appeared on the scene, in approximately 1923, with Mengele (born 1910) being socialized in a culture of racism. Ploetz professed the inequality of races as a young man in his writings and privately was known to be an anti-Semite; he closely influenced his brother-in-law Rüdin very early. Fischer had adopted his view of racial inequality as a young scientist in German South-West Africa (today's [End Page 515] Namibia) and had written about this prodigiously in a book published in 1913. He again influenced his student von Verschuer, who as a young man after World War I participated in the wanton forest killing of what he and fellow university students believed to be communist workers (the Mechterstedt murders of 1920, an incident Faith Weiss totally ignores). Testimonies of his later anti-Semitism are legion. His student Mengele, who received his medical doctorate under him in Frankfurt, had previously acquired a doctorate in anthropology from the racist Munich professor Theodor Mollison, who also drew his prejudices from African adventures. The writings of Lenz, who was a student of Ploetz, influenced Hitler in the writing of...

From First-Wave to Third-Wave Feminist Art in Israel: A Quantum Leap

Feminist art is currently thriving in Israel after having come a long and curvy way. Although early twentieth century Zionism promoted gender equality in the spirit of first-wave feminism, the movement never gathered the momentum needed for it to develop into second-wave feminism. While its influence could be seen in the art of the 1970s, particularly in the United States, feminist ideology remained absent from the work of women artists in Israel. This state of affairs continued until the 1990s, when a turning point occurred. The article shows the influence of second and even third-wave feminism on Israeli women's art. It also considers the reasons for lack of a distinct category of feminist art prior to the 1990s, as well as the conditions and features of its emergence, using the case of American feminist art for comparison. The article demonstrates that although Israeli women artists were initially slow to develop a second-wave feminist ideology, it took them less than a decade to make a quantum leap into the next theoretical and practical stage. Within a decade and a half, Israeli women artists caught up with their colleagues overseas and are now creating cutting-edge, relevant, and contemporary feminist art.

Physicians and end‐of‐life issues

I read with great interest the article by Keating et al,1 in which they reported on a national survey about the timing of discussions regarding prognosis, do not resuscitate (DNR) status, and hospice or preferred site of death for terminally ill cancer patients. Their findings indicated that the majority of physicians do not discuss these issues with patients who are feeling well until their condition worsens or there are no more treatments to offer. The authors concluded that more research is needed to understand physicians' reasons for waiting. As a hematologist working in Italy, I experience end-of-life issues on a regular basis and would like to comment. I am astonished that the patient's opinion is just included in a small discussion at the end of the article, because in my opinion, it is the most important. In fact, I believe the answer is already in the “Discussion” section of the article, namely that patients do not always want to discuss these issues. Although I understand that national guidelines in the United States recommend advance care planning for terminally ill patients, I completely agree with my colleagues overseas. It is very important to talk to patients and discuss options and prognosis, but not all patients want to know everything and/or discuss it immediately. Finally, I do not understand whether the DNR issue is something useful in place just to protect “ourselves” from legal action, because I have never had to discuss it with my patients in my 20 years of experience, and I find it inappropriate and extremely insensitive when dealing with a patient who inevitably has no chance of survival.

For neurologists in Cuba, hope is not embargoed

For neurologists in Cuba, hope is not embargoed

The 2008 APSA Workshop on Political Participation: Dakar, Senegal, July 6–27, 2008

The APSA Workshop on Political Participation was convened in Dakar, Senegal, from July 6–27 and is the first of three annual residential workshops APSA will be organizing in Africa from 2008–2010. The workshop series is generously supported by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and is a key part of increasing APSA efforts to support the development of applied research networks linking U.S.-based scholars with colleagues overseas and supporting political science communities outside the United States. All sessions took place at the facilities of the West African Research Center (WARC), and APSA collaborated closely with WARC to manage the workshop. APSA staffer Helena Saele spent the month of July in Dakar overseeing all related administrative and logistical matters and providing direct support to workshop leaders and participants.

Leadership learning in China

The International Placements for Headteachers programme offers serving heads the chance to shadow colleagues overseas. Pete Henshaw reports on a recent trip to Shanghai.

Neurology

Dr. John Noseworthy becomes Editor-in-Chief of Neurology on January 1, 2007. Dr. Noseworthy will introduce his editorship in the January 2nd issue of Neurology with an overview of planned changes and new developments in the Journal . It has been a privilege to serve as Editor over the past 10 years. The many changes in publishing, in the specialty of neurology, and within the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) have provided the Journal with unprecedented opportunities for growth and development. It has been a team effort, and I am grateful to the many people who have contributed to its success. Ten years ago, Neurology was a monthly journal published only in English and only in print. Neurology had not had international reviewers or Editorial Board members. Neurology is now twice-monthly in print, posts papers weekly online, and has established limited-circulation foreign language editions in Italian, Polish, Japanese, and Turkish. The Chinese, Spanish, and Korean editions will launch in January. Neurology now receives assistance from over 700 international reviewers, and 10% to 20% of the Editorial Board is internationally based. We also launched an International Newsletter, edited by Antonio Culebras, MD, that has covered international congresses and accomplishments of our colleagues overseas. Neurology 's venture into poetry, short stories, and other personal prose was initiated by David Goldblatt, MD, and is now in the “Reflections” section under Michael H. Brooke, MD. Judging by the number of submissions, correspondence, and comments, this section has been an overwhelming success. Similarly successful and with a devoted following is the Changes, People, and Comments section edited by Robert J. Joynt, MD, PhD. ### The online journal. Neurology went online in 1999. All present and past content of Neurology —since its inception in 1951—will soon be available on line. The initial steps for Neurology 's move online …

Search for a New Editor

Theresa C. McLoud, MD, Chairman, RSNA Board of Directors In 1998, the 75th year of its publication, the RSNA Journal Radiology welcomed a new editor, Anthony V. Proto, MD. Only the sixth in a line of distinguished editors, Dr Proto promised to devote his energies “to maintain the preeminent status of Radiology among imaging publications worldwide.” Eight years and 96 issues of the journal later, it is abundantly clear that Dr Proto has more than made good on his pledge: The reputation of Radiology as the premier diagnostic imaging journal has grown under his editorship. Now, having brought Radiology to a new level for authors and readers, Dr Proto has announced that he will retire from the editorship in December 2007. With Dr Proto at the helm, both the quality and the peer review process of Radiology have improved. While the increased quality of the articles is certainly the result of the authors’ work, credit is also due to Dr Proto’s efforts to strengthen the scientific rigor of research published in Radiology through statistical review and criteria for authorship. The impact factor, an internationally recognized metric for journal quality, of Radiology is at an all-time high of 5.08—the highest among diagnostic imaging journals. Recognizing the journal’s quality, the majority of authors have indicated that Radiology is their first choice for submitting their best work. Indeed, submissions of original research articles have increased in the past 8 years. While the publication of the most advanced original scientific research in radiology has flourished under Dr Proto’s editorship, the publication of practical, clinical review material has also been enhanced in the past 8 years. In this vein, he has continued the series of popular State of the Art articles begun under his predecessor, Dr Stanley Siegelman. He has added to this Special Reviews, What the Clinician Wants to Know, Viewpoint, and Signs in Imaging, and further engaged readers with Diagnosis Please, a “quiz” feature popular with individual readers and groups of residents. From the outset, Dr Proto was determined to improve the peer review process for manuscripts submitted to Radiology. Endeavoring to make the process as free of bias as possible, in 1998 he inaugurated the use of a computer system for matching article content with reviewer expertise. He devoted considerable efforts to decreasing the time for peer review, reducing the “time to decision” to a new low of 35 days. To make it easier for all authors, but especially for our colleagues overseas, to submit and track the progress of their manuscripts, Dr Proto began using an Internet-based system for manuscript submission and peer review in 2002. And, to further shorten the time to publication, he took advantage of online publishing to introduce the process of Continuous Publishing—online publication of the final version of articles as much as 7 weeks ahead of the print version. To benefit the reviewers on whom so much of the peer review process depends, Dr Proto secured for Radiology reviewers the ability to earn category 1 continuing medical education credit for reviewing. Dr Proto believes the time is now right for a new editor, building on the work of those who have gone before, to take the premier journal of the international radiology community to new heights and, in so doing, to advance the science of our specialty. The following summarizes the position description for the editor of Radiology: The editor is responsible for encouraging submissions of scientific manuscripts to the Journal, for setting high standards for scientific integrity, for developing guidelines and mechanisms for Published online 10.1148/radiol.2381052554

Watch Dog over the Herbarium: Alfred Ewart, Victorian Government Botanist 1906 - 1921

Alfred Ewart was Government Botanist in the service of the Victorian Government from February 1906 to February 1921. He was concurrently foundation Professor of Botany at the University of Melbourne, both positions being part-time. As Government Botanist he was in charge of the National Herbarium of Victoria, which had fallen into a slump after the death of the first Government Botanist, Ferdinand von Mueller, in 1896. Ewart was determined to restore the Herbarium to its former position as a leading centre of research on the Victorian and indeed the Australian flora. In doing so he enlisted the aid of the many capable botanists who were members of the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria. The Herbarium being in the Department of Agriculture, Ewart had duties in relation to the business of that Department. These had mainly to do with weeds, impure seeds and providing advice to departmental officers. Of particular importance was his taxonomic work as Government Botanist. He published a series of papers and books on the flora of Victoria and the Northern Territory, and engaged in debates with colleagues both interstate and overseas. Ewart ceased to be Government Botanist when the professorship was made a full-time appointment in response to increased teaching loads.

Determinants of performance in advanced undergraduate management accounting: An empirical investigation

This exploratory study empirically investigates the performance of students in advanced management accounting. Findings are that English language as the first or subsequent language has no differential impact on introductory level performance. However, at advanced levels and in other subjects requiring the application of concepts to unfamiliar situations, students whose first language was English outperformed others. Similarly, students who had studied prerequisite subjects at the same university outperformed their exempted colleagues (both overseas and local) in advanced management accounting. These findings indicate that the difference due to language differences may not actually be due to language, but rather that language may simply be proxying for something else such as a different learning style.

Education serves as cornerstone for AAP international outreach

Six years ago during a teaching trip to Laos, Errol Alden, M.D., FAAP, had a conversation that showed him how much the Academy9s educational efforts mean to colleagues overseas. As a Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) instructor, Dr. Alden was working with a Laotian pediatrician who, for 30 years, had taught neonatal resuscitation extensively.

Scientists & Human Rights: An Historical Partnership

Assuming that science and human values are inextricably intertwined, this essay reviews the historical origins of ‘science activism’ and some of the debates linked to the modern concept of the ‘citizen scientist’. The post-World War II period is shown to be a turning point toward enlarged notions of scientific responsibility, newly informed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Scientists contributed to debate over the need for such a Declaration in 1948, and have ever increasingly come to rely on its protection, as seen by contemporary examples of scientists and science associations in one country invoking human rights norms to protest political repression of scientists in other countries. Moreover, recent technological and cultural changes are linked not only to scientists defending abused colleagues overseas, called for by the late Andre Sakharov, but more positively, examples are given of science in the service of human rights.