A $1.3-million grant to Indiana University from the National Institutes of Health's Fogarty International Center will establish the East African Center of Excellence in Health Informatics. The new center will connect the expertise of one of the world's foremost informatics programs at IU and the Regenstrief Institute with one of the leading academic medical centers in East Africa at Moi University and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital to increase the capacity for electronic health records in one of the worlds' poorest regions.

Not only does Vera Bradley make popular handbags, but it also fights against breast cancer. The Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer announced today (Nov. 12) that it is committing $10 million to breast cancer research at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center.

A new study conducted by the Indiana Prevention Resource Center (IPRC) at Indiana University's School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation shows that alcohol abuse among IU Bloomington students has markedly decreased, even as alcohol abuse among college students across the nation is on the rise.

Declaring Indiana University Bloomington Health Center's online reservation system for H1N1 vaccines a success after all initial openings were filled as of early today (Nov. 11), IU Health Center officials said they have already added thousands of new reservation openings.

Dozens of researchers from Indiana University are attending the American Public Health Association's annual meeting in Philadelphia, Nov. 7-11. This release discusses research involving education for people with intellectual disabilities, the reasons people use lubricants during sex, how support for smoking bans can encourage smokers to consider quitting, the use of stability balls for office chairs, a program that increases mammograms for African American women and a program that helps people become active.

Just over five and one-half years ago, on April 2, 2004, to be exact, the Indiana University Board of Trustees gave its approval for the construction of a Medical Education Center at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW.) That approval was just the beginning: Indiana's Commission for Higher Education approved the project in December 2004, and in July 2005 the State Budget Committee approved giving $12 million to IU to fund the construction. Construction on the building began in 2007 and was finished earlier this year.

Indiana University experts offer holiday-themed tips involving fear and drastic change, H1N1 and familiar greetings, staying active and thrifty gift-giving in the October issue of IU Health and Wellness.

David Fidler, a professor at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law-Bloomington and a leading expert on global health and international law, is answering questions online at 11:45 a.m. today (Oct. 27) for the Washington Post about the shortage of H1N1 flu vaccine.

Sexploration at IU, the second annual weeklong series of fun, interactive sex positive events offering Indiana University students information about sexuality related issues, begins today (Monday, Oct. 26) on the Bloomington campus.

As congressional leaders continue the debate over health care reform, a workshop hosted by the Indiana University Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research (CACR) on Oct. 26-27 will bring together national leaders to discuss two critical components of the American health care system: privacy and security.

A small molecule designed to detect cyanide in water samples works quickly, is easy to use, and glows under ultraviolet or "black" light. Although the fluorescent molecule is not yet ready for market, its Indiana University Bloomington creators report in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (now online) that the tool is already able to sense cyanide below the toxicity threshold established by the World Health Organization.

A diverse panel of Indiana University professors will speak on the issue of health care reform Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. in the Whittenberger Auditorium at the Indiana Memorial Union. This free, open-to-the-public event is co-sponsored by the Indiana Memorial Union Board and the Teachable Moments Committee of the Commission on Multicultural Understanding.

Literary giant Upton Sinclair, best known for his social and economic commentary, is introduced as a Progressive Era health reformer in Unseen Upton Sinclair, Nine Unpublished Stories, Essays and Other Works, edited by Indiana University health historian Ruth Clifford Engs.

A growing number of older adults are dying from dementia. In an editorial in the Oct. 15, 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Greg Sachs, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine and a Regenstrief Institute investigator, notes that end-of-life care for most older adults with dementia has not changed in decades and urges that these individuals be provided far greater access to palliative care, the management of pain and other symptoms.

The Indiana University School of Medicine and its affiliated hospitals boosted the area economy by an estimated $7.96 billion in 2008, according to a study released by the Association of American Medical Colleges. Altogether, the association's member medical schools and teaching hospitals had a combined economic impact of $512 billion and accounted for more than 3.3 million full-time jobs in the 46 states (and the District of Columbia) where the association's member schools are located.

So far, the communication strategies being employed by health care officials to warn people about the dangers of the 2009 H1N1 virus and needed precautions have been effective, according to an IU professor of communication and culture and an expert on rhetoric.

Indiana University's Research and Technology Corp. is moving forward with prototype development of a heart pump for infants invented through a collaboration between an IU cardiothoracic surgeon and a Purdue University engineer.

An Indiana University associate professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences has received $467,071 from the National Science Foundation to further her research into the word retrieval processes of children.

New findings related to an uncommon genetic disorder may impact the diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the most common chronic gastrointestinal illness in children and teens. Two million Americans have IBD which involves inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. The research was led by a team of physicians which included Mary Dinauer of the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research at the Indiana University School of Medicine and Riley Hospital for Children.

Hundreds of Indiana's top optometrists are converging on the Indiana University Bloomington campus today as the Indiana Optometric Association's annual fall seminar gets under way.

An Indiana University School of Optometry researcher and the IU spinout company she formed to develop a new diagnostic camera have both received grants from federal agencies to advance work toward preventing vision loss in diabetes patients.

Flu-like illnesses skyrocketed on the IU Bloomington campus during September to 237 cases compared to just two during the same month a year ago, according to the Indiana University Health Center.

A national report revealing that 1 percent of U.S. children ages 3-17 have an autism spectrum disorder points to the need for a greater investment in understanding and responding to autism, according to Cathy Pratt, an Indiana University expert and Autism Society official.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded $538,595 to the Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research to support a two-year project titled "Protecting Privacy in Health Research." The IU-led project assembles a blue-ribbon panel of experts in medical research, privacy, security, law, ethics, and patient advocacy from eleven national and international partner organizations.

The Indiana University chapter of Active Minds Inc. is participating in a national dialogue on mental health issues today (Oct. 5) as members participate in the Third Annual National Day Without Stigma.