When Yale opened its new Brain Imaging Center on Monday it didn’t settle for a mere ribbon-cutting — Yale President Peter Salovey used “virtual scissors” powered by visualization and the help of a cutting-edge fMRI scanner.
After a few minutes of training, Salovey used the powers of his mind to focus on certain images on the scanner’s monitor, causing the virtual scissors to cut a virtual ribbon on a large screen as staff members cheered.
Technology like the fMRI scanner at the new Brain Imaging Center will be used in medical research at Yale including monitoring changes in the brain from infancy through development, the study of neural networks in psychiatric disorders and tracking brain activity as people interact.
Yale psychologist Nick Turk-Browne, who organized the fMRI demonstration, said the center will be used on projects that reflect the marriage of neuroscience and data science.
Griffin to offer new medical assistant program
The Griffin Hospital School of Allied Health Careers in Derby has announced a new Certified Clinical Medical Assistant training program, scheduled to begin Jan. 14.
The program, to be held at 300 Seymour Ave., runs for 28 weeks and includes 160 clinical hours at Griffin Faculty Physicians’ primary-care offices and specialty offices such as gastroenterology, OB-GYN, surgical and cardiology.
Topics covered include anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, clinical procedures, aseptic techniques, minor surgical procedures, phlebotomy, electrocardiogram, pathology and medical law and ethics. Students will also learn general administrative skills including electronic health records, insurance billing and coding, formatting documents, basic accounting and patient scheduling.
Graduates of the program will be eligible for jobs in outpatient settings in support of physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, and may find work in medical offices, clinics, urgent-care centers, hospitals or laboratories.
For more information about the Griffin Hospital School of Allied Health Careers, click here.
Sacred Heart graduates first class of physician assistants
Sacred Heart University (SHU) in Fairfield celebrated the inaugural graduating class from its new master of physician assistant studies program at a commencement ceremony last week.
A total of 26 students graduated after 27 months of classroom and clinical training. The commencement took place at SHU’s Edgerton Center for the Performing Arts.
Teresa Thetford, director of the physician assistant program, said the class of 2018 emerged from nearly 800 applicants, 150 of whom were interviewed.
“This is a special group of graduates,” Thetford told the assembly. “This commencement is the culmination of all your hard work.”
After speeches, the graduates stood to recite the physician assistant professional oath with Henry H. Yoon, medical director of the physician assistant program.
Launched in 2016, SHU’s physician assistant program is housed on the second floor of Stamford Hospital’s Tandet Building in a renovated space with a lab, classrooms and patient-assessment suite.
