Our red celestial cousin Mars will make its closest approach to Earth this weekend and, weather permitting, The University of Toledo Ritter Planetarium & Brooks Observatory will offer guests the opportunity to make out its features through UT’s one-meter telescope.

“This alignment only occurs once every two and a half years and guests will be able to make out mountains, clouds, and the polar ice cap,” said Alex Mak, Ritter’s associate director. “There are really very few communities in the nation that have access to as large and advanced a telescope as UT’s and we want to make sure the public has access to it.”

Beginning at 8:30 p.m., Saturday, March 3, guests will be shown a short presentation on the 40-foot dome in the newly renovated theatre. Following that 6.5 million-pixel display, guests will be escorted up to the telescope.

If cloud cover doesn’t permit viewing on Saturday, both the planetarium show and the viewing will be canceled and rescheduled for the same time on Sunday, March 4.

The show costs $7 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under. Children under 3 are free.

Media Coverage
The Blade (March 1, 2012)

Contact: Toledo-Lucas County Health Department,  ?419.213.4100.

The fish consumption advisory — with the exception of carp — for the Ottawa River in Toledo, including the portion that flows through The University of Toledo, has been ordered lifted by the Ohio Department of Health and the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department.

This advisory originally was issued by the Ohio Department of Health in 1991. It resulted from the decades of manufacturing activity and improper waste disposal of hazardous substances in the Ottawa River and its watershed. 

The “do not wade or swim” contact advisory previously was lifted for the western half of the Ottawa River, which includes the portion that flows through The University of Toledo Main Campus, in 2010. An advisory to not eat the carp in any section of the Ottawa River remains in effect.

Officials with the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department, The University of Toledo and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency will gather at 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 29, to remove an existing yellow warning sign located on the north side of the Ottawa River by the footbridge behind Carlson Library. In the event of rain, the press conference will be held in Student Union Room 2582.

“The Ottawa River that flows through The University of Toledo Main Campus is an important part of our university, and we are pleased to see the health of the river improve and the advisories lifted,” said Dr. Patrick Lawrence, UT professor and chair of the Department of Geography and Planning, and chair of the UT President’s Commission on the River. “The University is committed to enhancing the waterway and retaining the valuable natural resource for future generations.”

The UT President’s Commission on the River plans events annually for Celebrate Our River Week that includes joining the community-wide Clean Your Streams campaign with volunteers pulling trash from the waterway.

“This is a major success story for safe clean water in Lucas County but more importantly it has provided better health and well-being for Lucas County and its residents,” said Dr. David Grossman, Toledo health commissioner. “This endeavor has taken over a decade to be celebrated and could not have happened if not for the work and commitment of numerous individuals and groups. However, in Lucas County there is much more work to be done on improving water quality.”

The University is in the process of an Ottawa River restoration project funded with grants from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The project will use natural materials to create changes to the river flow that will enhance the aquatic habitat. Restoration plans are expected to be finalized in April with improvements beginning this summer.

Media Coverage
WTOL 11, 13 ABC and WNWO (March 1, 2012)
The Independent Collegian (March 1, 2012)

In a lecture at The University of Toledo College of Law on March 1, attorney Stephen C. Leckar will discuss the Supreme Court’s recent decision in U.S. v. Jones, which places limits on warrantless GPS surveillance. Leckar argued U.S. v. Jones on behalf of his client, respondent Antoine Jones, after GPS data was used as evidence in Jones’s drug-trafficking conspiracy conviction.

Leckar

Leckar will speak at 11:45 a.m. Thursday, March 1, in the Law Center Auditorium. His lecture, “U.S. v. Jones: How We Got There and What We Learned,” is a part of Toledo Law’s Day After Speaker Series. The lecture is free and open to the public.

In a line of cases spanning several decades, the United States Supreme Court has considered police use of new technology, from telephone wiretaps to thermal imaging devices, through the lens of the Fourth Amendment’s protections against unreasonable search and seizure. In U.S. v. Jones, No. 10-1259, the court examined the warrantless use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) to track a suspect’s car.

In its Jan. 23 decision in the case, the Supreme Court held that attachment of a GPS tracking device and use of the device to monitor a car’s location for 28 days is a “search” for purposes of the Fourth Amendment. In the weeks since, experts and commentators have lit up the blogosphere with clashing views on whether the court’s decision permits shorter-term surveillance and under what circumstances a warrant will be required. The spirited debate continues, and it seems certain that the court will grapple with questions of police surveillance and electronic privacy again soon.

“We are delighted to have a participant in one of the most consequential cases of this year’s Supreme Court docket – a case that will influence the court’s treatment of all manner of police surveillance for years to come,” said Toledo Law Dean Daniel J. Steinbock.

Leckar, an attorney at Shainis & Peltzman Chartered in Washington, D.C., has served as lead counsel in over 20 complex criminal appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He is a graduate of Georgia State University and Duke University School of Law.

Each year as part of its Day After Speaker Series, Toledo Law invites a lawyer who will argue before the Supreme Court that term to visit the Law Center after the argument to share his or her experience and to discuss the case.

For more information contact Rachel Phipps, assistant to the dean for communications in the UT College of Law, at 419.530.2628 or rachel.phipps@utoledo.edu.

Media Coverage
The Blade (March 1, 2012)
The Blade (March 2, 2012)

Clara Church, 8 years old, tetanus, Jan. 29, 1859. Chris Fall, 35 years old, laborer, drinking ice water, May 15, 1860. John Ayers, 32 years old, bad whiskey, June 3, 1863. Theodore Hansen, 27 years old, soldier, starved in Rebel prison, April 3, 1865. Ada Meeker, 1 year old, cholera infantum, Sept. 24, 1865. Susanna H. James, housewife, 23 years old, typhoid fever, Jan. 23, 1866.

These brief entries recorded in the pages of the Record of Deaths in the City of Toledo are more than just statistics. Individually, they hint at lives tragically cut short. Collectively, they tell the story of the difficulties of survival in Toledo in the middle of the 19th century, and the state of medical care in the city at the time. 

The exhibition titled “Medicine on the Maumee: A History of Health Care in Northwest Ohio” will open Thursday, March 1, at 3 p.m. in the Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections in The University of Toledo’s Carlson Library. The free, public exhibit traces the history of medicine in our community from the earliest years of settlement to current day. It looks atepidemics that devastated the population, hospitals that sought to cure, doctors and nurses who provided care, and at how medicine became an industry.

“While the medical history of northwest Ohio is probably not unique in any of these aspects, how medicine was practiced locally has had a profound impact on who and where we are as a community today,” said Barbara Floyd, director of the Canaday Center and coordinator of the exhibition. “That is because the medical history of a community is a mirror of its social, political, economic and cultural history. Medical history focuses attention on what a community does and does not do to promote the most basic of civic responsibilities — the chance to live a healthy life.”

In addition to items from the Canaday Center’s holdings, the exhibit will incorporate articles borrowed from many local organizations, including Mercy, Mercy College, ProMedica, the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library and the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library. The exhibit will present a unique opportunity to see rare medical history-related items that are not likely to be brought together again in a single exhibit.

The exhibit will be open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and by appointment through Dec. 28. Group tours also can be arranged.

“Medicine on the Maumee” will be accompanied by an “Anatomical Art: The Internal Beauty of the Human Body” exhibit of anatomical specimens and medical illustrations.

Media Coverage
The Independent Collegian (March 1, 2012)
The Blade (March 11, 2012)

The International Students Association will host the 36th Annual International Dinner at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, in the Student Union Auditorium.

The dinner features a meal with culturally diverse tastes and a show presented by groups of UT students. The theme for this year’s dinner is “On a Starry Night.”

“We are representing each student as a single star,” said Zain Ahmad, president of the International Students Association. “No matter where they are from, they’ll shine.”

For dinner, authentic food from myriad local restaurants, including tastes from Jamaican, Chinese and Indian restaurants, will be served. The students will present their cultural talents before and after the meal.

“We have 12 performances scheduled, and there are performers associated with places all over the world. We have a magician from Iraq and dancers from India,” Ahmad said.

The night will conclude with a fashion show spotlighting clothing from around the world. About 40 students will perform at the dinner, and more than 30 will participate in the fashion show.

“It’s important because it gives international students a chance to represent their culture and talent,” Ahmad said. “The International Students Association is the only organization on campus that represents more than 1,800 international students. Most of the volunteers for the dinner are international students as well.”

Tickets are $8 for students and $10 for non-students. Children 4 and younger will receive free admission. Tickets will be available at the door and are on sale at Rocket Copy in the Student Union on the UT Main Campus.

With spring break fast approaching next week, The University of Toledo wants to raise awareness and promote safety among students during their time away.

The Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Prevention Committee will host the Spring Break Safety Fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28 in the Student Union Tom Trimble Lounge and Ingman Room.

“Spring break is always a risky time for students,” said Alexis Blavos, UT’s Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Prevention Specialist. “We want to make sure that all of our students are being safe while they are onspring break.”

The fair will feature numerous informational tables, such as UT Police offering self defense lessons, pharmacy students providing tips for sun safety and Colleges Against Cancer sharing information on tobacco and other drugs. There also will be HIV testing, body fat analysis, sexual assault prevention and many other services.

Free T-shirts and food from Subway will be awarded to anyone who visits at least seven of the information tables, some of which will have their own prizes such as UT sunglasses.

Spring break is the week of March 5 with students returning to campus Monday, March 12.

Smith

Attorneys Jeffery Smith and Jeffrey Quayle will survey the issues that prompted the 2008 financial crisis, examine the fallout and provide an update on the current state of regulation under the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Actin the Heuerman Lecture at The University of Toledo College of Law.

The lecture, “The Financial Crisis – A Retrospective and Update,” will take place at 11:45 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 23, in Room 1013 of the Law Center. It is free and open to the public.

Signed into law by President Obama in July 2010, the Dodd-Frank Act mandated new financial regulations to improve accountability and transparency in the country’s financial systems. More than a year and a half later, many of the Act’s rulemaking requirements have yet to be implemented – and with Republican front-runners Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich calling to repeal the Act, further delay is possible.

Smith and Quayle’s “Retrospective and Update” will address the 2008 financial crisis and the fallout for the financial services industry and the consumer, as well as provide an update on the current state of regulation under Dodd-Frank.

Quayle

Jeffery Smith has more than 30 years of experience in financial institution regulatory and corporate matters. He is a partner at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP in the corporate and finance group and a Toledo Law alumnus. Smith is the former co-chair of the Ohio State Bar Association’s financial institutions subcommittee and the co-author of a handbook for bank directors.

Jeffrey Quayle is senior vice president and general counsel to the Ohio Bankers League. He provides legal advice and guidance to the Ohio banking industry and represents the industry in federal and state legislative and regulatory initiatives. Quayle also serves as the executive director of the Ohio Bankers Benefits Trust, an entity that provides health benefits to community bankers in Ohio. He is a graduate of Miami University and The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.

“This is a timely and important presentation, and a fitting one for the College of Law to host,” UT College of Law Dean Daniel J. Steinbock said. “Just last May, Toledo Law Professor Geoffrey Rapp testified in Congress on proposals to amend the whistleblower provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act – provisions he had advocated for in past scholarly publications. The future of the Act also is likely to figure in this year’s presidential election.”

The lecture is made possible by the Heuerman Fund for the Study of Investment Law and Regulations established by Richard and Lois Heuerman to benefit The University of Toledo College of Law.

For more information contact Rachel Phipps, assistant to the dean for communications in the UT College of Law, at 419.530.2628 or rachel.phipps@utoledo.edu.

The University of Toledo Medical Center will celebrate the region’s first multiple patient hyperbaric chamber with the opening of the new Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center.

The UT Medical Center has long been the place for healing the most complex wounds and ulcers and the addition of the new multiplace hyperbaric chamber system from OxyHeal Health Group will allow the hospital to offer the most up-to-date, comprehensive treatment.

UTMC leaders will be joined by Toledo area physicians to celebrate the Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17; the center is located in the newly renovated north entrance to the medical center off Arlington Avenue.

UTMC’s new Wound Care and Hyperbaric Center features multi-patient hyperbaric chamber system.

“The Wound Care and Hyperbaric Center brings together specialists from across UT Medical Center to provide patients with the bestpossible care for their wounds and ulcers,” said Dr. Munier M.S. Nazzal, medical director of the Would Care and Hyperbaric Center and chief of the UTMC Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. “The unique large hyperbaric chamber allows our center to treat more patients in a more comfortable environment with the latest technology available.”

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a treatment method in which the patient breathes 100 percent oxygen while at increased, higher than sea level atmospheric pressure inside a hyperbaric chamber. The therapy is used for avariety of conditions, including diabetic ulcers, radiation tissue damage, and crushed injuries and severed limbs. The treatment also is used for emergency treatments for carbon monoxide and cyanide poisoning.

The treatment increases the oxygen levels in the plasma up to 15 times the normal level, which provides oxygen to deprived tissues. The treatment also has been shown to stimulate new blood vessel growth.

“Hyperbaric oxygen therapy or ‘high dose oxygen’ utilizesthe drug ‘oxygen’ to treat a variety of comprehensive wound and advanced indications,” said W. T. “Ted” Gurneé, president and CEO of OxyHeal Health Group. “Many of the advanced therapies require a university organization’s research and clinical skills to prove that efficacy. OxyHeal is thrilled to be involved with The University of Toledo Medical Center to bring these new solutions and advanced healing techniques to our Toledo patients.”

The new hyperbaric chamber at UTMC, Model OxyHeal 8000-10, is designed to treat up to 10 seated patients simultaneously. The “Omega” shaped geometry of the chamber also provides the option to treat up to fourpatients lying down. The chamber allows patients additional comfort during their treatments, which can be up to two hours, and patients could require multiple treatments.

The large chamber, which is 21 feet long and 10 feet wide, is the first of this type in the United States and the only multiple patient hyperbaric chamber in northwest Ohio.

“Our patients and the community expect the very best care from their academic health center, and the new UT Wound and Hyperbaric Center is another example of our efforts to provide up-to-date and comprehensive medical treatment at UT Medical Center,” said Dr. Jeffrey P. Gold, chancellor, executive vice president for biosciences and health affairs, and dean of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences.

A multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, medical assistants and hyperbaric technologists certified in hyperbaric oxygen therapy operate the Wound Care and Hyperbaric Center and work closely with UT Medical Center physicians and specialists, including vascular surgeons, plastic surgeons, infectious disease specialists and podiatrists.

For more information about the UT Wound Care and Hyperbaric Center, call toll-free 855.59.WOUND.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Feb. 17, 2012)
WTOL 11, 13 ABC, FOX Toledo and WNWO (Feb. 20, 2012)
The Independent Collegian (Feb. 23, 2012)

More than 900 gaming enthusiasts from across the country travel to attend an annual gaming conference hosted by UT BASH.

BASHCon XXVII will be the place to be Friday through Sunday, Feb. 17-19, in the Student Union. UT BASH, a nonprofit student-run organization, hosts this annual tradition.

“As a student-run organization, we are very proud to be part of the UT community. The annual conference is our way of inviting everyone to experience the new world of gaming,” said Qusai Al Shidi, president of UT BASH.

The conference is free for UT students and employees; for the public, it’s $10 a day, $15 for the whole weekend, or $25 for the weekend plus a special badge, which includes a T-shirt.

BASHCon will run from 5 p.m. to midnight Friday, 9 a.m. to midnight Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Some of the events this weekend will include role-playing games, board games, card games, video game tournaments and miniature games. A board game championship series also is set to take place.

New to the conference is the Tesla II BattleTech Cockpit Simulator Pods — fully enclosed, multiplayer virtual combat simulators that feature seven screens, more than 90 control systems, and a 12-speaker surround-sound audio system.

“The event provides a fun and relaxing opportunity to learn about new games and meet great people. Our group is willing to take the time and teach those who may not be into gaming or want to sharpen their skills,” Al Shidi said.

The conference also will include an anime marathon and open board games.

For more information, go to BASHCon.com or e-mail coordinator@bashcon.com.

Media Coverage
The Independent Collegian (Feb. 16, 2012)
The Blade (Feb. 16, 2012)
The Blade (Feb. 19, 2012)
WTOL 11, 13 ABC and WNWO (Feb. 20, 2012)

Monger

Residents of northwest Ohio will soon find University-quality health care closer to home as The University Medical Center begins opening a series of primary care clinics across the region.

Embracing the institution’s educational mission, the first clinic – accepting patients beginning Feb. 16 – will offer a weekly wellness class led by UTMC physicians, nutritionists and therapists in addition to afully functional laboratory and stellar one-on-one clinical care with a UTMCphysician.

Dr. Lawrence Monger will lead the first clinic and join University and hospital leaders as they cut the ribbon on UTMC’s first Family Physicians primary care clinic located at the northeast corner of Talmadge and Sylvania near Franklin Park Mall Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 9:30 a.m.

“As the only university medical center in the region, it is important that we make that level of care available to families throughout the region who have trouble fitting a doctor’s visit at UTMC into their busy schedules,” said Dr. Scott Scarborough, senior vice president and executive director for UTMC.

“By positioning ourselves very near the Westfield Franklin Park Mall and other commercial centers in our community, UTMC Primary Care Physicians will be a more convenient way to access the best medical care in the region,” Scarborough said.

Monger, who comes to UTMC from the St. Vincent Health system in Indianapolis, Ind., said that his specialty in Internal Medicine and hisinterest in preventative medicine, weight loss, exercise and nutrition willprovide educational opportunities well beyond what patients would get during a standard doctor’s visit.

“The University provides the education framework for those looking to improve their health that can make the process a lot less intimidating,” Monger said. “A doctor may recommend that patients lose weight and exercise, but for many, that conversation with a nutritionist or a fitness trainer in a supportive setting is the difference between success and giving up.”

The 6 Weeks to Wellness educational program is slated to take place from 6 to 7 p.m. each Tuesday starting March 6. Space is limited and registrants for the initial 6-week class will get a substantial discount off of the regular cost. These special classes will address:

Healthy Living, Healthy Weight – how lifestyle, genetics impact health;
Healthy Eating – eat healthy on any budget, cooking demos, menu planning;
Fitness for Life – learn how to develop a safe fitness program;
Getting the Knots Out – benefits of massage therapy, yoga, Pilates;
Fitness on the Go – develop fitness plans for at home or while traveling; and
Ageless Living – how to commit to wellness for a lifetime.

“As the demand for University-quality care has continued to grow, we’ve looked for ways to meet that need,” said Dr. Jeffrey Gold, chancellor and executive vice president for biosciences and health affairs and dean of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences. “University medical centers set the bar for health care in many communities. Our success in conveying this message has led to the need for us to continue to expand to areas where families can quickly and conveniently receive the best care available.”

Gold and Scarborough said UTMC is looking at other sites around northwest Ohio to establish additional clinics where similar University Primary Care Clinics will be located.

Monger also highlighted the high touch / high technology and information security the new office will provide patients.

“Patients will find a much more seamless experience that will automatically and securely connect with the emergency room, pharmacy, laboratory, radiology or other records from patients’ visits at UTMC or future Family Physicians locations,” Monger said.

Monger, who will be the lead physician, is board certified in Internal Medicine – the specialty that provides primary, comprehensive, lifelong care to adolescents and adults with both simple and complex diseases – received his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio and completed his residency training at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine. He has practiced medicine for more than 17 years, including five as a medical officer in the U.S. Army.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Feb. 15, 2012)
13 ABC, WTOL 11, FOX Toledo and WNWO (Feb. 20, 2012)