Emory, Grady Hospital Partner to Study Airway Trauma
The Emory University Department of Emergency Medicine and the Grady Memorial Hospital will partner for a clinical trial to study methods to secure the airways of an individual who has suffered a traumatic injury, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Prehospital Airway Control Trial (PACT), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, is part of a nationwide study that includes eight other academic medical centers. PACT will provide $8.8 million over a four-year period to examine different methods that first responders can use to secure the windpipe of a person facing trauma. Patients who are in a coma and have the ability to oxygenate and be brought to the Grady Memorial Hospital by ambulance will automatically be enrolled in the trial. The study seeks to enroll more than 2,000 participants over four years.
UC Santa Cruz Fires 54 Graduate Assistants Over Strike
Fifty-four graduate teaching assistants were fired by the University of California, Santa Cruz on Feb. 28, following a months-long strike for increased wages, according to the Associated Press.
The strike began in December 2019, when graduate teaching assistants demanded a $1,412 monthly wage increase to match their cost of living. The students refused to release their Fall final grades unless their demands were met. The scope of the strike expanded in February, with teaching assistants refusing all teaching responsibilities, leading to the cancellation of some classes. UC Santa Cruz spokesperson Scott Hernandez-Jason reprimanded the students for “withholding grades for undergraduate students in a way that unfairly impairs their education,” AP reported.
USC to Overhaul Title IX Procedures
Following a serial sexual abuse case by a former campus gynecologist, the University of Southern California has agreed to comply with a U.S. Department of Education mandate requiring the university to undergo “sweeping changes” to its procedures addressing sexual assault. The agreement follows the May 2018 discovery of gynecologist George Tyndall’s history of sexual assault dating back to 1989. The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation against the university, which found it responsible for failing to protect students from the gynecologist at the campus health center.
CDC Suggests Colleges Cancel Exchange Programs
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that colleges “consider postponing or canceling upcoming student foreign exchange programs” due to COVID-19 concerns on Sunday. The CDC guidance also suggested colleges consider requesting current exchange program participants return to their home countries and recalling current study abroad participants. The statement notes that “all plans for returning study abroad students should be designed to protect participants from stigma and discrimination.”
MARTA Anticipates COVID-19 Spread
In a statement released on Tuesday, MARTA said it is taking steps in preparation for the possible spread of COVID-19 through its system based on suggestions from the CDC and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). MARTA will focus on sanitizing “high touch areas,” such as handrails, elevators, buttons and escalators. Additionally, MARTA has communicated strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to its employees. MARTA’s “See and Say” app can also be used to report concerns to its Emergency Preparedness Unit. These actions are taken in collaboration with the CDC and the APTA.
