September 24, 2020

WEXNER MEDICAL CENTER EARNS LGBTQ HEALTH CARE EQUALITY LEADER AWARD
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center has received an LGBTQ Health Care Equality Leader designation from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization. The designation was awarded in the 13th edition of HRC’s Healthcare Equality Index (HEI). A record 765 health care facilities actively participated in the HEI 2020 survey. Of those included in the HEI, 495 facilities earned HRC’s “LGBTQ Health Care Equality Leader” designation, receiving the maximum score in each section and earning an overall score of 100. Another 193 facilities earned the “Top Performer” designation for scoring from 80 to 95 points. With 90% of participating facilities scoring 80 points or more, health care facilities are demonstrating concretely that they’re going beyond the basics when it comes to adopting policies and practices in LGBTQ care.


OHIO STATE WEXNER MEDICAL CENTER EAST HOSPITAL RECEIVES EMERGENCY NURSES ASSOCIATION 2020 LANTERN AWARD
The Emergency Nurses Association has selected The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center East Hospital as a 2020 recipient of the Lantern Award. The ENA Lantern Award is given to emergency departments that exemplify exceptional practice and innovative performance in the core areas of leadership, practice, education, advocacy and research. This award is a visible symbol of an emergency department’s commitment to quality and safety as well as the presence of a healthy work environment. Less than 1% of Emergency Departments nationwide achieve this recognition.


$2.2 MILLION GRANT FUNDS RESEARCH ON VACCINE FOR TROPICAL DISEASE AFFECTING U.S.
The Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund in Japan has awarded Dr. Abhay Satoskar a $2.2 million grant to support his efforts to develop the first parasite vaccine for a neglected tropical disease called leishmaniasis. Dr. Abhay Satoskar, a professor in the Division of Experimental Pathology at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and professor in the Department of Microbiology at The Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences, has dedicated his career to finding a way to prevent people from getting the disease, which causes tissue destruction and disfigurement and can be deadly. Leishmaniasis is most common in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and South America, although it has also been found in parts of the United States.


OHIO STATE RANKED #9: BEST TEACHING HOSPITAL IN AMERICA
The Washington Monthly recently ranked The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center ninth in the nation in its Best Teaching Hospitals category. The ranking is based on performance in three broad categories: patient outcomes (mortality, etc.), civic leadership (treating lower-income and minority patients, etc.) and value of care. The Washington Monthly teamed up with the Lown Institute, a nonpartisan health care think tank, to create the ranking.


$7.5 MILLION GRANT FUNDS RESEARCH ON COMPLEX HUMAN-MACHINE INTERACTIONS
The U.S. Department of Defense awarded a $7.5 grant to The Ohio State University College of Medicine to fund research focused on how to avoid disasters when humans control complex machines, such as automobiles, airplanes and ships. An interdisciplinary team led by principal investigator Dan Merfeld and co-investigator Ajit Chaudhari will spend up to five years working with a handful of other researchers across the nation to explore the interactions between human physiology and complex machine dynamics and the coupling mechanisms involved. The study also aims to develop models for these coupling mechanisms that may lead to real-time interventions or warnings when problems appear imminent.


$3.9 MILLION GRANT FUNDS RESEARCH ON RESIDUAL HEARING IN COCHLEAR IMPLANT PATIENTS
The National Institutes of Health awarded a $3.9 million grant to The Ohio State University College of Medicine to study how to improve cochlear implant outcomes for patients with residual hearing. Dr. Oliver Adunka, professor of otolaryngology, is the principal investigator of a five-year multicenter study that looks at whether cochlear implant electrode insertion based on electrocochleography is better for hearing preservation and if electric acoustic stimulation is better than conventional cochlear implantation among electric acoustic stimulation patients. The aim is to develop an evidence-based clinical practice for electric acoustic stimulation patients that uses longer electrodes, broadens the candidate pool by including patients with greater levels of residual hearing,and potentially improves outcomes following cochlear implantation.

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Media Contact: Alexis Shaw, Wexner Medical Center Public Affairs and Media Relations, 614-293-3737, Alexis.Shaw2@osumc.edu

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