Small Business is Good for the Economy and Good for Your Health

A recent study published by The Cambridge Journal of Regions showed that people who live in communities with a strong concentration of small businesses have lower rates of mortality, obesity, and diabetes than those that rely heavily on big-box chains and other large businesses for their economic well-being. The rationale for this interesting correlation is due to the concept of "collective efficacy" or the “the capacity and willingness of community members to take responsibility for solving local problems.”  Makes sense that small businesses such as retail, restaurants and other services  have a greater interest in a thriving community because it directly impacts their bottom line.

Pediatric Medical Device Conference

The first PMDI Consortium Conference is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, November 18-19. PMDI Consortium members, Brenner Children's Hospital and the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma will be hosting the conference at the Hawthorne Inn and Conference Center in Winston-Salem. Download a flyer and conference schedule here, and register for the conference here.

Dr. McConnell Shared WFUBMC Goals at Chamber Annual Meeting

From the Winston-Salem Journal:
Dr. John McConnell, the chief executive of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, spread his message to a larger audience yesterday that the system is at a crossroads.

McConnell spoke at the 125th annual meeting of the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce. He gave a similar presentation in February.

Wake Forest Baptist is playing an increasingly large role in the local economic transition. It is Forsyth County’s largest employer, with about 11,800 employees overall, and is the driving force behind the build-out of Piedmont Triad Research Park.

Read the rest of the article, including the names of the winners for both the Duke Energy Citizenship and Service Award and the Cook Medical Innovation Award, here.

Winston + Salem = Arts and Innovation

Read this in-depth article in Winston-Salem Monthly magazine about the history of the city's efforts to grow its technology sector. From the article:

The Twin City's wealth of higher education gives us a competitive edge in the 21st century and is part of what makes its Piedmont Triad Research Park, an innovation community for life sciences and information technology, so dynamic and flush with collaborative opportunities. "Life outside the lab makes all the difference," the park's website states. "The city of Winston-Salem nurtures intellectual and business opportunities, stimulating its residents' creativity and their visions for the future."

Read the entire article here.

Wake Forest Cancer Researchers Discover New Treatment

(from the Triad Business Journal)

Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have made a “major breakthrough” in how to target and destroy the most malignant and aggressive brain cancer cells.

An announcement from the medical center said scientists have identified a way to target and destroy Glioblastoma multiforme, or GBM, cells without harming healthy cells.

“Over the last 30 to 40 years, with all the cancer research efforts out there, we have only been able to extend the survival rate in these patients by about one month per decade of research,” said Dr. Waldemar Debinski, director of the Brain Tumor Center of Excellence at Wake Forest Baptist.

Read more: WFU researchers make cancer discovery - The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area

Motion Capture Film Techniques Have Practical Applications

What is "motion capture"?
If you've been to the movies lately, to see films like Avatar and Beowolf, you've probably heard about "motion capture." You may know that it's a set of computer techniques that enable cartoon characters to move the way real people do, like the dancing penguins in Happy Feet.
What you might not realize is that these same techniques can be useful in health care, as when physical therapists study the movements of elderly folks trying to reach or to maintain balance as they walk. Occupational therapists, too, can make better diagnoses and recommendations – for example, in drivers' rehabilitation. The same techniques can also inform designs for prosthetic and orthotic devices.
Captured motion data can give choreographers new ways to create dances, and athletic coaches new methods for planning sports moves. Athletes can get new views of their own movements, to better learn how to make the best jump shot or golf swing.
"Motion capture" refers to photographic and electronic means of tracking and digitally recording information about how things move. Example methods involve thermal imaging and high-speed videography.
Often the process involves markers that reflect light or transmit electronic signals. "MoCap" experts place these markers on the articulated joints of dancers or other moving forms, and cameras or other receivers register the changes in location as the form moves. Specialized software tools then enable showing these captured data visually, via computer displays.
Collaborators at the Center for Design Innovation are steadily developing MoCap capabilities. In time, Winston-Salem and the North Carolina's Piedmont area will become known for innovations stemming from these skills and techniques. You can follow their progress and the work of Carol Strohecker, their Director at:
http://www.CenterforDesignInnovation.org/Research/MotionCapture.php/