Health

By John Disher— Annual “100,000 Award” recognizes dedication to improving health and well-being MUNCIE, Ind.— The Healthy Community Alliance of East Central Indiana (HCA) presented its “100,000 Award in Memory of Dr. George Branam” to Blackford County volunteer Fred Hoffman at its annual recognition meeting on June 13, 2022. The annual award is given to an individual or organization that supports the work of the HCA through outstanding leadership, innovative collaborations and unwavering dedication to improving the health and well-being…

By Suzanne Clem— MUNCIE, Ind.— Dr. John Woodall, an Open Door Health Services family medicine physician, has been named a 2022 Healthcare Hero by Indianapolis Business Journal. The annual awards program honors individuals and organizations that have made significant impact on the quality of healthcare in Central Indiana, nominated from a 9-county footprint. Three honorees are selected for recognition in each of 5 categories. Woodall’s honor comes in the “Physician” category and recognizes his impact on positive clinical outcomes and community health…

By Mike Rhodes, Editor-in-Chief, MuncieJournal.com— Muncie, IN— A message in my INBOX from the American Heart Association said May is National Stroke Awareness Month. Hashtag #StrokeMonth How appropriate and timely. Today is the 2nd anniversary of my stroke. For what its worth, here’s my story and things you can do to watch for stroke signs in your loved ones. I don’t mind sharing my story because there are lessons to be learned that may help others. In fact, soon after…

Indiana University School of Medicine researchers are sharing the results of a study about how immunity to COVID-19 can develop and change over time. By IU School of Medicine— INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana University School of Medicine researchers are sharing the results of a study about how immunity to COVID-19 can develop and change over time. Pediatric researchers Chandy John, MD, Alka Khaitan, MD, and colleagues learned that children develop neutralizing antibodies to COVID-19 at similar levels to adults, and those…

By Courtney Schmoll— Ball Hospital is one of 496 healthcare providers nationwide to earn the coveted “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader” designation MUNCIE, Ind. – For the tenth consecutive year, IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital has achieved a perfect score and the designation of “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader” in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 15th anniversary edition of the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey of healthcare facilities on policies and practices dedicated to the equitable treatment and…

By IUSOM— INDIANAPOLIS—An Indiana University School of Medicine researcher will lead a multi-institute effort toward improved therapies for hemophilia with help from a $12 million grant from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Led by Roland Herzog, PhD, the program project award will fund basic and translational studies that explore three major themes in a gene therapy approach that could lead to safer—and potentially curative—treatments for the disorder. Hemophilia is an X-linked genetic condition that prevents the blood from…

By Courtney Schmoll— MUNCIE, Ind.—IU Health Ball Memorial will host its fourth annual Community LGBTQ+ Healthcare Seminar from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm on March 3, 2022 in the Indiana Room at Minnetrista. Sam McCollum, peer recovery coach at IU Health Ball, will lead a panel discussion about substance use and recovery among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) individuals. The seminar will conclude with an open forum for questions and discussion. This event is free and open to…

By IU School of Medicine— INDIANAPOLIS—Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine Department of Microbiology and Immunology have made an important new discovery about how a particular molecule could improve lung function for people with asthma and food allergies. “Millions of children and adults in the United States have asthma, which results from allergen-induced inflammation in the lungs,” said Mark Kaplan, PhD, chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the senior author of the study. “The ability of cells…

By Jud Fisher— MUNCIE, Ind.-In the midst of growing concerns about healthcare worker shortages, Muncie is cementing its identity as a leader in training physicians, nurses, sonographers, and allied health professionals. Since 2017, healthcare organizations and educational institutions in the city have been working together to build a stronger pipeline of medical professionals. “Medicine has changed dramatically in the past 100 years, but the way we educate physicians—and to some degree, other healthcare workers—hasn’t always kept pace with these changes,”…