News about unit graduation celebrations and commencement-related parking
In addition to U-M’s main Spring Commencement ceremony May 4 and the Rackham Graduate Exercises on May 3, schools and colleges, along with some departments and identity groups, will host separate graduation ceremonies, recognition events and receptions in the coming days. A full list of these celebrations can be found at commencement.umich.edu/calendar/. Also, Logistics, Transportation & Parking notes that parking areas on the North, Central and Ross Athletic Campus will be made available for guest parking in the days surrounding commencement. Parking enforcement will be suspended at many structures and surface lots May 2-5, and some lots being controlled for commencement parking will have to be cleared of all vehicles by 5 p.m. or 11 p.m. May 3, depending on the lot. See a list of affected parking areas and commencement-related changes.
Michigan Medicine part of $15M study of inflammation’s impact on heart, brain health
Research teams from the University of Michigan, Northwestern University Chicago Campus and University of Pittsburgh will lead a $15 million project dedicated to studying inflammation’s role in cardiac and brain diseases. The American Heart Association’s Strategically Focused Research Network on Inflammation in Cardiac and Neurovascular Disease aims to better understand the body’s response to inflammation and crosstalk between the heart and brain, as well as how to prevent or treat inflammation-driven cardiovascular diseases. At Michigan Medicine, Anthony Rosenzweig, director of the Stanley and Judith Frankel Institute for Heart and Brain Health, will direct a collaborative research effort between Michigan Medicine and Massachusetts General Hospital. These research teams, in collaboration with a team from Oakland University, will study the driving forces behind inflammatory processes linked to aging and obesity and how to prevent inflammation that could lead to heart failure, dementia and other diseases. Read more about this effort.
Data shows medical marijuana use decreased in states allowing recreational use
The most recent data on medical cannabis use found that enrollment in medical cannabis programs increased overall from 2016-22, but enrollment decreased in states where nonmedical use of cannabis became legal. Combined with the data from a previously published analysis, the number of patients using cannabis for medical purposes has increased more than 600% since 2016. The study is published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Researchers from the Medical School and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted an ecological study with repeated measures of persons with medical cannabis licenses and clinicians authorizing cannabis licenses in the United States between 2020-22. Read more about the study.
Michigan Minds podcast: Runge says statewide expansion continues in Vision 2034
In the latest Michigan Minds podcast, Marschall Runge, executive vice president for medical affairs, dean of the Medical School and CEO of Michigan Medicine, discusses U-M’s role in human health and well-being, a key area of the university’s Vision 2034. Vision 2034 is the outcome of the yearlong strategic visioning process that engaged more than 25,000 students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and local community members to imagine what aspirations the university could achieve in the next 10 years. In the podcast, Runge said Michigan Medicine’s clinical mission calls for it to remain competitive throughout the state. “What I mean by that is by offering some of the very specialized care that really can only be done in an outstanding academic medical center like what we have in Ann Arbor. But likewise, we’re developing partners across the state that can help us increase our footprint. And our work with them is to provide greater access to health care and high-quality health care and communities across the state.” Listen to the podcast.
SPH faculty member part of national committee studying impact of active-shooter drills
A new national effort to understand how active-shooter drills may affect the health and well-being of K-12 students and school staff has begun with the first meeting of a committee operating under the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Justin Heinze, associate professor of health behavior and health education at the School of Public Health, is a member of the newly created, 14-member committee made up of experts in firearms, education, campus and public safety, medicine, mental health, law and terrorism. They are working on a consensus study to understand how schools and public safety officials across the country conduct drills and which may be most effective and least harmful. “A critical eye must be turned toward how these drills are conducted and how they prepare students and staff for potential emergencies without causing undue stress or trauma,” said Heinze, co-director of U-M’s National Center for School Safety. “Over 90% of students in the U.S. will participate in some form of active-shooter training this year, making them one of the most common forms of safety measures schools put in place.” Read more about this effort.
— Compiled by James Iseler, The University Record
