Medical Research and Innovation : Buzz

A new exhibit at the Walters Art Museum aims to help Johns Hopkins researcher, Ed Connor, understand what attracts individuals to different artwork.

Here's an excerpt:

"At an exhibit opening this weekend at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, visitors will be asked to wear 3-D glasses and walk around with clipboards and pencils while looking at images of sculptures.

"Beauty and the Brain: A Neural Approach to Aesthetics," enlists the public as participants in a Johns Hopkins University study that looks at why the human brain is attracted to artwork...

Organizers say they hope to shed a scientific light on some of the ideas that philosophers have discussed for centuries. One of those is that there's a unique way that the brain activates when we view compelling artwork, something philosophers have called the "aesthetic emotion," says Gary Vikan, director of the Walters and curator of the show."

Read the entire article here.

Join Next American City as we present URBANEXUS Baltimore with our co-host, Urbanite Magazine and Bmore Media. Baltimore, home to Johns Hopkins and University of Maryland, has long been regarded as a hub for world-class medical research. But many communities in the city continue to struggle with significant health disparities and stubborn public health challenges. What is health care innovation? Can out-of-the-box thinking help translate medical research into healthier communities?

Admission to the event, held at the Anne E. Casey Foundation at 503 N. Charles Street, is free for all attendees.

Find out more here.

Gov. Martin O'Malley took his message about Maryland's burgeoning stem cell research industry to one of the Web's top sites, Huffington Post.

Here's an excerpt:

In Maryland, our commitment to stem cell research is part of our BioMaryland 2020 initiative, the largest investment any state has committed to the life sciences. Just this month we opened the Maryland Biotechnology Center to promote innovation and entrepreneurship, and we are putting a renewed priority on supporting the dreams of emerging bio-entrepreneurs. Whether it is our innovative bioinvestor tax credit, or our 23 technology incubators - one-third of which are biolab capable - we understand the challenges and unique needs of this industry because we understand the promise.

There are more than 400 bioscience companies doing business in Maryland, employing more than 26,000 people.

The Milken Institute ranks our bioscience assets among the highest in America. We lead the nation in the investments we make in the skills, talents, and ingenuity of our people - and as a return on these investments we have what Education Week magazine says are the best public schools in America, fueling one of the nation's most highly skilled workforces.

We rank first in per capita biomedical and health services workers. We have the highest percentage of doctoral scientists and engineers of any workforce in America. And we also have the second highest percentage of professional and technical workers.

Read more here.

A recent study of Baltimore residents reveals that individuals' attitudes about the health care system are a significant determinant of how quickly they seek care. Those who mistrust the system are more likely to postpone care until they are sicker, which drives up the overall cost of treatment.

An excerpt from the article reads:

Researchers surveyed 401 Baltimore residents, the majority of whom were black, about their attitudes toward the health care system, including doctors, hospitals and insurance companies.

The survey found that people who doubted the trustworthiness of the medical care system were more likely to ignore medical advice, neglect to go to follow-up appointments or to fill prescriptions. Patients who were suspicious of the system were also more likely to admit to putting off medical care that doctors told them was necessary.

The study will appear online in Health Services Research.

"Over the last 15 years, the health care system has changed, and increasingly patients' interactions are with the system, not just an individual doctor," study author Thomas LaVeist, director of the Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said in a release from the news service.

"We found that persons who were more mistrustful of the health-care system were more likely to delay needed care or postpone receiving care, even when they perceived they needed it," LaVeist said.

Read the entire article here.