Experts in the Spotlight

December

Dr. John DeSesso was the lead author on a paper that appears in the January issue of the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A: Current Issues. The paper, titled “Analysis and Integration of Developmental Neurotoxicity and Ancillary Data into Risk Assessment: A Case Study of Dimethoate,” is a summation of a large effort that assessed the safety data for children’s health protection for a currently used pesticide. The full assessment was submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency. His co-authors include former Noblis employee Dr. Rebecca Watson.  

Dr. Tom Fowler published two articles recently. "The Scientific Status of Intelligent Design" was published in the winter, 2006 issue of the journal Faith & Reason, which just appeared.  His review, "Darwin in the English Department" was published in the fall, 2008 issue of the journal Modern Age. 

Dr. Jonathan Phillips has been invited by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency/Joint Science and Technology Office (DTRA/JSTO) to submit a Phase II proposal for funding under the Transformational Medical Technology Initiative (TMTI) program.  Jonathan's initial proposal titled "Animal Models to Support Licensure Under the FDA Animal Rule" proposes the development of Humanized Porcine Model to support testing and licensure of medical countermeasure to chemical and biological threats.

Debbie Kolb Collier presented an overview of the Georgia Certificate of Need program, including recent changes to the rules and regulations, at the 2nd Annual Southeastern Health Planning Symposium on 12 Dec. The audience included providers, attorneys, state health planning officials, and administrative law judges from six southeastern states. 

Jon Horin spearheads Noblis' Environmental Restoration Program Optimization (ERP-O) effort, providing thought leadership and strategic direction for the program. Jon also led an ERP-O review at Charleston AFB, South Carolina. Although many cleanup sites appear to be optimized and the base is on track for achieving "remedy in place" by 2012 per DoD policy, the team recommended prioritizing remaining sites in collaboration with State of South Carolina regulators. In addition, adopting the team's optimization recommendations for remedial efforts along a Flight Line ditch could have a life-cycle cost savings of $660k. It would also reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions despite the challenges posed by fluctuations in the water table.  

Ronald Porter led an Environmental Restoration Program Optimization (ERP-O) review at Naval Weapons Station -- Charleston. The team found there are no unacceptable risks to human health due to chemical hazards. Of 84 sites administered under federal waste law, 32 have yet to achieve "remedy-in-place" per DoD policy. The team made recommendations to help the base meet that goal and urged base managers to continue using innovative techniques to address challenging groundwater and unexploded ordnance contamination. Under the Joint Basing Program, Charleston AFB will assume responsibility for the NWS on 30 September, 2009. 

Tracy Brown recently presented a briefing titled, “GPS Use in Community Supervision”, at the Intelligence Support Systems (ISS) World Americas Conference. ISS World Americas is an international gathering of law enforcement and intelligence/homeland security analysts responsible for the lawful intercept, electronic investigations, and network intelligence gathering.  

Marty Fischer presented a paper titled "Simulating the Performance of a Class-Based Weighted Fair Queueing System" at the Winter Simulation Conference held December 7-10. This paper was co-authored by Denise Masi of Noblis and John Shortle of George Mason University. Marty also chaired an introductorily tutorial session on Successful Practices in Simulation.  

Noblis employees Andrew Rak and Steven K. Gibb each presented a technical briefing at the annual meeting of the Society for Risk Analysis in Boston. The theme for the 2008 meeting was Risk Analysis: the Science and the Art. Mr. Rak chaired a session focusing on analyzing the risks from emerging environmental contaminants. Mr. Rak presented an overview of the state and federal response to emerging environmental contaminants for which no health standards are available. Mr. Gibb presented on the use of chemical ranking systems to assist the Department of Defense select chemicals with a smaller environmental footprint as part of the DoD overall acquisition process. Other presentations during the session were made by Noblis’ clients at the US Army Corps of Engineers and the US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine. 

John Dobiac recently gave a presentation titled, “Gang Intelligence: Collecting it, Using It and Sharing It”, at the Intelligence Support Systems (ISS) World Americas Conference. ISS World Americas is an international gathering of law enforcement and intelligence/homeland security analysts responsible for the lawful intercept, electronic investigations and network intelligence gathering.  

George Bizzigotti, Ahmed Hafez, Wade Smith, and Mark Whitmire, along with former Noblis employee Harry Castelly authored a review article that will appear in the January 2009 issue of Chemical Reviews. The article is titled “Parameters for Evaluation of the Fate, Transport, and Environmental Impacts of Chemical Agents in Marine Environments.” The article covers the nine chemical warfare agents that have been disposed in US coastal waters, and reviews 321 references dating from 1789 through 2008 to compile the chemical and physical parameters used to evaluate the fate, transport, and impacts of those agents in the ocean. The article also identifies gaps in the literature and assesses the benefits of filling those data gaps. It can now be read on the web at http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/cr0780098. Published by the American Chemical Society, Chemical Reviews provides comprehensive, authoritative, critical, and readable reviews of important recent research in organic, inorganic, physical, analytical, theoretical, and biological chemistry. First published in 1924, Chemical Reviews is one of the most highly regarded and highest-ranked journals covering the general topic of chemistry. 

Thanks to the efforts of Noblis employees, Valentine R. Connell and Valli Hatzes, the US Department of Labor (USDOL) will launch their Mass Unemployment Event (MUE) website through the Information Technology Support Center (ITSC) this month. The results of this successful Interstate Disaster Preparedness Workgroup collaboration will allow the US DOL to bring impacted state UI agencies the ability to maintain the continuity of their operations and to manage the operational requirements of an MUE caused by a national disaster. The MUE Toolkit includes:

• A state assessment database to identify states with similar systems.
• Self-directed guidance and checklists to help state UI agencies prepare for an MUE.
• A coordinated, structured, and planned approach for requesting, obtaining, and compensating other state UI agencies for assistance.
• Guidance on how to initiate and maintain good communications with the assisting states, Emergency Operation Centers, and USDOL Regional Offices.
• Guidance for the USDOL National and Regional offices to coordinate an MUE response and institutionalize MUE preparedness and procedures.
• A member only communications portal for immediate assistance, guidance and communications between UI agencies, Regional Offices, and the US DOL during a MUE.

Archna Bhandari was recognized by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for her outstanding leadership and contributions to the Research, Condition, and Disease Categorization (RCDC) project. The RCDC project involves the development of an enterprise-wide IT system designed to provide consistent and transparent information to the public about NIH research. Archna has been integral to the project since 2003. As the Chief Data Analyst and Theorist she is responsible for the data, tools, analysis, and reporting aspect of this large, complex, enterprise-wide effort. Archna is the only non-NIH employee in a Chief’s role for the project. Her exemplary contributions were recently acknowledged by Dr. Timothy Hays, NIH RCDC Project Director, in a letter to Amr ElSawy stating, “Archna is the type of person who can be handed any issue or problem, and she will investigate the breadth of issues, solve the problem, gain buy-in for her solution, remain adaptive, rally her team to resolve the matter, and then quickly and efficiently implement the solution.  I have yet to find another person so apt at all of these areas. Everyone agrees, and tells me often, that her practical solutions and transparency of ideas in addition to her warm personality have made Archna a respected leader not only on this project but across the NIH.”  

Dennis Kennedy and Amy MacNulty authored a feature story in the December 2008 edition of Healthcare Financial Managmenet (the monthly magazine of the Healthcare Financial Management Association). The article is titled "Beyond the models, investing in physician-hospital relationships," and provides action steps that hospitals should take to foster stronger physician-hospital relationships. The article suggests that although structural/economic models are important to improving relationships, hospitals should also address communication with physicians, physician involvement in decision-making, and physician leadership development. http://www.hfma.org/hfm/2008archives/month12/HFM1208_MacNulty.htm

Lynn Eckendorf presented as a panelist for "The Healthcare Executive's Role in IT Decisions" at the Colorado Association of Healthcare Executives' annual educational symposium.

Frank Kittredge, Jr. and Lynn Eckendorf presented a session at the Healthcare Design 08 conference titled "Integrating IM, IS and IT into Facility Planning".  The session focused on integrating Enterprise Strategy and Concept of Operations with Information Management (IM), Information Systems (IS), and Information Technology (IT) as crucial to successful facility planning and customer experience.  The session presented a collaborative approach to facility planning, design and construction that aligns the business, clinical and technology environments.

November

Fred Price led an Environmental Restoration Program (ERP-O)Optimization review Oct. 26-30 at Air Force Plant #4 in Texas. The team found that the base is on track for meeting Air Force goals of having "remedy in place" by 2012, but addressing the strength of a reactive barrier and rejuvenating the barrier should be a high priority for the base. Other challenges include updating conceptual site models at each site, although the base was singled out for innovating reuse of nitrate contamination on base as fertilizer for the golf course. Overall the base team has been aggressive about optimizing its cleanup operations, the ERP-O team found.

Susie Krentz and a client, Steve Paulus, from Saint Joseph Mercy Health System in Ann Arbor, Michicagn, co-authored an article published in the November issue of Spectrum, the newsletter of the Society for Healthcare Stratetgy and Market Development. Titled "Three Strategic Impasses and How to Avoid Them", the article explores how an organization’s strategic planning process, which should be creating the road map for strategic decision making, comes to a standstill and remains in a “strategic impasse” for an extended period. Since most healthcare providers are not in a position to take what amounts to a strategic vacation, it is important to identify early in a process if the organization is headed toward an impasse and if so, to take steps to minimize the resulting standstill.   

The USDOT has published the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) Benefits, Costs, Deployment, and Lessons Learned: 2008 Update.  This biannual report was authored by Robert P. Maccubbin, Barbara L. Staples, Firoz Kabir, Cheryl F. Lowrance, Michael R. Mercer, and Brian H. Philips of Noblis, along with Stephen R. Gordon at Oak Ridge National Laboratories.

John Hunsinger, Jill McCoy, Allan Kostreba, and John Salamone were invited and attended the Army National Guard’s annual Recruiting and Retention Training Conference, where Col Mike Jones, chief, strength maintenance division announced the Guard’s historic 2008 recruiting performance. Noblis supported seven Guard acquisitions valued at over $2 billion that contributed to the Guard achieving the best recruiting year of any military component in the history of the United States. 

Denise Masi presented a paper at the MILCOM 2008 conference titled "Measuring Resilience In Multi-Carrier Emergency and Critical Telecommunications Systems." This paper was co-authored by Marty Fischer and Dave Garbin (Noblis), Lane Martin (National Communications System), and Patrick McGregor (Nyquetek, Inc.). MILCOM 2008 is an international conference for national defense, homeland security, and disaster response communications, with over 3,000 industry, academic, and government attendees annually. It is jointly sponsored by the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) and the IEEE Communications Society. 

Bob Edwards, Energy and Environmental Sustainability Mission Area, presented a guest lecture for the Environmental Remediation course at the University of Texas at San Antonio. The lecture discussed bioremediation using bioreactors, as well as the use of sophisticated tools, such as stable isotope analysis and molecular biology tools, to investigate and cleanup groundwater contaminated with chlorinated hydrocarbons. Bob based the lecture on a project that Noblis has been supporting for several years. The University is currently contracted to Noblis to conduct studies on microbial gene expression in an effort to optimize performance of a bioreactor at a client site.   

Susie Krentz and Tracey Camp authored a feature story in the November 2008 edition of Healthcare Financial Managmenet (the monthly magazine of the Healthcare Financial Management Association). Titiled, "Taking a Good Look at the Competition," this article provides ten tips on developing a focused analysis of a hospital’s competition, which can make all the difference between simply reacting to a competitive marketplace and thoughtfully shaping a successful future. As a complement to the story, Susie and Tracey also provided an HFMA web exclusive with comments about the impact of the current financial crisis on hospitals' future efforts to remain strongly competitive.

Jon Horin led an Environmental Restoration Program Optmization review of the Ft. Richardson Air Force installation in Alaska. The review determined that the base cleanup team is well ahead of meeting Air Force goals of having "remedy-in-place" by 2012 but recommended that a "pump and treat" water plant be phased out, saving the Air Force and estimated $1.25 million over the next 50 years. Other optimization steps could save the base an additional $200k as they move towards closing out their remedial responsibilities with state of Alaska and federal officials. 

Ron Porter led Environmental Restoration Program Optimization (ERP-O) reviews at two locations in Alaska. The team peer reviewed a site characterization report at a site referred to as 611 CES/CEVR and developed a sample exit strategy to use as a template to aid base cleanup managers in closing out sites with regulators. They also consulted with cleanup managers on accelerating remediation efforts, and evaluated the technical challenges for creating a new hazardous waste landfill so soils will no longer have to be shipped out-of-state. At the second location, Galena Air Force Station, the ERP-O team recommended that a schedule be developed for Alaska regulatory approval of decision and planning documents, that "conceptual site models" be updated that depict subsurface conditions, and that exit strategies be crafted to aid in closing out cleanup efforts.

Drs. Amy Williams and John DeSesso wrote a paper that appeared in Annual Reports in Medicinal Chemistry, 43: 353-371 (2008). The paper, titled "Contrasting the Gastrointestinal Tracts of Mammals: Factors that Influence Absorption," compares various parameters involved in gastrointestinal absorption among seven species. This paper will help to expand Noblis' recognition as a leader in the field of comparative biology as it contributes to both the safety and risk assessment processes. Amy and John were invited to write this paper based on the popularity of a previous publication that compared in detail the process of gastrointestinal absorption in humans and rats. 

Francine Machisko was quoted in a recent article titled, "Hospitals Feel the Pain of Recession", in Healthcare Finance News. Francine discussed the impact of the current economic downturn on private hospitals.

October

Dennis Kennedy, Aaron DeBoer, and Anita Iyenger co-authored an article titled "Credit Crisis, Weakened Economy, Tough One-Two Punch for Health Care Industry." The article, published in BNA's Health Care Policy Report, explores six impacts that the credit crisis and a weakened economy have on health care providers and the steps providers should be taking in response. 

Dr. Steven Miksell successfully passed his PMP certification test after completing online SkillSoft training courses offered to ACM members.  This training was augmented by self-study using resources recommended by the Noblis Program Management Cluster Group.

Barbara Staples recently received certification in the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) version 3 Foundations. The certification process involves course work on best practices in IT Service Management and an exam. Indications are that as the Department of Defense (DoD) and other Federal agencies adopt ITIL’s approach to IT business operations, those with ITIL certification will be well positioned to support our client’s skill set requirements. Congratulations Barbara.

Scott Clay was featured in a one-on-one audio interview on HealthLeadersMedia.com regarding the deepening impact of the financial crisis on healthcare organizations.

Marty Fischer and Denise Masi (Noblis) and Dr. John F. Shortle (George Mason University) co-authored a presentation titled "Modeling the Performance of the Low Latency Queueing Router Discipline." Dr. Shortle presented the briefing at the INFORMS Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.

Jon Horin led an Environmental Restoration Program Optimization review at McChord AFB in the State of Washington with Bob Sextro participating. These reviews are intended to improve the efficiency, protectiveness and timely closeout of contaminated sites administered by the Air Force.

Congratulations to Eric Emerson for his recent certification in the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) version 3 "Foundations." The certification process involves course work on best practices in IT Service Management and an exam. Indications are that as the Department of Defense (DoD) and other Federal agencies adopt ITIL’s approach to IT business operations, those with ITIL certification will be well positioned to support our client’s skill set requirements. Great work Eric-you are ahead of the curve!

Ron Porter and Jon Horin led an environmental restoration program optimization (formerly RPO) at Hill AFB in Utah. The team recommended modifying sampling and analysis of only those contaminants that are specified in key agreements called "Records of Decision". The ERP-O also determined that the base is on track to meet the Air Force goal of “remedy-in-place” at all bases by 2012, but could benefit from addressing “fouling” issues at certain sites/systems, indoor air from off-site plumes, and the identification and removal of contaminants at their sources. 

Patty Reyes was recently invited to speak on behalf of the State Environmental Commissioners (ECOS) at NASA’s Bi-Annual Energy & Environment Symposium. Patty’s presentation related to what States are collaborating on  related to Green Remediation and Risk Management through the Interstate Technology Council. Patty was awarded one of NASA’s 50th Anniversary Awards and the new NASA Commemorative coin for her presentation. Great work Patty and congratulations on your award! 

Peggy Cella recently presented an overview of Current Healthcare Trends to the Board of Christus St. Patrick (through an arrangement with the American College of Physician Executives) in Lake Charles, LA. The topics covered during this presentation included reimbursement, facility planning, finance, consumers, quality, and healthcare innovation.

Dr. John DeSesso has published "Functional Anatomy of the Brain," which is the first chapter in David McCandless's new book Metabolic Encephalopathy. The chapter describes the gross and internal anatomy as well as the blood supply of the cranial vault and brain. The book was published in September by Springer Verlag.

Amy MacNulty facilitated a networking discussion as a Table Host for the Massachusetts 7th Annual Executive Women in Health Care Conference on "Becoming a Woman of Influence - How to Get There, How to Stay There."

Mike Goldberg chaired sessions on Ocean Remote Sensing and Pollution Monitoring at the Institute of Electrical and Electrical Engineers (IEEE ) Oceans '08 Conference in Quebec.

Dan Walter and Francine Machisko, both Senior Principals within the Noblis Private Healthcare practice, had an article titled "Feeling the Squeeze – New rules are restricting the inpatient rehab sector. Can your facility adapt?" Published in the September 2008 issue of Advance for Directors in Rehabilitation magazine. This article was requested by the magazine as a follow-up to a Noblis Webinar on a similar topic, and is one of several PHC efforts to reach the post-acute market segment.

Frank Kittredge was interviewed and featured in the “Speaking with” column in the August 2008 issue of FacilityCare Magazine. This provided an opportunity to discuss how Noblis’ approach to facility “concept of operations” can be used to develop integrated facility plans and the importance of integrating operational planning early in the facility planning process.