Complete your personal information for a more tailored experience for the best life sciences journalism in the industry By Bob Herman and Tara Bannow Bob Herman Bob Herman covers health insurance, government programs, hospitals, physicians, and other providers — reporting on how money influences those businesses and shapes what we all pay for care. He is also the author of the Health Care Inc. newsletter You can reach Bob on Signal at bobjherman.09 Tara Bannow You can reach Tara on Signal at tarabannow.70 The Trump administration has gutted two small federal agencies filled with researchers who study how the health care system functions and how to improve it More than half of employees at the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality — both part of the Department of Health and Human Services — have been laid off according to several current and former employees The two agencies operate on less than $600 million combined or about 0.04% of what the federal government spends on health care ASPE had roughly 150 employees at the start of the year and now has fewer than 50 AHRQ started the year with over 300 employees Former and current workers at both agencies said the layoffs will severely impair what they do with one current employee calling the cuts “devastating.”  Already have an account? Log in Already have an account? Log in Cut through the noise with our essential updates on health care politics and policy By Megan Molteni By Mario Aguilar By Daniel Payne By Helen Branswell Reporting from the frontiers of health and medicine [Editor’s Note: This article is an edited transcription of an installment of HPAC on the Air, the podcast of HPAC Engineering. You can listen to the full podcast at https://www.hpac.com/members/podcasts/article/55239932/fitting-connections-with-new-aspe-president-bryan-hutton.] HPAC Engineering: Our guest today is Brian Hutton and the very new President of the American Society of Plumbing Engineers Brian is a chemical engineer and a 1995 graduate of the University of Delaware He is also the first African-American to become president of ASPE I wonder if you could tell our listeners a bit more about your background and how you came to join ASPE Brian Hutton: I think my story kind of mimics that of many of our 7,600 plus members in ASPE It's just something I ended up getting into I don't know very many people that grow up and decide they want to be a plumbing engineer or do plumbing design Nor could I have ever dreamed that this would be where I'd be We were always engineering things on the farm I got into ASPE and plumbing design back in 2002 After graduating from the University of Delaware BF Goodrich at the time—it's known as Lubrizol today—and I had a great 27-year career there Back in 2002 we had an incident where one of our folks was sick and they needed a replacement They asked me to help out one of our materials groups that did plumbing.  So I went to the [ASPE] convention in Dallas-Fort Worth and I just started to form some bonds with people such as Kelvin Kennedy who was one of the board members back then at the local chapter I just kind of fell in love with it.  my role at my old employer changed and I began to support a lot of plumbing in high rise commercial construction and things like that That was my intro to ASPE—just one of those calls can you fill in there?” and it was something that I latched onto HPAC Engineering: So you come to this role not just as an engineer So how do you foresee that driving your presidency Brian Hutton: I'm an engineer first when it comes to what I do for a profession I did a lot of the engineering support work that led me into some other things like fiberglass which ended up leading to where I'm at today where we manufacture high purity water tanks and piping systems and that work with high purity and ultrapure systems.  I'm also one of those people that really loves to work on personal development kind of that continuous improvement process you may have heard about lean manufacturing but also not doing things that don't create value; being able to seek opportunities that have value and eliminate those that don't there's a couple of areas that we're looking forward to advancing over the next couple of years I'm just really excited about the opportunity We've got a lot of great members in our organization good companies that support us—so it’s an exciting time HPAC Engineering: The association’s members are facing a lot of challenges—new technologies the demands of climate change—how do you see the ASPE’s role in helping members navigate these challenges Brian Hutton: I see ASPE playing a big part One of the number one things we hear from our members is that they seek education It's also about a mindset prioritizing mental health and a mindset of being receptive What we hope to do here at ASPE—and what I strive to do with so many of the people that I interact with—is to try to help them be ready to receive there's also a lot of people out there that are experts in their field and they can really shorten that retention time understanding and being able to apply all this knowledge And it's important for many of our designers to understand the materials that they use to understand the techniques of design We've changed so much in the plumbing industry around the low flow There's less and less water that flows down from the sinks and urinals into the drainage systems and the water Water is becoming more and more precious and there's a lot of drive to just get smarter So that continuous improvement in learning is a must HPAC Engineering: Your personal journey is different than the many of the folks at ASPE as the first African-American to lead this 64-year-old organization Can you describe that journey a bit within the industry Brian Hutton: As a minority there's a lot of places I've been where there's not a lot of people that look just like me in the room It's not about that as much as it is just about people and understanding people and being a good person and doing the things that are right—there's always a time to do what's right.  It's not really about where you're from as much as where we want to go Getting together with people that have a common goal and a common sense of education that pulls us all together We have people that have a lot of different journeys There's an endless amount of wonderful stories of how people became designers or got into the profession And there are a lot of successes that have come out of it with people that have attained great achievements and really being able to live these fruitful lives Not everybody has the same goals or wants the same things out of life we can help people get to where they want to go Much more of Rob McManamy’s interview with Brian Hutton is available at https://www.hpac.com/members/podcasts.  announced that two of its distinguished team members have been recognized by the American Society for Precision Engineering (ASPE) for their significant contributions to the field of precision engineering The awards will be presented during the 39th ASPE Annual Meeting will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award This prestigious accolade recognizes his extensive expertise in optics and interferometry as well as his unparalleled contributions to research de Groot’s remarkable career spans over fifty years beginning with hands-on experience building reflecting telescopes and progressing through innovative work in experimental physics patents and more than 200 technical publications significantly advancing optical instrumentation and precision measurement techniques His esteemed positions as a Fellow of SPIE and the International Academy of Engineering and Technology along with his recent role as the 2024 President-Elect of SPIE highlight his leadership and dedication to the field de Groot’s ongoing commitment to education and his role as an honorary professor and keynote speaker within the precision engineering community showcase his passion for inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers Zygo Technology Fellow and Director of Engineering will be inducted into the ASPE College of Fellows This recognition celebrates his sustained advancements in ultra-precision nanometrology systems and subsystems for stage positioning in the semiconductor photolithography industry Badami has made notable contributions to the development of high-end laser displacement interferometers and metrology calibration fixtures for ultra-high precision measurement instruments have earned him the society’s Distinguished Service Award continuing the company’s legacy of innovation and excellence in precision engineering It is noteworthy that the three founders of Zygo — Paul F Zanoni — were also recipients of the ASPE Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997 making this recognition even more significant for the company The ASPE Annual Meeting is renowned for its precision engineering tutorials “Monetizing Precision,” will provide attendees with insights into identifying markets and strategies for achieving product-market fit for precision products and technologies For more information, visit www.zygo.com You must have JavaScript enabled to enjoy a limited number of articles over the next 30 days issues and challenges that they face daily Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing Stream “Recursion” and pre-order Collapse here: https://bfan.link/recursion “It’s about the generational rise in mental and physical health issues due to the deliberate neglect and cutting of vital services and support It’s about these crises being caused by living in a world that feels so insecure with events often feeling as if they are deliberately manufactured or inflicted on the poorest in society to allow further divides to be created A person remains trapped in a rotting rental property paying their life away on ever higher rent and companies all making exorbitant profits those at the top of the chain become richer and richer but everyone should be entitled to the help they need Everyone should be entitled to all they need to live a progressive and fulfilling life not only those lucky enough to have the support blanket of wealth or status.” Collapse is the follow-up to their self-released debut EP Spiritual Disease which caught the attention of many major publications and disenfranchisement they feel about the UK and the wider world are laid bare and the rise of populist right authoritarianism are explored in garish detail across the record breakdowns and a bass tone fit to tear down the establishment Dualling vocals from a wide spectrum of extreme metal influences can be heard throughout the record providing the perfect centerpiece for these eleven tracks of despotic terror The band has not only caught the attention of many with their recorded output but they have also been riling up crowds with their explosive live performances In the band’s short existence they have already made appearances at festivals such as Bloodstock Grief Ritual have also supported Knocked Loose The band passed their one-hundred-show marker in early 2024 proving their unwavering commitment to their art and the important messages behind it UK metalcore group Polar have premiered a new single "Paranoia" featuring Rachel Aspe (Cage Fight) The band also shared the official music video for the track prior to it hitting streaming tomorrow.  Pre-order Five Arrows here The band will also be touring the UK this Nov/Dec in support of their new album.  En español The past two weeks have been devastating for Univision employees Staff at all levels and across various roles were let go from the U.S including on-air talent from programs like 'Noticiero Univision,' 'Despierta América,' 'El Gordo y la Flaca,' and 'Primer Impacto.' Jessica Rodríguez, the Venezuelan host of 'Despierta América,' introduced her new colleague, who is likely to match her energy given their similar ages and likely on-screen dynamic as counterparts between Mexico and the U.S It is Alix Aspe, who previously co-hosted 'La Mesa Caliente' alongside Giselle Blondet, Myrka Dellanos, and Verónica Bastos. Aspe left Telemundo after rejecting a contract she deemed unfair A post shared by instagram Alix moved to Mexico after her departure. There she joined 'Despierta,' a program airing Monday through Friday from 7 to 9 a.m. on Las Estrellas, Televisa's flagship television network She will now transition to 'Despierta América' to cover entertainment news replacing Univision's recently laid-off team A post shared by instagram Alix's appearances on Univision began without a formal announcement of her hiring—likely due to the sensitive context—but fans seem to have welcomed her back to U.S Spanish-language television with excitement Despite this new role, Alix seems to have learned the importance of diversification. For now, she's keeping her podcast, 'Quién Hizo Qué,' as a backup Mission Statement: to assist the integration of foreign residents living in Spain and this is never more accurate than when you establish yourself as a foreign resident in a new country Being able to quickly familiarise yourself with the culture and customs can help ease the transition during a challenging time This is why Euro Weekly News makes it our mission to provide you with a free news resource in English that covers both regional and national Spanish news – anything that we feel you will benefit from knowing as you integrate into your new community and live your best life in Spain you can forget about translating articles from Spanish into awkward English that probably don’t make much sense Let us be your convenient and essential guide to all things that will likely affect you as a foreign resident living in Spain Aspe has reached a new population milestone surpassing 22,000 residents for the first time According to the latest data from the National Statistics Institute (INE) the town’s population in the 2025 municipal register is 22,397 Aspe has seen steady population growth in recent years The mayor of Aspe noting that “the increase in residents shows that more people are choosing Aspe to settle which strengthens our identity as a town with values the town continues to establish itself as a growing community supporting both its social and economic development Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox Euro Weekly News is the leading English language newspaper in Spain by delivering news with a social conscience we are proud to be the voice for the expat communities who now call Spain home With around half a million print readers a week and over 1.5 million web views per month EWN has the biggest readership of any English language newspaper in Spain The paper prints over 150 news stories a week with many hundreds more on the web – no one else even comes close Our publication has won numerous awards over the last 25 years including Best Free Newspaper of the Year (Premios AEEPP) Company of the Year (Costa del Sol Business Awards) and Collaboration with Foreigners honours (Mijas Town Hall) All of this comes at ZERO cost to our readers All our print and online content always has been and always will be FREE OF CHARGE Download our media pack in either English or Spanish Spanish Guardia Civil says 70-year-old man discovered by rescue team near Aspe peak in western Pyrenees A 70-year-old British hiker has been found dead in the Pyrenees mountains four days after disappearing He was discovered in the mountain range by a rescue team on Thursday at around 1pm Mountain rescue specialists said he was discovered near the Aspe peak in the western Pyrenees The man was located by three members of the search-and-rescue team who contacted an air unit which transferred him to a nearby mountain refuge Interpol’s Manchester office contacted Spanish authorities with the coordinates of an electronic bracelet the man was wearing It is understood that French police mountain rescue experts also participated in the operation to find the hiker The man is understood to have been walking between the Lizara and Candanchú mountain refuges a search helicopter was seen hovering over rocky Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who died in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities.” Her last communication was a selfie she took on the summit of Pic de Sauvegarde slipped and fell down a sheer slope close to the 2,300ft peak of the Port de la Glère said: “We have all known for many months that the chance we would get to hug our beloved Esther again to see her beautiful smile and to watch the room light up again whenever she arrived was tiny but with this confirmation that small hope has now faded Please check entered address and try again or go to homepage will exhibit its water pumping and control products in Booth #214 at ASPE in Columbus OH DAB's innovative ESYBOX LINE is a comprehensive range of booster pumps which are fully integrated electronic systems designed for use with drinking water for domestic applications rainwater collection from tanks or shallow water wells The new FX Range of wastewater pumps is designed for high performance lifting and transferring sewage and drain water from residential Regional Marketing Manager for DAB North America “DAB Pumps offers innovative products for moving potable water and wastewater cost-effectively and reliably professionals rely on DAB pumps and control devices to provide industry-leading solutions with one manufacturer We are excited to leverage over 40 years of international expertise in introducing these pumps to the United States.” For more information visit https://dabpumps.us and https://internetofpumps.com/ is the wholly owned subsidiary of DAB Pumps SpA The North American subsidiary in Ladson (Charleston) South Carolina is established for over 12 years and Canada to OEM and professional pump distributors Aspe is set to become a major hub for contact sports with the launch of Ultimate Training Camp Spain The camp will be the largest high-performance boxing and martial arts centre in Europe will cover around 11,000 square metres and feature top-tier amenities The centre aims to attract elite athletes from across Europe and beyond serving as a key destination for both boxing and mixed martial arts Project organisers highlight the region’s favourable climate and excellent conditions as major draws for professional training the facility is expected to drive the growth of these sports The Dawes family has invested €1 million in the project with construction expected to take six months the centre should be operational by late 2025 or early 2026 stating that it will not only bring international competitions and training camps to the town but also create opportunities for local sports clubs and schools to use the facilities This initiative is expected to strengthen community engagement and encourage athletic development The new centre is also set to boost Aspe’s economy, reinforcing its reputation as a key location for boxing and martial arts. World boxing champion Kiko Martínez believes the project will be a game-changer, saying, “This facility will be a huge attraction for the martial arts world and put Aspe on the map in this field.” The Department of Health and Human Services helps to guide billions of dollars in investment and direction in research The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) is the principal advisor to the Secretary of HHS on health policy ranging from legislation to strategic planning to research How does this relate to aging policy and research How does coordination occur between the federal state and local level in aging health policies who within ASPE guides aging policy and connects policy to every day health challenges experienced by patients and clinicians On today today’s podcast, we are joined by guest host and UCSF geriatrician Ashwin Kotwal as we welcome Dr. Tisamarie Sherry (Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Behavioral Health, Disability, and Aging Policy (BHDAP) This office is tasked with providing aging policy research and recommendations within ASPE including long term care and the National Alzheimer’s Project Act Sherry shares her expertise in aging health policy and helps us make sense of the role of her Office and how she coordinates with the multitude of federal agencies aligned around the goal of advancing aging research For the policy buffs and policy newbies out there we hope this podcast is an essential primer to government in action We also touch briefly on topics discussed in prior podcasts such as loneliness and federal responses to the pandemic in relation to long-term care Tune to hear Alex’s rendition of ‘With a Little Help from My Friends’ Alex: We are delighted to welcome Tisa Sherry who is a health economist and general internist and is deputy assistant secretary in the Office of Behavioral Health and Aging Policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation who’s a frequent guest on this podcast and will be a guest host today And Ashwin is a geriatrician palliative care researcher at UCSF in the division of geriatrics Eric: I think that was the longest title that we’ve had on this show It is the classic “With a Little Help from My Friends” by the Beatles Tisa: So I chose it because I think the spirit of teamwork and collaboration that it describes really captures both what I love so much about my role at ASPE and Eric to get to your first question about all of those words being very So we say ASPE as short for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation So it captures one of the things I love best about that work how we interface with all of our other colleagues across HHS and also how we do so with other federal partners and through our work implementing the National Alzheimer’s Project Act how we also do that with a much broader set of stakeholders outside the federal government And I think it’s really important because for the policy issues that we’re going to talk about related to older adults we really need a team approach and an all hands on deck coordinated collaborative strategy to move policy forward I’m going to do a little more Joe Cocker style just for fun “What would you do if I sang out of tune?” I sing out of tune all the time on this podcast You’re a deputy assistant secretary Office of Behavioral Health ASPE is a policy research and advising office that sits within the Office of the Secretary at HHS the Department of Health and Human Services And so in some ways you can think of us as the secretary’s in-house policy research and advising group So our roles are to conduct policy research and consult with the secretary on policy development since HHS is such an enormous federal department to coordinate policy making across all of the various agencies within HHS to make sure that we are aligned speaking with one voice and doing so being more effective at moving the agenda forward most of our listeners are practitioners and geriatrics in palliative care lots of different types of healthcare providers Tisa: Well I was very fortunate to get invited to join so I’m a political appointee at ASPE but part of the reason that I took the offer was that one I thought it was a tremendous opportunity to pull in both the insights that I learned from taking care of patients but also from doing health policy research to try to inform the conversation around key policy issues at what was a really exciting time for policy development There was a renewed focus on the unique needs of older adults in particular in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and so I thought that this was a really important time in particular and an exciting opportunity to get involved in contributing but also learning a lot from really tremendous colleagues on this topic And my interest in background in it more broadly has to do with both my experience as a primary care provider taking care of older adults but also just observing the experiences of people in my own family So I have two grandmothers who are in their nineties living on their own with close family nearby They’ve had some health issues here and there and it didn’t take much when I was in medical school and in residency to see that is just not the case for everybody else and how fortunate they are and how they’ve been able to have that with the support of a lot of family all older adults ought to have access to that if that’s the sort of setting that they want to live in as they get older but we don’t really have a very robust system in place to assure that it’s so interesting to hear about your personal experiences and how that has informed the work that you do And I know that you’re also trying to coordinate with all of these different agencies that are in place within HHS and other parts of the government and I’m wondering if you could take us through the day to day how that works We saw some mention of the inner-agency coordination that you do but how do you balance all these different competing concerns and voices really love about this job is because on a day to day basis it is so varied and there’s so many different ways that we get to engage on policy matters So it’s hard to say what a typical day looks like but the range of things that we can cover are meeting with team members to get updates on the research they’re doing ASPE is divided into several different policy offices but my office focuses on behavioral health and then we’re also the point office for policy issues affecting people who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid And with some of our sister offices in ASPE we also coordinate housing related activities across HHS and also the needs of justice involved returning community members Challenging for sure from a policy standpoint but also areas where I think we have so many opportunities so we have active research in all those areas so my work can involve meeting with our subject matter experts to hear about what research ideas they have and want to get up and running what we’re learning from ongoing projects we have in that space thinking about what are the gaps and how we can push the evidence space further to get information that can really help inform decision making and then also how we can really translate and disseminate the information we’re leading so far both amongst our federal partners but externally Eric: Can I ask is it possible to give an example of a project that you’re really excited about something that that’s been done or currently in the works that can help clarify exactly what that is that you’re doing so we actually just last week posted a recent set of research projects that I think can encapsulate some of that So this was a series of different short reports about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on nursing home staffing challenges And what was interesting about these reports is that we took a mixed methods approach which involved looking both at quantitative data look at impacts on staffing in nursing home facilities but also having conversations with key informants about what sorts of challenges came up to help put the data that we were seeing into context some of the key things that we found were an increasing reliance on contract staff some differences in staffing challenges across different types of facilities so facilities with lower star quality ratings We’re relying more heavily on contract staff and we’re reporting having more trouble getting more staff during the pandemic that were serving a higher share of residents from minority racial and ethnic backgrounds were also reporting greater challenges with addressing the staffing needs that arose during COVID So that’s some research that we did that grew out of that we’ve been sharing it with our partners across HHS There’s a lot of work underway across the department to just try to figure out how we can better support nursing homes to provide high quality care for residents One key policy idea that has been proposed and that our colleagues at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services are working hard on is figuring out what minimum staffing requirements we might want to be putting in place for nursing homes So that’s evidence that we can then bring to the conversation and the table as we’re working with our federal partners to see how we can build the strongest We did this podcast early in the pandemic with Jim Wright and his nursing home’s just ravaged by COVID and so many of his contract nurses and staff weren’t allowed to come in They didn’t want exposed to COVID and then go to other places So he ended up with his wife who’s a palliative care physician And then we interviewed him again a couple months ago “It’s been like two or three years And I’m just going to quote from his interview what happened in the pandemic coming out of it was I felt very energized by all the shortcomings that were exposed the shortcomings of how we deliver long term care in this country were exposed so the entire country was focused on how poorly we deliver care for our elders And my conviction was that real change would come from this finally push through the changes that needed to happen to prevent another pandemic we know that did not happen.” And he was just expressing his disappointment that we had this moment So I just wonder your thoughts and observations on that health policy change for long-term care is hard first I really want to validate the frustration that he’s expressing things move slowly in all areas of health policy which is not the way any of us would want it to be the COVID-19 pandemic shown a light on a system that had been neglected and had received insufficient investment for a very and so there is no quick fix to address that one of the other things that’s interesting about the work we do at ASPE is we do through the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development get to hear from a number of our counterparts in Western Europe about their experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they’re trying to approach their long term care systems more broadly And what’s interesting is that while they’re doing a bit of a better job than us overall a lot of the core challenges that we experience in the US they experience as well We have a lot of inherent challenges in our long-term care financing systems and everybody is struggling in a way to figure out what is the optimal way to set up a long term care system Everything has been so health system centric But that has to do a lot with how we pay for care in this country So I guess the answer is it takes a long time because it’s hard but also because I think we really want to get it right and we want to make sure that the changes that we make are informed by the best evidence So because any change we potentially has pretty significant ramifications and also can be hard to undo if we get it wrong An example of that I think comes back to this minimum staffing requirement policy proposals So that was put out there by the President in the State of the Union and it’s going to be a while before that gets established and the reason for that is that our colleagues over at CNS really want to get extensive public input and they want to conduct a study to make sure that whatever requirements we’re putting in place or reform are informed by the best evidence and we’ll try to keep moving things as quickly as we can I feel like do we really need more evidence before instituting a policy of minimum staffing requirements there have been other obvious examples of we should do this it hasn’t worked out to be as obvious as we thought And there are always unintended consequences to major policy shifts So I hear that tension in how challenging that is and that’s the space you’re sitting in Ought it to vary by different types of facilities Are there situations where we might need to make exceptions So it’s also that whole set of you decisions that flow from putting in place a policy in terms of how are we actually going to implement it and how do we take into account all of the diverse views of different stakeholders in this area to make sure that we also have the buy-in and support necessary to move this forward but the hope is that if we’re going to take that time that we get it right I’m struck by all the different perspectives you all have to incorporate One of the challenges in geriatrics and palliative care is often we feel like our voices aren’t being heard in many of the policies and decisions that are being made And these clinical stories over the last few years have just been so powerful and people have ideas on how to make change You mentioned trying to get input from stakeholders or these key informants and are there opportunities for clinicians to get involved and have a voice in these policy discussions And we so value the input that we get from practicing clinicians from stakeholders of all types and backgrounds So one is that in a lot of our research we actively seek out those perspectives also increasingly we try to seek out the perspectives of people with lived experience and so what are we hearing from patients who have been affected by all of the additional challenges in long term care during a COVID-19 pandemic So there’s an emphasis on our research in having it informed by a wide array of voices But then there are a number of other activities we undertake where we really try to bring in other perspectives And so one I’ll highlight is from our work implementing the National Alzheimer’s Project Act so that’s another one of the really cool things that my office gets to do So National Alzheimer’s Project Act was signed into law in 2011 It requires a secretary of HHS to maintain a national plan to address Alzheimer’s disease that we update every year and then also establish an advisory council on Alzheimer’s research care and services which is comprised of both federal and non-federal members And so that advisory council for over a decade has been meeting every three months and we have not only senior folks from each of our HHS agencies but also several other federal departments that are involved at the table But we also have a rotating group of non-federal members who include clinicians they include other folks who may be working in and/or managing long term care services and supports in communities They also include caregivers and people with lived experience so we have people with dementia who serve on the advisory council so they’re livestreamed to the public People have the opportunity to call in and make public comment and then we release the transcripts afterwards But that’s one example of a forum in which we bring together voices from really all diverse backgrounds who have a stake in Alzheimer’s disease related care And it provides a forum for us all to hear from each other and get on the same page and hopefully make better policy as a result of it And then one of the other key ways in which people can make their voices heard which I really encourage all my clinician and researcher colleagues to do because I think we don’t do it enough maybe because we’re not aware that the opportunity exists but every so often agencies will put out a request for information where we are literally formally soliciting feedback on a potential program or idea That’s one thing that’s happened in the context of the minimum staffing requirement So there’s an opportunity for people to submit public comments We’d love to hear from clinicians and from researchers as part of that and that’s actually a really nice way to make your voice known through the process so that we have to listen and we have to incorporate that and take it into account I was wondering what actually happens with the comments and how much does it influence decisions when it comes from a single provider versus a large organization or somebody with a lot more power Tisa: So I think what we look for are whether there are key themes that are cropping up across the board that’s a signal of maybe how their membership thinks and so we’re hearing that this is a thought or a concern that is pretty consistent across a number of people But if we’re hearing the same key themes being articulated across a number of individual comments as well that’s a signal we definitely pay attention to Eric: I’ve also noticed there are a lot more form letters that organizations how important is it just to come from your own words versus use an organization or patient groups form letter Tisa: That’s a really great question I’m not sure I know the answer to that of course you could just maybe tweet at HHS and ASPE but what we always do tell people is that anything we receive outside of the process it’s something that people may definitely hear and pay attention to but it’s not something that we have to formally take into account in the same way and then any other way you want to yell at us Alex: So many of our listeners are also researchers and they’re wondering if there is a way they can direct their research So Ashwin does research on loneliness and social isolation and how could he direct his research to have an impact on policy What kind of research is most likely to have an impact on policy So one thing I often wondered before I took this job and was doing research was everybody really care about this I am a believer more than ever in the value and importance of research and informing policy making our leadership are looking for it and relying on it and learning from it all the time So a lot of the research that I typically see published in peer reviewed journals so where there is an emphasis on maybe a evaluation of a particular policy change Did this program work or did it not?” That’s generally the thing that I see published a lot especially if it’s done with pretty rigorous methods The kind of thing I don’t see done as often in peer reviewed journals and asking we try to plug this gap a little bit but I’d love to see more colleagues outside of federal government doing this So digging a little bit more beneath the surface Sometimes I think doing that requires getting a little bit more into mixed methods so what can we understand from what we saw in the quantitative data by actually talking to people who were engaged in this policy But also trying to understand some of the other factors that influence success or failure because those are the things that we’re going to have to take into account when we figure out how to take an effective intervention and implement it and scale it up in So many of the studies that we see carried out in very tightly controlled settings we know that when we try to bake that into an insurance program or a grant program or something else we’re not going to necessarily have the same levers to ensure that the intervention was done the way we want So we’re always trying to figure out what’s the best we can do given some of the policy constraints that we have in place and we’re figuring out what some of those other factors are that affected success and also the practicalities of how did you actually get this done would be really helpful to know and to understand I think some of the things that can help in guiding to pose those questions are ultimately if I have a successful intervention who’s actually going to be doing it and who’s going to be paying for it and what do I know about some of the constraints on their end and what information do I think they’re going to find helpful to be able to do this well I’ve heard that Health Affairs has an outsized impact on health policy decisions relative to its impact factor Is it sitting in people’s offices along with the big major clinical journals or not Tisa: I think Health Affairs is very impactful and we don’t only get our evidence from the peer reviewed literature as well So there are lots of foundations and other research organizations that put out really excellent reports some of which get to this gap in the evidence that I think the peer reviewed literature doesn’t always fill that I was talking about in terms of how you actually implement something and get it to work in different contexts Health Affairs is very important and impactful but there are definitely a range of resources that we look to and I mean you mentioned that health policy can move slowly for older adults There’s been a lot that’s been happening in these last two years that requires more fast action I was curious how you’ve struck the balance between thoughtful evidence-based approaches and being nimble enough to respond to challenges as they come up as the pandemic has unfolded there are some things that just creep up on you And we think about this a little bit actually in my office when we do our research planning We think about what are the long term questions that we really need to invest in because we’re not sure that otherwise a big issue is going to come up and set everyone’s hair on fire and that we’re going to have to address it And one of those has been how do we strengthen and inform how we re-envision the long term care system that was unfortunately not something that was on everybody’s radar but then there are always other things that come up a little bit more urgently and emergently and for those we have to be prepared to act very nimbly and very quickly pull together the best evidence we have to help brief leadership and inform a decision on it And that’s one of the really cool things about ASPE and it’s one of the many incredible superpowers of the staff who I get to work with that they are incredibly adept that both doing that sort of very deep thinking about where do we need to re-envision this Somebody in leadership needs a briefing on this in two hours because there’s a time sensitive issue that we have to deal with both based out of my brain and everything I can find very quickly how do I get them the best evidence to make a really good decision So they manage to do both of those things incredibly well And you’ve touched on two of the major issues that I’m sure all of our listeners would agree need policy attention which is long term care and supports for older adults and Alzheimer’s disease And I just wonder what your thoughts are on where we need to go in those areas what questions we need to have answered that you’re talking about with your ASPE colleagues and thinking about addressing that they want to age in place as much as possible And I know there’s been a shift in policy to shift funding from supporting institutional long term care towards long term care provided in people’s homes Thoughts about the direction of that or anything else in the realm of unanswered questions directions that you’d like to see policy move toward in the area of long term care and care people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias So one thing I’ll say in the long term services and support space is that we’ve made a lot of progress over time in moving more people into home and community based settings for care But once the real challenges in trying to move that forward has to do with data gaps So we have more levers in some ways to influence nursing home quality than we do care in home based settings and so HHS’s levers are quite limited there And a related issue is that we also don’t get as much data capture in terms of what’s going on and so it’s hard to understand where are the pain points and where can we really intervene And so one thing that I think would be tremendously helpful for driving forward a policy agenda would be strengthening data collection on home and community based services and with a particular focus also on workforce workforce is really the key issue that keeps me up at night and makes me worry in terms of how do we ensure that we have a robust and a more robust long term care system going forward we know more about the workforce in nursing homes and institutional settings and we know so much less about people who are providing services and supports in home and community based settings we’ve got to know more in order for us to figure out what the most promising policy lovers and approaches are I’d say that’s one key thing that we think a lot about And so we recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of our national plan to address Alzheimer’s disease and we took that opportunity to step back and say “What are going to be our real areas of focus moving forward in the next 10 years?” And there were a couple of things that we decided we thought were really important So one is a real focus on equity and addressing disparities at every stage of the dementia care trajectory And so I think there’s been a tremendous amount of work that has been done to help us better understand the unfortunately pervasive disparities and access to care and long term services and supports resulting in poor outcomes for people from racial and ethnic minoritized backgrounds when it comes to Alzheimer’s disease but what are the effective policy solutions to really help us address this I think that’s one area that we’re particularly interested in And then another is that one of the things that has also been cool about this new role is that we hear so much about really innovative work that’s being done at the state and local level to try to address this and to try to pull together the right array of supports to address people’s needs and so one thing we’re also trying to figure out is how do we add more value to the great work that’s already happening on the ground How do we help scale up and support really effective models so that we can take the great work that people are already doing and just amplify it rather than getting in the way and maybe this also gets back to your point about what the role of the voice of clinicians is I’d love to hear more about the things that have been tried in different settings and that have worked and that people think have promise and then we’ll get the word out and we’ll try to figure out how we can help support and scale those models up Eric: And let’s say we have something that somebody’s doing at least in the Alzheimer’s care space there is the National Alzheimer’s Project Act Advisory Council meeting So you can reach out to members on the advisory council let them know about exciting work that you’re doing And then every three months we’re pulling together that meeting agenda and we love to highlight and lift up really innovative models that people are using the department as a whole is always actively reaching out to stakeholders to try to hear and capture more information about what challenges they’re encountering in doing their work and what are some ideas for innovative solutions and so our Office of External and Intergovernmental Affairs usually takes the lead in pulling together those convenings so they’re also a great place to start with We have HHS regional offices that are also useful point of contact for getting in touch and letting people know what they’re doing So folks can always reach out to me in this space I’d love to hear about what you’re working on and figure out how we can help expand that to benefit more older adults Shouldn’t the US have a Minister of Loneliness Tisa: I think you’ve just made the argument right there Eric: Shouldn’t it be Minister of Anti-Loneliness I guess in this context he would be the Secretary of Anti-Loneliness Ashwin is obviously the perfect person for that role Alex: My other question is whether loneliness and social isolation are on the radar screen of HHS or ASPE and thanks in no small part to Ashwin’s incredible and impactful work in this space It’s also a topic that the Surgeon General has spoken on a lot And so there are others in HHS leadership certainly who care very much about the issue and who have found the research evidence very compelling I think what we’d love to figure out and hopefully Ashwin is the guy to get us there is how do we take the next step based on the great evidence that we’ve received What are the interventions that are effective in addressing this and what are some of the opportunities that we might have for supporting those with the federal levers that we have in place for those interventions that are effective I think that’s definitely an area that we’re interested in thinking about more because it’s a running thing on this podcast next time you see Surgeon General Vivek Murthy please ask him to come on the GeriPal podcast We’ve tried to get him on for a while please tell them we’d love to get him on the GeriPal podcast Eric: I also realize I should have asked this question before but for me and probably some of our audience but how should our audience envision what HHS is and what does it do HHS is the lead federal agency on healthcare policy and health systems related issues And we are comprised of a number of different agencies that carry out various and really widely ranging functions So the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is probably the agency that is most familiar to people and handle all regulatory and payment matters related to those programs There’s the Centers for Disease Control puts in place federal public health guidance But there are a range of other agencies as well Health Resources and Services Administration makes grants and investments to support workforce development also oversees our federally qualified health centers and also HRSA health centers There’s the Administration on Community Living which is particularly relevant to listeners for this podcast administers a range of grants and other programs to help support community living There’s also a huge side of HHS that is human services so the Administration on Children and Families and a number of other human services related programs it’s huge and it’s really varied Eric: And potentially a lot of levers to influence both direct and indirect care If you can use that magic wand to change one thing “Fix long term care,” is probably not specific enough So a while back I participated in a panel with Bruce Vladeck who was a former administrator of CMS at that time summed up a vision for where we might try to go with the long term care system And his argument was that we’re relying really too much on hospitals and healthcare systems to manage something where the majority of care is happening in homes we don’t have a rational payment system for trying to support that since so much payment is tied to healthcare settings And so he articulated this vision of having it be more regional collaboratives where a healthcare system is one component but all of the other systems that touch the lives of older adults transportation also are more empowered and have a more robust key role and we can effectively coordinate resources So I think if we could set that up and test that out I would love to see if that could help move us in a better direction for long term care We tried to do this in other areas of healthcare and there’s been accountable health communities We are trying to do this more around pediatric care but I think there may be reason to think that in long term care there could be more promise because so much of care delivery is happening in people’s homes and it’s family members who are providing it And the current regulatory and payment levers that we have just don’t really get at that in a meaningful way That’s a great summary of that direction And one of their key policy recommendations was that Medicare should pay for custodial care And I don’t know if that’s something that’s being considered wouldn’t it be great if we had a system healthcare system that paid as much attention to the daily needs of older adults which are much more around getting help dressing than they are about putting in this new device or that new device Tisa: So through consumer self-directed services in Medicaid we do have a lever to support that to some extent And people who want their family members to be able to provide that care can get some financial support from their state Medicaid program with federal matching to support that But it’s not being done uniformly across all the 50 states and the scale is very limited relative to the tremendous need Ashwin: I had one quick question related to that The VA does a lot of policies related to that thinking about caregiver services and trying to elevate the role of the caregiver Is there communication between your group and the VA in thinking about policies and lessons learned from these different health systems So the VA is one of our federal partners in the advisory council for Alzheimer’s research care and services they’re a wonderful partner who we love to learn from in all areas of healthcare delivery So some concrete examples of how we’re taking VA lessons and translating them to HHS the Indian Health Service launched to help geriatric scholars pilot program which provides this intensive individualized training to healthcare providers who are looking to develop greater competencies in geriatrics this gets back to “A Little Help from My Friends” We are trying to learn from innovative work happening state and figure out how we can translate it and implement it to the populations that HHS serves and thanks for your work you’re doing and we want to thank all of our listeners for supporting the GeriPal podcast please also go on your favorite podcasting app and rate us Gabapentin is the 10th most prescribed drug in the United… You know when you walk out of a patient’s room… Think about the last time a patient yelled at you… We invite the brightest minds in geriatrics, hospice, and palliative care to talk about the topics that you care most about, ranging from recently published research in the field to controversies that keep us up at night. You’ll laugh, learn and maybe sing along. Hosted by Eric Widera and Alex Smith. Learn more The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation today issued their report to Congress in which they presented a draft unified payment model for the four post-acute care settings: long-term care hospitals skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies The report includes discussion on how Medicare could pay for care provided in these four settings under a single payment system; the Medicare program currently pays for these services through four distinct payment systems “Today’s draft unified payment model for post-acute care (PAC) under Medicare contains numerous fundamental flaws which render it unworkable for both patients and providers,” AHA Executive Vice President Stacy Hughes said in a statement today the draft model lacks a comprehensive and reliable risk adjustment approach which endangers access to care — particularly for the most critically ill patients It also fails to reflect both the significant reforms that CMS itself has made to the existing PAC payment systems as well as the fundamental and long-lasting delivery system changes created by the COVID-19 pandemic the draft design is largely based on out-of-date patient utilization patterns and patient care protocols the draft model identifies patients' clinical characteristics using inconsistent definitions and guidelines October 3, 2023 — Physician and health economist Benjamin Sommers spent two years on leave from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health to serve in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). During a September 27 seminar for the Department of Health Policy and Management he reflected on research he conducted while in this role and the rewards and challenges of public service Sommers is the Huntley Quelch Professor of Health Care Economics at Harvard Chan School and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School he was appointed by President Biden as the deputy assistant secretary for health policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and served in that role until early 2023 he was also appointed to lead ASPE as the senior official performing the duties of the assistant secretary ASPE is the think tank generating evidence for the secretary of HHS It includes four policy offices covering a wide range of topics including Medicare “Our job was to help clarify what we know about the potential implications of policy choices,” Sommers said the goal is to help support the decisions the secretary makes to implement the President’s agenda.” Sommers said that he was grateful to have been appointed at the start of the Biden administration when Democrats had control of Congress and there was more opportunity to play a role in setting ASPE’s priorities ASPE provided technical support for a flurry of health-related legislation When Republicans won control of the House of Representatives following the midterm elections the focus in Sommers’ office turned to areas that didn’t require Congressional approval Supporting implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout was a big part of Sommers’ early months on the job. As an academic, he was surprised at how quickly he was able to get data to support his office’s work on vaccine hesitancy “We essentially went from a brainstorming session to a very specific question on the census getting approved by the White House and then actually out in the field having data back from tens of thousands of people who answered it,” he said This research helped guide government outreach efforts by identifying areas with larger numbers of people in the so-called “movable middle” who might be persuaded to get the vaccine Another research report led by Sommers shaped outreach efforts to health care providers around prescribing the COVID treatment Paxlovid Sommers’ other priorities were health equity and coverage expansion ASPE’s work in these areas included a series of reports about coverage for marginalized populations A highlight of Sommer’s time in government was the day in April 2022 when former President Obama returned to the White House for an event marking the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and moves by the administration to make coverage under the ACA more affordable for families Sommers was proud that the nation’s uninsured rate hit an all-time low that year Making the day even better for Sommers: A White House staffer at the event said to him “I just want you to know that I have like 45 ASPE reports bookmarked on my computer.” –Amy Roeder we offer highly targeted executive and continuing education Stay connected with newsletters on climate communication — and the latest from Harvard Chan School A team of mechanical engineering graduate students from UNC Charlotte’s precision engineering program won the student challenge competition at the American Society for Precision Engineering’s (ASPE) 33rd annual conference in Las Vegas A team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology finished second UNC Charlotte team members were Alexander Blum assistant professor of mechanical engineering and engineering science in the Lee College of Engineering The ASPE Student Challenge is a multidisciplinary precision engineering project that draws students from mechatronics and participants attend the ASPE conference for free The UNC Charlotte team won $4,000 for its first-place victory teams had to take on an optical measurement test designing and building a confocal-based measuring instrument to determine the thickness of glass plate specimens ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 mm thick (25-by-25 mm square) Individual teams and their instruments were judged in the areas of analysis Inside UNC Charlotte is produced and maintained by the Office of University Communications. Faculty and staff members can submit news or story/video ideas for consideration via the online form or email insideuncc@charlotte.edu like many historic towns in the Alicante province Petroglyphs found in two caves date back approximately 40,000 years to prehistoric times During the Bronze Age (3000 to 800 BC), the area around Aspe saw increased activity with significant archaeological discoveries at Tabaya and Muron de la Horna The Iberians later established a community three kilometres from the current town The Romans subsequently moved the community to its present location including an advanced irrigation system that boosted agriculture The Aljou and Fauqui ditches are enduring reminders of these innovations the expulsion of the Moors led to a severe economic downturn leaving Aspe nearly deserted and its agricultural activities paralysed The town began to recover when city officials offered free land to attract new settlers This revitalisation led to a diverse local economy but new industries such as shoe manufacturing the construction and tourism sectors further bolstered Aspe’s economic health The Mercado de Asbastos has become one of the most significant food markets in the region Cover Photo courtesy of Chichi Tullao Garcia Photo courtesy of Chichi Tullao Garcia A good food story or cookbook has written content that should engage the reader it is the striking images of food that are meant to grab the reader’s attention captivating the beholder to pique their interest enough and hopefully get the message across Food stylists are given the task of working with the photographer in producing food photos that are appetising something we have gathered from three ladies who made prolific careers out of making food look good It helps to be already in a food-adjacent industry I got assigned to work on a lot of food articles for different magazines which involved developing recipes and shooting the food required for the articles,” she says “I stayed as part of the team for a little over a year I was working on most of the recipe pages and the monthly cover stories which involved a lot of recipe development and food styling who actually urged me to look into doing food styling full time as a career.” More from Tatler: How to be a food writer Above Photo courtesy of Sharlene Aspe Above Photo courtesy of Sharlene Aspe Photo courtesy of Sharlene Aspe Chichi Tullao Garcia who counts the Philippines’ top restaurants among her many clients professes how her deep love for food has not only gotten her through some dark times my mum’s passion for baking and cooking together with her collection of cookbooks exposed me to the culinary arts I would marvel at the beautiful photographs and dream of one day producing a book with my favourite recipes I began a food blog after a life-threatening episode to decompress My audience liked my photos well enough for them to ask me to do basic food photography and styling for their businesses As I was focused on my career in banking and finance I could only take these projects on during weekends I needed to seriously evaluate whether a career change was necessary.” After a trip to New York she came to the realisation that she really enjoyed it which prompted her to resign from her job at the bank See also: Chef and restaurateur Jen Gerodias has turned Casa Luisa into a full-service restaurant Above Photo courtesy of Chichi Tullao Garcia Photo courtesy of Chichi Tullao Garcia Above Photo courtesy of Chichi Tullao Garcia Photo courtesy of Chichi Tullao Garcia it was an empty nest that catapulted her to begin a career at age forty “I was happily a housewife bringing up our children So I started managing Ocs’s bookings and his business in general When our children were in college and driving themselves to their classes and training and tournaments (they are all athletes) So Ocs asked me if I wanted to be a stylist I knew how a shoot flows and the protocols Read more: The best food photographers in the Philippines Above Photo courtesy of Bel Alvarez Photo courtesy of Bel Alvarez Success at food styling is not ensured just because one is passionate about food very specific requirements and a highly explicit skillset that help one excel at a job “Being super OC (obsessive-compulsive) about things really comes in handy in this job Unless it’s intentional to make it look messy an uneven drip of ketchup on the edge of a burger bun or a piece of vegetable leaf sticking out of the plate will not go unnoticed,” she expounds Garcia says that being able to think quickly on your feet is also an asset: “The ability to problem-solve is an essential quality I believe I have as no assignment will ever be straightforward.” And “Food styling is like solving a puzzle,” explains Alvarez “You find ways to put together parts and turn them into a beautiful output and this is true for all kinds of stylists that it is important to know the basics of aesthetics.” See also: Fried chicken bucket list: Karaage, gai tod, yangneom, and more Above Photo courtesy of Chichi Tullao Garcia Above Photo courtesy of Chichi Tullao Garcia Photo courtesy of Chichi Tullao Garcia Perhaps because aesthetics are always changing and evolving with the times so post-production used to be “more complicated” according to Alvarez However “you [still] make sure your food looks good in the photos even without post-prod,” she says Both Aspe and Garcia agree that the trend is more geared towards “authenticity and realism.” Aspe recalls: “I remember how looking for that perfect shaped bun was crucial to burger shoots so I had to order my buns from a bakery have them picked up by car by my driver with my own plastic trays and containers Meat and vegetable cuts needed to be perfect and equal and sauces with an oily film were not preferred Ice had to be fake so that they kept their perfect square shape but others have become more forgiving and have accepted creases and melts and unevenness to be part of the natural look Clients like to make content more relatable to consumers by not making things look too polished.” Read more: Learn all about the iconic Chinese food favourite, East Ocean Palace To those who want to get into food styling these seasoned experts stress the value of constant education and self-improvement “Invest in yourself,” prods Garcia “Take short courses to expose yourself to the theoretical aspect of styling open your eyes to the realities of this industry Travel—immerse yourself in different cultures and global trends and visit new places to open your eyes to the new and unique eat to be inspired.” Aspe firmly believes that experience is still the best teacher “Start by styling and taking photos of your own food to see how food behaves What I like about food styling is it’s not a one-way street Each food stylist can achieve the same result using their own technique The only way to discover your own technique is to try it out.” And if there is anything that Alvarez learned in her 20 years in the business it’s that you just have to dive right in She says: “If you like everything in and around a shoot and preparing food Bars with the best food menus in Metro Manila 10 beautiful Michelin-starred restaurants by acclaimed designers worldwide What makes you a chef? Aspe has inaugurated a new parking facility in the town centre aiming to enhance accessibility and convenience for both residents and visitors this new parking area spans over 1,000 square metres and provides 30 parking spaces This project aligns with Aspe’s ongoing efforts to improve access to the town centre and bolster local commerce The newly opened parking area is expected to offer a practical solution for those needing to park their vehicles in the city centre Aspe’s mayor, Antonio Puerto, expressed his satisfaction with the project, stating, “We are delighted to offer this new parking facility in the heart of our town.” “We understand how crucial it is for both residents and visitors to have a convenient and accessible place to park especially in such a central location as Calle Gregorio Rizo.” The mayor added: “We will continue to work towards improving the infrastructure and services in our city.” For “A Baroque Evening” at the Aspen Music Festival and School on Thursday night much of the program will focus on Bach — fitting given the theme of the performance at Harris Hall But conductor Nicholas McGegan and acclaimed pianist Awadagin Pratt also have a contemporary piece in store: Pratt will play both a keyboard concerto by Bach and a relatively new work “Rounds,” that he commissioned from composer Jessie Montgomery Reporter Kaya Williams spoke with McGegan and Pratt after a rehearsal for the program earlier this week You can listen to their audio postcards below and hear them live at the Harris Hall concert at 6 p.m has been coming to the Aspen Music Festival and School for more than two decades he reflects on the value of lived experience in creating music better to have loved and lost than not to have loved at all And we hope that we're setting off those resonances in the audience — that they will have their own thoughts and not just sit there and let it wash over them and it's never going to be absolutely cut and dry has performed in the White House and on Sesame Street and combined music with spoken word in a program called “Black in America.” he reflects on the piece by Montgomery — a young in-demand Black composer whose work includes elements of vernacular music This postcard includes an excerpt of the Montgomery piece that Pratt recorded for an upcoming album, titled “Stillpoint.” Pratt: Composers write music to express themselves It's a non narrative kind of piece, but it takes its inspiration from T.S. Eliot's “Four Quartets” [and] “Burnt Norton,” the first poem “At the still point of the turning world.” Essentially “there the dance is,” and “there is only the dance.” and then a kind of contemplative ruminative middle section you can actually walk out of the hall kind of feeling that tune The Department of Health and Human Services released a new report projecting that nearly 19 million seniors may save about $400 per year on prescription drug costs when the $2,000 out-of-pocket prescription drug spending cap from the Inflation Reduction Act goes into effect in 2025 The report analyzed the possible effects from the IRA which allows Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices as well as capping the cost of insulin at $35 per month We've added an exciting new feature to our website Click on "Clinical" in the navbar to explore a biologist holding a PhD in forest trees genetics has been training people for years to garden at Terre Vivante He considers that “the most important aspect of the job is to help people realise that it is possible to plant anything if they have a bit of knowledge they don’t give up on their interest in ecology and they can develop their projects.”  It all started with my passion for biology My biology studies are strongly related to nature and the environment they never taught me how to plant or grow my own vegetables studying biology and having a little space where I could cultivate vegetables went hand in hand.  I realised that gardening is doing biology what earthworms consume and how soil water is stored you understand how vegetables feed themselves and what happens when watering a plant’s leaves my mother-in-law subscribed me to the Terre Vivante magazine (in English “Living Earth”) and someday I found a job opportunity as a garden manager At Terre Vivante we test different techniques of gardening that can be reproduced afterwards on small surfaces such as courtyards and even balconies We also learn from developing gardens in particular places of the city where different challenges exist such as the lack of soil When I give training on gardening at Terre Vivante I try to complete people’s practice with scientific explanations and support them with new methods and techniques some of them are interested in learning how they can develop their gardens on small and tiny parcels while others have several hectares and dream of having orchards The most important for me is to help people understand that anything can be cultivated if they have the right knowledge I see Terre Vivante as a triptych of knowledge It started with the “Les 4 Saisons” magazine which still exists today and is published every two months This magazine mainly provides readers with practical tips on gardening and represents the first way of transmitting knowledge.  Terre Vivante also publishes books about gardening Terre Vivante has 50 hectares of land where people learn gardening on-site with us and the place are our three main channels of disseminating information Terre Vivante is composed of 32 people and they are here for the sake of practical ecology (which means providing people with solutions so that they can integrate ecology into their lives) Imagine that someday you decide to consume less water You would probably look for advice in order to find solutions Places that transmit knowledge on gardening and ecology definitely should exist everywhere Urban agriculture becomes more and more important and farmers open their doors to people who are keen to learn how to work with the soil and the animals I find it great that opportunities like Terre Vivante exist Canadian metalcore outfit Threat Signal have been writing new music for their eventual follow-up to 2017’s “Disconnect“ they recently re-released a reworked version of “Rational Eyes” with Rachel Aspe of Cage Fight Threat Signal vocalist Jon Howard notably re-recorded his vocals for this new version "These bands are way too popular to be in arrears." "Guess you'll have to go Steal This Album if you want to hear it now.." The former Mexico NT great criticized the current squad after witnessing his country’s three WC qualifiers this past week With the completion of the second to last 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers this past week Mexico find themselves all but having clinched a spot in Qatar They’re currently tied for 2nd overall with USA which represents the inter-confederation playoff series And with Panama facing both USA and Canada in the final stretch they look pretty unlikely to catch Martino and company that wasn’t enough to keep former Mexico NT midfielder Alberto García Aspe silenced he addressed a couple topics that we’ll dive right into the Héctor Herrera and Andrés Guardado topic; “What’s worrying about Herrera is that he’s not playing in Europe; even if you do play for Atlético de Madrid he gets beaten and even looks bad,” García Aspe went on to say Herrera was mostly static throughout the three matches in which he performed over the week apart from the fact he didn’t give the team any depth with his touches like he did at one point in his career but unwilling to sprint to catch an opponent not to mention his erratic and non-impactful all-around performance he should be stripped of the starter role and come off the bench with fresh legs in the second half García Aspe had this to say: “He should be in the NT because I’m not sure he can go the full 90 minutes in the World Cup Both he and the coaching staff know that.” Guardado has the technical capacity to still be on the NT He’s lost most of his speed which gave him a huge edge on the left flank for most of his career he’ll lose most of the one-on-one battles he’ll face due to speed because you can’t afford to lose the battles in the middle of the pitch in front of your CBs What he could do is come in for the final 10-15 minutes to close out a game by helping with ball possession or even defending to a certain degree García Aspe touched upon the Johan Vásquez situation: “I don’t understand Johan Vásquez’s (situation) He’s a regular in Italy and can’t play a single minute with the NT It’s incredible to me because it’s not like we have two irremovable CBs since Martino’s rotated the position during the entire qualifiers.” I see nothing wrong with his take here as well You haven’t found an answer between Moreno So why not try out the 23 year-old who’s become a regular with Serie A’s Genoa Why make him travel all the way from Italy to not even touch the pitch Many subjects still need answers as we’re now just under ten months from the start of the 2022 World Cup And with only three official matches remaining at the end of March they’re not likely to be resolved before then Is Martino still the right man for the job Can he make the adjustments necessary to provide the spark this squad oh so desperately needs Cprime Learning Combines the Experience of ASPE and Cprime to provide Agile and Professional Development curriculums for the enterprise 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ASPE (American Society of Professional Education) is thrilled to announce that it is renaming and rebranding to Cprime Learning combining forces with Cprime's existing training and certification division.  Cprime, a global consulting firm, acquired ASPE in September of 2019 effectively combining ASPE's diverse portfolio of training capabilities with Cprime's transformative process and technology solutions.  ASPE will offer the same quality training courses large enterprises rely on for continued employee growth but now with greater capabilities and an even larger pool of trusted and experienced subject matter experts Organizations can construct their own tailored training curriculum to meet their objectives and prepare for challenges and opportunities in the marketplace "ASPE is recognized for their unique training methodology and the effective results they've demonstrated in the area of IT and professional development," said Cprime CEO "Training is a cornerstone of Cprime's operating model..." are coming in June–July 2020. Changes will be implemented across the website such as a new logo and adopting the Cprime brand look and feel The ASPE website (aspetraining.com) will also be redirected to cprime.com.  Media Contact:Amanda AldermanPhone: 919-816-1717 Email: [email protected] aspe-a-cprime-company-to-become.png ASPE a Cprime Company to Become Cprime Learning ASPE, a Cprime Company Curriculum ASPE, a Cprime Company Case Studies http://aspetraining.com Do not sell or share my personal information: [Editor's Note: this Q&A is an edited transcript of one of HPAC Engineering's "On the Air" podcasts. To listen to the original podcast, visit the HPAC Members Only page at www.hpac.com/members.] Our guest this month is Jim Zebrowski, PE, CPD, FASPE, new president of the American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE), and a plumbing /fire protection engineer with DLR Group in Atlanta Zebrowski has been an active member of ASPE for 36 years now and was elected to the top spot for a two-year term this September in Indianapolis He spoke with us about the goals of his presidency and his views on the role of character in all that we do just weeks after being elected president at the ASPE Convention in Indianapolis in September Before we get into any plans for your presidency please give us a brief history of your experience in this industry and how you came to your current position at DLR.. I thought that was the greatest thing in the world So that's how it all started and I did drafting for electrical "Do you want to be our plumbing designer?" I said So you had to go to the bookshelf and grab the code books and read through those That's how I started learning the profession We did a lot of engineering for schools back then And I think we literally did the design for every middle school and high school in the State of West Virginia I was still going to night school at Ohio State at the time but since these schools were fairly remote we had to do independent systems and all the site work So it was a pretty good learning experience and I worked there for about four years before I was offered another job with a slightly larger mechanical engineering firm I did both HVAC and plumbing design and got more experience before an A/E company in Albany NY called and offered me a job I moved there and that's when I first started attending ASPE meetings How did you end up on the leadership path at ASPE we had to go to meetings in Central NY because there was no chapter in Albany area I got involved there and we decided to form a satellite chapter for the Capital Region in NY So that's when the leadership roles started HPAC: So you have certainly seen the industry grow and evolve since then is truly an extraordinary moment for the U.S emerging from a global pandemic while also committing to improved water and air infrastructure to improve public health How do you see ASPE contributing to this broader effort over the next two years of your presidency we have all faced that crisis and seen how it's affected health we've got a lot of failed infrastructure in various places So we need to be the ones who offer those solutions we had a number of initiatives in place already And we've been working with several other groups and associations on these matters I often feel like that issue has fallen off the radar a bit Would you say that work is as important and as relevant as ever HPAC: Will new federal infrastructure funding help to propel some of these efforts JZ:  ASPE is not directly involved with that But all of these failing systems need a complete overhaul So we will be monitoring this because that's where all of that spending is going to start what is ASPE doing to help member firms to recruit next generation engineers Has focus on that next-gen issue increased over the last two years and that's one of the things I want to focus on probably the most in my term We just need to make sure that our information gets out we have an ASPE Resource Center on our homepage It's got things on there like templates for recuitment letters that chapters can send to prospective members There separate letters that we can send to employers in different cities to make them aware of ASPE and to make sure their designers are in touch with our members They will want to make sure that their designers are on the cutting edge of what's new So we will help them to learn what they need to know and what they need to get done We also have outreach programs at colleges and even in grades eight through 12 It's important to get young people thinking that the plumbing industry is vital to the health of going to those schools to get the word out HPAC: How would you say today's engineering graduates are different from you and your classmates when you entered the field way back when What I would like to see more of is—and I hate to distinguish people by age groups—but many younger designers now tend to value their time such that they just leave work at the end of the day And I agree that it is important to separate your work life and your home life But it's also important that if they want to advance and contribute more they may want to attend an ASPE or ASHRAE meeting to learn more I've come to realize over the years that education is really what's going to help you to move on It helps you in your job and helps you in your career So you should really take advantage of the opportunities out there mask restrictions have been dropped and so many have been vaccinated and boosted It seems like there is a hunger among many in the industry to get back out there there seemed to be a real energy at the ASPE Convention in Indianapolis in September Do you think that enthusiasm will continue to grow I think our recent convention and even our symposium last year in San Diego have shown that our people are feeling like they are done with the pandemic time and are ready to get back out and see things.. We do our convention and expo every two years We've got our next one of those coming up in Bellevue That's more focused on the educational seminars but does include a smaller products show for the local vendors there and that's something that all engineering groups and societies like ASPE and ASHRAE need to address We've got to get young designers up to speed and interested I read in an earlier interview that you had done with ASPE a few years ago that you counted being a student of military history among your hobbies and you noted separately that the great World War II film Casablanca was your favorite movie It occurred to me that issues of character and even sacrifice are common to both those areas of interest How would you say those traits have influenced your career and how might they help to guide young engineers joining the profession today I really think character is all you have to go by And that's something you've got to live up to every day They do a good job with the trainers they get to motivate you and one of the things they say has really stuck with me When you're near the end of your workout and you really want to quit I think that parallels how I feel about work and that really has helped me in my approach that seems like a great place to end here Maybe we can check back in with you in a year for a halftime report on your two-year term To read the latest installment of Zebrowski's "From the President's Keyboard" blog, visit www.aspe.org/pipeline/november-2022-from-the-presidents-keyboard-does-your-chapter-have-an-ambassador-program/ Bison who are changing the world to make it a better place right now and for future generations founding director of the Howard University Simulation & Clinical Skills Center, has received the 2020 Outstanding Educator of the Year award from the Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE) Health care simulation is a learning tool that recreates a particular health care environment to allow people to experience a realistic health care event ASPE is the leading organization in health care simulation for academic-based educators Each year the organization recognizes two members for outstanding achievement and leadership “I am elated that my peers within ASPE have bestowed upon me the highest honor in our field,” Owens said “I am very honored and blessed to receive this award especially as the simulation health care profession is broadening its scope to meet new demands.” The ASPE Outstanding Educator award honors educators who have gained distinction from peers in the field and improved the recognition of the importance of patient simulation and technology at their respective universities Owens is a former president of ASPE and has contributed to the field as an author and researcher Owens said the purpose of health care simulation is to teach new skills refresh old ones and improve the delivery of safe and effective patient care New technologies are improving patient safety and care every day She said educators in the field have a particular opportunity in the virtual environment to offer tele-simulations as a way to continue critical clinical education The Howard University Simulation & Clinical Skills Center is a state-of-the-art premier facility that serves 10 of the 13 schools and colleges across campus The Center offers remote and onsite simulations to address course goals and objectives across disciplines The Center is home to the Wayne II and Kirie Frederick Task Training/Virtual Reality Suite named in honor of the children of Howard University president Media contact: Sholnn Freeman, sholnn.freeman@howard.edu Our public relations team can connect you with faculty experts and answer questions about Howard University news and events