Cognitive Impairment Less Common Among the Elderly

March 13, 2008

CBDSM faculty affiliate Ken Langa, MD, PhD is the lead author on a major new study showing that memory loss and other forms of cognitive impairment among Americans over the age of 70 were significantly less common in 2002 than they were in 1994.

In an article published online at www.alzheimersanddementia.org Langa and colleagues report that the effect may be due in part to factors such as education, wealth, and preventive health care for cardiovascular risk factors. The article, which has garnered international media attention, is based on data from the national Health and Retirement Study, based at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. Dr. Langa’s co-authors are Eric Larson, Jason Karlawish, David Cutler, Mohammed Kabeto, Scott Kim, and Allison Rosen.

Part-time hourly web applications developers needed

March 12, 2008

CBDSM is seeking one or more part-time hourly web applications developers with programming skills. Hours can be flexible. These are long-term positions, offering significant opportunity for professional development. Click here to see a full job description.

Hope Can Be Worse Than Hopelessness

December 09, 2007

In its 7th Annual Year in Ideas issue on December 9, 2007, the New York Times Magazine cited the work of CBDSM researchers.

From the article:
"People often display a remarkable ability to adapt to adversity, bouncing back to their usual levels of happiness despite extreme hardships. But people don’t always rebound, and scientists have long wondered what factors might account for the difference."

Read this article titled "Hope Can Be Worse Than Hopelessness."

Becoming a doctor, starting a family?

November 08, 2007

Reshma Jagsi, MD, PhD, is lead author on an article in the November 8, 2007, New England Journal of Medicine about leaves of absence during graduate medical education, specifically leaves for childbirth and infant care. Physicians in residency programs face limitations on leave time designed to ensure adequate training as well as stability of the care-delivery system. But how can these limitations be reconciled with federal mandates-and reasonable societal expectations-for childbearing leave? Click here to see the article.

CBDSM investigators present pioneering survey to the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making

July 30, 2007

CBDSM researcher Brian J. Zikmund-Fisher, PhD, and collaborator Mick Couper, PhD, from the UM Institute for Social Research spoke to the Medical Editors’ Meeting of the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Drs. Couper and Zikmund-Fisher reported on "Methods and Early Results from the National Survey of Medical Decisions." This pioneering survey reveals surprising information about the epidemiology of ten common medical decisions that are made by older Americans. Discussion of the presentation was lively!

The Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making, which funded this CBDSM research, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to assuring that people understand their choices and have the information they need to make sound decisions affecting their health and well being.
Learn more at www.fimdm.org

Amanda Dillard awarded grant by the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making

July 01, 2007

Amanda Dillard, PhD, has been awarded a $25,000 George Bennett Postdoctoral Grant by the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making. With this funding, Dr. Dillard will conduct surveys to examine whether certain types of patient testimonials have a beneficial influence on knowledge, satisfaction, and interest in shared health care decision making, specifically in the context of a decision aid related to colon cancer screening. She will use social cognitive theory, social comparison theory, and risk processing perspectives to guide her hypotheses about testimonials.

Dr. Dillard’s postdoctoral position at CBDSM is funded by VA Health Services Research and Development, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Angela Fagerlin presents Decision Aid in Frieburg, Germany

May 01, 2007

CBDSM's Angela Fagerlin, PhD, presented two papers and demonstrated a decision aid for tamoxifen prophylaxis at the 4th International Shared Decision Making Conference in Frieburg, Germany, in May 2007.

Dr. Fagerlin, who is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, spoke on the role of numeracy in medical decision making and also on the role of comparative risk information.

This latter paper had the engaging title, "Just tell me if I'm above or below average." Co-authors on the papers included A Dillard, BJ Zikmund-Fisher, H Derry, DM Smith, J McClure, S Greene, and PA Ubel.