On the Move | The Dish

Archive for the ‘On the Move’ Category

British political strategist to spend time on the Farm

March 5th, 2012

STEVE HILTON, senior adviser to British Prime Minister David Cameron, will join Stanford as a visiting scholar at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) and as a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution. He will arrive in May and spend a year on campus teaching, researching and writing.

“We look forward to having Steve Hilton in residence at FSI starting later this spring,” said FSI Director COIT BLACKER. “Steve is certain to bring a fresh perspective to many of the issues and challenges that are of ongoing concern to our faculty, fellows and students.”

As Cameron’s top adviser, Hilton’s primary responsibility is the development and implementation of domestic policy. He specializes in the promotion of enterprise and economic growth, public service reform, family policy, decentralization and government transparency and accountability.

Hilton will focus on innovation in government, public services and communities around the world while at Stanford. He will work with a wide range of centers and organizations across the university, including FSI’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law and The Europe Center; the Graduate School of Business’ Center for Social Innovation; the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society; and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design.

“I’m delighted to be joining the academic community at Stanford and greatly look forward to an exhilarating and productive year,” Hilton said.

Read the full announcement on FSI’s website.

And the Oscar goes to . . .

February 28th, 2012

For many, Sunday night’s Academy Awards were an introduction to SHARMEEN OBAID CHINOY. But the Stanford News Service has had the Pakistani-born documentary filmmaker in its sights for nearly a decade. Back in 2003, LISA TREI, then social sciences writer for the News Service, featured Obaid and her first film Terror’s Children. That documentary, which chronicled young Afghan refugees in Pakistan, was on the cusp of being released. After hundreds of rejections to her appeals for funding, Obaid, then a 24-year-old graduate student in international policy studies and communication at Stanford, had succeeded in making the film she wanted to make.
Terror’s Children “really gave me more of a drive to make other films out of Pakistan,” she told Trei, who now is an associate communications director in the Office of the Dean of Humanities and Sciences. “It gave me a sense that things are wrong in my country and people should know about it from our perspective,” Obaid said.

Since then, Obaid Chinoy has made more than a dozen films and won numerous prizes, including an Emmy. And on Sunday night, she walked away with an Oscar for Best Documentary for her film Saving Face. The film tells the stories of two women who are survivors of acid attacks in Pakistan and their efforts to bring their assailants to justice, and the charitable work of a plastic surgeon who strives to help them rebuild their lives.
“The Oscar is the award, not just another award,” she said during an interview on the Today program in the days leading up to the Academy Award ceremony. Saving Face will air on HBO March 8.
Obaid Chinoy is not the only person with Stanford ties to snag a golden statue on Sunday. ALEXANDER PAYNE, won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for The Descendants. Payne, who earned his undergraduate degree from Stanford, where he majored in Spanish and history, has won numerous awards for his directing and screenwriting, including Oscar and Golden Globe awards for Sideways.

The Dish makes no predictions about the success of Game Change, a film adaptation of the book by the same name about the 2008 United States presidential contest. JAY ROACH, who graduated with a BA in economics from Stanford, has directed such movies as Austin Powers, Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers and Dinner with Schmucks. Roach will be back on campus today for a pre-screening and informal discussion of Game Change. The event is sold out.

Stanford wins top honors among workplaces for commuters

February 22nd, 2012

For the ninth year in a row, Stanford was recognized as one of the Best Workplaces for Commuters by the National Center for Transit Research.

Stanford also competed in the Best Workplaces for Commuters 2011 Race to Excellence. The award recognizes those who offer the highest levels of commuter benefits. Stanford was honored with the “Best Of” award, the top prize in the Race to Excellence.

“Stanford University strives to attract the best and the brightest. Being designated as one of the Best Workplaces for Commuters is important recognition of the university’s leadership in sustainable transportation, which enhances the lives of our commuters, benefits the community, and helps the environment,” said BRODIE HAMILTON, director of Parking & Transportation Services at Stanford.

Funded by the Florida Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Transportation, the National Center for Transit Research is located at the University of South Florida.

Diving coach, current freshman and alum bound for London

February 17th, 2012

Freshman diver Kristian Ipsen will compete in the FINA Diving World Cup in London next week.

Stanford’s head diving coach RICK SCHAVONE along with current freshman KRISTIAN IPSEN and Stanford alum CASSIDY KRUG will be part of a 14-diver contingent at the FINA Diving World Cup in London Feb. 20-26.
Schavone is in his 34th year on the Farm and has coached at least one All-American diver nearly every year since 1982. Krug is a former NCAA champion, and Ipsen has not lost a collegiate meet this season in 12 tries.
The U.S has secured six of the possible 12 spots for the London Olympics, which take place later this summer, and is hoping to qualify more American spots during the London meets.
The actual team will be chosen at the Olympic trials in June.
Read the full announcement on the Stanford Athletics website.

What’s that bus?

February 13th, 2012

You may have noticed a big blue bus parked on White Plaza. It’s not exactly a party bus, but the campus community is invited to get on board this afternoon.

The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, equipped with the latest audio, video and broadcast apparatus, is here for the “Game Jam,” hosted by the university’s Office of Science Outreach and the Stanford Bookstore.

During the weekend, eight local high school students came together on the bus to develop an original game app with the assistance of Lennon Bus producers and Stanford student coders.

The campus community will have an opportunity to check out the bus today, Feb. 13, from noon to 4 p.m. At 4:30 p.m., there will be a “Game App First Peek Event” in the Bookstore.

Visit the Stanford Event Calendar for more information.

Renowned breast cancer expert comes to Stanford

February 10th, 2012

MARK PEGRAM, a renowned clinician and scholar in breast cancer research and a leader in translational medicine, has joined the Stanford University Medical Center to direct the breast oncology and molecular therapeutics programs. Pegram began his new position Feb. 1.

As part of the new Women’s Cancer Center clinic, which opened in June, Pegram will help bring newly developed breast cancer therapeutics to clinical trials, conduct his own research and treat patients. “Our goal is to improve our ability to extend the quality and quantity of life for breast cancer patients,” said BEVERLY MITCHELL, director of the Stanford Cancer Institute. “Mark is going to help accomplish this by bringing together excellent clinical care and new approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.”

Read the full announcement on Pegram on the Medical Center’s news website.

— BY BETH MOLE

Stanford graduate Eila Skinner named chair of urology

February 2nd, 2012

Ella Skinner

Stanford graduate EILA SKINNER, professor of clinical urology at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, has been named the new chair of the Department of Urology. Skinner earned a degree in human biology at Stanford in 1976 and graduated with distinction. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

In a press release, Philip Pizzo, dean of the School of Medicine, said, “Dr. Skinner is an active surgeon with a national reputation for her expertise in urology and bladder cancer. In my discussions with leaders around the country about her candidacy, I heard over and over again that she was one of the very best and most highly respected urologic surgeons in the nation. She has been equally committed to the education and training of future surgeons and leaders at USC and nationally. I am very pleased that Dr. Skinner has agreed to accept this important role at Stanford University Medical Center.”

Skinner’s primary research interests are in the area of cancer prevention, bladder cancer and urinary tract reconstruction. She has also served as director of the “Real Men Cook” Foundation since 2003, where she has coordinated education and screening for prostate cancer for more than 1,000 Los Angeles-area African-American and Latino men annually.

Read the full press release.

New chair for Department of Medicine

February 1st, 2012

Robert Harrington

ROBERT HARRINGTON, leader of the world’s largest academic clinical research organization, has been appointed as the new chair of the medical school’s Department of Medicine. Harrington will assume the position July 1.

Harrington, 51, an interventional cardiologist and experienced clinical investigator in the area of heart disease, has spent the past five years as director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute, leading more than 200 faculty and 1,200 staff members. The institute has conducted studies in 65 countries while building diverse research programs in clinical trials and health services research.

“Dr. Harrington’s breadth of knowledge, area of research, commitment to patient care and clinical excellence, and leadership roles at Duke and nationally make him an ideal choice,” said Dean PHILIP PIZZO. “His knowledge and prominence in population science and quantitative medicine converge remarkably with Stanford’s burgeoning efforts in this evolving area of medicine, science and health care as well.”

At Stanford, Harrington will lead a department of about 220 faculty members in 14 divisions. The chair works closely with the dean and other leaders of the medical school and Stanford Hospital & Clinics.

Read the full announcement on the medical school’s news website.

— Tracie White

Stanford Hospital & Clinics names new COO

January 27th, 2012

Margaret Vosburgh will join Stanford Hospital & Clinics as COO on Feb. 13

MARGARET VOSBURGH will join Stanford Hospital & Clinics as chief operating officer on Feb. 13. She will be responsible for overall operations and report directly to President and CEO Amir Dan Rubin.

Vosburgh previously served as executive vice president and COO for Tufts Medical Center in Boston and served as deputy executive director and COO of Long Island Jewish Hospital, part of the $4 billion Northshore-LIJ Health System, the nation’s third-largest nonprofit secular health system.

“Margaret brings a world of talent and energy, along with an impressive track record in academic medical centers and health systems,” Rubin said. “We are delighted to have her join our team.”

Vosburgh earned an MBA from the University of Southern California and is a fellow of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. She has held faculty positions at UCLA and the University of Washington. In addition, she holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing. She also has worked as a cardiovascular clinical nurse specialist in critical care and has had direct accountability for peri-operative services at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, as well as at Albany Medical Center in Albany, N.Y.

Vosburgh said she is excited about coming to Stanford. “The opportunity to work with Amir and the faculty and staff at Stanford was so enticing,” she said. “The intellectual capital at Stanford is staggering and, when harnessed, all things are possible and all goals attainable.

“I was especially impressed with Amir’s commitment to quality patient care and the patient experience. I look forward to fostering an environment where faculty and staff thrive.”

Read the full announcement on the Medical Center’s news website.

Muwekma-Tah-Ruk wins Stanford’s Bicycle Safety Dorm Challenge

January 23rd, 2012

What does it take to motivate undergraduate students to commit to bike safety?

Students in 42 undergraduate residences participated in the second annual Bike Safety Dorm Challenge, sponsored by Parking & Transportation Services (P&TS) between Sept. 20 and Dec. 16. The challenge promotes bike safety by encouraging undergraduates to pledge to follow the rules of the road and to wear a bike helmet for every ride, even short trips.

Three dorms—Jerry, Muwekma-Tah-Ruk and ZAP—posted 100 percent participation and tied for first. Muwekma-Tah-Ruk, the Native American theme dorm, won a drawing that broke the tie and took away the grand prize: a free charter bus to Lake Tahoe.

Jerry and ZAP did not leave empty-handed: Each dorm received a $500 credit toward a future charter bus to Tahoe.

Jasmine Lee, ’13, community manager for Muwekma-Tah-Ruk, said her dorm decided to participate as a simple and easy way to make residents aware of how to bike safely.

“We are the only Row house with freshmen, and many of them were not exposed to biking culture like we have here at Stanford,” Lee said. “A majority of our residents did not have or wear helmets before the challenge, so our peer health educator kindly located helmets on campus that our residents could purchase for $10. It took some convincing, but now we are thrilled to be winners who are Tahoe-bound!”

Brodie Hamilton, director of P&TS, said he was excited to see the momentum building for bike safety among Stanford undergraduates and the enthusiasm of participants. He noted that participation by 926 students and 42 of Stanford’s 78 undergraduate dorms this year is up from 666 students and 40 dorms the previous year, when the challenge first launched.

“Some dorms even created their own bike safety mottoes this year, such as Larkin House’s ‘I love my Larkin lobes’ campaign, which encouraged all students to love their brains by wearing bike helmets, stopping at stop signs and using bike lights and reflectors when riding at night,” Hamilton said. “While there was one winner of a free charter bus to Tahoe, everyone who participated is a winner in our eyes. Bike safety is a way to save lives and lobes—and what brighter ‘lobes’ to save than those at Stanford?”