As one of the physicians who co-signed the complaint against the University’s use of kittens and adult cats in pediatrics training, I want to point out that, contrary to the University spokesperson’s claims in the Nov. 28 article, “Group protests medical training on cats,” it is never necessary to use an animal for this training. Non-animal methods are actually the standard of practice.
In a survey conducted by our organization, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, we found that 94 percent of pediatrics programs use only non-animal methods in training. A large majority of pediatrics residencies use purpose-designed simulators that mimic the airway of a low-birth-weight premature newborn.
Unlike a cat or other animal, these high-tech simulators replicate human anatomy. Studies have demonstrated that those who engage in simulator-based training display great proficiency in intubation, compared with those who practice on animals.
Pediatrics residencies at Eastern Virginia Medical School, Inova Fairfax Hospital and Hospital for Children and Virginia Commonwealth University Health System in Richmond exclusively use training methods based on human anatomy. It is time for the University to join them.
John J. Pippin
Director of Academic Affairs
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Thank you for this letter. It’s clear that nonanimal methods are now the gold standard–and I’m not sure why UVA can’t admit that. UVA pediatrics residents deserve the best possible training, and their future patients deserve the best possible care. And that means replacing these cats with simulators based on human anatomy.
Report this comment
Agree/Disagree:
0 
0
Both UVA and VCU have caused many more infants to be needlessly born preterm by killing their older sisters in brothers inside their hospitals, and using taxpayer and student health insurance funds to carry out this violence. Our preterm birth rate has doubled since Roe/Wade.
Report this comment
Agree/Disagree:
1 
2
Re: Dr. Pippin’s organization: http://tinyurl.com/7rmr6nx
“I consider PCRM to be a fanatical animal rights group with a clear cut agenda of promoting a vegan lifestyle and eliminating all animal experimentation” – Joe Schwarcz PHD, Director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society
Report this comment
Agree/Disagree:
0 
1
Pretty section of content. I simply stumbled upon your site and in accession capital to say that I get in fact loved account your weblog posts. Anyway I will be subscribing to your augment or even I achievement you get admission to constantly quickly.
Report this comment
Agree/Disagree:
0 
0
After years of exploiting the hopes and desperation of the gravely ill and the elderly, and supporting “Pancakes for Parkinsons” contribution to inhumane research – you can bet the that Cavalier Daily will continue to ignore this story:
The War is Over.
“If stem cell treatments were a boxing match, Embryonic stem cell treatments would be the 500 lb Gorilla and Adult stem cell treatments would be the small, unknown underdog. Today, that Gorilla threw in the towel!
Despite the huge disparity in their media coverage, with positive Embryonic stem cell potential articles outnumbering all Adult stem cell articles by 1,000 to one, only Adult stem cells have a proven history of safety and efficacy, only Adult stem cell treatments are available today. Click here to see if your condition can be treated with Adult stem cells:
While Geron and the US media, big Pharma, the AMA and the FDA have all given Embryonic stem cell their full throated support, the number of patients helped with adult stem cells is in the 10s of thousands while the number of patients helped by Embryonic stem cells in zero.
HORSE FALLING DOWN DURING RACEIf Embryonic treatments were a horse race, Geron would be the strongest horse in the field. Geron would be the horse who was 9/10 of the way around the track with all other competitors still milling about in the starting blocks. So what would make that horse stop dead in his tracks, fall flat on his face and walk away from the race?
What does it mean for the other Embryonic focused companies when the front runner pulls out of the race?
What would cause the leading Embryonic stem cell Pharmaceutical company with multiple Embryonic stem cell products in development to end all of their Embryonic stem cell programs?”
Perhaps their clinical trial patients developed cysts and tumors as do all Embryonic stem cell patients. Perhaps Geron decided to end their trials before these tumors and cysts turned into cancer so they could still say their product “has been well tolerated with no serious adverse events.”
Perhaps Geron couldn’t figure out how to address the need for immunosuppressive drugs required to implant a human with ALL Embryonic stem cells when there are many Adult stem cells that have no rejection issues.
Perhaps Geron couldn’t determine how to deal with Embryonic stem cells carrying the genetic abnormalities and maladies of the donor.
Or perhaps they read some of the quotes from my articles going back to March of 2009:
To date, ESC research has been 100% fruitless (in regard to generating treatments) for well-funded + government supported scientists around the world for the last 11 years.
Dr James Thomson, father of ESC research said: “…[ESC] are not being used in any clinical applications yet, while alternatives such as adult stem cells figure in scores of therapies.”
Ian Wilmut, who led the team that cloned Dolly the sheep, abandoned his license to attempt human cloning, saying that the researchers “may have achieved what no politician could: an end to the [ESC] debate.”
Dr. Bernadine Healy, former director of the NIH in U.S. News & World Report: “…[ESC], once thought to hold the cure for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and diabetes, are obsolete….. In fact, adult stem cells, which occur in small quantities in organs throughout the body for natural growth and repair, have become stars despite great skepticism early on.
Or maybe they reviewed the timeline for Embryonic stem cell success and realized they couldn’t afford 50 YEARS OF RESEARCH!
Dr. Colin McGuckin, a noted UK embryonic research leader at Newcastle U. before departing for more useful RSC research in France announced:
“For me, the unnecessary row over stem cells has obscured the very real issue that patients are waiting to be treated…The best estimates of the embryonic scientists in our own university in Newcastle is that embryonic stem cells may not be able to help people this side of 50 years. That’s my lifetime. And that’s worrying. We can’t wait that long.”
via Screw The Embryos, They’re Irrelevant!
I do have to applaud their spin department. It is a brilliant move to take the news story
“GERON GIVES UP ON EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS”
and spin it into
“GERON PUTS 100% FOCUS INTO CURING CANCER.”
Even so, we are not fooled. The red headed step child in the family always knows when they are neglected.
They also published their press release at 4:05 Eastern so the regular stock market was closed and couldn’t react to the news. Unfortunately for them, their stock dropped over 20% in after hours trading.
Whatever the reason for Geron abandoning Embryonic stem cells, we can now finally exalt that THE WAR IS OVER and get on with Adult Stem Cell Treatments, the only stem cells to cure a human patient.
ADULT STEM CELL = ASC
SOURCE/DERIVED FROM•comes from blood, umbilical cords, bone marrow, placenta fat tissue, muscle, nasal neurological, breast milk, menstruation, dental pulp, and many more
PURPOSE IN BODY•they are the body’s natural healing cells
OBSTACLES+SIDE EFFECTS•~zero problems (virtually zero side effects)
TREATMENT HISTORY•used in bone marrow transplants to treat cancer for 40 years
TREATMENT HISTORY•can currently treat 130+ diseases safely and effectively (CP, MS, Autism, Diabetes, CHF, PAD, etc)
To see if your condition can be treated with Adult stem cells, please fill out this form: http://bit.ly/PATIENTQUESTIONNAIRE
via STEM CELLS 101
100+ DISEASES treated around the world with adult stem cells!
60-70% SUCCESS RATE typical therapeutic benefit on INCURABLE DISEASES!!
POTENTIAL CURES of Autism, Parkinson’s, AIDs, Diabetes, Heart Disease and more!
HUGE REWARDS of life extension!
SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED quality of life!”
Report this comment
Agree/Disagree:
0 
0