Latest news with #GeisingerCollegeofHealthSciences
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Anti-DEI group targets Geisinger College of Health Sciences over program
SCRANTON — A national anti-DEI group has targeted the Geisinger College of Health Sciences with recent filings of discrimination complaints. Virginia-based Do No Harm purported in news releases in March and June that it filed separate complaints with two federal agencies against the college, citing as discriminatory its federally funded Center of Excellence for Diversity and Inclusion and a summer program that aimed to help students from Black, Hispanic or Native American communities that are underrepresented in the medical field transition into medical school. The Do No Harm discrimination complaints come amid President Donald Trump's efforts to dismantle DEI, or diversity, equity and inclusion, programs in the public and private sectors. Trump issued executive orders in the first week of his second term targeting DEI initiatives. 'Geisinger College of Health Sciences did a thorough review of our programs after the presidential executive orders were issued to ensure compliance. The pre-matriculation program referenced in the (Do No Harm) complaint ended in 2024 and is no longer active,' Geisinger CHS said in a statement. Do No Harm is labeled by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an 'anti-LGBTQ+ hate group.' Critics of the SPLC say it's politically biased and its definition of hate group is overly broad. Do No Harm first filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on March 19 against Geisinger CHS, according to a news release posted on the Do No Harm website. A member of Do No Harm then filed a similar complaint June 5 with the U.S. Department of Education, because Geisinger 'did not learn its lesson' from the initial complaint filed with HHS, the advocacy organization announced in another news release. The Times-Tribune could not verify that the complaints were filed with both departments, and whether either agency investigated the allegations or took any actions. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Education through separate representatives said they do not confirm the existence of complaints. Do No Harm, established in April 2022, claims it has 17,000 members, including doctors, nurses, physicians and concerned citizens, and cites its mission as safeguarding health care from ideological threats. 'Do No Harm seeks to highlight and counteract divisive trends in medicine, such as 'Diversity, Equity and Inclusion' and youth-focused gender ideology,' the organization's website says. According to the SPLC, Do No Harm in 2024 filed eight lawsuits challenging programs such as scholarships and fellowships for marginalized people. 'The group claims that the practice of nonprofit organizations like the American Association of University Women to provide fellowships to students of color and LGBTQ+ students — groups historically underrepresented in academia and medicine — harms patients by requiring medical schools to accept or fund unqualified candidates. According to the group, the case was dismissed 'after AAUW agreed to drop the racial criteria in the fellowship's selection process,'' the SPLC website says. According to the website of Geisinger College of Health Sciences, it is the research and education arm of the Geisinger health system. Established in 2022, the college unifies the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Geisinger School of Nursing, Geisinger School of Graduate Education, graduate medical education, Center for Faculty and Professional Development and more. * Geisinger College of Medicine in Scranton on Monday, June 9, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) * Geisinger College of Medicine in Scranton on Monday, June 9, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) * Geisinger College of Medicine in Scranton on Monday, June 9, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) Show Caption 1 of 3 Geisinger College of Medicine in Scranton on Monday, June 9, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) Expand
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Anti-DEI group targets Geisinger College of Health Sciences over program
SCRANTON — A national anti-DEI group has targeted the Geisinger College of Health Sciences with recent filings of discrimination complaints. Virginia-based Do No Harm purported in news releases in March and June that it filed separate complaints with two federal agencies against the college, citing as discriminatory its federally funded Center of Excellence for Diversity and Inclusion and a summer program that aimed to help students from Black, Hispanic or Native American communities that are underrepresented in the medical field transition into medical school. The Do No Harm discrimination complaints come amid President Donald Trump's efforts to dismantle DEI, or diversity, equity and inclusion, programs in the public and private sectors. Trump issued executive orders in the first week of his second term targeting DEI initiatives. 'Geisinger College of Health Sciences did a thorough review of our programs after the presidential executive orders were issued to ensure compliance. The pre-matriculation program referenced in the (Do No Harm) complaint ended in 2024 and is no longer active,' Geisinger CHS said in a statement. Do No Harm is labeled by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an 'anti-LGBTQ+ hate group.' Critics of the SPLC say it's politically biased and its definition of hate group is overly broad. Do No Harm first filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on March 19 against Geisinger CHS, according to a news release posted on the Do No Harm website. A member of Do No Harm then filed a similar complaint June 5 with the U.S. Department of Education, because Geisinger 'did not learn its lesson' from the initial complaint filed with HHS, the advocacy organization announced in another news release. The Times-Tribune could not verify that the complaints were filed with both departments, and whether either agency investigated the allegations or took any actions. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Education through separate representatives said they do not confirm the existence of complaints. Do No Harm, established in April 2022, claims it has 17,000 members, including doctors, nurses, physicians and concerned citizens, and cites its mission as safeguarding health care from ideological threats. 'Do No Harm seeks to highlight and counteract divisive trends in medicine, such as 'Diversity, Equity and Inclusion' and youth-focused gender ideology,' the organization's website says. According to the SPLC, Do No Harm in 2024 filed eight lawsuits challenging programs such as scholarships and fellowships for marginalized people. 'The group claims that the practice of nonprofit organizations like the American Association of University Women to provide fellowships to students of color and LGBTQ+ students — groups historically underrepresented in academia and medicine — harms patients by requiring medical schools to accept or fund unqualified candidates. According to the group, the case was dismissed 'after AAUW agreed to drop the racial criteria in the fellowship's selection process,'' the SPLC website says. According to the website of Geisinger College of Health Sciences, it is the research and education arm of the Geisinger health system. Established in 2022, the college unifies the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Geisinger School of Nursing, Geisinger School of Graduate Education, graduate medical education, Center for Faculty and Professional Development and more. * Geisinger College of Medicine in Scranton on Monday, June 9, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) * Geisinger College of Medicine in Scranton on Monday, June 9, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) * Geisinger College of Medicine in Scranton on Monday, June 9, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) Show Caption 1 of 3 Geisinger College of Medicine in Scranton on Monday, June 9, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) Expand
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Scientists Discovered a Hidden Clue Why Men Are Taller Than Women
No matter where you travel around the world, men in any given human population tend to be taller than women. Now researchers have uncovered a key genetic mechanism behind this anatomical contrast. Combing through three large public health databases, a team led by scientists from the Geisinger College of Health Sciences in Pennsylvania found 1,225 adults with unusual chromosome combinations. The combinations were statistically modeled against each adult's height, revealing an intriguing difference in the influence of a sequence found on both the X and the Y chromosomes known as the SHOX (short-stature homeobox) gene. Unlike the X and Y chromosomes in a typical male cell, one of the two X chromosomes (known as the 'inactive' X chromosome, or Xi for short) in a typical female cell tends to run at a reduced capacity to avoid complications. The data showed that the Y chromosome delivers more of a SHOX 'effect' than the inactive X chromosome, contributing an extra 3.1 centimeters (1.2 inches) height on average. We've known for a while that the SHOX gene might be playing some role. However, this study specifically quantifies the difference between how busy it is on the Y chromosome compared to the partially muted X chromosome. "This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that reduced SHOX expression in females results in a net difference in height between the sexes," write the researchers in their published paper. The researchers calculated that this difference accounts for 22.6 percent of the average height difference between XY chromosome males and XX chromosome females, alongside other factors (including the wealth of the country you live in). Across the three databases of health data used in this study (one from the UK and two from the US), the average height difference between men and women came out to between 12.85 and 13.72 centimeters. "These results are consistent with the hypothesis that elevated SHOX expression on the Y chromosome relative to the Xi chromosome results in taller stature among males than females, largely explaining human sexual dimorphism for height," write the researchers. Height is only partly down to genetics, with taller parents being more likely to have taller kids. Hormone levels, including testosterone (much more abundant in men than women), are also thought to play a part in determining how tall we get. This research could be a useful starting point for all kinds of other future studies into differences in phenotypes (observable characteristics) between the sexes, as well as diseases and disorders that affect the sexes differently. Conditions such as Alzheimer's disease are more common in women, for example, and there are likely to be a complex number of related reasons why. As with height, distinguishing between genetics and hormones would offer some helpful insights. "Disentangling the effects of sex-related hormones from genomic variation could provide new insights into the pathogenesis of medical conditions with observed sex discrepancies, including autoimmune, cardiovascular, and neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders," write the researchers. The research has been published in PNAS. Being Bored Could Actually Be Good For Your Brain, Scientists Reveal Couples Who Cuddle at Bedtime Have Lower Stress And Feel More Secure Unusual Face Tatts Discovered on Mysterious South American Mummy
