Latest news with #OHC
Khaleej Times
29-04-2025
- Health
- Khaleej Times
Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre appoints Majid Jafar to its advisory council
The Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre ('OHC'), a partnership between the University of Oxford, UK and Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals, Cleveland, Ohio, aimed at driving cutting-edge rare disease breakthroughs, has announced the appointment of Majid Jafar to its Advisory Council. The Advisory Council, led by former UK Prime Minister David Cameron, supports the OHC's mission to deliver new treatments for the nearly half a billion people affected by rare diseases worldwide. Council members are leaders of relevant industries and sectors, from different regions of the world who bring expertise, resources and networks towards the initial goal of developing 40 new drugs for rare diseases in the next 10 years. Jafar is a distinguished business leader serving as Vice-Chairman of the Crescent Group and CEO of Crescent Petroleum, based in the United Arab Emirates, and is the first person to be appointed to the Council from the GCC and Middle East, a region with over 30 million people affected by rare diseases. He is a prominent, global rare disease advocate and philanthropist with a strong commitment to driving positive social change in healthcare and education, with extensive networks and interests in business, investment and philanthropy in the US, Europe and the Middle East. Among his roles, Mr. Jafar is the co-founder, with his wife Lynn, of the Loulou Foundation, a private non-profit foundation dedicated to advancing science and treatments for CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder (CDD), a rare neurogenetic disorder that affects their eldest daughter, Alia. The Loulou Foundation has funded important research projects at leading universities and institutions in the US, Europe and Asia, with a total of over 60 projects at 45 different institutions. Jafar also sits on various non-profit boards including the Board of Fellows of Harvard Medical School, where he co-chairs the Discovery Council, and is a member of the Academy of the University of Pennsylvania and the Global Precision Medicine Council of the World Economic Forum, as well as co-chairing the campaign for Cambridge Children's Hospital in the UK. David Cameron, Chair of the OHC's Advisory Council, said: 'We are delighted to welcome Majid to the OHC Advisory Council. His extensive experience within the business and investment communities and in policy engagement - alongside his philanthropic efforts in education and healthcare - make him an invaluable addition to our team. Furthermore, as a parent of a child with a rare disease, Majid has a deep empathy with families in similar situations as they seek a diagnosis and treatment. We look forward to his contribution to the Council and to his support of the OHC as it continues its groundbreaking work in rare disease research and development of new treatments for patients worldwide.' Majid Jafar commented: 'I am honoured to join the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre Advisory Council. Supporting the development of innovative treatments for rare diseases is a cause close to my heart with my family's own experience deeply shaping my commitment to delivering urgently needed treatments to rare disease patients. I look forward to helping advance the OHC's mission by fostering key partnerships in new regions and sourcing philanthropic investment that can accelerate progress for the many patients in need.' Matthew Wood, Director and Chief Scientific Officer of the OHC, added: 'Majid brings a unique perspective to our Advisory Council, with his strong leadership background and dedication to advancing healthcare. His commitment to social impact, coupled with his ability to expand the OHC's reach into new regions, will be instrumental as we work towards delivering rare disease drugs in the coming years. We are thrilled to have him on board and look forward to his contributions to our mission.' Majid Jafar joins Lord Cameron (Chair of the OHC's Advisory Council and Former UK Prime Minister), Professor Sir John Bell (President, Ellison Institute of Technology Oxford, and former Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford University), Baroness Nicola Blackwood (Chair of Genomics England and of Oxford University Innovation), John F. Crowley (President and CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Association (BIO)), Ronald G. Harrington (a renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist, and co-founder of Harrington Discovery Institute), and Jonathan S. Stamler, MD (President and co-founder of Harrington Discovery Institute and Distinguished University Professor of Medicine), on the OHC Advisory Council.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Ohio grant canceled by DOGE leaves these LGBTQ+ historical markers in limbo
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Historical markers honoring Akron's LGBTQ+ enclave and a storied Cincinnati bookstore were nearing installation when the $250,000 Ohio grant funding the project was canceled by DOGE. Ohio History Connection began developing the signs after receiving a $249,810 federal grant in 2022 to fund the Marking Diverse Ohio project, supporting the placement of 10 LGBTQ+ historical markers. Led by OHC's Gay Ohio History Initiative, the project hit a roadblock on April 3 when the Elon Musk-led DOGE canceled the grant. Watch a previous NBC4 report on the canceled grant in the video player above. Now, Marking Diverse Ohio advisors and researchers say they are evaluating other revenue sources to memorialize the following 10 people, places and organizations that the project was considering for a historical marker: South Howard Street, a historic Akron LGBTQ+ district. Crazy Ladies Center, a Cincinnati bookstore that housed the Ohio Lesbian Archives. Dr. Dolores Knoll, Kent State University's first professor of gay and lesbian studies. Edmonia 'Wildfire' Lewis, a 19th-century sculptor who attended Oberlin College. LGBTQ+ journalism in Ohio. Louis P. Escobar, Toledo City Council's first LGBTQ+ member. Nightsweats & T-Cells, a Lakewood screen-printing company benefiting Ohioans living with HIV. Pater Noster House, a former Columbus hospice and care center for HIV patients. Rev. Jan Griesinger, an openly-lesbian pastor and Athens community activist. The Rubi Girls, a Dayton drag group that formed in the 1980s. Ohio budget plan would 'recognize two sexes,' restrict LGBTQ+ library books One project advisor enlisted by OHC was Tony Pankuch, the education and outreach coordinator for the University of Akron's Cummings Center for the History of Psychology. Pankuch was aiding in research for a marker honoring South Howard Street, an Akron neighborhood home to several LGBTQ+ bars beginning in the late 1940s. Along with serving as an enclave for Akron's LGBTQ+ community, South Howard 'shared a history of marginalization' with North Howard Street, a nearby hub for the Black community, Pankuch explained. However, urban renewal plans by Akron city government in the 1960s increased policing in both districts, leading to bar raids in the same vein as Manhattan's Stonewall Uprising. By 1967, the areas were labeled blighted by local officials and faced bulldozers. Pankuch said the research team was working with city government to install a sign honoring this history by the end of 2025, possibly before Akron's Pride festival in August. While it was 'a steamroller' to find out the grant had been canceled, Pankuch said they and other project advisors are examining how to bring the marker to life through community fundraising. 'It's important to establish that Akron did have its own LGBTQ culture dating back 80 years at this point… I think it's really important that we acknowledge that LGBTQ people have been in this city,' Pankuch said. 'There's no question that this story is significant enough to go on a historical marker.' Chillicothe paper mill will remain open through 2025 Nancy Yerian, the president of the Ohio Lesbian Archives, was another advisor recruited by OHC for a marker honoring Crazy Ladies Bookstore in Cincinnati. The storefront, which opened in 1979 before moving into a three-story building in 1989, operated as a feminist bookstore that quickly became a safe haven for community members. The store remained open until 2002 and housed a series of support groups, organizations, and the first physical iteration of the Ohio Lesbian Archives, now located at 1308 Race St. in Cincinnati. Yerian said the archives were part of a larger movement in the 90s, when community members began documenting their history given the lack of access to lesbian stories. The bookstore's marker was nearing the finish line and the research team was working with Cincinnati's park division to install it possibly this summer or fall, Yerian said. Still, like the effort behind South Howard's marker, the archives president said the sign could still come to fruition. 'Organizations have really been making an effort in the past decade or two to include LGBTQ stories, and obviously the cuts are a huge setback for public history in general, but also for any efforts at including diverse perspectives,' said Yerian. 'At this point in time, in 2025, unfortunately I wasn't too surprised, but I was deeply saddened.' What yes or no vote really means for Ohio Issue 2 in May election Installation of these signs would add to Ohio's small collection of markers honoring LGBTQ+ history. Out of the more than 1,800 markers placed across the state, only three are related to the LGBTQ+ community. OHC most recently installed a sign in June 2023 honoring Summit Station, one of the first lesbian pubs in the nation that welcomed patrons for nearly four decades before closing in 2008. The state's first LGBTQ+ marker was installed near the Dayton Metro Library in 2009 to commemorate Ohio-born Natalie Clifford Barney, a lesbian writer who hosted a literary salon in Paris. In 2017, the second was placed on West 28th Street in Cleveland to honor the LGBT civil rights movement near the site of the Lesbian-Gay Community Service Center. OHC's grant was among $25 million worth of funds awarded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services that have been cut by DOGE. Musk's department also recently slashed an Ohio State professor's nearly $700,000 grant that was studying the link between cannabis use disorder and LGBTQ+ women. 'We are seeing pretty consistent, widespread efforts to erase LGBTQ identity from both modern society and the historic record, and I think the goal of this is just to make LGBTQ seem new, threatening, upsetting to the status quo,' said Pankuch. 'No matter how people feel about the LGBTQ community specifically, the fact of the matter is that we are citizens of this country, we're part of the history of the U.S.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Advocacy groups won't appeal Ontario court's dismissal of Charter challenge to long-term care law
Advocacy organizations won't appeal an Ontario court's decision to dismiss their Charter challenge of the province's long-term care (LTC) law, which allows hospitals to move people into homes they didn't choose or be charged $400 a day to remain in hospital. The case, launched by the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE) and the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC), was heard in the Superior Court of Justice in September. The two parties argued Bill 7, the More Beds, Better Care Act, — which was passed in 2022 — violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms so the law should be overturned. The provincial government, however, maintains the law is necessary to free up much-needed hospital beds. In mid-January, the court sided with the province and decided to dismiss the case. In an interview with CBC News on Wednesday, Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra said OHC can't afford the legal costs to appeal. The OHC is paying the majority of legal fees in this case, of "close to $200,000," according to Mehra. She said they're still fundraising to pay it off. She also said an appeal is always challenging to win. "It's very disappointing and really heartbreaking," Mehra said. "We know that patients really are suffering as a result of the coercion, trying to find somewhere to move from hospital into a long-term care home that is a decent home, that provides the care that they need, that is close to loved ones." In the published decision from January, Justice Robert Centa said the law doesn't contravene the Charter. The bill "does not interfere with an ALC [alternate level of care] patient's 'right' to choose where they live," and the $400 daily charge for a continued hospital stay is "not coercive," Centa wrote. Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition and a longtime advocate for public health care, says they'll continue to 'ramp up our fight' to get the province to prioritize the rights of elderly patients. (Joe Fiorino/CBC) Instead, Bill 7 has a "sufficiently important objective," the justice added. "I found that the purpose of Bill 7 is to reduce the number of ALC patients in hospital who are eligible for admission to a long-term care home in order to maximize hospital resources for patients who need hospital-level care." Mehra said ACE and the OHC were "shocked" by the ruling, especially the idea that a $400 daily charge isn't coercive. "These are elderly patients, they're on fixed incomes, $400 a day is $12,000 a month — that is beyond the means of the vast majority of people in Ontario. It really means that they don't have a choice in our view." An Ontario patient charged $26K under legislation Since the law was implemented in 2022, CBC News has spoken with people who were impacted, including Michele Campeau, whose elderly mom was charged $26,000 under the legislation last year. Campeau had refused to move her mom out of a Windsor hospital and into a long-term care home the family didn't want. CBC News reached out this week to Campeau for comment, but hasn't heard back. When she last spoke to CBC News in January, Campeau said she wasn't planning to pay the fee and didn't agree with the court ruling. Patients, their caregivers and seniors advocates have said the law is unfair and doesn't give elderly people, who might be in their final stage of life, the right to choose where they want to live. But health-care leaders who provided expert evidence during the court case have said the law helps free up hospital beds for people who need them. A spokesperson for Ontario's minister of health previously told CBC News the law "ensures people across the province receive the care they need, in a setting that is right for them." "It frees up hospital beds so that people waiting for surgeries can get them sooner. It eases pressures on crowded emergency departments by admitting patients sooner and it connects more people to the care they need when they need it." Michele Campeau, left, visits her mother, Ruth Poupard, 83, at Hôtel-Dieu GraceHealthcare in Windsor on April 3. Campeau had refused to move her mom out of hospital and into an LTC home the family didn't want. (Dax Melmer/The Canadian Press) 'Ramp up our fight' Despite the OHC's decision, Mehra said they're not giving up. She said they will continue to advocate for patients and "ramp up our fight" to get the province to prioritize the rights of elderly patients. Beyond overturning the law, she said, they'll advocate for the government to improve home care, increase capacity in hospitals and LTC homes, and move forward with building new and modern homes that people want to live in. "The fact that the solution has been to target patients rather than to deal with the capacity issues in our health system ... it's wrong, it's morally wrong, to treat people at the end of their lives in that way," she said. "We have to fight with everything we have to force political change."
CBC
13-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
Advocacy groups won't appeal Ontario court's dismissal of Charter challenge to long-term care law
Advocacy organizations won't appeal an Ontario court's decision to dismiss their Charter challenge of the province's long-term care (LTC) law, which allows hospitals to move people into homes they didn't choose or be charged $400 a day to remain in hospital. The case, launched by the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE) and the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC), was heard in the Superior Court of Justice in September. The two parties argued Bill 7, the More Beds, Better Care Act, — which was passed in 2022 — violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms so the law should be overturned. The provincial government, however, maintains the law is necessary to free up much-needed hospital beds. In mid-January, the court sided with the province and decided to dismiss the case. In an interview with CBC News on Wednesday, Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra said OHC can't afford the legal costs to appeal. The OHC is paying the majority of legal fees in this case, of "close to $200,000," according to Mehra. She said they're still fundraising to pay it off. She also said an appeal is always challenging to win. "It's very disappointing and really heartbreaking," Mehra said. "We know that patients really are suffering as a result of the coercion, trying to find somewhere to move from hospital into a long-term care home that is a decent home, that provides the care that they need, that is close to loved ones." In the published decision from January, Justice Robert Centa said the law doesn't contravene the Charter. The bill "does not interfere with an ALC [alternate level of care] patient's 'right' to choose where they live," and the $400 daily charge for a continued hospital stay is "not coercive," Centa wrote. Instead, Bill 7 has a "sufficiently important objective," the justice added. "I found that the purpose of Bill 7 is to reduce the number of ALC patients in hospital who are eligible for admission to a long-term care home in order to maximize hospital resources for patients who need hospital-level care." Mehra said ACE and the OHC were "shocked" by the ruling, especially the idea that a $400 daily charge isn't coercive. "These are elderly patients, they're on fixed incomes, $400 a day is $12,000 a month — that is beyond the means of the vast majority of people in Ontario. It really means that they don't have a choice in our view." An Ontario patient charged $26K under legislation Since the law was implemented in 2022, CBC News has spoken with people who were impacted, including Michele Campeau, whose elderly mom was charged $26,000 under the legislation last year. Campeau had refused to move her mom out of a Windsor hospital and into a long-term care home the family didn't want. CBC News reached out this week to Campeau for comment, but hasn't heard back. When she last spoke to CBC News in January, Campeau said she wasn't planning to pay the fee and didn't agree with the court ruling. Patients, their caregivers and seniors advocates have said the law is unfair and doesn't give elderly people, who might be in their final stage of life, the right to choose where they want to live. But health-care leaders who provided expert evidence during the court case have said the law helps free up hospital beds for people who need them. A spokesperson for Ontario's minister of health previously told CBC News the law "ensures people across the province receive the care they need, in a setting that is right for them." "It frees up hospital beds so that people waiting for surgeries can get them sooner. It eases pressures on crowded emergency departments by admitting patients sooner and it connects more people to the care they need when they need it." 'Ramp up our fight' Despite the OHC's decision, Mehra said they're not giving up. She said they will continue to advocate for patients and "ramp up our fight" to get the province to prioritize the rights of elderly patients. Beyond overturning the law, she said, they'll advocate for the government to improve home care, increase capacity in hospitals and LTC homes, and move forward with building new and modern homes that people want to live in. "The fact that the solution has been to target patients rather than to deal with the capacity issues in our health system ... it's wrong, it's morally wrong, to treat people at the end of their lives in that way," she said. "We have to fight with everything we have to force political change."
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oklahoma Hospitality Club to honor KFDX anchor
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFDX/KJTL) — The Oklahoma Hospitality Club has provided philanthropy and service to Oklahoma communities since 1923. This year, they recognize one of KFDX's very own as a woman who excels. The OHC's Ladies in the News 57th Annual Fundraising Event will be held Friday, April 11, at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club. WFISD Foundation Golf tournament to be held downtown Wichita Falls This event honors Oklahoma women for their contributions to their professions and communities. Morning anchor Emily Faith is one of the 14 women who will be recognized this year. Jalen Wells has been Faith's on-air counterpart since she arrived at KFDX in June of 2024 and he said he isn't surprised at all by her receiving this honor. 'Emily Faith is one of the most talented and motivated people I've ever met, so this honor comes at no surprise to me,' Wells said. 'I believe her incredible work ethic is what helps drive her to achieve all of the impressive accomplishments, as well as her ability to be creative with her craft, personable with the people she interacts with, and charismatic towards the organization she's involved with helping. Seeing her utilize those skills to stand out in the journalism field is just a minuscule aspect of why she's so deserving of this incredible honor. ' We at KFDX are proud to have Faith on our team and cannot wait to see the exciting things to come in her career. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
