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Christian Juanillo ’13 and Andrew Gladhill ’14 sport Chaplain’s Team t-shirt

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Amanda Dorman \u2714, mathematics researche

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Violin section of the Linfield Chamber Orchestr

Endogenous gentrification and housing price dynamics

Using a unique dataset of interest rates offered by a large sample of U.S. banks on various retail deposit and loan products, we explore the rigidity of bank retail interest rates. We study periods over which retail interest rates remain fixed ("spells") and document a large degree of lumpiness of retail interest rate adjustments as well as substantial variation in the duration of these spells, both across and within different products. To explore the sources of this variation we apply duration analysis and calculate the probability that a bank will change a given deposit or loan rate under various conditions. Consistent with a nonconvex adjustment costs theory, we find that the probability of a bank changing its retail rate is initially increasing with time. Then as heterogeneity of the sample overwhelms this effect, the hazard rate decreases with time. The duration of the spells is significantly affected by the accumulated change in money market interest rates since the last retail rate change, the size of the bank and its geographical scope.Housing - Prices ; Gentrification

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Psychology Professor Jennifer Linde

A Bioethics Tool for the Implementation of Global Principles by the Pharmaceutical Industry

Due to scandals of scientific misconduct, a climate of mistrust of science exists amongst the general public. This becomes of concern when we acknowledge that it is difficult for science and technology to flourish without broad societal trust. The pharmaceutical industry has often felt the brunt of such mistrust and has suffered many reputational setbacks over the past several years. Such reputational decline has a strong moral dimension, as it stems from issues such as the questionable conduct of clinical trials, pricing schemas, and access to medicines for low- or middle-income countries. The end product of such issues is the public not viewing pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies favorably. Since pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are intrinsically tied to health and human flourishing, an ethical framework to aid in resolving both the ethical issues facing the industry and the resulting reputation it yields on both the industry as a whole and individual companies, could certainly be valuable. The central supposition of this dissertation is that additional work needs to be done in the area of pharmaceutical ethics and corporate social responsibility. Currently, no specifically global bioethics tool exists to implement ethics principles into the business practices of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, which constitutes a glaring gap in the implementation of ethics principles. This dissertation thus aims to do the following: (i) clarify the ethical grounding of pharmaceutical corporate social responsibility, and (ii) develop a global bioethics tool that can be utilized by the pharmaceutical industry as a manner to aid in implementing global ethics principles. The global bioethics tool seeks to implement a global ethical framework on the basis of performance indicators and best practices, with a long-term goal of helping society regain its trust in the pharmaceutical industry. While there are numerous bioethical guidelines available, it is argued that the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights, as a global ethics document with the backing of the global community, can be utilized to create such a tool by which to measure the ethical practices of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies

Approaching Organ Transplant in Islam from a Multidimensional Framework

The subject of organ transplant has been highly contested within Islam. Though the majority of Muslims now accept the validity of the practice from both live and deceased donors, this is by no means a universal consensus. In particular Islamic contexts, the subject of organ transplant remains a major subject of debate. Intertwined with the debate of organ transplant is the sensitive and complex issue of what constitutes death. Bioethical decision-making in Islam takes place within a multi-dimensional framework of authorities and themes. With no central authoritative body for the Islamic community, general consensus on bioethical matters is difficult to locate. The central thesis of this article is that because Islamic bioethics takes place within a multidimensional framework, there remains no common consensus on the question of organ transplant. Though a majority of Muslims have accepted the practice, others continue to find it haram, or forbidden

Does the Distinctiveness of Palliative Care Research Require Distinct Ethical Guidelines?

Palliative and end of life care is changing, becoming more widespread and improving for patients. Yet, the current literature in the field suggests that the evidence for palliative and end of life care is somewhat limited. Research on treatment decisions, family care, and advance directions are just a few of the areas that need rigorous research efforts. Palliative care research is essential in order to continue providing effective treatments to those suffering in the last stages of life. Indeed, the goal of good palliative care research is to relieve suffering and to improve quality of life. Similar to any other field, palliative care programs must develop on a research base, and patient care will suffer if it is not backed by sound research. However, weighted against this need are some who maintain that the ethical and practical challenges of palliative care research are unique and insurmountable. This analysis considers if distinct ethical guidelines are needed for palliative care research

Rowan Community Health Center’s Ask First Model: Building Authentic & Impactful Community Relationships by Asking a Simple Question

Spring of 2017, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine’s student-run free clinic, the Rowan Community Health Center, launched an outreach initiative named the Unity Project. This is an ongoing initiative aimed at fostering relationships with Camden, New Jersey organizations to both educate community members about our clinic services and collaborate on improving Camden’s health. The objective of the Unity Project is to work towards affecting long-term change by forming authentic and impactful relationships with organizations that are already participating in meaningful community work. In order to achieve such a goal, we needed to overcome the traditional model of medical school outreach, which we feel is often short-term and limited. When reaching out to potential community partners, we realized an absence in the crucial first steps of establishing a relationship. We filled this void by simply asking what the organization’s need is. Thus, moving forward, when the Unity Project contacted organizations, we asked how we could help rather than offer suggestions. We termed this method the ‘Ask First’ approach and to this date, we have been observing a successful outcome. We are currently partnered with 38 organizations and are continually growing. The Unity Project has provided a variety of services that ultimately benefit the target populations these organizations are serving. Collaborating with our membered organizations in this way enables us to establish a trusting relationship and work towards bridging the gap between a community in need and a medical organization willing to help by asking a simple, albeit, powerful question

Real Voices, Real Questions, Real Engagement: VCU Speaker Series

You come here for something more than schooling. You come here for deep education and deep education is about learning how to die so that you learn how to live because when you examine certain assumptions that you have, certain presuppositions that you’re holding on to, when you let them go, that’s a form of death. And there’s no growth, there’s no development, there’s no maturation without learning how to die and giving up certain dogma, giving up certain doctrine. - Cornel West, Ph.D., VCU Siegel Center, Fall 2015 VCU is a large, public, urban research university situated in the middle of a capital city. Its faculty, staff, student body, alumni, and the surrounding community are remarkably diverse as are the academic offerings. It is, and should be viewed as, the intellectual and cultural engine of the region. Our project proposes the creation of a large-scale, high-profile speaker series designed to highlight emerging trends and provide students, faculty, staff, alumni and the Richmond community with a forum for conversation. The speaker series will cover topics that are critically engaging, have national relevance, and introduce ideas that propel the next generation of leaders. In addition to a large speaking engagement, the speaker series will also incorporate other activities to cultivate interactions and build relationships such as classroom lectures, book signings, and a dinner through the development office. The speaker series will host at least one speaker annually, with the addition of a second speaker as the event builds momentum. At least one of the lectures will occur at the beginning of the traditional academic semester, allowing for the greatest opportunity for participation across VCU and Richmond. Internal support from VCU students, faculty, staff, and colleges will ensure that the project is connected to the mission, vision, goals, and pursuits of VCU. A speaker series committee will help sustain and coordinate efforts across the university and community. Committee members will include stakeholders that require buy-in and cooperation for activities that complement the speaker series (e.g., other lectures, panel discussions, classroom activities). A survey will be used to gain insights into topics and speakers of interest. The committee will review the survey responses in order to make informed decisions during the planning process. The ongoing presence of hosting influential speakers will allow VCU to emerge into the national spotlight as thought-leaders. This speaker series will serve many purposes. First, the series will serve to inspire VCU students, faculty, staff, and the Richmond. Through frank and open conversations attendees will be exposed to new concepts and ideas. Second, the series will unite the diverse groups that make up VCU and the Richmond community. The lecture series will expose attendees to new ideas and open doors for possible opportunities for collaboration through classroom and community engagement activities related to the topics discussed. Third, the series will serve as a cultural conduit, solidly connecting the VCU and Richmond communities around engaging ideas of importance. Opening a new market-place of ideas will ensure that the students of VCU interact with new information in exciting and transformative ways