Combining Religious Practice with Spirit of Giving (The Gazette, December 26, 2007): SSS was recognized for serving as the hub for a holiday distribution effort. The hosts of the event were The Montgomery County (Maryland) Muslim Council and the County's Corporate Volunteer Council. Local families received baskets of toys and food.
Companies Fight to Keep Stars from Flying Away (Washington Business Journal, November 23, 2007): SSS senior vice president Lori Golino is among the human resource professionals quoted in this article on retaining highly skilled members of the workforce. Ms. Golino provides insight into some of the strategies SSS is using to keep turnover low.
From Modest Heroes, Major Deeds (The Washington Post, November 22, 2007): Kevin Beverly, SSS' senior vice president for business development and corporate strategy, was prominently featured in this Thanksgiving Day article about some of the Washington metropolitan area's unsung heroes. Mr. Beverly's efforts to increase the opportunities for young people on Maryland's Eastern Shore are profiled.
Corporate Volunteer Council Honors Businesses (The Gazette, October 31, 2007): This week, the Corporate Volunteer Council of Montgomery County recognized SSS for its year-round volunteer programs. SSS received the nod in the mid-sized company category.
Names & Faces (The Gazette, October 26, 2007): The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality recently selected its Paper of the Year, and SSS' Andrew Mosso was a co-author of the winning submission. The paper, "Medicare Payment for Selected Adverse Events: Building the Business Case for Investing in Patient Safety", appeared in the September-October issue of Health Affairs.
Sister Study Looks at Cancer Rates among Siblings (The Daily Advertiser, October 25, 2007): Recruitment efforts for the Sister Study continue nationwide. This article is an example of recent media coverage. The Sister Study, supported by SSS staff primarily in the Survey and Epidemiology Services Division, is an initiative sponsored by the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Its goal is to study the sisters of women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Eleven Years of Giving (The Gazette, October 24, 2007): SSS senior vice president Kevin Beverly is featured in this article about giving back to the community.Mr. Beverlyand his family have established a fund through the Montgomery County Community Foundation to honor their mother and provide scholarships to graduating high school students in Cambridge, Maryland. The Foundation also hosts the Mary Frances leMat/SSS Community Giving Fund.
Social & Scientific Wins NIH, FDA, Deals (Business Gazette, October 12, 2007): SSS contract awards continue to make news. Most recently, there were reports regarding SSS' wins with the U.S. National Institutes of Health's Office of AIDS Research (OAR contract), as well as the Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Medical Product Safety Network (MedSun) at the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
Sister Study on Breast Cancer's Environmental and Genetic Roots in Need of More 'Sisters' (blackamericaweb.com, July 16, 2007): This article is an example of recent media exposure for the Sister Study, conducted by the U.S. National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and supported by staff in SSS' Durham, North Carolina, office. The goal is to recruit a sampling of 50,000 women whose sisters have been diagnosed with breast cancer. SSS recruiter Carissa Dixon is quoted in the article.
Social & Scientific Lands $12 Million NIH Contract (The Gazette, May 30, 2007): SSS' new contract with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute made news this week. With the $12 million, 5-year contract, the company steps in as the clinical coordinating center for the Gene Therapy Resource program.
Meet the 2007 Yoplait Champions (Yoplait Web Site, May 2007): Sara Williams, a staff member in SSS' Durham office, has been named a 2007 Yoplait Champion. Yoplait honors 25 people annually for their work to fight breast cancer. Ms. Williams, who is a breast cancer survivor, was selected for her work with the Sister Study.
Study Searching Out What Causes Some Genes [To] Bring Higher Breast Cancer Risk (The Salt Lake Tribune, April 23, 2007) and A Strong Family Cancer-Fighting Tradition (The Gazette, April 19, 2007): The Sister Study recruitment effort continues to be a newsmaker across the United States. The two articles noted here are examples of the publicity the study is generating. Staff members in SSS' Survey and Epidemiology Services Division provide support to this research project.
Tech Council of Maryland Announces Finalists for 2007 Annual Tech Awards (TCM Press Release, April 23, 2007): The Technology Council of Maryland (TCM) has publicized its 2007 awards finalists, and SSS is on the list. President and CEO Jim Lynch is a finalist for TCM's Executive of the Year honors. Awards will be presented on May 2.
Liver Conditions (RemoveDarkCircles.com, April 2007): SSS and Connie Ruhl are prominently noted in this health news feature. The piece summarizes findings from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) study of the connection between coffee and tea consumption and the risk of chronic liver damage.
CIOs Not Making Time for Business Continuity Planning (SearchCIO.com, March 28, 2007): This article examines the challenges faced by corporate technology officers as they seek to conduct business continuity planning. SSS' chief technology officer, Chuck Kramer, is quoted throughout the article; he acknowledges SSS' accomplishments in this area, but discusses struggles related to implementation and expansion beyond information technology and into the range of areas that would be affected in a disaster.
Contracts Awarded (The Washington Post, March 26, 2007): The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded SSS with a $12.1 million contract for the operation of a Gene Therapy clinical coordinating center.
Risk Factors for Inguinal Hernia among Adults in the U.S. Population (American Journal of Epidemiology, Vol. 165, No. 10; published online March 20, 2007): SSS epidemiologist Connie Ruhl is the co-author of this article. Studying a subset of American adults who took part in the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the authors found that the men had a higher incidence of inguinal hernia than women (13.9 to 2.1 percent). For men in the study, age was a significant risk factor. Women's risk increased if they were older, living in rural areas, tall, or suffering from a chronic cough or umbilical hernia.
Researchers Seek More Women for "Sister Study" of Breast Cancer (The Washington Post, March 18, 2007): This articles profiles the Sister Study, a research project examining American women whose sisters have been diagnosed with breast cancer. To date, more than 33,000 of the targeted 50,000 participants have been enrolled in the program. SSS is providing recruitment and specimen collection support for the study.
Clinical Trials Units Selected for Newly Restructured HIV/AIDS Research Networks (NIH News, March 12, 2007): The AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) and the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Network (IMPAACT)—entities supported by SSS—were identified as two of the clinical research networks funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). This week, NIH announced the funding of 60 clinical trials units (CTUs) that will support the networks. Additional CTUs will be funded in the next several months. SSS' Biomedical Research Support Division (BRS) supports the ACTG and IMPAACT grants.
Louisiana Seeks Sister Study Participants (Louisiana Medical News, March 2007): This article provides an overview of the Sister Study, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences' effort to research risk factors for breast cancer by enlisting the assistance of women whose sisters have been diagnosed with the disease. SSS' Survey and Epidemiology Services Division (SES), though not mentioned in the article, is providing recruitment, interviewing, and specimen collection support for the project.
Legislative Update (Cibola County Beacon, March 8, 2007): SSS is identified as a part of the team retained by the State of New Mexico to analyze health care coverage models. The team's report is due in June. New Mexico's governor and its legislature are seeking ways, but making questionable progress, on revamping the state's health care system.
Names & Faces (The Gazette, March 2, 2007): The transition in SSS' Survey and Epidemiology Services (SES) Division was in the news this week. The article announces the passing of the baton to new division director Jim Ter Maat from senior vice president Doris Northup.
Improving Adherence to Family Planning Guidelines in Kenya: An Experiment (International Journal for Quality in Health Care, February 2007): SSS senior vice president Sue Griffey is among the team of authors for this article. The group evaluated the impact of training on family planning services in Kenya. Based on the results, the intervention had a positive impact on quality of care and access to services but did not yield results as favorable as the supportive supervision option.
Who's on First? (Washington Technology, February 12, 2007): June Mickens' promotion to the role of SSS' chief administrative officer (CAO) made news this week. The information can be found in the "Promotions" section of the article.
A Novel Job Change (The Gazette, January 24, 2007): This portrait of SSS' president and CEO, Jim Lynch, also takes a look at SSS and its work.
Board of Directors Approved for 2007 (Across the Board, January 17, 2007): The Greater Washington Board of Trade has approved its 2007 Board of Directors. SSS' president and CEO, Jim Lynch, was among those agreeing to share their skills for the year.
Association of Physical Activity with Development of Uterine Leimyoma (American Journal of Epidemiology, January 15, 2007): Deborah Cousins, a Social & Scientific Systems staff member, is a co-author of this study. The team researched the connection between the development of fibroids and physical activity. The group's conclusion was that women who had engaged in the highest physical activity category were the least likely to develop fibroids.
Who's on First? (Washington Technology, January 15, 2007): This announcement highlights Mary Tondreau's appointment to the SSS Board of Directors.
Breast Cancer Program—Sister Study (The Art of Beautiful Living, January 13, 2006): This blog highlights the principal investigators associated with the Sister Study, a project based in SSS' Survey and Epidemiology Services (SES) Division in the Durham, North Carolina, office.