Latest news with #BostonChildren'sHospital
CBS News
13 hours ago
- Health
- CBS News
Boston Children's nurse completes virtual Pan-Mass Challenge after missing race for stem cell donation
A Boston Children's Hospital nurse wasn't expecting to be in a hospital bed when she was meant to be riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge, but she was grateful it was for a life-changing reason: stem cell donation. Kristin McIntire is no stranger to long rides. The Boston nurse has completed 10 marathons and several 100-mile bike races. "I love exercise. I love being active," she said, jokingly adding that she commutes to work on her bike. "I don't know if you're familiar with Boston traffic, but it's certainly the most easy way to get around." But for McIntire, riding has always been about more than just fitness. It's personal and it's purposeful. "I've always needed to align that with a higher purpose, that I don't feel like I'm doing it by myself. So whether that's riding with a team, running with a team fundraising for a group, it's been a lot more meaningful for me," McIntire said. For years, McIntire served as a pediatric oncology nurse at Boston Children's Hospital, working on one of the most intense and emotional floors in the building. "There are other outcomes that aren't so great... where the family is leaving without their child," she recalled. "And that's really, really sad." She rides in the Pan-Mass Challenge with Pedal for Pediatrics, a team made up of coworkers that raises money for children and families facing cancer at Dana-Farber and Boston Children's. But last year, just as she was preparing for the big ride, Kristin received a life-changing message: she'd been matched as a stem cell donor. "It was honestly so crazy. I was like, wait, what?" McIntire said. She spent what would've been Pan-Mass Challenge weekend in a hospital bed in Florida, donating stem cells to a stranger with leukemia. "That was a pretty cool reason to stop training, I would say," McIntire said. Though she couldn't be on the course, McIntire found another way to finish the journey. In the weeks after her donation, she completed multiple 50-mile rides virtually. "This team directly provides funding that benefits those patients directly, whether that's ride share services or meal coupons, anything that can help support this family," McIntire said. McIntire has never met the person she helped. She doesn't even know their name. But she knows they're still alive. "I saved a person's life, and I was a little tired after the donation, and that was it," McIntire said. "Whether you're riding, whether you're volunteering, or whether you're out there cheering— all of that matters, and it's very important work," she added. McIntire's stem cell procedure was not a traditional bone marrow surgery. Most donations today are done through a simple outpatient blood draw called peripheral blood stem cell donation. You can learn more or join the registry here.
Boston Globe
09-07-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Nursing students could get debt relief from Boston startup Clasp
The company arranges loans for students studying to become nurses, physical therapists, optometrists, and other medical roles. Clasp matches each student borrower with an employer who agrees to hire the student after graduation. The employer also agrees to pay back a portion of the student's loans in return for a commitment of two to three years of work. The result is more workers for participating employers and a reduced debt burden for their workers, according to Clasp chief executive Tess Michaels. Advertisement The company announced on Wednesday that health care providers including Boston Children's Hospital, Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York, and multi-state network Novant Health would participate in the program. The idea for Clasp, which changed its name from Stride Funding last year, germinated while Michaels attended Harvard Business School. Pondering her own tuition costs and asking around, Michaels said she had an 'a-ha' moment. 'What if you could actually tie the cost of education to the outcomes [and] connect the education to the employment,' she said. Advertisement Michaels has raised $30 million of venture capital backing and struck a deal this year with financial lenders to loan $75 million to students. Unlike most other private student loan programs, Clasp's loans don't require a co-signer. Since the company was founded in 2018, more than 10,000 students have gotten loans through its platform, Michaels said. The company makes money from fees it charges participating institutions, but Clasp does not charge students or receive fees on loans. Some prior employment and loan repayment programs foundered because they included penalties if a worker decided to leave a job before their commitment was up, according to George Washington University professor Patricia Pittman, who studies health care workforce issues. Clasp's agreements don't have penalties or allow employers to claw back prior payments. Employers also can't reduce a promised salary or cut benefits. If a worker leaves before the end of their commitment, they face only the loss of future loan repayments. Claw-backs and other harsh repayment provisions are 'potentially exploitative' if workers are financially penalized for leaving early, Pittman said. 'Without the ability to quit, employers have fewer incentives to create healthy, ethical working conditions,' she said. 'The use of these contract breach fees is common with internationally recruited nurses and has led to many abuses as well as below-market wages.' Solving worker shortages will require more worker-friendly terms, Michaels said. 'In order to make a workforce sustainable, you've got to think about how you build trust and loyalty,' she said. North Carolina-based Novant Health started working with Clasp to recruit nurse anesthetists. The goal was to hire nurses for hard-to-fill positions and reduce turnover. 'The workforce of tomorrow depends on how we support students today,' Sebastien Girard, Novant's chief people officer, said in a statement. 'By relieving financial burden upfront, we're building loyalty from day one.' Advertisement The overall shortage of health care workers is getting worse as a growing aging population requires more care and workers from the Baby Boom generation retire. By 2035, the US system faces a shortage of more than 230,000 registered nurses and almost 270,000 licensed practical nurses, according to In Massachusetts, the Michaels wants Clasp to provide a model for the industry to become more creative and generous in recruiting the workers it needs. 'Part of my mission is to reimagine how we think about investing in talent,' she said. 'That just requires a shifting mindset of what is the art of the possible.' Aaron Pressman can be reached at
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ovid Therapeutics to Host Investor and Media Event Thursday, June 12, 2025
Emerging Biomarkers in the Clinical Development of Epilepsy Medicines and OV329 Program Highlights NEW YORK, June 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ovid Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: OVID), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing medicines for brain conditions with significant unmet need, will host an investor and media event on Thursday, June 12, 2025, on the topic of applying Biomarkers in Epilepsy, including their strategic use to demonstrate the pharmacodynamic activity of the Company's OV329 clinical development program. World-leading expert, Dr. Alexander Rotenberg will join company management to discuss the emerging use of a wide range of biomarkers for the study of anti-seizure medicines. The event will take place at Ovid's headquarters in New York's Hudson Yards from 9:30 to 10:30 am ET and will be webcast simultaneously. Sophisticated imaging and radiological tools are increasingly enabling medicines developers to leverage biomarkers earlier in clinical development to identify signals of biological target engagement and pharmacodynamic activity. Discussion will focus on how these tools drive evidence informed approaches in drug development and provide insight into potential clinical outcomes. Ovid management will describe the exploratory biomarkers in use to measure its next-generation GABA-aminotransferase (GABA-AT) inhibitor program, OV329, which is anticipated to have a topline readout in Q3 2025. Keynote speaker: Leading pediatric neurologist and epileptologist Alexander Rotenberg, M.D., Ph.D. Professor of Neurology at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and Director of the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at Boston Children's Hospital, and the Experimental Neurophysiology Core at F.M. Kirby Center of Neurobiology Unfortunately, nearly 40 percent of people living with epilepsy continue to experience seizures despite existing medicines. OV329 is a next-generation GABA-AT inhibitor, that was rationally designed to work differently from current medicines and may offer a novel approach for patients with treatment-resistant seizures. OV329 seeks to endogenously deliver optimal levels of GABA to reduce seizures and provide a preferable safety and tolerability profile relative to the first-generation, GABA-AT inhibitor, vigabatrin. OV329 is currently completing a Phase 1 study that is evaluating its effects on multiple pharmacodynamic biomarkers, safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics. Interested in attending or participating remotely: To register, please visit: Registration Link A live webcast of the presentation can be accessed through the Events & Presentations section of Ovid's website at About Ovid Therapeutics Ovid Therapeutics Inc. is a New York-based biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing small molecule medicines for brain conditions with significant unmet need. The Company is advancing a pipeline of novel, targeted small molecule candidates that modulate the intrinsic and extrinsic factors involved in neuronal hyperexcitability causative of multiple neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. Ovid is developing: OV329, a next-generation GABA-aminotransferase inhibitor, as a potential therapy for treatment-resistant seizures and other undisclosed indications; OV350, OV4071 and others within a library of compounds that directly activate the KCC2 transporter, for multiple CNS disorders. For more information about these and other Ovid research programs, please visit Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes certain disclosures by Ovid that contain 'forward-looking statements' including, without limitation: statements regarding the expected timing of initiation, completion, and results and data of Ovid's clinical studies; the potential use and development of OV329, OV350, OV4071 and other compounds from Ovid's library of direct activators of KCC2; and other statements that are not historical fact. You can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as 'anticipates,' 'believes,' 'expects,' 'intends,' 'may,' 'plan,' 'potentially,' and 'will,' and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions or circumstances). Forward-looking statements are based on Ovid's current expectations and assumptions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements, which are neither statements of historical fact nor guarantees or assurances of future performance. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, without limitation, uncertainties inherent in the preclinical and clinical development and regulatory approval processes, risks related to Ovid's ability to achieve its financial objectives, the risk that Ovid may not be able to realize the intended benefits of its business strategy or unanticipated or greater than anticipated impacts or delays due to macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions. Additional risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are set forth under the caption 'Risk Factors' in Ovid's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ('SEC'), and in subsequent and future filings Ovid makes with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and Ovid assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether because of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law. Media and Investor Relations:Victoria Fort vfort@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CBS News
17-04-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Nurse inspired to work at hospital that treated father now running Boston Marathon to support them
A nurse inspired to work at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital after they treated her father's brain injuries will be running for the hospital this Monday in the Boston Marathon. When Walter Rehak arrived at Spaulding in the back of an ambulance, he had recovered from the worst of his physical injuries. Rehak had survived a rollover crash in Peabody in January 2020. A medical helicopter lifted him from the highway to the hospital where he spent 10 days in a coma. Rehak broke his neck and his nose. He had a nasty gash on his forehead. He also had a Traumatic Brain Injury as a result of the impact. His daughter Sarah Rehak remembers one of the first hopeful signs as he emerged from the coma. "His eyes were still shut and he said, 'Hi, my girl.' And I was like…I lost it. Because I was like, OK, you know that that's what you still call me, you can speak, you remember," said Sarah. In that moment, Sarah knew that her dad remembered their nicknames. He knew who she was. Once he was transferred to Spaulding (part of Mass General Brigham), there were many more hopeful signs. Sarah, who was working as a health care administrator at Boston Children's Hospital at the time, watched his interaction with his doctors, nurses, and therapists. The care he received and the progress he made was striking. "Spaulding did give me hope that he would be OK," said Sarah. "Everyone was so friendly with him, he had his therapist that he loved and all his friends that are the employees. And just the change that they made day-to-day, I was like, I want to do this." It also lit a passion for patient care that inspired a career change. Because of her father's experience and recovery, Sarah left her job as a health care administrator at Boston Children's Hospital, went back to school full-time, and graduated with a nursing degree from the MGH Institute of Health Professions in 2023. She applied for a position at Spaulding even before graduation. The team with an open position was, incredibly, on the hospital's brain injury floor. Sarah began caring for patients where her father relearned the life skills to go home. Rehak remembers how therapists prepared him for life after rehab. "They said I needed speech therapy. I realize now it was brain therapy. They made me put together a schedule for a delivery from Jordan's Furniture. They made me figure out how to take the T from here to there. So, as much as that was my speech therapy, it was really making me think. If you're a Traumatic Brain Injury patient, you've gotta learn how to think," said Rehak. These days, he thinks about how fortunate he is to have recovered so well. Now two years on the job, Sarah knows she is where she is meant to be. "I just feel so at home," she said, smiling. "All the nurses. All the therapists. We work so well together. We are all so connected…I really enjoy coming to work every day. I love my patients, I just want to be the person that can give them a little light, a little optimism." Sharing her family's story often puts patients at ease in a frightening time. "I think it helps them because I've truly been through it. I know how scared they are," said Sarah. Nursing Director Mariana Parga, RN points to Sarah's sunny demeanor as another superpower. "She's always happy. And she has this great story to tell of her dad's success which helps them feel that they can also succeed here. So I think that's truly special," said Parga. Pointing out her dad's old room, 720, Sarah laughs that she and her family used to consider the room the "penthouse" because of its corner position and its view of the Tobin Bridge. Her dad used to watch the traffic on the bridge so that his visitors knew when to make the drive to Spaulding. "Depending on the situation, I'll share my story with the patient who's in that room," said Sarah. One of Sarah's patients is 20-year-old Theo Visco, who came to Spaulding after a skiing accident. "When I first got here, I couldn't even move my right side at all," said Visco. "And now I'm basically walking." He said the consistent support is key. "It just means a lot to actually have that one-on-one connection with someone." On Marathon Monday, Sarah will cross a bridge of her own, from "casual runner" to marathoner. When Spaulding put out the call for Boston Marathon bib number applications, Sarah applied. When she got word that she had been accepted, she was overwhelmed with emotion. "I started crying happy tears and ran into my boss' office. We were just jumping up and down!" Her next thought? "I've gotta start training!" As one of 70 runners on Spaulding's Race for Rehab team, she is also fundraising for the hospital. To date, the team has raised $700,000 on its way to a $950,000 goal. Sarah's dad will be at Mile 16 on the Wellesley-Newton border to cheer her on. His journey to wellness now complete, Sarah said she will dedicate her marathon to the patients at Spaulding who are working to regain their strength right now. "I think me and my family see it as kind of a legacy thing from a standpoint of this is where I got well, started my journey to wellness," said Rehak. "And I think she sees the good that's done here." "They've all gone through traumatic health scares and injuries. And I just want to be the person who can give them a little light, a little optimism that the hardest parts are, hopefully, now over and they're starting their recovery."
Boston Globe
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Trump administration freezes more than $2 billion in funding tied to Harvard
'The harassment of Jewish students is intolerable. It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and commit to meaningful change if they wish to continue receiving taxpayer support,' the statement said. The funding freeze includes $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts, according to the task force, which is a joint enterprise of several federal agencies. Advertisement In an open letter to the campus community Monday afternoon, Harvard president Alan Garber said, 'No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.' That message followed a Friday letter from the task force telling Harvard's leaders to agree to a lengthy list of conditions in order to 'maintain Harvard's financial relationship with the federal government.' The letter directed Harvard to weaken the influence of students and faculty involved in activism on university affairs. It ordered external audits of specific academic programs accused of antisemitism or other forms of bias. It told the school to reorient its admissions and hiring practices to prioritize 'viewpoint diversity' and deemphasize race, religion, and sex. It said the university must 'reform' the way it admits international students to screen out anyone 'hostile' to 'American values' or 'supportive of terrorism or antisemitism.' Advertisement And it demanded that Harvard regularly report various kinds of information to the federal government, including all admissions data and any rule violations by foreign students. In their response Monday, lawyers representing Harvard said the university 'has undertaken substantial policy and programmatic measures' during the last 15 months to fight antisemitism, promote ideological diversity, and maintain order on campus. 'Harvard remains open to dialogue about what the university has done, and is planning to do, to improve the experience of every member of its community. But Harvard is not prepared to agree to demands that go beyond the lawful authority of this or any administration,' the lawyers wrote. It was not immediately clear which grants and contracts were to be frozen. On March 31, the task force announced a review of $9 billion in federal funding destined for Harvard and affiliated institutions, including Mass General Brigham, Boston Children's Hospital, and the Broad Institute. Mike Damiano can be reached at
