Latest news with #Rubenstein
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Health
- Boston Globe
RFK Jr.'s $50M autism initiative sparks hope and skepticism
But researchers are also hopeful that such a financial windfall may generate new insights into the causes of a complex condition that affects millions of children in the United States. The number of children diagnosed with autism, which affects how people communicate and interact with the world, continues to rise. The The increased prevalence is attributed to improved access to screening, the CDC has said. 'This [initiative] is an opportunity to supercharge what we are doing,' said Advertisement 'If we get the money,' Rubenstein said, 'I think we can do a lot of what the [National Institutes of Health] wants us to do, but then we'll have this resource that we can look at outcomes of particular interest … to support the autism community.' When Kennedy first made his pledge in April to determine the causes of autism, researchers worried it could undermine decades of science by promoting discredited theories linking vaccines to autism. The The initiative's guidelines do not specifically list vaccines as a potential nongenetic factor to be studied, but do include pharmaceutical exposure as one possible influence. Often, researchers face hurdles trying to combine different large databases because of incompatible formats. BU scientist, Her proposed mega-dataset would combine census data, including median income, along with other sources, such as proximity to health care and autism specialists in different communities, to see if there are common trends. Advertisement 'A big part of this application is to not only see if we ... answer questions, but also figure out where the gaps are in research,' Dukes said. She, however, has reservations that the data she provides might be misconstrued by people who oppose vaccines. 'But that can happen anywhere,' Dukes said. 'I hope good science, in this case, wins.' Between 10 and 25 grants are expected to be awarded, with most not expected to exceed $5 million for each two- or three-year project, according to the NIH's guidelines. By comparison, the most common NIH grant typically averages a fraction of that amount, A It also expressed concern that NIH staff, under the initiative's guidelines, will be involved in the grant review process itself and have far greater involvement in the execution of the funded projects than is standard. The process, it said in a statement, 'lacks transparency in the awarding and execution of the research to be conducted.' Still, Rubenstein, from BU, said the larger grants would give him a chance to amass more data than he is able with much smaller NIH awards. His proposal aims to create a massive dataset combining health insurance claims from Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurers, along with census data to, for instance, provide researchers with a clearer picture of autism's prevalence by Zip code. That may help shed more light on the link between environmental exposures and autism. Advertisement Lee has found that some medications taken during pregnancy, 'The way that science had been done before by myself and everyone else is, we looked at suspect medications one at a time, or a handful of drugs,' he said. 'It's a great opportunity to do work in this area. I think everyone, regardless of political affiliation, is interested in the health and well-being of our children and our population,' Lee said. 'Hopefully, some good will come of this funding opportunity.' Mriganka Sur, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and director of the 'I do remain worried and even a little skeptical of the goals of this,' said Sur, who turned down an NIH request to review the grant applications because data science is not his expertise. But, he added, 'it behooves us to support things that can lead to good science. And, as of now, it is possible, even likely, that some good work will come out of this.' Advertisement Kay Lazar can be reached at
Sky News AU
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Australian government's response to Iran-Israel conflict slammed as ‘disappointing'
AIJAC NSW Chairman Paul Rubenstein discusses the Australian government's 'disappointing' response to the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel. 'The statements from our Foreign Minister and Prime Minister, they did recognise the threat to the international world order and to Israel, so that is a good thing,' Mr Rubenstein told Sky News host Chris Kenny. 'I don't know why they didn't follow that up with a dose of reality, and then to sort of talk about the path through to this being dialogue and diplomacy. 'Unfortunately, it's just not grounded in any form of reality … my reaction is one of really, I suppose, disappointment.'
Sky News AU
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Escalating Iran-Israel conflict ‘not surprising' given longstanding tensions
AIJAC NSW Chairman Paul Rubenstein claims the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel is 'not surprising,' given longstanding regional tensions. 'I think the timing is clearly a surprise to everybody, I mean the Israelis clearly did take advantage of the situation and the talks and the Iranian complacency … but the fact that it's actually happening is not surprising to Israelis at all,' Mr Rubenstein told Sky News host Chris Kenny. 'This is a regime which is maniacal ... it's been threatening to wipe out the Jewish people in Israel for decades. 'Everyone has known that a time will come where this actually has to be dealt with, that words are not the way to solve this.'
Sky News AU
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Missile strikes on Tel Aviv ‘quite scary' amid rising Iran-Israel tensions
AIJAC NSW Chairman Paul Rubenstein discusses the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, describing the missile strikes on Tel Aviv as 'quite scary'. 'Israelis have been conditioned to this for a very long time, unfortunately,' Mr Rubenstein told Sky News host Chris Kenny. 'They're familiar with what has to happen, but this is another order of magnitude … what we have now is indiscriminate ballistic missiles. 'This is really quite scary.'
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Clear Investment Group expands leadership ahead of new equity fund
This story was originally published on Multifamily Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Multifamily Dive newsletter. As Clear Investment Group gears up to launch its second investment fund, the Chicago-based workforce housing investor has made several additions to its leadership team, including four new hires and one promotion, according to a press release shared with Multifamily Dive. The company's new leaders have joined its acquisitions, asset management, technology and finance teams. Matt Kleifges has been named senior director of asset and property management, responsible for optimizing property performance. Kleifges was formerly the senior vice president and head of asset management and hospitality at Detroit-based City Club Apartments, according to his LinkedIn profile. Steve Duguid has joined the company as director of construction and capital projects. Duguid is a licensed architect with experience in project management. In his new role, he will oversee capital improvements and construction initiatives in CIG's portfolio. Steve Taylor, CIG's new director of technology, is experienced in artificial intelligence integration and Yardi property management software. His work will include implementing technology-driven solutions to drive operational efficiencies and data-driven decision-making, according to the release. John Adams is CIG's new financial controller, contributing to Clear's financial management and reporting. Adams was previously a financial analyst manager at Chicago-based nonprofit Envision Unlimited, according to his LinkedIn profile. In addition, Lindsay Rodriguez, formerly a member of CIG's asset and property management team, has been promoted to director of acquisitions. In her new role, Rodriguez will identify and secure investment opportunities for the company in collaboration with its CEO, Amy Rubenstein. 'Our new team members represent a significant investment in our infrastructure and underscore our commitment to excellence as we continue to grow with the launch of Fund II,' Rubenstein said in the release. 'We are proud of the progress we've made and excited for what lies ahead as we expand our capabilities and position ourselves for long-term success.' With Rodriguez in her new role, Rubenstein will focus her work on deal origination and underwriting, according to the release. CIG is in the process of raising $300 million through its Clear Opportunities Fund II to acquire workforce properties around the country. It intends to acquire roughly 9,000 units with these funds and reposition them in order to enhance their performance. 'The fund is acquiring large, 500-unit-plus multifamily portfolios in secondary and tertiary markets throughout the US, with a focus on submarkets where household income is $35,000 to $75,000 — really the heart of working America,' Rubenstein told Multifamily Dive in March. Recommended Reading Senior housing investors expect rent growth in 2023 Error 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
