The Burness Effect Blog

Honoring Our Veterans with Better Skilled Nursing Homes

The Green House ® Project, a grantee of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is focused on reinventing the nursing home experience for older Americans and is taking steps to improve the lives of those who have served our country.

The Daily Show Asks, What’s Science Up To?

The reality is many scientists are concerned about being a political talking point or a pawn in a larger cultural or political debate. The tragic outcome is that too many scientists use this as a reason to avoid engaging all together.

If the NIH can reduce years and years of amazing research into a few bullet points, you can do the same for your work, or your organization’s efforts.

Four-year universities have long dominated the higher education conversation, but now community colleges—critical to helping Americans gain skills needed in difficult economic times—are finally receiving recognition too. The Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program (a Burness client) recently released its 10 … Continue reading Spotlight on Community College Excellence →

Dental Checkup on Northern Virginia: It’s Not All Smiles

Northern Virginia is one of the wealthiest regions of the country, but it’s not all smiles along the Potomac. A significant portion of Northern Virginians have difficulty accessing needed dental care.

Bioethics Commission Scrutinizes Research Involving Human Subjects

The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues held a two-day hearing in Washington, D.C. where it revealed findings from its investigation into research abuses in Guatemala in the 1940s. The investigation is part of a larger inquiry by the Commission into whether current research standards adequately protect people participating in scientific studies from harm and unethical treatment.

Hope in the Fight Against Malaria

Malaria could be reduced to a minor concern—maybe even eliminated—in the next decade if funders are able to sustain or slightly increase the money they’ve offered in the previous two decades.

The story is ultimately about shared decision making—a model of care that informs and includes patients in decisions about their care. The takeaway message is clear: by informing patients, we can avoid wide variations in care and ensure that the best choices are made regardless of financial incentives that may exist for the doctor.

TED Talks: Learning to Give Memorable Presentations

We often talk in our workshops about the need to be a student of the media to improve your interviewing skills. This holds true when it comes to improving your presentation skills as well—and TED.com is one of the best classrooms available.

An Early Warning System to Help Fight Cholera

Across the developing world, cholera—which hasn’t seriously threatened the U.S. for a century—is a major problem. That’s not likely to change soon. In fact, it is likely to become an even greater scourge. People are still going to suffer. But today, a new early warning system is promising to reduce suffering and deaths from the disease by predicting outbreaks before they start.