Jack Olsen

Hey You! Leadership U

Now this is a great program, and one I had some input into many years ago!
Bayer’s Leadership U is a six-week, paid summer internship program starting in June for certain qualified young people with hemophilia. Applications are due Friday, February 12, 2016 and interns will be selected by Friday, March 18, 2016. All housing, travel and related activities will be organized and underwritten by Bayer. I mean, does it get any better? 

Selected interns will:
·        Engage in leadership training and
hands-on business projects
·        Learn how to support the hemophilia
community as a potential future leader
·        Participate in formal training on
communication skills, effective problem solving and leadership
·        Spend time with mentors within
Bayer to gain insights into the inner workings of the various corporate
departments — emphasizing the importance of collaboration
·        Collaborate with local hemophilia
organizations and learn about efforts to support the hemophilia community and partnerships
with business professionals
·        Be responsible for developing a
project that will be presented to Bayer senior management

The program also includes a meeting with healthcare public policy professionals
in Washington D.C., a community advocacy-focused visit to the National
Hemophilia Foundation in New York City, and activities with Bayer’s partners. Incredible.

This is a unique and powerful program that will teach you a tremendous amount of business, nonprofit and advocacy skills. Apply today!

Read about past interns’ experience here!

Great Book I Just Read

The Night of the Grizzlies [Kindle]
Jack Olsen

Master true-crime storyteller Olsen recounts the true tale of a bizarre night in 1967 at Glacier National Park, when a perfect storm of humans, bears, lax policies, and inexperienced rangers came together after grizzlies attacked two 19-year-old girls in one night in separate attacks. Why did they attack? What did the humans do wrong? How did the campers and rangers react after the attacks? It was a wake up call from hell, as those involved realized that just because grizzlies had not attacked a human in 57 years, they are still wild and unpredictable. Edge of the seat thriller, page turner. It is heart-wrenching, sad but powerful. I’m now an official Jack Olsen fan. Four/five stars.

Blood: Time to Donate!

 

National Hemophilia Foundation recommends recombinant factor as the standard of choice for treatment of hemophilia, but did you know that many factor products used to treat
hemophilia are developed from human blood, specifically human plasma? In fact, one person with hemophilia can require up to 1,200 plasma donations for a one year’s supply of factor
products. Plasma products are especially important for those undergoing immune tolerance therapy to treat inhibitors, for those with von Willebrand disease and for those in developing countries.
 
And plasma can come from you! Think of making a blood donation, during this time of Thanksgiving and holidays.
 
First, learn a bit more about plasma, Plasma is the straw-colored liquid that makes up
approximately 55 percent of total blood volume. A single liter of plasma yields
coagulation factors essential for blood clotting, immunoglobulins used to
combat viruses and bacterial infections, and albumin, a major plasma protein
that regulates blood volume and other essential functions.
 
In addition to treating hemophilia, plasma-derived therapies
are used in everyday medicines, emergency and critical care situations, as well
as preventive medicine. Albumin, for example, is used to treat burns, shock,
trauma, liver conditions and cardiopulmonary illnesses; immunoglobulins are
indicated for Rh incompatibility, pediatric HIV, hepatitis, and animal bites.
 
Plasma is an expensive raw material and represents between 40 to 60 percent of the cost
of plasma-derived product production. This is due primarily to its biologic
nature: plasma protein therapies are not interchangeable, have no generic
variations or substitutions, and are defined as sole-source biologic products
by global regulators.
 
Since plasma is biological in nature, complex regulation and
oversight measures are in place—including collection, processing, and storage
and handling requirements—to ensure plasma donor health, as well as product
purity and efficacy for patients.
 
The majority of the world’s plasma comes from plasma donors
in the U.S. Collectively, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and its Center
for Biologics and Research (CEBR) are responsible for regulatory oversight of
the U.S. blood supply. Blood collection centers are either registered or
licensed by the FDA, and are held to quality standards comparable to those of pharmaceutical
manufacturers. Blood establishments located outside of the U.S. that import or
offer for import blood products are also required to register with the FDA.  
 
CEBR regulates the collection of blood and blood components
used for transfusions, as well as for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals
derived from blood and blood components. CEBR develops and enforces quality
standards, inspects blood establishments and monitors reports of errors,
accidents and adverse clinical events.
 
Manufacturing processes begin with fractionation,
followed by purification and virus inactivation. Fractionation is a time
consuming and complex process that extracts, or “fractions off,” specific
plasma proteins that have a proven health benefit. Fractionation requires
multiple processing steps, which involve manipulating solution pH, temperature,
ionic strength and alcohol concentration.
 
Once fractionated, plasma proteins are further subjected to
virus inactivation, a complex purification processes that includes prion
removal, nanofiltration, solvent/detergent
treatments and incubation, to ensure sterility and purity of the final product.
The complete manufacturing process, from plasma collection at a donor
center to the FDA’s lot release, takes seven to 12 months.

 

So donate now! Next year at this time, your donation could be used to save a life!
 
Sponsored by ASD Healthcare.
 
Great Book I Just Read
The Climb to Hell  [Kindle]
Jack Olsen
 
Olsen sure can write a page-turner. In 1957, one of the most audacious and stunning rescues to ever take place occurred on the north face of the Eiger, one of the most notoriously difficult challenges to scale, located in the heart of the Swiss Alps. The Eiger is feared for its avalanches, fast-changing weather, and sheer facade. When two poorly-prepared Italians set off to make history by being the first Italians to scale it, they become stuck for eight days, in zero-degree weather, unable to get off the mountain. This launches an international rescue effort, that leads to surprising outcomes, including national rivalry, clashing personalities, extreme risk taking and uncertain success. Fantastic story, well told and must-reading by all mountaineers. Four/five stars.
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