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Debate expert on peaceful family discussions and avoiding arguments over the holidays
John Koch, senior lecturer and director of debate, is available for commentary on how to avoid heated political conversations and keep the peace while gathering with friends and family over the holidays. An expert on civil and productive discussions, John's tips include: Listen first: The goal of any discussion should be to understand each other’s perspective. Listen to the other person, and you’re likely to find more areas of common ground. You may even learn something you didn’t know before. Remember to remain receptive to the other person’s point of view. Ask questions: Sure, you may think you already know all the answer, but odds are you don’t. Once you’ve heard the other person out, ask questions to dig a little deeper and broaden your understanding. Be respectful: Having a civil dialogue doesn’t need to be a lost art. You can have a heated discussion without name-calling and put-downs. Don't view the person you’re speaking with as the enemy. Treat others how you would like to be treated, and offer facts and evidence wherever possible to bolster your points. Don’t try to win: If you go into a discussion hoping to “win the argument,” you’re going about it wrong. Seek understanding first. If winning and losing are your only options, you’re missing the point. Talk about something else: Sure, it’s important to engage with others on topics that you feel passionately about – but be conscious if the conversation is going in the wrong direction. It’s not worth spoiling your dinner (or damaging a relationship). Find another topic and move on.
Top Tips for Families Navigating COVID-19 This Holiday Season
The winter holidays are just around the corner, and unfortunately, COVID-19 remains a serious consideration, especially for families with young children. While the approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination for children ages 5 to 11 gives great hope and increased protection to many, there are still some precautions to take in order to keep everyone safe. Villanova University's Michelle Kelly, PhD, CRNP, CNE, offers her top tips for a healthy and happy holiday season, especially for those too young or unable to be vaccinated: Know before you go. In order to make an informed decision for your family, it is important to know if all eligible adults and children attending the gathering are vaccinated. Keep your mask on while indoors. Family gatherings may include people from various locations and households. Each added guest increases your chance of exposure. Wearing a mask protects you and them. Dine alfresco. Fall and winter weather notwithstanding, consider eating outdoors. If it is not possible to do so, make sure your indoor space is well-ventilated. Wash your hands. Don't forget, COVID-19 is not the only virus out there. Continue to practice proper hygiene. Wash your hands, cover your cough and stay home if you or anyone in your family is showing signs of the flu, COVID-19 or any other illness.
Consumer behavior expert and former "Survivor" contestant on holiday deals and scarcity
Kelly Goldsmith, professor of marketing, is available for commentary on holiday deals and anticipated scarcity due to supply chain issues. Kelly is a former Survivor contestant, which influenced her research into consumer behavior in the wake of scarcity. She is an expert in how people think and act when faced with limited availability of what they need and how they perceive competition when it comes to purchasing items that are in limited supply. Topics she can discuss include: How and why the combination of sales and perceived scarcity prompts consumers to behave selfishly (such as buying out entire stock) and other anticipated consumer behaviors and attitudes this holiday season How to plan ahead and find the best deals well in advance and stick to a budget when there are too many good deals to pass up How to keep your cool in the demanding, stressful environment
UConn expert weighs in on controversial statue debate at the Connecticut Capitol
What should be the fate of the large statue commemorating John Mason that adorns the Connecticut State Capitol Building? He’s a historic figure and founder of the Connecticut Colony. He also left a legacy of violence and murder, with more than 400 Indigenous people, including 175 women and children, killed under his command. And whether to let his statue stand or remove it has engaged a debate from leading experts, historians, relatives of Mason, and the Indigenous community across the state. UConn’s Manisha Sinha was asked to lend her expertise to the situation: Manisha Sinha, a University of Connecticut professor of 19th century U.S. history, said she is a veteran of debates about the fate of statues memorializing Confederate leaders as well as founding fathers who owned slaves. “I have advocated for the taking down of statues that commemorate Confederate leaders and generals, who I see as traitors to the American republic, fighting for the worst cause in American history, as General Grant put it, in the cause of human bondage,” Sinha said. “On the other hand, I have opposed the taking down of statues of some of our founding fathers, revolutionary figures who did not defend slavery as a positive good.” Sinha said history can be complex, and great men of history can be flawed. “The Mason massacre is not a complex story,” she said. “It was a sheer massacre of non-combatants and of women, children and elders. We cannot excuse this by pointing to internecine warfare among Native Americans.” Mason’s statue is not necessary to teach history, she said. “I think it is high time that you think of removing John Mason’s statue,” Sinha said. “It cannot be contextualized. We do not remember history by statues, especially not in the monumental 19th century forms. We actually end up commemorating people, making them heroic.” November 18 – The CT Mirror This is a sensitive and very important topic as America reconciles with its past and moves forward as a country. And, if you are a journalist covering this topic, then let our experts help with your in-depth coverage and questions. Manisha Sinha is the Draper Chair in American History at the University of Connecticut and the author of "The Slave's Cause: A History of Abolition." She is an expert in the era of America during the 19th Century and available to speak with media regarding this topic – simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview today.
Flavoured vapes less harmful to young people than smoking, could help teen smokers quit
Flavoured vapes are much less harmful to young people than smoking, and could help teen smokers quit tobacco – according to new research from the University of East Anglia. A new study published today looks at young peoples’ use of vape flavours, reporting the views and experiences of more than 500,000 under 18s. It finds that flavours are an important aspect of vaping that young people enjoy, suggesting that flavoured products may help them switch away from harmful tobacco smoking. But the researchers warn that more needs to be done to make sure that youngsters who have never smoked are not attracted to vaping. Lead researcher, Prof Caitlin Notley, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, said: “There has been a lot of concern that young people may start vaping because they are attracted to e-liquid flavours, and that it could potentially lead them to start smoking tobacco. “We wanted to find out more about the links between vape flavours, the uptake of vaping among young people, and whether it leads to regular vaping and, potentially, tobacco smoking.” The research team studied all available evidence (58 studies) on young peoples’ use of e-liquid flavours. Prof Notley said: “We found that flavoured e-liquids are an important aspect of vaping that young people enjoy. This suggests that flavoured products may encourage young people to switch away from harmful tobacco smoking towards less harmful vaping. “Flavours may be an important motivator for e-cigarette uptake – but we found no evidence that using flavoured e-liquids attracted young people to go on to take up tobacco smoking. “And we also found no adverse effects or harm caused by using liquid vape flavours. “However, there is also a need to monitor flavour use to ensure that young people who have never smoked are not attracted to taking up vaping. “Ensuring the continued availability of a range of e-liquid flavours is likely to be important in encouraging young people who smoke to switch to vaping as a less harmful alternative,” she added. The team found that the overall quality of the evidence on use of e-cigarette flavours by young people was low. In particular, many studies did not clearly define e-liquid flavours and could not therefore be included within the review. The study was led by UEA in collaboration with researchers at University College London, the University of Bristol and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust. ‘Youth Use of E-Liquid Flavours – A systematic review exploring patterns of use of e liquid flavours and associations with continued vaping, tobacco smoking uptake, or cessation’ is published in the journal Addiction on November 17, 2021.
With mask wearing and social distancing on the decline and the cold and flu season upon us, researchers have developed a viral panel that enables the simultaneous testing for SARS-CoV-2 along with numerous common respiratory viruses, that tells us whether other viruses also are at play in patients hard hit by COVID. This new genetic epidemiology tool that provides detailed genetic information about the viruses present when packaged with a molecular immunology model called Nextstrain also enables researchers to assess the novel viral variants that are circulating in a state or nation and patterns for their spread with the goal of helping predict and mitigate future outbreaks, says Dr. Ravindra Kolhe, director of the Georgia Esoteric and Molecular Laboratory, or GEM Lab, at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. Deficits in SARS-CoV-2 monitoring and keeping tabs on other co-circulating respiratory viruses have been public health challenges during the pandemic, Kolhe and his colleagues report in the journal Viruses. Coinfection is a reality, Kolhe says with these respiratory viruses that we unwittingly transmit through the air when we cough, sneeze, even talk, particularly when we are in close quarters for long periods like hospitals, nursing homes, schools and potentially even our workplace. Another reality is that coinfections can have the compounding effect of worsening symptoms and outcomes, much as we have all heard that co-morbid conditions like diabetes and hypertension can do, he says. Particularly when patients are not doing well, looking for other respiratory viruses with the new panel could help provide insight on why and possibly new directions on how to help, he says. The more expansive panel is more expensive than straight COVID testing, which will remain the frontline test in this pandemic, Kolhe predicts. While the cold and flu season were essentially a wash last year because of COVID precautions like mask wearing — in fact the coinfection rate in the group they studied was under 1% — he and others are concerned the cold and flu season now upon us will be very different even with vaccination initiatives for both COVID and the flu. We’ve attached the full article – and it is well worth reading given the timing of flu season and another potential wave of COVID emerging globally. This is a fascinating topic and if you are a journalist covering the latest advancements in the effort to contain and eradicate COVID-19 – then let our leading experts help with your coverage and questions. Ravindra Kolhe is a Molecular and Genetic Pathologist, involved in identifying and validating cutting-edge platforms for diagnostic medicine. He’s also the Director of the Georgia Esoteric & Molecular Laboratory at Augusta University. If you are looking to arrange an interview with Dr. Kolhe – simply click on his icon now to find a time to talk today.
'Tangled Up' reveals science and history of Alzheimer's
A new book from leading University of East Anglia dementia expert Prof Michael Hornberger investigates the science and history of Alzheimer's disease. 'Tangled Up - The science and history of Alzheimer's disease' is available as a paperback or e-book. Prof Hornberger researches groups that are at higher risk of developing dementia (because of genetics, lifestyle or their other health condition) and works to help reduce this risk or delay the symptoms of dementia. He also explores the nature of support for those who have been diagnosed with dementia and helping the patients and their families and carers prepare for the future. His background is as a neuroscientist and his work involves using innovative techniques (such as online games and driver behaviour) to identify the spatial or navigation issues that can occur long before before diagnosis of dementia and before the traditional impacts on memory arise. He developed the mobile game Sea Hero Quest that can detect people at risk of Alzheimer's. His work enables early prediction of the likelihood of dementia (sometimes a decade ahead) and the opportunity to manage the onset and reduce risk by as much as 30 per cent. Prof Michael Hornberger, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, said: “Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia in the UK. It affects around one in 14 people over the age of 65 and one in every six people over the age or 80 – and it can affect memory, thinking skills and other mental abilities. “I wanted to write a book to help people better understand the science and history of Alzheimer’s disease. “It covers everything from the causes of Alzheimer’s, through to why people with Alzheimer’s ‘live in the past’ and practical advice for how people can reduce the risk of developing it. “At the end of the book, you will have become an Alzheimer’s disease science expert and can use your newfound knowledge to untangle this devastating disease,” he added.
The Case for Career Advocates: An Organization Is Not a Meritocracy
“This blog post is the first in a three-part series that summarizes the key messages I deliver to my students, in the hopes that it can catalyze and support the career success of a broader group of ambitious employees who aspire to make it to the C-Suite,” writes Renee Dye 94PhD, associate professor in the practice of Organization & Management. “Most of my lessons are derived from my own unlikely personal journey from literary scholar to top-tier management consultant to C-suite executive for a publicly traded company, but they are also heavily informed by leading researchers like Sylvia Anne Hewlett. In the final blog, I discuss the impact of remote work on career success.” One of the paradoxes of the Gen-Zs and Generation Alphas is their intuitive understanding of the phenomenon of social media…at the same time they maintain an almost ideological conviction that the workplace – apart from systemic biases – is otherwise a meritocracy, where talent is perfectly and objectively evaluated – and the best and most deserving rise to the top. Surely a cursory exploration of Instagram and TikTok would convince even the most skeptical of the fundamentally idiosyncratic nature of success in a networked world? The Real World is likewise characterized by outcomes in which success is imperfectly correlated with capability level. Someone whose capability level is less than yours may lap you in the race to the top of the organization. That may seem unfair, but that’s because you’re making the mistake of assuming that career success is predicated purely on capability. A survey of MBA graduates from my school a few years ago produced a startling insight: of all the skills that we provided to our students during their MBA tenures, our students felt most unprepared to navigate “organizational politics” in their careers. The reason that I found this fact so astonishing is that today’s students, who are Digital Natives and in part Social Media Natives, are the most connected and self-promoting generation the world has ever seen. Yet today I find that my students continue to exhibit little practical understanding of how career success is forged…so much so that I now devote an entire class session in my core Strategy class to demonstrating the importance of relationship management and advocacy cultivation. Capability is not unimportant; far from it. As I tell my students, though, capability is table stakes these days as the level of education and skill sets continues to advance among individuals. If you’re not smart and capable you’re not getting in the door. But once you’re in, your career path and ultimate career success will be more determined by (1) your level of aspiration and unflagging commitment to achieving your goals; (2) your performance outcomes in your individual roles; (3) your work ethic and conscientiousness; and (4) the relationships you have with other people within your organization. And the relationships that matter the most are the individuals with influence and power over your future career opportunities. Let me put it starkly: without career advocates (notice the plural), it will be much, much harder to make it to the senior management ranks. Full stop. Some facts to bear this assertion out: • People with advocates are 23% more likely to move up in the careers • Women with advocates are 22% more likely to ask for a stretch assignment to build their reputations as leaders Ultimately, having an advocate confers a career benefit of 22-30%, depending on who’s doing the asking and what they’re asking for. That’s increasing your odds of making it to the C-Suite by nearly a third! If anecdotal evidence is more your thing, here are a couple of quotations for you: • A lot of decisions are made when you are not in the room, so you need someone to advocate for you, bring up the important reasons you should advance” (Catalyst Survey, as quoted in Elizabeth McDaid, “Mentor vs. Sponsor,” September 3, 2019) • When you get to the level in your career when decisions are not just being made by an individual manager, feedback from other leaders becomes crucial. Rosalind Hudnell, Chief Diversity Officer, Intel. As quoted in Hewlett, Sylvia Ann, Melinda Marshall, and Laura Sherbin. “The Relationship You Need to Get Right,” HBR 2011) • “I was great at building businesses and had tons of cheerleaders, but I had that typical Asian keep-your-head-down-and-you’ll-get-taken-care-of mindset.” My boss had to take me aside and tell me that if I didn’t actively cultivate her as my sponsor, I would never progress beyond senior associate” (quoted in Hewlett, Sylvia Ann, Melinda Marshall, and Laura Sherbin. “The Relationship You Need to Get Right,” HBR 2011) To reiterate: an organization is not purely a meritocracy where talent and hard work speak for themselves; and it’s much, much harder to advance within an organization without effective advocates. Renee Dye is an Professor in the Practice of Organization & Management at Goizueta Business School. For more insight and to continue reading this article and series, please visit Dye’s blog. To arrange an interview – simply click on Dye’s icon now to book a time today.
When investors are deciding whether to put their capital into a company, they typically take a breadth of different factors into account. Earnings, performance, market share—all of these are critical, for sure. But equally important is belief in the talent and capabilities of the organization, and its most visible human face: its CEO. How a CEO comes across at key touchpoints such as earnings calls can significantly shape investors’ perceptions of his or her abilities. We know from research that even subtle things like tone of voice can increase—or diminish—shareholder confidence. So, too, can subliminal emotional or behavioral cues in speech. But what about something arguably more obvious and easier to quantify? What about accent? Until now, remarkably little attention has been given to how much sway a CEO’s accent has on investors’ impressions or attitudes. We simply don’t know whether chief executives with “foreign” accents fare better or worse with shareholders than native US-English speaking counterparts. And this subject matters. It’s estimated that as many as 9% of all companies in the US and more than 11% of Fortune 500 firms are run today by foreign-born chief executives. How investors perceive these CEOs relative to native speakers could have major implications for hundreds of thousands of organizations. Shedding compelling new light on this is new research by Goizueta PhD candidate Leonardo Barcellos, and Schaefer Chaired Professor of Accounting Kathryn Kadous. Together they have produced a study that suggests that accent does matter – though perhaps not in the way that many of us might think. That study and the entire article is attached – and well worth the read. And if you are a journalist looking to learn more about this topic – then let our experts help. Kathryn Kadous is the Schaefer Chaired Professor of Accounting and Director and Associate Dean of PhD Program at Goizueta Business School. She is available to speak with media – simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview.
Aston University professor named world expert in type 2 diabetes mellitus
Aston University professor emeritus, Cliff Bailey has been named as a world expert in type 2 diabetes mellitus by Expertscape, based on his research publications over the last ten years. Expertscape is designed to help find the most knowledgeable physicians and health professionals in the world. It objectively ranks people and institutions by their expertise in more than 27,000 biomedical topics. The announcement coincides with World Diabetes Day on 14 November – which marks the birthday of Frederick Banting, one of the discoverers of insulin. Cliff Bailey, professor of clinical science, and his colleagues in the College of Health and Life Sciences contributed key information to the development of metformin, now the most prescribed medicine in the world for the treatment of type 2 diabetes which is also on the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) list of essential medicines. More recently Cliff has been involved in the development of a new class of agents called SGLT2 inhibitors which are being used alongside metformin in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Professor Cliff Bailey said: “I’m really pleased that our work continues to help people with diabetes to control their blood glucose and stay healthy.” Cliff has received several awards including the Banting Memorial Lecture Award – the highest award of Diabetes UK - and the Outstanding Achievement Award of the Lunar Society. Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes that affects more than 400 million people worldwide, including over four million people in the UK. It usually develops in middle or later life, is characterised by excess glucose in the blood, and usually results from a combination of impaired production and impaired activity of the hormone insulin. Type 2 diabetes has extensive detrimental effects on the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, eyes and nerves, and accounts for about 10% of the NHS budget.
