X-ology Magazine - Fall 2015

A publication of

EXPLORING MICHIGAN’S EMERGING TECH SECTORS FALL 2015 $3.99

+ OcuSciences streamlines eye disease diagnosis + Dr. Betty Chu takes on healthcare challenges + Unearthing unexpected treasures

TRACKING

INNOVATION IN MEDICINE Advances at Southeast Michigan health systems put patients first

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FALL 2015 VOLUME 9, NUMBER 4

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When Mr. Moore started in the business over 45 years ago, Lyndon Johnson returned to power after a landslide victory. It was also the year the Beatles took the world and America by storm and Beatlemania went into overdrive as they released a series of number-one hits, including “I Want to Hold Your Hand”

WHERE TECHNOLOGY MEETS LIFESTYLE

features

20 people profile

Dr. Betty Chu on healthcare challenges

22 business profile

OcuSciences streamlines eye disease diagnosis

26 focus on

12

technology

Tracking innovation in Michigan health systems

34 lifestyle

Unearthing the unexpected

and “All My Loving.” Other British groups

34

also found success, including the Rolling Stones and the Animals. Together, with the American talent of the Supremes and Bob Dylan, many say this was one of the greatest years for music in the last century.

Also, one young, loud, talented boxer by the name of Cassius Clay won the boxing world heavyweight championship from Sonny Liston. Sony also introduced the first VCR Home Video Recorder.

departments 4

editor’s letter

6

automation alley update Views and news from Automation Alley

10

metro retro Dishwashers put an end to drudgery

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12 tech+design

Golf on the fast track

16

education kaleidoscope Students and puppies cross paths at OU School of Engineering

40

expert outlook Community colleges coming of age

42

making the scene Area tech events

14 newsmakers

Tech programs for kids; cities

of the future; revolutionary

sleep study app

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editor'sletter ANGIE BAAN

www.xologymagazine.com

E DI TOR I A L

I

f you’re anything like me, you’re often wondering “what’s next?” in the world of high tech. Just keeping up with the onslaught of new apps can seem like a fulltime job, so it’s hard to imagine how large institutions like healthcare systems decide which tech innovations to bring on board.

In this fall issue of X-OLOGY Magazine, writer Ilene Wolff connected with several of the region’s leading healthcare systems to find out about the innovations they’ve chosen to help advance patient care. Her Focus on Tech article uncovers integrated wireless tech that makes one hospital safer and more comfortable for patients; a new way to diagnose stroke via telemedicine; an innovative technique to improve aggressive prostate cancer diagnosis; and partnerships that help children with hand and arm deficiencies to live more productive lives.

In our People Profile, Dr. Betty Chu, chief medical officer and vice president of medical affairs at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, talks about technology’s role in the healthcare industry. Dr. Chu, who went from practicing medicine to overseeing a health system, also discusses her leadership role and how the innovative thinking of leaders in other industries, including the military, has influenced her.

Our Business Profile features OcuSciences, recipient of Oakland County’s Medical Main Street 2014 “Innovator of the Year” award. The company’s OcuMet Beacon is a new tool that helps doctors diagnose eye-related health issues — diabetes, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration — before these diseases can cause irreversible damage. The OcuMet Beacon may one day help healthcare providers detect even more diseases in their early stages for better outcomes.

Switching gears from patients to puppies, our Education Kaleidoscope features Oakland University’s Senior Design Program, partnering students with businesses in need of engineering talent to help meet specific challenges. Leader Dogs for the Blind, for example, needed help designing a transport system and operating tables for the puppies being trained to serve as guide dogs. This and other working partnerships give students hands-on problem-solving experience and provide companies with the engineering talent they need.

Finally, our Lifestyle article features some unique places to shop for antiques, all within driving distance. You just might find that perfect piece you’ve been searching for or discover a rare treasure. It’s all part of the thrill of the hunt.

As always, we invite you to share your thoughts about this issue of X-OLOGY Magazine, and please send your ideas for future articles. Your feedback is a great resource.

Jane Racey Gleeson Editor jane@XOLOGYmagazine.com 4

FALL 2015 • X-OLOGY

EDITOR | Jane Racey Gleeson EDITORIAL ADVISORS Ken Rogers Erin Sommerville COPY EDITOR Judy Solomon CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Julie Baumkel Nicole Kampe Jeanine Matlow Ilene Wolff

Peter Haapaniemi Maggie Lane Leslie Mertz

C R E AT I V E CREATIVE DIRECTOR | Alex Lumelsky CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Dietrich Vaughn Gurganian Stephanie Sokol Max Wedge PRODUCTION | SKY Creative

P U B LI S H I NG PUBLISHED BY RDE ENTERPRISES INC. Publisher | R. David Eick PRINTED BY GRAPHICS EAST Account Executive | Chuck Rymal A DV E RT I S I NG MANAGING DIRECTOR, SALES AND MARKETING | R. David Eick ACCOUNT MANAGERS Scott Cooper Greg “Porky” Campbell INTERNAL ACCOUNT MANAGER Joseph P. Pietrangeli FOR ADVERTISING CONTACT: 248.231.8067 or david@xologymagazine.com X-OLOGY IS A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE PUBLISHED FOR AUTOMATION ALLEY. THE MISSION OF X-OLOGY IS TO UNCOVER THE MOST SURPRISING AND RESONANT STORIES ABOUT THE PEOPLE, COMPANIES, TECHNOLOGIES AND IDEAS THAT ARE TRANSFORMING SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN. THE PUBLICATION IS DISTRIBUTED TO 20,000 IN 8 COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN AND THE CITY OF DETROIT. FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS, PLEASE CALL 248-231-8067.

ALL CONTENT HEREIN IS THE PROPERTY OF RDE ENTERPRISES, INC., AND CANNOT BE COPIED, REPRODUCED, DISTRIBUTED OR REPUBLISHED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF RDE ENTERPRISES. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO X-OLOGY MAGAZINE, P.O. BOX 38, BIRMINGHAM, MI 48012

Reliable, modernized grid Energy is essential to the way we live, work and play.

ITC operates, builds and maintains the region’s electric transmission infrastructure. We’re a Michiganbased company working hard to improve electric reliability and increase electric transmission capacity throughout the Midwest.

We’re ITC – your energy superhighway.

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automationalleyupdate Lighthouse Molding was the first company accepted in the Automation Alley 7Cs™ program. Located in Sterling Heights, the company is a leader in low-pressure overmolding to encapsulate and protect electronic assemblies. Shown here is the company’s Sureshot™ machine, which uses two manufacturing stations to overmold assemblies with one or multiple configurations.

automation alley launches 7Cs™ second stage In September, Automation Alley launched 7Cs™ Second Stage, the next phase of the highly successful 7Cs™ program for advanced manufacturing entrepreneurs.

The 7Cs program was created to help entrepreneurs in Southeast Michigan accelerate the commercialization of their products, services or technologies. 7Cs™ Second Stage is geared toward manufacturing- and technology-based companies in Southeast Michigan with five to 50 employees and less than $20

million in annual revenue.

“The success of the first phase of the 7Cs™ program led us to ask why we could not offer such a compelling package to our second stage companies, who wrestle with the same issues but on a larger and more immediate scale,” says Tom Kelly, COO of Automation Alley. “7Cs™ Second Stage is the answer.”

Companies accepted into the year-long program will receive intensive business coaching, a professionally produced sales

video and a complimentary year-long membership in Automation Alley. Together, these services are valued at $26,000, but they are available through the program for $19,950.

Low-interest loans are available to eligible participants to fully defray the upfront costs of the program, with principle and interest payments deferred for two years.

Automation Alley plans to accept 10 to 12 new companies into the program each year. For more information, visit automationalley.com.

about automation alley®

Automation Alley is a technology business association and business accelerator dedicated to growing the economy of Southeast Michigan and enhancing the region’s reputation around the world. Automation Alley offers talent and business development programs and matchmaking services to tech-focused businesses of all sizes — from startups to large corporations — to help them grow and prosper.

Since its founding in 1999, Automation Alley’s membership has grown to include nearly 1,000 businesses, educational institutions, government entities and nonprofit organizations from the city of Detroit and the surrounding eight-county region. Automation Alley provides a variety of exclusive benefits to its members to help them succeed, including networking opportunities, meeting space and public relations tools.

Automation Alley also serves the general business community in five key areas: entrepreneurship, talent development, international business services, emerging technologies, and defense and manufacturing.

Automation Alley collaborates with regional partners to provide its members and clients with the best business resources available, to drive local economic growth, and to positively influence the stories being told around the globe about the people and businesses of Greater Detroit.

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FALL 2015 • X-OLOGY

7Cs SECOND

™

STAGE AutoAlley_HalfPageHorz_7CsSecondStage.indd 1

ACTIVATE YOUR TEAM. ATTRACT CUSTOMERS. CLOSE DEALS. Are you the owner of a manufacturing or technology-based company with five to 100 employees? Is your annual revenue less than $20 million? The Automation Alley 7Cs™ Second Stage can help you take your business to the next level.

Learn more at automationalley.com.

9/2/2015 1:20:53 PM

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Southfield Town Center

automationalleyupdate

Since 2001, Automation Alley has led 25 trade missions to locations around the world, resulting in more than $507 million in export sales for Southeast Michigan businesses. Pictured are participants in Automation Alley’s 2014 trade mission to Mexico.

export sales from automation alley trade missions total more than half a billion dollars This summer, Automation Alley announced that the total amount of export sales by local companies as a result of participation in Automation Alley trade missions is now more than $507 million.

Since its first trade mission in 2001, Automation Alley has led a total of 25 trade missions to regions around the world, including Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. To date, representatives from 181 local companies have participated in Automation Alley missions.

As a result of the $507 million in export

sales by local businesses, 2,817 American jobs have been created or supported. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, in 2014, every $1 billion of U.S. exports supported nearly 5,800 jobs.

Upcoming trade mission destinations include: • Dubai Airshow: Nov. 6-13, 2015 • Hannover Messe (Germany’s Industrial Technology Trade Fair): April 25-29, 2016 • Cuba: Fall 2016 Automation Alley staff handle all missionrelated planning and details before, during

and after the mission. All Automation Alley trade missions include five-star accommodations, internal transportation, matchmaking meetings, business briefings, welcome receptions and cultural tours. Trade mission prices are discounted for Automation Alley members.

Automation Alley works with organizations such as the U.S. Commercial Service and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to arrange in-country matchmaking meetings with potential business partners, buyers and end users of the participating companies’ products, services and technologies.

Prior to each mission, Automation Alley holds country-specific workshops to inform interested companies about the challenges and opportunities of doing business abroad.

For information about an upcoming trade mission, contact International Business Services Manager Lisa Lasser at lasserl@automationalley.com or 248-457-3283.

join automation alley for networking and educational events this fall The fall calendar is packed with Automation Alley events where the Southeast Michigan business community can network and learn. To register or find out more about these and other Automation Alley events, visit automationalley.com.

is intended to facilitate partnerships between the manufacturing business community and area K-12 schools, resulting in employerbacked school programming to promote manufacturing as a viable career path.

• Education and Industry Partnership Summit: Growing the Manufacturing Pipeline On Oct. 20, join the Automation Alley Education and Workforce Committee at TechShop Detroit in Allen Park, MI, for an important discussion on developing the manufacturing talent pipeline. Featuring a keynote presentation by Karen McPhee, senior education policy adviser for Gov. Rick Snyder, the summit

• Fall Members-Only Networking On Oct. 22, this popular networking event will take place at Pratt & Miller Engineering in New Hudson, MI. Home of Corvette Racing and Cadillac Racing, Pratt & Miller will open its doors for an evening of networking and mingling amid some of the most sophisticated sports cars on the track today. Attendees will get a rare glimpse into the world of professional motorsports while enjoying drinks and hors d’oeuvres.

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FALL 2015 • X-OLOGY

• Social Media: The Secret to Attracting and Recruiting Talent On Oct. 27, join the Automation Alley Business Growth Committee at Automation Alley in Troy, MI, to learn the secrets of building a successful social media marketing plan to attract and recruit talent.

Presenter Joe Serwach is a brand communications and social media consultant who recently served as senior director of marketing and counseling services at The Quell Group in Troy. Serwach was also responsible for launching MiTalent.org and was a contributing author to PRNews’ “The Book of Social Media Strategies and Tactics, Volume 1.”

Automation Alley Foundation Members Automation Alley would like to thank its Foundation Members for their regional leadership and support in contributing to the success of the organization.

Airfoil All Covered Altair Arab American and Chaldean Council Autodesk Inc. Baker College Blue Cross Blue Shield Butzel Long Central Michigan University City of Southfield City of Troy Crain’s Detroit Business Delphi Corporation Detroit Economic Growth Corporation Detroit Regional Chamber DTE Energy FCA US LLC General Motors GlobalAutoIndustry.com Goodwill Industries Grand Circus HR Pro/BenePro Keaton Publishing Group Kelly Services, Inc. Kettering University Lawrence Technological University Macomb Community College Macomb County Government Macomb Daily Michigan Economic Development Corporation Microsoft New Horizons Computer Learning Centers Oakland Community College Oakland County Oakland County Workforce Development Board Oakland Press Oakland University Plante Moran Quality Metalcraft Quicken Loans Rave Computer Salesforce.com Siemens PLM SMART Strategic Staffing Solutions The Resource Network, Inc. Troy Michigan Works!

U.S. Army TARDEC/NAC UHY Advisors Wayne County X-OLOGY • FALL 2015

9

metroretro

From left: Josephine Cochran, inventor of the first automatic dishwasher. Dishwashers came into wide use in American homes during the 1950s. Modern dishwashers such as the Baumatic model (below) use as little as 2 gallons of water per cycle.

Dishwashers put an end to drudgery … or do they?

BY MAGGIE LANE

A

dishwasher ad from the 1930s presents a housewife’s fantasy: a frowning man in an apron washes dishes as his wife lounges in the background, reading the newspaper. “If husbands had to do the dishes,” the copy suggests, “His Majesty” would pick up the phone and order a dishwasher from the Conover Company.

Whatever the ad says about women’s lack of buying power in that era, it makes clear that washing dishes has always been drudgery and a chore in which men haven’t historically participated.

So it comes as no surprise that a woman was behind the first successful dishwasher.

Josephine Cochran, an Illinois socialite, invented the first automatic dishwasher in 1886 to protect her china from breaking.

As valuable as her heirloom china was, her knack for engineering was an even more valuable inheritance. Her grandfather, John Fitch, invented the steamboat, and her father was a civil engineer who helped build the city of Chicago before it burned down in 1871.

There had been earlier patented versions of dishwashers, but Cochran’s was the first to actually clean dishes. Nearly 50 years before she debuted her invention at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, Joel Houghton had patented a machine to wash what he called “table furniture.” Dishes placed in a wooden tub were splashed with water on a wheel turned by hand. Inventor L. A. Alexander added gears 10

FALL 2015 • X-OLOGY

and a hand-cranked rack system in 1865, but dishes still came out dirty.

Cochran came up with her design in a backyard shed with the help of George Butters, a mechanic. She measured her plates, saucers and cups, and built a wire rack to hold them in place. The rack sat on a flat wheel set in a copper boiler. The wheel turned by a hand crank or later, a pulley system, and hot soapy water was pumped up from the bottom. Hers was the first version to use water pressure instead of scrubbers to clean dishes, and included filters to keep food from clogging up the pipes.

Production of the machine was delayed when her husband died, leaving her with only $1,500 and loads of debt. Four years later she produced the first Garis-Cochran DishWashing Machine, and began advertising in magazines. When the dishwasher won the grand prize at the 1893 World’s Fair, hotels and restaurants lined up to buy it. She made her first sale to Chicago’s Palmer House Hotel.

Her company eventually became KitchenAid. Cochran’s dishwasher was too expensive and bulky for the home market she originally designed it for. Until the advent of home electricity and plumbing, dishwasher sales were primarily to institutions with large kitchens.

Competitors made machines powered by steam, and in 1913, Walker Brothers of Philadelphia sold the first electric dishwasher. The refrigerator was also introduced that

year and took off in the home market, but it would be another 60 years before the home dishwasher caught on. As indoor plumbing and electricity became increasingly common in the 1920s, a dishwasher was still a luxury only the rich could afford.

In 1924, British inventor William Howard Livens, innovator of chemical weaponry, created a compact dishwasher better suited for home use. Livens’ dishwasher is similar to ones we have today, front-loading with a rotating sprayer.

In the ’40s, a drying element was added, and the ’50s brought the invention of nonsudsing dishwashing soap that rinsed well.

But it wasn’t until the 1970s that dishwashers were viewed as a necessary appliance. Today about 75 percent of U.S. households have dishwashers.

Recent innovations in dishwasher technology focus on energy efficiency and noise reduction. Some European models now use zeolite crystals to dry dishes in minutes with no additional energy required. But, by and large, the look of dishwashers hasn’t changed much from Livens’ washers of the ‘20s.

There is, however, something new in the world of dishwashers: Two KitchenAid models, new this year, feature a see-through window to give you a glimpse of what’s going on inside your dishwasher.

Will the drudgery of washing dishes be replaced by the drudgery of watching them?

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tech+design

GOLF ON THE

FAST TRACK

Stand-up GolfBoard cuts time on the course

BY JANE GLEESON

M

ost golfers will admit there’s always room for improvement in their game, and the same holds true when it comes to attracting a younger generation to the links. According to the Washington Post, the number of golfers between the ages of 18 and 30 has declined by 35 percent in the last 10 years. Likewise, sales of clubs and golf-related clothing were down 28 percent in 2014 for TaylorMade-Adidas Golf, the world’s largest maker of clubs and clothes.

Oregon-based Sol Boards aims to reverse the lagging interest in the game by upping the cool ante and reducing time on the 12

FALL 2015 • X-OLOGY

course with its “Surf the Earth” GolfBoard — a surf-inspired, motorized vehicle that’s half the size of a traditional cart and a lot more fun.

“Hysterical fun” is how Casey Powers describes it. The Michigan-based Boyne Mountain PGA golf professional and his 17-yearold son recently gave the GolfBoard a spin on Boyne Highlands’ Moor Course and likened it to “walking on steroids.”

“We played the back nine in one hour,” Powers says, acknowledging that the game’s long pace-of-play is often an issue with today’s golfers.

This unique way of traversing the links — much like surfing or snowboarding, but easier — is proving to be a welcome solution for golfers who don’t have five hours to spend playing 18 holes.

There’s no doubt the GolfBoard provides a peppier mode of transportation than traditional golf carts — some say it reduces an 18-hole game from five hours to three. That’s because each player rides an individual GolfBoard and can go directly to his or her own ball, says Powers. “There’s more independence. You don’t have to worry about your partners.” Its lighter weight also lets you

COURTESY SOL BOARDS

drive right up onto the greens and closer to your ball than a cart allows.

Powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, GolfBoards are durable and safe and can travel more than 18 holes between charges. Depending on conditions — rider weight, turf conditions, grade, etc. — a GolfBoard can travel 18-plus miles on a single charge. An estimated 100 courses in the United States, Canada and Mexico currently offer the GolfBoard. In addition to two courses at Michigan’s Boyne Highlands, they are available at Polo Fields Golf and Country Club in Ann Arbor.

The GolfBoard is the brainchild of Bally Total Fitness founder Don Wildman and surfing legend Laird Hamilton. The four-wheeled board allows users to turn by simply shifting their body weight in a way that mimics snowboarding or surfing. Advanced technology allows GolfBoarders to customize board settings and configurations to their riding preference. A one-touch stability bar switch allows the driver to adjust speed settings from 6 to 14 mph.

John Myers, head golf pro at Boyne Highlands, says the GolfBoard is catching on with players since arriving in July.

“Golfers love the experience,” he says, pointing out how easy the GolfBoard is to maneuver once you get used to the feel.

“It’s a very stable ride and easier to use than a Segway.”

The biggest drawback Myers sees with these one-man machines? “GolfBoards don’t allow the side-by-side interaction players get while riding in a golf cart or walking the course.”

Although a speedier way of travel won’t improve anyone’s game, it does give players extra time in the clubhouse to either celebrate their game … or cry into their beer.

X-OLOGY • FALL 2015

13

newsmakers

spud software develops mobile sleep study app

Spud Software claims its mobile app will revolutionize sleep apnea testing.

Some 18 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, a disorder that creates blockage of the airway during sleep, causing shallow breathing or pauses in breathing. Many of these individuals fail to be tested because they’re unwilling or unable to participate in a sleep lab. But now, Spud Software, a custom software development company in Grand Blanc, MI, has created a new app that it claims will revolutionize testing for sleep apnea.

Created in partnership with Dr. Mark Rittenger and Dr. Gregory Streff of Michigan Lung and Critical Care Specialists, the app will allow patients to test from their homes or while on the road.

“Sleep apnea is a very serious condition that can lead to bigger problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke,” says Spud Software president Derek Sommer. “If we can increase the amount of people willing to take the tests by simplifying the procedure, then we have hit our goal.”

The app is awaiting FDA approval for patient use.

kids programs promote STEM By 2020, there won’t be enough computer programmers to meet demand, says Thanh Tran, Detroit entrepreneur and founder of Kidpreneur, a program that offers technology and programming-focused classes to kids of all ages. The goal? To prepare them for a workforce that is heavily focused on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

According to the National Center for STEM Elementary Education, one-third of boys and girls lose interest in science by fourth grade. By eighth grade, nearly 50 percent lose interest in science. What’s more, according to the U.S. Department of Education, only 16 percent of American high school students are proficient in math and interested in a STEM career.

To combat these statistics, Kidpreneur after-school classes provide students in kindergarten through the eighth grade an environment for learning coding, programming robots, designing websites, building game 14

FALL 2015 • X-OLOGY

servers and more. Launched in Wixom, MI, the company recently opened its second classroom in Madison Heights, MI, and plans to expand in the state and nationally.

Similarly, Square One Education Network, which promotes STEM education in K-12 students in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, has teamed with HARMAN International to bring vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) development to K-12 classrooms throughout Michigan.

The partnership with HARMAN, which designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers and enterprises worldwide, will help provide participating teachers with training and classroom equipment to enable students to pursue V2X research, design and demonstration activities.

This collaboration supports Square One’s initiative to connect students with industry professionals, giving them access to technology, engineers and opportunities that encourage future STEM careers.

cities of tomorrow By 2050, it is estimated that three billion additional people will inhabit cities throughout worldwide. Translated: Twothirds of the world’s population will live in urban areas.

The University of Michigan is one of nine research universities collaborating in an international effort to create cities of the future that will accommodate this growth. Funded by a $12 million award from the National Science Foundation’s Sustainability Research Network, the project brings together scientists, industry leaders and policy partners to create cities that are highly functional, promote the health of residents and the environment and are desirable places to live and work.

The project, titled “SRN: Integrated Urban Infrastructure Solutions for Environmentally Sustainable, Healthy, and Livable Cities,” will focus on ways to improve the urban infrastructure, including energy grids, road networks, green spaces and food and water systems. It will connect research universities, infrastructure firms and policy groups in major metropolitan cities in the United States and India.

Green infrastructure includes storm water management projects such as green roofs, rain gardens, bioswales (storm water runoff conveyance systems that provide an alternative to storm sewers) and tree-lined streets, as well as a city’s greenways, parks, urban farms and protected river basins.

Michigan researchers and their partners will identify optimal sites for future green infrastructure and urban agriculture development. Partners in the Michigan portion of the project include Detroit Future City, the Southeast Council of Michigan Governments, Columbia University’s Earth Institute, the University of Minnesota and the Metropolitan Council of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area.

The project includes 25 faculty members from the nine universities and will involve more than 40 graduate students conducting research in cross-university interdisciplinary teams.

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www.troymi.gov X-OLOGY • FALL 2015

15

educationkaleidoscope

JANE DIETRICH

Leader dog Tug tries out the dog transport, which was designed and built by OU Senior Design Program students.

Puppies + Students = A Winning Partnership at Oakland University’s Engineering Center

BY LESLIE MERTZ

H

ow are the welfare of puppies and Oakland University’s (OU’s) new Engineering Center connected? The answer lies in a new approach to teaching, learning, collaborating and reaching out to the business and nonprofit communities.

The story begins with three events: • Oakland University, Rochester, MI, moved the School of Engineering and Computer Science (SECS) to a 127,000-square-foot Engineering Center, which houses a stateof-the-art laboratory, classrooms and space for student organizations.

• The OU Senior Design Program was transformed by Program Director Michael Lat16

FALL 2015 • X-OLOGY

cha, Ph.D., into a multidisciplinary design experience in which students can take advantage of new lab equipment and computer capabilities in the Engineering Center, and collaborate with community businesses and organizations to solve problems. As a result, students gain realworld experience to prepare them for the workplace.

• Amy Butler, executive director of the business incubator OU INC, began talking to Leader Dogs for the Blind of Rochester, MI, discovering that the nonprofit needed a few innovations, including a puppy transport and two redesigned operating tables.

She contacted Latcha, who identified a great first project for the revamped Senior Design Program.

PROJECT PUPPIES “Through OU INC, we heard that Leader Dogs needed some fairly specialized veterinary equipment that required the help of an engineer, so we took on three projects for them last winter,” Latcha says.

The first project was a complete redesign and machining of two lifting and tilting operating tables that permit the veterinarians to position dogs properly during surgeries that might take 10 to 12 hours. The second proj-

“Until they grow to about five pounds, puppies have a very hard time maintaining their body temperature. For this reason, transporting litters is highly risky, especially during the winter, and there’s a chance during any transport that you may lose a puppy.”

— MICHAEL LATCHA, OU SENIOR DESIGN PROGRAM DIRECTOR

ONLY THE BEGINNING Leader Dogs is just the beginning of the many possible partnerships awaiting Senior Design Program students says Butler.

“Through OU INC, I’m out there working with startups and growth-stage companies, and when there is potential, I’ll bring them in and introduce them to the Senior Design Program team to see if there’s a project we might be able to work together on,” Butler says. “In fact, I’ve got two or three lined up for this fall.”

This type of collaboration is a wonderful opportunity for both companies and students, she says. “The companies get help

and innovation from our students, who are incredibly smart and talented. The companies get to know the students, and help develop the young minds that they may hire in the future.”

At the same time, students get hands-on, problem-solving experience. “That give and take is the beauty of the relationship,” Butler says.

AT THE HEART OF IT ALL The thread running through the Senior Design Program projects is and will continue to be the Engineering Center, says Latcha.

“When we designed the new center, the decision was made fairly early in the process to showcase our Senior Design Program, so it includes a huge, 3,000-square-foot lab where we can work up to 14 groups of about eight students, each with a full suite of electronic test equipment.”

The students also have access to computer equipment for design and simulation, and a

separate, fully equipped machine shop that can be controlled from the lab. “In a very real sense, there are very few things that we cannot design and build,” Latcha says.

Student education is at the core of the center, according to SECS Dean Louay M. Chamra, Ph.D. “The first two floors of the building are all about the students and hands-on experience. The Senior Design Program and other student teams doing design projects such as building a car or robot use the lab and equipment. We also have space where student organizations can have meetings and discuss their activities,” he says.

That’s important, because the number of student engineering organizations has grown from three to 16 in just five years, and engineering enrollment is also at record levels.

Study and tutoring areas are also part of the center. Tutors are students who have previously excelled in the classes. The idea, Chamra says, is to help students in challenging classes and provide >>

STEPHANIE SOKOL

ect involved a redesign of the carts used to transport dogs through the medical facility.

“The third project was a puppy transport unit, which is something that is evidently not on the market,” Latcha says.

Puppies are birthed at people’s houses, and have to be transported back and forth to the vet during their first days.

“Until they grow to about five pounds, puppies have a very hard time maintaining their body temperature. For this reason, transporting litters is highly risky, especially during the winter, and there’s a chance during any transport that you may lose a puppy,” says Latcha.

The students finished all three projects, including the puppy transport, which was conceived and fabricated to accommodate as many as seven puppies at a time. The transport had to provide a temperature- and humidity-controlled environment for up-to90-minute transports.

“The students actually built four different prototypes, and Leader Dogs will be evaluating them over the next year,” Latcha says.

Once he gets the feedback from Leader Dogs, students will revisit the transport and tweak it as necessary. “I have to say that the people at Leader Dogs were just overwhelmed with the stuff that our students did for them,” he says.

The 127,000-square-foot Engineering Center is home to a state-of-the-art, fully equipped 3,000-square-foot laboratory for use by students in the School of Engineering and Computer Science.

X-OLOGY • FALL 2015

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educationkaleidoscope

JANE DIETRICH JANE DIETRICH

Above: Senior Design Program students proudly show off their litter transports, which keep puppies healthy and safe while being moved back and forth for checkups between the houses where they were born and the veterinarian.

Right: Oakland University’s School of Engineering and Computer Science Dean Louay M. Chamra talks with Senior Design Program students about their project for the Leader Dogs for the Blind.

>> financial assistance to tutors so they don’t need an outside job while attending OU. Another key component of the center is that it is open to students 24/7.

“Ours is the first building on campus where students have access to the building and lab after hours,” he says. “If you come in the evening between 8:00 p.m. and midnight, this building is buzzing with activity. We’re very excited about that.”

The purpose of the center is to engage students, provide excellent education and ready students for careers in the engineering profession, Chamra adds.

“Michigan has one of the most diverse economies in the nation. We have strong automotive, energy, defense, technology, IT and a strong health system. We need men and women from all ethnicities and backgrounds to consider engineering as a career to keep our economy strong.”

For Katherine O’Kane, former student in 18

FALL 2015 • X-OLOGY

the OU Senior Design Program, who earned her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the university this year, “Senior Design never ended.” O’Kane is currently a teaching assistant for a senior design course at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

She says that being involved in Senior Design at Oakland University helped prepare her for this position. “The new facility provides students with the space needed to build larger and more complicated projects.”

Whether building puppy transports or taking on other industrial challenges, the Senior Design Program is preparing students to enter the workplace, Latcha says.

“With the incredible resources we have in the Engineering Center, we are now aggressively seeking new industry projects. Students will continue to get real experience to help them land a job after graduation. That’s really the point of the center, the Senior Design Program and the whole experience at Oakland University.”

WHY DIVERSITY MATTERS Oakland University’s School of Engineering and Computer Science (SECS) is notable for the high number of women faculty, but the accolades aren’t the reason the school seeks diversity. The SECS strives for diversity in its faculty because it’s good for students and the economy, according to Dean Louay M. Chamra, Ph.D. “I believe that if we want to attract more females into engineering, we really need role models in the classroom, so they see female faculty actually teaching. Role models are important,” he says. “Even at the height of the recession in 2009 and 2010, we had a shortage of engineers. We need women, we need men, we need African Americans, we need Hispanics, we need all kinds of people in this profession to keep our Michigan economy strong,” he says.

The SECS is successful in recruiting faculty members from underrepresented groups, Chamra says.

“We always make a special effort to encourage people with the right qualifications to apply.

We treat everybody the same way and let the best person win the spot, whether that person is male, female or of a different ethnicity or skin color.”

The SECS has been fortunate to attract so many women faculty members, Chamra says, acknowledging that OU has one of the nation’s highest percentages of female engineering faculty at nearly 20 percent. “We’ve had many qualified females applying for these jobs, and we’ve been able to provide them with nurturing opportunities such as providing an environment where both men and women are equally considered for leadership roles and employment salaries,” he says.

“Our female faculty members are at the heart of our growth, through their qualifications and their great teaching. We are very lucky.”

work

in Oakland County

Do you see it?

Energy. Excitement. Limitless opportunities. A place with a global footprint few states can match. What county in America has nearly 1,000 international firms from 38 countries? Which county employs more life science and health care workers than the Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic combined? Where can you find some of the most innovative and sophisticated manufactured products in the world? Now you see it? It’s Michigan’s business address: Oakland County.

MedicalMainStreet.org photo by: Phalinn Ooi

peopleprofile

“I’ve always loved traveling. In my career, it has helped increase cultural awareness, helped me be more empathetic and it has challenged me to think about different ways to solve healthcare problems.”

Betty Chu, M.D., M.B.A. Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Affairs, Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, part of Henry Ford Health System WOW FACTOR Dr. Betty Chu has been a driven leader since she first went to school. Whether she was guiding the marching band as a drum major in high school, dominating the volleyball court as an undergraduate or excelling in math and science to enter an accelerated medical school program, she knew what she wanted to do and where she wanted to go next.

Today, after years as a private practice obstetrician and gynecologist, she is a member of a team of strong female leaders helping to guide the clinical activities of Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, an important component of Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System’s group of hospitals, medical centers and affiliated health and home care services. As a corporate leader, she helps ensure the effective and efficient care of hospital patients and provides oversight of corporate strategy design and implementation in regard to clinical operations.

PASSION FOR INDUSTRY “When I graduated medical school, I wouldn’t have dreamed that I would one day go into administration.

I was truly focused on being the best physician I could be.” Dr. Chu found the doctor-patient relationship highly rewarding, but eventually realized she had more to offer.

Then a Beaumont physician, she served as a founding chairperson of the executive committee for Oakland University’s new medical school and later, as a clinical assistant professor. “There I did a lot of mentoring of medical students and was energized by their creativity and innovative ideas. Medical students today are thinking of healthcare from a global perspective.”

VIEW FROM THE TOP “I believe the challenge of the next decade will be to solve the problem of care coordination. The faster we can get patients to see the medical professionals they need to take care of their medical problem, the more we can reduce the anxiety they feel. And, if we can’t eliminate

their problem entirely, then we need to make sure we guide patients through their treatment as smoothly as possible.”

CORPORATE CLIMB Dr. Chu has seen enormous technological changes in the healthcare industry. “When I first started in the profession, one of the challenges was reading a doctor’s handwriting. Now we e-prescribe. While we have always had ‘cool’ medical devices, many medical errors could be traced to simple failures in communication.”

In short, technology has supported more accuracy, clarity and speed in medical communications, she says.

“Today, with telemedicine, we can sit with a tablet in a remote room, prescribe a medication over the phone for a urinary tract infection and send it over to the drugstore of your choice. Tomorrow, your family doctor can see it in your electronic medical record.”

CREDENTIALS M.D., University of Michigan Medical School M.B.A., University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business Member, Board of Directors, Michigan State Medical Society, Area Agency on Aging 1-B, Walsh College, Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce VOICE OF EXPERIENCE “A turning point for me as a physician came when I was exposed to the culture and leaders I met at U-M’s Ross School of Business. Since the program is not specifically healthcare-focused, I interacted with leaders from multinational companies and other industries. Huge learnings can be derived from industries like the military and airlines in terms of safety measures and innovation. I think Henry Ford Health System, with its Innovation Center, is intent on leveraging the advantages that can be derived in our industry from such innovative thinking.”

– Interviewed by Julie Baumkel

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businessprofile

OcuSciences

streamlining the diagnosis of eye disease

BY PETER HAAPANIEMI

A

s the saying goes, the eyes are windows to the soul.

As it turns out, they’re also windows to a person’s health.

That’s the basic idea behind OcuSciences, an Ann Arbor, MI, based company set up to license and commercialize technology developed at the University of Michigan’s Kellogg Eye Center. Launched in 2008, the company spent several years honing that technology into a product called OcuMet Beacon™ — a unique, patented device for capturing images from inside the eye in order to detect eye disease.

With this technology, OcuSciences was named 2014 “Innovator of the Year”

by Medical Main Street, the life sciences program run by Michigan’s Oakland County.

That award is given to new medical technologies that “incorporate a game-changing innovation.”

“People are understanding that this kind of functional imaging is the next big thing in ophthalmology,” says Kurt Riegger, president and chief operating officer at OcuSciences. Today, the OcuMet Beacon is out of the lab and being used in a number of clinics, and it has the potential to 22

FALL 2015 • X-OLOGY

OcuMet Beacon™ software displays a variety of images to help detect eye disease.

put a powerful new tool into the hands of healthcare providers.

TARGETING EARLY DETECTION Examinations of the eye are critical to uncovering problems with the retina that can damage vision. What’s more, such examinations can help detect underlying diseases, such as diabetes, that can cause damage in the retina.

With the traditional approach, a physician

examines the retina at the back of the eye, looking for tiny leaking blood vessels and swelling.

This process can take time and it can be invasive, involving the injection of dyes to help make the small structures in the eye stand out.

A bigger drawback is that these retinal problems can’t be seen in the early stages. When a patient has an illness that can harm the eyes, such as diabetic retinopathy, “it takes a while for these [hemorrhages] to develop,” says Riegger. “Once the doctor can see them, you have had the disease for quite a while. Then you’re playing catch-up and just trying to tamp down the swelling and the hemorrhaging,” he says. “It’s much better to identify the disease earlier and get it under control, before those changes happen.”

That’s what the OcuMet Beacon device does. Instead of looking for damage in the eye, it looks at mitochondria — the energyproducing component of cells — to measure the health of the cells. This technique — known as Retinal Metabolic Analysis (RMA) — involves shining a blue light onto

>>

The second-generation OcuMet Beacon™ captures images from inside the eye in order to detect eye disease.

>>

Dug Song, Duo Security’s CEO X-OLOGY • FALL 2015

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businessprofile >>

THE PROCESS

A BROAD OPPORTUNITY the retina, which makes poorly functioning mitochonCompany: Early detection of diabetes is just one possible use for dria emit a green glow. Computer software analyzes OcuSciences, Ann RMA, says Riegger. Already, the OcuMet Beacon has the image to help the doctor assess the illness. The Arbor, MI, a spinout been used by several major pharmaceutical companies mitochondria are a kind of “canary in the coal mine” from the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye to track the effectiveness of drugs during clinical trials. that respond to a disease before there is visible damCenter.

The technology could also be used to monitor progress age, such as vessel leaking. That means that healthwhen a person is being treated for eye diseases, enabling care providers can detect problems much earlier.

Technology: doctors to more closely adjust the patient’s treatment as With the OcuMet Beacon device, the RMA is relaRetinal Metabolic it proceeds. Overall, this level of monitoring means that tively easy to perform. It is also non-invasive and fast Analysis (RMA), a fast, patients and doctors alike will know if a treatment is — which is important for practical use. “This test needs non-invasive technique for the early identificaworking in just a few months, as opposed to having to to be very rapid, because clinicians only have a few tion of retinal problems. wait a year or more with traditional methods. minutes with you,” says Riegger. He explains that while RMA could also help healthcare providers detect a other techniques can take 30 minutes, an assessment Product: broad range of diseases, Riegger says. That’s because with RMA technology can be done in minutes — a proOcuMet Beacon: anathe health of the mitochondria in the retina can be cess he likens to having a driver’s license photo taken. lyzes retinal images to detect diabetes, glauaffected by problems in other parts of the body.

Today, in addition to diabetic retinopathy, Ocucoma and age-related “If something is going on that is also damaging Sciences is focusing on using OcuMet Beacon for the macular degeneration; your liver, kidney, heart or brain, we may be able to early detection of glaucoma and age-related macular monitors effectiveness see it earliest in the eye,” says Riegger. degeneration — eye diseases that can lead to diminof treatments.

Because it is fast, non-invasive and relatively easy ished or complete loss of vision. But the ability to deto use, OcuSciences’ technology may eventually be tect diabetes is an especially important opportunity.

Potential markets: In use at several major a common sight. In time, Riegger says, “it could be Diabetes is a stealthy disease that people can have medical centers; suitable in your optometrist’s or ophthalmologist’s office, so for years before symptoms appear. According to Ocufor widespread use by when you go get a pair of eyeglasses, you get this test Sciences, there are 8.1 million undiagnosed diabetophthalmologists/optomto see how your retina is doing.” ics in the United States, and a key reason for that is etrists and primary care He adds that the technology could be used in dethe cumbersome nature of existing screening methphysicians. vices built by partner companies as well as in Ocuods. More streamlined screening via RMA techniques Sciences’ own devices, which would open the door to could help improve those statistics. a range of possibilities.

“Many of us are walking around with diabetes and we don’t even RMA has been called a new vital sign that could be used by primary know it,” says Riegger. “But we think RMA can detect diabetes five or 10 years before significant damage is happening in the eye. That makes physicians, along with traditional measurements such as blood pressure it possible to put the patient on a proactive course of treatment and and temperature. Riegger says that the technology could even be used in locations such as recreational facilities and health fairs, providing a apply therapies earlier to preserve more vision.”

OcuSciences is now producing a research version of the OcuMet widespread early screening tool that lets people know when they need Beacon product, and the device is being put to work in clinics at three to follow up with a doctor.

After working on RMA technology and the OcuMet Beacon product major medical centers in New York, Ann Arbor and San Francisco, with more centers to be added soon. “Having multiple instruments used in for several years, OcuSciences is ready for that future.

“We have an instrument now that’s quick, reliable, precise and the field gives us more research into how this works with different eye diseases, and gives us background data for normal, healthy people,” geared to do what the clinicians need,” says Riegger. “So we’ve gone says Riegger. This real-world data will help the medical community through that learning curve and have a product that’s ready to hit what I think is going to be a big market.” make more effective use of the devices.

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FALL 2015 • X-OLOGY

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X-OLOGY • FALL 2015

25

focusontech

TRACKING

innovation IN MEDICINE ADVANCES AT SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN HEALTH SYSTEMS PUT PATIENTS FIRST

BY ILENE WOLFF

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FALL 2015 • X-OLOGY

X-OLOGY • FALL 2015

27

focusontech At St. Joseph Mercy Oakland, patients wear wrist devices that track blood pressure, heart rate, level of blood oxygen, breathing and temperature.

Data is sent to patient medical records and nursing staff, eliminating the need to wake sleeping patients in order to take vital signs.

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FALL 2015 • X-OLOGY

S

outheast Michigan is among a handful of regions nationwide that has a wealth of medical facilities able to treat even the rarest conditions. These hospitals employ the highest of high tech to treat people from around the world. Patients also benefit from hospital- and university-based research

that uncovers the most innovative treatment alternatives available.

X-OLOGY surveyed medical facilities in the region to discover new healthcare technologies, including integrated wireless tech that makes being in the hospital safer and more comfortable; a new way to diagnose stroke via telemedicine; medical technology that improves diagnosis of aggressive prostate cancer; and partnerships that make it possible for children and adolescents with acquired or congenital hand and arm deficiencies to live more productive lives.

INTELLIGENT CARE SYSTEM COVERS ALL THE BASES Practices like hand washing, preventing patients from falling, establishing an atmosphere for healing and having the necessary medical equipment nearby are basic measures in a hospital providing quality care, but in the hustle and bustle of a busy inpatient unit, steps can be overlooked. As a result, patients may be exposed to infections, healing delayed and staff time wasted.

St. Joseph Mercy Oakland hospital in Pontiac, MI, has taken action to eliminate such risks.

St. Joseph built an Intelligent Care System — an integrated network of wireless, computer-based technology — into its new $145 million South Patient Tower, which opened in 2014. The system includes real-time location badges that record whether staff members clean their hands. The handcleaning data is compiled and sent to hospital leaders to remind staff that washing hands is one of the most basic infection control measures.

“Right now, not only are we tracking staff, we’re tracking equipment,” says Robert Jones, information services director for Trinity Health, the hospital’s parent company.

Step inside a patient room and you’ll see a bed that records patient weight and monitors critical safety measures including bed height and whether side rails are up and wheels are locked. If a patient tries to get out of bed and

shouldn’t, an alert is sent to every staff member on the floor and a light flashes outside the room.

High-tech beds aren’t the only technology in evidence. Patients wear wrist devices that track blood pressure, heart rate, level of blood oxygen, breathing and temperature. Data is sent to patient medical records and nursing staff, eliminating the need to wake sleeping patients in order to take vital signs.

Rooms are also equipped with telespeakers that enable patients to communicate with staff. Pressing the “pain” button summons a nurse. Pushing the “bathroom” button sends a call to a patient care assistant.

Four years in the planning, Jones and Dr. Fabian Fregoli, vice president of quality and safety for the hospital, started the project by asking staff, “If you could build the best system, what would it do?”

“We really wanted to push the limits on this,” says Fregoli.

“These are the things that our caregivers said would help workflow.”

Jones and Fregoli assembled a group of eight vendors, making it clear from the start that every technological component had to work as part of an integrated whole.

“Vendors had some initial trepidation in working with their competitors,” says Jones. “But they eventually came around once they understood the vision and goals of the hospital.” >>

X-OLOGY • FALL 2015

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focusontech

“We’re starting with stroke, but we’re planning to extend to neuro-critical care as well as other neurology consults. After that there is a lot of potential in other fields such as dermatology, psychiatry, infectious diseases or any underserved area.”

– DR. ANIEL MAJJHOO, MCLAREN MACOMB HOSPITAL

TUNING IN TO TREAT STROKE During his interview for this story, McLaren Health Interventional Neurologist Dr. Aniel Majjhoo was on his way from Mt. Clemens, MI, to treat a stroke patient in Flint, MI, whom he had diagnosed just minutes earlier.

Majjhoo, who is based at McLaren Macomb, hasn’t mastered teleportation. He used TeleStroke from InTouch Health (Santa Barbara, CA), a telemedicine system new to McLaren that enables doctors to examine patients remotely, view their lab results and images, make decisions about using clotbusting medication and talk to patients, family and staff at another hospital, in this case McLaren Flint.

Majjhoo doesn’t even need to be near a wireless router for the cloud-based system; he uses an app on his smartphone or laptop that has a 4G LTE Network connection to control a telemedicine robot at the Flint hospital.

“It’s almost as good as being at the bedside yourself,” says Majjhoo. “The picture quality is so good that you can actually examine patients’ pupils.”

While Majjhoo drove northbound on Interstate 75, a physician assistant in Flint was making the necessary arrangements to take the patient to a catheterization lab where the neurologist would remove the clot when he arrived.

“Every minute you leave a brain with a clot about two million brain cells die,” Majjhoo says.

Majjhoo, who used telemedicine for treating strokes at another health system before McLaren, explains there’s a threehour window to administer clot-dissolving medication, and about twice as long to do a clot removal procedure using a catheter inserted through an incision in the groin.

The interventional neurologist is one of two currently on staff for 10 hospitals in McLaren Health Care Corporation.

Plans are to add two more of the specialists, says Majjhoo.

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FALL 2015 • X-OLOGY

“We’re starting with stroke, but we’re planning to extend to neuro-critical care as well as other neurology consults,” says Majjhoo. “After that there is a lot of potential in other fields such as dermatology, psychiatry, infectious diseases or any underserved area.”

Majjhoo is enthusiastic about using new telemedicine technology for a condition that can be debilitating when treatment lags.

“I think McLaren is at the frontier of stroke care with this telemedicine network and the new guidelines in stroke that just came out,” he says.

PROGRESS IN DETECTING PROSTATE CANCER While Majjhoo was on his way to Flint, Dr. Jeffrey Montgomery was seeing urology patients in Ann Arbor, MI, where University of Michigan specialists have combined techniques for more refined prostate cancer diagnosis in order to detect aggressive disease that’s likely to grow quickly and spread.

Many of the 239,000 men diagnosed each year will die with the disease, not from it, because most prostate cancer grows slowly. However, some men develop aggressive prostate cancer that requires immediate and aggressive treatment. The challenge for doctors is to accurately identify the type. U-M urologists like Montgomery, an associate professor, use the UroNav system, which fuses magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, and ultrasound images, marking suspicious areas to help guide a biopsy needle. The system is designed to make sure all suspicious tissue is sampled.

One U-M doctor compares traditional prostate biopsies to being blindfolded while shooting fish in a barrel. The new technology removes the blindfold.

MRI is primarily used to identify potential prostate cancer when the standard exam doesn’t clearly identify disease >>

focusontech

U-M urologists have developed a new test, the Mi-Prostate Score, or MiPS, to more accurately diagnose aggressive cancer. MiPS combines PSA with a marker and genetic anomaly present in half of all prostate cancers discovered at U-M.

type; for example, a negative biopsy but a rising prostatespecific antigen (PSA). MRI is very effective at detecting moderate- to high-risk cancer while ignoring low-risk disease, says Montgomery.

U-M urologists have developed a new test, the Mi-Prostate Score, or MiPS, to more accurately diagnose aggressive cancer. MiPS combines PSA with a marker and genetic anomaly present in half of all prostate cancers discovered at U-M. The marker, PCA3, and the genetic flaw are detectable in urine.

“PCA3 is a biomarker that we generally use for men in cases where we want more information to assess their risk for a positive prostate biopsy,” explains Montgomery. Such patients might have an elevated PSA and a previous negative prostate biopsy. Doctors try to figure out if the biopsy should be repeated, Montgomery says.

“In combining those three factors, we have an algorithm that generates a score indicating what percent chance the man has of a diagnosis of any prostate cancer on a repeat biopsy and what chance that it would be high-risk prostate cancer.”

Neither MiPS nor the urine tests replace PSA and a digital exam for prostate cancer screening, says Montgomery. “It’s a very nuanced test,” he says. “It’s not currently appropriate for the general public.”

GIVING KIDS A HAND While U-M is making strides in diagnosing aggressive prostate cancer, Beaumont Children’s Hospital is changing the lives of children and adolescents who have had a hand amputated or were born without a fully developed upper limb. The hospital’s Variety Myoelectric Center at Beaumont Children’s Hospital, in Royal Oak, MI, led by Medical Director Edward Dabrowski, M.D., has fitted eight children with high-tech prostheses since opening in 2014. Children control

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FALL 2015 • X-OLOGY

movements in a myoelectric limb using their own muscles, which are attached to sensors.

Myoelectric prosthetics are attached to a limb with suction; once attached, the prosthetic’s electronic sensors detect minute muscle, nerve and electrical activity. Muscle activity is translated into signals that the prosthetic’s electric motors use to control the artificial limb. Children can control the strength and speed of the prosthetic movements and grip by controlling their own muscle intensity.

With a myoelectric prosthesis and occupational therapy training, children can function more like their peers with two biologic hands.

“It’s amazing what the kids can do,” says Dabrowski. “From zipping a zipper, to buttoning clothing, to tying their shoes.”

The center, sponsored by Variety the Children’s CharityDetroit, has existed since the early 1980s, but was located in different downtown Detroit sites before moving to Beaumont, Dabrowski says. The Beaumont patients join more than 300 other children who have benefitted from the expertise of the center’s staff and Variety’s funding.

“Without Variety, this program would not be viable,” Dabrowski says. “The funding makes a huge difference.”

The charity’s funding is critical because insurance companies have balked at paying for the prostheses, which can range from $12,000 to $30,000. Beaumont is a Children’s Miracle Network hospital, and that organization has contributed additional funding.

Also filling the gap is the center’s limb bank, which consists largely of prostheses children outgrow as their bodies develop. Each child requires multiple prostheses over many years to accommodate growth. The bank has become even more critical as manufacturers stop producing the myoelectric arms because of insurers’ hesitance to pay for them, says Dabrowski.

TALK ABOUT PERSONALIZED MEDICINE The medical community in Southeast Michigan is turning to 3D printing to make patient-specific guides for knee replacement surgery and splints for babies whose airways haven’t developed, in addition to planning complex surgeries.

Also called additive manufacturing, 3D printing makes items by layering raw materials. The technique can manufacture intricate items, with complex geometries that would currently be impossible to make any other way. 3D printing has been used in the automotive industry for decades. In medicine, design can be based on imaging of individual patients, such as the patient-specific cranial patch used to fill skull defects, which was the first FDA-cleared, 3D-manufactured polymer implant.

Materialise, a Belgian company with a location in Plymouth, MI, has applied for clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to employ a different imaging technique to make guides for surgeons to use while performing knee replacements. Currently, the FDA mandates that guides are based on either computed

tomography or MRI scans.

Since few people have the sophisticated, higher-cost, imaging done, Materialise wants to make patient-specific guides based on X-rays. Almost every knee replacement patient has had a knee X-ray, and many orthopedic surgeons have imaging machines in their offices.

The company submitted an application in March to the FDA for clearance to base the guides on X-rays, and their request is under review. Materialise has been testing guides based on X-rays in surgeries in the European Union for more than a year.

At Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, a cardiologist is using a 3D printer in the hospital’s Innovation Institute to make models of patients’ hearts so he can properly size aortic valve replacements.

Cardiologist Dr. William O’Neill says the 3D printed models have finally given him and other heart specialists an adequate sizing tool. Properly sized valves are critical because valves that are too small can result in heart failure. In addition, the heart models allow him to plan correct placement of the replacement valve

based on a patient’s unique anatomy and decrease the time needed for a patient to be anesthetized.

At Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, MI, plastic surgeon Dr. Kongkrit Chaiyasate uses 3D printed models of patients’ skulls to plan complex microsurgeries to correct deformities and enable proper brain development. He also shows the models to patients and parents to explain what will happen in the operating room.

Children treated at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor also benefit from 3D printing, including dissolvable splints for babies whose airways haven’t developed properly before birth and have collapsed. U-M’s Dr. Glenn Green, a complex airway reconstruction specialist, has implanted several of the splints, which support the airway until the trachea cartilage can develop and stay open on its own.

Green has collaborated with a colleague, Dr. Scott Hollister, to make the dissolvable splints. The pair has also collaborated on a permanent trachea splint for adults with a life-threatening autoimmune disorder that weakens airway cartilage.

X-OLOGY • FALL 2015

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lifestyle COURTESY MATERIALS UNLIMITED

Beautiful treasures are on display at Materials Unlimited in Ypsilanti.

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unearthing the

unexpected antiquing in southeast michigan

BY JEANINE MATLOW

T

echnology may bring convenience to our homes, but pieces from the past add character.

For those looking to do some antique shopping in Southeast Michigan, here are a handful of local sources to get you started on your quest. >>

X-OLOGY • FALL 2015

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lifestyle COURTESY JUDY FRANKEL ANTIQUES

Judy Frankel Antiques in Troy features decorative pieces from the 18th century to mid-century modern.

>>

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MIXING IT UP Though Judy Frankel attracts a steady stream of interior designers to her shop, she wants everyone to enjoy perusing her wares at Judy Frankel Antiques in Troy, MI. “It’s very important to me that people come in and have a fun and interesting experience,” she says.

The shop’s well-curated selection is evident, with decorative antiques from the 18th century through mid-century modern, primarily from France, Belgium, Holland and Italy. Mirrors and lighting are the most popular categories, Frankel says.

Skeptics might be surprised by what they find.

“Some people think of antiques as old-time grandma stuff, but a lot of pieces are modern looking, like a Josef Hoffmann settee from the early 1900s,” says Frankel, who keeps an eye out for customer inquiries on her buying trips to Europe.

“I always go on shopping trips with a wish list. I can find anything eventually.”

Part of the appeal for the end-user is repurposing purchases in unique ways, like mounting architectural pieces on a wall and blending various eras. Frankel’s vignettes give visitors a feel for how well pieces from different periods can work together.

“I wish people who think they don’t like antiques would take a look. It’s much more fun to mix old with new.”

She also has some words of wisdom for beginners: “You

FALL 2015 • X-OLOGY

simply need to look. Go and shop. See what appeals to you and go for it.” 248-649-4399, judyfrankelantiques.com UPSCALE AND UNIQUE Not everyone falls into the do-it-yourself category. Luckily, Materials Unlimited in Ypsilanti, MI, offers a large selection of restored and rewired antique lighting that’s ready to install.

“That sets us apart from most salvage places,” says Scotty James, general manager.

The store, which has been around since 1974, is an impressive 15,000-square-foot destination with a reputation for upscale antique furniture, stained glass windows and salvaged mantels, trim, doors and more. Most of the inventory is from the late 1800s to the 1930s.

A knowledgeable staff often consults with customers who are working on large-scale projects in one of two scenarios; those wanting to restore an old home to its original state or those who are attempting to age a new-build for more warmth and character. Either way, inquiries are encouraged.

“Don’t be afraid to ask questions,” says James.

Each item is marked with a detailed card that lists its circa, or approximate date, origin and price.

“It’s easy to comparison shop online to see that we’re competitively priced,” James says.

Tips for

TREASURE HUNTING Antique shopping can be educational and full of surprises as you unearth the unexpected. Here is some advice for anyone who needs a little guidance before heading out to scour the area for secondhand finds.

• Research online to scope out sources or take a day trip to a new-to-you area.

Look for locations that are close to each other and plan to stop for lunch in between destinations.

• Ask if prices are negotiable and do your homework with online comparison shopping. Don’t get too caught up on origin. Instead, look for pieces that speak to you. If you really love something, you’ll find a use for it.

• Start a dialogue with shop owners and employees for information about the history and possibilities for pieces that catch your eye. Many items can be made into tables and lamps for that one-of-a-kind look that makes your home décor truly yours.

Lighting is Materials Unlimited’s largest category, primarily made up of ceiling fixtures from the Colonial Revival period and Tudor pieces. Furniture includes sizable dining room sets that can accommodate larger families. Individual items prove that your entire home doesn’t have to pay homage to another era to make a statement. Sometimes a few conversation pieces are all you need to resonate in a room, like bridge lamps from the 1920s, a current top-seller, according to James.

As he explains, recent advances in technology have an impact on the need for specific historic pieces, like the increasing demand for roll-top desks due to laptops. On the flip side, sturdy wardrobes that once concealed bulky TVs are no longer popular. The same can be said for tall mantels with built-in mirrors. Instead, James says, customers now prefer a half-mantel with a shelf and legs, leaving enough room to install a TV on the wall above.

Smartphones have become a visual aid for those in search of that precise antique or vintage piece.

“Someone might say, ‘I’ve got something I need to have fixed. Here is the picture.’ or ‘I need to replace my doorknobs, let me show you what they look like,’” James says.

Materials Unlimited is considered a high-tech business model for an antiques store because its online gallery serves as a catalog for current inventory. Whether viewing

photos on the website or browsing in person, “Enjoy yourself, have fun, take your time and take it all in,” James says.

800-299-9462, materialsunlimited.com A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING Many fans are already aware that Fred’s Unique Furniture and Antiques in Warren, MI, and Fred’s Unique Furniture in Detroit have a little bit of everything when it comes to antiques, contemporary, retro and modern pieces.

“We specialize in unique and interesting furniture items and accent pieces that are difficult to find anywhere else,” says the owner, Fred Beghdadi. “My advice to everyone is to never buy anything new except your toothbrush and other personal items. Use your imagination and be open-minded and you’ll find beautiful furniture pieces of the highest quality for a fraction of the price of new.”

Because Fred’s Unique Furniture has become the largest furniture liquidator in the Midwest, on any given day you can find a broad range of residential furniture, accent pieces, hotel liquidation furniture and office furniture. Vintage, retro and Art Deco styles are experiencing a real comeback, Beghdadi says. Though affordable prices may be one of the draws, he believes the reason he’s been in business for nearly 35 years is the ever-changing inventory of unique pieces and the friendly service. >> X-OLOGY • FALL 2015

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COURTESY MATERIALS UNLIMITED

lifestyle

Opposite page: Materials Unlimited features upscale antique furniture, stained glass windows and salvaged mantels and doors, mostly from the late 1800s to the 1930s. Each item is marked with detailed information about circa, or approximate date, origin and price.

>>

In addition to residential customers in search of something special, Beghdadi says the stores attract interior designers, set directors and production people from film and theater. Real-time inventory is available online. Up next: a 20,000-square-foot showroom warehouse next to the Warren location that is near completion. 586-776-7100, fredsfurniture.com CONTINUING THE TRADITION In a historic building in Ann Arbor, MI, you’ll find Treasure Mart, a consignment store that lives up to its name. The shop specializes in antique and vintage pieces. Owner Elaine Johns says mid-century is the hot ticket right now along with teak furniture and anything with clean lines. The shop also sells a lot of vintage jewelry Johns believes that amassing antiques seems 2014 to be losing BEST COLLEGES its luster among the younger set. for Veterans U.S. News & “Young kids are not collecting. They don’t World care Report® about an014 014 tiques. They like new2furniture because it looks 2014 2014 2014 good,” 2says NATION’S BEST GREEN MILITARY BEST COLLEGES AMERICA’S BEST UNDERGRAD ONLINE Johns.

FRIENDLY COLLEGE in the Midwest UNIVERSITIES STUDENT ENGAGEMENT SCHOO L Princeton Princeton U.S. News & U.S. News & G.I. Jobsfound ® ® Review® ® fineReview World Report® She likes to pointWorld outReport the craftsmanship in an1 1 1 1 tique and vintage furniture, encouraging shoppers to open 2014 20 4 20 4 20 4 20 4 NATION’S BEST MILITARY GREEN BEST COLLEGES AMERICA’S BEST UNDERGRAD ONLINE a drawer to experience the quality construction FRIENDLYfirsthand.

COLLEGE in the Midwest UNIVERSITIES STUDENT ENGAGEMENT SCHOO L Princeton Princeton U.S. News & U.S. News & G.I. Jobs® ® Review® Report ® Report® Though TreasureWorld Mart has hadReview a huge following forWorld more 2015 1 4 0 than 50 years, Johns wants the next generation to join in.

2 AMERICA’S BEST UNIVERSITIES BEST COLLEGES U.S. News & “We’re losing this whole generation of forkids Veteranscollecting. I World Report® U.S. News & World Report hope that will turn around at some point,” she® says, citing fine china as one of the less desirable categories. “They 2015 AMERICA’S BEST want things they can put in the dishwasher. Big dinner par- UNIVERSITIES U.S. News & ties and fancy entertaining just don’t happen anymore.” World Report® Perhaps a visit to Treasure Mart can fix that. 734-662-9887, treasuremart.com Another popular destination is Village Antiques in Dearborn, MI, a 5,000-square-foot space that houses antique and vintage pieces. Furniture remains a steady seller, encompassing everything from outdoor accessories like urns to side tables and smaller dressers and chests. Travelers often stop by for a look-see.

“We get a lot of out-of-towners here because of Greenfield Village,” says owner Shirley Molinari.

The shop’s vast selection includes jewelry, architectural pieces, framed prints, mirrors and military memorabilia.

That’s the beauty of shopping for antiques: there is truly something for everyone. Village Antiques: 313-563-1230

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expertoutlook

Community Colleges Coming of Age: Focused on Community Need

BY DR. TIMOTHY MEYER

W

hen most community nurses for healthcare systems. colleges opened their • Trained more than 5,000 gradudoors 50 years ago, they ates who serve as firefighters, police officers, EMTs and dispatchers. were expected to be everything to • Forged over 200 transfer everyone. They offered courses and agreements with colleges and programs open to all who were universities, enabling our students seeking or exploring higher eduto go on to a myriad of profescation opportunities. During this TIMOTHY time, community colleges quickly MEYER, PH.D. sions requiring advanced training, including doctors, lawyers and grew in size and scope, offering engineers. degrees and certificates in numerous career fields and university transfer • Granted degrees and certificates to more degrees focused on business, science and than 81,000 graduates. liberal arts.

• Retrained thousands of dislocated workOakland Community College (OCC), curers when unemployment spiked in the rently the largest of 28 community colleges 1980s and again in 2008. in Michigan, is celebrating its 50th anniver- • Partnered with corporations like HP, Kelly Services and EDS to create customized sary this year. To meet community need, OCC new-hire programs when the economy expanded beyond its original programming rebounded and new businesses couldn’t to include workforce development, corporate find skilled workers. training and economic development. Since 1991, OCC has constructed several new fa- • Delivered in excess of $45 million in corporate training to businesses, including cilities specifically to support these efforts, General Motors, Chrysler, HP, Kelly Serincluding the Advanced Technology Center, vices, Garden Fresh and hundreds of other featuring advanced manufacturing and roemployers large and small. botics programs; the M-TEC facility for the burgeoning IT industry; the Combined Re- • Participated in the Michigan New Jobs gional Emergency Services Training (CREST) Training program, generating over $9.5 center, the first facility and program of its million in funding to support the creation kind to bring together emergency and public of new jobs in the region. safety agencies for combined training; and most recently, OCC installed state-of-the-art A NEW EMPHASIS healthcare labs and equipment at its South- There is much to celebrate in our past, but as field Campus. most community colleges make their way into the second half of their first century, higher CONTRIBUTING TO THE WORKFORCE education is faced with increased pressures As OCC marks a half-century in the com- for accountability to taxpayers, the commumunity, it has contributed significantly to the nity, students, business, industry, accreditors, region’s workforce. The college has: state and federal government for achieve• Prepared more than 30,000 graduates in ment of outcomes, and most important, acapplied technologies and business admin- countability to ensure students succeed. istration for local employers, and 7,000 How are OCC and our peers poised to ad40

FALL 2015 • X-OLOGY

dress this new level of accountability? We are placing new emphasis on student goal attainment — not just providing access to higher education. At OCC, we have joined the Higher Learning Commission’s Student Persistence and Completion Academy with a goal of significantly improving graduation rates by 2018. We have conducted groundbreaking research on transferability of courses to four-year institutions. We have obtained grants to upgrade equipment, and led dual enrollment and early-college initiatives by partnering with K-12 systems — all to increase student success.

OCC, together with our peer institutions, is positioned for another half-century of innovation, partnership and development of a healthy and prosperous community.

Dr. Timothy Meyer, Oakland Community College chief executive officer, is focusing the college on meeting community need, one student at a time. He joined OCC in 2008 after serving as president of Sault College in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He holds a doctorate degree, two master’s degrees and two bachelor’s degrees and serves in a number of leadership positions in higher education and business.

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makingthescene

third annual DASI Dream Cruise Open House DASI Solutions hosted its third annual DASI Dream Cruise Open House on Aug. 13 in downtown Pontiac. The event helped kick off the company’s 20th anniversary celebration, attracting approximately 375 attendees with a variety of interests, from classic cars (105 classic and performance cars were on the scene) and engineering and manufacturing technologies to those who wanted to see a 3D printer in action. “We spend so much time focusing on sales and meeting goals; this is the one day of the year we can just focus on getting to know our customers, leveraging the Dream Cruise atmosphere to bring people together in a casual setting,” says Co-Owner David Darbyshire. DASI is a premier value-added reseller for products for the designing engineer, including SOLIDWORKS 3D software and Stratasys 3D printing technology. The company has facilities throughout the Great Lakes region, including Michigan locations of Pontiac, Canton and Grand Rapids, as well as in Mishawaka, IN.

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1. David Darbyshire of DASI Solutions and Pontiac Mayor Deirdre Waterman. 2. David Darbyshire, Rob Kosch of of Lafayette Grand Banquette, Kyle Westberg of West Construction and Dennis Howie of Lawrence Technological University. 3. Guests enjoyed a buffet dinner. 4. Classic cars on display.

Vaughn Gurganian

INNO-VENTION 2015 INNO-VENTION 2015 was held Sept. 16 at Petruzzello’s Banquet and Conference Center in Troy. This fourth annual networking event was hosted

by Oakland County¹s Medical Main Street, a unique alliance of worldclass hospitals, universities, medical device and biopharma companies. The evening featured the “Innovator of the Year” award, which was presented to St. Joseph Mercy Oakland. Attendees of the event also saw the work of innovative regional professionals in the healthcare, medical device, biotech, life sciences and pharmaceutical industries, and had opportunities to connect with new clients and business leaders, along with expert resources to help them diversify their product/and or service, launch or expand a medical technology business and partner with local businesses, R&D centers and healthcare providers to help grow their business.

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1. Dave Bobryk of St. Joseph Mercy Oakland and L. Brooks Patterson of Oakland County. 2. Guests enjoy networking. 3. Mary Engelman of OpTech and Mary McPartlin of the Detroit Regional Chamber. 4. Manish Raval of Thermaissance and Dianna Larson of Beaumont Health. 5. George Hynd, Oakland University President.

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FALL 2015 • X-OLOGY

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