Royal Philips Electronics has established a five-year agreement with St. Josephs Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix to pursue neurology research with MRI technology.

Banner Health, headquartered in Phoenix, has received HIMSS Analytics' Stage 7 Award for 17 of its 23 hospitals, located in seven U.S. states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming. The Stage 7 award represents attainment of the highest level on the EMR Adoption Model (EMRAM), which is used to track EMR progress at hospitals and health systems.

Accelerated partial breast irradiation is more effective in preventing local breast cancer recurrence than whole breast irradiation, according to a study presented at the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS) annual meeting in Phoenix, May 2-6.

Source: J Nuc Med 2012;53:754-64SPECT/CT is a powerful diagnostic tool that has improved interpretation of classic radioiodine scintigraphy, and current management protocols and guidelines in thyroid cancer should be reassessed in light of this new technology, according to an article published in the May issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

Starting May 30, the FDA will keep a more watchful eye on disqualified clinical investigators. Now, a clinical site investigator deemed ineligible to receive a certain test article (drugs, devices or new animal drugs) will also be ineligible to conduct any clinical investigations that would support an application for research or marketing permit for other products that are FDA regulated.

The Canadian Minister of Health, Leona Aglukkaq, has announced that the government will invest heavily in neuroscience research by creating the Canada Brain Research Fund.

National Jewish Health in Denver is launching a lung cancer screening trial that will combine a CT chest scan and the EarlyCDT-Lung blood test, and will seek to build on recent research demonstrating that CT screening alone can reduce lung cancer mortality.

Installation of an IBA (Ion Beam Applications) cyclotron, beam line and two patient treatment rooms has begun at the Agenzia Provinciale Per la Protonterapie, a cancer center being constructed in Trento, Italy.