Research & Policy

Avera Health is pleased to announce that the Walking Forward Program, based in Rapid City, has been awarded a grant for over $1.6 million from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation to increase lung cancer screening rates for high-risk smokers living in western South Dakota.

Smithfield Foods, Inc. and the University of Virginia School of Engineering & Applied Science announced today a research partnership to explore and advance regenerative medicine technologies leveraging porcine bioproducts. The research is part of a collaborative project between UVA and Smithfield Bioscience, a strategic business platform within Smithfield Foods that is focused on supporting a range of biotechnology solutions in areas of human therapeutics, tissue fabrication and regenerative medicine.

When I was a high school student, I took a serious interest in biology and chemistry, and I always asked my teachers: "But how did they find that out?" This was my first approach to scientific discovery and, from there on, I made the decision to get a science-related degree. Upon my entry to university, I started to work on basic science research projects, however I realized that I wanted to do research that would have an actual impact in human health and disease.

When Cameron Clarke was first assigned a policy brief as an Amgen Scholar at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2016, it was the start of something big: a career in public health policy. In the year that followed, he would use the policy brief writing skills again and again as an intern on Capitol Hill, and then with several local government organizations on issues ranging from opioid addiction and minority health inequities to environmental policy. Now a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, Clarke’s work focuses on systematically reviewing research to translate the results into policy recommendations.

The food manufacturing industry is subject to regulations and scrutiny that few other industries are: social pressure is ever-present, as news of infection or disease outbreak caused by food-borne pathogens strikes an uneasy nerve in consumers. Manufacturers can be subject to tremendous backlash if they do not take the proper steps to ensure their manufacturing facilities are appropriately equipped to prevent and mitigate the risk of food contamination.

Whole Kids Foundation and Farm to Cafeteria Canada announce the largest federally supported multi-sector investment in a national school food program. More than $3.1 million will be invested in children’s nutrition over the next three years. An investment of $1.03 million provided by Whole Kids Foundation served as a catalyst for additional NGO grants and earned matching funds from the Public Health Agency of Canada.

To wrap up #SubaruLovestoCare, our June initiative where Subaru retailers deliver blankets to provide comfort and warmth to those fighting against cancer, we delivered blankets to the MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper University Health Care.

Childhood cancer receives less than 5 percent of the national funding that goes toward cancer research and treatment. To help make it a national priority, Aflac once again joined Curefest for Childhood Cancer at its annual event near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

These actions might seem small in the moment, but they end up touching the lives of people we’d never expect. Joe Speagle, a systems engineer in Walmart’s technology division, wanted to do something no one else would do in order to bring attention to a cause near to his heart – Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

At PANDORA’s modern crafting facilities in Thailand, 13,200 people are bringing their skills, hearts and minds to work every day. This is why we are committed to ensuring a positive and inspiring workplace through a holistic approach - emphasizing not only professional but also personal opportunities.