ProfNet Experts Available on Medicaid, Gene Patent Case

NEW YORK, June 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network that are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please contact them via the contact information at the end of the listing. To receive these updates by email, send a note to [email protected] with the industries you cover, and we'll add you to the appropriate edition. 

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EXPERT ALERTS

• Placing Mom on Medicaid
• Supreme Court Decision on Human Gene Patent
• SCOTUS Gene Patent Case
• Unanimous Supreme Court Decision on Patent Case

MEDIA JOBS

• Editorial Assistant – Mobile Marketer (NY)
• Reporter – The NewsTribune (IL)
• Online Copy Editor – Demand Media Studios (Anywhere)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• Media 411: Conference Season
• Freelancing With a Full-Time Job: What You Need to Know
• Networking Secrets of Freelancers

EXPERT ALERTS:

Placing Mom on Medicaid
Ronald Fatoullah, Esq.
Elder Law & Estate Planning Attorney
Ronald Fatoullah & Associates
"Mom has just been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and will need long-term care. Health care costs are skyrocketing. What do families need to know about planning when a medical emergency or a catastrophic illness strikes? Regarding Medicaid eligibility and benefits -- who should apply and when?"
Fatoullah is available to discuss the topics that arise when caring for a parent. He is the founder and managing attorney of Ronald Fatoullah & Associates, a New York law firm that exclusively focuses on the legal and financial challenges of aging: elder law, estate planning, Medicaid eligibility, asset preservation, probate, wills, trusts, guardianships, veteran planning, and planning for same-sex couples.
Website: http://www.fatoullahlaw.com
Media Contact: Carol Schell, [email protected]

Supreme Court Decision on Human Gene Patents
Lori Andrews
Professor
IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law
"The Supreme Court has liberated human genes. This decision is great news for patients, doctors, and scientific researchers. Half of geneticists were impeded in their research by gene patents. Now they can begin the search for cures."
In Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court held that human genes were not patentable since they are products of nature and not inventions. Andrews filed amicus briefs in the trial court, appellate court and the U.S. Supreme Court representing medical organizations including the American Medical Association, the American Society of Human Genetics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. She argued that a patent on genes was not only legally inappropriate, but also a threat to public health. For the past 10 years, Andrews has studied the impact of gene patents on health care and scientific research, receiving grants from the federal Department of Energy Human Genome Project and from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Expert Contact: [email protected]
Media Contact: Gwendolyn Osborne, [email protected]

SCOTUS Gene Patent Case
Barbara Evans
Co-director, Health Law & Policy Institute
University of Houston Law Center
"The decision makes sense, but it is a major change that has the potential to upset business expectations of biotech firms that have structured their businesses on the assumption that genes are patentable. One hears dire forecasts that invalidating gene patents will put a halt to biotechnology investment and innovation. Frankly, those fears seem overblown."
Evans is available to explain the issues involved in the case, as well as what it means for research companies and the average citizen after the U.S. Supreme ruled that companies cannot patent human genes.
Media Contact: Carrie Criado, [email protected]

Unanimous Supreme Court Decision on Patent Case
Sapna Kumar
Assistant Professor of Law
University of Houston Law Center
"We expected there to be a divided opinion from the Supreme Court on this issue. At oral argument, there wasn't a consensus regarding how to promote innovation while prohibiting something from nature to be patented. Instead, the Supreme Court issued a decisive opinion, where it unanimously held that isolated DNA is not to be patentable under the Patent Act. I think that several of us were expecting the court to use a fuzzy balancing test instead."
Kumar is available to speak about the Supreme Court's decision in the gene patent case.
Media Contact: John T. Kling, [email protected]

MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: http://bit.ly/pncjobboard

• Editorial Assistant – Mobile Marketer (NY)
• Reporter – The NewsTribune (IL)
• Online Copy Editor – Demand Media Studios (Anywhere)

See more listings here.

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at [email protected]

• MEDIA 411: CONFERENCE SEASON: Conference season is here! Now is the perfect time to find a journalism conference near you (or far) to learn new skills, network, make some new friends and have fun all at the same time. Don't miss out on some of these great opportunities that could be located in a city near you: http://bit.ly/196GVj7
• FREELANCING WITH A FULL-TIME JOB: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Do you crave the excitement of freelancing – writing about topics you care about and for the publications you want to write for? Or do you need the security of a staff position, knowing a set paycheck will be deposited into your bank account regularly? Would you like to do both? Here's how: http://bit.ly/1a4lHEd
• NETWORKING SECRETS OF FREELANCERS: Last week we hosted our #ConnectChat featuring Minda Zetlin, president of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA), who shared some networking secrets for freelance writers: http://bit.ly/173huSp

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SOURCE ProfNet