Community News 16-35

Abdullah named to NCAA’s Heisman Trophy watch list

Husker I-back Ameer Abdullah was named Friday to the season-opening Heisman Trophy watch list by the NCAA.

In a post, NCAA’s Brendan Bures lists 10 players he predicts will be leading the Heisman charge in 2014.

Abdullah, who ran for 1,690 yards in 2013, specifically gets singled out for standing out in the brutish Big Ten.

“He’s equal parts violent explosion and swift elusiveness, like a ballerina on rocket skates,” Bures writes. “No player on this list may be more instrumental to their team than Abdullah to the Cornhuskers and any hopes of postseason participation rests on his legs.”

Squash legend Hashim Khan passes away

Hashim Khan, widely hailed as one of the greatest squash players of all time, died of congestive heart failure Monday night. He was believed to be 100.

Khan was the patriarch of Pakistan’s squash supremacy, winning seven British Open titles, including his first in 1951 at an age when most players retire. Khan brought his family to the United States in the early 1960s after being offered a lucrative deal to teach squash in Detroit. He later took a pro position in Denver and played the game into his 90s.

Mo Khan said of his father’s death to news agencies: “The world just lost the greatest player of all time.”

Analytical Research Award for Khaja Muneeruddin

An international group of three scientists are the recipients of United States Pharmacopeial Convention’s 2014–2015 Global Fellowship Awards, aimed at advancing research involving quality standards for medicines. The recipients’ research will involve analytical tools useful in researching the safety of biopharmaceutical drugs, the detection of substandard drugs in the developing world, and the quality of dry powder inhaler products.

Each of the  students has received a $30,000 USP Global Fellowship Award for the 2014–2015 academic year. Among the recipients this year is Khaja Muneeruddin, a doctoral candidate at University of Massachussets, Amherst. His research  includes the development of novel analytical tools to characterize the natural diversity of biopharmaceutics, contributing to the safety of biopharmaceutical drugs.

Hanger Announces Appointment of Asif Ahmad to Board of Directors

Hanger, Inc.  has announced that its Board of Directors elected Asif Ahmad to the Hanger Board as a director on August 13, 2014. Mr. Ahmad is Chief Executive Officer and a director of Anthelio Healthcare Solutions, Inc., one of the largest independent providers of healthcare information technology and business process services. Mr. Ahmad qualifies as an independent director under applicable New York Stock Exchange listing standards.

“A proven leader in the healthcare information technology industry, Asif is widely recognized for his ability to concurrently advance high quality patient care, drive business value, and grow market share,” Hanger President and CEO Vinit Asar said. “Given the strategic role of technology in Hanger’s future, Asif’s extensive experience in informatics, information technology, clinical operations, and business intelligence at major for-profit healthcare service providers and not-for-profit academic medical centers will be a valuable addition to Hanger’s Board of Directors.”

Prior to Anthelio Healthcare Solutions, Mr. Ahmad served as a Senior Vice President and General Manager of Information and Technology Services at McKesson Specialty Health, a healthcare services and information technology company that partners with payers, hospitals, physician offices, pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies and other healthcare companies. Before joining McKesson, he was the Vice President of Diagnostic Services for the Duke University Health System and Medical Center and held various faculty appointments atDuke. Mr. Ahmad also served for nearly a decade in various leadership positions with the Ohio State UniversityHealth System and Medical Center and was the Administrator and Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer and the Chair of the Clinical Technology Council at the time of his departure.

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