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| October 2006 |
"Shortage of Health Workers in Developing Countries Affecting Global Health Efforts, Including Fight Against HIV/AIDS, Panel Says,"
Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, October 25, 2006
...Slavea Chankova, a panelist and senior analyst in the international health division of Abt Associates, said there is a lack of data on health worker trends, including why they move and the number who return to their home countries. According to a two-year research project Chankova helped conduct that examined health systems in five African countries, rates of health workers leaving — either to go to other countries or to the private sector — usually were higher than the number of health workers entering the market and it would not be feasible to reach the UN Millennium Development Goals, including stopping the spread of HIV, without increasing the number of health workers... 
The same story was covered by the University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy and Medical News Today and a similar item was carried by News-Medical.net
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"Switch to Insulin Pen Improves Clinical Outcomes and Reduces Medical Costs for Diabetes,"
Yahoo! News, October 24, 2006
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 24 /PRNewswire/ Diabetes mellitus, a chronic medical condition often requiring lifelong treatment, is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. In 2002, the cost of diabetes was estimated at $132 billion in the U.S. Tight glycemic control, as defined by the American Diabetes Association, is the cornerstone of effective diabetes management and can be achieved by medication adherence, that is, patients following the treatment prescribed by their physicians. Accordingly, one of the primary goals of any insulin delivery method is to reduce the risk of complications from inadequate glycemic control by facilitating better patient adherence.
Won Chan Lee, Ph.D., Abt Associates' Director of Health Economics, recently led a first of its kind study to evaluate the clinical and economic effects of the conversion from conventional vial and syringe delivery to an insulin analogue pen device in patients with type 2 diabetes. The results, published in the journal, Clinical Therapeutics, show that switching to an insulin pen led to improved medication adherence, fewer claims for hypoglycemic events, reduced emergency department and physician visits, and, ultimately, lower treatment costs.
The same story appeared in PRNewswire.com, RedOrbit.com, and MedicalNewsToday.com.
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"Let eligible Florida residents cast a vote,"
the Miami Herald, October 15, 2006
The foundation of our democracy, the hallmark of our power, is our right to vote. The history of the oppressed has shown that one of the most important rights sought is suffrage. Without real access to the ballot, everything else is meaningless.
...Moreover, matching an applicant's registration number with information in a database is an error-prone and unreliable process. A study by Abt Associates determined that in a Florida social-services database, up to 26 percent of the records included city names spelled incorrectly, including 40 different spellings of Fort Lauderdale.
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"Abt Associates and Outcomes International Announce Joint Global Capabilities,"
Yahoo! News, October 2, 2006
Abt Associates Inc., a leader in health care research and consulting since 1965, has entered into a global partnership with Outcomes International, a leading independent consultancy based in Basel, Switzerland. Together, the two firms offer US- and Europe-based global expertise in health economics, outcomes research, and registries as well as strategic, clinical, and market research services.
The same story appeared in PRNewswire.co.uk, PajamasMedia.com, and Bolsamania.com. A similar item was posted by MRMedia.com
[ back to top ]| September 2006 |
"Health scheme told to be all-embracing,"
IPPMedia.com, September 24, 2006
An African health accounts expert has called on Tanzania's National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to adjust itself so as to cater for both the formal and informal sectors, otherwise, it should change its current identity.
..."What your NHIF is doing is a mere private social insurance, or rather, government employee health insurance," remarked Mwase, who for over 10 years has been engaged in health planning, financing and care management. He is currently a health economist with Abt Associates, Inc. based in Lilongwe , Malawi...
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"US/Zim Body Seeks Turnaround Map ,"
Financial Gazette (Harrare), September 20, 2006
AN ASSOCIATION of US business and investment interests in Zimbabwe will next month convene a meeting that seeks to provide a platform for private sector interventions in the country's economy...
..Other speakers will include Anton van Wyk and Judge Thabani Jali of Pice-waterhouseCoopers in South Africa, agricultural economist John Mellor of Abt Associates in the US, former Malawi central bank governor and Finance Minister Mathews Chikaonda as well as a host of Zimbabwean personalities such as John Legat of Imara Asset Management, Best Doroh of Finhold, World Bank consultant Robert Geddes, Jameson Timba of eWorld and Kenias Mafukidze of KM Financial Solutions.
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"Mason Russell Joins Abt Associates as Executive Director, Registries, Pricing & Reimbursement,"
Yahoo! News, September 19, 2006
Mason W. Russell, M.A.P.E., an internationally-known health economist with more than 20 years of industry and consulting experience, has joined Abt Associates as Executive Director, Registries, Pricing & Reimbursement. A specialist in registry design and operations, global pricing and reimbursement strategy, and economic evaluation, including cost of illness and cost effectiveness analysis, Mr. Russell will lead Abt Associates' rapidly growing registries practice and will join Chris Pashos in directing the firm's Health Economic Research and Quality of Life Evaluation Services (HERQuLES) team.
The same story appeared in Bolsamania.com, and a similar item was carried by MRWeb.com.
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"US provides more aid to help Vietnam, Laos combat avian influenza,"
VietNamNet, September 19, 2006
VietNamNet Bridge — The US government is providing $1.55 million for a new project to fight avian influenza in Vietnam and Laos.
Through the US Agency for International Development's (USAID) Regional Development Mission Asia and Abt Associates Inc., a new partner in the region effort, community-level projects will carry out surveillance and control activities against avian influenza in both countries...
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"United States Assists Azerbaijan Government to Develop Health Sector,"
AzerTag.com, September 8, 2006
A two day seminar "Communication Strategy Workshop," a part of multi-million dollar project entitled 'Primary Health Care Strengthening Project in Azerbaijan' (PHC Project, $ 5 mln ) began September 7 in Park Inn Azerbaijan Hotel.
The USAID-supported PHC project is implemented by a consortium of organizations led by International Medical Corps (IMC) in cooperation with Abt Associates Inc, Curatio International Foundation, and the Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs...
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"USAID Awards $125 Million 'Health Systems 20/20' Cooperative Agreement to Abt Associates,"
Yahoo! News, September 7, 2006
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ — Abt Associates announced today that it has been awarded a 5-year cooperative agreement up to $125 million by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). "Health Systems 20/20" (HS20/20) will give USAID-supported countries access to technical assistance from Abt Associates and its partner organizations as they work toward creating sustainable capacity in the health sector. The award is a follow-on to the $98 million USAID "Partners for Health Reformplus" project, also led by Abt Associates, that worked on health system strengthening in 35 countries.
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| August 2006 |
"Wellfleet tests ability to fight bird flu,"
Bird-Flu-History.com, August 22, 2006
WELLFLEET — During a bird flu epidemic, most of Cape Cod would fare better than urban areas, if a simulated exercise in Wellfleet yesterday is any indication.
Not only are town officials and residents generally better prepared than city dwellers, but the population is more dispersed, said Dr. Clark Abt, a Cambridge social science researcher who ran the drill at Wellfleet Elementary School.
The morning-long simulation showed planners there would be fewer deaths, a more plentiful and secure food supply, and a more compassionate response to neighbors and refugees in Wellfleet than in urban areas of the state...
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"Schools hope software will curb vandalism,"
By Blake Farmer, the Nashville City paper, August 24, 2006
Following a summer break rife with vandalism, Metro Schools officials are looking at using computer software to start tracking incidents throughout the district.
A free program called School COP would allow district-wide reports to be compiled about vandalism, gang violence and theft. "Obviously we can't go back and undo what's been done," said Ralph Thompson, assistant superintendent of student services, in an interview Wednesday with The City Paper. "Now we hope to employ this particular program and start gathering data." Thompson announced the possibility of using School COP at Tuesday's School Board meeting, noting it could be up and running as early as next month.The software comes as a significant improvement over previous measures, which, if anything, included a spread sheet with no uniform way to keep track of the incidents from school to school. Abt Associates, a research firm located in Cambridge, Mass., developed School COP in 2000 with funding from the National Institute of Justice, the research arm of the U.S. Department of Justice...
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"Health Leaders from Developing Countries Commit to Launch Health System Action Network,"
RedOrbit.com, August 24, 2006
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 24 /PRNewswire/ — Health system leaders from around the world have agreed to launch a Health System Action Network (HSAN) to increase understanding of the importance of strengthening health systems to achieve urgent health priorities.
HSAN will share important information and best practices across countries by linking health systems leaders through a global network in order to better influence global and donor initiatives to recognize the role of health systems and how it is linked to country priorities.
At a two-day meeting held in Toronto, Canada on August 18-19, thirty-one policymakers, clinicians, economists, human resource professionals, pharmacists, and journalists met to discuss health systems strengthening needs not being met by other initiatives. The participants were selected through a highly competitive international process from 400 applicants by a consortia of organizations facilitated by Partners for Health Reformplus (PHRplus), a project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and led by Abt Associates Inc...
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"Western disasters receive lion's share of international aid,"
By Tom Blackwell, National Post, August 18, 2006
TORONTO — When it comes to the world's response to disaster, not all victims are created equal, a new Canadian study concludes.
International funding for disaster relief efforts varies dramatically and unfairly from a few dollars per person affected by some recent crises to almost $12 million, according to the research presented Thursday at the International AIDS Conference...
...In another session at the conference, Tanya Dmytraczenko of Abt Associates reported some troubling conclusions from a study of the money provided to seven countries for fighting HIV and AIDS.
In most of the nations Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Ukraine, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe funds were not allocated according to the spending priorities in each country's strategic plans.
At the same time, they had no proper way of monitoring the effect of the money they spent, said Dmytraczenko...
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"Fewer Vietnam Vets Are Found to Have Stress Disorder,"
By Rick Weiss, the Washington Post, August 18, 2006
WASHINGTON — A painstaking reanalysis of data collected from Vietnam War veterans in the 1980s confirms that post traumatic stress disorder is a real and common psychiatric consequence of war, but it comes to the controversial conclusion that significantly fewer veterans were affected than experts have thought.
The report's suggestion that one in five Vietnam veterans had the syndrome at some point during the first dozen years after the war — as opposed to previous estimates as high as one in three — drew praise from some experts as a valuable reassessment of an issue made timely by fresh waves of disturbed veterans coming back from Iraq.
..."All these studies do is find more problems," said William Schlenger, a psychologist and PTSD expert with Abt Associates of Cambridge, Mass. "So the government gets into a frame of, 'Why spend this money to find problems we can't afford to fix?'"...
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"PHA told changes must be made,"
By Elaine Hopkins, the Journal Star, August 17, 2006
A new plan must be accepted or funding will drop 24 percent
PEORIA — Change or die.
That's the message coming to the Peoria Housing Authority as the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires housing authorities nationwide to reorganize the way they operate.
The PHA Board met Tuesday with two consultants, Mitch Bilker of PHA Finance, based in Pennsylvania, and Victoria Main of Abt Associates Inc., based in Florida. The PHA's acting executive director, Brenda Coates, also spoke about the changes recently.
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"Incremental Direct Expenditure of Treating Hypertension in U.S. Estimated at $55 Billion,"
RedOrbit.com, August 15, 2006
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 15 /PRNewswire/ Hypertension in the U.S. is the most commonly diagnosed disease in the United States. In light of its established relationship to cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and peripheral vascular diseases it is also a major health problem. Having reliable estimates of the costs of treating hypertension is critical to making decisions about cost-effective treatment and the allocation of scarce economic resources.
Abt Associates Senior Pharmacoeconomist/Outcomes Scientist Sanjeev Balu recently conducted the first study of the direct expenditures of treating hypertension using an incremental cost approach...
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"Eastern Bank CEO Stanley Lukowski Joins Abt Associates Board of Directors,"
InterestAlert.com, August 11, 2006
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 11 /PRNewswire/ Abt Associates announced that Stanley J. Lukowski, Chairman and CEO of Eastern Bank Corporation, has joined the Abt Associates Board of Directors. Lukowski has led Eastern Bank as Chairman and CEO since 1992. Under his management, Eastern Bank has grown to be the largest independent commercial bank in New England with 73 branches and $6 billion in assets...
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"Neal Mantick Joins Abt Associates As Director of Registries,"
RedOrbit.com, August 7, 2006
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 7 /PRNewswire/ — Neal S. Mantick, a skilled manager with over 22 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, has joined Abt Associates as Director of Registries. He will provide technical oversight and supervision for all registry projects, including design, implementation, and reporting, and will consult with sponsors to help optimize the receptivity, adoption, and long-term acceptance of new, innovative drug products and medical devices. Mr. Mantick comes to Abt Associates from Genzyme Corporation, where he served as Director of Global Registry Programs...
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"Area inmates part of HIV rapid-test study,"
By Dani MacLain, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, August 6, 2006
Wisconsin inmates recently participated in a national study to determine the merits of making a rapid test for HIV available in jails nationwide. Correctional facilities may be an important step toward preventing the virus' spread.
That's because nearly 25% of people with HIV will at some point pass through a correctional facility, according to a study by researcher Ted Hammett of ABT Associates, a global research and consulting firm. A quarter of the people living with HIV don't know they have it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
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"Education Department Study Finds Reading First Schools Spend More Time on the Subject,"
By Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, Education Week, August 2, 2006
...The study was based on surveys of some 9,000 teachers, principals, and reading coaches in national representative samples of 1,100 Reading First schools and 541 Title I schools that are not in the program. All the schools in the study enroll large percentages of poor children. Researchers for the Cambridge, Mass.-based Abt Associates, which conducted the study under contract to the U.S. Department of Education, also relied on interviews and state descriptions of schools' Reading First plans to review how the program is being implemented...
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| July 2006 |
"David Loeser Named Senior Vice President of Abt Associates,"
Pharma Live.com, July 27, 2006
Abt Associates has promoted Chief Financial Officer (CFO) David Loeser to Senior Vice President. Loeser joined Abt Associates in 1996 as Vice President and CFO. As CFO he has responsibility for the firm's financial management, leading the company's finance and accounting, treasury, compliance and internal audit, pension and financial planning activities.
Wendell Knox, Abt Associates CEO, said, "David has made a significant impact on the financial health of Abt Associates since joining the company as CFO. He has strengthened all aspects of our financial operations and has put us in a position to grow our company in the year's ahead. He is a key member of our management team and we highly value his contribution to Abt Associates."
Prior to joining Abt Associates Loeser was with Charles River Associates, an economics and business consulting firm, where he served for four years as the Vice President of Finance and Administration and Treasurer. He also held positions with Harbridge House (an executive development, training, and consulting firm) for more than nine years as the Controller and Finance Director and with Coopers & Lybrand as a Certified Public Accountant and supervisor on the audit staff...
The same article appeared in Yahoo! News
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"Abt Associates Names New Vice Presidents,"
Genetic Engineering News, July 24, 2006
Deborah Klein Walker and Carlos Carrazana Play Key Leadership Roles in Domestic and International Health Divisions
Abt Associates has named Deborah Klein Walker and Carlos Carrazana Vice Presidents. Both Walker and Carrazana, who joined the company within the last three years, have played prominent roles in the leading projects in their respective areas of domestic and international health...
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"SERVE Center Wins $2.9 Million to Study Early College,"
By Dan Nonte, University of North Carolina University News, July 24, 2006
SERVE Center at UNCG has received a $2.9 million grant from the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences to conduct a four-year study of North Carolina's Learn and Earn Early College High Schools.
Supported by Gov. Mike Easley and the North Carolina legislature, Learn and Earn Early College High Schools are designed the increase the number of students graduating from high school and prepared for work and further education.
The schools are located on college campuses and allow high school students to graduate in four or five years with a high school diploma and an associate's degree or two years of college credit. By 2008, North Carolina will have about 75 Early College High Schools. SERVE officials expect about 50 of those schools to participate in the study.
"North Carolina's extensive and groundbreaking work in high school redesign has created a unique opportunity to learn more about works," said Dr. Julie Edmunds, the study's project director. "This study will allow us to make clear statements about the impact of the Early College High School model."
The U.S. Department of Education grant will fund a team led by SERVE and including the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the North Carolina New Schools Project, Duke University Center for Child and Family Policy, Abt Associates, and faculty from UNCG...
The same article appeared in Yahoo! News
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"Abt Associates To Be Major Presenter At 16th International AIDS Conference In Toronto,"
Medical News Today, July 22, 2006
Abt Associates researchers will present the results of 17 diverse studies at the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto, August 13-18. The conference, with 20,000 attendees and over 400 sessions, meetings, and workshops is expected to be the largest in the history of the event.
"This conference is an invaluable forum to discuss advances in prevention, treatment and care in the battle against the AIDS epidemic," said Nancy Pielemeier, Vice President of International Health at Abt Associates. "Abt Associates has played an active role in HIV/AIDS research and technical assistance since the earliest days of the epidemic. We look forward to sharing the results of our work at the largest and most important event of its kind, as well as to learn about new ideas and innovations from other leading experts in the field."
The same article appeared in Red Orbit, Yahoo! News, PharmaLive.com, and Bolsamania.com.
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"Hope VI project gets consultants' approval,"
By Sarah Poulton, The Vindicator, July 21, 2006
The consultants were pleased with the quality of Arlington Heights homes.
Consultants from Abt Associates Inc. visited the Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Authority this week to assist and advise their Hope VI project.
Megan Shutes, Hope VI coordinator, said they visited for three days and were helpful. They seemed pleased with the progress that YMHA is making with Arlington Heights, the Hope VI development on the city's North Side, she said.
The development was created through a major grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to renovate distressed public housing, Shutes said. Until 2003, YMHA could get only HUD's demolition grant, she said. Now that it has obtained a revitalization grant, it can move the project forward toward completion...
[ back to top ]| June 2006 |
"Year Up Expands to Greater Washington to Serve the Needs of Urban Young Adults,"
Yahoo! News, June 15, 2006
Unique Program Prepares Low-Income Young Adults for High-Tech Jobs
Moving forward to close the opportunity divide that exists for our urban young adults, Year Up welcomed its first class of students at 1560 Wilson Blvd this morning. Joining in the celebration were former Virginia Governor Mark Warner; DC Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton; Executive Vice President of Operations and Technology of Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE - News), Joseph Smialowski; President of the Philip L. Graham Fund, Candice Bryant; and dozens of community and business leaders.
Year Up is an innovative program that transforms the lives and economic prospects of high school graduates and GED recipients by providing a one-year IT training program leading to technical careers or more advanced education Building upon success and rapid growth in Boston, MA and Providence, RI, Year Up Metro DC opened its doors on February 13th.
...Freddie Mac, Abt Associates, Inova Health Systems, Columbia Capital, Corporate Executive Board, Radio One, The Carlyle Group, Medstar Health, and the Philip L. Graham Fund, are joining forces with Year Up to bring the program to the Greater Washington area...
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"Abt Associates Names David Ferreira Chief Human Resources Officer ,"
Yahoo! News, June 15, 2006
Abt Associates announced the hiring of David Ferreira as Chief Human Resources Officer. Ferreira will lead all aspects of the Company's human resources function with emphasis on human capital development activities. He will also join the Company's Management Committee.
"David is a very senior professional with an extensive track record in human resources management and consulting," said CEO Wendell Knox. "His wide-ranging experience in his own business and at several major organizations includes organizational assessment, succession planning, leadership development, executive coaching, organizational effectiveness, change management, and recruiting, retention and mentoring activities."...
The same article appeared in MRWeb.com, InterestAlert.com and Bolsamania.com.
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"Abt Associates Scientists Honored with EPA Award for Ozone Research,"
Yahoo! News, June 13, 2006
Two Abt Associates scientists share the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2006 Science and Technological Achievement Award for a study that estimates the benefits from enforcing existing regulations governing ozone levels. Donald McCubbin, Ph.D., and Ellen Post, Ph.D., associates in the Abt Associates' Environment and Resources Division, were honored with Bryan Hubbell, Ph.D., of the EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, and former Abt Associates researcher Aaron Hallberg with the prestigious award, which recognizes groundbreaking science of national significance.
The study, "Health-Related Benefits of Attaining the 8-Hr Ozone Standard," which was published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives, concluded that had the regulated limits for ozone been met from 2000 to 2002, there would have been 800 fewer premature deaths and 4,500 fewer hospital and emergency admissions in the United States. School absences would have been reduced by 900,000 and 1 million restricted activity days would have been avoided. The researchers estimated the total economic benefit of having met the ozone standards at $5.7 billion...
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"Kay Larholt Joins Abt Associates as Vice President and Executive Director, Biostatistics / Epidemiology,"
Yahoo! News, June 6, 2006
Kay M. Larholt, Sc.D., a biostatistician with over 16 years experience in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries, has joined Abt Associates as Vice President and Executive Director, Biostatistics/Epidemiology. A specialist in strategic input to clinical program design and analysis, Dr. Larholt's expertise encompasses clinical trials (all phases), regulatory submissions, new business development and pharmacovigilance. As a member of senior management for Abt Associates Clinical Trials (AACT), Dr. Larholt will contribute leadership, vision and strategic insight in addition to direct services and technical oversight of all biostatistics and data management projects.
"Kay's multi-disciplinary background providing strategy development and operational oversight to the pharmaceutical, medical device and biotechnology industries makes her a perfect match for AACT, with our unique focus on collaboration between practice areas, " said Division Vice President Inder Kaul. "As the new face of our BioEpi team, Kay will oversee the design, operation and management of clinical trials and epidemiology studies and will also be deeply involved in our registry portfolio...
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"Study of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Georgia,"
By Center for Disease Control, Community Dispatch, June 3, 2006
CDC has begun a study of CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME and similar illnesses in 13 counties in Georgia. To conduct the study, interviewers are telephoning a randomly selected sample of 17,000 households. Interviewers begin by asking the selected households a short set of questions to identify household members who may have CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME and similar illnesses. Some of these household members-both fatigued and not fatigued-will be asked to complete more detailed, telephone interviews. A smaller number of these respondents will be offered clinical evaluations, including free medical examinations. These participants will be compensated for their time and given the results of laboratory tests.
By the time the study ends in September 2005, over 7,000 people will have completed the telephone survey, and more than 700 of these respondents will have visited CDC's clinics in Northeast Atlanta or Macon.
Participation in all aspects of the study, including the telephone screening, is voluntary. CDC and Emory University researchers hope that the vast majority of the households contacted will participate. CDC will use the data to estimate the prevalence of CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME, better pinpoint the exact nature of the symptoms, and eventually develop a cure.
Although the cause of CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME remains unknown, this research program has greatly increased knowledge about CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME and other fatiguing illnesses and has helped the health-care community develop viable treatments...
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"Abt Associates Opens Office in North Carolina's Research Triangle Area,"
Yahoo! News, June 1, 2006
Durham Office Will Provide Access to Strong Regional Labor Pool, Clients and Research Universities
Cambridge, Massachusetts based Abt Associates announced it would open an office in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina in June 2006. Located at Creekstone Office Park in Durham, the office will support a number of Company staff who currently live in the region as well as current and prospective regional clients.
CEO Wendell J. Knox said, "This new office will give us a stronger presence in an area with an excellent research oriented labor pool, strong research universities, and a number of current and prospective clients. We are delighted to be part of the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill community and hope to grow our staff and our clients during the next several years."
The Company currently has a small number of staff in the region who are telecommuters and support regional clients or who frequently travel to the Company's primary offices in Cambridge and Bethesda, Maryland. The Creekstone office will accommodate approximately 25 employees, and the Company expects to use all of the space in the coming year...
The same story also appeared in Calolina Newswire.com and SYS-CON Media
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"Massachusetts firm to open Durham office"
Triangle Business Journal, June 1, 2006
A Cambridge, Mass., consulting firm plans to open an office in Durham that will house as many as 25 employees.
Privately owned Abt Associates' new location in Durham's Creekstone Office Park will support a small number of staff already based in the Triangle and will expand the company's access to potential industrial and research clients.
Abt Vice President Peter Broderick says the company has not determined exactly how many of the Durham personnel will be new hires or existing personnel but that the company does anticipate hiring some new workers.
"We do the majority of our work for the U.S. government," Abt Vice President Peter Broderick, "but we are growing our clinical trials business in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology areas ... So there are certainly prospective clients in the Triangle."
Broderick says Abt already has contracts with the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Air Quality and Standards, as well as two undisclosed commercial clients.
Abt employs more than 1,000 workers worldwide, with offices in Cambridge, Bethesda, Md., Chicago, Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.
The same story also appeared in The Milwaukee Business Journal and The Herald Sun
[ back to top ]| May 2006 |
"At what price? Businesses lobby SEC to ease burdens,"
By Denise Magnell, Boston Business Journal, May 26, 2006
Jim Marcotte, chief financial officer at Enterprise Bancorp in Lowell, has only to look at his company's auditing bill to see the effect of more stringent, federally mandated auditing regulations for small public companies.
"The first year of compliance in 2004, our audit costs went up 100 percent — from $140,000 the year before to about $280,000," said Marcotte, whose commercial bank (Nasdaq: EBTC) — with revenue of $54.7 million last year — falls squarely in the corporate group hardest hit by the federal Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
The regulations, intended to prevent corporate fraud, unintentionally led to a disproportionate cost in both money and manpower for small public firms that must comply with the same federal regulations as larger corporations.
It is the smallest of publicly traded companies — defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission as those below $250 million in annual revenue — that are experiencing what the business community and federal officials call "the unintended consequences" of enacting tighter controls on corporate financial records.
As a result, business development at smaller companies can be stymied by the weight of compliance, according to findings issued earlier this year by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.
"Even among large companies, (compliance) diverts resources and management attention when companies are struggling to be competitive in a global economy," said Susan Windham-Bannister, managing vice president of Abt Associates, a research consultant hired to write the chamber's report, "A Fairer Climb."...
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"Senior Health Hires for Abt"
mrweb.com, May 23, 2006
Abt Associates has added two veterans of healthcare research to its team. Psychologist William Schlenger, Ph.D., an authority on behavioral health, has joined as a principal associate; and Charles R. Thompson, Ph.D. becomes Vice President in the firm’s new Domestic Health Division. At Abt Associates Dr. Schlenger will serve as a senior technical resource, working across the health division. He worked as a principal scientist in the Behavioral Health Research Division of RTI International for the previous 29 years, in various roles including directing its Center for Risk Behavior and Mental Health Research from 2001-2003; and working as a Research Psychologist and Senior Research Psychologist...
Dr. Thompson will oversee the company’s Behavioral Health, Health Policy, and Public Health and Epidemiology practices, as well as join the Company's Management Committee. He worked previously as a VP of RTI International, focusing on federal healthcare optimization and strategic solutions. Before this, he spent 11 years at Birch and David Associates (later ACS Federal Health Care and then Lockheed Martin Information Technology), rising to Division Vice President, leading a federal healthcare group of 225 staff...
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"United States and Kyrgyz Republic extend cooperation to improve primary and secondary education"
akipress.com, May 23, 2006
The United States Government and the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth Policy (MESYP) of the Kyrgyz Republic sign an agreement to extend the Participation, Education and Knowledge Strengthening Program (PEAKS) for one and a half years, announced the USAID in its press release of May 24, 2006.
The PEAKS project is funded through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is part of the United States overseas foreign assistance program, funded by the American people. The $4.3 million basic education project was originally funded for three years, from 2003-2006. The agreement signed today, however, will enable collaboration in basic education to continue until 2007. PEAKS is implemented through a consortium of partners managed by the Academy for Educational Development, and includes Abt Associates, the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation and Save the Children U.S. and U.K...
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"New Abt Associates Report Outlines Burdens Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX)
Places on Small and Mid-Size Businesses,"
Yahoo! News, May 22, 2006
Places on Small and Mid-Size Businesses,"
A recent report by Abt Associates for the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, A Fairer Climb: Improving Sarbanes-Oxley, has found that the costs associated with establishing and maintaining internal control structures for financial reporting as part of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) has resulted in implementation costs that negatively impact the ability of small and mid-size businesses to compete.
The report says SOX has become yet one more burden in the steep climb towards an initial public offering that is especially difficult for small firms. Many firms are now choosing to remain or become private, others are turning to international stock markets for their IPOs. "The report identified important questions about the costs to small and mid-size businesses of complying with Sarbanes-Oxley. Small businesses represent the majority of businesses in the United States, and what we heard in our sampling was they would like to see the compliance requirements for small business revised," said Susan Windham, Vice President for Business Research and Consulting at Abt Associates...
The same story also appeared in PRNewswire, and Small Business Informer
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"Dr. Charles Thompson to Lead Abt Associates' Domestic Health Division,"
Yahoo! News, May 22, 2006
Charles R. Thompson, Ph.D., a senior healthcare executive with extensive experience in the federal sector, has joined Abt Associates as the new Domestic Health Division vice president. Dr. Thompson will oversee the Behavioral Health, Health Policy, and Public Health and Epidemiology practices, as well as join the Company's Management Committee.
Chuck Thompson brings extensive experience in developing and implementing solutions for federal healthcare programs, as well as high-level management skills. He has planned, directed, and evaluated major health system projects, authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, and provided consulting expertise for large healthcare enterprises," said Abt Associates Group Vice President Kathleen Flanagan. "I am extremely pleased that he has agreed to join Abt Associates' leadership team. Our domestic health practices are a critical element of our growth strategy and Chuck's experience and skills will be critical to our ability to achieve our goals over the next five years."
The same story also appeared in PRNewswire.com
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"Abt Associates Identifies Best Practices for Drug Cost Containment,"
Yahoo! News, May 16, 2006
Although federal and state efforts to limit the rising cost of drug benefits have been well documented, information on private-sector approaches has been limited, explained Harmon Jordan, Sc.D., a senior associate in the Abt Associates Domestic Health Division. Abt Associates has now completed an in-depth study for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that outlines private industry's best practices for containing prescription drug costs.
The study, Identification and Description of Industry Best Practices to Manage the Costs of Prescription Drugs, was commissioned by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), which is responsible for policy development and strategic planning within HHS.
The same story also appeared in bolsamania.com, PRNewswire.com, PharmaLive.com and InterestAlert.com
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"Beaumont tries for $20M housing grant,"
by Dee Dixon, the Beaumont Enterprise, May, 2006
BEAUMONT — Sarah Brown likes living in her Magnolia Gardens neighborhood, but news of a proposed development has her looking forward to moving into a new abode.
"It started off as a good place," said the 52-year-old Brown, who moved in with her 6-year-old son in 1986. "It will be nice to be in a different environment that is quiet. I will be able to come home, feel relaxed and sit on the porch and feel safe."
The Beaumont Housing Authority is applying for a $20 million HOPE VI grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that would replace the existing Magnolia Gardens, built in 1954.
...
To make sure the housing authority has an aggressive application, professional grant writers have been contracted from Abt Associates Inc., which is a Massachusetts-based company that has 40-years of experience of writing grants for housing authorities, housing authority Executive Director Robert L. Reyna said.
"We have a very slim chance, but we have a strong chance," Reyna said in a meeting with social service agencies Tuesday...
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"The Buzz"
Affordable Housing Finance, May, 2006
Affordable Housing Finance, May, 2006
New portrait of LIHTC projects emerges
Low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) production averaged about 1,350 projects and 95,000 units annually between 1995 and 2003, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s updated LIHTC database. Some other interesting findings:
- The average LIHTC project placed in service during the study period had 71 units.
- Nearly two-thirds of the LIHTC projects placed in service between 1995 and 2003 were new construction, according to the report prepared by Abt Associates, Inc.
- About 29% of LIHTC properties that opened during the study period had a nonprofit sponsor — almost three times as many as the program requires.
For more information, visit www.huduser.org...
[ back to top ]| April 2006 |
"Sarbanes-Oxley crimps business"
Editorial, Boston Business Journal, April 21, 2006
Editorial, Boston Business Journal, April 21, 2006
Kudos to chambers of commerce from Boston to Austin for taking on the burdensome Sarbanes-Oxley Act. While the federal law has strengthened financial reporting by publicly traded companies, compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley has resulted in financial headaches for small and midsize public companies.
According to a report last month by research firm Abt Associates Inc. — spearheaded by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce — Section 404 of the law, requiring "internal controls" for financial reporting, has hit smaller companies the hardest.
That's because the 404 provisions were meant for large, well-established companies.
The report says the added costs have hampered competitiveness and job growth at smaller public companies. In fact, the report says, Sarbanes-Oxley "has become yet one more burden in the steep climb" toward an initial public offering...
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"Citizens want stricter power plant emission regulations"
by Rachel Swick, Cape Gazette, April 14, 2006
by Rachel Swick, Cape Gazette, April 14, 2006
Supporters of regulations that force power plants to clean up headed to Dover Wednesday, April 6, to demand that state officials set stricter regulations on the state’s leading polluters.
“Experience in Delaware suggests a broad, overall incapacity to regulate coal combustion adequately,” said Green Delaware President Alan Muller. “This should be rectified before any serious consideration of support for new coal units of whatever technology.”
...
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) partnered with ABT Associates, an environmental consulting firm, on a report that showed fine particulate pollution from power plants every year:
- Shortens the lives of 95 Delawareans
- Causes 13,106 lost work days
- Results in 87 hospitalizations
- Causes 2,256 asthma attacks.
...
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"MedVentive Recognized for Industry Best Practice in the Management of Pharmacy Costs"
, Yahoo! News, April 4, 2006
, Yahoo! News, April 4, 2006
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Study Profiles PRISM(R) Drug Substitution System and Details Cost Savings of $8 Million
In a report recently released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, MedVentive, a provider of medical cost containment and healthcare quality improvement solutions, was identified as a Best Practice vendor of pharmacy cost management products and services. In addition to slowing dramatically the rate of pharmaceutical cost inflation in the member population profiled in the report, MedVentive delivered more than $8 million in direct cost savings through the deployment of PRISM®, the company's proprietary Web-based drug substitution system.
The report, authored by Abt Associates, a leading government and business research and consulting firm, highlighted PRISM as the core of an integrated Pharmacy Risk Management Program at the Provider Service Network, a risk-bearing provider group based in Boston.&mbsp; The program uses technology from MedVentive to deliver detailed formulary information, customized utilization and cost reports, and automated therapeutic interchange data directly into the hands of physician decision-makers.
"This study validates and quantifies the results MedVentive has been able to deliver for its clients. Our approach provides a clear blueprint for other organizations looking to manage their pharmacy costs more effectively through a combination of technology, information-sharing and physician education," noted Jonathan M. Niloff, M.D., President and CEO of MedVentive. "As pharmacy costs continue to grow at more than twice the rate of overall health costs, innovative solutions like PRISM are more critical than ever."
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"Pay to Stay: Delco board mulls bids from two firms to run prison "
by Bill Bender, DelcoTomes.com, April 3, 2006
by Bill Bender, DelcoTomes.com, April 3, 2006
Only two companies remain in what could have been a four-way bidding war for a lucrative contract to run the George W. Hill Correctional Facility.
With Corrections Corporation of America failing to respond to a request for a proposal and Cornell Companies Inc. submitting insufficient information, a committee charged with analyzing the bids has narrowed its focus to GEO Group Inc. and Management and Training Corp.
The four-member committee - consisting of the prison superintendent, the prison board solicitor, a certified public accountant and an outside consultant — unsealed the bids this month and asked the two corrections firms for additional information.
The committee will recommend to the Delaware County Board of Prison Inspectors that it either renew GEO's $32.9 million contract at the county prison or transfer it to MTC when it expires May 31. Or, the county could reject both bids and take back the daily operation of the prison, though that option appears unlikely.
...
Kopczynski dismisses the ACA accreditation as "smoke and mirrors" because it is focused mainly on the existence of policies and procedures, not actual performance.
"It doesn't mean a damned thing," he said. An unpublished study submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice describes the accreditation as "not an outcomes-based performance goal. Rather, ACA standards primarily prescribe procedures."
"For the most part, the standards prescribe neither the goals that ought to be achieved nor the indicators that would let officials know if they are making progress toward those goals over time," reads the 2003 report conducted by Abt Associates, titled "Governments' Management of Private Prisons."
...
[ back to top ]| March 2006 |
"Dar lands 848m/- bird flu grant from USAID"
, IPP Media, March 25, 2006
, IPP Media, March 25, 2006
Tanzania is a major beneficiaries of $700,000 (847.7m/) donated by the United States Agency for International Development (Usaid) for improvement of animal and human influenza surveillance and detection worldwide.
The University of Minnesota and a number of local governmental and non-governmental organisations will also get a substantial amount of the cash, it was announced in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
...
Usaid has also provided funds worth 60.6m/- ($50,000) to Abt Associates (an American consulting firm) to upgrade Tanzania’s Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response System to detect avian flu in humans...
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"Education program fails to help welfare recipients"
by Kevin Freking, Associated Press, Los Angeles Timesl, March 14, 2006
by Kevin Freking, Associated Press, Los Angeles Timesl, March 14, 2006
One group of welfare recipients worked at least 20 hours a week and agreed to take classes at the local community college.
Other recipients weren't offered the same educational opportunity; they had to keep their focus on the job.
So, which group earned more money in subsequent years and relied less on federal assistance?
Conventional wisdom would suggest the group that worked and went to college would do better. But a study conducted in Riverside County that is being touted by the Bush administration's point man on welfare reform suggests the conventional wisdom is wrong.
"What this reinforces is the idea that, when it comes to welfare reform, nothing quite works like work," said Wade Horn, assistant secretary of the Administration for Children and Families, part of the Health and Human Services Department.
...
Not so fast, say other welfare experts — and the study's own authors, who warn against sweeping conclusions.
The majority of the welfare recipients who agreed to take classes had math and reading skills below the seventh-grade level, said David Fein, a demographer with Abt Associates Inc. of Bethesda, Md., which conducted the study. Only about one-fourth of t
"The point is, can we really say we tested this kind of model if we didn't recruit the right people?" Fein said. "Maybe this model would work if you did recruitment right."
...
The same story also appeared in the North Carolina Times
, the Star Tribune, Yahoo! News, and the Houston Chronicle [ back to top ]
"Chambers tackle Sarbanes-Oxley"
Editorial, Houston Business Journal, March 24, 2006
Editorial, Houston Business Journal, March 24, 2006
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act is catching grassroots flak.
Chambers of commerce in places ranging from up the road in Austin to across the country in Boston are taking on the burdensome legislation.
While the federal law has strengthened financial reporting by publicly traded companies, compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley has resulted in financial headaches for small and midsized public companies.
A recent report from research firm Abt Associates Inc. finds that Section 404 of the law — requiring "internal controls" for financial reporting — has hit smaller companies the hardest. That's because the 404 provisions were meant for large, well-established companies.
The report says the added costs have hampered competitiveness and job growth at smaller public companies.
In fact, the report says, Sarbanes-Oxley "has become yet one more burden in the steep climb" toward an initial public offering...
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"Abt Associates helps Ghana prepare for avian influenza outbreak"
, NewsRx.com, March 20, 2006
, NewsRx.com, March 20, 2006
In December 2005, Abt Associates' Infectious Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) Specialist Jim Setzer traveled to Ghana at the request of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to undertake a rapid assessment of the government's preparedness to meet the challenges posed by avian influenza (AI).
Setzer has been a member of an IDSR team that has provided support to Ghana over the past several years as part of the Abt Associates led PHRplus Project which has worked to strengthen the infectious disease and response capabilities of the Ghana Health Service and Ministry of Health...
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"Clean air ruling will benefit Vermont"
, the Burlington Free Press, March 21, 2006
, the Burlington Free Press, March 21, 2006
Vermont is among the winners in a court ruling that prevents the Bush administration from relaxing clean air rules on old power plants. It's been a long time coming, but the decision by a federal appeals court Friday was a breath of fresh air for Vermont and 13 other states that sued the Environmental Protection Agency two years ago. Downwind from the coal-fired Midwest power industry, Vermonters have been breathing dirty air that has drifted into the Northeast for years...
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"Abt Associates Buys Consulting Unit From IBM"
by Charles R. Babcock, The Washington Post, March 3, 2006
by Charles R. Babcock, The Washington Post, March 3, 2006
Wendell Knox, chief executive of the Cambridge, Mass., employee-owned company, said in an interview that the IBM unit of eight key individuals will add $10 million in existing contracts to Abt's annual revenue of about $200 million.
Knox said about 75 to 80 percent of Abt's business is with the federal government and that its annual business with USAID totals about $80 million to $85 million now...
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"IBM sells USAID consulting group"
, Computer Business Review, March 3, 2006
, Computer Business Review, March 3, 2006
IBM Business Consulting Services has sold the international consulting group of its public sector practice to Abt Associates, a privately held international research and consulting firm, for an undisclosed amount. The international group is made up of IBM's consulting work with the US Agency for International Development.
The group consults on issues such as privatization, capital markets, trade, and tax reform. It was previously part of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting before IBM acquired the company in 2002.
The practice does about $12m in revenue from its current USAID contracts, according to Peter Broderick, Abt's corporate communications director. But a lot of these contracts are indefinite quantity arrangements, with potential values in the billions, he said.
So Abt will now be able to compete for task orders under these contracts. Because much of the group's work is subcontracted, only eight IBM employees will transfer over to Abt, Broderick said...
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"Report raps red tape from Sarbanes-Oxley"
by Jay Fitzgerald, Boston Herald, March 1, 2006
by Jay Fitzgerald, Boston Herald, March 1, 2006
The [Sarbanes-Oxley] Act, passed by Congress in reaction to recent corporate accounting scandals, is good-intentioned and has many worthy reform features, [Paul Guzzi] said.
Lyn Zurbrigg, a consultant who helped Abt Associates conduct the study, said the average first-year cost of implementing Sarbanes- Oxley was about $4.5 million — way more than the approximate $100,000 backers originally said it would cost ...
[ back to top ]| February& 2006 |
"Contracts Awarded," by Judith Mbuya and Washington Technology, The Washington Post, February 27, 2006
The Millennium Challenge Corp. awarded $3 million each for technical assistance in agriculture to Chemonics International Inc. of the District, PA Government Services Inc. of the District, ABT Associates of Bethesda, Development Alternatives Inc. of Bethesda, International Land Systems Inc. of Silver Spring and Booz Allen Hamilton of McLean...
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"Moved and Shaken: As the East Side Biotech Park Comes In, Area Residents Come to Terms With Getting Out," by Charles Cohen, The Baltimore City Paper, February 22, 2006
Helen Curbeam takes down the letter that she has tacked in the middle of her pink living-room wall. She tries to smooth out creases before looking at it once again.
Dear Ms. Curbeam:
I am writing to you regarding a serious matter concerning your continued occupancy at your current address . . . You are hereby notified that your family will be required to move not earlier than 90 days from this date of letter . . .
Curbeam, a smartly dressed 67-year-old who sports gold-framed glasses and a youthful face lined with worry, has been living in this city-owned public-housing property in the 2000 block of East Eager Street for 34 years. She has lived in this neighborhood all her life. After placing some of her belongings in storage, in case she ends up on the street, she looks up and asks a visitor, “Can they really put me out?”
They can, and they might, more or less. The 90 days specified in the letter have already expired; as of mid-February, Curbeam is still in her Eager Street home facing a new But the Housing Authority says that, as a sole tenant, she can only get a one-bedroom place. So here she remains, uncertain of what happens next or where she will go.
...
EBDI points to a survey of relocated residents released Nov. 8, 2005, that rates its performance in fairly glowing terms—an overall 8.1 satisfaction rating out of 10. The survey, commissioned by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and conducted by ABT Associates, also found that 55 responders (69 percent) out of 157 families said they were “much better off” after they relocated...
[ back to top ]| January 2006 |
"Contracts Awarded," by Eric Siegel, The Baltimore Sun, January 3, 2006
The long-awaited groundbreaking for the first life sciences building in the proposed East Baltimore biotechnology park north of the Johns Hopkins medical complex is tentatively set for sometime this month, according to the head of the nonprofit in charge of the redevelopment effort.
"It will be a major milestone for the project," said Jack Shannon, president and chief executive of East Baltimore Development Inc., the nonprofit set up by the city to replace 80 acres of mostly blighted buildings with a biotech park, retail space and hundreds of units of new and renovated housing.
"We're looking to have the building open by the close of 2007," Shannon said. More than a third of the building's 292,000 square feet of space will be leased by Hopkins, he said...
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