UW News

July 7, 2005

Health Sciences News Briefs

The American Medical Association (AMA) has recognized Harborview Medical Center for its program to improve communication between health-care professionals and patients. Selected as part of the AMA Ethical Force Program’s Patient-Centered Communication Initiative, Harborview and seven other hospitals were honored for their projects to improve health literacy, strengthen workforce training, increase patient involvement, integrate technology, and facilitate interpreter and other language assistance services. Harborview was specifically recognized for its communications assistance to patients who do not speak English.


Dr. Larry Robinson, professor and chair of the UW Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, has been named the 2005 Distinguished Researcher of the Year by the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine. The award, honoring scientists who have made continuous significant contributions to clinical neurophysiology research, will be presented at the association’s annual meeting in September in Monterey, Calif. Robinson, also vice dean of clinical affairs for the School of Medicine and director of Electrodiagnostic Services at Harborview Medical Center, is known among his peers as an outstanding researcher. In 2004, he received the Distinguished Academician Award from the Association of Academic Physiatrists. He has published numerous journal articles on such topics as electrodiagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome, laryngeal electromyography, and the statistical methodology of normal limits in nerve conduction studies.