▶ San Diego Chargers Win: The San Diego Chargers will advance to the AFC semifinals after taking down the Cincinnati Bengals 27–10 on the road, Jan. 5. The Bolts capitalized on four Bengal turnovers and outscored Cincinnati 20–0 in the second half. Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers threw for 118 yards and a touchdown while running back Ronnie Brown rushed for a team-high of 77 yards and a touchdown.
The Chargers will play the Broncos in Denver next week with a trip to the AFC championship on the line.
▶ Napolitano to Lead U.S. Olympic Delegation: UC President Janet Napolitano will lead the U.S. delegation at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. It will be Napolitano’s second time leading a U.S. delegation at the Olympic games.
“I look forward to being in Sochi to support our Olympic athletes and celebrate their accomplishments,” Napolitano said in a Dec. 17 press release. “It is an honor to represent our country in the company of individuals who have excelled in life and sport.”
The delegation will be the first since the 2000 Summer Olympic Games that will not include the president, vice president or first lady.
▶UCSD Cardiologists Perform First Robotic Surgery: UCSD’s interventional cardiology team performed California’s first robotically assisted coronary procedure this past December. The team, led by Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine and Director of the SCVC-Medicine Dr. Ehtisham Mahmud, conducted the procedure at the UCSD Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center with the new robotic system, which acts as an “extra hand” to hold cardiac devices in place.
“Sitting a few feet away from the patient’s bedside at a computerized work station, I was able to navigate and advance the guidewire, balloon catheter and stent through the coronary artery,” Mahmud, said.
“The ability to accurately measure lesion length with this technology enabled me to identify the exact length of the stents required and precisely place them.”
This technology also ultimately results in a shorter procedure time and less radiation exposure to the operator.
“As the only comprehensive academic health system in the region, we are honored to be the first hospital in the state to deliver this technology to patients and the community,” Mahmud said.
▶ Colleges Reject Israel Boycott: American colleges and universities will reject an academic boycott of Israeli universities recently approved by the American Studies Association. Some schools said they are now withdrawing from the organization.
“An academic boycott goes against the spirit of the University of California, which has long championed open dialogue and collaboration with international scholars,” UC President Janet Napolitano said in a statement on Dec. 30.’’
Of the 1,252 votes submitted by the 5000 member association, 66.05 percent approved the boycott.
“The ASA endorses and will honor the call of Palestinian civil society for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions,” the boycott stated. “It is also resolved that the ASA supports the protected rights of students and scholars everywhere to engage in research and public speaking about Israel-Palestine and in support of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.”
Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla issued a statement that UCSD does not support the boycott.
“We affirm the right of the faculty to advance their scholarship and research through open dialogue with academic colleagues in all countries,” Khosla said. “UC San Diego faculty collaborations draw on richly diverse ideas and views around the globe, including in the Middle East.”
Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Princeton and Boston University objected to the boycott as well.
