Rebalancing Health Care in the Heartland, the sixth in an ongoing series of forums designed to support Iowa policymakers in their efforts to improve health care for Iowans, takes place Tuesday, Oct. 15 in Des Moines and will focus on public-private sector strategies and the impact of the Affordable Care Act on business.

Scientists from the University of Iowa and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have discovered—by studying the genetics of two families severely affected by eating disorders—two gene mutations, one in each family, that are associated with increased risk of developing eating disorders.

Andy Peterson, director of the UI sports concussion program, says football helmets help diffuse the impact of collisions, but don't absorb the forces of that impact; modern helmets help protect against skull fractures and traumatic head injuries that cause bleeding in the brain, he says.

In 1951, cells from cancer patient Henrietta Lacks were used in research without her consent. Those cells, called HeLa, have contributed to many medical breakthroughs, along with raising questions about science, ethics, and privacy. Two members of the Lacks family will give talks in Iowa City on Thursday, Oct. 10.

Fourteen staff members at the University of Iowa received 2013 awards for excellence presented by the UI Staff Council.

UI senior Molly Barnhart continues to attend class in the Tippie College of Business even after a double mastectomy and continuing chemotherapy treatments.

Sandra Daack-Hirsch, a clinical nurse specialist and assistant professor in the University of Iowa College of Nursing, has made it her mission to find out why fewer women are participating in pre-natal screening.

A Mini Medical School program on "The Future of Human Reproduction" will discuss the ethical, social, and legal issues surrounding the use of preimplantation genetic diagnosis of embryos conceived by in vitro fertilization before a woman becomes pregnant.

In 2009, 11-year-old Alex Kirby learned he had a rare genetic kidney disorder. After his transplant, doctors determined his sister, Molly, had the same disorder and would also need a transplant.

UI Health Care is targeting the concerns of many students and Iowa City community members about the Affordable Care Act in an attempt to ease confusion, and Peter Damiano, the director of the UI Public Policy Center, says students need to be informed about key aspects of the law.

Mothers who have one-on-one sessions with nurses after having a premature birth are found to decrease their postpartum symptoms, according to a UI study.

Amy Belfi, a fourth-year graduate student in the UI Neuroscience Graduate Program, is using crowdfunding to help support her study on the link between music and autobiographical memory. Her goal of $1,500, to be raised by Oct. 18, will be used to compensate study participants and defray their travel costs.