THURSDAY, FEB. 22, 2018  |  IN THIS ISSUE  

Laurie Hamen
Mount Mercy University plans to begin offering a Doctor of Nursing Practice and a Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy program this fall, the first doctoral programs the university has ever offered.

"We're proud to build on our quality master's programs and continue to offer education that meets the demand, both from the community and our alumni," Mount Mercy  University President Laurie Hamen stated in a press release.
 
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program offers a curriculum focused on primary health care for individuals and populations, including rural health, experiences in innovation and entrepreneurial skills.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall employment of nurse practitioners is projected to grow 36 percent from 2016 to 2026, much faster than the average for all occupations. Advanced practice registered nurses will be in high demand, particularly in medically underserved areas such as inner cities and rural areas.
 
Only two Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy (DMFT) programs are offered in Iowa and Mount Mercy's will offer the only practice-oriented program in the state. Built on the university's master's level MFT program, it will use the apprenticeship model to enable advanced clinicians to gain theoretical knowledge while working alongside faculty in a collaborative environment at the onsite Olson Marriage & Family Therapy Clinic or in other professional settings.
 
Working in close collaboration with a faculty member enables students to use existing knowledge and skills in more integrative ways, according to Randall Lyle, Gerald & Audrey Olson endowed chair for marriage and family therapy.

Mount Mercy officials said the two programs are also the first doctoral programs offered in Cedar Rapids. Both programs are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. For more information, visit mtmercy.edu/dmft.

Scott Belsky
Scott Belsky, chief product officer for Adobe Systems and executive vice president for Adobe Creative Cloud, will be the keynote speaker for EntreFEST 2018 in Cedar Rapids on May 17-18, organizers announced Wednesday.

Mr. Belsky was the founder and CEO of popular creative portfolio sharing website, Behance, before the company was acquired by Adobe. He leads the product team behind applications like Photoshop, Illustrator, Premier, InDesign and other creative industry apps. 

Adobe Creative Cloud's shift in subscription-based revenue service was a turning point for the company and resulted in a stock spike after the hiring of Mr. Belsky. He  will share with EntreFEST attendees how to pinpoint and capitalize on what sets a business apart from the competition.

"We're extremely excited to have Scott Belsky headline this year's EntreFEST," said Aaron Horn, chief operating officer at NewBoCo, in a press release. "Scott has great experience in founding a tech startup, fundraising, selling his company, investing in early stage companies and leading a large team that makes world-changing software. Adobe is an awesome example of a very innovative company and Scott will have great insights for all of the EntreFEST attendees."
 
EntreFEST, a conference/festival event, will feature local and national experts from a variety of fields in breakout sessions, workshops and a pitch competition for startup and early stage businesses.
The setting will provide festival-style networking opportunities spanning Third Street, which connects the popular NewBo and Downtown districts.

Additional speakers at EntreFEST 2018 include Sarah Ribner of PiperWai, Jeremy Tanner of SendGrid Accelerate, Marlo Higgins of Marlo Higgins Chief Inspiration Officer and Unity Stoakes of Startup Health.  For more information and tickets go to https://www.entrefest.com/.

RENDERING: FREW DEVELOPMENT
The next big project to begin at Westdale will give Corridor residents the chance to experience not only shopping, but living in the middle of a vibrant regional shopping center.

Frew Development Group expects to begin work this spring on a mixed-use building that will bring some 33 households to Westdale on the upper three stories of an elevator-equipped four-story building.

The contemporary-looking building will take design cues from the new Tru by Hilton at Westdale, a distinctive structure of the same height.  The 14,000-square-foot ground floor space will be leased to retail businesses such as a yoga studio, coffee shop or nail salon.

The apartments were designed to help residents "feel right at home," Westdale Manager Lisa Rowe said, with quality finishes like marble kitchen counter tops, balconies, and convenient touches like a "drop zone" for hanging outerwear, footwear and other items in the apartment entryway.

Ms. Rowe expects the units to have strong appeal for younger professionals from the Corridor because of the nearly unbeatable convenience of the location, which has added such retail names as Burlington, Ross Dress for Less and Shoe Dept Encore.

The Cedar Rapids City Council Tuesday endorsed the project's application for state Workforce Housing Tax Credits. The city's financial commitment to receive the tax credits will be covered by tax increment financing provided to Westdale, and Ms. Rowe said the company set up by Frew Development to do the project won't have to wait on tax credit approval to begin the work.
 
See the full members-first story in this week's CBJ print or digital edition.
 
South Slope Cooperative and Aureon have announced the award of matching charity grants to Cedar Amateur Astronomers, North Liberty Community Pantry and North Liberty Optimist Club. 
 
Upon reviewing an abundance of applications, the Aureon Charity Grant Committee delegated funds to projects committed to the betterment of local Iowan communities.
 
South Slope and Aureon awarded the following grants at the South Slope office on February 16, 2018:
  • Cedar Amateur Astronomers - $2,000. The Cedar Amateur Astronomers will use their grant funds to purchase a new projector for their presentation room. Programs are presented at the observatory and learning center to schools, youth groups, nonprofits and the general public.
  • North Liberty Community Pantry - $1,000. The North Liberty Community Pantry will use their grant funds to purchase socks and underwear for annual spring distribution to struggling families.
  • North Liberty Optimist Club - $1,000. North Liberty Optimist Club will use their funds to purchase winter clothing for elementary students in need. Nearly 2,400 children attend the five elementary schools in North Liberty and these essentials will be distributed to the Family Resource Centers at each school for distributions. 
Grant applications are available at www.southslope.com/grants. Aureon awards range from $250 to $1,500 and up to $1,000 is matched by South Slope. Grants are awarded quarterly and amounts are determined by an independent charity grant committee.

  
 
IDx-DR has been under review by the FDA since January. The submission, which included data from the clinical trial, was granted expedited review under the FDA's Breakthrough Device program. If cleared by the FDA, IDx-DR is expected to become the first autonomous, AI-based diagnostic system intended for use in the front lines of healthcare.
 
The trial was conducted at 10 primary care sites across the U.S. to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of IDx-DR in detecting moderate to severe diabetic retinopathy, including macular edema.  The results met the study hypotheses that were developed in consultation with FDA and demonstrated that the IDx-DR system exceeded these performance goals.
 

Learn more about IDx-DR in the members-first cover story of this week's CBJ print and digital editions.
EventHeadlinesShort-Term Event Planner

Feb. 22
EPIC Semi-Annual Bash , by Empowered Professionals of Iowa City, 5-7 p.m., Clinton Street Social Club, 18 ½ S. Clinton St., Iowa City. Join EPIC for networking, drinks and a look at what's in store for the organization in 2018. Free.

Feb. 23-25
Startup Weekend Cedar Rapids , by NewBoCo, 415 12th Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids. Startup Weekend brings together Creative Corridor designers, developers, entrepreneurs and experts from a variety of industries to solve challenges facing our community and launch new ideas. Cost: $20-$99. For more information or to register, visit  newbo.co .

Iowa Startup Games , by University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center, 108 Pappajohn Business Building, Iowa City. Any UI student is eligible to participate in Iowa Startup Games, regardless of their field of study. More than $2,500 in cash prizes will be awarded. Applications due Feb. 12. Apply at  iowajpec.org .
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Headlines from CBS2/FOX 28
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28  
 
A 20-week advanced tech course in Cedar Rapids taken by three students last year is now showing itself to be a good investment for those graduates.  "I come from a career making money. I didn't want to take a four-year break. It's just hard where I am now," said Jason Logan, a recent DeltaV graduate and a current application developer trainee at United Fire Group. "So it was just the perfect opportunity that I just happened to stumble across really."  For 31-year-old Jason Logan, that opportunity came in the form of  DeltaV , a coding school offered by NewBoCo in Cedar Rapids. "Every day there's a new assignment. So you're very rapidly making progress from 'I don't know any of this' to actually building real things," explained Keith Dahlby, software architect and instructor at DeltaV.  The school is formatted as a series of workshops - five days a week, for 20 weeks. While each session could classify as a workshop of its own, instructors say you have to go all in to succeed. "Essentially it's your job. You come full-time, probably have some homework after hours as well," said Mr. Dahlby.  The program started last June and ended in late October. Three students graduated with skills they learned along the way. All three found a job within the first two months after graduating.
 
T hese news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28 
CBS2 Chief Meteorologist Terry Swails' Weather First Forecast

Another system will move through the area today and bring a mixed bag of precipitation. It will start off with light snow this morning on and off across the area. After 10-11am, warmer air will start to nose in around I-80 and change the snow over to sleet/freezing rain. Warmer air will continue to move northward and lead to a wintry mix near Highway 30 around 3-4pm. This will get up to Highway 20 around 8-9pm where freezing rain/sleet/snow will be mixing. Snow will likely be the primary form of precipitation near and north of Waterloo. That is where there could be a half an inch to an inch of snowfall accumulation. A dusting of snow to the south with less than an tenth of ice accumulation expected area wide.