Business news

For the second year, Ivy Tech Community College was named in the annual Forbes America’s Best State Employers, according to a release.

Along with market research company Statista, Forbes’ rankings identify the companies positively rated by their employees on a variety of criteria. The final list ranks 73 employers in Indiana, but only six institutions of higher education; only seven community colleges nationally made the list, the release said. Ivy Tech has more than 6,300 employees; about half of those are full-time, the release said.

View the Forbes list at https://www.forbes.com/lists/best-employers-by-state/?sh=4c7768161983.

Family medicine nurse practitioner Katheryn White is now part of the Franciscan Physician Network and is accepting new patients in Lowell, according to a release. White earned both her master of science and bachelor of science degrees in nursing from Indiana University Northwest in Gary and her associates of science in nursing from Purdue University Northwest in Westville.

White is accepting new patients at the Franciscan Physician Network Lowell Health Center, 4500 W. 181st Ave.; Lowell. Call 219-690-2016 for more information.

Two more arborists from the City of Valparaiso have become certified as Incidental Line Clearance Arborists using the ACRT Inc. curriculum, the largest arboriculture training organization in North America, a release said. Justin Mayer and Anthony Santos have completed more than a year of training and passed both the written and field tests to earn their certifications, the release said. They complete the city’s arborist team, which maintain Valparaiso’s urban forest, including more than 11,000 trees throughout municipal parks, facilities and rights of ways, the release said. To learn more about the tree inventory or report a public tree in poor condition, enter “Tree Division” in the search bar on the City of Valparaiso’s webpage at valpo.us.

Franciscan Health Dyer and Franciscan Health Munster Chief Financial Officer Pamela J. Ott has been elected vice chair of the Healthcare Financial Management Association’s (HFMA) Board of Examiners for 2023-2024, according to a release.

She will assume the role of full committee chair on June 1, the release said. Ott will direct the HFMA Board of Examiners Committee to collaborate with staff and subject matter experts to ensure HFMA’s career strategies, career development and credentialing programs are responsive to the needs of the membership, association and profession, the release said. In addition to her role with Franciscan, Ott is also an adjunct health care leadership and finance professor at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois, and currently serves on the Legacy Foundation board of directors.

Indiana University Northwest was recently awarded over $409,000 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute Of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), according to a release.

The principal investigator in the multi-year project, Ming Gao, IU Northwest Associate Professor of Biology, and undergraduate students, will research “determining the role of me31B protein in germ cell development.” Ming will be supported by IU Northwest undergraduate students who will conduct biological science experiments using molecular biology, genetics and biochemical techniques to analyze the role of the target gene (me31B gene) in animals’ development and reproduction mechanism. The grant was funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute Of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.

Northwest Health welcomes Michael Schwuchow, a nurse practitioner specializing in urology to Northwest Medical Group, according to a release.

Schwuchow joined the medical practice of Dr. Genri Pinkhasov at Northwest Medical Group – Urology, located the medical plaza adjacent to Northwest Health – Porter, 85 E. U.S. 6 in Valparaiso. Schwuchow received his doctor of nursing practice from Valparaiso University and his bachelor of science in nursing from Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, call 219-983-6230.

Dr. Robert Korsch, a Franciscan Physician Network urological surgeon at Franciscan Health Michigan City, has been named a Center of Excellence physician by Boston Scientific, according to a release. The designation recognizes Korsch’s work with the GreenLight Laser Therapy procedure in treating patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), more commonly known as enlarged prostate, the release said.

GreenLight Laser Therapy is an outpatient procedure that uses laser technology to remove overgrown prostate tissue and rapidly restore natural urine flow, the release said. The procedure has been used successfully on more than 1 million men worldwide, according to Boston Scientific. Korsch worked over the past year with his team to collect data on patient outcomes, which were used to help earn the Center of Excellence distinction.

For more information, call 219-877-1880.

With the addition of a new co-chair, the Northwest Indiana Business Roundtable Safety Committee is now helmed by representatives from two leading employers in the Northwest Indiana region, according to a release.

Experts in construction industry safety from both Cargill and BP will now be working together to lead the committee and develop new ways to improve safety across numerous companies and jobsites in the area. Aaron Janovitz, a Health and Safety Superintendent at bp, will now be joining longtime Safety Committee leader Rick Foor, Health and Safety Manager at the Hammond Cargill facility, in heading the committee, sharing the title of co-chair.