President Donna E. Shalala, who in 1993 was appointed by President Clinton and served eight years as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, will discuss the health care reform bill at a special Epidemiology and Public Health Grand Rounds at 12:15 tomorrow (Wednesday). After decades of attempts and a year of battling differences, legislation was signed in March to overhaul the nation's health care system and guarantee access to medical insurance for tens of millions of Americans. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act barely begins a long journey to significantly increase coverage, prevention and investments in public health.

President Donna E. Shalala, Provost Thomas LeBlanc and Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., will host the annual General Faculty Meeting on Monday, May 24, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Lois Pope LIFE Center, seventh-floor auditorium.

With more than 314 million people worldwide in need of eyeglasses, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute is making a dent in meeting that tremendous demand with its new Eyeglass Library. More than 10,000 pairs of used eyeglasses have been donated by the Florida Lions Club, and dozens more have been provided by patients. Bascom Palmer patients in financial need will have their prescriptions run through a tailored software program and upon matches, will receive their glasses free of charge. The software, created specifically for this initiative, already has helped hundreds of people receive the gift of sight. The Library also provides free glasses to presurgical patients who need glasses temporarily until their procedures can be performed.

Medical Research Administration and the Office of Research Education and Training have new telephone numbers. To better serve customers, the office is now using a system, which assigns specific telephone lines for each function. As a result, the direct phone lines for staff members in both offices will no longer be in service. The cost-saving improvement will ensure your calls are answered and handled in the most efficient manner.