If you've ever watched an Academic Health Center video on our website or YouTube channel, you know that our multimedia producer Jack McTigue has a knack for boiling down complex science into videos that are easy to understand.

For example, he once used a cartoon character named "Sal" to describe how one U of M researcher is using salmonella to fight cancer cells. He's also used animation to help the "domino donation" transplant process come to life.

We thought it would be fun to pull back the curtain a bit and show how Jack gets his creative process started.

In the end, Jack needs to ensure he understands the science tackled by our researchers. That way, he can illustrate their work to the public in a way that they'll understand.

This is the whiteboard outside Jack's office as he started brainstorming ideas that would result in this, his latest video.

The University of Minnesota's School of Nursing recently graduated several students from the state's only Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. This first batch of nursing professionals will now be more equipped to meet the growing demands that the healthcare industry demands of its professionals.

The unique DNP program pairs students with faculty members who are leaders in their fields and on the cutting edge of nursing research and practice. These nursing experts act as mentors for the students and guide them through the three-year program.

Once the students are accepted to the program they choose from 14 practice specialties to focus in. The interdisciplinary core curriculum is divided into four areas in order to maximize the students' knowledge within their chosen specialty and provide them with experience dealing with all of the situations they will encounter as a care-giver.

The U of M DNP program provides students with the core skills to create and lead new models of care delivery for communities locally, across the nation, and around the world.

Too find out more about the program or the specialty areas head to the DNP webpage.

Have you ever seen a Bald Eagle up close?

If you have, how about a three-week old baby Bald Eagle. Those are quite a sight to behold and Kare 11 has video of one special baby Bald Eagle that was recently treated by the University of Minnesota Raptor Center. (Here's a teaser: around the 35 second mark you get a look at the little fella! And if you want even more, here's a link to Minnesota Bound's live webcam of the nest in which he lives.)

The eaglet, named Harmon, was taken down from his nest Friday after one of his wings got stuck in a corner. According to Julia Ponder, C.V.M., executive director of Raptor Center, the wing was so badly wounded that it had become infected and infected with maggots. If the Raptor Center staff hadn't intervened, the little guy could have died.

But now, hopefully that result is far less likely. Watch Harmon's story here, via Kare 11.

Despite the fact oral cancer is diagnosed in 30,000 Americans each year - and less than 60 percent of those diagnosed will survive - many people lack any real familiarity with the condition.

To combat these trends, Nelson Rhodus, D.M.D., M.P.H., from the Department of Diagnostic and Biological Sciences at the University of Minnesota's School of Dentistry, wants to put a bright spotlight squarely on oral cancer's risk factors.

"Oral cancer is one of the most curable diseases when caught early, but most people don't know the warning signs," said Rhodus. "When early-stage oral cancer is found, treatment is simple, less invasive and more than 90 percent successful. The problem is most people don't know what to ask their dentist."

What are some early warning signs of oral cancer?

Find the full story here.

Many cancer patients are familiar with brachytherapy. The approach delivers a small, targeted dose of radiation to a cancer site via irradiated seeds or pellets, and has been used for nearly 20 years with good results for patients battling prostate cancer.

But now, more and more women are turning to the procedure to treat their breast cancer. And according to new research from M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, women may want to get all the facts before selecting the path that's right for them.

According to the new research, there was no difference in survival rates after breast cancer in women who chose brachytherapy or whole breast irradiation, but women who chose brachytherapy were more likely to undergo a mastectomy within five years of their initial cancer treatment.

The researchers point out, however, that the increase is slight: they estimate that for every 56 women treated with breast brachytherapy, 1 woman was harmed with unnecessary mastectomy.

According to University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center cancer surgeon Todd Tuttle, M.D., the research shouldn't necessarily scare women away from brachytherapy, but he stressed that more data may be needed to get the complete picture on the procedure as it relates to breast cancer.

"Although it's very attractive at first because you are potentially treating a lot less of the breast and you're doing it in a much shorter period of time, the benefits may not be there. In fact you may see more patients having long-term complications," he said. "Many surgeons are starting to think twice about this kind of therapy for a lot of women."

Tuttle notes that the medical community needs more data on the therapy before it should be considered alongside other types of therapy. Tuttle advises women to talk to their doctor before selecting the treatment approach that is right for them.

Read the full story from Reuters Health.