COM 2204H Standardized Testing Problem Speech Outline Policy Proposition: A federal law should be passed that eliminates the requirement for K-12 students in the United States to take standardized tests. Definitions: 1. Standardized tests: A test administered and graded in a consistent manner. a. In California, we’re mostly familiar with the STAR program that administers some large-scale standardized tests for our state. 2. No Child Left Behind Act: Law passed in 2001 that established a requirement for students to be tested in reading and math during grades 3-8 and one time in high school. 3. Teaching to the test: devoting extra time and attention in the classroom to the skills needed on standardized tests Background: 1. When the No Child Left Behind Act was introduced in 2001, standardized testing became an important tool in evaluating both student and national progress in education. More pressure was put on students and teachers to perform well on these tests because it became the main way of determining a schools effectiveness. 2. In 2009, the Race to the Top program was introduced which would pit schools against each other, with the schools that have the best student test scores receiving increased funding. 3. The No Child Left Behind Act’s goal of reaching “100% proficiency on standardized tests by 2014” failed (ProCon.org). 4. In 2019, the Nation’s Report Card reported that in the last ten years proficiency scores in math and reading remained almost the same even though higher standards of academics were imposed (ProCon.org). 5. In March 2020, the Education Secretary temporarily waived the requirement for standardized tests for the 2019-20 school year due to the pandemic, stating that students should be “focused on staying healthy and continuing to learn” (ProCon.org). Inherencies Structural: Federal laws like the NCLB require standardized testing for students during most of their years in K through 12 education. An additional structural inherency that also should be noted is that there currently isn’t a law that mandates less standardized testing. Attitudinal: According to a poll conducted by Education Next, 66% of parents and 67% of the general public support testing (Henderson) because they believe that it measures the performance of schools and students well. Claims 1. High stakes testing has a negative effect on students’ mental health/performance a. Because of the laws and programs that tie incentives and punishments into standardized tests, there is an increasing pressure on students to perform well on these tests. This leads to anxiety, stress, sleeplessness, and other health issues in young children. b. A poll in 2019 by PDK international found that “50 percent of responding teachers see pressure on their kids to do well on tests” (Dean). c. “A pediatrician reports witnessing an ‘incredible’ increase in anxiety over five years.” During heavy testing months, “she sees a new patient each day complaining of stomach ac ...

1. COM 2204H
Standardized Testing Problem Speech Outline
Policy Proposition:
A federal law should be passed that eliminates the requirement
for K-12 students in the United States to take standardized tests.
Definitions:
1. Standardized tests: A test administered and graded in a
consistent manner.
a. In California, we’re mostly familiar with the STAR program
that administers some large-scale standardized tests for our
state.
2. No Child Left Behind Act: Law passed in 2001 that
established a requirement for students to be tested in reading
and math during grades 3-8 and one time in high school.
3. Teaching to the test: devoting extra time and attention in the
classroom to the skills needed on standardized tests
Background:
1. When the No Child Left Behind Act was introduced in 2001,
standardized testing became an important tool in evaluating
both student and national progress in education. More pressure
was put on students and teachers to perform well on these tests
because it became the main way of determining a schools
effectiveness.
2. In 2009, the Race to the Top program was introduced which
would pit schools against each other, with the schools that have
the best student test scores receiving increased funding.
3. The No Child Left Behind Act’s goal of reaching “100%
proficiency on standardized tests by 2014” failed (ProCon.org).
4. In 2019, the Nation’s Report Card reported that in the last ten
years proficiency scores in math and reading remained almost
the same even though higher standards of academics were

2. imposed (ProCon.org).
5. In March 2020, the Education Secretary temporarily waived
the requirement for standardized tests for the 2019-20 school
year due to the pandemic, stating that students should be
“focused on staying healthy and continuing to learn”
(ProCon.org).
Inherencies
Structural: Federal laws like the NCLB require standardized
testing for students during most of their years in K through 12
education. An additional structural inherency that also shoul d
be noted is that there currently isn’t a law that mandates less
standardized testing.
Attitudinal: According to a poll conducted by Education Next,
66% of parents and 67% of the general public support testing
(Henderson) because they believe that it measures the
performance of schools and students well.
Claims
1. High stakes testing has a negative effect on students’ mental
health/performance
a. Because of the laws and programs that tie incentives and
punishments into standardized tests, there is an increasing
pressure on students to perform well on these tests. This leads
to anxiety, stress, sleeplessness, and other health issues in
young children.
b. A poll in 2019 by PDK international found that “50 percent
of responding teachers see pressure on their kids to do well on
tests” (Dean).
c. “A pediatrician reports witnessing an ‘incredible’ increase in
anxiety over five years.” During heavy testing months, “she
sees a new patient each day complaining of stomach aches and
panic attacks brought on by test anxiety” (Dean).
d. 61% of students becoming more anxious, increasing stress
for children at a young age (Abrams et al.).

3. 2. Standardized tests are leading to less curriculum teaching
and more teaching to the test
a. 62% of teachers spending more time for test preparation,
curriculums have started to be abandoned and instead, a focus
on “teaching to the test” has emerged (Robelen).
b. An investigation on teachers’ views of standardized tests,
done by educational researcher Lisa Abrams, concluded that the
faculty was altering their teaching styles to become more test-
oriented, causing “increased attention toward tested content”
and “a decreased emphasis on non-tested curricular areas”
(Abrams et al.).
c. A study done by the National Research Council of the
National Academies of Science in 2011 had 17 social scientists
that “assessed [the] value of tying test scores to incentives…
The panel concluded that test-based accountability led to score
inflation, to gaming the system, and to behaviors that
undermined the value of the scores” (Ravitch).
d. For example, one school in Texas was dissatisfied with how
their students performed on the state standardized test, so the
school “[skimmed] minutes off each period of the day to create
a new test-preparation period” (McClaskey).
3. Standardized tests have not led to improved student
achievement.
a. As stated in the background information portion, barely any
improvements have been made in student performance after
standardized testing has been emphasized.
b. “the New York Times recently reported, the latest results of
an international exam show no improvement from American
teens in reading and math since 2000” (Dean).
c. In the Program for International Student Assessment, which

4. is a worldwide survey that compares education performances
between countries, ranks the U.S. as “average in science and
reading and below average in math.” This means that out of 72
countries, the U.S. is roughly in the middle of the ranking. A
country like Finland doesn’t even have annual standardized
tests but has still remained a top performer for the past 15 years
(Dickenson).
4. Counterargument: On the other hand, some parents and some
of the general public will say that standardized tests are needed
as a tool to measure student learning, but in reality, they are not
a reliable method of tracking performance.
a. Education Researcher Gerald W. Bracey explains that
standardized tests cannot measure a lot of important qualities
that make education meaningful. Some of these qualities that
are not measured include critical thinking, creativity,
resourcefulness, and awareness (ProCon.org).
b. Most of the standardized tests are comprised of multiple-
choice questions which inefficiently gauge a student’s
knowledge because these types of questions promote
memorization and guessing rather than analyzing the reason
behind the student’s choice. These questions do not assess a
student’s critical thinking skills and therefore standardized tests
do not measure educational knowledge in this way.
c. Some students in the higher grades, like juniors in high
school, know that these tests won’t affect their grades and
therefore don’t take it as seriously. There have been students
who just randomly guess just to finish the test and do something
else.
Conclusion

5. The increased emphasis on standardized tests for young students
in America has led to negative mental health complications, less
knowledge about the curriculum and more about the tests,
stagnant improvement for student’s academic performa nces, and
an unreliable tool for measurement.
There should be a federal law passed that abolishes the
requirement of annual standardized testing for K-12 students in
order for students to have better mental health, more
knowledge, and increased improvement in their performance.
Bibliography
Abrams, Lisa M., et al. “Views from the Classroom: Teachers'
Opinions of Statewide Testing
Programs.” Theory Into Practice, vol. 42, no. 1, 2003, pp. 18–
29., doi:10.1207/s15430421tip4201_4.
Dean, Ashley. “More Testing Means More Stress For Teens -
And There's No
Solution

6. In Sight.” Colorado Public Radio, Colorado Public Radio, 16
Jan. 2020, www.cpr.org/2019/12/19/more-testing-means-more-
stress-for-teens-and-theres-no-solution-in-sight/.
Dickinson, Kevin. “Is the Finnish Education System
Superior?” Big Think, Big Think, 21 May 2019,
www.bigthink.com/politics-current-affairs/standardized-
testing?rebelltitem=3
Henderson, Michael B., et al. “The 2015 EdNext Poll on School
Reform.” Education Next, 5 Aug.
2020, https://www.educationnext.org/2015-ednext-poll-
interactive/
McClaskey, Janet. “Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad TAAS?
Rethinking Our Response to
Standardized Testing.” The English Journal, vol. 91, no. 1,
2001, p. 88., doi:10.2307/821660.
“NAEP Technical Documentation NAEP Data Collection.”
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a
Part of the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for
Education Statistics, June 2017,
nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/tdw/data_collection/
ProCon.org, "History of Standardized Tests." ProCon.org. 15
Apr. 2020,
www.standardizedtests.procon.org/history-of-standardized-tests/

7. Ravitch, Diane. “School and Society.” The Death and Life of
the Great American School System:
How Testing and Choice Are Undermini ng Education, by Diane
Ravitch, Basic Books,
2016, pp. 243–288.
Robelen, Erik. “Testing and Test Prep: How Much Is Too
Much?” Education Writers
Association, 3 June 2016, www.ewa.org/blog-educated-
reporter/testing-and-test-prep-how-much-too-much.
COM2204H
PROBLEM SPEECH OUTLINE
I. Policy Proposition: The United States should have universal
healthcare.
1. Definitions:
a. Universal= including or covering all without limit or
exception; available equitably to all members of a society
(Merriam-Webster)
b. Healthcare= efforts made to maintain physical, mental, or
emotional well-being by trained and licensed professionals
(Merriam-Webster)
II. Background:
1. The Affordable Care Act was passed in Congress and was
signed into law by former President Barack Obama on March

8. 23, 2010. The Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, is a
health insurance reform legislation, making healthcare more
accessible. This is the current healthcare system that we are
under. (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2010)
2. Recently, President Donald Trump has been challenging
Obamacare. In June 2020, he asked the Supreme Court to
overturn the Affordable Care Act. If this were successful,
millions of Americans would be without health insurance.
(Stolberg, New York Times, 2020)
3. During the recent presidential debate, that took place on
September 29th 2020, President Trump challenged Obamacare
even more and made clear of his intentions of wanting to get rid
of it (Rev, 2020).
III. Claim 1: The current Obamacare system is not enough
1. Even though Obamacare expanded coverage, it did not do
enough.
a. In 2018, 27.9 million nonelderly people were in uninsured, a
2.1 million increase from 2016. (Kaiser Family Foundation,
2019)
b. Similarly, according to the United States Census Bureau,
8.5% (27.5 million) of people did not have health insurance in
2018. This shows an increase from 2017, in which 7.9% (25.6
million) people didn’t have health insurance. (United States
Census Bureau, 2019)
2. Costs are still very high for deductibles and other out of

9. pocket costs.
a. The costs of having insurance is very high for many middle-
class people (Kliff et al., New York Times, 2020)
b. The average plan for a 40-year-old who doesn’t qualify for a
subsidy is $462 a month in 2020. This is a sharp increase from
$273 in 2014. (Kliff et al., New York Times, 2020)
c. The deductibles (which is an amount a patient needs to pay
before they can get coverage) are very expensive. For
individuals, deductibles can be as high as $8,150 and for
families, $16,300. (Kliff et al., New York Times, 2020)
d. 45% of the uninsured nonelderly people said that the reason
that they are uninsured is because the cost is too high. (Kasier
Family Foundation, 2019)
3. When in a life and death situation, you shouldn’t have to
think about costs.
a. A woman from Massachusetts had begged people to not call
an ambulance for her after she was in a subway accident. She
feared about the high ambulance and hospital costs. (The Hill,
2018)
b. New York Times journalist, Marie Cramer, tweeted about the
incident saying that the woman was in agony and weeping but
begged people to not call an ambulance saying “’It’s $3,000. I
can’t afford that.’” (Cramer, 2018)
c. In Boston, where that incident took place in, ambulances
would cost closer between $1,200 to $1,900. (The Hill, 2018)

10. Still a hefty price.
IV. Claim 2: The current pandemic, Covid-19, exposed the
flaws in our current healthcare system.
1. The pandemic highlighted the health insurance crisis.
a. “More than 20 million Americans have lost their jobs since
the COVID-19 pandemic upended society in March… A
recent Commonwealth Fund survey found that 40% of
respondents or their partner who were laid off or furloughed had
employer-sponsored insurance.” (HealthLeaders Media, 2020)
2. Citizens are not able to get access to healthcare services
causing outbreaks within certain communities to become worse.
a. “The U.S. health care system has a basic repeating
motif…when you’re sick, you’ll come to a clinic or hospital if
your issue is serious enough… The system’s job is to maintain
sufficient flow and manage surges…This…model of health care
fails…economically distressed people who can’t afford to
access it,… people in rural communities who live far from it,…
people of color who have experienced institutional racism and
do not trust it, and… people with disabilities, who are
challenged at every turn if they seek to access it… In the
absence of a comprehensive effort to create a new locally
oriented health care model, the forces that make these four
groups vulnerable to COVID-19 are intensifying at breathtaking
speed.” (HealthLeaders Media, 2020)
3. Our current healthcare system was not prepared enough for

11. an inevitable catastrophic epidemic or pandemic.
a. “For years, epidemiologists have warned of possibly
catastrophic epidemics of new flu-like illnesses… but the U.S.
delivery system is still not ready. The Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services does not factor in costs of stand-by capacity
in its routine payments to hospitals, which limits the ability of
facilities to build and maintain the extra beds and supplies that
might be required.” (Harvard Business Review, 2020)
V. Claim 3: Companies raise the prices of prescription drugs,
making it harder for people who rely on them to buy them.
1. The price of insulin is incredibly high, making it harder for
people who rely on it to buy it.
a. Over 30 million Americans have diabetes. Having access to
insulin is a matter of life and death for those with type 1
diabetes. (Diabetes Care, 2018)
b. In 1996, the price of a 1-month supply of insulin was $21. In
2001, the exact vial’s price increased from $14 to $35. In 2019,
the vial is about $275. That is a 1200% increase from the
original price. (American Journal of Managed Care, 2019)
c. Because of this “many people feel forced to ration their
monthly prescriptions… and later suffer the ultimate sacrifice:
death” (American Journal of Managed Care, 2019)
d. No one really knows why the price of insulin has been raised
so much because pharmaceutical companies continue to hold
their tongue when asked about it. (American Journal of

12. Managed Care, 2019)
2. Big Pharma companies are raising the price of prescription
drugs
a. Since January 1, 2020, the price of almost 500 prescription
drugs have increased with the average price hike being about 5
percent. (Healthline Media, 2020)
b. “…the biggest price hike was Marplan, which is used to treat
depression, at 14 percent” (Healthline Media, 2020)
c. According to a CBS news report from January 2020, “Drug
prices are much higher in the U.S. than in other countries,
where the governments typically negotiate with manufacturers
to control costs.” (CBS News, 2020)
3. HIV medication costs are also increasing
a. A recent study from 2020 shows that the cost of antiretroviral
therapy (ART), which is a HIV treatment, has increased in cost
by 34% since 2012. (The Foundation for AIDS Research, 2020)
b. “… the average annual cost of recommended ART
combinations ranged from about $25,000 to $35,000 in 2012. By
2018, the cost had increased to between $36,000 and $48,000-
even with generic options.” (The Foundation for AIDS
Research, 2020)
c. According to a medically reviewed article from 2020,
Truvada is an antiretroviral that is used to prevent the
transmission of HIV and has already seen an increase in price.
(Healthline Media, 2020)

13. VI. Inherency:
1. Structural inherency= The current healthcare system in place
which is The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
2. Attitudinal inherency= Following in the footsteps of
President Trump, many Republicans want to completely get rid
of Obamacare, decreasing even more access to healthcare
services and insurance.
VII. Counterargument: Some Americans might argue that our
current healthcare system has been good because it expanded
access to healthcare.
1. While it is true that Obamacare allowed more access to
healthcare, millions of Americans still remain uninsured or
under high costs. As I’ve mentioned in my argument,
approximately 27.5 million people do not have health insurance
as of 2018 (United States Census Bureau, 2019) and that
number continues to increase through the pandemic. Because of
Covid-19, 40 percent of people (or their partner) who lost their
job had employer-sponsored insurance causing even more
people to be left uninsured (HealthLeaders Media, 2020).
VIII. Conclusion:
1. Even though Obamacare made healthcare more accessible for
Americans, it is still not enough. Our current Covid-19
pandemic exposed the flaws in our current healthcare system.

14. Works Cited
“Universal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-
Webster, https://www.merriam-

15. webster.com/dictionary/universal.
“Health care.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-
Webster, https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/health%20care.
“Background: The Affordable Care Act’s New Rules on
Preventative Care”, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services, July 14, 2010,
https://www.cms.gov/CCIIO/Resources/Fact-Sheets-and-
FAQs/preventive-care-background.
Stolberg, S. G. (2020). “Trump Administration Asks Supreme
Court to Strike Down Affordable Care Act”, The New York
Times,
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/26/us/politics/obamacare-
trump-administration-supreme-court.html
Damico, A., Singer, N., Orgera, N., & Tolbert, J. (2019). “Key
Facts about the Uninsured Population”, Kaiser Family
Foundation, https://www.kff.org/uninsured/issue-brief/key-
facts-about-the-uninsured-population/ - :~:text=In 2018, 27.9
million nonelderly,has grown by 1.2 million.
Upton, R. D., Barnett, J. C., & Berchick, E. R. (2019). “Health

16. Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2018”, United States
Census Bureau,
https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2019/demo/p60-
267.html - :~:text=Highlights&text=In 2018, 8.5 percent of,7.9
percent or 25.6 million).
Kliff, S., Sanger-Katz, M., Abelson, R., & Goodnough A.
(2020). “Obamacare Turns 10. Here’s a Look at What Works
and Doesn’t”, The New York Times,
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/health/obamacare-aca-
coverage-cost-history.html
Folley, A. (2018). “Woman begging people not to call
ambulance gains national attention”, The Hill,
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/395409-story-of-injured-
woman-begging-people-not-to-call-ambulance-due-to-costs-
gains
Cramer, M. (2018). Twitter,
https://twitter.com/NYTimesCramer/status/10128142798573608
96?s=20
Cheney, C. (2020). “Coronavirus Pandemic Bares U.S.
Healthcare Flaws, Points to Improvements”, HealthLeaders
Media, https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/clinical-

17. care/coronavirus-pandemic-bares-us-healthcare-flaws-points-
improvements
Sheervai, S. & Blumenthal, D. (2020). “Coronavirus is
Exposing Deficiencies in U.S. Health Care”, Harvard Business
Review, https://hbr.org/2020/03/coronavirus-is-exposing-
deficiencies-in-u-s-health-care
Cefalu, W. T., Dawes, D. E., Gavlak, G., et al. (2018). “Insulin
Access and Affordability Working Group: Conclusions and
Recommendations”, Diabetes Care, 41, 1299-1311
https://kopernio.com/viewer?doi=10.2337%2Fdci18-
0019&token=WzExOTgzNDgsIjEwLjIzMzcvZGNpMTgtMDAx
OSJd.8Gj6tPv0fhiK4NOBq1FmPdkwWD0
Roberts, D. K. (2019). “The Deadly Costs of Insulin”, American
Journal of Managed Care, https://www.ajmc.com/view/the-
deadly-costs-of-insulin
Berger, M. (2020). “The Price of 500 Prescription Drugs Have
Gone Up This Year: What to Known”, Healthline Media,
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/prescription-drug-
prices-have-gone-up-this-year
Cerullo, M. (2020). “2020 is three days old and drug prices are

18. already jumping”, CBS News,
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/big-pharma-companies-raised-
prices-on-more-than-400-drugs-to-start-2020/
(2020). “Cost of HIV Treatment Rising”, The Foundation for
AIDS Research, https://www.amfar.org/cost-of-hiv-rising/
(2020). “Donald Trump & Joe Biden 1st Presidential Debate
Transcript 2020”, Rev,
https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/donald-trump-joe-biden-
1st-presidential-debate-transcript-2020
Running head: CONTRIBUTION OF MICHAEL DEBAKEY IN
SURGERY 2
CONTRIBUTION OF MICHAEL DEBAKEY IN SURGERY 2

19. Contribution of Michael E. DeBakey in the in the Thoracic
Surgery
Students Name
Institutional affiliation
Date
Introduction
Michael DeBakey’s contributions and highlights have towered
throughout the past half of the twentieth century. His immense
contributions to vascular and cardiac surgery have made become
one of the few surgeons with household recognition. Michael
DeBakey was born in September 1908, in Lake Charles (Miller,
2019). He was the firstborn Shaker Morris and Raheehja
DeBakey, Lebanese immigrants. After his school, he joined
Tulane University for his college education. He gained enough
credit at Tulane University to join a medical school. He
received his B.S in 1930, M.D. in 1932, and M.S. in 1935. He
later joined Tulane's faculty after returning to the United States
from his studies in France, Strasbourg, and Germany.
Contributions of Michael DeBakey
His first contribution was at 23 years while a student at Tulane
invented a roller pump for blood transfusions that were later

20. used in the first successful open-heart operation in the 1950s.
The machine was used as the new heart-lung that maintained the
patent's vital functions while carrying surgery (Eads &
Ikonomidis, 2014). The aid of this device helped DeBakey
perform some of his first surgeries such as endarterectomies
which helped in removing blood clots and plaque material from
the arteries. In 1952, he performed the first successful operation
on an aneurysm. The operation involved replacing an affected
area of an artery with a graft from a cadaver artery. The
following year he performed his first successful endarterectomy
on a carotid artery. This procedure has prevented several
patients from having devastating strokes.
In 1958, he advanced his aneurysm by using a Dacron patch
instead of cadaver tissue to repair an artery after an
endarterectomy operation. To date, the Dacron patch is used
during the aneurysms operations to repair an aorta which before
the advancement was challenging to operate (Miller, 2019). In
1963, DeBakey performed the first human coronary bypass
successfully. Prior to this only, the operation was only carried
on dogs, but while performing an endarterectomy that was
difficult, DeBakey decided to use the coronary bypass to save
the life of the patient.
In 1966, Dr. DeBakey became the first surgeon to use an
implanted heart device which was a major development in
artificial heart operation. He used a ventricular assist device

21. (VAD) while operating and removed the device after the
operation. Michael has performed over 60, 000 cardiovascular
procedures and trained over a thousand students who now
practice globally (Eads & Ikonomidis, 2014). The Michael E.
DeBakey International Cardiovascular Surgical Society was
founded to honor his training dedication on January 20th, 1977.
The name was later renamed to Michael E. DeBakey
International Surgical Society which aims at perpetuating his
training, recognition, and scholarships.
In 1975, Michael DeBakey received funding from the federal
government to establish the first National Heart and Blood
Vessel Research and Demonstration. His previous
recommendation of the development of highly specialized
centers in various parts of the universe to treat wounded
veterans contributed to the funding (Miller, 2019). He had later
established the Cardiovascular Research and Training Center at
The Methodist Hospital which had produced several
multidisciplinary approaches to the same. All these successes
contributed to the national government funding his work to
research more on the heart.
He also significantly contributed to medical education through
the introduction of the filming of procedures with overhead
cameras. The filming helped the medical and surgeons to
witness the unusual procedures at a close range and learn from
them (Eads & Ikonomidis, 2014). The filming advanced to

22. telemedicine in 1965, after a demonstration of open-heart
surgery that was transmitted overseas by satellite. The operation
was performed at the Methodist Hospital Houston and the
medical staff that watched were in the hospital and university in
Geneva.
Contribution as an Educator
In 1948, Dr. Michael DeBakey was accepted to become the
chairman of the Department of Surgery in the newly established
Baylor college in Houston. He contributed highly through the
establishment of the school's residency programs, especially in
surgery. He became the college's president in 1969 and served a
ten-year tenure. He drove the school towards national and
international commendation as one of the best medical schools
in the United States. He established Michael E. DeBakey High
School for Health Professionals which was a combined project
of the Baylor and the Houston Independent School District
(Miller, 2019). The school enabled students of the marginalized
communities to access basic education that helped in the
undergraduate program and later join medical schools. He
became the chancellor in 1978 which he served until 1996, after
becoming chancellor emeritus. His dedication is attributed to
several buildings and organizations in the college. During his
career, DeBakey wrote more than 1400 articles, chapters, and
books that helped in heart and lung surgeries. Two of his best-
selling article in the New York magazine is The Living Heart

23. and The New Living Heart Diet. A popular book he co-authored
includes The Living Heart Brand Name Shopper’s Guide.
Conclusion
Michael DeBakey who started his career at an early age
blossomed in the late twentieth century a career that lasted for
several years. His work transformed Cardiovascular surgery by
pioneering some of the most operative procedures that save
lives such as coronary bypass, aneurysm repair, and
endarterectomy. His contribution in the education sector helped
in raising medical education standards by transforming Baylor
University College of Medicine into a premier medical center.
The school has produced several generations of surgeons that
work all over the world to save lives.
References
Miller, C. A. (2019). A Time for All Things: The Life of
Michael E. DeBakey. The USA. Oxford University Press.
https://oxfordmedicine.com/view/10.1093/med/9780190073947.
001.0001/med-9780190073947
Eads, D., & Ikonomidis, J. S. (2014). Historical perspectives of
The American Association for Thoracic Surgery: Michael E.
DeBakey (1908-2008). The Journal of Thoracic and
Cardiovascular Surgery, 147(4), 1123-1127.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2013.12.029

24. Conduct research using the CSU Online Library, and find at
least two articles on handling project conflict management. In
your paper, identify the different styles you found in your
research, and compare and contrast each style. Identify either
low, medium, or high for concern for self and concern for others
in your paper. Also, include a synopsis of each article to
include when appropriate for projects (see exhibit 13.11).
Use APA format and cite your work. Your paper should be at
least three pages in length and will include a title and reference
page which are not included in the page count.
Sources of Project Conflict
Some conflict on projects is useful; other conflict is destructive.
Conflict over ideas on how to proceed with a project can lead to
more creative approaches. Conflict over how to complete a
project with a tight schedule can also be positive. Competition
for ideas on how to best handle a project activity has the
potential for generating more innovative and successful
approaches and can be highly stimulating work. However, when
conflict becomes personal, it can often become negative. These
types of conflict need to be handled with care. A few typical
sources of project conflict are shown in Exhibit 13.10.
Generally, it is better to deal with conflict on projects
promptly—or even proactively. Conflicts do not get better with

25. time! This is especially true for projects with significant
pressure to stay on schedule or on budget (in other words, many
projects). Virtually all studies determine that relationship
conflict can be detrimental to project team success. When
people spend time and emotional energy arguing, they have less
energy to work on the project.
Exhibit 13.10.
RELATIONSHIP SOURCES
TASK SOURCES
Roles and responsibilities
Stakeholder expectations
Lack of commitment
Unique project demands
Communications failure
Money and other resources
Different personalities
Technical approach
Stakeholder relationships
Priorities
Personal motives of participants
Differing goals of stakeholders
Energy and motivation
Task interdependencies
Next project assignment
Schedule

26. Individual rewards
Risks
Also, when people have personal conflicts to the point where
they really do not like each other, they often feel less
committed to the project and to their team. Task conflict is a bit
more complicated. A certain amount of task conflict can
encourage people to consider alternative approaches and to
better justify decisions. Up to that point, task conflict can be
useful. However, beyond a certain point, when people spend a
great deal of time arguing over task-type issues, it still takes
away from the project team’s progress and camaraderie. The
timing of task conflict can also make a difference on whether it
helps or hurts the project. The best times to discuss different
options are during the initiating stage, when high-level
approaches are being decided, and during the planning stage,
when more detailed decisions are being made. However, once
the plans are made, a project team needs to be a bit more careful
because prolonged discussions during the executing periods of
the project can lead to schedule slippage and cost overruns.
Conflict Resolution Process and Styles
Once a project manager realizes a conflict exists, if it is a task
conflict, he or she tries to utilize it to develop a better solution.
If it is a relationship conflict, he or she tries to resolve it before
it escalates. A project manager can use the six-step project

27. conflict resolution process, making sure to pay attention both to
the tasks and relationships needed at each step. Six-Step Project
Conflict Resolution Process
1. Understand the conflict.
2. Agree on conflict resolution goals.
3. Identify causes of the conflict.
4. Identify potential solutions for the conflict.
5. Pick the desired conflict solution.
6. Implement the chosen solution.
First, what are the signs of the conflict? Is it specific to a
certain stage in the project? Does each party in the conflict
understand it the same way? If not, ask clarifying questions,
summarize how the other person has stated the problem, and
confirm that you have a common understanding. Next, ensure
that all parties agree on what a successful conflict resolution
would be. While there are often conflicting goals on projects,
all stakeholders typically want useful deliverables on time and
on budget. Use the project goals as a basis for what the solution
needs to cover. Many conflicts have multiple causes, such as
those shown in Exhibit 13.10. Identify potential causes and then
verify which cause(s) are actually contributing to the conflict.
The next step is to identify potential solutions to the conflict.
This is clearly a time where creativity and trust are helpful. The
fifth step is deciding how to resolve the conflict. There are five

28. general styles for resolving project conflict, as depicted in
Exhibit 13.11. The collaborative style is preferred for important
decisions that require both parties to actively support the final
decision. However, collaboration requires both parties to
develop trust in each other and frequently takes longer than the
other styles. Therefore, each style has its place in dealing with
project conflicts. The final step is to implement the chosen
solution. For a major conflict, this could be almost like a mini -
project plan with activities identified and responsibility
assigned. It is vital to include communication of the solution to
all concerned parties.
13.11 STYLES OF HANDLING PROJECT CONFLICT
STYLE
CONCERN FOR SELF
CONCERN FOR OTHERS
WHEN APPROPRIATE FOR PROJECTS
Forcing/Competing
High
Low
Only when quick decision is necessary, we are sure we are
right, and buy-in from others is not needed
Withdrawing/ Avoiding
Low
Low

29. Only when conflict is minor, there is no chance to win, or it is
helpful to secure needed informa tion or let tempers cool
Smoothing/ Accommodating
Low
High
Only when we know we are wrong, it is more important to other
party, or we are after something bigger later
Compromising
Medium
Medium
Only when an agreement is unlikely, both sides have equal
power, and each is willing to get part of what they want without
taking more time
Collaborating/ Problem Solving
High
High
Whenever there is enough time, trust can be established, the
issue is important to both sides, and buy-in is needed