{IMGRIGHT:85×85:http://www.massdevice.com/sites/default/wp-content/uploads/headshots/picture-38.jpg}Every week, veteran healthcare reporter Tinker Ready rounds up the latest news for MassDevice. This week, she takes a look at how Governor Deval Patrick plans to slice the state’s stimulus fund pie, a Harvard doc’s appointment by President Barack Obama and how to stop worrying and love your colonoscopy.

Money for scientists: The Mass Life Sciences Center is giving away money — and not just to expanding biotech companies. The program is also trying to fill in some of the gaps left by flat NIH funding. So, young scientists should check out their latest “new investigator” offering – applications due April 17. The board approved a second round of funding for this program in late February.

The 2009 New Investigator Solicitation seeks to spur innovative new research and advance the careers of new investigators who are working on cutting-edge life sciences research at Massachusetts research institutions. A successful applicant will receive a grant of $100,000 per year for up to two years.

Single Payer update: This came across my desk from single payer advocates at MassCare yesterday afternoon:

Next Tuesday in Burlington Vermont, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Vermont Governor Jim Douglas will convene a New England Health Summit as part of President Obama’s national push for health reform.

While Governor Douglas has now invited single payer advocacy groups from Vermont – including Physicians for a National Health Program and the Vermont Citizens Campaign for Health – Governor Patrick has not included any single payer groups on his invitation list from Massachusetts.

Please call and/or email the Governor’s office and ask them to include Mass-Care, Massachusetts Physicians for a National Health Program, and the Massachusetts Nurses Association in this important dialogue about the future of our health care system…

At the recent White House summit on health reform , no single payer advocate was invited until thousands of messages reached the White House, including word that doctors were going to protest on the sidewalk. At the last minute, two single payer supporters were invited…

Two hours later, this arrived:

At 5:30PM, we received an invitation from Governor Patrick’s Office of Government Affairs.

There’s more by Tinker Ready over at Boston Health News.