AHC News Capsules 01/11/07
January 11 , 2007
NEWS CAPSULES
is a biweekly newsletter for faculty, staff, and students of the Academic Health Center. Please send submissions to Jennifer La Forgia, lafor016@umn.edu.
Jump to:
News
People
Announcements
-- Updates
-- Professional Meetings
-- Lectures
-- Opportunities
This week, the University’s partnership with Fairview received a strong endorsement of support when the Fairview board voted to proceed with a strategic effort to renew and restore its hospitals and clinics. This 6-year plan will invest more than $1 billion in the key facilities that provide access to critical health care services for this region’s patients. This support is another mark that our partners are committed to ensuring the University of Minnesota is a destination of choice for clinical care into the future.
– Frank B. Cerra
Fairview Health Services has announced plans to break ground on a freestanding home for the University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital, Fairview, as part of a larger capital renewal plan. The new, $175 million building is set to open in 2010. “We’re very pleased with Fairview’s board decision to make strategic investments in the facilities where patients are seen and cared for,” says Frank Cerra, senior vice president for health sciences at the University of Minnesota, “This will strengthen our partnership.” The new children’s hospital will consolidate pediatric units that are now on two sides of a river and sometimes separated by multiple floors and housed in different buildings. In addition, investments are planned for adult facilities as well as a new specialty clinic.
President Robert Bruininks and Alumni Association President Dennis Schulstad will host an “insider’s preview” and discussion on the University’s 2007 request to the Minnesota Legislature Jan. 24, 5:30–8 p.m. in McNamara Alumni Center (Memorial Hall). Alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends are welcome to attend this legislative briefing and reception. The University seeks $123.4 million in new state funds in its 2008-09 biennial budget request. A light dinner buffet will be offered following the program and short training sessions will be available. RSVP by Jan. 18 and register online at http://www.supporttheU.umn.edu or call Emily Johnston at 612-625-8739.
World-renowned expert in swine disease Carlos Pijoan (College of Veterinary Medicine) died Jan. 9 after a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Dr. Pijoan, who was at the University for 25 years, was an expert in how production methods affect disease incidence in swine. He founded and directed the University’s Swine Disease Eradication Center. A memorial service will be held Friday, Jan. 12, at 11 a.m. at the Holcomb-Henry-Boom Funeral Home. The family requests memorial donations go to the fellowship in his name.
University of Minnesota cancer researchers discovered that an inherited mutation in a DNA replication gene may increase breast cancer risk.
Naoka Shima (Medical School and Cancer Center) led the laboratory team that made this discovery in mice. These findings are published in the Dec. 27, 2006, issue of the journal Nature Genetics. To learn more, go to: http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/breast122906/home.html
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement has named a study led by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and Fairview Health Services as one of the Top 10 Improvement Ideas of 2006. The project, titled “In-Situ Simulation Training for OB Emergencies,” targets communication and team dynamics as key to improving hospital patient safety. In the study, lead investigator William Riley (SPH) oversees video-taped simulations involving a patient (actor or mannequin), a health care team, and an emergency “stressor” (something that goes suddenly wrong). After the simulation, team members view themselves on the tapes. “Experts are finding that threats to patient safety are not because hospital staff lack technical skills or a commitment to safety,” says Riley. “Rather, most often, the cause is a breakdown in communication among hospital staff.”
The city of Minneapolis will use a $1 million grant from the state’s Bioscience Business Development Public Infrastructure fund to support continued growth of the University Research Park in the heart of the city’s bioscience zone. This money will go to support of the park’s infrastructure.
The American Thoracic Society has selected Peter B. Bitterman (Medical School) to receive the 2007 Recognition Award for Scientific Accomplishment. Dr. Bitterman is being honored for “lifelong outstanding scientific contributions to the understanding, prevention, and treatment of lung disease.” He will receive the award this May at the ATS International Conference in San Francisco.
David Rothenberger (Medical School) was chosen as the 2007 Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) Outstanding Physician of the Year (Minnesota/Dakotas Chapter). There will be an awards ceremony Saturday, June 9.
Gurumurthy Ramachandran (School of Public Health) has been appointed to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Board of Scientific Counselors. The board advises NIOSH on the direction of scientific research.
Gary Davis (Medical School), who has led the Department of Behavioral Health (Duluth campus) for 22 years, will serve as interim senior associate dean for the Medical School–Duluth campus. Davis is associate director of the Medical School’s Center for Rural Mental Health Studies and was recently recognized as a Rural Health Hero at a state conference. Richard Ziegler ( Medical School), who stepped down Jan. 1 to return to teaching, was honored for his decade of leadership on the Duluth campus at an event Dec. 14.
Charleen Pagel Jue is the new program manager for the Cancer Center’s Clinical Trails Office. Pagel Jue comes to the U from her position as Senior Director of Clinical Operations, Clinical Development with MGI Pharma.
Selwyn Vickers (Medical School) was elected as trustee of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract.
Patti Arnold assumed the newly created role of Chief Operating Officer for UMPhysicians and will be responsible for all business and infrastructure operations. On Jan. 1,
Todd Carlon became UMPhysicians’ Chief of Staff responsible for coordination of all staff activity.
All faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend the eighth annual State of the Academic Health Center address on Wednesday, Jan. 31. The AHC Faculty Assembly will precede the address by Senior Vice President for Health Sciences Frank B. Cerra. The events will originate in the newly remodeled Mayo Auditorium with telecast to the Duluth campus (room 263 SMed), the St. Paul campus (room 280 VDL), and the Rochester campus (room ST108).
Wednesday, Jan. 31
2:00-2:45 p.m. - AHC Faculty Assembly
3:00-4:00 p.m. - State of the AHC Address by Frank B. Cerra
4:00-5:00 p.m. - Reception and tours of the newly restored Mayo Auditorium
Nominations for membership in the AHC’s Academy for Excellence in Health Research are due Jan. 22. This honor serves as the highest recognition of excellence in AHC faculty research. Faculty members selected to the academy receive $10,000 for five years that can serve as an addition to salary or to support their research. Nomination materials must be submitted to the AHC FCC Screening Committee, c/o Sara Balick, University Senate, 424 Morrill Hall, 100 Church Street S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455. To learn more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/research/academy/home.html.
The Department of Otolaryngology
received an $881,000 grant from the NIH’s National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders to develop a comprehensive, community accessible database of the mouse cochlea. Project leader Peter A. Santi ( Medical School) said the money will be used over four years to help investigators worldwide establish the mouse as an important animal model for investigating human hearing loss.
Medical School alum and family medicine physician Lynne Eldridge will discuss her new book Avoiding Cancer One Day at a Time on Thursday, Jan. 25, at 2 p.m. at the University of Minnesota Bookstore in Coffman Memorial Union. Eldridge’s book covers a spectrum of cancer-prevention strategies designed to minimize a person’s cancer risk. For more information, visit http://www.bookstore.umn.edu/genref/authors.html.
Remember: All NIH applications being submitted for the Feb. 5 deadline must be at Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) by 9 a.m. on Jan. 30. Also, starting in February, NIH research grant applications may name more than one principal investigator (PI).
An open house will be held for the newly-created Academic and Corporate Relations Center and the Office for Technology Commercialization Tuesday, Jan. 30, from 3 to 7 p.m. at University Enterprise Laboratories, Inc., 1000 Westgate Drive in St. Paul. To register for this free event, e-mail Devan at futte002@umn.edu or call 612-626-3438.
The University will host a ground-breaking stem cell conference Feb. 26 in the Coffman Memorial Union. As a public university with a prominent Stem Cell Institute, the U will convene top experts to examine the implications of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), also known as research cloning. The conference, "Creating Stem Cells by Research Cloning: Scientific, Ethical, Legal & Policy Challenges," explores the issues raised by SCNT, the options open to universities, and how policy should progress. To register, go to http://www.lifesci.consortium.umn.edu/conferences/scnt.php. Or e-mail lawvalue@umn.edu
The Office of Clinical Research’s Distinguished Visiting Scholar Series will host Jeremy M. Grimshaw , MBChB, PhD, FRCGP, speaking on “Towards Evidence-Based Implementation” on Thursday, Jan. 25, 12:05–1:05 p.m., in 2-620 Moos Tower, in conjunction with Medicine Grand Rounds. Sandwiches and beverages will be served. Dr. Grimshaw is director of the Clinical Epidemiology Program at the Ottawa Health Research Insitute and director of Centre for Best Practices of the Institute of Population Health at the University of Ottawa.
John Gilbert, head of the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative (http://www.cihc.ca/), will lecture on "Interprofessionalism: What Does it Mean and How Are We Addressing It?" on Tuesday, Jan. 16,11:30 a.m.–1 p.m., in Hasselmo Hall 2-101. To ensure an adequate number of lunches, RSVP to Jen Trochinski at troc0021@umn.edu. ITV access is available for Duluth participants in Room 372 Kirby Plaza.
The Lunch Series on the Societal Implications of the Life Sciences presents David Relman. He will present "Dual Use and National Security" Thursday, Jan. 25, 12:15-1:30 p.m. in the Coffman Memorial Union Theater. Relman is associate professor of medicine and of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University. He will discuss how life sciences research can be used for bioterrorism and will examine balancing national security policy with continuing innovation in the life sciences. This event is free and open to the public. Reservations are strongly encouraged. Lunches are provided to those who RSVP by Jan. 19 to lawvalue@umn.edu or 5-0055. Registration is required if you wish to receive continuing education credits (CLE, CME, CNE).
Frederick Taylor (Medical School) will give the Powell Center Lecture on “Transforming the Interrelationships of Women, Their Medical Practitioners, and Severe Headaches” on Jan. 25, in Moos 2-530, 12:15–1:15 p.m.
More lectures and events can be found by going to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/calendar
Investigators interested in doing research related to pancreatic cancer are encouraged to apply for newly available funding from a collaboration of the University of Alabama at Birmingham SPORE in Pancreatic Cancer, the University of Minnesota Cancer Center, and the University of Minnesota Department of Surgery. Up to $30,000 is available and the project should be completed within a year. Applicants should submit an NIH-formatted full grant (using PHS 398 forms revised 04/06) by March 1. To learn more, go to: http://www.surg.umn.edu/surgery/rfa.html.
The U’s Office of Clinical Research and the Medical School’s Program in Health Disparities Research announce a planning grant program in health disparities research. Projects, ranging from a minimum of $10,000 to a maximum of $25,000, must consist of two co-principal investigators—a member from a community-based organization and a University faculty member. Applications are due March 15. To learn more and for application instructions, go to: http://www.ahc.umn.edu/ocr/rfa
Register now for the first-ever Smoke Free Minnesota Day at the Capitol. Show your support for comprehensive smoke free workplaces to legislators and staffers in St. Paul on Tuesday, Jan. 30, from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. To learn more and to register, visit: http://www.smokefreeminnesota.com.
The AHC Office of Clinical Research is accepting applications for the pre-doctoral clinical and translational research program summer fellowships. Applications are due Feb. 1. These paid fellowships will provide training in clinical and translational research for predoctoral AHC students. The 8- to 10-week program begins mid-June. Fellows will work with established investigators. To learn more and to access the application, go to: http://www.ahc.umn.edu/research/funding/predoc/home.html. For questions, contact Nancy Johnson at 612-625-1651 or nancyj@umn.edu.
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute announces a national competition for the appointment of 15 outstanding physician-scientists as new HHMI investigators. Physician-scientists who hold a tenured or tenure-track faculty position are eligible. The deadline for this HHMI investigator competition in patient-oriented research is Jan. 18. For details, go to http://www.hhmi.org/investigator_por
Harambe, an annual celebration of medicine and the arts, takes center stage at the Coffman Union Memorial Theatre Friday, Jan. 12 . An art gallery opens at 7 p.m.; performances of music, dance, and spoken word begin at 8 p.m. The event benefits the student-run Phillips Neighborhood Clinic for the poor and homeless; admission is $10, $5 for students.
Appointments are being accepted for the University of Minnesota’s Pharmaceutical Care Experiential Clinic. At this clinic, a pharmacy student assesses a patient’s medication needs in the presence of faculty. There is no charge. To learn more or to set up an appointment, call 612-625-7929.
Other AHC funding and grant opportunities can be found by going to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/research/funding/
AHC News Capsules is a biweekly newsletter for faculty, staff, and students of the Academic Health Center. Please send submissions to Jennifer La Forgia at lafor016@umn.edu.
|
