News Capsules 02/02/05
Feb. 2, 2005
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s proposed biennial budget includes $113 million in new funding for the University. The U had requested $126 million. Pawlenty’s proposal includes $15 million for a U-Mayo clinical research partnership. For details, see http://www.umn.edu/umnnews/Feature_Stories/5050_partnership.html . For more from the Star Tribune, go to http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/5205261.html.
What you can do:
--Join the AHC Ambassador program. The next training session is Wednesday, Feb. 23, 12:15 to 1 p.m., 2-530 Moos Tower. If you would like to attend or learn more, contact Deborah Zorn at mailto:zorn@umn.edu or call 625-1185.
--Join the University’s Legislative Network by going to http://www.supporttheU.umn.edu
NEWS
AHC faculty members respond to the tsunami. The tsunami that devastated swaths of South Asia, destroying lives and livelihoods, creates needs for immediate help and long-term relief projects. Our AHC faculty members are responding to those needs. “Now I know what hell looks like,” writes Tai J. Mendenhall from Sri Lanka. He is an assistant professor in the Medical School’s Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. In his brief e-mail message, Mendenhall also finds that hope and love survive amid the devastation. Another who has responded is Steven Miles, professor of medicine in the Medical School, who also has been sharing his experiences by e-mail from Indonesia. Sent by the American Refugee Committee, Miles is focusing on the long term. “I worked on an umbrella grant that will endorse and accompany all of the proposals of the people that I spoke with today. Tomorrow, I will meet with three more local agencies,” he writes. “(I know that this does not sound like doctoring but there are a lot of docs here right now).” Know of any other AHC faculty who are working in the tsunami-stricken area? Please send their stories to mailto:enge@umn.edu. To read more from Mendenhall and Miles, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/campusnews/tsunamirelief/
The Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory showcased its new lab space Jan. 28, which includes 10 new lab facilities, specialized lab equipment, and updated utilities. The renovation was funded with $1.5 million from the 2003 Legislature. Guests at the open house included Frank Cerra, senior vice president for health sciences, State Sen. Steve Dille, State Rep. Dean Urdahl, and Gene Hugoson, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. "At this time two years ago, we had 5,000 square feet of outmoded and underused space that had not been updated since 1959," recalled Jim Collins, director of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. "Now, we're doing more sophisticated and faster testing at lower cost, and better serving our growing caseload, which has doubled in the past 10 years.”
Richard C. Prielipp has been named head of the Medical School’s Department of Anesthesiology by Dean Deborah Powell. Prielipp, professor of anesthesiology and critical care at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, will assume the position in March. Prielipp earned his B.S. and M.D. at University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was an intern and resident in surgery at the University of Minnesota Medical School (1981-1983), did his residency in anesthesiology at Madison (1983-1985), served as anaesthetic senior house officer at Gloucester Royal Hospital in England (1985), and held a fellowship in critical care at Stanford University (1986-1987). In addition, he recently earned his M.B.A. Prielipp has been listed in several editions of the Best Doctors in America.
PEOPLE
Joseph Grayden, Community-University Health Care Center, was named a “Top Dentist” in the January 2005 issue of Mpls.St. Paul Magazine. The magazine polled Twin Cities dentists and hygienists to determine who provides the best dental care. To read the article and view the listing, go to http://mspmag.com/feature.asp?featureid=3178.
Helene Horwitz, Medical School, associate dean for student affairs, will receive the Outstanding Service Award for 2005 in April from the Association of American Medical Colleges Central Group on Student Affairs. Her leadership and service to the CGSA have been “remarkable,” according to the letter announcing her award. She was also credited with “strengthening the organization for the future” and praised for her skills in mentoring others.
Joel Rudney, School of Dentistry, was principal author of a manuscript featured on the cover of the January issue of the Journal for Dental Research. Rudney’s article reported on findings of the first study to show that bacterial masses inside oral mucosal cells share the polymicrobial nature of tooth-surface biofilm.
Eric Schiffman, School of Dentistry, was featured in Mpls.St.Paul Magazine’s Top Dentists issue, January 2005, in a feature on temporomandibular disorders (TMD). To view the article, go to http://mspmag.com/feature.asp?featureid=3178#general.
Randy Singer, College of Veterinary Medicine, veterinary and biomedical sciences, will receive the McKnight Land-Grant Professorship, a two-year appointment that includes a $30,000 research grant in each of two years, summer support, and a research leave in the second year. The goal of the program is to advance the careers of the University's most promising junior faculty. Singer's professorship will begin on July 1, 2005, and continue through June 30, 2007.
Dean Marilyn Speedie, College of Pharmacy, was featured on the cover of AACP News in January after being voted president-elect of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy for 2005-2006. She will serve as president in 2006-2007. "Educators must help ensure the profession's success by expanding our graduates' ability and motivation to serve patients and reduce drug-related problems and instilling in them the motivation to advocate for the profession," Speedie said. For more, read AACP News at http://www.aacp.org/Docs/MainNavigation/NewsRoom/6506_AACP_jan_2005_web2.pdf
Kendall B. Wallace, Medical School, biochemistry and molecular biology, recently chaired two congressional briefings on Capital Hill. The topic for both was public health safety concerns resulting from current regulatory policy related to consumption of dietary supplements. The Senate briefing occurred Jan. 31 and the House briefing was Feb. 1. Wallace also recently served as a member of the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute Working Group on Cardiovascular Complications of HIV Infection and AIDS last fall.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
“Gender and Race in Medical Treatment,” part of the Great Conversations series, will feature Anne Taylor, associate dean for faculty affairs in the Medical School, and Vivian Pinn, director of the Office of Research on Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health. The two will discuss the debate over the relevance of race in determining preventive medicine and the disparities in access to quality health care for patients determined by gender and ethnicity. The event is Feb. 8, 7:30 p.m., at the Ted Mann Concert Hall. Order tickets online at http://www.northrop.umn.edu/great_conversations.html or by calling 624-2345.
“Trials…Ethics…Rewards: Reservation-Based Research” is the title of the Feb. 14 Nursing Grand Rounds, noon to 1 p.m., 4-180 Weaver-Densford Hall. Margaret Moss, Center for Gerontological Nursing, is the featured speaker. For more information, contact Cory Franklin at mailto:frank070@umn.edu or 612-625-1187.
AHC Office of Education News: Pat Rizzi, education developer, Office of Education, is the new instructional technology and simulations coordinator for the Interprofessional Education and Research Center. Paul Ceelen joins the Education Development Services team as a Web developer. The two expand the office’s capacity to support faculty and departments develop technology-enhanced and simulations-based learning.
Enhancing patient care by streamlining communication, assuring compliance with HIPAA regulations, and providing timely and accurate information for solid organ transplant research are goals of Transplant Information Services (TIS). A collaboration of the Academic Health Center, Fairview Health Services, and University of Minnesota Physicians, TIS aims to implement a single clinical system for solid organ transplant and islet transplant. It will consolidate data collection functions, integrate existing databases, and construct interfaces with hospital and clinic systems. The system will allow clinicians and researchers more efficient, appropriate, and timely access to data on transplant patients. "We are working to bring together transplant information and those involved with transplant services to make our already world-class transplant program more efficient," said David Radosevich, R.N., Ph.D., assistant professor and TIS director. For more information, visit the TIS Web site at http://www.tis.umn.edu.
Jonathan Moreno, University of Virginia, will present "The Ethics of Innovative Surgery" on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 12:15-1:30 p.m. in Coffman Memorial Union, Mississippi Room. The event is free and open to the public. Reservations are strongly encouraged. For more information, call 625-0055 or write to mailto:lawvalue@umn.edu. The lecture is sponsored by the Consortium on Law and Values in Health, Environment & the Life Sciences (http://www.lifesci.consortium.umn.edu/) and Joint Degree Program in Law, Health & the Life Sciences (http://www.jointdegree.umn.edu/).
Do you have any un-wanted holiday presents? If so, consider donating them to the Phillips Neighborhood Clinic for its silent auction in November, which benefits the clinic. A drop-off box will be available in the CHIP Lounge on the first floor of Moos Tower through the end of February. Donated items must be unopened and not used. The student-run Phillips Neighborhood Clinic serves the at-risk population of the Phillips Neighborhood.
AHC students are invited to attend the HealthWorks Fair on Thursday, Feb. 10, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., in the Coffman Union Great Hall. This is a great opportunity to meet employers, learn more about their organizations and potential careers, internships, and volunteer opportunities. Career Services' counselors will offer free resume critiques. For more information, go to http://www.healthcareers.umn.edu/hcc/healthworks/hworglist.html.
RefWorks and Ovid Medline are two upcoming classes offered by the Bio-Medical Library at the AHC Learning Commons. The classes are free for University faculty, staff, and students. The classes are Ovid Medline, Feb. 7, 11 a.m. to noon; RefWorks, Feb. 8, 1 to 2 p.m.; and Virtual Tour, Feb. 11, 10 to 11 a.m. For more information, go to http://www.biomed.lib.umn.edu/lc.html or contact us at 626-3260 or mailto:medref@umn.edu.
Upcoming book signings at the U Bookstore:
--Feb. 7, 2 p.m.: Local author and award-winning medical journalist Jack El-Hai will discuss his new book, “The Lobotomist: A Maverick Medical Genius and His Tragic Quest to Rid the World of Mental Illness.”
--Feb. 15, 2 p.m.: Noted doctor, engineer, and author Alan Kahn will discuss his new book, “Mind Shapes: Understanding the Differences in Thinking and Communication.” For more information, or to order a signed copy visit www.bookstore.umn.edu/genref/authors.html.
CLINICAL RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
For information on other clinical research opportunities, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/campusnews/trials.
|
