News Capsules 02/04/09
Feb. 4, 2009
NEWS CAPSULES is a biweekly newsletter for faculty, staff, and students of the Academic Health Center. Please send submissions to Nick Hanson at hans2853@umn.edu.
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This has been a difficult few weeks for all of us. We’ve quickly moved from the national attention on a well-produced inauguration into the tough work of addressing the financial issues brought on by our economic turmoil. The governor released his budget with a recommended $151 million cut to the University of Minnesota, on top of the $20 million un-allotment for this fiscal year. And, within the Academic Health Center, I’ve heard from a number of you that the news of President Bruininks’ decision to consolidate the roles of senior vice president with that of the dean of the Medical School has generated a significant number of questions for all health science disciplines.
Some perspective and context may be helpful. This proposed administrative model is not a new idea – it is one that has been considered at least three times during my tenure at the University. Nationally, this type of consolidation is common at comparable academic health/medical centers of significant stature. Of course, no two health science enterprises are identical, and there is no ready-made process for such a significant transition. Implementing this transformative model will involve all of us, working together, to ensure the University’s health sciences retain their strength on behalf of our stewardship role for Minnesota.
What we do here continues to matter a lot to the families and communities of Minnesota. We are valued as an institution. We are valued for the quality of our graduates. We are valued for the research driving discoveries and cures, and for the quality of the clinical enterprise. And we are valued for the positive impact we have on the state’s economy. That hasn’t changed, and I remain committed to ensuring it never does.
Our mission remains one of educating and training the next generation of health professionals, discovering and translating new knowledge that prevents or treats/cures disease, and improving the health of the people of Minnesota while providing world-class leadership.
I do look forward to working with you to continue to meet these challenges.
– Frank B. Cerra, M.D.
Sr. Vice President for Health Sciences
School of Nursing celebrates 100 years
The School of Nursing has launched its year-long centennial celebration. The program was started at the University in 1909, and today remains the longest continuously operating university-based nursing program in the country. To read more about the anniversary and the launch event, visit:
http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/nursing100yrs012709/home.html
Living kidney donors as healthy as non-donors
Kidney donors have survival rates similar to that of the general population – that is, their life span does not seem to be altered or negatively impacted after donation, according to new Medical School research.
Donated blood may have longer shelf life
Henry Buchwald, M.D., Ph.D., Medical School, recently completed a pilot study that evaluated the oxygen transport rate of red blood cells in banked blood. He discovered that when banked, oxygen levels actually increased over an eight-week period of time, which is two weeks longer than the current standard shelf life of banked blood. To read more, visit:
http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/blood012809/home.html
U to house regional center for health data
Michael Davern (School of Public Health) and Cathy Fitch (Minnesota Population Center) will co-direct the new Census Bureau Research Data Center (RDC) funded by the National Science Foundation. Projected to open in January 2010, the regional center will focus on health data and demography and provide a wide variety of confidential economic, demographic and health microdata from the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Center for Health Statistics, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The development of the Minnesota RDC proposal was an interdisciplinary effort that included faculty from the Department of Economics, School of Public Health, and Minnesota Population Center.
Minnesota Partnership research tackles crop-destroying bug
Medical scientists in Minnesota are focusing their expertise on a pest that destroys soybeans. The goal of the Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics team is to develop an insecticide that is safe for humans but will kill the soybean aphid, a bug that’s been ravaging Minnesota crops.
Former VP of health sciences dies
Robert E. Anderson, of Palm Desert, Calif., passed away on Jan. 24, 2009. Anderson was a former vice president of health sciences for the Academic Health Center who served in the position from 1992-93 and remained a member of the Medical School faculty until 1998.
Randall Singer and Katey Pelican (College of Veterinary Medicine) are part of the first cohort of resident fellows for the Institute on the Environment. They will receive flexible funding to engage in creative research and problem solving, to develop new models of teaching and training, and to build new networks and partnerships. Read more:
http://www.environment.umn.edu/newsroom/newspages2009/residentfellows01262009.html
David Polly (Medical School) was appointed secretary of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ Board of Specialty Societies.
Doris Taylor (Medical School) and the Center for Cardiovascular Repair were honored by the American Heart Association for publishing one of the top 10 research projects relating to heart attack and stroke in 2008.
Andrew Oxenham (Medical School) earned a $50,000 Troland Research Award from the National Academy of Sciences. Oxenham is being honored for his contributions to the understanding of the relationship between auditory perception and its underlying physiological mechanisms.
Marnie Peterson (College of Pharmacy) and Daheia Barr-Anderson (School of Public Health) were selected as Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) scholars for the Deborah E. Powell Center for Women’s Health. The BIRCWH program fosters the career development of junior faculty members who are engaging in basic, clinical, translational, behavioral, or health services research in any area relevant to women’s health.
Archelle Georgiou was named a senior fellow at the Center for Spirituality & Healing. She will to assist the center’s ongoing creation and support of programs and initiatives related to lifestyle, health, and well-being.
Apostolos P. Georgopoulos (Medical School) was awarded the 2009 Neuronal Plasticity prize of La Fondation Ipsen for his outstanding contribution to findings in the “Brain - Machine Interaction” domain. He shares the $60,000 prize with Alim Louis Benabid (University of Grenoble) and Miguel Nicolelis (Duke University). The prize will be officially awarded at the Société des Neurosciences Françaises meeting in Bordeaux, France, on May 27, 2009.
Economy and the U web site
The University’s Economy and the U Web site now includes the option to opt in to receive notices when new information is posted. University faculty, staff and students have already provided numerous suggestions and feedback on the site, created to provide ongoing information and to share ideas for addressing serious budget challenges. The current question is: How can the U maintain the strength of its mission in lean times? To sign up for the updates, read others’ suggestions, or send in feedback, visit the site:
http://www1.umn.edu/twincities/faculty-staff/economy/index.html
State of the AHC is Feb. 19
Frank Cerra’s State of the Academic Health Center address is scheduled for 3 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 19, in the Mayo Auditorium and will be broadcast to the St. Paul (VDL, room 280), Duluth (room 142), and Rochester (room 397) campuses. Following the speech, there will be a faculty assembly and town hall meeting. The address is preceded by the AHC-FCC Year in Review at 2:30 p.m.
Medical Bulletin available online
The winter 2009 issue of the Medical Bulletin, the Medical School’s award-winning magazine, is now available online. To read about pioneering work at the University’s Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, biomedical innovation at the University’s Institute for Engineering in Medicine, the University’s Student National Medical Association, and much more, visit Medical Bulletin. To receive e-editions of the Medical Bulletin, e-mail bulletin@mmf.umn.edu.
Warning: malicious e-mails
In recent weeks, e-mails have been making the rounds at the University claiming to contain a Hallmark e-card or IKEA planning software when in fact they contain worms or viruses. If you receive one of these e-mails, do not open it. Instead, be sure to delete it immediately. If you mistakenly open one of these malicious e-mails, call the AHC-IS help line at 6-5100. This is also a reminder to be aware of e-mail phishing scams.
Mini Medical School Spring 2009, “New Frontiers in Medicine”
This five-class course will feature health topics spanning new frontiers in medicine. The series runs from 6-8:30 p.m., Mondays, Feb. 23 through March 23. Cost is $75 (includes binder and printouts of PowerPoint presentations), or $60 (paper-less, with ability to download presentations). To register online, visit www.ahc.umn.edu/minimed. For questions, e-mail minimed@umn.edu.
AHC seed grant applications now available
The Academic Health Center (AHC) is accepting applications for seed grants to fund faculty research. These funds will be distributed through a competitive peer review process. The maximum award per project is $25,000, and 15 awards will be funded. One Seed Grant for Alzheimer’s or other neurodegenerative diseases will be funded by the Harold Soine Alzheimer’s Research Fund. For details on eligibility and instructions on applying, visit:
http://www.ahc.umn.edu/research/funding/seedgrants/home.html
Interprofessional development event abstract deadline Feb. 7
The 4th Annual Best Practices Institute, Teaching and Learning in Health Professions Education event will be May 18-19, featuring presentations by University educational leaders, as well as national speaker, Carie Windham Page. Page is the program coordinator for the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative; a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology. AHC faculty encouraged to submit abstracts for a poster session on teaching and learning. Instructions for submitting an abstract can be found at http://lcsun.lib.umn.edu/index.php/bpi/2009.
Quality Fair features ideas for working smarter
The U’s third annual Quality Fair takes place from 9:45 a.m.–3 p.m., Thursday, February 5, in McNamara Alumni Center. Faculty and staff from around the U system will present posters displaying ideas for working smarter and improvement projects. The keynote speaker is Sherwin Greenblatt, former president of the Bose Corporation and former interim executive vice president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He currently directs the MIT Venture Mentoring Service. Full program and registration information is available at: http://www.umn.edu/osci
Whole Systems Healing Lecture
Award-winning activist and environmental advocate Van Jones will be the guest speaker as part of the Center for Spirituality & Healing’s new series, Whole Systems Healing. This free event is from 4-6 p.m., March 5, at Ted Mann Concert Hall, 2128 4th St. S., Minneapolis. The series is designed to teach students about the relationship between the environment and the health of people and communities while preparing them to be agents of social healing. For more information and to register visit: www.csh.umn.edu or call 612-624-9459.
Minneapolis to host international biomedicine conference
The 31st Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society will be held September 2–6, 2009 at the Hilton Hotel in Minneapolis. The theme, “Engineering the Future of Biomedicine,” covers a broad spectrum of topics, from engineering and physical sciences to medical and clinical applications. For more information about the conference and paper submissions, visit: http://www.embc09.org/
Jeff Hertzberg to present at Friends of Eastcliff Book Club
The Medical School’s Hertzberg will discuss his book “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” during the book club meeting. The event will be at 7 p.m., Feb. 19, at Eastcliff. RSVP by calling (612) 626-8187, or e-mail foebooks@umn.edu.
Feb. 11
10 a.m.–noon
The 27th Konopka Lectureship “The Panic Over Girls"
Mike Males, author of "Framing Youth: Ten Myths About the Next Generation"
Location: Off Campus - Wellstone Center (Neighborhood House), 179 Robie St., E., St. Paul
Feb 12
noon–1 p.m.
Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development and the Center for Translational Medicine: Bridging the Gap between Biomedical Research and the Clinic
Gunda I. Georg, Ph.D., Director, Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development, University of Minnesota, Derek Hook, Ph.D., University of Minnesota and Juan Leal, Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Location: Hasselmo Hall - 2-101
March 2 & 3
12:15 p.m.
Melendy Lecture: Pharmacist Citizenship, Some Thoughts and Observations
Bob Osterhaus, R.Ph., American Pharmacists Association President and Remington Award Recipient
Locations: March 2, Duluth Campus, LSci 163/165; March 3, Twin Cities Campus, 2-650 Moos Tower
March 10, 17, 24
6-9 p.m.
Healthy Eating/Healthy Living with Brenda Langdon
Location: 1300 West 47th Street, Minnetonka.
For tickets, see healthy eating or call (612) 624-9459
More events like these can be found on the AHC calendar, http://www.ahc.umn.edu/calendar. You can submit an item to the AHC calendar by going to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/submitevent.
A long history of islets
Current research at the U is looking for ways to use porcine islets to cure human diabetes. Learn how a 1920 article by a U of M pathologist set the course for diabetes research over the past 90 years at:
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/moore144/ahcarchives/2009/02/the_long_view_of_islets.html.
AHC News Capsules is a biweekly newsletter for faculty, staff, and students of the Academic Health Center. Please send submissions to Nick Hanson at hans2853@umn.edu.
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