News Capsules 02/15/06

TRANSFORMING THE U: Strategic Positioning Update

Faculty, staff, and students are urged to comment through Feb. 24 on the Metrics and Measurement task force progress report, through March 6 on the Administrative Service and Productivity steering committee's progress and implementation priorities report, and through March 13 on the Collegiate Design for Small Colleges task force’s preliminary recommendations. To comment, go to http://www.umn.edu/systemwide/strategic_positioning/tf_recommendations.html.

NEWS

Medical School researchers have discovered new cord blood stem cells that might lead to regenerating nerve tissue following a stroke. “We are excited by this discovery because it provides additional insight into how stem cells can restore function in the brain after injury,” said Walter Low, neurosurgery, lead researcher of the study. For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/cordblood021306.

A new discovery will allow researchers to better evaluate the brain function of people with various diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, and to monitor the effect of treatment, says Apostolos P. Georgopoulos, Medical School, neuroscience. Georgopoulos and his team from the Brain Sciences Center have discovered a new way to assess how brain networks act together using imaging technology called magnetoencephalography, or MEG. For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/brain020906.

Health disparities will be a focus for the Academic Health Center’s Office of Clinical Research, Director Jasjit S. Ahluwalia told more than 50 leaders in health disparities research and care who attended a Feb. 8 meeting hosted by his office. Ahluwalia said one of his goals is to form a working group across disciplines and communities where participants are able to learn from each other and collaborate. He said his office will sponsor a quarterly health disparities symposium, the details of which will be circulated via e-mail. Those interested in being included on the e-mail list should submit a short paragraph of their bio and research interests, which will be used to develop a database. Further ideas for addressing health disparities are also welcomed. For more information, or to submit ideas or comments, please contact Brenda Hudson, Office of Clinical Research, at 612-624-3422 or at bhudson@umn.edu. To read more about the Feb. 8 meeting, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/research/OCR/dinnermtg.

New voice mail system. The University’s Networking and Telecommunication

Services (NTS) will convert all Twin Cities campus voice mail accounts this spring to a new system. Informational meetings are scheduled in Coffman Union for Feb. 21, 23, and 28. For more information, see http://umn.edu/nts or e-mail go4msg@umn.edu.

PEOPLE

Karen Ashe, Medical School, neurology and neuroscience, has received the MetLife Foundation Award for Medical Research in Alzheimer’s Disease, which recognizes researchers who have made significant contributions to the understanding and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/ashe021406.

Carl Bendorf has been named interim president and CEO of the Minnesota Medical Foundation by its board of trustees, effective Feb. 1. Bendorf will continue to serve as vice president for development while the board conducts a national search for a permanent president to replace Brad Choate. “Carl has proven he has the experience necessary to carry out the foundation’s immediate priorities and ongoing initiatives,” said MMF board chair Beth Erickson. Choate, who served 10 years as MMF president and CEO, announced in December that he had accepted the position of vice president of university advancement at the University of South Carolina. For more, go to http://www.mmf.umn.edu/news/story.cfm?id=381.

Gary Goldstein, College of Veterinary Medicine, has received the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association’s Outstanding Faculty Award. Goldstein is an associate clinical professor and director of the Dental Service at the Veterinary Medical Center.

Cara Ibrahim and Rachel Hardeman, School of Public Health, are two of three University students to receive a Graduate Fellowship on Philanthropy and Human Rights. The award offers paid fellowships to graduate students of color studying in Minnesota. Graduate fellows work part-time with the Otto Bremer Foundation for a year and are awarded a $12,000 stipend. Using community-based participatory research, Ibrahim will address how cultural communities organize to create solutions to their health problems, in addition to how they have been kept from advancing their own ideas into the social policy arena. Hardeman will investigate why minority health care providers disproportionately practice in minority communities in order to understand the fundamental role of culture in health and health care.

Margaret Moss, School of Nursing, has been appointed to the National Interfaith Council on Aging for 2006-2009. She serves as a representative from the Minnesota Board on Aging for the National Congress of American Indians.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Spring registration opens for Mini Medical School. The spring 2006 Mini Medical School will focus on gastrointestinal issues. Classes are Mondays, March 27 through April 24, 6 to 8:30 p.m. The cost is $60. For more information, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/outreach/minimed/spring2006.

Apply now for seed grants from the University’s BioMedical Genomics Center to fund research that uses genomics and genotyping-related technologies. Applications will be accepted for review starting March 1.  Complete information can be found in PDF format at:  http://www.bmgc.umn.edu/img/assets/19726/BMGC_RFP06G11.pdf

“Protecting Water Quality for Future Generations” is the Great Conversations topic for Feb. 28, 7:30 p.m., at Ted Mann Concert Hall. The program features Deborah Swackhamer, professor of environmental chemistry in the School of Public Health, and David Shindler, professor of ecology at the University of Alberta, Edmonton. Swackhamer also is co-director of the University's Water Resources Center. The University’s College of Continuing Education sponsors Great Conversations. For more information, go to http://www.cce.umn.edu/conversations.

FSI Minnesota: Food Security Investigation, a series of three workshops, will focus on food system operations and public health preparedness. Each offers a tour of selected sites and discussion. A toolkit of preparedness resources will be given to each participant. Participants may attend one or all three. The titles and dates are: 1) Retail Food, March 30, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.; 2) Food Processing and Production, April 13, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and, 3) Food Distribution, April 20, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. There is no fee. To register call 6-4515 or register online at http://ustar.ahc.umn.edu/register_event.cfm. For more information, contact Ruth Rasmussen at 625-8836 or rasmu048@umn.edu. The series is offered by the Centers for Public Health Preparedness.

Relay For Life Kick-Off: One day. One night. One community. Relay For Life is about celebration, remembrance, and hope. By participating, you honor cancer survivors, pay tribute to the lives we've lost to the disease, and raise money to help fight it--all right here at the University of Minnesota on April 21-22 at the Field House. For more information, visit http://www.acsevents.org/relay/mn/uofm or contact Jenny Meslow at meslo001@umn.edu.

Lobby renovation at University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview began Feb. 15. Construction is expected to continue till the end of May or beginning of June. For a map showing the hospital’s temporary entrance during construction, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/img/assets/7617/3569_UMMC_University_Temp_Map_final.pdf.

More than 1,200 people have registered for the Student American Veterinary Medical Association Symposium 2006, March 9-11, in Minneapolis. Students at the College of Veterinary Medicine are busy planning the symposium, which will host 40 exhibitors. Sponsors include Hill's Pet Nutrition, Nestle Purina, Merial, and 39 other companies and organizations. The keynote speaker will be Jack Hanna, host of “Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures.” For more information, visit http://www.cvm.umn.edu/education/SAVMA.html.

Save the Date: The Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra will perform a benefit concert for Fairview Hospice on Sunday, May 21, 4 p.m., at Ted Mann Concert Hall. For tickets, call 612-672-7272. For more information, please call Heather Glasso at 612-672-7772.