News Capsules 03/02/05

Mar. 2, 2005

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

State House and Senate leaders began work March 1 to reach compromise on a bonding bill, which provides state funds for public roads and building projects. Each of the three proposals includes funding for renovation of AHC classrooms in the Twin Cities and Duluth. The Senate proposes $118 million for University building projects, Gov. Tim Pawlenty recommends $100 million, and the House proposes $89 million. For more, go to the U’s government relations Web site at http://www1.umn.edu/urelate/govrel.

What you can do
Attend AHC Day at the Capitol: Meet your legislators Thursday, April 7, and explain to them the importance of funding the University of Minnesota. To make it easy for you to participate, legislator meetings will be scheduled for you, and shuttle buses will depart for the Capitol from Mayo Circle every 30 minutes. The afternoon includes cholesterol and blood pressure screenings offered by AHC students, and other activities. To register for AHC Day at the Capitol, go to http://ga4.org/u_of_m_leg_net/events/ahcday/details.tcl. Questions? Contact Deborah Zorn at 625-1185 or mailto:zorn@umn.edu.

Need help preparing for your meeting? We’ll provide tools, tips, and techniques at the March 28 AHC Ambassador training, 12:15 to 1:15 p.m., 2-520 Moos Tower. Students should attend a special briefing the same day and time in 2-530 Moos Tower. A Minnesota legislator will be on hand to discuss how to effectively advocate to your legislators. Please reply to mailto:zorn@umn.edu to register or for more information.

AHC NEWS

“Leading Change: Strategies for a Vital Health Professions” will bring together business, education, economic development, and health care professionals April 14-15 in St. Paul to discuss community-based, regional strategies for invigorating and supporting the next generation of health professionals. Sponsored by the Academic Health Center, the conference will seek solutions to health professions workforce shortages and explore complex concepts that have an impact on health care, such as education, financing, economics, and changing demands on health system delivery. For more information, visit http://www.ahc.umn.edu/education or contact Shelby Williams at mailto:mnahec@umn.edu or 624-5873.

OTHER NEWS

Fairview-University Medical Center received national recognition from the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) recently for the hospital’s work to attain a positive nursing work environment. UHC is an alliance of academic health centers. Participating hospitals surveyed nurses on three patient care units representing medical, surgical, and intensive care areas to gauge their perception of staffing adequacy, nurse/physician relationships, recognition, patient safety, and evidence-based practice. Fairview-University received the highest score among the 50 participating hospitals, tallying 16 out of 18 points. The next highest-ranking hospital scored 13 points. Kathie Taranto, Fairview-University chief nursing officer, led efforts to improve the work environment. “The tremendous efforts put forth by Kathie and nursing leadership to improve the workplace for nurses set us apart as a model for other hospitals looking to make similar improvements,” says Fairview-University President Gordon Alexander.

Interim Dean Joanne Disch, School of Nursing, will participate in the March 12 memorial service for the school’s late dean, Ellen Fahy, at St. Mary’s Church in Uxbridge, Mass. On behalf of the school, Disch will present Fahy’s husband, Paul Lett, with a memorial booklet. Those interested in contributing memories or stories to the booklet should do so by March 4 by contacting Jane Pederson, 5-139 Weaver-Densford Hall.

The College of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Medical Center received a "Best of the Twin Cities" award for best veterinary care from the editors of Mpls.St.Paul magazine.

Four candidates for the position Director of Health Science Libraries will be presenting to the AHC community over the next four Mondays, beginning March 7. "A Vision of Health Science Libraries in the Research University" will be the topic of each presentation, which will be followed by a question-and-answer session. Each presentation is from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in 555 Diehl Hall. The schedule is as follows:

--March 7:  Jeanette McCray, Deputy Director, University of Arizona Health Sciences Library, http://staff.lib.umn.edu/ateam/JMcCray.pdf

--March 14:  Gary Byrd, Director, Health Sciences Library, University at Buffalo (SUNY), http://staff.lib.umn.edu/ateam/GByrd.pdf

--March 21:  Jane Blumenthal, Associate Dean and Director, Dahlgren Memorial Library, Georgetown University Medical Center, http://staff.lib.umn.edu/ateam/JBlumenthal.pdf

--March 28:  Linda Watson, Assistant Dean for Knowledge Management and Medical Center Librarian, Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, University of Virginia, http://staff.lib.umn.edu/ateam/LWatson.pdf

PEOPLE

Donna Bliss, School of Nursing, Center for Gerontological Nursing, recently received a four-year grant from Kimberly-Clark for her study on fecal incontinence.

Jim Collins, director of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, and Vic Cox, College of Veterinary Medicine, were presented with awards at the annual meeting of the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA) Feb. 3-5. Collins received the Veterinarian of the Year Award, which is presented to a member who has given much to the veterinary profession as well as to the community. Cox received the Outstanding Faculty of the College of Veterinary Medicine Award for providing outstanding service to Minnesota veterinarians, giving his time and talent to the profession, and being a leader who makes a difference to the profession.

Benjamin Fuller, who was instrumental in the development of the Medical School’s Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, died Feb. 22 of lung cancer. He was 82. Fuller was a 1945 graduate of the University of Minnesota Medical School and practiced in St. Paul from 1951 to 1966 before joining the Medical School as a professor. A memorial service will be held Friday, March 4, 1:30 p.m., at White Bear Lake United Methodist Church, 1851 Birch St. To view the obituary in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, go to http://www.legacy.com/twincities/LegacySubPage2.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=3220001.

Ken Hepburn, School of Nursing, Center for Gerontological Nursing, has received a grant to evaluate Minnesota Alzheimer programs from the Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging.

John Kersey, director, the Cancer Center, received the medical research award Feb. 19 at the 2005 Star Awards, presented by the Minnesota Oncology Hematology Foundation. The event honored and recognized individuals who contribute to the health and wellness of cancer survivors and their families. David Stahl, who in 1975 at age 16 became the world’s first person to undergo a successful bone marrow transplant, presented the award to Kersey, who led the team that performed the transplant.

David Sutherland and Bernhard J. Hering, Medical School, surgery, will receive the Minnesota Health Award April 9 from the American Diabetes Association at its sixth Annual Celebrity Art Auction Gala. Both are members of the University’s Diabetes Institute for Immunology and Transplant. The annual award is presented to community leaders who have advanced the cause of health for all Minnesotans.  If you’re interested in attending the event at St. Paul RiverCentre, call 763-593-5333, ext. 6652 or write to mailto:mduerr@diabetes.org.

Sarah Westberg, College of Pharmacy, Duluth, received one of three Innovations in Teaching Awards given annually from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

“Food Safety, Protection, and Defense: What Best Serves the Public Good? And Who Determines Acceptable Risk?” is the topic of the School of Public Health’s 2005 Roundtable on March 8. The event runs from 8 to 11 a.m. in Coffman Memorial Union Theater. This program is free, but pre-registration is requested. To register online, go to http://ustar.ahc.umn.edu/register_event.cfm.

Water will be shut off in the Mayo building on Sunday, March 6, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. in order to repair deteriorated water pipes. This shut down will affect many cold rooms and freezers, including water-cooled compressors, which will be shut down to prevent damage during the outage. Although we do not anticipate the outage will last longer than the period stated, we want to be prepared in the event of a catastrophic failure. If you have any questions or special requirements, please call Facilities Management at 624-2900 during business hours prior to noon, Friday, March 4.

The Lillehei Heart Institute will host the 2005 Annual Community Heart Fair Saturday, March 5, 1 to 4 p.m. at the Science Museum of Minnesota. “Journey to a Healthier Heart through Research and Education” features 50 LHI faculty members, staff, and students who will showcase University heart research. For more information, go to http://www.lhi.umn.edu. About 300 people visited Cancer and the Human Body, an annual event hosted Feb. 19 by the Cancer Center at the Science Museum.

The Lillehei Heart Institute raised $10,000 Feb. 26 at the American Heart Association (AHA) Heart Walk at Mall of America.  More than 100 LHI faculty members, staff, students, family, and friends participated.

April 1 is the registration deadline for this year’s Relay For Life, an American Cancer Society celebration of life in honor and in memory of those whose lives have been touched by cancer. The event begins at 7 p.m. April 22 and goes to 7 a.m. April 23. Teams of 8-15 people take turns walking or running around the Field House track all night long. Participants camp out in the University Field House and enjoy a party-like atmosphere that includes music, food, fun, entertainment, and activities. The goal is for each team member to raise $100 in donations secured from family, friends, and businesses. Proceeds support American Cancer Society programs in research, education, advocacy, and service--locally, statewide, and nationally. For more information, please contact Jenny Meslow, at mailto:meslo001@umn.edu.

Want to register for Spring Mini Medical School? Online registration is available for the five-week session that begins March 28. Go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/outreach/minimed.

The School of Nursing is sponsoring a book sale March 10, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., on the second floor of the Phillips-Wangensteen Building next to the Inside Out Café.

Meet the Raptor Center’s eagles, hawks, and owls up close and tour the Veterinary Medical Center at the College of Veterinary Medicine Open House, Sunday, April 3, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can also learn about the services, research, and educational opportunities offered by the college. This event is free and open to the public.

Scott Rothenberger of Dorsey & Whitney LLP will present “Licensing Inventions” April 6, 7:30 to 8 a.m., at the University of Minnesota Office of Business Development, 1000 Westgate Drive. Licensing of technology can produce an income stream for the owner and/or can present bargaining opportunities with third parties.  This presentation will explore various aspects of licensing of technology-based property. To register, and for more information, go to http://www.dorsey.com/seminars/seminars.aspx?FlashNavID=seminars

“Renewing Our Passion for Health Care” is a free CME program on March 23, 6:30 p.m., at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Carl Hammerschlag, a Yale-trained psychiatrist, will discuss how physicians can retain identity and purpose in an increasingly chaotic environment. Hammerschlag is a leading expert on psychoimmunology and serves on the University of Arizona Medical School faculty. CME credits are available. To register, or for more information, call Sarah Klecker, 612-672-6919, or write to mailto:scklecke1@fairview.org. Include your name, phone, e-mail and guest name.

The University’s Digital Technology Center is seeking proposals for its Initiatives in Digital Technology grant program. The program is looking for proposals in the following areas of digital technology: artificial intelligence, distributed robotics, and vision; bioinformatics and computational biology; computer-human interactions; databases and data mining; digital design; graphics and visualization; storage architectures; networks and security; systems recognition and verification; and wireless communications and signal processing. The deadline for proposals is March 31. The upper limit for awards is $50,000. For more information, contact Michael Olesen at 625-6414 or mailto:olesen@dtc.umn.edu.

The Injury Free Coalition for Kids is seeking volunteers to help in its effort to prevent injury to children through research, education, and advocacy. The coalition includes hospital-based, community-oriented programs and is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. For more information, please contact Laura Richardson at 612-873-7378 or mailto:laura.richardson@co.hennepin.mn.us.

CLARIFICATION
In the last issue of News Capsules, we noted that Fairview-University used TomoTherapy for the first time earlier this month to treat a patient. We neglected to note that the therapy is administered by faculty within the Medical School’s Department of Therapeutic Radiation, who are also members of University of Minnesota Physicians. TomoTherapy is a cancer treatment system that offers significant advantages over traditional radiation delivery systems.

CLINICAL RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

For information on other clinical research opportunities, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/campusnews/trials.