News Capsules 03/17/05
March 17, 2005
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
The Medical School is a vital state resource, Dean Deborah Powell told the House Higher Education Finance Committee at a hearing last week. She urged investment in the University’s Biosciences for a Healthy Society request. Also at the hearing, the U’s interdisciplinary biosciences efforts were showcased through presentations by Shaun Kennedy and Mike Osterholm, both representing the National Center for Food Protection and Defense; Tim Ebner, Medical School, neuroscience; and Bob Elde, dean of the College of Biological Sciences. Senior Vice President Frank Cerra will be presenting to the same committee next week in support of the University’s legislative request.
BACKGROUND
--On Jan. 25, Gov. Tim Pawlenty proposed $113 million in new operating funds for the University as part of his biennial budget. The University requested $126 million in new state funds, while proposing internal cuts of about $15 million in each year of the biennium and a tuition hike of 5.5 percent.
--State House and Senate leaders are working to reach compromise on a bonding bill, which provides state funds for public roads and building projects. The Senate proposes $118 million for University building projects, Gov. Pawlenty recommends $100 million, and the House proposes $89 million. Each includes funding for renovation of AHC classrooms in the Twin Cities and Duluth. 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. 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
The first group of AHC Clinical Research Scholars has been chosen. The Medical School’s Mukta Arora and Rocco Ricciardi, and the College of Pharmacy’s Mark Kirstein and Michael Kotlyar, will each receive research support of $50,000 annually for up to three years under this new career development program for junior faculty performing patient-oriented clinical research. The program combines a mentored research project with a defined curriculum plus 75 percent protected research time. The scholars were chosen, from a group of 13 applicants, by the 15-member AHC Clinical Research Task Force. For more details, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/research/clinical/scholarapp/scholars.
Nearly 500 volunteers have signed up for the University of Minnesota Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), making it the largest reserve corps in the state. The MRC is part of Citizen Corps, a national initiative to mobilize and coordinate volunteer health professionals to help in the event of a public health crisis or natural disaster. More volunteers are needed. Anyone affiliated with the AHC is eligible to join and volunteers do not need to be licensed health professionals. Online registration is available at http://mrc.ahc.umn.edu. For more information, contact Jane Berg at mailto:berg0031@umn.edu.
“Leading Change: Strategies for a Vital Health Professions Workforce” 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 or to register, visit http://www.ahc.umn.edu/education or contact Shelby Williams at mailto:mnahec@umn.edu or 624-5873.
OTHER NEWS
Psychiatry researchers in the Medical School have found promising results in the treatment of bulimia nervosa using Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) therapy. While VNS therapy is commonly used in treating epilepsy, this is the first study investigating its use for bulimia. VNS therapy aims to reverse the physiological changes that have occurred in the function of the vagus nerve from repeated binge eating and vomiting. Patricia Faris is the principal investigator. For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/bulimia030305.
Responding to nursing shortages, the School of Nursing announced that it will award up to seven new full scholarships over the next three years in the field of gerontological nursing. “Not only is the demand growing for health care of the elderly, it is also becoming more complex,” said Christine Mueller, who heads the program. “The fact that people are living longer means that many of us are living with health conditions we would have died from 25 years ago, requiring specialized, advanced nursing skills. These full scholarships will help us prepare more nurses to meet those challenges.” For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/geriatrics031105.
Light and ultra-light cigarettes are just as harmful as regular cigarettes, according to a Cancer Center study. And marketing messages that imply otherwise are just plain misleading, researchers say. The study finds no significant differences in the amounts of nicotine and cancer-causing substances taken in by smokers of regular, light, and ultra-light cigarettes. The study, led by Stephen Hecht, was published in the March 8 issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention journal. For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/cigs030705.
The University is a partner on a new food safety initiative called the Food Safety Research and Response Network. The network--funded by a $5 million U.S. Department of Agriculture grant--is a multi-institutional, multidisciplinary effort of more than 50 food safety experts from 18 colleges and universities. They will investigate some of the most prevalent food-related illness pathogens. For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/foodsafety031105.
Twenty members of Fairview Health Services’ inaugural CT/MRI training program will graduate this spring. Weekly classes, which began in October, are taught by Medical School faculty. Fairview and Normandale Community College were awarded a $280,000 Minnesota Job Skills Partnership grant to help fund the program.
Fairview also has an innovative partnership with Augsburg College that will graduate five medical technology students in May. Four of the students in the intensive one-year Clinical Laboratory Science program have agreed to work at Fairview for two years following graduation.
PEOPLE
George Avery, a recent graduate of the School of Public Health’s Health Services Research and Policy Ph.D. program, is the lead author of a study on the quality of care management practices in Medicaid Managed Care programs. It was published in the March issue of the American Journal of Managed Care. The study’s co-authors, from the School of Public Health, are Doug Wholey and Jon Christianson.
James Cloyd, College of Pharmacy, participated last month in a panel discussion on medical management of bioterrorism attacks. The panel, which met in Bethesda, Md., included representatives from universities, National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Army, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Jay Cohn, Medical School, medicine, received the Distinguished Scientist Award for clinical science March 7 from the American College of Cardiology. Cohn was chosen for his contributions to clinical cardiology and to the understanding of cardiovascular disease. He is internationally recognized for his leadership in designing and carrying out clinical trials to document efficacy of new interventions for heart failure. For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/cohn030405.
Robin Lally, School of Nursing doctoral candidate, has received an Oncology Nursing Society Foundation Research Grant of $4,755 to conduct her dissertation research, "The Decision Experience: Women's Breast Cancer Treatment Decisions." Lally’s advisers are Marsha Lewis and Janice Post-White.
Felicia Hodge, School of Nursing, will present an abstract March 24 at the International Conference on Nursing Education in the Twenty-First Century at the Hue University School of Medicine in Vietnam.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Need marketing? We’re here to help. The Creative Agency of the AHC Office of Communications is your complete resource for marketing services--everything from marketing planning and project management to design, copywriting, and print production. We can help you with: brochures, newsletters, marketing plans, positioning and key messages, tradeshow cards and banners, logos and wordmarks, direct mail postcards, Web site reviews and navigation outlines, conference/seminar invitations and programs, and posters. The initial consultation is free of charge. Then we’ll develop a budget and a plan for you. Work is carried out on a fee-for-service basis. For more information or to schedule an introductory meeting, please contact Becky Ewert at 4-8612 or mailto:bewert@umn.edu.
It’s not too late 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.
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 University Field House track all night long. Participants camp out in the 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 or Jemma Perkins at mailto:merri064@umn.edu. You can register your team online at http://www.acsevents.org/relay/mn/uofm.
A central part of the Relay for Life is the Survivor Lap, the very first lap of the relay, in which cancer survivors from the University and the community are invited to take a victory lap and be cheered on by fellow participants. At the end of the lap, survivors are joined by their family and friends to celebrate their courageous battle. Each survivor participant will receive a lapel pin from the American Cancer Society. Anyone interested in participating in the Relay for Life Survivors Lap should contact Janet at 612 626-2873 or mailto:shane010@umn.edu. There is no fee to participate.
Children's Summit 2005: Smart Policies, Strong Families will take place March 28, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Coffman Memorial Union Theater. It also will be broadcast to the four University of Minnesota coordinate campuses--Crookston, Duluth, Morris, and Rochester, as well as the Research and Outreach Center in Lamberton. For more information, or to pre-register to attend one of these sites, go to http://www.childrenssummit.umn.edu/viewing.html. To attend in person, go to http://register.cce.umn.edu and enter event ID #177605. The cost is $25.
Alan Milstein will discuss “Human Subjects Protection: A Plaintiff’s Perspective” April 5, 12:15 to 1:30 p.m., in Coffman Memorial Union’s Mississippi Room. The presentation is part of the Lunch Series on the Societal Implications of the Life Sciences. Milstein is a nationally recognized litigator in the areas of products liability, bioethics, and clinical trials litigation. The event is free and open to the public. Reservations are strongly encouraged. Lunches are provided to those who register by March 29 at 612-625-0055 or mailto:lawvalue@umn.edu. Registration is required if you wish to receive continuing education credits. Those without reservations are welcome to attend, but should bring a lunch. For more information call 612-625-0055 or visit http://www.lifesci.consortium.umn.edu.
“Critical Health Issues for the 21st Century” is the theme of this year’s Global Health Forum, presented April 16 by the Students’ International Health Committee. The keynote speaker is Werner Fornos, president of the Population Institute in Washington, D.C. The event will be held at the Holiday Inn Metrodome, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, students, faculty, and staff. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. For more information, please contact mailto:ever0152@umn.edu.
“Education or Employment? -- Ethics, Legalities, and the Residency” will take place March 31, 12:15-1:15 p.m., in Moos 2-530. The historical evolution of graduate medical education sheds some light on the ethical issues involved in the education of physicians in residency and the delivery of health care. The guest speaker is the University’s Jennifer Gunn. Lunch will be provided. For more information, contact Amber Jungerberg at mailto:jung0159@umn.edu.
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.
Richard Leider will speak at a luncheon forum and a lecture on April 20 at the McNamara Alumni Center. “Mindful Aging: A Powerful Conversation for Action” takes place from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Leider will present again during the annual Ruth Stricker Mind-Body Lecture, 3 to 4:30 p.m.. In between is a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction demonstration, from 1:15 to 2:30 p.m. Leider is considered a master and pioneer in the field of life coaching. For tickets or more information, please call 626-2395. For corporate sponsorship or to purchase a table, please call 624-1121 or 626-5319. Additional information is also at http://www.csh.umn.edu.
CLINICAL RESEARCH OPPORTUNTIES
For information on other clinical research opportunities, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/campusnews/trials.
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