AHC News Capsules 05/03/07
May 3, 2007
NEWS CAPSULES
is a biweekly newsletter for faculty, staff, and students of the Academic Health Center. Please send submissions to Jacob Portnoy, port0179@umn.edu.
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It's that time of year when we celebrate endings that are also beginnings and when I find myself incredibly grateful for the support of colleagues and friends. First the endings - May is filled with graduation ceremonies where many feel a strong sense of relief and accomplishment as they leave our University. For us, in the health sciences, graduation is also the beginning of a meaningful health career where the work of more than 900 graduates is focused on improving the health of our society. Each of those students and their future accomplishments is due to the remarkable dedication of our faculty and staff who are committed to transferring knowledge to the next generation. It is that dedication that continues to inspire me and provides hope for the future.
We retain our own hope for the future of the Minnesota Biomedical Sciences Research Facilities Authority as conference committees meet in St. Paul. Yesterday, I was gratified to see the support of the Star Tribune editorial staff that strongly made the case for a new model for biomedical buildings. (Read the editorial.) This project has garnered the endorsements of the Minnesota Medical Association, the Minnesota Business Partnership, LifeScience Alley, Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance, Biobusiness Alliance of Minnesota, Minnesota AFL-CIO and the Children's Cancer Research Fund. It's important to have friends who value the work we do and I remain grateful for their support.
– Frank B. Cerra, M.D.
Sr. Vice President for Health Sciences
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
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The legislature is engaged in a debate of how much revenue will actually be available to fund identified priorities. While the debate regarding taxes and priorities goes on, decisions concerning funding for higher ed, for facilities, and other key state needs are on hold. Stay tuned for requests to call legislative members or the governor to action in the next few weeks.
HEADLINES
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The Center for Bioethics and Human Rights Center have created a comprehensive archive of 60,000 pages of government documents describing medical operations in U.S. prisoner of war facilities in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay (Cuba). The archive will allow scholars, journalists, policymakers and interested citizens to study and understand the medical operations in these prisons. This project was organized by physician-ethicist Steven Miles (Medical School). The archive can be accessed from the home page of the Human Rights Library (www.umn.edu/humanrts) or directly at www1.umn.edu/humanrts/OathBetrayed/index.html
Magnet status! University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview and University of Minnesota Children's Hospital, Fairview join an elite group of only 4 percent of health-care organizations nationwide to be selected as Magnet facilities by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The Magnet Recognition Program "provides consumers with the ultimate benchmark to measure the quality of nursing care that they can expect to receive," says the ANCC. Collegial interdisciplinary relationships are key to receiving Magnet status.
The University's Center for Bioethics has joined with Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Center for Health Care Ethics to develop an ethical framework for allocating essential health care resources during a severe influenza pandemic. To accomplish the goal, the coalition will recruit a broad-based panel of experts and stakeholders to outline the framework and develop recommendations for its implementation. The proposed framework will balance the competing priorities of caring for the sick, preventing spread of the illness, and maintaining critical social systems and economic activities. Jeff Kahn (Center for Bioethics) said, "These are not easy issues, and we appreciate the investment of the Department of Health in efforts to address some of the critical and pressing ethical questions that will arise in the event of a pandemic flu outbreak. We look forward to working with a diverse group of experts and stakeholders on these issues."
The transformation of the U requires a financial system for the 21st Century. That's the core idea behind the Enterprise Financial System (EFS) project, leading to the implementation of a new financial software system in July 2008. Each AHC school and college has a team in place to develop financial, human resource, and communications strategies to facilitate this change and to work with the EFS project leaders. For more information, see the EFS Web site or contact the following: College of Pharmacy, Suzanne Bardouche (bardouch@umn.edu); College of Veterinary Medicine, Paula Buchner (buchn009@umn.edu); Medical School, Allison Campbell Jensen (aac@umn.edu); School of Nursing, Debra Vogt (dvogt@umn.edu); School of Public Health, Joe Weisenburger (j-weis@umn.edu); School of Dentistry, Claudia Kanter (kante008@umn.edu); and Academic Health Center, Elizabeth Nunnally (nunna002@umn.edu).
Eli Coleman (Medical School) received the Gold Medal Award 2007 at the XVIII World Congress of the World Association for Sexual Health last month in Sydney, Australia. Coleman is the director of the University's Program in Human Sexuality.
Russell Luepker (School of Public Health) was appointed a standing member of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute T32 Study Section. This group reviews pre-doctoral and post-doctoral training grants supported by the Institute. Luepker was also appointed to the Defense Health Board to advise the Secretary of Defense on health matters in the military.
Pamela Schreiner (School of Public Health) has been appointed a standing member of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Cardiovascular Disease and Sleep Epidemiology study section.
Michael T. Osterholm (School of Public Health), Frank Busta (Director of the National Center for Food Protection and Defense) and Shaun Kennedy (College of Veterinary Medicine) have been selected to receive an FDA Commissioners Special Citation award for 2007. All three are being honored for their work in promoting and defending the safety of the food supply. The awards will be presented Friday, May 11, in Washington, D.C.
The Regents approved a new policy on sponsored projects. It details the circumstances under which faculty, staff, and students are eligible to submit proposals for sponsored projects and the conditions under which the University will accept them. The new policy, "Submitting and Accepting Sponsored Projects," can be found at http://www1.umn.edu/regents/policies/administrative/Submit-Accept_Projects.pdf.
The AHC's Office of Education announces the second annual Best Practices Institute: Excellence in Health Professions Education to be held May 17-18 on the U's Minneapolis campus. The institute will provide faculty opportunities for skill-building in small group workshops, plenary sessions, lunch-hour panel discussions with deans from the six AHC schools and colleges, a student panel, and a show-and-tell poster and technology session. Visit www.BPinstitute.umn.edu to view a detailed schedule and to register.
Melanoma Monday is May 7. This free annual skin cancer screening will be 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. in the Dermatologic Surgery and Laser Center on the 4th floor of Phillips-Wangensteen. Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer. No appointment is needed. Please call 612-624-9964 with questions.
Bio-Medical Library will pilot extended hours. Beginning May 5, a special section of Diehl Hall will be accessible all night with a UCard. Services during extended hours will be curtailed and access will be monitored by a UM security monitor. The pilot will run through fall finals. Please direct questions to Linda Watson at lwatson@umn.edu or call 626-7039.
Emmy Award-winning actor Charles Keating will lead a discussion on aging at the Harvard Street Forum with his talk, "I and I: Reflections on Aging." Keating says the poems, opinions, essays and insights touched on in his talk offer a different point of view on aging. Cellist Joshua Koestenbaum of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra will also perform. The forum will be Friday, May 11, noon-1p.m. at the Grace University Lutheran Church, 324 Harvard St., S.E.
AHC student organization CLARION wins the Tony Diggs Innovation Award. CLARION creates and conducts co-curricular, interprofessional experiences for AHC students based on the Institute of Medicine 's report "Six Aims for a New Healthcare System." The CLARION student program was recognized among University Campus Life Programs and Registered Student Organizations. The award is named for Tony Diggs, former Director of the Student Activities Office.
First of new series to focus on neuroscience: The new AHC Office of Clinical Research - LifeScience Alley Breakthrough Series begins June 4-5 in the Continuing Education and Conference Center on the St. Paul campus. The conference will bring together 20 leading academic and industry experts in the treatment of psychiatric and movement disorders. The interactive program design will provide extensive networking and discussion opportunities. To view a detailed schedule and register, go to www.ahc.umn.edu/ocr/events/breakthroughseries/home.html.
The Healthy Kids in Healthy Places Community Action Forum will focus on advancing a healthy weight in children. The forum is Wednesday, May 9, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., in the Continuing Education and Conference Center, on the St. Paul Campus. For information, contact the Centers for Public Health Education and Outreach at cpheo@umn.edu or call 612-626-4515. To register, go to http://ustar.ahc.umn.edu/register_event.cfm.
The third annual Minnesota Cup contest seeks aspiring entrepreneurs with breakthrough business ideas. Winners will receive cash prizes, professional services and the opportunity to connect with Minnesota 's top executives, investors and educators. Organizers of this contest, sponsored in part by the University, are asking Minnesotans to submit their breakthrough business ideas through May 25 online at www.breakthroughideas.org.
The first John S. Najarian Lecture in Transplantation: Nobel laureate Joseph E. Murray, M.D., Professor of Surgery Emeritus at Harvard Medical School and Chief of Plastic Surgery Emeritus, Brigham & Women's Hospital and Children's Hospital, Boston, will speak on "Skill, Science & Soul of Surgery." The lecture will be Tuesday, May 15, at 8 a.m., in the Mayo Memorial Auditorium, with a reception to follow in the auditorium foyer. For more information, call 612-625-8444.
A public lecture on "Risk Communication and the Food System: Gauging the Hazard, Managing the Outrage" will be held on Tuesday, May 8, from 3:30 to 5 p.m., at the Pomeroy Student-Alumni Learning Center on the St. Paul campus. Risk communications expert Peter Sandman is the keynote speaker. The event is free and open to the public. For more information contact Lisa Brienzo at 4-2614 or brien002@umn.edu.
Distinguished Visiting Scholars Series in Health Disparities: Mona Fouad will speak on "Recruitment and Retention of Ethnic Minorities into Clinical Trials," Wednesday, May 9, noon-1 p.m., in Moos Tower 2-530. Fouad is professor of medicine in the Division of Preventive Medicine and director of Minority Health and Research Center at the University of Alabama.
Clinical Research Conference: Rebecca Rossom (Medical School) will present "Homocysteine in Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment," on Monday, May 7, from 8 to 9 a.m. in the 1-450G Moos Tower.
The 2007 Summer Public Health Institute will be held May 21-June 8 on the Twin Cities University campus. The institute provides professionals with a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in a chosen field of study - for a single day or for three weeks. Participants can design an education experience that best advances their own certificate or degree program or for continuing education. Visit www.cpheo.sph.umn.edu/institute for the complete three-week institute schedule, or to request a print catalog please call 626-4515 or e-mail cpheo@umn.edu.
Call for abstracts! The 4th Annual Women's Health Research Conference, sponsored by the University's Deborah E. Powell Center for Women's Health, will be Sept. 17 at the McNamara Alumni Center . The center has issued a call for abstracts on topics regarding women's health or gender-specific research across the lifespan. Visit www.wmhealth.umn.edu/wmhlth/profed/upcoming2/research07.html or call 612-626-1125 for more information.
"The Two Faces of Pandemic Risk Communication: Alerting People Now and Helping Them Cope When It Happens" will feature risk communication consultant Peter Sandman May 8, 7-9 p.m., Mississippi Room, Coffman Union. Free, but register at http://cpheo.sph.umn.edu/cpheo/events/sandman/home.html.
Take a stand against bland! If you need to publicize a conference, lecture or program, call the AHC Creative Agency to spice up your publicity materials. To learn about the new line-up of services, call 612-625-4523.
Save the date and register early for a transatlantic dialogue on healthcare. The Center for German & European Studies will sponsor, "Healthcare and Innovation: A Transatlantic Experts' Roundtable" on July 16-17 at the Radisson. Register early by May 15 by going to www.cges.umn.edu.
AHC News Capsules is a biweekly newsletter for faculty, staff, and students of the Academic Health Center. Please send submissions to Jacob Portnoy at port0179@umn.edu.
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