News Capsules 5/25/05
May 25, 2005
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
The higher education omnibus bill passed both legislative houses May 20 with $105.6 million in new operating funds for the University. Gov. Tim Pawlenty is expected to sign the bill. “We’re grateful to lawmakers and legislative leaders for making higher education their first budget priority,” said President Robert Bruininks. “After devastating cuts in the last couple of years, this budget will help the University make critical new investments in students and promising areas of research.” Read Bruininks’ complete statement at: http://www.ur.umn.edu/unsreleases/find.php?ID=2282&from=umnnews.
AHC NEWS
Celebrate the grand opening of the McGuire Translational Research Facility on June 14 at the new facility, located next to the Lions Research Building (see location map at http://onestop.umn.edu/Maps/LionsRes/LionsRes-map.html). The program begins at noon. Tours of the building and refreshments will be offered between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. The entire AHC community is invited.
University of Minnesota Deborah E. Powell Center for Women’s Health, a nationally designated Center of Excellence, is the new name for the University’s National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health. “The faculty leadership chose to name the center after Dean Powell because she is the first woman in history to be dean of the University of Minnesota Medical School and because her forward thinking, leadership, and support ensured this institution received the Center of Excellence designation,” said Nancy C. Raymond, center director. “Dean Powell has a national reputation and is known for leadership on behalf of women in the health professions. We are delighted and honored that Dean Powell has agreed to this new name.” The Deborah E. Powell Center for Women’s Health is dedicated to advancing the health and wellness of all women in Minnesota. For more information visit http://www.womenshealth.umn.edu or call 612-626-1125.
OTHER NEWS
The Board of Regents on May 13 approved Connie White Delaney as dean of the School of Nursing. Delaney is currently a professor and the director of the Institute of Nursing Knowledge at the University of Iowa, Iowa City. She will join the University in August. “Delaney will deepen the bench of health care leadership at the School of Nursing, as well as at the University and in the state of Minnesota,” said Frank Cerra, senior vice president for health sciences. For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/delaney051705
Minneapolis-based Paddock Laboratories donated $2 million to the College of Pharmacy to renovate teaching and research facilities on the Duluth campus and further the college’s efforts in Greater Minnesota. “Paddock Laboratories’ gift will transform our Duluth program,” said Dean Marilyn K. Speedie. “The generosity accelerates our growth, propelling us years ahead of where we otherwise would be.” For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/paddock052305
The Mummy Doctor is profiled by The New Yorker. "Compared to modern bodies, dissecting mummies is salvage pathology. ... But...the little bit we've done so far shows that we are capable of generating an enormous range of information," the Medical School's Arthur Aufderheide said in the May 16 issue of The New Yorker. Writer Kevin Krajick visited Aufderheide's lab on the Duluth campus for the story.
Colonoscopy is the preferred colon cancer screening method for average-risk women, according to a multi-center study led locally by Andrew Flood, School of Public Health, epidemiology, and a member of the Cancer Center. The study results appeared in the May 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Other institutions involved in this first large-scale colonoscopy study involving women were the University of Michigan, the National Cancer Institute, the National Naval Medical Center, and the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/colon051805
Medical School researchers have demonstrated for the first time how estrogen affects learning and memory. “We believe this is an important first step in understanding not just how estrogen affects learning and memory, but also a variety of non-reproductive behaviors,” said Paul Mermelstein, neuroscience, lead researcher of the study. For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/estrogen051905
Seven Twin Cities police dogs killed in the line of duty over the past 25 years were honored by the College of Veterinary Medicine at a memorial service May 17. The service coincided with National Law Enforcement Week. “This tribute is to celebrate the work of K9 dogs, remember their contributions to law enforcement, and more importantly, remember their devotion,” said Jeffrey Klausner, dean of the college. Since June 2001, the Veterinary Medical Center has had 125,000 K9 dog cases come through its doors for treatment. For more, go to http://www.cvm.umn.edu/newsandevents/K9.html
Sixth grade students at St. Paul Academy and Summit School presented a $2,476.21 check to the School of Dentistry to support the school’s Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic. The funds were generated by a class-sponsored bazaar and the donation was made in honor of a classmate, Andrew Ziegler, who is a patient at the clinic. While Ziegler does not have a cleft, his mouth and throat muscles were weak and left him with speech, chewing, and swallowing challenges that have been addressed at the clinic. Specialist teams at the clinic can include reconstructive and oral surgeons; speech-language pathologists; audiologists; pediatric dentists; orthodontists; prosthodontists; dental hygienists; ear, nose, and throat physicians; pediatricians; nurses; psychologists; and geneticists.
More than 250 Twin Cities women were provided free health screenings and health information on May 12 during National Women’s Health Week. The Powell Center for Women’s Health, the Center for Spirituality and Healing, the Minnesota Department of Health, and several community organizations sponsored the local event, held at Sabathani Community Center in south Minneapolis. National Women’s Health Week is intended to encourage women to take simple steps for a longer, healthier, and happier life.
Gov. Tim Pawlenty has proclaimed May 2005 Critical Care Month. “I am pleased the governor chose to recognize the contributions of Minnesota’s critical care practitioners,” said Henry Mann, College of Pharmacy and director of the Center for Excellence in Critical Care. “Raising awareness of the importance of critical care is part of the center’s goal to advance the practice of critical care in the state so that critically ill patients have access to the best care.” For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/care052305
PEOPLE
The School of Nursing Awards and Public Service Committee granted the following awards for 2005:
1. The E. Louise Grant Nursing Excellence Award to recognize excellence, achievement, and dedication to the advancement of nursing:
--Merrie Kaas for her commitment to the improvement of care for elders, in addressing depression in older women through research, and for her excellence and enthusiasm in teaching and mentoring students in the area of psychiatric mental health nursing.
--Ann Garwick for her leadership in building the School of Nursing's research efforts as the director of the Center for Child and Family Health Promotion and her excellence in teaching and mentoring students in the area of family nursing.
2. The Public Service Award was given to Deborah Ringdahl for her clinical background in women's health and nurse midwifery as well as her work in the community on culturally competent health care, the March of Dimes projects, and state and regional continuing education projects.
3. Graduate Preceptor/Mentor of the Year Awards were given to Michael Petty, University of Minnesota Medical Center, a division of Fairview, and Cindy Bultena from Woodwinds Health Campus, for their work with nursing graduate students.
4. The Helen Wells Nursing Research Award went to doctoral student Misty Wilke to support her dissertation research on organ donation in the American Indian population
Elizabeth A. Arendt, Medical School, orthopaedic surgery, received the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine Founders Award at the organization’s 14th annual meeting. The Founders Award is given to a sports medicine physician who demonstrates outstanding achievement and service to the community. Arendt is the medical director for men’s and women’s varsity athletics at the University and practices at University of Minnesota Medical Center, a division of Fairview, and Regions Hospital.
Cathy Boeck was elected president of the Dermatology Nurses’ Association for 2005-2006. Boeck, assistant director of clinical research in the Medical School’s Department of Dermatology, will lead the organization’s strategic direction; promote the philosophy, purpose, and objectives of the association; and serve as representative and spokesperson.
Sue Kirchoff and Jan Williams, College of Veterinary Medicine, won a Maroon Award for the college’s e-newsletter, CVM This Week, at the University’s annual Communicators Forum conference.
Rebecca Lentz, College of Pharmacy, won a Maroon Award for the college’s annual report, Leadership: Catalyst for Success, at the University’s annual Communicators Forum conference.
Bob Nemeth, executive secretary of the 5M Hearing Foundation, was named one of six recipients of the University’s 2005 Outstanding Community Service Award. This award is given to faculty, staff, or community members who have worked closely with the University to create wide-reaching, lasting improvements in the health and well-being of the public. Nemeth was selected for his 13 years of service with the 5M Hearing Foundation and the Medical School’s Department of Otolaryngology.
Mary Pattock, School of Nursing, won a Maroon Award at University’s annual Communicators Forum conference. The award, in the campaign/series category, was for materials promoting A Summit of Sages conference.
Joseph Prohaska, Medical School, biochemistry and molecular biology, will present the Underwood Award lecture next month at the 12th International Symposium on Trace Elements in Man and Animals to be held at the University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland. Prohaska also has been awarded a five-year competitive renewal grant from the NIH to continue his research on “Nutritional Copper Status and the Nervous System” and was recently honored at the Experimental Biology 2005 meeting for his nine years of service as associate editor of the Journal of Nutrition.
Tim Tracy, College of Pharmacy, received a nearly $1 million NIH grant to study how the body processes drugs--findings that could decrease dangerous drug interactions, reduce the number of drugs pulled from the market, and increase the number of medications on the market. The four-year $982,425 grant is a renewal of a grant Tracy has had since 2000. For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/pharmacy051805
Kendall Wallace, Medical School, biochemistry and molecular biology, will assume the presidency of the Society of Toxicology on June 1. The society is a professional and scholarly organization of more than 6,000 scientists from academic institutions, government, and industry representing the great variety of scientists who practice toxicology in the United States and abroad. The society has a strong commitment to education in toxicology and to the recruitment of students and new members into the profession.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
“The Politics of Disability” conference will take place June 2, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the Radisson Hotel Metrodome. This is the final conference in a series on disability intended to bring together faculty and community representatives who share an interest in disability issues for the purpose of furthering our insights and potentially creating an agenda that will form the basis for ongoing collaboration. The conference is free of charge, but registration is required. To register, please call Marilyn Eells at 4-1185. A conference brochure with registration form is at http://www.hsr.umn.edu/coa/
“Innovations and Best Practices in Chronic Disease Management” will take place Thursday, June 9, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center. The keynote speaker is Lois Quam, CEO, Ovations. For more information or to register, go to http://www.hsr.umn.edu/coa/
The Minnesota e-Health Summit: A Private-Public Call to Action, will be held June 23, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Northland Inn, Brooklyn Park. The event is intended to accelerate the use of health information technology to improve health care quality, increase patient safety, reduce health care costs, and enable individuals and communities to make the best possible health decisions. Senior Vice President Frank Cerra is a member of the Minnesota e-Health Initiative Steering Committee that was instrumental in organizing this summit. The committee was convened by Minnesota Health Commissioner Diane Mandernach. For more information, contact Cheré Wood at 952-853-8558 or cwood@mnqio.sdps.org or visit http://www.health.state.mn.us/e-health/summit.html or http://www.stratishealth.org/education.
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CLINICAL RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
For information on other clinical research opportunities, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/campusnews/trials.
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