News Capsules 06/14/06

NEWS

As part of the University’s strategic repositioning initiative, Senior Vice President for Health Sciences Frank Cerra presented to the Board of Regents June 8 on AHC’s planning and vision for the future. In detailing the AHC’s role and how it will support the University, he covered AHC successes in education, research and clinical science, and the distinct challenges ahead. Dr. Cerra provided a vision for what the AHC could be in 2011 and what it would take to achieve it. He asked for the Board of Regents’ support to make the vision reality. To view the presentation in its entirety, access it at http://www.ahc.umn.edu/img/assets/7617/RegentsPresentation_FBC060806.pdf

The Medical School has named Selwyn M. Vickers to head the Department of Surgery. Vickers, an accomplished surgeon and researcher, comes to the University from the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he was professor of surgery and chief of gastrointestinal surgery. “Dr. Vickers is an outstanding addition to a group of surgical leaders who have made the Department of Surgery at the University of Minnesota great,” said Deborah Powell, dean of the Medical School.

David W. Polly, Jr., Medical School, testified before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations May 24, asking members to continue their support for the Orthopaedic Trauma Research Program. OTRP identifies and funds musculoskeletal trauma research projects. OTRP-funded projects will help orthopaedic surgeons treat open, complex wounds with severe bone fragmentation and reduce potential mortality. This is especially important for surgeons treating injured soldiers. The program provided $7.5 million in research grants last fiscal year and the 76 funding requests for next fiscal year already total more than $20 million. These defense appropriations are not expected to be finalized until fall.

University researchers have shown genetics plays a strong role in determining a person’s risk for developing certain types of kidney stones. The genetic link is high for calcium oxalate stones and weak for stones formed due to uric acid crystallization. Manoj Monga, professor of urologic surgery and lead investigator of the study, said, “This suggests that patients who are diagnosed with kidney stones caused by uric acid crystallization will benefit most from making changes to their diets.”  The study appears in the June 2006 issue of the Journal of Urology.

PEOPLE

Margaret Moss, assistant professor in the School of Nursing, was featured on the front page of the Minnesota Daily.  Moss is the first American Indian in history to receive doctoral degrees in both nursing and law. You may read the interview at http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2006/06/07/68470

Lauren Gilchrist, Outreach Coordinator for the Deborah E. Powell Center for Women’s Health has been awarded the Minnesota Public Health Association Student Achievement Award

Tim Tracy, College of Pharmacy, will serve as a member of the Xenobiotic and Nutrient Disposition and Action Study Section, Center for Scientific Review at the National Institutes of Health. His term begins in July and ends in 2010.

Jeffrey Kahn, Center for Bioethics, has been named to serve on the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee for the National Institutes of Health.

Doris Taylor, Medical School, accepted an invitation to serve on the Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee of the Food and Drug Administration.  Her term on the committee begins immediately and runs through 2010.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Citizens League will hold a Mind Opener breakfast program “More Choices, More Care, More Cost? Developing a Consumer Voice to Reform the Health Care Market,” June 20 at 7:30 a.m. (registration begins at 7 a.m.). The program will be at The Forum at Minnesota Public Radio, 480 Cedar Street, Saint Paul.  To register, call 651-293-0575 (ext. 16) or go to www.citizensleague.net

To learn more about applying for awards from the Career Advancement Program for Clinical Research Scholars (CAPS)—formerly the K12 program—attend an informational session June 27, 1–2 p.m., in Mayo A301. The program, which relies heavily on faculty initiating nominations, supports training and career development in clinical research. Selection criteria and application forms are available online at www.epi.umn.edu/CAPS

The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for Transposon Research will host the 4th Annual International Conference on Transposition and Animal Biotechnology, June 22–23 at the McNamara Alumni Center. This forum is for information exchange and the development of transposon tools for genetic applications from functional genomics to molecular medicine.  The registration deadline is Friday, June 16.  Registration information and conference details are available at http://beckmancenter.ahc.umn.edu.

The School of Nursing is teaming up with Allina Hospitals & Clinics to present a one-day (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) conference, “Health Informatics: Changing the World of Health Care,” Tuesday, August 22, at the McNamara Alumni Center. The conference is for those in health care impacted by the electronic medical record. Register by August 1 to receive a discount. For more information go to www.cme.umn.edu 

The AHC Clinical Research Conference will host Anne Marie Weber-Main, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, speaking on “Group Peer Review of a Research Article in Preparation.”  The conference is Friday, June 16 from 8–9 a.m. in BSBE 2-101 (Nils Hasselmo Hall).

Tellington 'TTouch' for Humans, June 20–23—This four-day course introduces participants to Tellington TTouch, an emerging natural healing treatment for animals and humans. The course is open to anyone interested in complementary and alternative therapies.  For registration information about this or other programs offered by the Center for Spirituality & Healing, call 612-626-2395 or visit http://www.csh.umn.edu

The Annual Women's Health Research Conference is Monday, Sept. 11, 9 a.m.– 3 p.m., at the McNamara Alumni Center. Dr. Susan Wood, former Assistant Commissioner for Women's Health and Director of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Women's Health, will give the keynote address "Women's Health, Emergency Contraception and the FDA." Online abstract and poster submission information and regulations are available at http://www.womenshealth.umn.edu

The second of two seminars sponsored by Minnesota Emergency Readiness Education Training (MERET), takes place Wednesday, June 28.  The program, “Ethical Resource Allocation During a Pandemic” runs noon to 1 p.m., in Moos Tower, 1450G.  A free webcast will be available online simultaneously and stored for later viewing.  For more information about MERET registration and logistics, contact Tonya Fitzgerald at 612-625-4409 or go to meret@umn.edu

The Minnesota Medical Foundation recently won two Silver Medal Awards in the CASE Circle of Excellence competition.  (CASE stands for Council for Advancement and Support of Education.)  One silver medal was given for the annual report Reaching New Heights and the second for the Foundation’s Web site.

The phone line (1-888-KIDS-UMN) of the University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital, Fairview is now available to patients and family members around the clock to help them.

The School of Nursing announces a statistics workshop July 17–20 titled “Current Topics in Statistics for Applied Researchers.”  For more information, visit: http://www.ohsu.edu/son/ce/stat_core.shtml

The Bio-Medical Library's summer workshop schedule is now available at the library or at http://www.biomed.lib.umn.edu/workshops/bymonth.  A range of classes is available, including Google Scholar, RefWorks, PowerPoint Basics, PubMed, Finding Electronic Full-Text: Tips and Tricks, and more.  If you're unable to attend a class, schedule a consultation with a librarian by contacting medref@umn.edu.