News Capsules 08/31/05
AHC NEWS
Jennifer Cieslak will help coordinate and support the AHC's work in the University-wide strategic positioning initiative. Cieslak, who was appointed by Senior Vice President Frank Cerra, joins the AHC from the College of Liberal Arts where she was associate to Dean Steven Rosenstone. More details about the University’s strategic positioning initiative will be announced by President Robert Bruininks in early September.
OTHER NEWS
New methods to more quickly detect the bacteria that causes Johne’s disease have been developed by genomics researchers in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Medical School. Johne’s is a chronic wasting disease found in cattle and other animals that costs the United States dairy industry about $200 million a year. “Since the results of this new test are available much sooner, infected animals can be identified and isolated more quickly, thereby providing an opportunity to minimize economic losses to the herd,” said Vivek Kapur, principal investigator and director of the U’s Biomedical Genomics Center. The research was published in the Aug. 30 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Kapur’s team worked with the USDA in developing the new tests. For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/johnes082905
The Medical School has unveiled a new education model that gives students options on how quickly they earn their degree. Minnesota is the first public medical school to offer the program, which gives students entering in 2005 the option of finishing medical school in as few as three and a half and as many as six years. In addition, students will only be charged 11 semesters of tuition, even if they elect to take more time to complete their degrees. For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/medsch082205
A health Web site just for women, healthymnwomen.org, has been developed by the Deborah E. Powell Center for Women’s Health and the Minnesota Department of Health. The site is designed to encourage healthy living for Minnesota women and provides helpful, factual information on a variety of topics, including cancer, mental health, diabetes, and reproductive health. The site is located at http://www.healthymnwomen.org.
Kathleen Brooks officially became the Medical School’s assistant dean of continuing medical education on July 25. Brooks obtained her undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota and continued at the University as a medical student and resident. She received her M.B.A. at the University of St. Thomas and spent a year at Harvard University on a Bush fellowship, where she earned a master’s degree in public administration. “It’s a great opportunity to work within CME, look at adult learning styles, and formulate good programs for physicians,” she says. “We want to meet people’s needs.” Brooks teams with Director Ginny Jacobs, who leads operations for CME.
The new Center for Health Trajectory Research, funded by $1.5 million over five years from the National Institute for Nursing Research, will build the capacity of the School of Nursing to conduct research related to health interventions for individuals and families. Led by Jean Wyman, director, the center also will fund pilot studies by faculty, building toward larger NIH-funded intervention studies designed to improve the health of individuals across their life span.
The College of Veterinary Medicine's veterinary public health residency program has received formal approval from the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine (ACVPM)--the first university to receive such approval. Students who complete the program will now qualify as diplomates of the ACVPM. Four residents are currently pursuing a master’s degree through the program and more than 100 veterinary students are enrolled in master’s degree and Ph.D. programs emphasizing public health.
PEOPLE
Stanley Finkelstein, Medical School, laboratory medicine and pathology, has received a $1.97 million grant from NIH for his project, “Informatics-Based Nurse Triage in Lung Transplant Care.” This four-year study seeks to improve the early detection of infection and rejection episodes in lung transplant recipients using home monitoring of lung function and respiratory symptoms.
Alan Lifson, School of Public Health, epidemiology, received a five-year, $1.04 million renewal grant from the Health Research and Services Administration. The grant is for the Minnesota site of the Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center, which provides training and state-of-the-art information to health professionals in order to enhance their ability to effectively prevent and treat HIV infection.
Russell V. Luepker, School of Public Health, epidemiology, was a visiting professor recently at the University of Western Australia in Perth. He was also an invited speaker at the annual meeting of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. Luepker discussed cardiovascular disease surveillance and community strategies to prevent cardiovascular disease.
Robert H. Margolis, Medical School, otolaryngology, was awarded a $100,000 Small Business Technology Transfer grant from the National Institutes of Health for the development and evaluation of an earphone designed for hearing testing.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Register now for the fall 2005 series of Mini Medical School, which will focus on the building blocks of medicine. Class topics include basic anatomy, biochemistry, histology, physiology, microbiology, and pharmacology. Classes are Monday evenings, 6 to 8:30 p.m., Oct. 10 through Nov. 7. Registration for the five classes is $60. To learn more and/or to register, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/outreach/minimed/fall2005
The Cancer Center invites cancer survivors and their families to a free program on living after cancer on Sept. 17, 9-11 a.m., in the Ski-U-Mah Room at the McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak St., S.E., Minneapolis. Julie Ross, Ph.D., who leads the Cancer Center’s Prevention and Etiology Program, and Daniel Mulrooney, M.D., who sees cancer patients in the Long Term Follow-Up Clinic, will be the speakers. The program is part of the Cancer Center’s Ask The Expert series. For more, go to http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/news/release081905.html.
Hal Strelnick will present “The Success of Community Health Centers on Reducing and Eliminating Ethnic and Racial Health Care Disparities” on Sept. 7, 12:15 to 1:30 p.m., in Coffman Memorial Union Theater. Strelnick is director of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Institute for Community and Collaborative Health. A light lunch will be provided to those who register by Sept. 5 for this free event. To register, contact Barb Heyer, 612-624-3120, or mailto:heyer003@umn.edu.
Are your clinical trials compliant? The AHC offers an introductory course based on the International Conference on Harmonization’s Good Clinical Practice guidelines. This training course is offered to clinical research investigators, coordinators, administrative employees, or any employee who wants to learn more about the guidelines and processes for conducting clinical trials. Evaluations of these training sessions have been uniformly and enthusiastically positive. Complete program information can be viewed at http://www.ahc.umn.edu/research/rso/information/training/clinicaltraining. This program is offered free to all University and University of Minnesota Physicians employees. A fee of $150 will be charged for others. The registration deadline is Oct. 14. To register send an e-mail (including your name, contact information, affiliation, and the module number(s) you plan to attend) to mailto:rso@umn.edu.
Soliciting organs from a living or deceased donor is not illegal, but is it ethical? Who deserves a transplant if donations are so scarce? How risky is extended donor criteria? These questions and more will be discussed by Jeffrey P. Kahn, director of the University’s Center for Bioethics, and other participants at the Eye on the Future conference, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, in New York City. For more information, go to http://www.eyedonation.org or call 866-287-3937.
Want to learn more about myU, the online learning and teaching tool? Attend one of the upcoming myU portal training sessions at the AHC Learning Commons, 535 Diehl Hall:
Orientation to the Portal
Sept. 19, 1 to 2 p.m.
Oct. 13, 10 to 11 a.m.
Student Portal Workshop
Sept.27, 1:30 to 3 p.m.
Staff and Faculty Portal Workshop
Oct. 19, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
CLINICAL RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
For information on other clinical research opportunities, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/campusnews/trials.
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