AHC News Capsules 09/12/07

September 12, 2007

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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Welcome to the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year. All six of our schools and nearly 6,000 students are actively engaged in educating or becoming the next generation of health professionals for Minnesota. I remain awed by the level of commitment and dedication evident in each classroom, laboratory, clinic, and corridor as activity has increased this fall.

As we begin the year, we all need to take some extra care of ourselves and our colleagues. We’ve experienced some remarkable stresses recently that are probably taking a toll on each of us. Just a little over a month ago, our confidence was shattered with the collapse of the 35W bridge. We’re experiencing an AFSCME strike that is changing work patterns for some. And this past Friday, we evacuated Weaver-Densford Hall due to a bomb threat. As humans, we’re not really well equipped to manage that level of stress for long without some impact on our relationships.

Here in the Academic Health Center, our strength is based on relationships among our colleagues, our schools, our centers and institutes, and our external partnerships. These relationships are critical for our success – and that means it’s critical we use our health-care knowledge to support each other in the work we do.

I remain available to support your work as we move into this school year, and I look forward to another period of achievement and recognition such as those items mentioned in the News Capsules that follow.

– Frank B. Cerra, M.D.
Sr. Vice President for Health Sciences

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HEADLINES —

Therapy holds great promise for a future treatment for diabetes and other autoimmune diseases
University Cancer Center researchers have initiated a ground breaking clinical trial to determine the optimal dose and safety of T regulatory cells (T-regs) to decrease the risk of immune reactions common in patients undergoing blood and marrow transplantation.
Ultimately, the researchers hope the experimental cellular therapy will improve overall survival rates for blood cancer patients as well as offer a potential new paradigm for treating autoimmune diseases.

• Read the news release at:
  http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/leukemia090507/home.html.
• Read the Pioneer Press story at:
  http://www.twincities.com//ci_6822395.

University research finds dietary habits of young adults are positively influenced by family meals during high school
Participation in family meals during the high school years has lasting positive effects on the diets of young adults, according to researchers at the University. Research published in the September 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that the frequency of family meals during adolescence predicted higher intakes of fruit, vegetables, and key nutrients, as well as lower intakes of soft drinks during young adulthood.

• Read the news release at:
  http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/diet083007/home.html.
• Read the Star Tribune story at:
  http://www.startribune.com/1244/story/1416861.html.

Study finds health food supplement may curb addiction of pathological gamblers
University researchers have discovered that a common amino acid, available as a health food supplement, may help curb pathological gamblers’ addiction. In a recent eight-week trial, 27 people were given increasing doses of the amino acid, N-acetyl cysteine, which has an impact on the chemical glutamate – often associated with reward in the brain. At the end of the trial, 60 percent of the participants reported fewer urges to gamble. The research will be published in the Sept.15 issue of Biological Psychiatry. For more information, go to: http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/supplement091107/home.html.

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Michael T. Osterholm, Ph.D., M.P.H., (School of Public Health) will receive the 2007 State Excellence in Public Health Award from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials at its annual meeting in October.

Lynn Blewett, Ph.D., (School of Public Health) has been appointed by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt to the Board of Scientific Counselors for the National Center for Health Statistics.

Russell Luepker, M.D., M.S., (School of Public Health) has been named the American Heart Association 2007 Seasoned Advocate of the Year. In the past year, Luepker played a leadership role to advance the state and federal legislative agenda in heart health.

Joanne Disch, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., and Karlene Kerfoot, Ph.D., R.N., C.N.A.A., F.A.A.N., (School of Nursing) will be honored with the 2007 American Academy of Nursing Presidential Award in recognition of their creation of the successful and innovative “Raise the Voice” campaign. For more information, go to: http://www.aannet.org/raisethevoice.

Joseph Gaugler, Ph.D., (School of Nursing) was named a fellow in the Behavioral and Social Sciences Section of the Gerontological Society of America.

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UPDATES —

Enterprise Financial System (EFS)

• Project enters build phase
  Developers are building several hundred custom features for EFS, which will replace and integrate virtually all the University’s financial systems. The testing phase is slated to begin in November 2007; and go-live is set for July 2008.
• Chart of Accounts (COA) course registration underway
  Don’t delay signing up for the new COA course, a prerequisite, along with Basic Accounting, to all other financial system training. The full-day classroom course will be offered from October 2007 through March 2008, with limited availability from April to June 2008. To view COA course times and to register, go to: http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/trainingservices/financial/efs/index.html.
• Time out for trivia
  How much do you know about the new financial system? Test your knowledge at http://www.finsys.umn.edu/FactorRumor.html.

Update on Cancer Center leadership
Leadership roles have changed as the Cancer Center enhances its translational cancer research. “Discoveries made by studying populations and in the laboratory are turning into new strategies to prevent and treat the disease,” said Cancer Center Director Doug Yee, M.D. “It is now the responsibility of the Cancer Center to implement these new approaches and this requires appropriate leadership that spans all the expertise of our Academic Health Center.” For more information go to: http://www.cancer.umn.edu/news/ccupdate/2007/ccupdate20070904.html#message.

Disaster in Franklin County: A Public Health Simulation
The University’s Center for Public Health Preparedness at the School of Public Health’s Centers for Public Health Education and Outreach has released Disaster in Franklin County: A Public Health Simulation. In this free online training tool, the learner will assume the perspective of various public health professionals responding to a natural disaster. They will make decisions on behalf of a county public health director, a public health nurse, an environmental health specialist, and other public health professionals.
For more information go to: http://cpheo.sph.umn.edu/umncphp/franklincounty.html.

Study all night
The Bio-Medical Library offers extended 24/7 study hours. This is a pilot program in collaboration with the AHC deans through the end of fall semester. For more information, go to: http://www.biomed.lib.umn.edu/node/1401.

OPPORTUNITIES —

Powell Center hosts BIRCWH grant informational sessions
The Deborah E. Powell Center For Women’s Health, in anticipation of receiving a Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) grant, will be hosting informational sessions. BIRCWH is an internal K-12 grant mechanism that pairs senior faculty mentors with junior faculty members in order to foster career development and establish independent research. The sessions are 3-4 p.m., Sept. 17, McNamara Alumni Center Memorial Hall, and noon-1 p.m., at Mayo B-620. For more information go to: http://www.wmhealth.umn.edu/wmhlth/bircwh.html.

"Creating Successful Mentoring Relationships"
The AHC Fall Faculty Forum is 8:30 a.m.-3:15 p.m., Nov. 2, at McNamara Alumni Center. The day will include a nationally known expert on peer mentoring, Linda Pololi, and a panel of experts from across the AHC with experience in developing successful mentoring programs.

Institute of Technology to host Roderick MacKinnon
MacKinnon, winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry will speak on “Electricity in Biology”, 4 p.m., Oct. 1, at McNamara Alumni Center. The event is part of the Honeywell-Nobel Initiative. The University of Minnesota is one of only 11 universities worldwide chosen by Honeywell to host this event. For more information go to: http://www.honeywellscience.com/home/default.sps.

“Collaborating Across Borders: An American-Canadian Dialogue on Interprofessional Education”
Join American and Canadian health professionals, educators, students, and policy makers for this three-day conference, Oct. 24-26, on the Twin Cities campus to learn about issues and trends in interprofessional education, practice, and policy. Goals for the conference include showcasing best practices, outcomes, and lessons learned in linking interprofessional education to collaborative patient-centered practices. For more information and to register, go to http://www.ipe.umn.edu. To volunteer, e-mail ahceduc@umn.edu.

Campus-wide blood drive
The AHC is holding a blood drive 7 a.m.-5 p.m., Sept. 25, at McNamara Alumni Center. Please schedule your appointment in advance at http://www.givebloodgivelife.org and search by zip code 55455. For other information contact Jenny Meslow at meslo001@umn.edu.

LECTURES —

“Brain Immune Interactions: The Science of the Mind-Body Connections. Implications for CAM Therapies.”
Esther Sternberg, M.D., director, Integrative Neural Immune Program, National Institute of Mental Health/National Institutes of Health will present noon-1:30 p.m., Sept. 17, at Mayo Memorial Auditorium. This talk will address how the science of the mind-body connection explains phenomena such as how stress can make one sick, how belief can help healing, how the social world affects health, and how the immune system can change moods. For more information go to: http://www.mncam.org/seminars.html.

“Changing the Mindset to Reduce Mental Health and Substance Abuse Service Disparities”
The next Distinguished Visiting Scholar Series in Health Disparities lecture will feature Margarita Alegria, Ph.D., director, Center for Multicultural Mental Health Research; professor, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and the Cambridge Health Alliance. The event will be held on noon-1 p.m., Sept. 21, in Moos Tower 1-450G. For more information, go to: http://www.med.umn.edu/ccr/hdresearch.

“The Elephants in the Room: Social Justice, Public Health, and Health Inequities”
Nancy Krieger, Harvard School of Public Health, will present 9:30-10:30 a.m., Sept. 28, at Coffman Union Theater. This event is part of the Carl J. Martinson, M.D., Lectureship in Preventive Medicine, presented by the School of Public Health’s Division of Epidemiology and Community Health. For more information go to: http://www.epi.umn.edu/news/semdetails.asp?eventID=163.

Improve your grant-writing skills
New AHC investigators and fellows currently involved in clinical and transitional research can now register for the seminar “Getting Started as a Successful Grant Writer and Academician,” 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Sept. 27, at the St. Paul Student Center. Registration is limited to the first 100 people, and the seminar fills very quickly. For more information go to: http://www.ahc.umn.edu/ocr/events/gettingstarted/home.html.

“Molecular Targets in Neuroblastoma: Clues to the Cure”
The second annual Children’s Cancer Research Fund - Norma K.C. Ramsay, M.D. Distinguished Visiting Professor Lectureship will be held 12-1 p.m., Oct. 12, in Children’s Cancer Research Building, room 450. The event will feature Katherine K. Matthay, M.D., professor of pediatrics, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine.

“From Bioprobes to Biomaterials”
This year’s free Chemical Biology Workshop will be held 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Oct. 18, at Memorial Union Great Hall. A poster session will take place after the workshop. Abstracts will be accepted through Oct. 12. For more information go to: http://www.pharmacy.umn.edu/cbi/workshop/home.html.

Breakthrough Series: Diabetes
The second event in the new educational partnership between the AHC Office of Clinical Research and LifeScience Alley will be held 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Oct. 29, at the Continuing Education and Conference Center on the St. Paul campus. Leading diabetes researchers and speakers from the University and industry will present on novel approaches to diabetes treatment and prevention. For more information and registration go to:  http://www.ahc.umn.edu/ocr/events/breakthroughseries.

TIME CAPSULE —

Holistic treatment has long history in AHC
Complementary therapies and holistic treatment plans are becoming part of the common vernacular for today's health care professionals and consumers. The University of Minnesota has a long history providing alternative approaches to both the treatment of disease and the methods used to educate medical professionals. Learn more about the University's first implementation of alternative medical education at: http://blog.lib.umn.edu/moore144/ahcarchives/2007/09/homeopathy.html.

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.