AHC News Capsules 10/04/06
October 4, 2006
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In the midst of our drive to pursue the future, I find it important that we honor the past to remember the discoveries that bring recognition to this University. Last week was just such a mix of past and future with the dedication of the Scholars Walk and its Wall of Discovery, along with the unveiling of the Driven to Discover campaign. If you haven’t seen it, the Wall of Discovery, behind the engineering building, is a complex piece of art intended to capture the early moments of innovation that have led to remarkable breakthroughs in science and the arts.
The future vision for this University has been effectively captured through the Driven to Discover campaign now rolling out across campus and in the press. I find the concept behind the campaign to capture this institution compelling since it captures much more than our research enterprise – it’s also at the core of the drive behind every student who steps foot on this campus with the curiosity to discover their future through the education they acquire here. Let me know what you think of the Driven to Discover campaign (cerra001@umn.edu).
– Frank B. Cerra
Senior leaders of Fairview, Children’s, and Allina announced last week that after four months of negotiation aimed at merging the University’s Children’s Hospital with Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota that the effort to build one pediatric hospital proved “just not possible.” It appears that now the University and its partner Fairview will move forward with the previously planned replacement children’s hospital on the Riverside campus.
After only one hour of debate on Sept. 26, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the NIH Reauthorization Bill (HR6164), preserving investigator-initiated competitive research and overruling instituting disease-specific funding set-asides. During the short debate, U.S. Representative Michael Burgess (R-Texas) quoted from a letter drafted by Leo T. Furcht (Medical School) on behalf of FASEB (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology). The letter, which emphasized the importance of protecting the NIH from having to allocate funds for disease-specific research, noted “earmarking by disease is not necessarily the way to produce breakthroughs in a particular area, since research in one area often produces unpredictable results that find specific use in another. There are numerous examples of the ‘serendipity of science’ and there will be more in the future.”
In a first-of-its-kind, large scale screening for disease traits, University researchers used the new genetic tool called the Sleeping Beauty system to randomly mutate genes in mice and then pinpoint a possible genetic cause of hyperactivity. This study was published in the September 2006 issue of the journal PLoS Genetics. “It is our hope that similar research could lead to advances in understanding human behavior and the development of medications that target the genetic causes of many diseases,” says David Largaespada (Cancer Center), lead author of the study.
Jay N. Cohn (Medical School) received the Heart Failure Society of America’s first annual Lifetime Achievement Award at the society’s 10th Annual Scientific meeting in Seattle. Cohn is director of the University’s Rasmussen Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention.
Deborah Swackhamer (School of Public Health) was named the new interim director of the University’s Institute on the Environment. Provost Thomas Sullivan said, “Deb Swackhamer is an outstanding leader, a spirited university citizen and broadly recognized by her peers as one of our finest environmental scientists.” For more information on the Institute on the Environment, go to http://academic.umn.edu/provost/interdisc/environment.html.
Linda H. Bearinger (School of Nursing) was selected to serve on the Committee on Adolescent Health Care of the National Academies within the Institute of Medicine's Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences' Board on Children, Youth, and Families. Bearinger will participate in five, two-day meetings throughout the coming year, in Washington, D.C., and California.
The University of Minnesota honored Harry Lando (School of Public Health) with its 2006 Award for Global Engagement. Lando is being recognized for his immense achievements in the field of tobacco prevention and control and his outstanding contributions to global education and international involvement. Dean John Finnegan (School of Public Health) noted a representative comment from Lando’s nomination packet that read: "His gentle yet persistent demeanor has allowed him to be a catalyst for many international projects and initiatives, where he could deliver against unfavorable odds. Undoubtedly, our troubled and increasingly interconnected world is in desperate need for more people like Harry Lando." Dr. Lando will carry the title "Distinguished International Professor" for the duration of his career here.
Gordon Mosser (School of Public Health) was given a lifetime achievement award from the Minnesota Medical Association for his contribution to improving the quality of health care in Minnesota. He was recognized for his work as former director of the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI), a statewide collaborative focused on health care quality improvement.
Ramaiah Muthyala (College of Pharmacy) was selected to receive the SC Ameta Award by the Indian Chemical Society, a professional society equivalent to the American Chemical Society in the United States.
Chris Xing(College of Pharmacy) received an R01 grant for $576,000 from NIH for "Bcl-2 Selective Inhibitors: Development and Application to Cancer Treatment."
Save the date for the All AHC Faculty Forum on Friday, Jan. 5, 2007. The AHC Faculty Consultative Committee in collaboration with the chairs of AHC school consultative committees and the office of the Senior Vice President for Health Sciences will sponsor a forum from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at McNamara Center. The purpose is to explore the culture of the AHC and its impact on the work of faculty. The program will be announced.
Connect with the community—give to the Community Fund Drive. Help those who need food, shelter, health care, education, and more. Help the environment and the arts. Help the non-profit organization of your choice. Help by giving to the 2006 Community Fund Drive, Oct. 1-31. For 2006, the Community Fund Drive goal is to raise $1.2 million—we’d like everyone to participate. Minnesota charities count on U. Give online (www.umn.edu/cfd): it’s safe, fast, and easy. Or give by filling in the form in your Community Fund Drive brochure. Either way, give by Oct. 31 and you’ll be eligible to win great prizes. Your contribution will benefit adults and youth, your neighbors, our community.
The Minnesota Medical Foundation Web site (www.mmf.umn.edu) received a Standard of Excellence Award in September from the national Web Marketing Association. Since its redesign in August 2005, the number of online gifts to the foundation increased more than 50 percent.
Mark Kennedy, candidate for U.S. Senate, will visit the Medical School Monday, Oct. 16, as an invited guest of the American Medical School Association's local chapter. Kennedy will be in Moos 1-450 at 12:15 a.m. to discuss health care issues and answer questions.
The Health Sciences Libraries will host an open house Tuesday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., 555 Diehl Hall. The libraries have added new resources, including the Global Health database, ExamMaster - USMLE+, and the Faculty of 1000 literature evaluation and awareness service. For more information, visit the home page at http://www.biomed.lib.umn.edu and check out the news section, or go to the libraries’ news archive (http://www.biomed.lib.umn.edu/news/archive) and click on "N" for New. The Bio-Medical Library also has a new tour of the web site available in Flash or PDF format (http://www.biomed.lib.umn.edu/news/homepage).
As part of the Distinguished Visiting Scholar Series JoAnn Manson, M.D., Chief, Division of Preventive Medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and professor of medicine and the Elizabeth F. Brigham Professor of Women’s Health at the Harvard Medical School, will talk on “When Results of Large Studies are Divergent: Hormone Therapy as a Case Study” on Thursday, Nov. 9, 12:05 to 1:05 p.m. in room 2-690 Moos Tower. Light lunch will be served. For more information on the series, contact Susan Jackson at sjackson@umn.edu.
The Medical School welcomes alum Joia Mukherjee, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., medical director of the international medical charity Partners in Health, as the featured speaker at the next Harvard Street Forum Friday, Oct. 13, noon to 1 p.m. at the Grace University Lutheran Church, 324 Harvard St. S.E. She will lead a discussion on her effort to provide equal medical treatment to communities in need and the need for worldwide health care rights. Jazz musician Bruce Henry will perform before and after the presentation.
Michael B.A. Oldstone, head of the Viral Immunobiology Laboratory at the Scripps Research Institute, will give the keynote lecture at the Department of Microbiology’s annual Winford P. Larson Lecture. He will speak on "Discovery of New Horizons for Infectious Protein Folding (Prion) Diseases" at noon Friday, Oct. 13, in the A.I. Johnson Room, McNamara Center. The lecture will be in conjunction with a symposium and dinner honoring retired faculty member Peter G.W. Plagemann. For further information or to RSVP for the evening reception and dinner, please e-mail microbiology@umn.edu.
Diane Treat-Jacobson (School of Nursing) will talk on
“
Mechanisms of Improvement in Response to Aerobic Training in Claudication Patients” at the Clinical Research Conference Monday, Oct. 16, from 8–9 a.m. in 1-450G Moos Tower.
The topic for the fall 2006 Mini-Medical School will be cancer. This popular University program is taught by leading faculty of the Academic Health Center and is designed to educate and update Minnesotans on health-related issues. The program, which is open to the public, will run Monday nights, November 6–27, from 6–8:30 p.m. in the Coffman Memorial Union Theater. For more information, e-mail minimed@umn.edu and to register online go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/minimed
“Scrubs, Gloves, & Microscopes” is a hands-on program designed for high school students to explore health careers. It will hold its first half-day session on clinical lab science on Oct. 25. The program will run throughout the year and is sponsored by the University’s Health Careers Center. To learn more and to access the application go to http://healthcareers.umn.edu/hcc/highschool/SGM.
The AHC Office of Emergency Response has developed a Personal and Family Preparedness training program in collaboration with the Department of Emergency Management and the MERET Program. The office is currently looking for Medical Reserve Corps members who are interested in becoming personal and family preparedness trainers for others in their school or college. If you are interested, please e-mail medcorps@umn.edu
The Bio-Medical Library is offering classes during fall semester, including upcoming sessions on MEDLINE, MICROMEDEX, and RefWorks. Visit the home page http://www.biomed.lib.umn.edu and check out the workshops section, or go directly to the workshops page for a full listing http://www.biomed.lib.umn.edu/workshops. One-on-one sessions are also available. For details, contact the reference desk at 612-626-3260 or medref@umn.edu.
The Office of Emergency Response, CPHP and MERET will present an Emergency Readiness Rounds seminar Wednesday, Oct. 11, from noon to 1:30 p.m., on “Implementing Incident Management in Your Health Care Facility” in the Coffman Memorial Union’s Mississippi Room. This is the second in a series of 10 monthly noon seminars covering issues in emergency readiness and response. The seminars are offered live or as webcasts for professional education or academic credit. To register for the session, to review the schedule, or see a past seminar on webcast, visit http://cpheo.sph.umn.edu/cp/meret/rounds/home.html.
AHC junior faculty, fellows, and scholars interested in guidance on clinical research are invited to attend a monthly informal breakfast meeting with Jasjit Ahluwalia, executive director, AHC Office of Clinical Research. He and other AHC senior faculty members will lead the breakfast sessions. Each breakfast will be limited to five mentees and will be held 7:30–8:30 a.m. at varying locations. Please contact Meredith at mcraven@umn.edu or call 6-6033 to find out more.
Free modules from Minnesota Emergency Readiness Education and Training (MERET) are available online. Each MERET module contributes to preparing the health care workforce to function during public health emergencies or bioterrorism events. The modules provide competency-based awareness-level online training for hospitals, clinics, long-term care, public health agencies, and other community emergency responders, including volunteers. Go to http://cpheo.sph.umn.edu/cpheo/meret/modules.html
The 5th Annual LifeScience Alley Conference & Expo on Dec. 6 at the St. Paul RiverCentre will host Leroy Hood as its keynote speaker talking on “Predictive, Preventive & Personalized Medicine — How Do We Get There?” Hood is recognized as one of the world's leading scientists in molecular biotechnology and genomics and is widely considered “the father of Systems Biology.” For more information on the conference go to http://www.LifeScienceAlleyConference.org
AHC News Capsules is a biweekly newsletter for faculty, staff, and students of the Academic Health Center. Please send submissions to Jennifer La Forgia at lafor016@umn.edu.
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