News Capsules 11/29/06
November 29, 2006
NEWS CAPSULES
is a biweekly newsletter for faculty, staff, and students of the Academic Health Center. Please send submissions to Jennifer La Forgia, lafor016@umn.edu.
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For those of you who have been at this University for awhile, you’ll note that the fall has passed by and, for the first time in seven years, I have not presented the State of the AHC speech. This year, I’m looking forward to hearing from you first — to solicit your input, your ideas, and your concerns — about the aggressive vision we laid out to the Board of Regents in June (see presentation to Board of Regents). Your input will influence the State of the AHC that is scheduled January 31 st in the soon-to-reopen Mayo Auditorium.
As I look forward to those visits, I’m struck by the remarkable productivity demonstrated and recognition garnered by our faculty and staff. As you scroll through the following stories, you, too, should be impressed by the results that will help lead us to top status as a university.
– Frank B. Cerra
Senior Vice President for Health Sciences Frank B. Cerra will meet with faculty and staff from each AHC school and college during the next three weeks to share the vision of the AHC using the presentation “Pursuing the Future with Vision and Drive.” Following the presentation, he will seek input and counsel on driving the U of M to top-three status among public research universities. The visits will occur as follows:
- School of Public Health: Thursday, Nov. 30, 3–4:30 p.m., in 1-450 Moos Tower
- School of Dentistry: Wednesday, Dec. 13, 7:30–9 a.m., in 2-620 Moos Tower
- College of Veterinary Medicine: Wednesday, Dec. 13, 12–1:30 p.m., in 135 AnSci/VM
- School of Nursing: Thursday, Dec. 14, 8–9 a.m., in 4-180 WDH
- College of Pharmacy: Friday, Dec. 15, 12:15–1:15 p.m., in 7-135 WDH (Duluth Campus video connection in 395 Kirby Plaza)
- Medical School: Wednesday, Dec. 20 7:30–9 a.m., in 1-450 Moos Tower
Dr. Cerra will also meet with AHC students for lunch and conversation on Monday, Dec. 4, from 12:15–1:15 p.m., in 1-450 Moos Tower. He will make the same presentation, which will be followed by discussion. A limited number of lunches will be available. For questions on the student gathering with Dr. Cerra, contact Jenny Meslow at 612-626-7072 or at meslo001@umn.edu.
The School of Dentistry dedicated its expanded and enhanced Center for Contemporary Dentistry Tuesday, Nov. 21. The state-of-the-art center is equipped with the latest in dental innovations and the most current advances in dental education. For more information, visit http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/dentistry111706
University researchers have shown for the first time that the severity of an adult neurodegenerative disease is tied to how well the brain developed shortly after birth. The researchers used a mouse model for spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA 1), a fatal neurodegenerative disease that is associated with the loss of coordination that affects activities such as walking, speaking and swallowing. “We always suspected that something was going on with the SCA 1 mice developmentally,” said Harry Orr, professor of genetics, cell biology and development. “Now, we have the data to support it.” The research appeared in the Nov. 17 issue of the journal Cell.
After 10 months of study and negotiation, the University of Minnesota completed contract negotiations Nov. 20 for Stellent Web Content Management. Stellent, a local company with a global presence, will replace FileNet as the system used to manage many University Web sites, including those for much of the AHC. Stellent, which is currently used by Fairview Health Services, was chosen in part due to its strong customer support and document and digital asset management components. Installation and conversion to the new system will begin for selected pilot sites around the University early next year and will be made available to the rest of the University later in 2007. As the University's largest user of FileNet, the AHC had been very active in the selection process and will continue to be involved as this new system is implemented.
Richard Bianco, director of the University’s Experimental Surgery Services, joined with three other members of Americans for Medical Progress to author a letter supporting an editorial in Science
(Sept. 15, 2006) that called for support for those in the scientific community who are targets of animal-rights extremists. The letter of support was published in the Nov. 10, 2006 issue of Science.
University President Robert Bruininks announced Nov. 16 that Rochester will become the University of Minnesota’s fifth official campus. Speaking at the Rochester Higher Education Development Committee, Bruininks said University of Minnesota Rochester will be a major hub of the new statewide Center for Allied Health Programs, will have a core of full-time faculty in Rochester and that work has already begun on a Center for Bioinformatics and quantitative studies in the life sciences. “UMR has great potential to benefit not only southeast Minnesota, but also the state — particularly its health care infrastructure and resources,” Bruininks said.
Maryam Valapour (Center for Bioethics) has received a $750,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to study living-donor lung transplantation. She will be comparing policies and practices of living-donor kidney transplantation with living-donor lung transplantation at a group of institutions that perform, or have performed, both types. There is little research on what barriers have prevented living-donor lung transplantation from becoming more widely available. To learn more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/bioethics112106/home.html
Honors student Katie N. Lee who is majoring in biochemistry and chemistry was named a 2007 Rhodes Scholar. Lee, a senior, was also offered a prestigious Marshall Scholarship and is currently doing research in Sharon Murphy’s Cancer Center lab. Lee’s project concerns the role of a group of enzymes known as cytochrome P450s in the metabolism of nicotine and carcinogens found in tobacco products. For more information, go to www1.umn.edu/umnnews/Feature_Stories/U_student_named_Rhodes_Scholar.html.
Diana Harvey ( School of Public Health) has been named Assistant Dean for External Relations for the school. In her new role, Harvey will add public affairs to her portfolio and will assist the Dean and the SPH Executive Team in coordinating and building stakeholder relations on the state, national, and global scenes.
Russell V. Luepker ( School of Public Health) was invited to give the 20-Year Celebration Seminar at Umeå University in Sweden on Nov. 1. His presentation was on “Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: 21st Century Challenges.”
Lauren Gilchrist of the Deborah E. Powell Center for Women’s Health will participate in a 22-member, statewide task force on human trafficking. This task force is being assembled in response to a state mandate requiring the Commissioner of Public Safety to develop a plan that addresses the issue of human trafficking in the state. The task force is comprised of representatives from governmental and human rights organizations.
John Adgate ( School of Public Health) was named a 2006-2007 Fulbright Scholar. He will spend the year conducting air-quality research in Santiago, Chile.
Lynn Blewett ( School of Public Health) co-hosted the Midwest States Health Reform Summit on Nov. 14. The event was held in conjunction with the National Institute for Health Policy. Approximately 200 attendees heard from a range of speakers including Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and the Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Tricia Todd , assistant director of the Health Careers Center, was elected chair-elect of the American Public Health Association–Health Administration Section.
On Nov. 10, the Board of Regents eliminated the waiting period for eligibility for faculty enrollment in the Faculty Retirement Plan , effective July 1.
The University of Minnesota Physicians Web site (www.umphysicians.umn.edu) was honored with an eHealthcare Leadership Silver Award for “Best Site Design.” The National eHealthcare Leadership Awards are presented annually to recognize outstanding healthcare Websites for consumers and health professionals. Winning sites were selected from more than 1,100 entries.
The SPH Roundtable, "International HIV/AIDS and Human Rights," is being held in recognition of World AIDS Day on Friday, Dec. 1, 9 a.m.-12:15 p.m in Coffman Memorial Union Theatre. Featured speakers are SPH professor Alan Lifson ( School of Public Health) and Steven Miles (Medical School). The roundtable is free, but registration is encouraged. http://cpheo.sph.umn.edu/cpheo/events/roundtable/home.html
The U of M will host a national conference on "Creating Stem Cells by Research Cloning: Scientific, Ethical, Legal & Policy Challenges." The full-day conference, sponsored by the AHC, the Consortium on Law and Values in Health, Environment & the Life Sciences, the Joint Degree Program in Law, Health & the Life Sciences, and the Stem Cell Institute, will be held on Feb. 26 to explore the implications of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), also known as research cloning. To register go to http://www.lifesci.consortium.umn.edu/conferences/scnt.php or e-mail lawvalue@umn.edu.
A workshop on race and pedagogy, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, is being held to facilitate conversation across the University on the complexities of teaching about race. Workshop presenters will speak on the difficulties and successes of teaching matters relating to race and ethnicity in the university classroom. For further information go to http://www.ias.umn.edu/race-pedagogy.php
A special lecture, "The First Face Transplant: Clinical, Ethical, and Media Perspectives," by face-transplant surgeon Dr. Jean-Michel Dubernard from Lyon, France, will be held from 1:30 to 4 p.m. on Dec. 7 at Coffman Union. The session will include commentary and discussion with Jeffrey Kahn (Center for Bioethics) and Gary Schwitzer ( School of Journalism and Mass Communication). A reception will follow. For more information or to register, call 5-5609, e-mail papas001@umn.edu or http://www.ahc.umn.edu/events/40th_anniversary_lectures/
The Distinguished Visiting Scholars Series will feature a lecture by Eric Orwoll, M.D., on “ Developing a Successful Clinical and Translation Science Award (CTSA) Grant: The Oregon Experience,” Tuesday, Dec. 5, 12:15–1:15 p.m., in 2-520 Moos Tower. Dr. Orr is Professor of Medicine Program Director, General Clinical Research Center; Associate Dean for Research, School of Medicine; and Assistant Vice President for Research at Oregon Health & Science University. For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/ocr/events/dvss.html
The AHC Office of Clinical Research is pleased to announce the availability of paid summer fellowships and training in clinical and translational research for pre-doctoral AHC students. Anyone currently completing his/her doctoral degree in any program of the AHC is eligible. Applications will be reviewed by a multidisciplinary committee, consisting of representatives from all AHC colleges and schools. The deadline for applications is Feb. 1, 2007. For questions, contact Nancy Johnson at 612-625-1651 or nancyj@umn.edu
The AHC Clinical Research Conferences will host Mukta Arora, Dec. 4 speaking on “Therapy for Chronic Graft Versus Host Disease” in 1-450 Moos Tower. The clinical research conferences provide scholars, faculty and staff a forum to present and discuss research methodology and findings, as well as topics of general clinical research. For more information, see http://www.cecc.ahc.umn.edu/ocr/events/crc.html
The School of Dentistry is seeking patients who are missing all their natural teeth and need both full upper and lower dentures. Qualifying patients will receive the dentures at a reduced rate ($675 for dentures, examination and X-rays) for participating in the 14-week program that begins Jan. 29. Patients must come for treatment once a week during the program. Call Dee at 612-625-1144 for a consult appointment.
The School of Nursing Foundation will hold a one-day jewelry sale Thursday, Dec. 7, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the hallway across from the Outside In cafeteria, 2nd floor concourse, Phillips Wangensteen Building. Sales from antique and contemporary jewelry will benefit nursing education programs and scholarships. For more information, contact Jane Pederson at 612-624-2490 or peder010@umn.edu.
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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