News Capsules 12/14/05
NEWS
Preliminary recommendations from the first 11 of 34 academic task forces on strategic positioning will be available on the Transforming the U Web site Dec. 16. People are encouraged to provide comments during the public comment period, which will extend to Jan. 27. Those task forces will make final recommendations Feb. 3 to Provost Thomas Sullivan and Senior Vice President Robert Jones. Recommendations will then be forwarded to the U's executive team for review and determination of next steps. Preliminary recommendations from the four AHC task forces will be available in April. For more information, see http://www.umn.edu/systemwide/strategic_positioning.
The Board of Regents honored Apostolos Georgopoulos at its Dec. 9 meeting, naming him a Regents Professor. It is the highest recognition given to faculty members at the University. Georgopoulos, Medical School, neuroscience, is a world authority on neural mechanisms underlying movement. For more, see http://www.ur.umn.edu/unsreleases/find.php?ID=2636&from=umnnews.
School of Public Health researchers will lead Healthy Eating Research, a five-year, $16 million Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) initiative to determine effective changes in policies and environments that can promote healthy eating and prevent obesity among children. Mary Story, epidemiology, will head a program leadership team that includes Robert W. Jeffery, epidemiology, director of the Obesity Prevention Center, Leslie A. Lytle, epidemiology, and Karen Kaphingst, epidemiology, who will be deputy director. “We applaud RWJF’s leadership in the immediate public health threat of childhood obesity,” said John Finnegan, Jr., dean of the School of Public Health. “This research dovetails with the School’s well-established efforts in the area of childhood obesity prevention.” For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/obesity121205.
Join alumni, faculty, staff, and students Jan. 25 for an insider’s preview and discussion of the University of Minnesota’s 2006 Capital Request. Hear President Robert Bruininks, students, and faculty explain how the building projects in this year’s request will benefit the University and the entire state. This program will teach you how to be an effective advocate for the University at the Legislature and in your own community. Enjoy a light dinner and meet others who care about the future of the U. The event runs from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in the McNamara Alumni Center. To register for this event, call 612-625-9174. For more information, go to http://www.supporttheu.umn.edu.
Fergus Falls has been selected as the host community for the Central Minnesota Area Health Education Center (AHEC) network. AHEC is a federal/state cooperative agreement that aims to educate health professions students in medically underserved areas of the state. “Fergus Falls representatives presented a compelling case for serving as the coordinating site for the Central AHEC,” said Barbara Brandt, Minnesota AHEC program director and AHC assistant vice president for education. “It is clear the community is committed to strengthening existing relationships and developing new partnerships between health and education leaders across the region to address health professional workforce shortages.” For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/ahec120705.
A five-year, $1.5 million federal grant will help the School of Nursing intensify its focus on interventions that protect, maintain, and restore health from infancy to old age. “The grant means the school can take a major step forward in contributing to the University of Minnesota’s goal of becoming one of the world’s top three public research universities,” said Jean Wyman, who will direct the program. Funding comes from the National Institute of Nursing Research, part of the National Institutes of Health. For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/nursing120605.
Do schools contribute to childhood obesity? That could be the case, according to a new study led by School of Nursing researcher Martha Kubik. The findings appear in the December issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. Analyzing data on food-related practices of 16 Twin Cities urban and suburban middle schools, Kubik found that for each of certain food-related practices allowed by a school--such as using food as incentives and rewards--student body mass index increased by 10 percent. For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/obesity120505.
A University Cancer Center study is the first to show how some physical impairments that childhood-cancer survivors experience as adults relates to the type of cancer they had and the treatment they received. The findings indicate long-term follow up care and physical rehabilitation may be important for more than 20 percent of childhood-cancer survivors. The study of nearly 11,500 childhood-cancer survivors was published in the current issue of Annals of Internal Medicine and was led by Kirsten Ness, Medical School, pediatrics. For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/childhood112905.
Minnesota Continence Associates, a clinical practice developed by the School of Nursing in collaboration with the Department of OB/GYN and the Deborah E. Powell Center of Excellence for Women’s Health, opened this fall in the Women’s Health Center, University of Minnesota Physicians Clinics, Phillips-Wangensteen Building. This specialty nurse practitioner service provides comprehensive evaluation and conservative treatments to patients (adolescent and adult) experiencing bladder dysfunction. To make an appointment, call 626-3444.
The finance committee of the Fairview Health Services board of directors last week approved funding of the next phase of facility planning for the consolidation of services offered by University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital, Fairview in a new building. The preferred site is on the Riverside campus.
The University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview lobby will be closed for about four months beginning Jan. 9 for renovation. Patient and visitor traffic will use the Masonic Cancer Center entrance during the closure. Temporary signs and volunteer guides will help reroute patients and visitors from the Masonic building and parking ramp tunnel to the hospital during the closure. “This project is long overdue,” says Russ Williams, vice president, patient experience. “It will cause some disruption in the short term, but the long-term benefits of our newly remodeled lobby will definitely be worth it.”
The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education Board of Commissioners has determined that the School of Nursing’s baccalaureate and master's degree programs continue to meet all accreditation standards. The next on-site evaluation of the programs is schedule for spring 2010.
PEOPLE
Stanley Erlandsen, Medical School, passed away Dec. 5. He was 64. Erlandsen was internationally recognized for research on the intestinal parasite Giardia, and for electron microscopy expertise. His collaborations triggered seminal contributions in microbiology leukocyte and platelet biology. He is survived by his wife, Carol Wells, a member of the Medical School faculty. Visitation is Friday, Dec. 16, 1 p.m., and the memorial service is at 2 p.m., at Grace University Lutheran Church, 324 Harvard St., Minneapolis. Memorials preferred to Science Equipment Fund, Dana College, 2848 College Dr. Blair, NE 68008-1099. To read the Star Tribune obituary, go to http://www.legacy.com/StarTribune/LegacySubPage2.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=15909834
Leo Fung, Medical School, died Dec. 10 at the age of 42. The cause of death was cancer, according to his family. Fung was one of the world’s leading authorities on the surgical restoration of obstructed urinary passages, a potentially life-threatening condition in children. He pioneered laparoscopic surgical techniques used in the reimplantation of ureters in children and other critical surgical reconstructions. “Doctor Fung was a rising star in the field of pediatric urology,” said Jon Pryor, head of the Medical School’s Department of Urologic Surgery. “His extraordinary clinical talents have benefited a generation of children suffering from urologic abnormalities, while his skill and meticulousness earned him the respect and admiration of urologists throughout the world.” A memorial service for Fung will be held on Sunday, Dec. 18, 1 p.m., at the McNamara Alumni Center. The Leo C. Fung M.D. Memorial Fund is being established at the Minnesota Medical Foundation to further excellence in clinical care, research, and education in pediatric urology. Contributions can be sent to: Minnesota Medical Foundation, 200 Oak Street, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55455.
College of Pharmacy Professor David J.W. Grant died Dec. 9 at age 68. Grant held the William and Mildred Peters Endowed Chair in the College of Pharmacy Department of Pharmaceutics. “His passing is an enormous loss for the college and to his field of scientific discovery,” said Dean Marilyn K. Speedie, College of Pharmacy. “He leaves a legacy of contributions to the science of developing safe and effective medications. He will be missed.” Memorials to the David J.W. Grant Fellowship at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy can be directed to Bob Busch, development director, 5-130 Weaver-Densford Hall, 308 Harvard Street S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455. For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/grant121205. To read the Star Tribune obituary, go to http://www.legacy.com/StarTribune/LegacySubPage2.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=15972945
Emeritus professor of pediatrics and former chair of the department of pediatrics William Krivit passed away Dec. 8. He was 80 years old. Krivit began his career at the University of Minnesota in 1951. In 1974, Krivit and colleagues developed the University’s Blood and Marrow Pediatric Transplant program--one of the first pediatric transplant programs in the country. He pioneered treatment of childhood metabolic storage diseases, such as ALD, MLD, and Hurler’s syndrome. “Bill Krivit spent his life looking for cures for children with devastating inherited metabolic diseases. He was the epitome of the bigger-than-life scientist-clinician with unconventional, controversial, and visionary ideas,” said Elsa Shapiro, professor of pediatrics and neurology and 20-year collaborator with Krivit. “He will be missed as a teacher, scientist, friend, and colleague, but above all as a humanitarian.” A celebration of Krivit’s life will be held Saturday, Jan. 21, 1 p.m., at Coffman Memorial Union. Memorial designations may be made to the Minnesota Medical Foundation, William Krivit Lectureship Series, (200 Oak St. S.E., Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55455) or a pediatric charity of your choice. For more, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/krivit121205. To read the Star Tribune obituary, go to http://www.legacy.com/StarTribune/LegacySubPage2.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=15914285
Roxanne Struthers, School of Nursing, died on Dec. 10 of acute lymphocytic leukemia. She was 53. Her teaching and research focused on American Indian/Alaskan Native health and health care, holistic care for indigenous women, and indigenous traditional healing. The School of Nursing is establishing the Roxanne Struthers Fellowship to support graduate students in nursing, building on Struthers’ legacy and work with the American Indian community. Contributions to the Roxanne Struthers Fellowship can be directed to Laurel Mallon, School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, 5-138 Weaver Densford Hall, 308 Harvard St. S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455. To read the Star Tribune obituary, go to http://www.legacy.com/StarTribune/LegacySubPage2.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=15978117
The following faculty members from the Medical School’s Department of Pediatrics faculty were elected to the American Pediatric Society/Society for Pediatric Research: Michael Vernis, Jakub Tolar, Brenda Weigel, Chandy John, Scott Selleck, Khalid Khan, Margaret MacMillan, Carlos Milla, and Raghu Rao were elected to the Society for Pediatric Research and Elizabeth Braulin was elected to the American Pediatric Society. The American Pediatric Society/ Society for Pediatric Research works to advance the study of children and their diseases through education and research.
Mustafa al'Absi, Medical School, behavioral sciences, was selected as the associate editor for the journal Psychophysiology, which is the international journal of the Society for Psychophysiological Research. Psychophysiology reports on new theoretical, empirical and methodological advances in: psychology and psychiatry, cognitive science, cognitive and affective neuroscience, social science, health science and behavioral medicine, and biomedical engineering.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Health Sciences Orchestra will hold its Winter Holiday concert Tuesday, Dec. 20, noon to 1 pm., in the atrium lobby of Nils Hasselmo Hall.
The Bio-Medical Library will be offering several classes over winter break, including sessions on PubMed and Refworks, tips and tricks for finding electronic full-text, setting up AutoAlerts in Web of Science, PubMed, and OVID, class blogs, Google Scholar, and PowerPoint. For more information, pick up a schedule at the library, or view the online schedule at http://www.biomed.lib.umn.edu/inst/lcclasslistcat.html. You can register by stopping by or calling the Reference Desk (626-3260), e-mailing mailto:medref@umn.edu, or registering online at http://www.biomed.lib.umn.edu/inst/lcclassregfm.html.
“Nursing and Allied Health Collection: Comprehensive Edition” is a new database available through the Bio-Medical Library. It provides full text for nearly 400 journals in the areas of nursing, biomedicine, health sciences, consumer health, and allied health disciplines. For more information, please contact the Bio-Medical Library reference desk at 626-3260 or mailto:medref@umn.edu.
The Center for Bioethics is offering classes beginning spring semester. Courses include Introduction to Clinical Ethics, Advanced Topics in Bioethics, and Gender and the Politics of Health. For more information, go to http://www.bioethics.umn.edu/education/courses.shtml.
The Institute for Advanced Study has issued a call for proposals for its Residential Fellowships and Research/Creative Collaboratives. Information is available online at http://www.ias.umn.edu/fellowsapply.php (fellowships) and http://www.ias.umn.edu/collabapply.php (research collaboratives). The application deadline for both is Jan. 20. For more information, contact Angie Hoffman-Walter at mailto:hoffm011@umn.edu or 626-5054.
The Genotyping Core Lab in Hasselmo Hall has some new equipment, the Affymetrix ParAllele platform, that can run the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) chip produced by Affymetrix. “This represents one of the most comprehensive functional SNP chips available, and we would like to make it available to anyone interested in its application,” said Brian Van Ness, Medical School, Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development. For details about the facility and services, go to http://www.bmgc.umn.edu/bmgc/facilities/genotyping or contact Van Ness at mailto:vanne001@umn.edu.
Save the dates--May 11 and 12, 2006. The Medical School invites the other Academic Health Center schools to participate in the Best Practices Institute: Teaching in the Health Professions, scheduled for Thursday and Friday, May 11 and 12, 2006. The institute will feature presentations by local and national leaders in education, opportunities for skill-building, and sharing of ideas among educators who teach in the health professions. The institute will focus on four themes: 1) Enhancing Key Teaching Skills; 2) Technology-Enhanced Teaching; 3) Teaching Ethics in the Classroom and in the Community; and, 4) Teaching about Self-care Health Professions Providers. Once the details have been finalized, medical and other health professions educators will be able to register for the complete institute or portions of it. Mark your calendars and watch for updates by clicking on the Faculty Workshops link on the Medical Education Web site, http://www.meded.umn.edu.
Since 1963, Medical School faculty have received more than $20 million in grants for research and equipment from the Minnesota Medical Foundation (MMF). As of Nov. 1, the MMF and the Medical School Dean’s Office will jointly administer the grants program. Two significant changes have been introduced to simplify the grants administration and application process: 1) New deadline dates are Jan. 6, May 1, and Sept. 1; 2) Grant applications are to be submitted electronically. To view the grant guidelines and to access a grant application form, please visit http://www.mmf.umn.edu/services/story.cfm?id=115 For more information, contact Deborah Zorn at 625-1185 or mailto:zorn@umn.edu.
|
