Snapshots

A June tabletop bioterrorism exercise brought together some 20 local, state, federal, and University of Minnesota officials to cope with a hypothetical release of anthrax spores on the St. Paul campus. Michael Osterholm, head of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, led the session about possible responses to the cascading series of events. Among the participants were, from left in photo, Terry Cook, director of the University’s emergency management, Greg Hestness, chief of the University police, Kathleen O’Brien, vice president for University Services, and Frank Cerra, senior vice president for health sciences. Afterwards Cerra said, “I found the exercise to be instructive, real, and informative.” He said it demonstrated that the University’s emergency plan works and that the Academic Health Center’s assets would be important in responding to a bioterrorist attack.

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To help during a public health emergency, natural disaster, mass vaccination clinic, or other event calling for the skills of health professionals, the Academic Health Center is forming a Medical Reserve Corps. This fall, the corps will begin signing up students, faculty, and staff from the AHC health schools and Boynton Health Service.

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The heritage of open-heart surgery meets the promise of stem cells to heal failing hearts at the Lillehei Heart Institute Symposium Oct. 19-20, 2004. The gathering marks the 50th anniversary of the first open-heart surgery using cross circulation, performed by University surgeon C. Walton Lillehei (pictured). Along with scientific presentations on the latest advances in heart health, the event includes a black-tie gathering emceed by University alumnus Garrison Keillor.

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This spring, the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs awarded accreditation to the University of Minnesota. AAHRPP, a nonprofit organization, accredits institutions engaged in research involving human participants. The University of Minnesota is only one of nine institutions worldwide to receive this distinction. “The University of Minnesota makes protection of research participants a top priority, as evidenced by AAHRPP’s recognition of our high-quality human research protection program,” says Moira Keane, director of the University’s Research Subjects’ Protection Programs. “In pursuing AAHRPP accreditation, the University of Minnesota research community challenged ourselves, through a rigorous process of self assessment, to demonstrate that we meet and exceed regulatory and ethical standards for protecting human subjects in research.”

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School of Nursing alumna Hyeoun Ae Park recently received one of the University’s prestigious Leadership Awards for Internationals. Park was honored for having started the first graduate-level nursing informatics major in Korea and for developing strong links between the University’s School of Nursing and the College of Nursing at Seoul National University. Park revolutionized nursing education by introducing the first statistical consulting lab and computer lab in a Korean nursing school.

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Two interim deans recently were chosen. John Finnegan Jr., pictured, was selected as interim dean of the School of Public Health. He has been serving as associate dean for research & academic affairs for the school. Joanne Disch (see Better for Everyone story opposite), head of the Densford International Center for Nursing Leadership, has agreed to serve as interim dean in the School of Nursing.

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More than a thousand volunteers helped the University of Minnesota play host to the 2004 U.S. Transplant Games July 27-Aug. 1, 2004. More than 5,000 people who have received transplants participated in the events. A few of those who had been patients here are shown above with transplant surgeon John Najarian. The games are sponsored by the National Kidney Foundation; the first successful transplant operation was a kidney transplant in 1954. In the years since, University of Minnesota surgeons have performed more than 8,500 transplants.

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Teens benefit substantially from eating meals with family, according to a recent study led by Marla Eisenberg of the School of Public Health. Along with potentially learning about manners and communication skills, family meals help protect teens against bad choices, says Eisenberg. “Frequent family meals have been related to better nutritional intake and a decreased risk for unhealthy weight control practices, substance use, sexual intercourse, and suicidal involvement.” The study of nearly 5,000 Twin Cities-area teens, however, showed that nearly a third ate with their families less than three times a week.

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This summer, the Health Careers Center hosted three-day mini health-professions schools tailored for Hmong and Latino high-school students. Students consulted with health professional students, such as the veterinary medicine student and patient pictured, observed laboratory and minimally invasive surgery settings, and received career assessment testing and individual consultations on how to pursue careers. After the mini-school, one mother who works in health care wrote to say she had never seen her daughter so excited and they both would like to help expand the program.