Snapshots

Recently named to the Academic Health Center Academy for Health Research were Apostolos Georgopoulos, a Medical School neuroscientist who investigates neural mechanisms underlying movement, and Dwight Anderson, a School of Dentistry researcher who devoted four decades of study to understanding a virus, bacteriophage ø29. They were selected because they have contributed to the quality of the University of Minnesota through sustained, nationally and internationally recognized health research in their fields. Membership in the academy is the highest recognition of excellence in AHC faculty research; they will be recognized at an event in fall 2005.

Judith Buchanan is the new associate dean for academic affairs in the School of Dentistry. Buchanan is a recognized leader in the introduction and implementation of virtual reality-based simulation clinics into dental curricula and a noted researcher in the field of students’ learning styles. She also is a lieutenant colonel in the National Guard, deployed in 2003 to run dental clinics in Bosnia and Germany. She was recruited from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and came to Minnesota in April.

The first national CLARION case competition for interprofessional teams of students took place April 8-9. Teams from Dartmouth, the University of Chicago, University of Missouri at Columbia, University of Tennessee, University of Connecticut, and University of Wisconsin-Madison came to the Twin Cities to present on a case study of a major medical error (a sentinel event) and present solutions to prevent such occurrences in the future. Minnesota’s team members pictured, from left, included nursing student Megan Garrity, health-care administration student Shay Strachan, and pharmacy student Raed Abughazaleh. “New collegial relationships were formed around interprofessional education and patient safety,” said Judith Beniak, director of the Health Careers Center. CLARION was founded by Minnesota students a few years ago, with a focus on increasing patient safety through interprofessional collaboration. The group previously hosted local case competitions.

Minneapolis-based Paddock Laboratories donated $2 million to the College of Pharmacy to renovate teaching and research facilities on the Duluth campus and further the college’s efforts in Greater Minnesota. Bruce Paddock, president of Paddock Laboratories, is a Duluth native. “Paddock Laboratories’ gift will transform our Duluth program,” said Dean Marilyn K. Speedie. “The generosity accelerates our growth, propelling us years ahead of where we otherwise would be.” The 2005 bonding bill provided state funding to renovate the Life Sciences Building on the University of Minnesota Duluth campus. The College of Pharmacy, Duluth, will occupy two floors in the building and its area of the building will be named the Paddock Laboratories Pharmacy Education Center.

No evidence supports claims that cigarettes modified to reduce exposure to harmful substances actually reduce risk for disease, according to a report by the University’s Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center. “To date, there is no evidence to suggest that the extent of reduction in tobacco toxin exposure with any of the existing products reduces the risk of disease,” said Dorothy Hatsukami, lead author of the report “Hope or Hazard: What Research Tells Us about Potentially Reduced-Exposure Tobacco Products.” She added, “We simply do not know how much of a reduction in toxin exposure is needed to create a positive effect on health.”

The Center for Drug Design recently held a grand opening celebration and symposium, “Drugs and Delivery: Designs for this Millenium.” The center is headed by Robert Vince, second from left, who discovered the anti-HIV drug Ziagen. Speakers at the symposium included, Sidney Pestka, the Father of Interferon, Ronald Breslow, who has created a potential anti-cancer drug called SAHA; and John Secrist III, whose Southern Research Institute has developed six new anti-cancer drugs. The University’s Center for Drug Design is dedicated to the design and delivery of new drugs through the most advanced methods possible. For more information, see the Web site (www.cdd.umn.edu).

On June 1, the name of the University’s teaching hospital officially changed to University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview. The children’s hospital also changed its name to University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital, Fairview. “The new name reflects our exceptional relationship with the University of Minnesota’s medical school and other Academic Health Center programs,” said Gordon Alexander, president of Fairview Health Services central metro division. “The name change also serves as a reminder that patients here have a care team that includes Minnesota’s future doctors, nurses, and pharmacists who will help to ensure that patients receive the most attention, the most advanced treatments, and the highest quality care,” said Frank Cerra, senior vice president for health sciences. The medical center has nationally and internationally known programs in cancer care and transplantation, a long list of medical “firsts” and is ranked each year among the nation’s top hospitals in U.S. News and World Report.

A condition that causes permanent vision loss was diagnosed in a small group of men who have taken the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra. The condition, nonarteritic ischemic optic neuropathy, described as “stroke of the eye,” occurs when blood flow is cut off to the optic nerve, which results in permanent vision loss. “For years, we’ve known that some men who take Viagra will experience temporary color changes in their vision and see things as blue or green,” said Howard Pomeranz, an ophthalmologist at the University. “NAION is a much more serious condition because it can lead to permanent vision loss.” All of the patients had at least one risk factor such as hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, or hyperlipidemia.