e-Update
July 26, 2005
Weekly News Briefs
e-Update is distributed
weekly to keep faculty and staff at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine
up-to-date on news at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center.
To submit news for publication, e-mail items to update@med.miami.edu.
THIS WEEK’S NEWS
-- Spanish For Medical & Dental Professionals
-- New Spinning Disk Confocal Microscopy Demonstration
-- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine – Roving Symposium
-- Waiting Period Shortened For Health Care Coverage
-- Upcoming Calendar Events
-- Human Subjects Research Opportunities
COME SEE THE MARLINS VS. BRAVES
The Biomedical Graduate Student Association invites you to cheer on the Marlins against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday, October 1. The Miller School of Medicine community has been given a special cheering section behind third base in the lower level. For friends and family, a special discount of $19 per ticket (including handling fee) is being offered. Don’t delay--seats are limited and the deadline to purchase tickets is approaching rapidly. All forms must be returned to the Marlins by Friday. It’s easy to reserve seats - just visit http://www.biomed.miami.edu/docs/marlins.pdf, fill out the PDF form, and fax it back to Marlins reservations.
SPANISH FOR MEDICAL & DENTAL PROFESSIONALS
The Intensive Language Institute is offering a new Saturday class beginning in August. "Spanish for Medical and Dental Professionals" is designed for medical and dental personnel with a basic understanding of Spanish. This class takes place on the medical campus, and the tuition and registration fee is $680. Focus is placed on realistic situations and specialized vocabulary that a health professional needs to effectively communicate with patients. You will receive an extensive vocabulary list that will be used in role-plays, dialogues, and exercises. There is a grammar component and a cultural component to the course, too. Classes meet 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for six Saturdays at the medical campus. Register online at: www.miami.edu/alc.
NEW SPINNING DISK CONFOCAL MICROSCOPY DEMONSTRATION
The Miami Project Imaging Facility and the UM Imaging Core Facility will host Olympus America Inc. on Thursday as they demonstrate the Olympus DSU (Disk Scanning Unit) Confocal system from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The demonstration will be repeated on Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Lois Pope LIFE Center, fourth-floor, rooms 4-10. In addition, there will be a presentation on “Spinning Disk Confocal Microscopy as It Relates to Live Cell Imaging” on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Diabetes Research Institute, sixth-floor boardroom. Interested researchers are asked to bring their own specimens in order to understand the full usefulness of the system. For more information regarding the instrument, visit www.olympusamerica.com/seg_section/seg_home.asp. RSVP by contacting Brigitte Shaw, bshaw@med.miami.edu, at 305-243-8436.
DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION MEDICINE – ROVING SYMPOSIUM
A Roving Symposium, sponsored by the South Florida Model Spinal Cord Injury System, will be held tomorrow (Wednesday) from noon to 1 p.m. at the JMH Rehabilitation Center third-floor auditorium. Erin Mohres from the Miami-Dade Office of Emergency Management will present “Hurricane Information for the Miami-Dade Resident.” Individuals with a spinal cord injury, families, staff, professionals, and students are all invited. For more information, please contact Mayra M. Miró, Psy.D., at 305-585-1339, or at mmiro@med.miami.edu.
UM CANTERBURY ELIGIBLE PROVIDER FOR VOLUNTARY PRE-KINDERGARTEN—LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE
UM Canterbury has been accepted as an accredited voluntary pre-kindergarten provider for the state, which means that if your child is four years old as of August 31, you can receive a $250 voucher per month for the school year to apply toward UM Canterbury tuition. You must register immediately at http://www.upkflorida.org/ for this voucher. Canterbury’s program has met all of the requirements included in the state guidelines for emergent literacy curriculum in reading, math and assessments and teacher qualifications. A few spaces are available for full-time two-, three- and four-year-olds at the UM Canterbury Preschool located at Dominion Towers. To find out more about our National Association for the Education of Young Children -accredited program, visit http://canterbury.miami.edu. Priority enrollment will be given to UM employees. The new school year begins August 8. For more information, call 305-243-3777, and ask for Lisa or Juliette.
VOLUNTARY PRE-KINDERGARTEN: A NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR FOUR-YEAR-OLDS
The EAP is assisting UM parents who have questions about the registration process for the voluntary pre-kindergarten program, which provides state funding for all four-year-olds to attend an accredited and participating pre-kindergarten provider. To learn how to register, visit www.vpkhelp.org (Miami-Dade/Monroe), www.elcbroward.org (Broward), or www.elcpalmbeach.org (Palm Beach). For more information, call the EAP at 305-284-6604.
CHECK OUT THE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
Does successful leadership require critical skills? Find the answer to this and other questions in the Leadership Academy. The Leadership Academy is a competency-based approach to leadership development focusing on the skills, knowledge and behaviors supervisors, managers and other leaders need for success. Five leadership levels are addressed. The first two levels, the Emerging Leader and Frontline Supervisor, begin this month with training courses from the Professional Development and Training Office. [Any highly motivated employee that a manager identifies as a candidate for promotion should be recommended for the Emerging Leader stage of Academy.] Courses are now open for registration.
To participate in the Leadership Academy, employees must get approval from their supervisors and take the entry assessment. To learn more about the Academy, visit http://www.miami.edu/development-training/la.
WAITING PERIOD SHORTENED FOR HEALTH CARE COVERAGE
New employees at the University are eligible for coverage in the University health care (medical and dental) plans on the first of the month following 60 calendar days from the date of acceptance or date of hire. This is a change from the previous 90-day waiting period. For more information, call your campus Human Resources office.
INTERNATIONAL HEALTH CENTER MOVED
The International Health Center has temporarily relocated to a module next to the University of Miami's MRI Center and across the street from the Professional Arts Center. Please note that the telephone number, 305-243-9109, will remain the same.
CONVERSATIONS ABOUT CANCER SERIES
Deborah Heros, M.D., co-leader, Neurological Cancer Site Disease Group, director, Neuro-Oncology, and assistant professor, Department of Neurology, will discuss “Chemo-Brain…The Side Effects of Chemotherapy" today (Tuesday), at UM/Sylvester at Deerfield Beach, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. The Conversations About Cancer series is free and open to the public. Please call 1-800-545-2292 to register. Seating is limited.
HUMAN SUBJECTS RESEARCH SEMINAR
The Human Subjects Research Seminar for July will feature the Office of Research Compliance Assessment Officers speaking on “Documentation in Research.” The seminar will be held from noon to 1 p.m. today (Tuesday), at the Mailman Center, room 3023. Advance registration is required as room capacity is limited.
To Register:
1) Log on to Net Learning using your UM ID # (C-Number) https://netlearning.miami.edu.
2) Search for class: Human Subjects Research Seminars by changing the dates at the top to reflect classes offered in July.
3) Scroll to locate the July 26 class and click on Enroll located on the left.
For more information about this seminar, e-mail Maira Abraham at Mabraham@med.miami.edu.
MIAMI PROJECT WRISTBAND CAMPAIGN
Power. Knowledge. Awareness. Education. Research. Philanthropy. These are the keys to unlocking the mystery of the human body and finding a cure for paralysis. In order to increase the public’s understanding of spinal cord injury and to raise much-needed funds, The Miami Project is launching its “cure paralysis” wristband campaign. Please visit: http://www.themiamiproject.org/x866.xml to purchase your wristbands.
SAME GREAT MEDICAL CARE – DIFFERENT LOCATION
Did you know that the University of Miami Medical Group has a multi-specialty practice in the Kendall area? The Kendall Medical Center provides the same excellent medical care found on the medical campus. Specialties are constantly being added, but currently the Kendall center has internal medicine, family medicine, neurology, ENT, obstetrics, gynecology, gynecological oncology and ultrasound services, pediatrics and pediatric specialties, and pulmonology. The center is located at 8932 SW 97 Ave., next to the CVS Pharmacy. Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and evening and weekend hours are coming soon. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call 305-270-3400.
NEW COMMUNITÉ VOICE MAIL SYSTEM SCHEDULED FOR AUGUST 1
Installation of a new enhanced voice mail system for the Miller School of Medicine is scheduled for August 1. To be ready to check for new voicemail messages on the August 1 implementation date, users must access the EASY system to set up their mailbox and passcode for their personal extensions and then access the new voicemail system to record their greeting. If you have a departmental number shared by more than one person, you may call the Help Desk at 305-284-6565 #1 and a passcode will be assigned for you. If you have any questions, please call the Telecommunications Department at 305-284-6565 option #1.
CHILD CAR SEAT INSTALLATION CHECK
To ensure that your child car seat is installed correctly, a certified child passenger safety technician will be available on Wednesdays in front of the Mailman Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The service is available to everyone who transports children under the age of 12 in their vehicle. For more information, e-mail gstepanian@um-jmh.org, or call 305-243-3928 to set up an appointment. Priority will be given to those with appointments. The Injury Free Coalition for Kids is a division of Holtz Children's Hospital/ Miller School of Medicine.
SPYWARE
Spyware is a general term used for software that performs certain tasks on your computer, typically without your consent. This may include giving you advertising (also called adware, spyware or malware) or software that tracks personal or sensitive information. Spyware will make changes to your computer that can be annoying and can cause it to slow down or crash. These programs have the ability to change your Web browser's home and search page by adding components you may not want or need while making it difficult for you to re-establish your settings. In order to prevent spyware intrusion, end-users need to be very cautious when installing programs onto their computers, avoid installing freeware programs unless they are from a trusted source, and must make sure to read all license agreements prior to software installation. For more information, please contact Medical Information Technology at 305-243-5999 or write to us at help@med.miami.edu.
AIG VALIC, LINCOLN FINANCIAL GROUP, FIDELITY INVESTMENTS AND TIAA-CREF VISIT THE MEDICAL CAMPUS
A representative from Lincoln Financial Group will be on the medical campus to conduct individual financial counseling sessions from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today (Tuesday), August 23 and September 20. To schedule an appointment, contact Aimee Hugdahl toll-free at 866-524-2443, e-mail ahugdahl@lnc.com, or Theresa Yong at 866-772-4163, e-mail tmyong@lnc.com.
A representative from AIG VALIC will be on the medical campus to conduct individual financial counseling sessions on September 12 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
A representative from Fidelity Investments will be on the medical campus to conduct individual counseling sessions from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on August 24 and 25 and September 21 and 22. To schedule an appointment, call 1-800-642-7131.
A representative from TIAA-CREF will be at the medical campus on September 12 and 13, October 12 and 13, November 9 and 10, and December 14 and 15 to conduct individual counseling sessions. To schedule an appointment, click here http://www.tiaa-cref/moc, or call 1-800-842-2003 ext. 3522.
All counseling sessions from these organizations will take place in the Human Resources Benefits Office, 901 NW 17th St., suite D.
QUESTIONS ABOUT COMPLIANCE?
TWO UM HELPLINES CAN ASSIST YOU
Research integrity concerns? Report concerns regarding research integrity and adherence to federal or University regulations directly to the Office of the Vice Provost for Research at 305-243-6415, or you can call the University's toll-free, anonymous compliance hotline at 866-YOURCALL. Billing concerns? Address questions to the Office of Billing Compliance at 305-243-HELP or 877-415-HELP. For information regarding training programs offered by the Office of Billing Compliance, contact Gemma Romillo or Argelia Miro at 305-243-5842.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
SPONSORED PROGRAMS ROUNDTABLE SERIES
The goal of these monthly one-hour roundtable discussion groups is to provide a forum for administrators/staff to discuss topics related to sponsored programs with their colleagues. On Thursday, September 1, Gay Lapinski, research compliance officer, will present “Research Compliance Assessment Audits.” This presentation will be a description of the research compliance audit process--what we do, how we do it, and what to expect as an investigator regarding the conduct of an audit. These presentations will take place at noon in the Batchelor Building, first-floor conference room.
On Thursday, September 15, Sandy G. Blanco, director, Coral Gables Office of Research Administration, will present “Completing the Proposal Transmittal:
It’s Not As Easy As You Think.” The presentation will explore why the proposal transmittal form is an important part of the grant/contract submission process as well as address what the many fields mean and why they need to be completed. This discussion group will take place at noon in the Flipse Building, fifth-floor conference room (Room 502), on the Coral Gables campus.
Registration is required for all of the sessions:
1) Logon to NetLearning using your UM ID # (C-Number) at https://netlearning.miami.edu.
2) Search for class by changing the dates at the top to reflect classes offered.
3) Scroll to locate the September 1 or September 15 class, and click on Enroll located on the left.
For more information, please e-mail Maria Valero-Martinez at mvalero@med.miami.edu.
2005 AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH GRANT
The American Cancer Society Institutional Grant is providing funds for meritorious cancer research that cannot be readily supported through other funding mechanisms. The primary purpose of the ACS grant is to provide seed funds for the initiation of promising new projects or novel ideas by junior faculty members. Applicants must not have had any peer reviewed funding. An award of $20,000 is available for a one-year period. For guidelines and application forms for the ACS Institutional Research Grant, contact Dorothy Mills at 305-243-6292 or via e-mail at dmills@med.miami.edu. The deadline for applications is October 3.
HUMAN SUBJECT RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
The Center for Treatment Research on Adolescent Drug Abuse (CTRADA) is recruiting adolescents ages 12-17 for participation in a substance abuse treatment-research study. To be eligible, the adolescent’s parents must be willing to participate in treatment and assessments, adolescents must have moderate to severe substance use, and no more than three lifetime arrests. For more information, please call 305-243-5020 or write to jcooley@med.miami.edu. More information is also available on our website at www.miami.edu/CTRADA.
The University of Miami School of Medicine-Miami Heart Research Institute Cardiovascular DNA Diagnostic Laboratory is recruiting both pediatric and adult individuals and/or families with any of the following: QT interval greater than 0.5 at any time; lethal ventricular arrhythmias, especially in the setting of a first myocardial infarction; sudden cardiac death; drug-induced ventricular arrhythmias or long QT syndrome, or congenital long QT syndrome. These samples will be used for research studies of genes that may be associated with these conditions. To make a referral of a patient or family, or to obtain more information about our work, contact Nanette H. Bishopric, M.D., at n.bishopric@miami.edu, Todd Miller, Ph.D., at t.miller@miami.edu, Lisa Baumbach, Ph.D, at lbaumbac@med.miami.edu, or Shauntelle Elliott, RN, at selliott2@um-jmh.org.
The NIH-sponsored SARA Study (Study of Acid Reflux and Asthma) is recruiting asthmatic subjects between 18-60 years of age to determine if adding a drug that treats gastro-esophageal reflux (GERD) to usual asthma treatment reduces the number of asthma flare-ups. The study will be conducted on the medical school campus. Participants will be given a physical exam, a test to diagnose GERD and a pulmonary function test at study entry. They will then be asked to come to the laboratory for eight study visits over a six-month period to complete questionnaires about asthma symptoms and to perform a pulmonary function test. For more information about the study and compensation for participation, please call Eliana Mendes, M.D., at 305-243-2568.
Have you or one of your relatives been diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder? Are you in regular contact with this person? If so, you and your family member(s) may be eligible to participate in a free schizophrenia intervention study. In this study, you and your relatives will participate in four assessment sessions of approximately one and one-half to two hours each as well as a weekly family treatment of several 75-minute sessions. To enroll or learn more about the study, please contact Amy G. Weisman, Ph.D., at 305-284-5455.
Anique Bryan, M.D., and the clinical faculty of the Department of Family Medicine are recruiting type 2 diabetes patients for a one-year pharmacological study involving inhaled insulin. This study will focus on patients with uncontrolled diabetes despite being treated with two oral medications for at least two months prior to randomization. Study subjects must be over 18. Please contact Fulton Velez, senior research associate, at 305-243-2766 for details.
Researchers at the Rehabilitation Department are recruiting female multiple
sclerosis and spinal cord injury patients for a sexual dysfunction study.
Interested women should contact the study office at 305-585-1339, or e-mail cramos3@med.miami.edu.
The AIDS Clinical Research Unit, under the direction of Margaret Fischl, M.D., is recruiting participants for a therapeutic HIV-1 vaccine study. Participants must be 18 to 50 years of age, receiving antiretroviral therapy, have an HIV-1 RNA level of less than 500 copies/ml for at least two years, and have a CD4 cell count 500 ccm or higher. For more information, contact Juan Casuso at 305-243-3838 or Leslie Thompson at l.thompson@miami.edu.
The AIDS Clinical Research Unit is also recruiting participants for a phase I IL-7 study (IL-7 is a cytokine that aids T-cell development and improves T-cell survival). Participants must be 18 to 50 years of age, receiving antiretroviral therapy for at least 12 months, have an HIV-1 RNA level less than or equal to 50,000 copies/ml, and have a CD4 cell count of 100 cells/ccm or higher. Participants must be willing to do 12-hour IL-7 blood level monitoring. Up to $200 in food certificates provided. For more information, contact Juan Casuso at 305-243-3838 or Leslie Thompson at l.Thompson@miami.edu.
More than 5.5 million women in North America are affected by endometriosis and its symptoms, including pelvic pain. If you have endometriosis, you may be eligible to participate in a clinical research study evaluating a new investigational medication for pelvic pain due to endometriosis. To qualify, you must be a woman between 18 and 45 with regular menstrual periods, have endometriosis diagnosed by a surgical procedure (laparoscopy or laparotomy) within the past three years, have moderate to severe pelvic pain due to endometriosis for at least three months, not be using oral contraceptives for the past 30 days, be sexually active, and have not had a surgical treatment for endometriosis in the past six months. For more information, please call 305-243-1613.
The Department of Psychology, Behavioral Medicine Research Center, is recruiting participants for several studies investigating the impact of psychological factors such as stress on quality of life and disease progression in several older adult (> 50 yrs. old) populations. The studies are actively recruiting men and women recently diagnosed with head and neck cancer, HIV-positive men, and men treated for advanced prostate cancer. For more information about these studies, please call Frank Penedo, Ph.D., at 305-575-7122.
The Center for Family Studies, Healthy Families Program, is recruiting HIV-positive women over the age of 18 with a recent history of substance abuse treatment. Women who participate in the study should also be willing to have at least one family member participate in their treatment. The Healthy Families Program is a family therapy-based intervention for HIV-positive women addressing issues such as HIV risk behavior, drug abuse relapse and HIV medication adherence. Participants will be assigned to either the family therapy-based intervention or a women's HIV education group, which will take place over four months. Participants will be interviewed at baseline and then at two- month intervals over the course of the 12-month study. Interested women should contact the Healthy Families Program office at 305-243-8149, or via e-mail at scross@med.miami.edu.
Sara Czaja, Ph.D., is leading a study of spinal cord injury in an aging population focusing on helping improve the quality of life of the patients and their caregivers. As Americans live longer, more people are aging with spinal cord injuries than ever before, presenting new challenges. This NIH-funded study will examine the value of a home-based program that combines psychological and social intervention, and using technology to help patients who have difficulty with mobility. For more information about the study, please call 305-355-9200.
The HPV vaccine has been developed with the goal of decreasing HPV infection and the persistence of HPV risk types responsible for cervical cancer. We are looking for healthy women between the ages of 15 to 25 who have not had prior abnormal pap smears, are not pregnant, are willing to receive the study vaccine, and are able to commit to a four-year follow up period. For more information, call Iliana Rivas at 305-243-5832.
The UM Skin Research Group, directed by Brian Berman, M.D., Ph.D., professor of dermatology and internal medicine, is conducting several research studies on keloids, hypertrophic scars, and atopic dermatitis (eczema). If you are interested in participating please contact us at 305-243-5519 or visit our website at http://www.skininvestigation.com.
Researchers at the MRI Center need healthy subjects for a magnetic resonance imaging study. For more information please visit http://midas.med.miami.edu/Research/MRStudies.htm.
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