e-Update

April 29, 2003
Weekly News Briefs

e-Update is distributed weekly to keep faculty and staff at the University of Miami 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
--McKnight Brain Research Foundation Donates $5 Million to School of Medicine
--City of Miami Parking Surcharge Refund Requests Still Being Accepted
--President and Provost On Hand at General Medical Faculty Meeting, May 13
--Support Group Offers Forum for Family and Friends of Military Overseas
--University of Miami Behavioral Health Honored with Full Accreditation
--Wellness Center Brings Self-Defense Techniques to Women on Medical Campus
--Upcoming Calendar Events

GIFT TO SCHOOL OF MEDICINE CREATES EVELYN F.
MCKNIGHT CENTER FOR AGE-RELATED MEMORY LOSS

The McKnight Brain Research Foundation announced a $5 million gift to the School of Medicine last week, in support of research that will unlock the mysteries of the brain and offer treatment solutions for memory disorders. The donation will create the Evelyn F. McKnight Center for Age-Related Memory Loss to house the school’s research efforts in this discipline. Support from the McKnight Foundation will allow the School of Medicine to recruit a world class cognitive neuroscientist to lead the center. To learn more about this gift and the new center, visit http://www.med.miami.edu/admin/communication/news/view.asp?id=94.

DEADLINE EXTENDED FOR CITY OF
MIAMI PARKING SURCHARGE REFUND

Those who paid the City of Miami Parking Surcharge at the medical center from September 1, 1999, through September 30, 2002, should have received a memo from the University Parking Office enclosing a claim form and a receipt to submit to the Parking Surcharge Litigation Fund. The April 11, 2003, deadline for submitting your refund request has been extended. The extension date is unknown at this time. Therefore, anyone who failed to apply for the refund because the original deadline had passed should submit a refund request immediately. If you have any questions, review the surcharge website at www.miamisurcharge.com or e-mail your questions to the parking office at UMparking@med.miami.edu. You may also call the parking office at 305-243-6280, option 2. However, our capacity to respond to e-mail is greater and preferred.

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE GENERAL FACULTY
MEETING SCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY, MAY 13

Save the date for a general faculty meeting May 13, 7:30 a.m., in the Retter Auditorium, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. All School of Medicine faculty members are encouraged to attend. UM President Donna E. Shalala and Provost Luis Glaser will be at the meeting.

SUPPORT GROUP FOR EMPLOYEES WITH FAMILY
OR FRIENDS SERVING IN THE MILITARY OVERSEAS

The Employee Assistance Program is offering a free support group for employees who have family members or friends serving overseas due to the conflict with Iraq. The forum will provide support to those with a shared experience and identify helpful resources for coping, among other things. The group will meet May 1, 12:30 to 2 p.m., Dominion Parking Garage, Suite 155. To register, visit http://www.miami.edu/development-training. Questions? Call 305-284-6604.

FULL ACCREDITATION GRANTED TO
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

University of Miami Behavioral Health (UMBH), a division of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, has been granted three-year full accreditation as a Managed Behavioral Health Organization by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), effective April 15, 2003, for commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid members. NCQA accreditation evaluates how well an organization manages all parts of its delivery system in order to continuously improve health care for its members. To receive NCQA accreditation, an organization must meet approximately 60 standards for quality in seven categories: quality management and improvement; accessibility, availability, referral, and triage; utilization management; credentialing and recredentialing; members' rights and resposibilities; preventive behavioral health care services; and clinical evaluation and treatment records. For additional information about NCQA, visit http://www.ncqa.org. For more information about UMBH and its services, visit http://umbh.med.miami.edu.

LEARN TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM VIOLENT
CRIME AT WOMEN’S SELF-DEFENSE COURSE

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, three out of four women will be the victims of violent crime during their lifetime. Sign up now for the S.A.F.E. National Self-Defense Institute Program and learn the skills to protect yourself. The course will be held June 9, noon to 1:30 p.m., and will teach you how to reduce your risk, avoid dangerous situations, and use simple strategies that can help you avoid being attacked. You also will learn life-saving techniques on how to save yourself if you do become a victim. The registration fee is $5 and the deadline for registration is June 5. Call Zelda Calvert at 305-243-3209 to enroll.

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. Medicare and billing concerns? Address questions to Third Party Reimbursement/Office of Compliance at 305-243-HELP or 877-415-HELP. For information about this helpline or training programs offered by the compliance office, contact Gemma Romillo at 305-243-5842.


MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

FIDELITY INVESTMENTS VISITS THE MEDICAL
CAMPUS TO ANSWER YOUR FINANCIAL QUESTIONS

A representative from Fidelity Investments will be at the School of Medicine on May 1 to conduct individual financial counseling sessions. To schedule an appointment call 1-800-642-7131.

UM/SYLVESTER RESEARCH POSTER
COMPETITION ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

Abstracts for the the 2003 UM/Sylvester Research Poster Session/Competition will be accepted through May 1. Posters will be displayed and winners announced in conjunction with the annual Zubrod Memorial Lectureship on May 29. The event also will feature the announcement of the 2003 Awards for Outstanding Cancer Research. First and second prizes of $500 and $250 will be awarded in each of three categories: fellows, graduate students/postdocs, and residents/medical students. For application instructions and nomination forms contact Kathy Salce, Office of Education and Training at 305/243-2287 or ksalce@med.miami.edu. Ralph M. Steinman, M.D., Henry G. Kunkel Professor and Senior Physician and head of the Laboratory of Cellular Physiology and Immunology at The Rockefeller University in New York, is this year's distinguished guest lecturer. He will present “The Control of Immunity and Tolerance by Dendritic Cells,” from noon to 1 p.m. on May 29.

RENOWNED SCIENTIST PRESENTS
RESEARCH ON PROTEIN KINASES

The students of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics welcome special guest speaker Susan S. Taylor, Ph.D., professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego. Taylor’s research focuses on protein kinases, which are signaling molecules in the cell that are involved in diverse processes such as cell cycle regulation, muscle contraction and metabolism, and learning and memory. Her studies have defined the molecular features, dynamics and localization of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). Taylor will present "Dynamics of PKA Structure and Localization" on May 2, noon, in the Rosenstiel Building, fourth floor auditorium. Visit http://chroma.med.miami.edu/physiol/events.htm for more information.

BASCOM PALMER HOSTS
2003 VITREORETINAL MEETING

Retinal surgeons and general ophthalmologists who diagnose and treat retinal diseases can learn more about current treatment options for vitreoretinal conditions at the 2003 Vitreoretinal Meeting, May 2 – 3, at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute’s Retter Auditorium. Bascom Palmer Eye Institute faculty will join guest speakers for an expert discussion. Registration is $250 for practicing physicians, and there is no charge for residents or fellows. Call 305-326-6110 for further information.

VISITING LECTURER TO DISCUSS ROLE OF
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM IN SEXUAL REFLEXES

The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis continues the Gail F. Beach Memorial Visiting Lectureship Series with “Understanding the Central Nervous System Regulation of Urogenital Responses. A Basic Science Approach,” presented by Lesley Marson, Ph.D., associate professor of urology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Marson has conducted research concerning central nervous system control of sexual reflexes in males and females for the last 12 years. In 1990, she discovered the area of the brain that tonically inhibits spinal cord sexual reflexes. More recent work has examined the pharmacological control of spinal sexual reflexes and the brain and spinal circuits that mediate these responses. The lecture will be held on May 7, noon, in the James A. Batten Apex Center, Lois Pope LIFE Center, seventh floor auditorium.

EMORY RESEARCHER DISCUSSES HIV/AIDS
INTERVENTION FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN

The UM Drug Abuse and AIDS Research Center and the Miami-Dade County Health Department, Office of HIV/AIDS, have joined forces to bring research innovations to community providers through a campaign called Project SHARE -- Sharing HIV/AIDS Research Efforts. This bimonthly seminar series brings HIV intervention programs to public health clinics, grassroots providers, and social service agencies. An expert panel will discuss how these interventions can be adopted in South Florida. The next speaker in the series is Gina Wingood, Sc.D., codirector of the Behavioral and Social Science Core at the Emory University Center for AIDS Research, who will present an HIV prevention intervention for African-American women that focuses on women’s sexual behaviors, sexually transmitted infections and unhealthy relational influences among African-American women. The seminar will be held May 9, noon to 2 p.m., at Founders’ Hall (former location of the Faculty Club) on the Coral Gables campus. Space is limited. Contact Tamy Kuper at 305-243-6430 or tkuper@med.miami.edu to RSVP.

LEARN ESSENTIAL INFORMATION ABOUT
SMALLPOX AT UM/SYLVESTER LECTURE

The UM/Sylvester Education Department presents “Smallpox: What You Need to Know.” Denise R. Eccles, UMSylvester Infection Control Coordinator will offer this lecture on May 13, 8 to 9 a.m., in Sylvester conference room 1301. One Nursing Contact Hour will be provided, and breakfast will be available. RSVP is required by May 8. Call Lisa at 305-243-9192  to reserve your space.

FUNDAMENTALS OF SUPERVISION
FOR NEW MANAGERS, SUPERVISORS

The Fundamentals of Supervision course features information-packed sessions that will enhance your supervisory growth and development. Learn important policies and procedures and how to comply with your requirements as a supervisor, study personal liability issues, obtain a valuable reference manual, and network with your colleagues. Managers and supervisors who have not completed the program are required to attend. Participants will receive a certificate upon completion of the three sessions. The next installment will begin May 16. Preregistration is required and can be completed by calling 305-243-3090 or visiting http://www.miami.edu/development-training.


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