e-Update
February 22, 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
--HIV Discoverer to Speak at Student Research Forum
--February’s Human Subjects Research Seminar
--Dean’s Patient Safety Colloquium Series
--UM/Sylvester Tumor Cell Biology Research Program
--Write Winning Grants Workshop for predoctoral students and postdoctoral fellows
--Challenging Cases in Urology Meeting
--Dialogue 5 of the Dialogues in Research Ethics Series
--Upcoming Calendar Events
--Human Subjects Research Opportunities
HIV DISCOVERER TO SPEAK AT STUDENT RESEARCH FORUM
Robert C. Gallo, M.D., co-discoverer of the HIV retrovirus, will be
delivering the keynote address at the 31st Annual Eastern-Atlantic Student Research Forum, Thursday at noon in the Retter Auditorium. University President Donna Shalala will introduce Dr. Gallo's speech titled "HIV & AIDS in its Third Decade: The Challenges and the Prospects for Meeting the Challenges." ESRF has consistently invited promising medical and graduate students from around the US and the globe to present their biomedical research and exchange ideas in Miami.
Seating is limited. For more information, please visit www.ESRFonline.com.
FEBRUARY’S HUMAN SUBJECTS RESEARCH SEMINAR
This month’s Human Subjects Research Seminar will feature Richard Steinbook, M.D., discussing “Protection of Human Subjects in Psychiatric Research.” The seminar will be held today (Tuesday), from noon to 1 p.m., at the Mailman Center, room 3023. Advance registration is required as room capacity is limited. Please e-mail MAbraham@med.miami.edu to reserve your space.
DEAN’S PATIENT SAFETY COLLOQUIUM SERIES
Christopher Cassirer, ScD, MPH, will discuss “Linking a Respectful and Healthy Workplace Culture to Employee Satisfaction, Patient Care, Service, Patient Safety and Performance,” as part of the Dean’s Patient Safety Colloquium Series. Cassirer, associate professor, The George Washington University, is an internationally recognized teacher, researcher and consultant with expertise in the fields of malpractice, risk/quality management, program evaluation, patient safety, development of executive management training and leadership programs. His past research has focused on examining the impact of alternative methods of financing medical malpractice risk on hospital risk and quality management programs, on strategic affiliations between religious and non-religious healthcare provider organizations, and, most recently, on the prevalence of abusive behavior in the medical workplace as a barrier to creating high-reliability organizations and a culture of patient safety. The lecture will be held on Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Mailman Center eighth floor auditorium. Physicians will be able to receive 1 CME credit. Please contact Shirley Brown at 305- 585-8364 or sbrown7@med.miami.edu for more information and to register for the colloquium. Advance registration is required since lunch will be provided.
UM/SYLVESTER TUMOR CELL BIOLOGY RESEARCH PROGRAM
Stephen J. Weiss, M.D., Upjohn Professor of Medicine and Oncology and chief, molecular medicine and genetics at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, will discuss “Cancer Cell Invasion - Proteolytic Remodeling of the 3-D Extracellular Matrix,” on Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. in UM/Sylvester conference room 1301. Refreshments will be served. For more information, please contact Kathy Salce at ksalce@med.miami.edu.
WRITE WINNING GRANTS WORKSHOP
The Office of Graduate Studies is pleased to announce an opportunity for predoctoral students and postdoctoral fellows to develop their grant writing skills. A half-day workshop entitled, “Write Winning Grants,” will take place on Thursday, from 1 to 5 p.m., in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building third floor auditorium. The emphasis of this workshop will be on research proposals in the biomedical sciences, specifically as it pertains to NIH funding. Topics will include:
- How to Develop an Irresistible, Fundable Idea
- Fundamentals and Principals of Successful Grant Writing
- The Review Process and Its Psychology
- Before You Begin To Write
- Tips on Writing for Reviewers
- Specific Aims: The Master Plan for Your Application
- Practical Exercise Evaluating Model Specific Aims Sections for Strengths and Weaknesses
Dr. Stephen Russell of Grant Writers’ Seminars and Workshops will conduct the seminar. Dr. Russell has held grant support from the National Institutes of Health as a principal investigator since the early 1970s, including individual, group, center, and training grants. Please visit www.grantcentral.com for more information. Participants who are registered graduate medical school students will receive a copy of Dr. Russell’s notes and The Grant Application Writer’s Workbook. Dr. Russell charges $50 for the workbook, and all other participants may pay this amount using an IDR upon registration.
Limited seating is available. If you are planning to attend, please e-mail your name and address to dierdre@miami.edu by tomorrow (Wednesday).
MIAMI LITE- WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES
There is still time! The Diabetes Research Institute weight loss program, Miami Lite, has been moved and will start Thursday, at 8 a.m.. at the DRI, 1450 NW 10th Avenue, first floor. Participants will meet 8 to 10 a.m. every Thursday for 12 weeks. This program is for individuals with Type 2 diabetes and is open to the public. It will help participants with weight loss, nutrition, controlling portion sizes, diabetes education, weight management techniques and guidelines for exercise. If you would like more information, please contact Anna P. Fraker at aperez4@med.miami.edu or call 305-243-3455.
CHALLENGING CASES IN UROLOGY
The Department of Urology will host a meeting on Friday and Saturday titled “Challenging Cases in Urology,” at the Fountainbleau Hotel in Miami Beach. Mark Soloway, M.D., chairman of the Department of Urology, will chair the meeting, which covers all subspecialties of urology using an interactive format to encourage participation. Registration fees are $495 for physicians; $325 for nurses, residents and students. For more information, please contact Imedex at 770-751-7332, or e-mail meetings@imedex.com.
UM/SYLVESTER DISTINGUISHED LECTURE SERIES
Robert Vessella, Jr., Ph.D., professor of urology and microbiology at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, will present “Inquiries Into The Biology Of Prostate Cancer Bone Metastases,” as part of the UM/Sylvester Distinguished Lecture Series. The lecture will be from noon to 1 p.m. Friday in UM/Sylvester conference room 1301. Lunch will be served. For more information, please call Diane Dames at 305-243-2287, or e-mail DDames@med.miami.edu.
DIALOGUES IN RESEARCH ETHICS
Dialogue 5 of the Dialogues in Research Ethics series focuses on A Better Approach to Animal Research: Insights from Neurological Complexity by Jeffrey Spike, Ph.D., Friday at noon in the room 3109 (the microbiology conference room) of the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building. Lunch will be provided. No RSVP is required to attend. A developmental or Darwinian understanding of comparative neurological complexity is a way to understand animal pain and suffering and, moreover, to draw an empirical line between proper and justified use of animals in scientific research on the one hand, and abuse on the other. Jeffrey Spike earned his Ph.D. in philosophy at The Johns Hopkins University and taught clinical and research ethics at the University of Rochester for 14 years before coming to the medical school at Florida State University in 2003.
Dialogues in Research Ethics is a series of monthly conferences. For more information, please call 305-243-5723 or send e-mail to ethics@miami.edu.
SOUTH FLORIDA MODEL SPINAL CORD INJURY SYSTEM INFORMATIONAL TOUR
The South Florida Model Spinal Cord Injury System will present an informational tour for participants to learn more about the Spinal Cord Injury Out-Patient Clinic at the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine on Tuesday, February 22. Tour participants will also meet investigators at the Miami VA SCI Center of Excellence, attend a formal presentation on the latest research at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, and learn more about community outreach programs for individuals with spinal cord injuries. The tour will meet at the Jackson Memorial Hospital Rehabilitation Center lobby at 1 p.m. For reservations, please contact Mayra M. Miró, Psy.D., at 305-585-1339, or e-mail mmiro@med.miami.edu.
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 1 to 2 p.m. at the JMH Rehabilitation Center third floor auditorium. Dr. Irene M. Estores, assistant professor of clinical rehabilitation medicine, will present “Medical Issues,” part one of a series of presentations on “Women’s Issues After SCI.” For more information, please contact Mayra M. Miró, Psy.D., at 305-585-1339, or at mmiro@med.miami.edu.
FINANCIAL ADVICE FROM LINCOLN FINANCIAL GROUP
A representative from Lincoln Financial Group will be at the medical campus to conduct individual financial counseling sessions today (Tuesday) and March 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Human Resources Benefits Office, 901 NW 17th St., suite D. To schedule an appointment, contact Aimee Hugdahl toll-free at 866-524-2443, or via e-mail at ahughdahl@lnc.com, or contact Theresa Yong at 866-772-4163, e-mail at tmyong@lnc.com.
GAIL F. BEACH MEMORIAL 2004-2005 VISITING LECTURESHIP SERIES
Jeffrey D. Macklis, M.D., director of the Massachusetts General Hospital-Harvard Medical School Center for Nervous System Repair, co-director of the Regeneration and Repair Program at the Harvard Center for Neurodegeneration and Repair, and program head in neuroscience at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, will present "Cellular Repair of Complex Cortical Circuitry by Neural Precursors and Induction of Neurogenesis," on Wednesday, March 2, at noon in the Lois Pope LIFE Center seventh-floor auditorium. For more information, call 305-243-7108 or go to http://www.miamiproject.med.miami.edu/x381.xml.
CHILD CAR SEAT INSTALLATION CHECK
Did you know that most child car seats are not installed correctly? To ensure that your child car seat is installed correctly a certified child passenger safety technician will be available on the following 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.
BASCOM PALMER CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION PRESENTATIONS
“Cataract and Refractive Surgery Congress” will be Friday and Saturday at the Biltmore Hotel. There is a $190 registration fee. “Risk Management 2005”will be held on Tuesday, March 12 at the Retter Auditorium in Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. The fee to attend is $125 for MDs, $50 for nurses, technicians and administrators. “New Horizons in Ophthalmology” will take place in The Little Nell Hotel, Aspen, Colorado, March 31 through April 2. The registration fee is $595. For more information on these or other Bascom Palmer courses, please contact the Continuing Medical Education office at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, 900 NW 17th St., or by calling 305-326-6110, fax 305-326-6518, or e-mail bpeicme@med.miami.edu. Visit the Bascom Palmer Web site at www.bascompalmer.org.
THIRD MIAMI INTERNATIONAL REVASCULARIZATION SUMMIT
The Third Miami International Revascularization Summit will be held Friday, February 25, through Sunday, February 27, at Wyndham Miami Beach Resort, 4833 Collins Ave. This course includes real patient cases and is designed to provide interactive education on the advances in percutaneous, peripheral and surgical interventions, cardiac imaging and prevention. It offers a maximum of 19.5 category 1 credits toward the AMA PRA. For more information please contact the Division of Continuing Medical Education at 305-243-6716, or e-mail umcme@med.miami.edu.
NAVIGATING INFOED SPIN PLUS
Looking for funding opportunities? Searching for a collaborator? Learn to navigate InfoEd SPIN Plus to locate funding opportunities or to find potential collaborators during a session on Monday, February 28, at the Lois Pope LIFE Center seventh-floor auditorium, from 3 to 4 p.m. Learn about SPIN (Sponsored Program Information Network), a funding database designed to provide up-to-date information on federal, non-federal and international funding opportunities; Global Expertise Network for Industry, University and Scholars (GENIUS), an extensive database listing potential collaborators from over 600 institutions; and SMARTS (SPIN Matching and Research Transmittal Service), an electronic matching and funding opportunity notification system. To register, log on to NetLearning using your UM ID # (C-Number) at https://netlearning.miami.edu. Search for the class by changing the dates at the top to show classes offered in February. Scroll to locate the February 28th class and click on Enroll located on the left. For more information about this workshop, please e-mail Maria Valero-Martinez at mvalero@med.miami.edu.
POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME CLINIC OPENS
Nahida Chakhtoura, M.D., and the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, announce the opening of their new polycystic ovarian syndrome clinic at the UM Infertility Center, located in Cedars Medical Center, suite 5. Please call 305-243-8642 for a consultation.
PICK UP YOUR MOMENTUM DVD
Limited quantities of the Momentum campaign DVD are available through the Office of Medical Communications. The DVD tells the exciting story of the School of Medicine’s campaign objectives through the words of our physicians, research scientists, students, and grateful patients. Contact Mark N. Levine, director of capital campaign communications, at 305-243-2557 for your copy.
TIAA-CREF VISITS THE MEDICAL CAMPUS
A representative from TIAA-CREF will be on the medical campus on March 9 and 11; April 5 and 6; May 11, and June 8 in the Human Resources Benefits Office, 901 NW 17th St., suite D, to conduct individual counseling sessions. To schedule an appointment, go to http://www.tiaa-cref.org/moc, or call toll-free 1-800-842-2003 ext. 3522.
MEN’S BASKETBALL SEASON ENDS ON SATURDAY
All Hurricane basketball ticket holders who attend the sold out basketball season finale game on Saturday will enjoy a night dedicated to two student-athletes participating in their final home game as a Miami Hurricane: Will Frisby and Brandon Okpalobi. Ticket holders are encouraged to arrive early and visit www.umconvocationcenter.com for parking information. Doors will open at 3 p.m. for this game. The game will also be broadcast live on Raycom/Jefferson Pilot television, WQAM (560 AM) and WVUM (90.5 FM) radio. To order season tickets for the 2005-06 Hurricane basketball season, please call 305-284-CANES or visit www.hurricanesports.com.
IDX INSTALLATIONS VERSION 2.5
Medical Information Technology is installing IDX version 2.5 throughout the month of February. This is an automatic install that will only require that your computer be restarted. If you have questions or concerns, please contact the Medical Information Technology service desk at 305-243-5999.
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 Nancy Rivero at 305-243-5842.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
EAP SEMINAR ON BRINGING OUT STRENGTHS
Unfortunately, most of us have little sense of our personal strengths, much less the ability to build our lives around them. However, when people become aware of and tap into these strengths, they can achieve powerful results. Based on the popular book, “Now, Discover Your Strengths,” this seminar will show people how to develop their unique talents and strengths -- and those of the people they influence. Participants will learn to discover their talents and build them into strengths, to bring out the unique strengths in the important people in their lives, and to manage their work and relationships based on those insights. The course will be held in the UM/Sylvester conference room 1301 on Wednesday, March 2, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. To enroll, go to http://netlearning.miami.edu. If you have any questions about the online registration system please call 305-243-3090. For questions about content call the EAP at 305-284-6604. Supervisors are encouraged to post this notice for employees who do not have electronic access.
NEW CONCEPTS IN OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY CONFERENCE
The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology will be presenting a conference on New Concepts in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Alexander Hotel in Miami Beach March 2 through 5. This program is designed to provide a comprehensive update of problems encountered in obstetrics and gynecology and its subspecialties. New information will be presented that can be used in daily gynecological practice, and participants will also be able to determine when more advanced technologies are necessary. Participants are encouraged to bring clinical problems for discussion. For more information, please contact pmundy@med.miami.edu, or call 305-585-5131. You can also register on-line at http://www.ob-gyn.med.miami.edu/events.asp.
ALUMNI WEEKEND 2005
School of Medicine alumni are invited to share in three days of fun, camaraderie, learning and reminiscing during Alumni Weekend 2005, March 4-6. The weekend’s events promise to engage both the mind and the heart, including faculty-led continuing medical education sessions, alumni achievements, and a variety of social engagements that will provide an opportunity to reconnect with former classmates and meet renowned faculty and medical students. For details and to register, visit the Medical Alumni Association Web site at www.miami.edu/medical-alumni.
DR. MARY BARTLETT BUNGE TO RECEIVE LOIS POPE LIFE INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH AWARD
Mary Bartlett Bunge, Ph.D., a pioneer in spinal cord injury research, is the recipient of this year’s Lois Pope LIFE International Research Award. She will hold a scientific presentation discussing novel combination strategies to repair the injured spinal cord on March 8 from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Lois Pope LIFE Center seventh floor auditorium.
HEPATOBILIARY DISEASE IN CLINICAL PRACTICE
Sponsored by the School of Medicine and the Center for Liver Diseases/Division of Hepatology, this March 10-12 conference will present an update of knowledge in the diagnosis and management of liver and biliary disease. This course is directed toward internists, alimentary tract surgeons and other physicians, residents, nurses and allied health professionals who deal with these complex patients and issues. It offers a maximum of 12 category 1 credits toward the AMA PRA. For more information, please contact the Division of Continuing Medical Education at 305-243-6716, or e-mail umcme@med.miami.edu.
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY, FLORIDA DIVISION
2005 SUMMER RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
American Cancer Society, Florida Division, is inviting applications
from qualified medical or undergraduate students, who are residents of Florida or attend a degree-granting Florida institution full-time, to work in a UM/ Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center laboratory from June 1 to August 31, 2005. Eligible applicants must have completed their sophomore year of college by June 1. Awardees cannot be otherwise employed by the University of Miami during this summer fellowship, and students must identify a sponsor and work on a cancer-related project in the research laboratory of a UM/Sylvester investigator. For more information and an application, please contact Kathy Salce at ksalce@med.miami.edu, phone: 305-243-2287. Applications are due by April 1. A total of six fellowships are available at $2,500 each for the three-month period.
MEDICAL FACULTY ASSOCIATION’S 51st ANNUAL FUNDRAISER
The Medical Faculty Association will hold its 51st annual fundraiser to benefit the students of the Miller School of Medicine on Friday, April 1. We will celebrate our fellowship and support our mission with a "Dinner at the Ritz" in Coconut Grove. If you would like to receive an invitation, please contact Kristin Podack at 305-285-1477 (kpodack@hotmail.com) or Linda Fitzpatrick at 305-774-9207 (lindafitz46@hotmail.com).
HUMAN SUBJECT RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
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 Dr. Frank Penedo
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 ralvarez4@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, 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 SPARE Study (Soy Phytoestrogens As Replacement Estrogen) is currently
recruiting women between 45-58 years of age to study the role of soy phytoestrogens
given in tablet form to prevent bone loss. Participants will be given a
physical exam at study entry, an annual mammogram and bone density test,
and will be asked to come for 10 study visits over a period of two years
for blood tests and to complete questionnaires about diet, exercise, and
well-being. Interested women should contact the SPARE Study Office at 305-243-4330
or via e-mail at aherrin@med.miami.edu.
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 and chronic idiopathic urticaria. If you are interested in participating please contact us at 305-243-5519 or visit our website at 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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