e-Update
December 30,
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
--Weight Loss Program to Begin
--Smoking Cessation Program
--Self Defense Courses Coming
--Women’s Faculty Group
--Medical Purchasing Schedule, Contacts
--Acupuncture Offered to Employees
--Bookstore Holiday Hours
--Spinal Cord Lecture
--‘Canes Basketball News
--Upcoming Calendar Events
NEW WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM
We’re ready to move ahead with the new weight loss program called “FitExpress” which
is uniquely designed to help you achieve your fitness goals. The program will
offer supervised exercise, nutritional counseling, lifestyle coaching, health
assessments, personalized fitness plans and incentives. Anyone interested must
attend one of two information sessions, either Wednesday, January 14, at 12:15
p.m. in the Sieron Building, second floor, rooms A and B, or Thursday, January
15, at 5:15 p.m. in the Diabetes Research Institute first-floor conference
room 1000. E-mail zcalvert@miami.edu to
reserve a seat.
SMOKING CESSATION PROGRAM BEGINS
Are you tired of letting cigarettes control your life? Take back control. Another
round of the UM BeSmokeFree program will begin in the final weeks of January
and is open to faculty, staff and dependents, students, and those not affiliated
with the university. The program offers multiple innovative techniques designed
to complement the basic support group/classroom sessions, including pharmacological
treatments like the nicotine patch, gum, inhaler, lozenge, and Zyban (free
to UM health insurance plan members), a 12-week supervised exercise program
emphasizing cardiovascular fitness (75% reimbursement for UM health insurance
plan members), acupuncture and hypnotherapy (100% reimbursement for UM health
insurance plan members), individualized treatment plans, and free quit kits
filled with healthy alternatives to cigarettes. BeSmokeFree includes seven
group sessions over a six-week program. The cost is $84 for each participant,
and all UM health care plan members will receive a $12 voucher for each classroom
session they attend which can result in full reimbursement upon completion
of the program. For more information call 305-243-3209, or e-mail jpinto@miami.edu.
SELF-DEFENSE PROGRAMS
Statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice indicate that three out of four
women will be the victims of violent crime at some point in their life. You
are your best defense. Learn how to defend yourself before you need to with
two self-defense programs available to students, employees, and their loved
ones. S.A.F.E. (Self-defense Awareness and Familiarization Exchange) is a
two-hour program which uses simple strategies to help participants reduce
their risk and avoid dangerous situations. R.A.D. (Rape Aggression Defense)
is a 12-hour program which couples risk reduction with physical defense techniques
and takes advantage of the natural strengths of women while identifying attackers’ weaknesses.
The S.A.F.E. program is Thursday, January 22, from 12:15 to 2:15 p.m. in
the UM/Sylvester conference room 1301. The fee is $5 and the deadline to
register is January 19. R.A.D. classes are from 6 to 9 p.m. on February 17,
19, 24, and 26 in the Professional Development and Training office, Dominion
Parking Garage, Suite 105. The R.A.D. program costs $20 and the registration
deadline is February 13. For more information call 305-243-3209, or e-mail jpinto@miami.edu.
WOMEN’S FACULTY GROUP
Marca Sipski, M.D., interim chair of Rehabilitation Medicine and director of
the Center of Excellence in Spinal Cord Injury at the VA Medical Center,
has organized the Women’s Faculty Group to discuss issues of importance
to members and guests. The group, which is open only to UM faculty members,
will hold weekly presentations on a variety of issues. Sherrill Hayes, Ph.D.,
P.T., director of the Division of Physical Therapy, will address negotiation
skills on Tuesday, January 6, at noon, in the JMH Rehab Center, third-floor
auditorium. If you are interested in joining or volunteering, please e-mail mzamora@med.miami.edu.
MEDICAL PURCHASING HOLIDAY SCHEDULE
AND EMERGENCY CONTACT NUMBERS
Medical Purchasing will be closed until the start of business on Monday, January
5. If there is an emergency during this break, please page one of the following
department contacts: Liana Morales at 305-838-2697, Zonnie Brown at 305-750-9069,
Lazaro Eizmendiz at 305-376-8176, or Carmen Oliva at 305-742-7001. For more
information, contact the Medical Purchasing Department at 305-243-6607.
REDUCE STRESS WITH ACUPUNCTURE
Acupuncture can help calm you and increase your vitality. You can get treatments
at the Employee Stress Reduction Acupuncture Clinic in Dominion Tower with
a $20 co-payment. Relax in the comfort of an oversized recliner while you
listen to the soothing sounds of music therapy during treatment. We also
offer nutritional supplements at wholesale prices. Clinic hours are Tuesdays
and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Tuesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. Call the
Division of Complementary & Integrative Medicine at 305-243-4751 to schedule
an appointment.
MEDICAL BOOKSTORE HOLIDAY HOURS
The Medical Bookstore will be open today from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. then closed
December 31-January 4. Customers can still order books anytime online at http://shop.efollett.com/htmlroot/bookstore/medical_books/MedBooksIndex.jsp.
TWO RESEARCHERS VISIT IN JANUARY
The Gail F. Beach Memorial 2003-04 Visiting Lectureship Series resumes Wednesday,
January 7, with Bror Alstermark, M.D., Ph.D., of Umea University,
Sweden. Dr. Alstermark will present "Control of Forelimb Movements
and Recovery after Spinal Cord Injury." On Wednesday, January 14,
Craig C. Garner, Ph.D., of Stanford University will present "Dynamic Assembly
of Nascent Synapses." Both lectures will be held in the Lois
Pope LIFE Center seventh-floor auditorium at noon. For more information
please call 305-243-7108. A complete listing of upcoming lectures may
be found at http://www.miamiproject.miami.edu/vls%20poster%202003-04.pdf
HURRICANES HOOPS ACTION
The Miami Hurricane Men’s Basketball team plays tonight against IP-Ft.
Wayne. Season tickets are still available for as low as $175 and individual
game tickets start at only $15.
Individual game tickets to all eight Big East conference basketball
games, including clashes with Pittsburgh, Georgetown and 2003 NCAA
national champions Syracuse, are now on sale. Call 305-284-CANES during
normal business hours. Tickets can also be purchased at the Convocation
Center ticket office, Hurricane ticket office, or by visiting www.hurricanesports.com.
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!
FINANCIAL ADVISORS VISIT CAMPUS IN JANUARY
FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSULTATIONS
Representatives from Fidelity Investments and TIAA-CREF will visit the medical
campus next month to conduct individual financial counseling sessions. Fidelity
will hold appointments on January 22, and TIAA-CREF will be on hand January
21 and 23. All meetings will be held at the Human Resources Benefits Office,
901 N.W. 17th St., Suite D. To schedule an appointment with Fidelity, call
800-642-7131. For a session with TIAA-CREF, call 877-267-4510 or visit http://www.tiaa-cref.org/moc.
LEARN TO WRITE WINNING GRANTS
The Office of Research is sponsoring “Write Winning Grants” on
Thursday and Friday, March 4 and 5, at the JMH Diagnostic Treatment Center
room 259. Stephen W. Russell, founding and managing member of Grant Writers'
Seminars and Workshops, L.L.C., will conduct the sessions. Russell has received
grant support from the National Institutes of Health as a principal investigator
since the early 1970s including individual, group, center, and training grants.
Attendance at the seminar is limited and participants will be selected through
an application process. The cost to attend is $125 and payment by check, IDR,
or credit card must accompany your application. For more information, contact
the Division of Continuing Medical Education at 305-243-6716. The deadline
for admission is January 15.
CANCER RESEARCH AWARDS LECTURE
Join us for the Second Annual Landon-AACR Awards Lecture, honoring achievement
in cancer research. This year’s recipients are Dennis J. Slamon, M.D.,
Ph.D., chief, Division of Hematology-Oncology and director of the Clinical/Translational
Program at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, honored for translational
research, and Charles J. Sherr, M.D., Ph.D., Herrick Foundation Chair, Department
of Tumor Cell Biology, investigator at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and
faculty member, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, honored for
basic research. Both recipients will speak at the awards lecture on Friday,
January 16 from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m., in the Lois Pope LIFE Center seventh-floor
auditorium. For more information please call 305-243-2287 or e-mail ksalce@med.miami.edu.
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH POSTER SESSION
All faculty and staff are invited to the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral
Sciences annual research poster session on Friday, January 16, at the Highland
Park Gymnasium, on the first floor of the Highland Park Pavilion at NW 17
Street and NW 8 Avenue, immediately east of the Mental Health Hospital Center.
The poster session is open from Noon to 2 p.m. Refreshments will be available.
MEDICAL EDUCATION GRAND ROUNDS AND WORKSHOP
George Bordage, M.D., Ph.D., professor and director of graduate studies for
the Master’s of Health Profession Education, Department of Medical
Education, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, will present “Learning
from and Sharing our Diagnostic Errors” on January 16 at noon, RMSB
fifth-floor auditorium. The grand rounds and workshop will focus on identifying
types of diagnostic errors, how to avoid them, and methods of exposing errors
without blame. Lunch will be served. For more information please contact
the Department of Medical Education at 305-243-7482.
FRESHMAN PINNING CEREMONY
Join the School of Medicine student body, Department of Medical Education and
the Office of Medical Development and Alumni Affairs in passing the torch
to the newest generation of future physicians at the fourth annual Freshman
Pinning Ceremony. This tradition was created by a group of students to establish
a link between classes at the School of Medicine. This year’s event
will be held Friday, January 16, at 2 p.m. in the Schoninger Research Quadrangle.
All students, faculty, and alumni are invited to participate. For more information,
contact Rachel Dawkins RachelLDawkins@aol.com.
RECENT PRACTICAL ADVANCES IN PATHOLOGY COURSE
The Department of Pathology will hold its 29th Annual Review and Recent Practical
Advances in Pathology course at the Fontainebleau Hilton, January 19 to 23
from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. each day. This popular annual conference is attended
by many pathologists from the United States and abroad. Topics include the
pathology of breast, placenta, mediastinum, female and male genital tracts,
as well as discussions on hematopathology, cytopathology and dermatopathology.
Courses are conducted by renowned guest speakers and University of Miami
faculty. For more information or registration, please contact Linda Hung
at 305-585-6103, or e-mail lhung@med.miami.edu.
SPINAL CORD INJURY CONFERENCE
The Department of Rehabilitation Medicine in conjunction with the South Florida
Spinal Cord Injury Model System (SFSCIMS), The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis,
Jackson Memorial Medical Center and the Miami VA Medical Center will present
the Third Annual Spinal Cord Injury Conference at the Miami Project to Cure
Paralysis, seventh-floor auditorium, Lois Pope LIFE Center on Tuesday, January
20. Consumers, students and professional health care providers are invited
to the conference, which runs from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Topics will include
an update on progress training the spinal cord, translational research, new
findings related to exercise and SCI, treating complications of spinal cord
injury, recent research highlights, ongoing clinical trials and more. Registration
is free and the conference is open to the public. For more information please
call 305-585-1339.
NEUROLOGICAL UPDATE 2004
The Division of Continuing Medical Education presents this annual update to
provide clinicians with the latest developments in the diagnosis and management
of neurological disorders, January 28 to 31 at the Roney Palace Resort and
Spa in Miami Beach. Discounts are available for physicians who register before
January 5. To learn more, please call 305-243-6716 or e-mail umcme@med.miami.edu.
FACULTY SENATE HONORS LAW PROFESSOR
Marc A. Fajer, Professor of Law, has been selected as the recipient of the
Faculty Senate’s 2004 Outstanding Teacher Award. All faculty members
are invited to attend a ceremony honoring Professor Fajer on Friday, January
30th at 3 p.m. in the Storer Auditorium, School of Business Administration.
For more information contact the Faculty Senate Office at 305-284-3721 or
e-mail facsen@miami.edu.
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY WINTER SYMPOSIUM
You can register now for the Miami Nature Biotechnology Winter Symposium, "The
Cell Cycle, Chromosomes and Cancer,” January 31 through February 4, at
the Radisson Deauville Hotel, Miami Beach. Abstracts for posters are still
being accepted until January 9. Tuition remission is available for full-time
eligible UM staff and graduate student registration waivers are still available.
To register, e-mail lcastro@med.miami.edu or sblack@miami.edu.
|
