e-Update
December 14 ,
2004
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
--How to Reach the Miller Family
--Funeral Services for Dr. James Ofengand
--Final Week for United Way Contributions
--Cell Biology Research Forum
--Conversations about Cancer Seminar
--Small-Cell Lung Cancer Workshop
--Nights with the Miami Heat
--ACC Tickets on Sale This Friday
--Beware of Theft During This Holiday Season
--Cellular Phone Discounts
--‘Canes Basketball News
--Upcoming Calendar Events
--Human Subjects Research Opportunities
CONTACTING THE MILLER FAMILY
Many of you have asked how you could contact the Miller family to express your appreciation for their incredible donation to the School of Medicine. All correspondence should be sent to the following address:
Sue Miller
Attn: Kathy Sierra
Lennar Corp.
700 NW 107 Avenue
Miami, FL 33172
Please direct any questions about the School’s name change to the Office of Communications at communications@med.miami.edu.
FUNERAL SERVICES FOR DR. JAMES OFENGAND
James Ofengand, Ph.D., research professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the School of Medicine, passed away suddenly last week. Funeral arrangements have been made for 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Blasberg-Levitt-Weinstein Funeral Home, 720 71st St., Miami Beach. There will be a Jewish service at the funeral home chapel followed by a reception at the family home at 1555 Cleveland Rd. on Miami Beach. After the religious ceremony is completed, family will welcome anyone who would like to say a few words about how Dr. Ofengand touched their lives. If you have any questions, you may reach Dr. Ofengand’s son Erik or his wife Sigrud at 305-867-0855 or 305-979-0247. Sigrud’s e-mail address is sigrudpolyglot@earthlink.net.
FINAL WEEK FOR THE UNITED WAY CAMPAIGN
This is the final stretch for the 2004 United Way Campaign. If you haven’t already done so, please take a moment today to fill out your pledge card or online pledge form. Every dollar counts. If you need a pledge card, or for more information, please contact Community Relations at 305-243-3453. You may also make your donation online through the EASY system at www.easy.miami.edu.
CELL BIOLOGY RESEARCH FORUM
Gregg L. Semenza, M.D., Ph.D., director, Vascular Program, Institute for Cell Engineering, and professor, Departments of Pediatrics, Medicine, Oncology, Radiation Oncology, and Institute of Genetic Medicine in The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, will present "Overexpression of HIF-1 in Human Cancer: Mechanisms and Consequences," on Tuesday (today) at noon in the fourth-floor auditorium of the Rosenstiel Medical Sciences Building. For more information, please call 305-243-6691.
CONVERSATIONS ABOUT CANCER SERIES
An educational program, “The Value of DNA Analysis for Predicting Outcomes in Cervical Cancer,” will be presented from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday at UM/Sylvester at Deerfield Beach, 1192 East Newport Center Drive, Suite 100. The presenter is Aaron Wolfson, M.D., co-leader, Gynecologic Cancer Site Disease Group, UM/Sylvester, and professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, UM School of Medicine. Please call 1-800-545-2292 to register. Seating is limited.
SMALL-CELL LUNG CANCER WORKSHOP
The Thoracic Oncology Group presents Alan B. Sandler, M.D., associate professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology Oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and medical director, Thoracic Oncology Program, Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center Affiliate Network Program, who will be hosting a workshop on “Current Strategies for the Treatment of Small-Cell Lung Cancer” from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday in UM/Sylvester room 1301. For more information, please contact Yohanna Zaldumbide, RN, nurse coordinator, at 305-243-5991.
NIGHTS WITH THE MIAMI HEAT
University employees, friends and family members are invited to purchase discounted tickets when the Miami Heat face the Seattle Sonics at the American Airlines Arena on January 3 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be available for the special rates of $25 and $12, and must be purchased by Thursday, December 30. For more information, contact Craig Stedman at 786-777-4254.
ACC TICKETS ON SALE THIS FRIDAY
Individual tickets for all eight Atlantic Coast Conference games for the 2004-05 Hurricane basketball season go on sale this Friday at 6 p.m. via www.hurricanesports.com, the official website of the Miami Hurricanes. Secure your seats now to see games against 2004 NCAA Finalist Georgia Tech, 2004 ACC Tournament Champion Maryland, perennial powers Wake Forest and Duke and other great ACC opponents. Don't miss the Hurricanes' inaugural game against two-time NCAA Champion NC State on Sunday, January 9, at 4 p.m. Starting Monday, December 20, at 8:30 a.m., tickets can be ordered by phone at 305-284-CANES in Dade County, or 1-800-GO-CANES outside Dade County.
THE MORT SILVERBLATT HEAD AND NECK CANCER SUPPORT GROUP
The Mort Silverblatt Head and Neck Cancer Support Group will meet from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Tuesday (today) at UM/Sylvester at Deerfield Beach, 1192 East Newport Center Drive, Suite 100. The topic will be advocacy. Participants are asked to bring and share their favorite holiday recipes. The support group is free of charge and open to all head and neck cancer survivors. Participants do not need to be patients of UM/Sylvester. The group meets the second Tuesday of every month. For additional information, including directions to UM/Sylvester at Deerfield Beach, please call 1-800-545-2292 or 305-243-1000.
BEWARE OF THEFT DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON
The Department of Security is reminding all employees that securing personal items such as purses, wallets, and gifts is important all year long, but particularly vital during this time of the year. The holiday season brings an increase in thefts from offices and workstations. Thieves target items left under desks, and in unlocked cabinets and unsecured desk drawers. It only takes a minute to steal from an unsecured area. Please help us put an end to this by locking your offices, desks, cabinets, and storage areas when unattended. You may contact Walter Lee, manager, investigations and crime prevention, with any questions or suggestions at 305-243-6280, ext. 5, or e-mail wlee2@med.miami.edu. You may visit the security web site at http://ummcsd.med.miami.edu/SECURITY/security.htm for other alerts and crime prevention information. Best wishes to all for a wonderful holiday season from your security team.
UM/SYLVESTER DISTINGUISHED LECTURE SERIES
Karl T. Riabowol, Ph.D., Canadian Institutes of Health Research & Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Scientist Professor in the Cancer Biology Research Group at the University of Calgary Health Sciences Centre, will present “Biological Activities of the ING Family of Class II Tumor Suppressors” as part of the UM/Sylvester Distinguished Lecture Series. The lecture will be from noon to 1 p.m. on Friday in UM/Sylvester conference room 1301. After attending this session, attendees should be able to explain how replication age is important for biological age and cancer incidence, introduce the newly described ING family of Class II tumor suppressors, and describe how the ING proteins relate to histone deacetylases (HDACs) and HDAC inhibitors. Lunch will be served. For more information, please call Diane Dames at 305-243-2287, or e-mail DDames@med.miami.edu.
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI AND AT&T WIRELESS/CINGULAR
University employees and families are now eligible to receive monthly discounts, special promotions and equipment pricing courtesy of AT&T Wireless/Cingular. Discounts include 25 percent off accessories and new phones, 15 percent off monthly bills, a free Nokia 6010 phone, and more. If you already have an AT&T phone, contact AT&T Wireless National Business Services at 1-800-388-3235 to be enrolled in the company cellular program. Provide your name, address, and cellular number, and you will be attached to the employee sponsorship program for the University of Miami. If you don’t currently have a phone and want to get one, or if you already have a Cingular phone, call Elio Acosta at 305-790-4694 and give him your foundation account numbers (TDMA 15083 and GSM 24884). For assistance with other questions, call customer service at 1-800-888-7600.
NEXTEL REPRESENTATIVES COMING
Representatives from Nextel will be in the Baxter conference room of the Batchelor building every Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Employees can stop by with questions about billing and service for Nextel phones and Blackberry personal data assistants, learn about special offers, and see new products. For more information, please call Medical IT 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!
FIDELITY INVESTMENTS TO ANSWER YOUR FINANCIAL QUESTIONS
A representative from Fidelity Investments will be at the medical campus on January 7 in the Human Resources Benefits Office, 901 NW 17th St., suite D, to conduct individual counseling sessions. To schedule an appointment, please call 1-800-642-7131.
INFERTILITY SEMINAR
The University of Miami Infertility Center (UMIC) at Cedars Medical Center will present a free seminar on “Infertility and Your Various Options” on Saturday, January 15, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Cedars Medical Center physician lounge, 1400 NW 12th Ave. The seminar will be followed by a free consultation for all participants. Parking is free, and lunch and refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP by calling 305-243-UMIC, or visit UMIC on the Web at www.umic.miami.edu.
UM/SYLVESTER BRAMAN FAMILY BREAST CANCER INSTITUTE DEVELOPMENTAL GRANT PROGRAM
The Braman Family Breast Cancer Institute of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center has funds available to support one-year pilot projects in the amount of $50,000 to encourage the development of new research directed toward basic, translational and clinical research in breast and ovarian cancers. Support from the Women’s Cancer League allows the institute to fund projects of relevance to ovarian cancer in this round of grant funding. Graduate students and post-doctoral fellows early in their career are not eligible. Deadline for receipt of applications is January 3. For additional information, please call Dorothy Mills at 305-243-6292, or via e-mail at: Dmills@med.miami.edu.
GAIL BEACH MEMORIAL 2004-2005 VISITING LECTURESHIP SERIES
Luis F. Parada, Ph.D., will present “Unwilling Neurons and Unfriendly Myelin: The Ying & Yang of Regeneration Biology,” on Wednesday, January 12, at noon in the Lois Pope LIFE Center seventh-floor auditorium. For more information, click here:
http://www.themiamiproject.org/images/Gail%20F%20Beach%20lecture%20series.pdf, or call 305-243-7108.
THE THIRD ANNUAL KIRK A. AND DOROTHY P. LANDON -AACR PRIZES
The Third Annual Landon-AACR awards will be held on Wednesday, January 19, from noon to 1:35 p.m. at the UM/Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, room 1301. The 2004 recipient of the Kirk A. Landon-AACR Prize for Basic Cancer Research, Tony Hunter, Ph.D., professor, Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, will discuss "Tyrosine Phosphyorylation: From Bench to Bedside." The recipient of the Third Annual Dorothy P. Landon-AACR Prize for Translational Cancer Research, Raymond N. DuBois, M.D., Ph.D., Hortense B. Ingram Professor of Molecular Oncology and director of Cancer Prevention at The Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, will talk about "Molecular Targets for Cancer Prevention." No RSVP is required. For more information and a detailed schedule, contact Kathy Salce at KSalce@med.miami.edu, or call 305-243-1046.
NEUROLOGICAL UPDATE 2005
Please join us for the Neurological Update 2005 meeting to be held on January 26-29 at The Alexander Hotel in Miami Beach. This course is aimed at adult and pediatric neurologists, neurosurgeons, and psychiatrists, although internists and general practitioners may also find the topics timely and useful. The course is designed to provide clinicians with the most recent developments in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders. For more information, please contact the Division of CME at 305-243-6716 or at umcme@med.miami.edu.
TEACHING CONFERENCE ON HEART & STROKE – EMPHASIZING WOMEN’S HEALTH
Registration is open for the 37th Annual Teaching Conference in Clinical Cardiology and Neurology, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, January 28-29 at the Hyatt Regency in Miami. The conference is a primary care update presented by the Center for Research in Medical Education. This year’s focus is heart disease and stroke in women. UM physician assistants, nurse practitioners and nurses can register for a reduced fee of $100 ($150 for UM physicians). CME credit and nurse contact hours can be earned up to a maximum of 15.5 hours. Tuition remission is available, awarded on a first-come first-served basis. The conference features a variety of School of Medicine faculty, led by Michael S. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D., David Lee Gordon, M.D., S. Barry Issenberg, M.D., and Joan Baker, R.N., M.S.N., C.C.R.N., C.N.R.N. Also presenting are visiting professors Gordon A. Ewy, M.D., from the University of Arizona and Patrick S. Reynolds, M.D., from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. To register or for more information call 305-243-6491 or visit http://www.crme.med.miami.edu/meded_conf2005.html.
3RD MIAMI INTERNATIONAL REVASCULARIZATION SUMMIT
The 3rd Miami International Revascularization Summit will be held on Friday, February 25,
through Sunday, February 27, at Wyndham Miami Beach Resort, 4833 Collins Ave. For more
information, please contact the Division of Continuing Medical Education at 305-243-6716,
or e-mail umcme@med.miami.edu.
HUMAN SUBJECT RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
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.
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.
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.
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