Dozens of Miller School graduate students and post-doctoral trainees attended the prize lectures given by the recipients of the sixth annual Landon-AACR Awards in cancer research, hoping for words to inspire them in their studies. At a lecture and luncheon on January 18, hosted by the UM/Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, the winners delivered on that expectation.

The Landon-AACR awards are given by the Kirk A. and Dorothy P. Landon Foundation and the American Association for Cancer Research, recognizing significant discoveries that accelerate the fight against cancer. For 2007, the Kirk A. Landon-AACR Prize for Basic Cancer Research was awarded to Richard D. Kolodner, Ph.D., for his work in the field of DNA mismatch repair. The winners of the Dorothy P. Landon-AACR Prize for Translational Cancer Research are Douglas R. Lowy, M.D. and John T. Schiller, Ph.D., for their research leading to the development of the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine.

W. Jarrard Goodwin, M.D., director of UM/Sylvester, introduced the scientists by talking about their ‘vision.’ "These scientists have demonstrated the very best in their field, letting their curiosity lead them in a direction that opens new avenues of research and treatment for cancer."

Dr. Kolodner, a professor of medicine, cellular and molecular medicine at the University of California, San Diego, was the first to show that mismatch repair genes are directly connected with human cancer. He played a critical role in identifying and cloning human mismatch repair genes and in demonstrating that inherited defects in mismatch repair underlie the disease hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC).

Dr. Schiller, who was unable to attend the lecture due to a prior commitment, is senior investigator in NCI’s Laboratory of Cellular Oncology and head of the Neoplastic Disease Section. Schiller and Lowy collaborated on fundamental research regarding the nature of the human papilloma virus as well as conducted animal studies and a Phase I trial in humans. Their research led to the first HPV vaccine, approved by the FDA in 2006, which could drastically reduce the rate of cervical cancer.

Dr. Lowy explained that he and Dr. Schiller have worked together for 20 years and "spend a great deal of time arguing." But he admitted that is what often leads them down a road that uncovers something new. "We try to do things that are not being done anywhere else."

Besides the accolades of their peers, Dr. Kolodner and Drs. Lowy and Schiller also receive an unrestricted cash award of $200,000 each, making the Landon-AACR awards the largest prizes offered to cancer researchers from a professional society of their peers. The Landon Foundation was created to support medical research, primarily specializing in the fight against cancer. Next year, the awards will be expanded to recognize young investigators.

Mary D. Berrocal, MBA, has been named the new director of the Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System. Since joining the Department of Veterans Affairs in 1980, Berrocal has worked in a variety of administrative, managerial and executive positions within the VA system, including roles at five other VA facilities in Gainesville, Fla.; Clarksburg, W.Va.; Columbia, S.C.; and in Loma Linda and the Greater Los Angeles area in California.

Another round of UM's BeSmokeFree program will begin in February. This is your opportunity to take back control of your life. BeSmokeFree offers UM faculty, staff and dependents, students and non-university affiliates a myriad of innovative techniques designed to complement the program’s basic support group/classroom sessions. Some interventions include pharmacological treatments, a supervised exercise program emphasizing cardiovascular fitness benefits, acupuncture and hypnotherapy, individualized treatment plans and quit kits filled with healthy alternatives to cigarettes. Most of these interventions are available free through the University.

The BeSmokeFree classes include seven group sessions during a six-week program. Participants who are enrolled in the University’s health care plan will receive full reimbursement for program fees upon completion of the program. The cost is $84, however, all UM health care plan members will receive a $12 voucher for each classroom session they attend, which can result in full reimbursement upon program completion. 

For more information on BeSmokeFree or to secure your space in the upcoming series, contact Jennifer Pinto at jpinto@med.miami.edu or 305-243-7609.

All employees must receive their annual performance evaluations between Friday, Feb. 1, and Wednesday, April 30.  Supervisors must submit completed evaluations to their departmental human resources representatives no later than April 30, and all performance evaluation ratings will be submitted in DHRS by Medical Human Resources no later than Thursday, May 1. These ratings must be submitted in order for employees to receive merit increases. 

Last year, the Miller School implemented one template evaluation form for all employees. The forms have been modified for 2008. All Miller School employees (AO1, AO3 and AO6) must be evaluated utilizing the new performance evaluation templates. There is a separate form for employees in management positions, which includes a set of leadership core competencies. 

Employees of the University of Miami specialty hospitals will continue to use Halogen’s online e-appraisal system. 

The new staff performance evaluation template can be found at http://www.med.miami.edu/hr/forms/PerfEval_Final.doc and the leadership performance form at http://www.med.miami.edu/hr/forms/LeadPerfEval_Final.doc. The forms are also located on the Medical Human Resources Web site at www.med.miami.edu/hr under "Forms."
 
If you have any questions about the performance evaluation process or the new evaluation forms, please call 305-326-6090 or send an e-mail to kstimmell@med.miami.edu. For questions about Halogen’s online evaluation process please contact the Halogen Help Desk at 305-243-8171.

The Division of Complementary and Integrative Medicine is now accepting registrations for the 2008 Basic Acupuncture course. The course has been approved by the American Board of Medical Acupuncture and offers a maximum of 105 American Medical Association category one credits. Tuition remission opportunities are limited, however a 50 percent discount is offered to Miller School employees, residents and fellow.

The course will begin Saturday, Feb 2, and continue through Saturday, May 17. To register, call 305-243-4751 or send an e-mail to JTorres2@med.miami.edu. For more information, visit www.cam.med.miami.edu.

In preparation for Phase Five of the NW 12th Avenue Bridge Replacement Project, two southbound travel lanes have been rerouted to the new bridge. Once completed, there will be two lanes open in each direction on the new bridge. The traffic pattern will remain this way for about 14 months while the old NW 12th Avenue bridge is demolished and the new three-lane southbound bridge is built.
 
Work in Phase Five includes reconstructing the western half of the NW 12th Avenue/NW 11th Street intersection. Please note that NW 11th Street will be closed to all through traffic between NW 13th Avenue and NW 12th Avenue for the duration of the work. For more details and detours, please visit http://ummcsd.med.miami.edu/SECURITY/12thAvenueBridgeNotice.pdf.

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s Training Program in Cardiovascular Signaling and the Cardiovascular Disease Forum announce the inaugural "UM Cardiovascular Research Symposium," featuring basic and clinical cardiovascular research presentations by UM students and fellows, a special presentation, and a panel discussion that includes Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., to be held on Tuesday, March 13.

Schedule:

Poster viewing, 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; oral presentations, 12:30 to 2 p.m. at Jackson Memorial Hospital Diagnostic Treatment center, room 259.

The Institute for Women’s Health is delighted to announce the establishment of a new pathway in women’s health for medical students. This pathway will provide students with an excellent opportunity to develop their research skills under guidance of a faculty mentor and to join a special community of researchers, educators, and clinicians with an interest in women’s health. It will include monthly seminars during the second year and a three-year research project supervised by Institute for Women's Health faculty. Upon completion, students will present their research project at the Institute’s annual women’s health day and will have the opportunity to travel to a meeting to present their work. The deadline to apply for the program is Jan. 28. For more information, please visit http://womenshealth.med.miami.edu/.

Are doctors too smart to be influenced by a free lunch? Are "free" samples good for our patients? Are small gifts ethical? If you’ve ever asked yourself any of these questions or have ever wondered what type of influence the pharmaceutical industry has on how a physician practices, then join the American Medical Students Association and the American Medical Association the week of January 28 for our "Pharm Free Week." They will host speakers and panels during lunch in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building to discuss where UM’s current "pharm" policy is and where it should go.
 
For more information, stay tuned to e-Update or contact Priyanka Handa at 305-338-9503 or phanda@med.miami.edu.

The Disaster Interest Group consists of professionals at UM and Jackson Health System who share a common interest in disaster-related research, education, clinical care, community service and policy. The group is attempting to identify other colleagues with these interests and hopes to gain an understanding of the disaster work and services taking place within the UM community. 

UM would like to thank you for your support of your men’s and women’s basketball teams. Unfortunately, the previously scheduled Employee Day sales dates for the men's basketball game versus Virginia on Saturday, March 1, have been temporarily postponed. Please continue to read e-Update for future announcements on when Employee Day sales for the men's game will resume. 

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Please join us today at noon in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, fourth-floor auditorium for a seminar by Dafna Bar-Sagi, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Biochemistry at New York University School of Medicine. Dr. Bar-Sagi will present "Ras Signaling: Experimental Challenges and Therapeutic Opportunities."

Tomorrow, UM/Sylvester at Deerfield Beach will present a seminar by Raymond J. Leveillee, M.D., professor of clinical urology and chief of endourology and laparoscopy at the Miller School. Dr. Leveillee will speak about "Kidney Cancer" from noon to 1 p.m. at the Best Western Deerfield Beach.

Joan A. Steitz, Ph.D., Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Yale University, will present "RNA-Protein Complexes (RNPs): Versatile Regulators of Gene Expression in Mammalian Cells" tomorrow at noon in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, fourth-floor auditorium.

The Department of Rehabilitation Medicine will host Grand Rounds tomorrow from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. in the Lois Pope LIFE Center, seventh-floor auditorium. Mark Nash, Ph.D., FACSM, associate professor of neurological surgery and rehabilitation medicine, director of research for the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, and principal investigator for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, will present "Cardiovascular Disease Clusters After SCI: Authoritative Guidelines for Risk Management."

The Department of Microbiology and Immunology will host Gregg Hadley, Ph.D., professor of surgery at Ohio State University. Dr. Hadley will present "Role of the Integrin CD103 in Transplant Immunity" this Thursday at noon in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, room 3109.

The Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology will present a seminar this Thursday by Tatjana Abaffy, Ph.D., research assistant professor. Dr. Abaffy will speak on "Canine Olfactory Receptors for Melanoma Biomarkers."
 
The presentation will take place at noon in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, room 6018. For additional information, please call Nivia Machin-Gonzalez at 305-243-1078.

This Thursday, Andrew J. Cooper, M.D., fifth-year resident, will speak on "Subtrochanteric Femur Fractures: IM Nails Versus Plate Fixation." The lecture will take place at 7 a.m. in the Mailman Center for Child Development, eighth-floor auditorium.

Are you submitting electronic applications through Grants.gov? Join us for a Grants.gov hands-on workshop this Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon, in the Louis Calder Memorial Library computer lab.

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences invites you to Psychiatry Grand Rounds, "Violence and Mental Illness," with Jon Shaw, M.D., professor and director of child and adolescent psychiatry at the Miller School. The lecture will take place this Friday from noon to 1 p.m. at the Mailman Center for Child Development, eighth-floor auditorium.

At the end of the lecture, participants will be able to examine biological factors associated with violence;  appraise psychosocial variables related to violence; and predict the risk for violence in patients with mental illness. The Miller School designates this lecture for one American Medical Association category one credit. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. One continuing education unit will also be given to licensed clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, and mental health counselors. 

No pre-registration is required. For additional information, please contact Carmen Bou-Crick at 305-355-9073 or cbou@med.miami.edu.

Medical Education Grand Rounds, sponsored by the Educational Development Office, will host Brenda Armstrong, M.D., who will discuss "The Urgency of Diversity in the Health Care Professions: Time to Put Up or Shut Up." The lecture will take place this Friday at noon in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, fifth-floor auditorium. 

Lunch will be served. For more information, please contact Tanyika Stephenson at 305-243-7482, or visit www.cme.med.miami.edu.

Please join us this Friday for a UM/Sylvester Distinguished Lecture by Timothy Ratliff, Ph.D., professor of comparative pathobiology and director of the Purdue Cancer Center at Purdue University. Dr. Ratliff will present "Utilization of the BCG Fibronectin Attachment Protein (FAP) to Develop Novel Treatments for Bladder Cancer" at 1 p.m. at UM/Sylvester, room 1301.

Just a reminder that the 40th annual Teaching Conference in Clinical Cardiology and Neurology, a primary care update presented by the Michael S. Gordon Center for Research in Medical Education, will be held this Friday and Saturday at the Hyatt Regency Miami. The conference will address both acute and long-term evaluation, management, practical treatment and clinical skills for nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physical therapists and physicians. Case-based presentations will include Harvey, the cardiopulmonary patient simulator. 

The conference will also feature University of Miami faculty Michael S. Gordon, M.D., professor of clinical medicine, director and associate dean for research in medical education; S. Barry Issenberg, M.D., assistant director and assistant dean of the Gordon Center for Research in Medical Education; and Joan Baker, R.N., MSN, CCRN, CNRN. Also presenting are visiting professors Robert E. Safford, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine from the Mayo Clinic, and Jaffar Khan, M.D., assistant professor of neurology from Emory University.

A maximum of 14 continuing medical education credit hours and continuing education units can be earned by attending. Registration is still available for full-time UM employees at $100 or $150 for physicians. All learning materials for the course are included. Tuition remission is available for a limited number of registrants. The conference will begin at 8 a.m.

Please register online at http://www.gcrme.med.miami.edu/meded_conf2008.html. For more information, call 305-243-6491 or e-mail tcccn@crme.med.miami.edu.

Margaret Pericak-Vance, Ph.D., director of the Miami Institute for Human Genomics, invites you to attend a special seminar by Walter E. Nance, Ph.D, M.D., professor and chair emeritus in the Department of Human Genetics at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Nance will speak on "Genetic Deafness, Human Evolution and the Conflict Between Science and Theology."

The lecture will take place this Friday from 11 a.m. to noon in Bascom Palmer Eye Institute's Retter Auditorium. Following the lecture, lunch will be served at Au Bon Pain on the first-level of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. To RSVP, or for more information, please contact Lourdes Landa at llanda@med.miami.edu or 305-243-5386.

El Centro: Center of Excellence for Hispanic Health Disparities Research is pleased to announce a presentation by
Jacquelyn C. Campbell, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., professor and Anna D. Wolf Chair at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Dr. Campbell will discuss "Intimate Partner Violence and Health Outcomes in Hispanic/Latino Populations," in addition to new funding opportunities for both pre- and post-doctoral studies and faculty development. 

The event will take place on Monday, Jan. 28, at the M. Christine Schwartz Center for Nursing and Health Studies, room 328, on the Coral Gables campus. A continental breakfast will be served from 9 to 9:30 a.m., followed by the presentation from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. and a discussion from 10:30 to 11 a.m. Please RSVP by Thursday, Jan. 24, to Neri Garcia at 305-284-5611 or nerygarcia@miami.edu.

The Department of Pathology will conduct its 33rd annual "Review and Recent Practical Advances in Pathology" course, at the Miami Beach Resort and Spa Monday, Jan. 28, through Friday, Feb. 1. This year's topics include neuropathology, prostate, pediatric, urologic, GI, and breast pathology, kidney and soft tissue tumors, automation, and cytopathology.

The conference will be attended by pathologists from across the United States and abroad. A special rate is available to Miller School faculty, fellows and residents. For more information, please contact Linda Hung at 1-866-794-9942, lhung@med.miami.edu or visit the Web site at http://pathology.med.miami.edu.

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences invites you to Neuroscience Grand Rounds: "Enhancing Therapeutic Outcomes in Patients with Severe Mental Illness." Robert Post, M.D., professor of psychiatry at Penn State College of Medicine and head of the Bipolar Collaborative Network, will discuss current and future management strategies for bipolar disorder. The lecture will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 29, from noon to 1 p.m. at the Mailman Center for Child Development, eighth-floor auditorium. 

At the end of the lecture, participants will be able to review current treatment guidelines for patients with bipolar disorder; evaluate the evidence for mood stabilization and the role of atypical antipsychotic agents in the management of acute affective episodes; discuss current and future treatment options for the management of mania and depression; identify medication side effects that may adversely impact long-term patient outcomes; and indicate methods for improving patient adherence. 

This lecture qualifies for one continuing medical education credit for physicians, and one continuing education unit for licensed clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, and mental health counselors. 

No pre-registration is required. For additional information, please contact Carmen Bou-Crick at 305-355-9073 or cbou@med.miami.edu.

MedicOUT invites you to come listen and ask questions as we discuss the reality and the misconceptions about being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Leading this discussion will be Joseph Zolobczuk, education and training specialist at the YES Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing suicide and ensuring the healthy development of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided. For more information, please contact Rich Coia at recoia@med.miami.edu.

UM/Sylvester at Deerfield Beach presents "Those Fabulous Fats," a Conversations About Cancer lecture by Karon Rzad, R.D., L.D.N., C.D.E., C.P.T., director of medical nutrition services at UM/Sylvester. The lecture will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 30, from noon to 1 p.m. at the Best Western Deerfield Beach.

The Department of Orthopaedics invites you to the last Grand Rounds this month. Jagdeep S. Sodhi, M.D., fourth-year resident, will speak on "Review of Retrofibular Region" on Thursday, Jan. 31, from 7 to 8 a.m. in the Mailman Center for Child Development, eighth-floor auditorium.

This lecture is recommended for orthopaedic surgeons, residents, fellows, practicing orthopaedists, physiatrists, physical therapists, nurses and medical students. It qualifies for one continuing medical education credit for physicians. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. For more information, contact Ledi Figueroa at lfigueroa@med.miami.edu or 305-243-6725.

Take the first step to keeping your new year's resolutions in 2008. Join us for UM's first Healthy Resolutions Fair on Thursday, Jan. 31, in the Medical Wellness Center and on Friday, Feb. 1, at University of Miami Hospital, seminar center. 

Representatives from the University's smoking cessation program, "Be Smoke Free," will be on hand to answer any of your questions about quitting and Medical Wellness Center staff will be available to discuss memberships and the SHAPE-Up program. The event will also feature a nutritionist to answer your questions about diet, free massages, free blood screenings and more!

You will receive your invitations via interoffice mail within the next two weeks. Be sure to keep your invite, which is also a raffle ticket. Raffle prizes include one-year Medical Wellness Center memberships and the grand prize of a Trek "Lime" bicycle.

For more information, please contact Charisse Lopez-Mason at 305-284-3004 or charisse@miami.edu.

The Employee Assistance Program is pleased to offer a seminar on "Relationship Building." By the end of the session, participants will be better equipped to demonstrate respect, establish trust, understand the point of view of others and experience fewer reactive interactions. 

To achieve more satisfying results when interacting with partners, family, friends, colleagues and even those we meet casually, join us for "Relationship Building" on Tuesday, Feb. 5, from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. at the Medical Wellness Center, twelfth-floor classroom. To register, please visit http://ulearn.miami.edu. For help with registration, call the Medical Wellness Center at 305-243-7600.

Please join us for the 14th annual Leon Schiff Department of Medicine Grand Rounds with guest speaker Anna Lok, M.D., M.R.C.P., professor of internal medicine and director of clinical hepatology at the University of Michigan Medical Center. Dr. Lok will present "Hepatitis B Treatment: When to Start and When to Stop" on Wednesday, Feb. 6, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, third-floor auditorium.

At the end of the lecture, participants will be familiar with the natural history of chronic hepatitis B infection, treatment options, and when to start and stop treatment.

The Office of Graduate Studies is pleased to announce an opportunity for pre-doctoral students and post-doctoral fellows to develop their grant writing skills. You are invited to attend a half-day workshop, "Write Winning Grants," on Thursday, Feb. 7, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Clinical Research Building’s Michael S. Gordon Center for Research in Medical Education seminar room located on the first floor. The emphasis of this workshop will be on research proposals in the biomedical sciences, specifically as it pertains to NIH funding. 
 
Stephen Russell, D.V.M., Ph.D., co-founder and managing member of Grant Writers' Seminars and Workshops, will present 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 complimentary copy of Dr. Russell’s notes and The Grant Application Writer’s Workbook. The cost of the course is $60 and payable by IDR upon registration. Please RSVP to ogs@med.miami.edu by Monday, Jan. 28.

Marshall B. Kapp, J.D., M.P.H., Garwin Distinguished Professor of Law and Medicine, and co-director of the Center for Health Law and Policy at Southern Illinois University School of Law, will discuss "The Liability Environment for Physicians Providing Nursing Home Care: Does It Make a Difference for Residents?" Professor Kapp is the author and co-author of a substantial number of published articles, book chapters and reviews. He is also the founding editor of the Ethics, Law and Aging Review. 

The lecture will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 8, at the Coral Gables Wellness Center, second-floor conference room. Lunch will be served following the lecture. Please RSVP via e-mail to spurcell@med.miami.edu or call 305-355-9081.

On Monday, Feb. 11, Music Ensembles for the Enrichment of Medicine (MEEM) will hold a Valentine's Day concert for its latest monthly concert series. Bring a blanket, pack a picnic and join us at 5 p.m. in the Schoninger Research Quadrangle, where students will showcase their talents with a variety of musical performances. 
 
This concert is free and open to everyone. For more information, please contact Dan Cushman at dcushman@med.miami.edu.

Nordstrom, one of the nation’s leading fashion specialty retailers, will kick off the opening of its third Miami-area store with an evening gala on Wednesday, Feb. 13, at Aventura Mall. The party is expected to raise more than $300,000 for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and UM/Sylvester. Nordstrom in Aventura Mall opens on Friday, Feb. 15.

Bascom Palmer Eye Institute invites you to the fifth angiogenesis symposium on Feb. 22 and 23 at The Ritz-Carlton on Key Biscayne, where there will be a review of the latest in angiogenesis research, and the cause and treatments of retinal exudation and degeneration. Emphasis will be placed on early drug development, the on-label and off-label use of drugs for the treatment of retinal diseases, and the impact of these drugs on the economics of healthcare.

This symposium is intended for retinal specialists, general ophthalmologists and basic scientists interested in the basic molecular mechanisms of angiogenesis and pharmacotherapy for the management of ophthalmic diseases. The event will take place from 7 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 22, and from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23. For more information, please contact Karen Davila at 305-326-6110 or kdavila@med.miami.edu.

Join the Institute for Women’s Health on Monday, March 17, for the inaugural University of Miami Women’s Health Research Day, where UM graduate students and faculty from all disciplines are invited to submit abstracts of their recent research in women’s health. 

Women’s Health Research Day is an opportunity to present research, gain feedback from peers and network with researchers. Posters will be judged by an expert panel for research originality, scientific vigor and importance to women's health. Two awards of $500 each will be given. The submission deadline is Friday, Feb. 1, and the event will be held on Monday, March 17, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lois Pope LIFE Center, seventh-floor auditorium. Lunch will be served at noon. Participation in this event qualifies for one continuing medical education credit or one continuing education unit. For submission guidelines or more information, please contact Meghan Mayhew at mmayhew@med.miami.edu.

Study to Compare the  Methods of Collecting Urine Samples for the Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infections
The Institute for Women's Health is conducting  a research study for the treatment of urinary tract infection (UTI), a very common problem in young, healthy women that afflicts approximately one-half of women by their late 50's. Urine specimens collected for the diagnosis of urinary tract infection are often contaminated with organisms and the major purpose of this study is to compare the methods (voided versus catheter) of collecting the urine samples for the diagnosis of UTI. If you are a female between the ages of 18 to 49, currently experiencing painful urination for less than seven days and frequent trips to the restroom, you may be able to take part in this study. To find out more, call Wisvline Labrousse, Ph.D., A.R.N.P., at 305-243-2576.

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