The 2006 Open Enrollment edition of the Benefits Administration Update is online in Adobe Acrobat format. Visit www.benefits.miami.edu to view the newsletter. All faculty and staff will receive a print copy. Information in the Open Enrollment newsletter includes:
 
• 2006 health care plan highlights
• New prescription option for 2006 – RxImpact
• Faculty/staff monthly premiums
• In-network and out-of-network benefit plan comparison
• New flexible spending account administrator for 2006
2006 dental plan highlights

All faculty and staff are required to enroll online at https://myum.miami.edu during Open Enrollment in order to have University health care coverage in 2006. You will not be able to enroll in health care coverage without the election of both a medical plan and a pharmacy plan. Open Enrollment runs through Friday, November 18. You can locate an HMO Primary Care Physician (PCP) number in two locations:

Business Services announces the launch of the annual Silent Auction web site featuring iPod nanos, digital cameras, a custom UM football package, a Circle K shopping spree, a generator and much, much more.  Please visit the website www.miami.edu/business-services-silent-auction and bid on your favorite items. Winners will be announced Monday, December 12. All proceeds will benefit the University of Miami’s United Way campaign.

Full-time faculty members are invited to submit nominations for this year's Distinguished Scholar Award. The award acknowledges either a single outstanding scholarly achievement or a lifetime of distinguished accomplishment in any area of research or creative activity. Nominations are due to the Faculty Senate office by Wednesday, November 16. To view nomination criteria and more detailed information, visit http://www.miami.edu/faculty-senate/Awards/05-06facnomltr.pdf.

Medical School Security has completed the crime statistics for October 2005. In addition to distributing 1,500 copies by interoffice mail, October and several previous months’ statistics are posted on their web site at http://ummcsd.med.miami.edu/SECURITY/monthly_stats.htm. Reviewing these statistics will increase your awareness and help you avoid becoming a victim of crime. For more information, please call Tony Artrip at 305-243-6280, or e-mail anthonyartrip@miami.edu. Security welcomes your input and encourages you to review their web site frequently at http://security.med.miami.edu to stay up-to-date and to participate in crime prevention.

The Medical Library’s book sale runs through November 22. Proceeds will benefit the United Way. The prices for medical and non-medical books range from $1 to $5.

The following training classes will be held at the medical campus in room 155 of the Dominion Parking Garage. Visit NetLearning at http://netlearning.miami.edu to register. Some courses have an online component—a computer based learning (CBL) module—that must be completed before participants attend the live classroom session.  For those courses, participants must register for both the CBL as well as the live sessions. Seating is limited. For more information about the Leadership Academy, visit www.miami.edu/development-training/la or call 305-243-3090.

To ensure that your child car seat is installed correctly, a certified child passenger safety technician will be available on 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. The Injury Free Coalition for Kids is a division of Holtz Children's Hospital/ Miller School of Medicine.

A representative from Lincoln Financial Group will be at the medical campus November 23 and December 13 to conduct individual financial counseling sessions. To schedule an appointment, contact Theresa Yong at (305) 245-7332 or via e-mail at tmyong@lnc.com.

The AIDS Clinical Research Unit, under the direction of Margaret Fischl, M.D., is recruiting participants for a therapeutic HIV-1 vaccine study. Participants must be 18 to 50 years of age, receiving antiretroviral therapy, have an HIV-1 RNA level less than 500 copies/ml for at least two years and a CD4 cell count 500/ccm or higher. Up to $150 in food certificates provided. For more information, contact Juan Casuso at 305-243-3838 or Leslie Thompson at L.thompson@miami.edu.
 
The AIDS Clinical Research Unit is also recruiting participants for a phase I IL-7 study (IL-7 is a cytokine that aids T-cell development and improves T-cell survival). Participants must be 18 to 50 years of age, receiving antiretroviral therapy for at least 12 months, have an HIV-1 RNA level less than or equal to 50,000 copies/ml, and have a CD4 cell count of 100 cells/ccm or higher. Participants must be willing to do 12-hour IL-7 blood level monitoring. Up to $200 in food certificates provided. For more information, contact Juan Casuso at 305-243-3838 or Leslie Thompson at L.thompson@miami.edu.

• University Compliance (anonymous hotline): 866-YOURCALL
• Billing (anonymous hotline): 305-243-HELP or 877-415-HELP
• Research Integrity and Compliance: 305-243-6415
• Financial Improprieties: 305-284-2605
• Privacy Office/HIPAA: 305-243-5000 or 1-866-366-HUSH
• University Ombudsperson: 305-284-4922

Any University of Miami employee reporting or deciding whether to report activity that may be in violation of a law, rule, or regulation is protected against retaliation by the Whistleblower Protection Statement. For more information, visit the Office of Compliance site.

• Please note that submissions are due no later than 5 p.m. Thursday for publication on Tuesday.
• We are unable to include attachments.
• Please use URL addresses in your announcements rather than hyperlinks.
• Event announcements should include the time, date, location, speaker, topic and cost if applicable. All events should have a contact phone number or e-mail address for further information. We will run event announcements for three weeks only.
• Information must be written in paragraph form. PDFs, Publisher files and flyers are not accepted.
• Human Subject recruitment announcements must be IRB approved.
• Events to be listed should be either held on the medical campus, sponsored or hosted by the Miller School of Medicine, or affect all or most of the employees on the medical campus.
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The Mort Silverblatt Head and Neck Cancer Support Group will meet today (Tuesday) from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. at UM/Sylvester at Deerfield Beach, 1192 East Newport Center Drive, suite 100. The topic is “Caregiver Support,” presented by Rosa Caiseda, M.S.W., oncology social worker, UM/Sylvester. The support group is free and open to all head and neck cancer survivors, their families and friends. The group meets on 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. 

This Workshop Is Conducted By The Employee Assistance Program And Will Explore How assertiveness is different from and often more effective than other communication styles. This will be an interactive experience including videotape scenarios, discussion and role playing. It will be held today (Tuesday) from 9 to 11 a.m., in room 155 of the Dominion Parking Garage. Visit http://netlearning.miami.edu to enroll.  For answers about content, call Sally Philips at 284-6604, or call 243-3090 for help with enrolling.

The Office of Communications will host a bake sale to benefit the United Way today (Tuesday) from 9 to 10 a.m. in front of the Rosenstiel Medical Sciences Building.

Eli Avisar, M.D., assistant professor, division of surgical oncology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, co-leader of the Breast Cancer Site Disease Group, UM/Sylvester, will present “Breast Awareness–What Every Woman Should Know,” at UM/Sylvester at Deerfield Beach, 1192 East Newport Center Drive, suite 100, tomorrow (Wednesday) from noon to 1 p.m. This presentation is free and a light lunch will be served. Please call 1-800-545-2292 to register.

There will be an Open Enrollment Benefits Fair at the medical campus on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Benefits Fair will also have extended flu shot hours to ensure that all faculty and staff are able to get the shot. The available times are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday. You must present your UM ID to get a flu shot. Both events will be at the Jackson Food Pavilion in the Diagnostic Treatment Center.

The Third Annual Jay Bon Salle Memorial Golf and Tennis Outing will be held on Thursday. All proceeds from this year’s outing will benefit the University of Miami Cardiovascular Center. For more information, please contact Milen Gonzalez at 305-243-2721 or via e-mail at mileng@miami.edu, or visit the Jay Bon Salle Foundation Web site at http://www.thejbsfoundation.org.

The Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics will host its annual international conference, entitled “Neonatology 2005,” Thursday through Saturday at the Sonesta Beach Resort, Key Biscayne. The topics presented should be of primary interest to neonatologists, pediatricians, obstetricians, respiratory therapists, and nurses involved in the delivery of perinatal care. For more information on course registration, please contact Elisabeth Ravelo at 305-243-5808 or eravelo@med.miami.edu.

Miami Children’s Hospital and UM Miller School of Medicine, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, will host the Pediatric Neurosurgery Update on Saturday at Miami Children’s Hospital auditorium. The course will address advances in the diagnosis and management of common neurosurgical problems seen in primary care practice. This course is a state-of-the-art CME update of recent advances in pediatric neurosurgery intended for pediatric primary care providers. It is approved for a maximum of 4 CME hours in category 1 credit toward the AMA Physician’s Recognition Award and 4 CEU hours for nurses. For more information, call 786-624-3971.

Penny Fisher, M.S., RN, C.O.R.L.N., will discuss “Promising Treatment using PDT: Photodynamic Therapy,” on Monday, November 14,  from noon to 1 p.m. in UM/Sylvester, room 1301. This presentation is free and a light lunch will be served. Please call 1-800-545-2292 to register.

A representative from the University’s long-term care insurance plan, UNUM, will conduct informational seminars to help employees better understand the benefits of long-term care insurance. The seminar will be held at the medical campus on Monday, November 14, from 3 to 4 p.m. in UM/Sylvester, room 1301. To register, visit www.miami.edu/netlearning. For questions about registration, call 305-243-3090. For answers about content visit http://www.miami.edu/UMH/CDA/UMH_Main/0,1770,2441-1;30206-3,00.html or call the EAP at 305-284-6604. 

The “Error of the Month Journal Club” will meet on Wednesday, November 16, and will focus on “Wrong Side Procedures.” The meeting will discuss the article, “Wrong Disc Space Level Surgery: Medicolegal Implications” by Goodkin R., Laska, LL, Surg Neurol 2004; 61: 323-42.  Visit http://patientsafety.med.miami.edu and click on the “center events” tab to view the publication. Participants will be accredited with one CME, CLE, or CEU credit. Open discussions will follow the presentation. The meetings will be held on the third Wednesday of every month from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the UM-JMH Center for Patient Safety conference room, located on the fourth-floor of the Institute. The Journal Club is a multidisciplinary journal club collaboration that focuses on the ethical, legal and social issues relevant to patient safety and human error.  Healthcare providers, academics from the realms of law, social sciences, and healthcare and students are encouraged to attend this important program. With the goal to expand patient issues, the meetings will use real life de-identified examples of mishaps or near misses, which will be debated from legal and ethical perspectives in light of current relevant literature or legislation. For more information, contact Igal Nevo, M.D., or Roxanna Araya at 305-585-8364.

The Department of Rehabilitation Medicine will present the 4th Annual South Florida Model Spinal Cord Injury System Conference on “Wellness and Fitness” on Thursday, November 17, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Jackson Memorial Diagnostic Treatment Center, room 259. Experts in their fields will discuss:

Jessica MacIntyre, RN, BSN, OCN, will discuss “Pancreatic Cancer,” on Monday, November 21,  from noon to 1 p.m. in UM/Sylvester, room 1301. This presentation is free and a light lunch will be served. Please call 1-800-545-2292 to register.

Do you have a co-worker, friend or family member who you wish would stop smoking? “Adopt” them for a day and get a free turkey feast to boot. The Great American Smoke-out is a nationwide event designed to encourage smokers to kick the habit for one day. UM affiliates can adopt a friend, family member or co-worker who smokes and treat them to a hot turkey dinner with all the trimmings. The luncheon serves as preparation and an educational opportunity to get participants ready for the actual “Great American Smoke-out Quit Day,” which is slated nationally for Thursday, November 17. Quit kits loaded with substitutes such as stress balls, slinkies and chewing gum will be distributed and participants will be educated on how to provide support for their friends as well as practical tips for quitting successfully. The luncheon will take place on Tuesday, November 15, from noon to 1 p.m. on the second-floor of the Sieron Building, 1425 N.W. 10th Avenue, rooms A and B. For more information or to sign up to adopt a friend, call 305-243-7600, or e-mail jpinto@miami.edu by Friday.

Participants will learn to focus on setting personal goals, monitor progress toward goals, make plan correction and maintain commitment in the face of obstacles. This is a two-part course, which includes a computer-based learning prerequisite. All University faculty, staff and administrators are welcome to attend. The workshop will be held at the medical campus on Wednesday, November 30, from noon to 1:30 p.m., in the Dominion Parking Garage, room 155. This course was developed by the EAP and is part of the Leadership Academy offered through the Professional Development and Training Office. For more information, contact Mary Remon at 305-284-6604. Visit http://netlearning.miami.edu to register. 

May A. Wahab, M.D., will discuss “Radiation as a Treatment in Prostate Cancer,” on Monday, December 5, from noon to 1 p.m. in UM/Sylvester, room 1301. This presentation is free and a light lunch will be served. Please call 1-800-545-2292 to register.

Scripps Florida is now a sponsor of the annual Miami Nature Biotechnology Winter Symposium, along with the University of Miami and Nature Publishing Group. The 2006 Symposium is entitled "Angiogenesis in Cancer and Vascular Disease" and takes place in the Wyndham Miami Beach Resort February 4-8, 2006.  Full-time employees of the University of Miami can register using tuition remission.  Send an e-mail to sblack@miami.eduwith your UM ID# and full UM address if you wish to register.  Graduate students can register in the same way and receive a registration waiver. 

The 4th Miami International Revascularization Summit will be held February 9 to 12 at The Alexander Hotel, Miami Beach. For more information, please contact the Division of Continuing Medical Education at 305-243-6716, or e-mail e.perez6@med.miami.edu.

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