Thomas J. Balkany, M.D., Hotchkiss Professor and Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology, has received a Presidential Citation from the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. The prestigious award was presented during the opening ceremony of the organization’s annual meeting on September 21 in Chicago.

The Presidential Citation is one of the academy’s highest honors and recognizes individuals selected by the academy’s president for their outstanding contributions and dedication to the specialty at the national level. The American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery is the world’s largest organization representing 12,000 physicians who treat the ear, nose, throat, and related structures of the head and neck.

“I can think of no one more deserving of this honor than Tom Balkany,” said Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., senior vice president for medical affairs and dean of the Miller School of Medicine.  “In his 18 years at the Miller School he has helped build one of the best ENT departments in the country, one that is consistently ranked in the top 20 in the U.S. for its amazing clinical and scientific accomplishments.”

Balkany is considered a world leader in the use of cochlear implants. He has built the program at the Miller School of Medicine into one of the busiest and most comprehensive in the country, having implanted more than 1,000 children and adults with the device. Balkany has published more than 250 scientific articles, holds 14 U.S. and international patents, and has been a leading member of the academy’s board of directors.

“I am honored to receive this award on behalf of the otolaryngology faculty at the Miller School of Medicine,” said Balkany.  “We work together closely, and without their support, dedication and commitment to science and patient care, none of what we’ve accomplished as a department would have been possible.”

Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., senior vice president for medical affairs and dean of the Miller School, invites all faculty and staff to join him at a town hall meeting, where he will discuss recent developments and future plans for the Miller School and the University of Miami Health System.

The Miami-Dade County Elections Department will hold a voter registration drive on the Miller School campus today (Tuesday) from noon to 2 p.m. in front of Park Plaza West. Available services include new voter registration, change of address, change of name or party affiliation, and card replacement. There will also be electronic voting demonstrations.

You must provide identification such as your Florida driver's license, Florida identification card, passport or the last four digits of your social security number to make changes to or sign up for a new voter registration card. For more information, visit http://www.miamidade.gov/elections/.

The School of Business Administration will be distributing five employee tuition remission awards for the Executive MBA and MBA for Working Professionals Programs, which will begin in January. The purpose of the Executive MBA Employee Tuition Remission Award Program is to increase the effectiveness of the leadership within the Miller School of Medicine. The award provides selected high-performing employees the opportunity to earn an MBA degree on weekends. These awards cover the application and tuition fees but are not true scholarships, because the amount received is taxable. 

The Miami Dolphins have partnered with the University of Miami to provide an exclusive opportunity for employees to purchase discounted tickets to the Miami Dolphins vs. Baltimore Ravens game on Sunday, October 19, at 1 p.m. The upper corner/end zone seats are $45 ($52 face value) and upper level sideline seats are $75 ($80 face value). Each ticket purchased also includes a voucher for a complimentary hot dog and 16 oz. soda ($14 value). No individual ticket service or handling charges will apply. 

Tickets are based on availability, and orders will be assigned the best available seats based on the price level selected. The offer expires three days before game day. Visit www.miamidolphins.com/universityofmiami.asp to purchase tickets.

Sylvester and the Pap Corps are pleased to announce the support of three one-year pilot projects in the amount of $50,000 each to encourage research studies targeting cancer health disparities. The goal of this funding mechanism is to provide the resources to pursue a new idea and to develop preliminary experimental data. These applications will be evaluated primarily on potential for NCI R01 application. This mechanism also seeks to attract new investigators with a wide variety of special expertise to apply to cancer disparities research. We encourage applications in clinical oncology research, basic molecular mechanistic approaches, population genetics, epidemiology, health psychology, bio-behavioral oncology, community-based participatory research (CBPR) as well as structural biologic approaches to cancer therapy. 

One of the major goals for this year is to promote collaboration between at least two cancer center members. Sylvester will consider applications from junior or senior faculty and only cancer center members can apply. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are not eligible. 

Representatives from TIAA-CREF will be at the Miller School to conduct individual counseling sessions. To schedule an appointment, please call 1-866-842-3357 ext. 261304 or visit www.tiaa-cref.org/moc. 

Sessions will take place today (Tuesday), tomorrow (Wednesday), this Thursday, Tuesday, October 7, and Wednesday, October 8, at Park Plaza East, suite D.

As you may know, AIG has recently been the source of heightened media scrutiny. Valic, one of the companies that employees may choose to invest in through the University’s retirement plans, is an AIG subsidiary. In response to numerous inquiries, AIG prepared and distributed statements which explain protections inherent in Valic’s structure and in mutual fund investments. To view the statements released by AIG, visit http://www6.miami.edu/UMH/CDA/UMH_Main/1,1770,2340-1;64334-3,00.html.

The International Medicine Institute has formed a team to participate and raise funds for the 2008 American Heart Association Start! Heart Walk. The Institute's team, Tropical Rhythms, has received donations from several local businesses to raffle and aid in their fundraising efforts. Some of the raffle items come from Tiffany & Co., Houston’s, Toni & Guy Hairdressers, Books & Books, M Cycle Gym, Green Gables Restaurant, Ortanique on the Mile, Laura Mercier Cosmetics, Conrad Hotel, Artigiano Men’s Clothing and much more!

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Please join us today (Tuesday) at noon in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, fourth-floor auditorium for a seminar by Rosanna Malbran Forteza, M.D., associate professor of medicine. Dr. Forteza will present “Airway Epithelium and Hyaluronan, a Perfect Match.”

For additional information, please contact Nilcer Aviles at 305-243-6691 or naviles@med.miami.edu.

A recent Prudential study reported that the average cost of long-term care grew between five and 13 percent over the last two years. Long-term care insurance covers medical costs not generally covered by standard health insurance. The University offers voluntary long-term care insurance for all faculty and staff.  During the upcoming open enrollment period (October 20 to November 7) all faculty and staff will be automatically approved for long-term care coverage without completing a health questionnaire (spouses and other family members are always required to complete a health questionnaire). 

If you are interested in learning more about long-term insurance, attend a lunch-and-learn information session today (Tuesday) from noon to 1 p.m. or 2 to 3 p.m., at the Medical Wellness Center, educational classroom. Lunch will be served. Please RSVP to vagramonte@miami.edu.

The Employee Assistance Program is sponsoring a seminar on how to improve your credit score. The seminar will be given by James Venney, a member of the Society for Financial Awareness. Participants will develop a greater understanding of their credit health by reviewing the five factors of scoring, learn the advantages of having a high credit score, how to check their credit scores and how to improve credit.

The Miller School's Victor Center for Jewish Genetic Diseases will host an educational fair to increase your awareness of Jewish genetic diseases and conduct free screenings. Please join us on the second floor of University Center on the Coral Gables campus tomorrow (Wednesday) from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Participants will also have an opportunity to volunteer for a research study.

If you would like to make an appointment for a free screening, please contact Debbie Wasserman at 786-897-9587. Participants will receive a free gift.

Please join us for Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery Grand Rounds tomorrow (Wednesday) from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, room 2090. Heather Woolery-Lloyd, M.D., assistant professor of dermatology, will present “Ethnic Skin, Diagnoses and Treatment Modalities.”

For more information, please call 305-243-4472.

The Sponsored Programs Education and Training Office will host quarterly meetings that are open to all faculty and staff members. The meetings will take place every three months and are designed to promote communication among all departments. At the meetings, participants will learn about important updates on policies and procedures, forms, new systems and system requirements. Representatives will also be available to answer your questions about compliance issues, special circumstances and how to receive information about other available resources. The next meeting will take place tomorrow (Wednesday) from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Mailman Center for Child Development, eighth-floor auditorium.

To register or if you have any questions, please send an e-mail to ResEDu@med.miami.edu.

There will be a Faculty Senate meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) at 3:30 p.m. on the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science campus in the auditorium. For a map to the campus, please visit http://www.rsmas.miami.edu/info/maps/campus.html. All faculty members are welcome to attend. Visit the Faculty Senate Web page at http://www.miami.edu/FacultySenate for more information.

Pediatrics South invites you to a seminar titled, "Childhood Nutrition." The seminar will cover the basics of nutrition for breast feeding mothers all the way to nutritional needs through adolescence. The event will be held tomorrow (Wednesday) at Pediatrics South from 6:30 to 8 p.m. 

For more information, please contact Aja Cole at 305-270-3495. As always, free diapers and baby wipes will be provided. 

The Division of Hospital Medicine will present UMH Medicine Grand Rounds this Thursday from noon to 1 p.m. at University of Miami Hospital, Seminar Center. Jose G. Romano, M.D., associate professor of neurology, will present "Acute Stroke Management 2008.” Dr. Romano will review the burden of stroke, the concept of the ischemic penumbra and the current indications for thrombolysis and endovascular therapies. The lecture is designed for family practitioners, emergency physicians and surgeons, and is approved for one continuing medical education credit.

The Wallace H. Coulter Center for Translational Research will host Andy Crouse, Ph.D., technical marketing scientist at Open Biosystems, for a seminar on "Lentiviral shRNAmir: Options for Inducible and Multiplex RNAi.” 

The lecture will take place this Thursday from noon to 1 p.m. at the Diabetes Research Institute, room 1000. For more information, please e-mail Rebecca Montgomery at rebecca.montgomery@thermofisher.com.

The Department of Medicine's Divisions of Gastroenterology and Hepatology will present Grand Rounds this Thursday a 5 p.m. at University of Miami Hospital, Seminar Center. Michel Kahaleh, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Virginia, will present a lecture titled "Update in Interventional Endoscopy."

Please join us for Neurology Grand Rounds this Friday from 10 to 11 a.m. in the Lois Pope LIFE Center, seventh-floor auditorium. Tina Wenz, Ph.D, will present “Activation of the PPAR/PGC-1α Pathway Prevents a Bioenergetic Deficit and Effectively Improves a Mitochondrial Myopathy Phenotype.”

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Network for Continuing Medical Education cordially invite you to participate in the upcoming continuing medical education lecture titled “Schizophrenia: Optimizing Patient Medical Adherence for Improved Outcomes” with Peter F. Buckley, M.D., professor and chairman of psychiatry and behavioral health, and associate dean for leadership development at the Medical College of Georgia. 

At the end of the lecture, participants will be able to review the magnitude of non-adherence problems in schizophrenia and their relationship to outcomes, discuss factors that influence patient compliance with antipsychotic medications, and identify practices for improving medication treatment adherence. 

You are invited to attend a special Sylvester seminar this Friday from noon to 1 p.m. at Sylvester, conference room 1301. Kenneth Kaye, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, will present “Persistence of a Tumor Virus: KSHV’s Strategy for Survival.”

The Department of Microbiology and Immunology will host a seminar by Maria T. Abreu, M.D., professor of medicine and chief of gastroenterology. Dr. Abreu will present "Toll-Like Receptor Signaling in the Gut" on Monday, September 29, at noon in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, room 3109.

The Division of Gastroenterology is proud to host a weekly, hour-long conference on inflammatory bowel disease. The conference will take place each Monday from 5 to 6 p.m. at University of Miami Hospital, Seminar Center. On Monday, September 29, Maria Perez, M.D., assistant professor of clinical pathology, will present "Pathology in Inflammatory Bowel Disease."

For more information, please contact David Kerman, M.D., at dkerman@med.miami.edu.

The Division of Hospital Medicine will present Grand Rounds by Paul Martin, M.D., professor of medicine and chief of hepatology, on Tuesday, September 30, from noon to 1 p.m. at Jackson Memorial Hospital, Central Building, second-floor auditorium. Dr. Martin will present “Update on Liver Transplantation.”

Please join us for Dermatology Grand Rounds on Wednesday, October 1, from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, room 2090. Jonette Keri, M.D., assistant professor of dermatology, will present “Acne and Rosacea, an Update.”

For more information, please call 305-243-4472.

The next Gail F. Beach Memorial Visiting Lectureship Series will be presented by Bruce Appel, Ph.D, associate professor of biological sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, on Wednesday, October 1, from noon to 1 p.m. at the Lois Pope LIFE Center, seventh-floor auditorium. Dr. Appel will be presenting "In Vivo Genetic and Imaging Analysis of Glial Cell Development.” 

For more information, please call 305-243-7108.

Join us on Thursday, October 2, as the Medical Wellness Center celebrates its two-year anniversary. The all-day celebration will be complete with fruit and healthy snacks, commemorative gifts for the first 400 attendees, a 10 percent discount on all Pasha’s orders, and complimentary massages from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 4 to 6 p.m. All non-members will also have free access to the Wellness Center.

The Employee Assistance Program will offer "Communicating for Results," a course for supervisors that addresses the basic concepts of verbal communication with a focus on active listening skills. These skills are the essential foundation for the supervisory functions of delegation, feedback and staff empowerment. Attend a session on Thursday, October 2, from 9 a.m. to noon at Dominion Parking Garage, suite 155.

To register, visit https://ulearn.miami.edu and follow the instructions to log on. For more information, call 305-243-3090.

Due to the great need for blood in our community, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, in conjunction with Community Blood Centers, is hosting a blood drive on Thursday, October 2, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sylvester in conference room 1301. Giving blood will take approximately 30 minutes and can be scheduled to accommodate employees. 

Please call Giselle Salzmann at 305-243-3663 to schedule your appointment.

Attend a Sponsored Programs Roundtable Series and learn how the NIH eRA Commons system can help you view the status of your NIH applications. The eRA Commons, an NIH Web-based system, is a necessary tool for principal investigators and administrators to view and manage awards. The session will be held on Thursday, October 2, from noon to 1 p.m. at Batchelor Children's Research Institute, Baxter Conference Room. 

Please register at http://Ulearn.miami.edu. For more information, please contact the Sponsored Programs Education and Training team at ResEDU@med.miami.edu.

Are you looking for funding opportunities? Attend this interactive demonstration and learn how to use SPINplus and SMARTS, tools to find funding opportunities. The SPINplus system is Web-based and will facilitate this process. The session will take place on Tuesday, October 7, from 10 a.m. to noon at Dominion Tower, room 1003.

Please register at http://Ulearn.miami.edu. For more information, please contact the Sponsored Programs Education and Training team at ResEDU@med.miami.edu.

Please join us for the “Taste of UM” on Tuesday, October 7, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Medical Wellness Center, room C. Admission to the event is free for UM employees however, donations will be accepted. Approximately 24 catering vendors will be on hand to provide a variety of free food samples ranging from pasta to paella. Vendors will provide menus, portfolios, business cards and ideas for your upcoming events. 

Please join us on Tuesday, October 7, at noon in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, fourth-floor auditorium for a seminar by Peter Mundel, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the Miami Institute of Renal Medicine. Dr. Mundel will present “Proteasomal Regulation of RhoA Signaling.” 

For additional information, please contact Nilcer Aviles at 305-243-6691 or naviles@med.miami.edu.

Eva Ritvo, M.D., associate professor of clinical psychiatry and vice chair for professional and community development, will be signing her new book, The Beauty Prescription, at Books and Books in Bal Harbour, 9700 Collins Avenue, on Tuesday, October 7, at 7:30 p.m.

Please join us for Dermatology Grand Rounds on Wednesday, October 8, from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, room 2090. M. Nadji, M.D., professor of pathology and director of the Immunohistochemistry Laboratory, will present "Dermatopathology 2015.”

For more information, please call 305-243-4472.

The University of Miami Health System and the Miller School of Medicine are sponsors of this year’s Start! Miami-Dade Heart Walk and want you on board for the event designed to raise funds and draw attention to heart disease and stroke. Join Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., your Executive Champion, in supporting the effort by contributing to your department’s Heart Walk team. The walk takes place on October 11 at Tropical Park at 9 a.m. Activities will begin at 8 a.m.

To contribute and/or sign up for the walk click here. For more information, please contact Ana Bezanilla at 305-243-2295.

Are you submitting electronic applications through Grants.gov? Join us for a Grants.gov hands-on workshop on Monday, October 13, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Louis Calder Memorial Library, electronic classroom. This computer lab training course is offered to provide hands-on instruction for NIH electronic submission of proposals through Grants.gov. The trainer will walk participants through the process and provide tips for avoiding common errors. The emphasis will be on finding and using the correct application package, following grant application instructions, and understanding the procedures for the internal routing of the proposal.

Please register at http://ulearn.miami.edu. For more information, please contact the Sponsored Programs Education and Training team at ResEDU@med.miami.edu.

The Training Division of the Department of Pediatrics will present Medical Issues and the Growing Child Conference, Session A- "Autism: Dispelling Myths, Creating Partnerships" on Wednesday, October 15. The event will take place from 7:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Mailman Center for Child Development, eighth-floor auditorium.

Learn how to use the InfoEd Proposal Development System to prepare and submit your proposal electronically to the NIH. InfoEd streamlines the proposal development process. It is Web-based and accessible almost anywhere by Mac and PC users with no additional software. InfoEd populates agency forms, includes built-in agency validations, stores proposals in a secure environment and provides a database of all proposals submitted. This session will help participants create, route, submit and track proposals using the InfoEd System.

The session will be held on Wednesday, October 15, from 9 a.m. to noon at Dominion Tower, room 1003. Please register at http://Ulearn.miami.edu. For more information, please contact the Sponsored Programs Education and Training team at ResEDU@med.miami.edu.

Behavioral interviewing is a research-based technique used to determine the best candidate for a position. This technique has been shown to increase the success rate during the selection process by determining the most qualified candidates for a position, reducing turnover of new hires, and maintaining a stable, productive team.

Please join us for Pathology Grand Rounds on Thursday, October 16, at noon at Holtz Children's Hospital, conference room 2034. Richard Cote, M.D., FRC.Path., professor of pathology and urology, and director of the Biomedical Nanosciences Initiative at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine's Kenneth Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, will present a lecture titled ”New Approaches to Cell Capture, Analysis and Molecular Biosensing using Novel Nanotechnology Platforms."

Join the UM team at Bayfront Park on Saturday, October 18, for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, a race dedicated to the effort to cure breast cancer. Register online at https://www.kintera.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=272302&lis=1&kntae272302=3A32AC8CA53744BE928E29E8B50DB658&supId=227145922&team=2848316 or sign up onsite the day of the race beginning at 6 a.m. Race for the Cure events start at 7:30 a.m., and the race starts at 8:30 a.m. For more information, visit www.komenmiaftl.org or call 305-284-5671 for UM-related participation information.

Register today for the Third Annual International Symposium "Ventricular Arrhythmias, Pathophysiology and Therapy." At the event, you will learn from top international experts in the management of ventricular arrhythmias and gain a detailed understanding of ventricular arrhythmia treatment in various disease states, including advances in non-pharmacological therapies such as implantable device therapy and catheter ablation. The scientific basis of new techniques and therapies, their clinical use and limitations will be also discussed.

The symposium will be held on Friday, October 24, and Saturday, October 25, at The Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne. To learn more or to register, please visit www.vtsymposium.com.

Join the Miller School's professor and interim chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Ewald Horwath, M.D., at Tropical Park on Saturday, November 1, for the 2008 Out of the Darkness Community Walk. The event, sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and co-chaired by Dr. Horwath, will raise funds for survivor and awareness programs, research and education to help prevent suicide and assist those affected by suicide.

Registration is free and everyone is encouraged to bring friends and/or family members. Please register online at www.outofthedarkness.org. Registration at the event will take place at 9 a.m. and the walk starts at 10 a.m. For more information, please contact Lorie Simmons at 561-392-7877.

Saggy Abdominal Skin
Heather Woolery-Lloyd, M.D. of the University of Miami Cosmetic Medicine and Research Institute is looking for women ages 18 to 70 who have saggy, aging skin on the abdomen. The study will evaluate whether a light-based device is safe and effective for abdominal skin tightening. If you are interested in participating, contact a member of the research staff at 305-531-5788 or cosmeticresearch@med.miami.edu.

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