Parking on the Miller School campus became a bit easier yesterday when 1,400 parking spaces opened up in the 15th Street Parking Garage, a new building with nine parking floors above a ground floor which houses the medical campus’ new state-of-the-art chiller plant, the second-largest chilled water central energy plant in South Florida.

The Harrington family has announced arrangements for friends and family to remember Dr. William J. Harrington Jr., professor of medicine at the Miller School. Visitation with brief remarks will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. today (Tuesday) at Stanfill Funeral Home, 10545 South Dixie Highway, Miami. A smaller, more intimate memorial service will be held Friday, February 6, at 5:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Homestead, 29050 SW 177th Avenue.

Dr. Harrington, a leading authority on viral-induced cancers and co-leader of the Viral Oncology Program at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, died from a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 54. His organs were donated to others.

Dr. Harrington’s research uncovered a novel approach to attacking tumors that had proved resistant to conventional chemotherapy. He had also been collaborating with investigators in Brazil to develop new therapies against Epstein Barr-related lymphoma. His clinical work with patients with HIV who developed viral lymphomas made him an international expert.

Dr. Harrington was also continuing the work of his late father as co-director of the William J. Harrington Medical Training Programs in Latin America. The program, started by Dr. William J. Harrington Sr., former chair of medicine, trains top-tier medical graduates from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Dr. Harrington Jr. is survived by his wife, four children, one grandchild, his mother, a sister and two brothers, including Dr. Thomas Harrington, assistant professor of medicine at the Miller School. Plans are underway for a memorial service for Dr. Harrington on the Miller School campus. Details will be announced in the coming weeks.

Raising awareness about genetics research in South Florida’s African-American community has been one of the many missions of the Miami Institute for Human Genomics at the Miller School.  On January 13, the institute’s director, Margaret Pericak-Vance, Ph.D., addressed a group of 50 pastors and members of the community at the 93rd Street Community Baptist Church in Liberty City.

She spoke about the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in African-Americans and the impact of genetics research on disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Pictured: Dr. Pericak-Vance (center) at the event with Marc Royster, left, director of human resources at the Institute, and the Reverend Carl Johnson, pastor of the church where the event was held.

The Institute for Women’s Health is now accepting applications from first-year medical students for its student pathway in women’s health. The pathway offers the opportunity to work closely with a UM faculty member on a mentored research project in women’s health and network with and learn from faculty involved in women’s health.

The application deadline is Friday, February 27. For more information, visit http://womenshealth.med.miami.edu/x36.xml or contact Erin Marcus, M.D., at 305-243-2576.

The nationally recognized BeSmokeFree Program will take place at the Medical Wellness Center next week. BeSmokeFree is open to all UM and non-UM employees. The program offers a myriad of innovative techniques designed to complement the program’s basic support group and classroom sessions. Some interventions include pharmacological treatments, including the nicotine patch, gum, inhaler, lozenges and Zyban; acupuncture treatments and hypnotherapy; individualized treatment plans; and free quit kits filled with healthful alternatives to cigarettes, such as pocket-sized stress manuals, stress balls and relaxation CD’s. 

The BeSmokeFree classes, which will include eight group sessions during a seven-week program, will be led by a variety of health experts. Participants who also are enrolled in the University’s health care plan will receive full reimbursement of program fees upon completion of the program. The cost is $84 for each participant. UM health care plan members will receive a $12 voucher for each classroom session they attend. If you are currently paying the added $20 charge as an enrolled smoker, the monthly charge will be dropped immediately if you graduate from the program.

For more information on BeSmokeFree, send an e-mail to prhew@med.miami.edu or call 305-243-1739. The registration deadline is tomorrow (Wednesday).

Bring your walking shoes and join us for campus walks twice a week. A group will meet every Tuesday and Thursday at noon in front of the parking entrance of Dominion Tower (facing NW 14th Street) for a brisk, 30-minute walk around campus. It's free, healthy and a great way to network.

On April 30, the Miller School of Medicine, College of Engineering and Office of the Provost will host Enterprise Development Corporation’s eighth annual Life Science Conference, Biotech 2009, at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Miami. The conference brings regional industry and academia together for one day to preview translational research being conducted in South Florida and to uncover new areas of collaboration.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Regenerative Medicine – New Frontiers in Cellular and Stem Cell Therapies and Tissue Engineering.” Participants will explore the field of regenerative medicine - harnessing the body's own power to regenerate a severed limb or create compatible organs for transplantation. It will also cover some of the business and ethical issues related to this theme, particularly in light of the current political and economic climate. Anthony Atala, M.D., director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University, will deliver the keynote address.  Bart Chernow, M.D., vice president for special programs and resource strategy, vice provost of technology advancement, and professor of medicine; Joshua Hare, M.D., chief of the Cardiovascular Division and director of the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute; and Camillo Ricordi, M.D., scientific director of the Diabetes Research Institute, will be participating in the conference.

For more information about the agenda, sponsorship and registration, please visit www.edc-tech.org.

The Department of Radiology at Jackson Memorial Hospital has a new phone system. 
 
To talk to a radiologist, call extension 4-1260 from inside the hospital or 305-355-1260 from outside. You will be prompted to select the number of the specific radiology section. Alternatively, you can call a particular section directly. Please find a list of extension numbers below.
 
Body Imaging - 41318
Chest - 41319
MSK - 41320
Neuro - 41321
Pediatrics - 56050
Fluoroscopy (GI and GU) - 41257
PACS library - 57056
Radiology Administration - 55381
 
If you are paged with the direct number, dial the number as written. Do not put a five in front of the number. You cannot call the direct numbers from outside JMH. If you are paged with the main number, you will see the * symbol and the section number after the main number to tell you which extension to select. For example, if you receive a page that reads 3053551260*1, you would call the main number and select extension 1.

*Interventional Radiology and Nuclear Medicine will retain their old numbers.

• 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.
• Please be sure to e-mail items to e-Update at update@med.miami.edu. Submissions to other e-mail addresses run the risk of being missed.

Please join us for Pediatric Grand Rounds today (Tuesday) from 8 to 9 a.m. in the Mailman Center for Child Development, eighth-floor auditorium. Anne B. Chang, M.D., professor of pediatrics at Royal Children’s Hospital in Australia, will present "Protracted Bronchitis in Children."

The Cardiovascular Division will host Grand Rounds today (Tuesday) from noon to 1 p.m. at University of Miami Hospital, Seminar Center. Alexandre C. Ferreira, M.D., voluntary associate professor of medicine, will present "Diagnosis, Risk Stratification and Treatment of Acute Coronary Syndromes: A 2009 Update."

For more information, call Yanay Tabraue at 305-243-1998 or ytabraue@med.miami.edu.

The Division of Hospital Medicine will present Grand Rounds today from noon to 1 p.m. in Jackson Memorial Hospital's second-floor auditorium. Jose Andres Restrepo, M.D., assistant professor of rehabilitation medicine, will present "What is Physiatry."

Please join us today (Tuesday) at noon in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, fourth-floor auditorium for a seminar by Paul Lasko, Ph.D., professor and chair of biology at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Dr. Lasko will present a lecture titled "Post Transcriptional Genetic Regulation in the Drosophila Germline." 

The Miami Institute for Human Genomics, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center will host a special seminar by Christopher I. Amos, Ph.D., professor and deputy chair of epidemiology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Amos will present "Delineating Genetic and Epidemiological Components of Risk for Lung Cancer: Epidemiology in a Time of Change" today (Tuesday) from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the Gordon Center for Research in Medical Education in the Broad-Bussel Auditorium located on the first floor of the Clinical Research Building.

For more information, call 305-243-8408 or send an e-mail to nmatelis@miami.edu.

The Department of Medicine will present Grand Rounds tomorrow (Wednesday) from noon to 1 p.m. in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, third-floor auditorium. Nina Singh, M.D., associate professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, will present a lecture titled "Infections in Organ Transplant Recipients: Current State of the Art."

This is a reminder that the Pediatric Clinical Research Forum with Jeffery M. Vance, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics, will be held tomorrow (Wednesday) from noon to 1 p.m. at the Batchelor Children’s Research Institute, conference room 508B. Dr. Vance will present "The Genetics of Peripheral Neuropathy." 

You are also invited to the Pediatric Clinical Research Forum scheduled for Wednesday, February 11, from noon to 1 p.m. at the Batchelor Children’s Research Institute, conference room 508B. The speaker will be Tarig Muzamil Ali-Dinar, M.D., pediatric pulmonary fellow at the University of Miami/Jackson. He will present a lecture titled "The Effect of Transforming Growth Factor-Beta on Epithelial to Mesenchymal Cell Transdifferentiation in Mouse (TGF-b) Alveolar Epithelial."  

Please RSVP to Natalya Bublik at 305-243-9936 or nbublik@med.miami.edu. 

Please join us for the Gail F. Beach Memorial Visiting Lectureship Series tomorrow (Wednesday) from noon to 1 p.m. at the Lois Pope LIFE Center, seventh-floor auditorium. Moses V. Chao, Ph.D., professor of cell biology, physiology and neuroscience and psychiatry at New York University Langone Medical Center, will present "Ways of Stimulating Neurotrophic Responses."

The Department of Anesthesiology will present Grand Rounds this Thursday from 6:45 to 7:45 a.m. in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, third-floor auditorium. William R. Furman, M.D., professor of anesthesiology and associate chief of staff for clinical outcomes and effectiveness at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will present "Endocrine Emergencies."

The Department of Orthopaedics will host Grand Rounds this Thursday from 7 to 8 a.m. at the Mailman Center for Child Development, eighth-floor auditorium. Jagdeep S. Sodhi, M.D., fifth-year resident, will present "Acetabular Cup Anteversion and Inclination: Have We Reached an Agreement?"

For more information, please contact Ledinaida Figueroa at lfigueroa@med.miami.edu.

The Department of Neurological Surgery will present Grand Rounds this Thursday from 7 to 8 a.m. at the Lois Pope LIFE Center, seventh-floor auditorium. Howard Levene, M.D., Ph.D., neurological surgery resident, will present "Spinal Cord Injury: Experimental Treatments."

For more information or to add your name to our educational announcement distribution list, please contact Ingrid Menendez at 305-243-6751 or nrstraining@med.miami.edu.

The 2009 Perioperative Medicine Summit will enable clinicians who are actively engaged in perioperative medical care to incorporate the latest findings from clinical research into their practices so they can improve the quality and safety of their medical care. Evidence-based lectures supplemented by clinical cases will be used and combined with an audience response system for a detailed exchange of information among faculty and attendees. 

Please join us for Surgical Grand Rounds this Thursday at 8 a.m. in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, fourth-floor auditorium. Gaetano Ciancio, M.D., professor of surgery and urology, will present "Dealing with Inferior Vena Cava Tumor Thrombus." Upon completion of this lecture, participants will be able to describe the surgical management of large retroperitoneal tumors.

Join us for a Sponsored Programs Roundtable brown-bag lunch series on "Clinical Research Subject Enrollment Revenue Cycle." The presentation will be given by Suzanne Page, director of clinical research initiation services, and Grace McPherson, senior financial analyst, this Thursday from noon to 1 p.m., at Dominion Tower, twelfth-floor conference room. The lecture is especially designed for researchers, doctors, nurses, clinical coordinators, administrators and those who register patients. Participants will learn more about the revised Clinical Research Subject Enrollment and Tracking Policy. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer session.

Registration is required through ULearn. Please send an e-mail to ResEDU@med.miami.edu for more information.

Please join us for Pathology Grand Rounds this Thursday at noon at Holtz Children's Hospital, conference room 2034. Venkata Kakulavarapu, Ph.D., research assistant professor of pathology, will present a lecture titled "Aquaporins in Cell Physiology and Pathology."

For more information, please contact Jamie Silva at 305-585-8381 or jsilva@med.miami.edu.

Peter Buchwald, Ph.D., assistant professor of molecular and cellular pharmacology and director of drug discovery at the Diabetes Research Institute, will present a seminar titled "Searching for Small Molecule Inhibitors of the CD40-CD154 Costimulatory Protein-Protein Interaction." 

The lecture will take place this Thursday at noon in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, room 6018. For further information, please contact Nivia Machin-Gonzalez at 305-243-1078.

Please join Apple for an introduction to developing for the iPhone. Steve Hayman, Apple consulting engineer and developer tools expert, will provide a fact-filled and entertaining presentation on the tools and programs that are available for developing applications on the iPhone and iPod touch. Steve will explain the various developer programs and demonstrate the tools that you can use to quickly develop applications for your institution and for the Apple App store. If you are considering adding iPhone development to your curriculum, building applications for your school or are curious as to what all the fuss is about, please plan on attending the seminar this Thursday from noon to 1 p.m. in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, fifth-floor auditorium.

To register, visit http://edseminars.apple.com/seminars/event.php?eventID=1471. For more information, please call Kevin Hodges at 1-800-800-2775 ext. 46552.

Please join us this Thursday at noon in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, room 3109 for a seminar by Ranjan Sen, Ph.D., senior investigator and chief in the Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology and chief of the Gene Regulation Section at the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Sen will present a lecture titled "The NF-kB Response in B Lymphocytes."

The Professional Development Council, sponsored by the Professional Development and Training Office, will be holding quarterly meetings to provide an opportunity to network and learn the best practices for anyone engaged in development and delivering training at UM. The meeting will be held this Thursday from 1 to 3 p.m. at Dominion Parking Garage, suite 155. The focus of this session will be on ensuring retention and measuring a program's impact on participant performance. 

For more information or to register, login to ULearn and search for the session using the keyword "council."

Attention study team members, coordinators, research nurses and all study personnel who manage patients. The Office of Research Information Management is offering a “Velos Patient Management Workshop." Come and learn how this system will help you manage your patients. The hands-on module will discuss patient enrollment, patient status management and patient calendars. The workshop will be held this Thursday, and Thursday, Feb. 12, 19 and 26, at Dominion Tower, room 1003 from 4 to 5 p.m.

Velos eResearch is a Web-based clinical research management application that is designed specifically for investigators and their research teams. It supports processes for patient recruitment, patient scheduling, budgeting, invoicing, and milestone management, data safety monitoring, adverse event reporting, system integration, data collection and study execution. Velos eResearch allows all study-related information to be centralized and can be accessed from anywhere, anytime. Accounts are password-protected and only accessible to authorized personnel. It is easy to use, reliable and completely secure. 

Registration for the workshop is required through ULearn. For more information, please send an e-mail to ResEDU@med.miami.edu.

Please join us for Neurology Grand Rounds this Friday from 10 to 11 a.m. in the Lois Pope LIFE Center, seventh-floor auditorium. Stephen Olvey, M.D., associate professor of neurological surgery and director of the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital and vice chairman for clinical affairs in the Department of Neurological Surgery, will present "Lessons Learned from Motor Sports: How to Prevent Life-Threatening Injuries in High Velocity Impacts."

As part of the Friday Noon Interdisciplinary Lecture Series/First Fridays Talks on Autism, Maria Goldman, Psy.D., assistant professor of clinical psychology, will present "Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Treated for Leukemia." The event will take place this Friday from noon to 1 p.m. in the Mailman Center for Child Development, room 3023. 

For more information, send an e-mail to wcastro@med.miami.edu or call 305-243-4466.

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences cordially invites you to Grand Rounds this Friday from noon to 1 p.m. at the Mailman Center for Child Development, eighth-floor auditorium. Natalie Mullet, M.Ed., deputy director of the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling in Altamonte Springs, will present "Diagnosis: Pathological Gambling—A Medical Provider’s Guide to Screening, Assessment and Referral." 

This educational activity will provide continuing education credits to physicians, psychologists, social workers and nurses. For additional information, please contact Carmen Bou-Crick at 305-355-9073 or cbou@med.miami.edu.

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology will present a seminar by Thomas Burris, Ph.D., professor of molecular therapeutics at The Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, this Friday at noon in the R. Bunn Gautier Building, room 118. Dr. Burris will present "Identifying Physiological Ligands for Orphan Nuclear Receptors."

The Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology will host Michael G. Rosenfeld, M.D., professor of medicine at Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of California in San Diego, for a seminar this Friday at noon in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, fourth-floor auditorium. Dr. Rosenfeld will present "Life, Death, and Transformation: Epigenetic and Architectural Nuclear Regulation of Gene Expression."
 
For further information, please call Nivia Machin-Gonzalez at 305-243-1078.

Please join us this Friday at noon in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, room 3109 for a seminar by Jyoti Misra Sen, Ph.D., investigator in the Lymphocyte Development Unit at the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Sen will present a lecture titled "Beta-Catenin and TCF in T Cell Function."

The Cardiovascular Division will present Grand Rounds on Tuesday, February 10, from noon to 1 p.m. at University of Miami Hospital, Seminar Center. Peter M. Spooner, Ph.D., executive director at the Donald W. Reynolds Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center at Johns Hopkins University, will present "Genes, Genomics, Sudden Cardiac Death?"

For more information, call Yanay Tabraue at 305-243-1998 or ytabraue@med.miami.edu.

Please join us on Tuesday, February 10, at noon in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, fourth-floor auditorium for a seminar by Lawrence H. Boise, Ph.D., professor and director of the graduate program in the Department of  Microbiology and Immunology. Dr. Boise will present a lecture titled "The Cell Biology Behind Current Cancer Therapeutic Approaches."

For additional information call 305-243-6691 or send an e-mail to naviles@med.miami.edu.

The Department of Anesthesiology will present Grand Rounds on Thursday, February 12, from 6:45 to 7:45 a.m. in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, third-floor auditorium. Beverly K. Philip, M.D., professor of anesthesiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, will present "Propofol by Surgeons: Current Controversies."

The Miller School designates this educational activity for one continuing medical education credit. For further information, please contact Marsha Williams at 305-585-1191 ext. 2*2 or mwilliams@med.miami.edu.

Stephen E. Olvey, M.D., associate professor of neurological surgery and director of the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital and vice chairman for clinical affairs in the Department of Neurological Surgery, will present Orthopaedic Grand Rounds on Thursday, February 12, from 7 to 8 a.m. at the Mailman Center for Child Development, eighth-floor auditorium. Dr. Olvey will present a lecture titled "Lessons Learned from Motor Sports: How to Prevent Life-Threatening Injuries in High Velocity Impacts."

Please join us on Thursday, February 12, at noon in the Diabetes Research Institute, conference room 1000 for a seminar by Harald Kessler, M.D., professor of medical biopathology at the Institute of Hygiene, Microbiology and Environmental Medicine at the Medical University of Graz in Austria. Dr. Kessler will present a lecture titled "New Trends in Molecular Diagnostics of HIV-1 Infection."

On Thursday, February 12, at 12:15 p.m. the Medical Wellness Center will host a "UStretch" seminar. The interactive seminar will teach participants the benefits of stretching, proper techniques to avoid injury and exercises they can do in the office. All members and non-members are welcome to attend. Participants are encouraged to stay in work attire.

To reserve your seat, please contact the Medical Wellness Center at 305-243-7600. For questions regarding the seminar, contact Dunia Sanchez at dsanchez1@med.miami.edu or Joanna Torrens at jtorrens@med.miami.edu.

The Mitchell Wolfson Sr. Department of Community Service (DOCS) will host a Pompano Beach Health Fair on Saturday, February 14, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sanders Park Elementary in Pompano Beach. At the fair, Miller School faculty and medical students will provide free health screenings, health education and more. Screenings will include cholesterol, diabetes, blood pressure, vision and cancer. Children will also be seen, but must be accompanied by an adult. The fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Treat your valentine to an unforgettable evening complete with fabulous food, spectacular décor, music, dancing and more at the Love and Hope Royal Ball. This black-tie gala will reach its pinnacle when Barry Gibb takes the stage, along with a nine-piece band, including his son, Stephen Gibb. Scheduled to be held at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood on February 14, this anniversary occasion will celebrate the 35th year of Love and Hope, whose mission it is to support the cure-focused work of the Diabetes Research Institute.

The Cardiovascular Division will present Grand Rounds on Tuesday, February 17, from noon to 1 p.m. at University of Miami Hospital, Seminar Center. Elizabeth McNally, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine and human genetics at the University of Chicago Medical Center, will present "The Genetics of Cardiomyopathy: Lessons From Single Genes."  

For more information, call Yanay Tabraue at 305-243-1998 or ytabraue@med.miami.edu.

The Division of Hospital Medicine will host Grand Rounds on Tuesday, February 17, from noon to 1 p.m. at Jackson Memorial Hospital, second-floor conference room. Michael J. Mintzer, M.D., professor of clinical medicine, will present "Discussion of Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease."

The Department of Medicine will present Grand Rounds on Wednesday, February 18, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, third-floor auditorium. Lennox Jeffers, M.D., professor of medicine, will present a lecture titled "Hepatitis B & C in the African American and Hispanic Communities." 

The Department of Orthopaedics will host Grand Rounds on Thursday, February 19, from 7 to 8 a.m. at the Mailman Center for Child Development, eighth-floor auditorium. Christopher Iobst, M.D., orthopedic surgeon at Miami Children’s Hospital, will present "Access to Care for Pediatric Orthopaedic Fracture Patients in South Florida." 

For more information, please contact Ledinaida Figueroa at lfigueroa@med.miami.edu.

The seventh annual Miami International Revascularization Summit is scheduled to take place Thursday, February 19, through Saturday, February 21, at the Alexander All-Suite Oceanfront Resort in Miami Beach.
 
The three-day course will cover topics such as the latest technologies in the treatment of coronary artery disease, emerging technologies for the percutaneous treatment of structural heart disease, non-cardiac endovascular therapies, electrophysiologic ablations and devices, robotic surgery and the latest in cardiac imaging.  

Please join us for Surgical Grand Rounds on Thursday, February 19, at 8 a.m. in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, fourth-floor auditorium. Jose Martinez, M.D., assistant professor of surgery, will present "Advances in Surgical Endoscopy." Upon completion of this lecture, participants will be able to illustrate the importance of surgical residents acquiring endoscopic training during residency.

The Miller School designates this educational activity for one continuing medical education credit. For more information, please contact Elisa Arguelles at 305-585-1280 or earguelles@med.miami.edu.

The Miller School and the Miami Area Geriatric Education Center will present a "Falls Prevention" conference on Thursday, February 19, and Friday, February 20, at the Hilton Deerfield Beach/Boca Raton. The goal of the conference is to increase awareness and understanding of the impact falls and fall injuries have on older adults and to introduce and promote the use of evidence-based interventions and strategies in area health facilities and local communities.

For more information and to register, visit http://www.miami.edu/magec or call the Miami Area Geriatric Education Center at 305-355-9123. Participants can receive ten continuing medical education credits for attending. 

Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center's Disparities and Community Outreach Core, the National Cancer Institute Coastal Cancer Information Service, and the Jay Weiss Center for Social Medicine and Health Equity invite you to bring your lunch and join us for a Cancer Disparities and Community-Based Participatory Research Journal Club meeting on Thursday, February 19, from noon to 1 p.m. at the Clinical Research Building, room 1080. Topics of discussion will include narrative communication in cancer prevention and control and a cervical cancer community-based participatory research project in a Native American community. 

For more information, please contact Marsha Stevens at mstevens2@med.miami.edu.

A course titled "New Concepts in Women's Health" is scheduled for Thursday, February 19 to Saturday, February 21 at the Mayfair Hotel and Spa in Coconut Grove. The course will provide a comprehensive update on the problems encountered in obstetrics and gynecology and its subspecialties and will disseminate new concepts of care in women’s health through every phase of life. New information and ideas will be presented, and participants will learn how to determine when other advanced technologies are necessary. 

The Educational Development Office will host Jeffrey G. Wiese, M.D., professor of medicine and associate dean for graduate medical education at Tulane University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, for Grand Rounds on Friday, February 20, at noon in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, fifth-floor auditorium.

For more information, please contact Tanyika Stephenson at 305-243-7482.

The Cardiovascular Division will host Grand Rounds on Tuesday, February 24, from noon to 1 p.m. at University of Miami Hospital, Seminar Center. Gustavo G. Lopera, M.D., assistant professor of medicine, will present "Risk Stratification of SCD."  

For more information, call Yanay Tabraue at 305-243-1998 or ytabraue@med.miami.edu.

Bal Harbour Shops will host an ultra-luxe charity auction and party for Destination Fashion 2009 to benefit The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis. Be our guest and join us as bidding begins Thursday, February 26, at Bal Harbour Shops’ Silent Auction Preview Party from 6 to 8 p.m. All auction items will be on display at participating Bal Harbour stores through the main event on Friday, March 7.

To RSVP or for more information, please call Stephanie Sayfie Aagaard at 305-243-4656 or saagaard@miami.edu.

The Miller School's Developmental Center for AIDS Research (DCFAR) and Division of Infectious Diseases will present the sixth annual HIV symposium titled "Novel Interventions for HIV Infection" on Friday, March 13, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Michael S. Gordon Center for Research in Medical Education, Broad-Bussel Auditorium located on the first floor of the Clinical Research Building.  

The Jay Weiss Center for Social Medicine and Health Equity is requesting abstract submissions for its inaugural Social Medicine Advocacy, Research and Training (SMART) Forum. The forum will encourage interdisciplinary and community-based approaches for addressing health disparities. 

All University faculty, staff and graduate students are encouraged to submit original abstracts describing community-based research and advocacy efforts that address health disparities and/or inform health care policy. Topics eligible for abstract submission can include, but are not limited to the following public health; social epidemiology; community-based participatory research; qualitative research with underserved populations; evaluation of University-community partnerships to impact community or individual health outcomes; health behaviors and lifestyles; health communications or education; health services or economics; health care ethics; and population health or genomics.

Abstracts can be submitted online at www.jayweisscenter.com. Each abstract should be no more than 300 words and must include a background, objective, methods, results and implications. Abstracts will be reviewed by an interdisciplinary committee of University faculty and community partners. They will then be selected for poster or oral presentation based on originality, substance, community focus, sustainability and significance to social medicine, health disparities or health policy.

The SMART Forum is scheduled for April 23 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Lois Pope LIFE Center, seventh-floor auditorium. The deadline for abstract submissions is March 6. If you have any questions, please contact Katie Houghton at khoughton@med.miami.edu or 305-243-8893.

On Friday, May 1, 2009, the Institute for Women’s Health will hold the second annual University of Miami Women’s Health Research Day.

The Health Research in the Americas Conference, sponsored by the Miller School's Miami Fogarty International Training Program in AIDS & TB  and UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, is scheduled for Thursday, May 7, and Friday, May 8, at the Michael S. Gordon Center for Research in Medical Education, Broad-Bussel Auditorium. The conference will focus on HIV prevention, including presentations on prevention methodology among pediatric, adolescent, adult and aging populations. It will also provide current HIV prevention information for clinicians, students, researchers and non-clinical health workers in order to address the increasing prevalence of HIV and the need for clinicians and researchers to address prevention efforts among vulnerable and difficult-to-reach populations.

Presentations will take place Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The keynote address, “Know Your Epidemic! Know Your Response!" will be given by Ruben F. del Prado, UNAIDS country coordinator for Guyana and Suriname. The conference will feature presentations and roundtable panels discussions with experts, physicians and researchers from UM, Latin America and the Caribbean.

The conference will continue on Friday, May 8, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. with presentations and roundtable panel discussions with physicians and researchers from UM, Latin America and the Caribbean. 

Physicians who attend both days of the conference can earn continuing medical education credits. The general registration fee is $100. The registration fee for physicians requesting continuing medical education credits is $150. Seating is limited to 100 people. For more information or to download the registration form, please visit http://www.med.miami.edu/fogarty/x18.xml or contact Victoria Elf at velf@med.miami.edu or 305-243-3210.

Hispanics and Circumcision
If you are a healthy, pregnant, HIV negative Hispanic female and/or male partner 18 years or older, you may be eligible to participate in this project (one session only) and assist with the evaluation of benefits of male circumcision as a possible HIV preventative measure by identifying attitudes of pregnant Hispanic women and her partners about circumcision of the unborn male child, explore the challenge of circumcision as an HIV prevention strategy and increase awareness in the Hispanic community regarding male circumcision. If eligible, you could earn up to $25 in compensation for your time (60 minutes) and effort. Please contact us today for more information at 305- 243-2103.

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