John G. Clarkson, M.D. ’68, decided to throw a party for a few of his favorite employees—more than 6,000 of them.

Music, food and Sebastian the Ibis joined the Miller School of Medicine employees on Wednesday, November 30, all of whom were invited to celebrate Clarkson’s ten-year tenure as dean of the School of Medicine.

University of Miami President Donna E. Shalala told the crowd, “We will probably never see anyone as loyal who combines integrity and intelligence like Dean John G. Clarkson.”
  

         Thousands of people turned out to celebrate
          with Dean John G. Clarkson, M.D.

But Clarkson, senior vice president for medical affairs and dean of the Miller School of Medicine since 1995, noted that “Today isn’t about me. It’s about you and it’s to thank you for what you do every day to make this medical school a better place.

“The best is yet to come, and it’s because of you.” Clarkson will be retiring as dean in January to become executive director of the American Board of Ophthalmology.

President Shalala, ever mindful of health since her days as Secretary of Health and Human Services, reminded the crowd that free flu shots were being provided at the event. “We’ll all need to be healthy for everything we need to do in the coming year,” Shalala said.

To shop, visit the Computer Store at http://it.med.miami.edu/x312.xml and click on one of the "Personal Store" links.  For information about the Dell sale, click on the “Dell December 2005 promotion” link. For help with making a purchase decision, click on the “Choosing the Right Computer” link.

December
Performance Improvement Management
Friday
Decision Making Skills for Supervisors     
Tomorrow (Wednesday)
Meeting Facilitation Skills for Supervisors
12/21

A representative from Fidelity Investments will be on the medical campus to conduct individual counseling sessions from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., February 1, March 1 and 29, April 27, May 24, June 28 and July 26. To schedule an appointment, call 1-800-642-7131.

A representative from TIAA-CREF will be at the medical campus December 14 and 15, February 22 and 23, March 27 and 28, April 25 and 26, May 23 and 24, June 27 and 29 to conduct individual counseling sessions. To schedule an appointment, click here http://www.tiaa-cref.com/moc, or call 1-800-842-2003 ext. 3522.

All counseling sessions from these organizations will take place in the Human Resources Benefits Office, 901 N.W. 17th St., suite D.

The Special Seminar Series presents Peter A. Sahwell, director of Foundation Relations and Special Projects. Mr. Sahwell will discuss “Seeking Grants from Private Foundations:  How the Process Works” on Thursday from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. in UM/Sylvester, room 1301. If you have ever thought your work might be right for private foundation support but wondered how to apply, come and learn about the resources available to help you submit strong proposals to private foundations. Learn which approvals and forms are required by the Offices of Medical Development and Research Administration. Log onto NetLearning at http://netlearning.miami.edu to enroll. For more information, contact mvalero@med.miami.edu.

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.

The Division of Cosmetic Dermatology, directed by Leslie Baumann, M.D., is looking for teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 to participate in a research study to determine whether injections with BOTOX® (botulinum toxin type A) relieve excessive underarm sweating.  If interested, please contact a member of the research staff at 305-532-5552.
 
Bruce Rubin, M.D., is currently performing a study on trigeminal neuralgia (TN) treatment with subcutaneous injections of BOTOX® to evaluate the effectiveness of treating facial pain associated with TN.  Patients must have a diagnosis of TN for more than three months and be at least 18 years of age.  Please contact Amy L. Kaye, ARNP, for more information at 305-243-6223.
 
Dr. Rubin is also seeking patients for a research study on the treatment of tightness/spasticity in the wrist, fingers, and elbow caused by a stroke while evaluating the effect of BOTOX® on pulmonary functioning.  Patients must be 18 years of age, have had a stroke six months ago or longer, have a pulmonary/breathing problem and cannot have used BOTOX® or any other botulinum toxin previously for any condition.  Please contact Amy L. Kaye, ARNP, at 305-243-6223 for additional information.
 
The Center for Treatment Research on Adolescent Drug Abuse (CTRADA) is recruiting adolescents ages 12-17 for participation in a substance abuse treatment-research study. To be eligible, the adolescent’s parents must be willing to participate in treatment and assessments, adolescents must have moderate to severe substance use, and no more than three lifetime arrests.  For more information, please call 305-243-5020 or write to jcooley@med.miami.edu. More information is also available on our website at http://www.med.miami.edu/CTRADA.
 
The University of Miami School of Medicine-Miami Heart Research Institute Cardiovascular DNA Diagnostic Laboratory is recruiting both pediatric and adult individuals and/or families with any of the following: QT interval greater than 0.5 at any time; lethal ventricular arrhythmias, especially in the setting of a first myocardial infarction; sudden cardiac death; drug-induced ventricular arrhythmias or long QT syndrome, or congenital long QT syndrome. These samples will be used for research studies of genes that may be associated with these conditions. To make a referral of a patient or family, or to obtain more information about our work, contact Nanette H. Bishopric, M.D., at n.bishopric@miami.edu, Todd Miller, Ph.D., at t.miller@miami.edu, Lisa Baumbach, Ph.D., at baumbac@med.miami.edu, or Shauntelle Elliott, RN, at selliott2@um-jmh.org.
 
The NIH-sponsored SARA Study (Study of Acid Reflux and Asthma) is recruiting asthmatic subjects 18-60 years of age to determine if adding a drug that treats gastro-esophageal reflux (GERD) to usual asthma treatment reduces the number of asthma flare-ups. The study will be conducted on the medical school campus. Participants will be given a physical exam, a test to diagnose GERD and a pulmonary function test at study entry. They will then be asked to come to the laboratory for eight study visits over a six-month period to complete questionnaires about asthma symptoms and to perform a pulmonary function test. For more information about the study and compensation for participation, please call Eliana Mendes, M.D., at 305-243-2568.
 
Have you or one of your relatives been diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder? Are you in regular contact with this person? If so, you and your family member(s) may be eligible to participate in a free schizophrenia intervention study. In this study, you and your relatives will participate in four assessment sessions of approximately one and one-half to two hours each as well as a weekly family treatment of several 75-minute sessions. To enroll or learn more about the study, please contact Amy G. Weisman, Ph.D., at 305-284-5455.
 
More than 5.5 million women in North America are affected by endometriosis and its symptoms, including pelvic pain. If you have endometriosis, you may be eligible to participate in a clinical research study evaluating a new investigational medication for pelvic pain due to endometriosis. To qualify, you must be a woman between 18 and 45 with regular menstrual periods, have endometriosis diagnosed by a surgical procedure (laparoscopy or laparotomy) within the past three years, have moderate to severe pelvic pain due to endometriosis for at least three months, not be using oral contraceptives for the past 30 days, be sexually active, and have not had a surgical treatment for endometriosis in the past six months. For more information, please contact Marisol Sloane at the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at 305-243-1613.
 
The Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement (CREATE) is conducting research with family caregivers of dementia patients who speak English and are 65 years of age or older. You will receive basic training on how to use the Internet and will be asked to look for information about caregiving and dementia. If you are interested in being part of this research study, please call (305) 355-9200 and mention the health caregivers study. You will be paid for your time and effort.
 
The Department of Psychology, Behavioral Medicine Research Center, is recruiting participants for several studies investigating the impact of psychological factors such as stress on quality of life and disease progression in several older adult (> 50 yrs. old) populations. The studies are actively recruiting men and women recently diagnosed with head and neck cancer, HIV-positive men, and men treated for advanced prostate cancer. For more information about these studies, please call Frank Penedo, Ph.D., at 305-575-7122.
 
The SPARE Study (Soy Phytoestrogens As Replacement Estrogen) is currently recruiting women 45-60 years of age to study the role of soy phytoestrogens given in tablet form to prevent bone loss. Participants will be given a physical exam at study entry, an annual mammogram and bone density test, and will be asked to come for 10 study visits over a period of two years for blood tests and to complete questionnaires about diet, exercise, and well-being. Interested women should contact the SPARE Study Office at 305-243-4330 or via e-mail at aherrin@med.miami.edu.
 
The UM Skin Research Group, directed by Brian Berman, M.D., Ph.D., professor of dermatology and internal medicine, is conducting several research studies on keloids, acne, and atopic dermatitis (eczema). If you are interested in participating please contact us at 305-243-5519, or visit our website at http://www.skininvestigation.com.
 
Researchers at the MRI Center need healthy subjects for a magnetic resonance imaging study. For more information please visit http://midas.med.miami.edu/Research/MRStudies.htm.