Ayaka Kandatsu celebrated her first birthday at Jackson Memorial Hospital last week, something her parents and even her physicians were unsure she would live to see.

The Department of Medical Information Technology periodically conducts focus groups to help improve its services to the campus community. The small-group sessions last 90 minutes and are scheduled during lunch. We provide the food; volunteer participants provide the opinions.

The Medical Wellness Center would like your input on the development of programs and services for the new facility. To access the on-line questionnaire, please visit https://surveys.miami.edu/WebService/mrwebpl.dll?project=CSEDOR0512121427 .

Ready to become a member of the Medical Wellness Center? More information is forthcoming regarding the upcoming “Membership Kickoff” scheduled for early March. For more information please e-mail medwellness@med.miami.edu.

S.T.E.P. (Systematic Training for Effective Parenting) Teen is an eight-week, midday discussion group conducted by the Employee Assistance Program. This course offers parents a realistic and practical approach to meeting the challenges of raising adolescents today. It helps parents learn effective and enjoyable ways to communicate with their teens and to achieve the goal of raising responsible children. The classes will be held from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on February 1, 8, 15 and 22, and March 1, 10, 15 and 22, in Dominion Parking Garage, room 155. You may register online at http://netlearning.miami.edu (be sure to register for all eight sessions). If you have any questions on using the online registration system, call 305-284-5110 or 305-243-3090. For answers about content, call 305-284-6604.

The Miami Lite program helps participants with weight loss, nutrition, controlling portion sizes, weight management techniques and guidelines for exercise. It is open to the public and is offered every Thursday from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the Diabetes Research Institute, first-floor Education Center. The cost is $20 per class or $150 for ten sessions. If you would like more information, please contact Anna M. Fraker at aperez4@med.miami.edu or call 305-243-3455.

The University of Miami’s Families First Network, funded by the Children’s Trust, is offering free parenting groups for parents of newborns and children through age 5. Parents will discuss ways to manage behavior, build stronger families and help their children grow and develop. Parents will receive free items related to the topics discussed and lunch will be served. Classes will be held at the Debbie School. For more information or to register, call 305-243-8425 or e-mail mastacio@med.miami.edu.

Performance Improvement Management is a highly interactive series of four half-day training sessions and one two-hour follow-up session. The goal of the series is to set expectations for University of Miami leaders and develop the knowledge and skills required to effectively manage employee performance. The course includes three modules: role of the manager, performance improvement management process and documentation. After the sessions, participants should be able to conduct an effective performance conference, explore the impact of non-performance improvement management, assess and analyze performance gaps and develop appropriate interventions, develop and implement action plans to ensure performance change, and document performance issues appropriately.
All classes take place in Dominion Parking Garage, room 155. Morning sessions are from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Afternoon sessions are from 1 to 5 p.m. You must register for all five parts of the session you select. Seating is limited. Visit http://netlearning.miami.edu to register. The schedule is as follows:

UM/Sylvester’s Pharmacy Department presents “Things to Know about Research.” All lectures will be held in UM/Sylvester, room 1301. Displays and give-aways take place from 11:30 a.m. to noon. The lectures are presented by Ollie Anum, Pharm.D., from noon to 1 p.m., and are worth one contact hour for nursing and pharmacy. Lunch will be served. Please reserve your space with Joannys Cortinas at 305-243-9192.

Thursday
“Basic Institutional Review Board (IRB) Regulations & Review Process”
Sponsored by Amgen, Merck, AstraZeneca

January 26
“Data Collections I”
Sponsored by Berlex, Ortho-Biotech, Novartis

February 2
“Data Collections II”
Sponsored by Roche, Abraxis, MGI

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 today (Tuesday), and again on February 14 and March 21 to conduct individual counseling sessions. To schedule an appointment, contact Theresa Yong at 305-245-7332 or tmyong@lnc.com.

• 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.

Kathryn Tosney, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Biology, will present “Building a Nervous System:  How Axons Extend and Navigate” today (Tuesday) at noon in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, fourth-floor auditorium. This seminar is sponsored by the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy. For additional information, please contact Maria Penton at 305-243-6691.

Harris Perlman, Ph.D., St. Louis University School of Medicine, will present “The Role of Cell Cycle Inhibitor P21 in the Development of Inflammatory Arthritis” today (Tuesday) at noon in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, room 3109. This seminar is sponsored by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.

Join the University of Miami’s new executive vice president and provost, Thomas J. LeBlanc, Ph.D., for a special town meeting to mark the 100th presentation of the popular Dialogues in Research Ethics series. The topic is “Research Sponsorship at UM: Challenges and Future Directions.” Dr. LeBlanc will discuss the challenges of research sponsorship, including issues in intellectual property and corporate funding, and solicit views from faculty, staff and students about UM’s research mission. The meeting takes place today (Tuesday) at 12:30 p.m. in the seventh-floor auditorium of the Lois Pope LIFE Center. Lunch will be provided; no RSVP’s required. For more information, call UM Ethics Programs at 305-243-5723 or e-mail ethics@miami.edu.

The Human Subjects Research Office and the Institutional Review Boards of the University of Miami and affiliated institutions are being restructured to ensure regulatory compliance while improving service and facilitating research for investigators.

Town hall meetings are scheduled as the first in a series of planned communications to update faculty and staff on changes, expectations, goals and progress, to answer questions and to promote dialogue that will give guidance to future restructuring efforts. Each meeting is expected to last approximately 90 minutes. Everyone involved in human subjects research is invited. The first meeting will be today (Tuesday) at 9 a.m. in the Lois Pope LIFE Center, seventh-floor auditorium. For more information, contact Kenia Viamonte at 305-243-9672.

Teambuilding Skills for Supervisors is a highly interactive training session that will help frontline supervisors increase their effectiveness and the effectiveness of their teams in achieving top levels of performance through collaboration and mutual respect.

Travel Management’s brownbag session takes place on Thursday from noon to 1:30 pm in the Lois Pope LIFE Center, seventh-floor break-out room. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to maximize your university travel dollars and be appraised of current industry trends.  Participants will have the chance to win exciting raffle prizes such as lunch at the Marriott Café, Airport Fast Park vouchers and Continental Airlines President’s club passes. For further information, please contact Travel Management at 305-284-1087 or travel@miami.edu.

Gloria M. Gari, director, expenditure compliance, will discuss Internal Prior Approval Requests (IPAR) on Thursday at noon in the Baxter conference room of the Batchelor Children's Research Institute. The topic is “What is an IPAR and Why do I Need it?” Participants will learn why changes to an award must be documented and why some can be approved internally. They will also learn what an IPAR is and how to accurately complete it. Log onto NetLearning at https://netlearning.miami.edu to register. For more information, please e-mail mvalero@med.miami.edu.

The ALS Recovery Fund is holding its 5th Annual Lou Gehrig's Disease 10K Run and 5K Run/Walk on Saturday at 7:30 a.m. The race starts at Dinner Key/Miami City Hall in Coconut Grove. There will be an award ceremony, post-race refreshments, entertainment and prize giveaways. You can pre-register on line at http://www.footworksmiami.com/races/gehrig.asp or register the day of the event. Early registration is $22 per person and $12 for ages 14 and under. Race day registration is $25. For more information, visit upcoming events at http://www.alsrecovery.org.

Leonidas G. Koniaris, M.D., associate professor of surgery, and Alan Livingstone Chair in Surgical Oncology, will present “A Molecular Basis for Organ Dysfunction in Chronic Diseases and Cancer” on Tuesday, January 24, at noon in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, fourth-floor auditorium. This seminar is sponsored by the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy. For additional information contact Maria Penton at 305-243-6691.

The Office of Technology Transfer will offer a special seminar on Tuesday, January 24, entitled “Is Your Discovery an Invention and Should You Patent It?” The seminar takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the University of Miami Wellness Center, 1241 Dickinson Drive, room 227. The presentation will be given by Janet E. Reed, Ph.D., J.D., of Woodcock & Washburn, LLP. Refreshments will be served. Please reserve your space by January 20 by calling 305-243-5689 or e-mail fvillago@med.miami.edu

The Sponsored Programs Education Workshop will be held on Tuesday, January 24, in the seventh-floor auditorium of the Lois Pope LIFE Center from 3 to 5 p.m. The workshop is a requirement for all individuals who would like to be listed as key personnel on sponsored programs, to educate them about the fiscal and compliance issues of pre- and post-award management. The workshop covers the most recent information on the grant process, explains established policies and procedures and reviews the PI’s role and responsibility for administering sponsored projects. A listing of other available dates and locations can be found at http://www.miami.edu/UMH/CDA/UMH_Main/1,1770,2425-1;36662-2;34960-2;38799-3,00.html. Log onto NetLearning at https://netlearning.miami.edu to register. For more information, please contact mvalero@med.miami.edu.

The 2006 Neurological Update meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 25, through Saturday, January 28, at The Alexander Hotel, Miami Beach. This course is aimed at adult and pediatric neurologists, neurosurgeons and psychiatrists, although internist and general practitioners may also find the topics timely and useful. The course is designed to provide clinicians with the most recent developments in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders. For more information, please contact the Division of Continuing Medical Education at 305-243-6716 or umcme@med.miami.edu.

This seminar is designed to help attendees understand their credit report and credit score. Participants will learn how to dispute incorrect information and improve their credit score. It takes place on Wednesday, January 25, from noon to 2 p.m. in Dominion Parking Garage, room 155. To personalize this experience, each participant is asked to complete an authorization form to enable Consumer Credit Counseling Service to obtain his or her credit report and score, which will be reviewed during the seminar. Visit www.miami.edu/eap/seminars and scroll down to “Understanding Your Credit Report” to download the authorization form. Complete and fax the signed authorization to Bonita Cales at 305-284-5097 by the deadline indicated. Reports will be destroyed for those individuals who request a credit report but are unable to attend the seminar. To register, visit http://netlearning.miami.edu. If you have any questions about the online registration system, call 305-284-5110 or 305-243-3090.

Warren Leonard, M.D., chief of the Laboratory of Molecular Immunology at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, will present “The Biology and Molecular Regulation of Gamma-C-Dependent Cytokines” on Thursday, January 26, at noon in the Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, room 3109. This seminar is sponsored by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.

The Department of Purchasing will sponsor a supplier expo on Thursday, January 26, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in front of the Calder Library. You will have the chance to view e-Net demos, receive money saving tips and promotional items, and meet vendor representatives. Visit https://www.miami.edu/purchasing/UMeNET/Supplier-Expo.pdf for a complete listing of the vendors. For more information, contact the Purchasing Department at 305-284-5751.

Get wild in the jungle at the Third Annual Taste of the Tropics wine and food festival at Parrot Jungle Island, Saturday, January 28, from 6:30 p.m. to midnight. Experience the culinary delights of more than 25 of South Florida's premier restaurants and wineries. Other festivities include a cocktail reception by Marky's Caviar, entertainment by Royal Caribbean Cruise Line singers, silent auctions and a visit by some of the Parrot Jungle animals.

Jennifer Pinto, associate director of employee wellness, will present “How to Successfully Get Freedom from Smoking” on Monday, January 30, from noon to 1 p.m. in UM/Sylvester, room 1301. For more information, please contact Carthy Thomas at 305-243-1000.

Michael Sheets, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Wisconsin Medical School, will present “Regulated mRNA Translation and the Control of Cell Fate in Xenopus Embryos” on Tuesday, January 31, at noon in Rosenstiel Medical Science Building, fourth-floor auditorium. This seminar is sponsored by the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy. For additional information, please contact Maria Penton at 305-243-6691.

Kelly Insignares will present “Update on HSRO and Changes with IRB” on Tuesday, January 31, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Mailman Center, eighth-floor auditorium. Advance registration is required as room capacity is limited. Log on to Net Learning at https://netlearning.miami.edu to register. For more information e-mail Maira Abraham at Mabraham@med.miami.edu.

Scripps Florida will sponsor the annual Miami Nature Biotechnology Winter Symposium, along with the University of Miami and Nature Publishing Group. The 2006 Symposium, “Angiogenesis in Cancer and Vascular Disease,” takes place in the Wyndham Miami Beach Resort February 4-8.  Full-time employees of the University of Miami can register using tuition remission. Send an e-mail to sblack@miami.edu with 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. 

Aaron H. Wolfson, M.D., professor and vice chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, will present “DNA Study of Cervix Cancer” on Monday, February 6, from noon to 1 p.m. in UM/Sylvester, room 1301. This presentation is free and a light lunch will be served. Call 1-800-545-2292 to reserve a space.

Honors

Ramzi Younis, M.D.,   chief of pediatric otolaryngology, was the editor of the recently published textbook, Pediatric Sinusitis and Sinus Surgery. The book, a comprehensive guide for those who treat pediatric sinus disease, is one of the only textbooks published on the subject.

Anique Bryan, M.D., and the clinical faculty of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, are recruiting patients with type 2 diabetes for a one-year study involving inhaled insulin. This study will focus on patients with uncontrolled diabetes despite being treated with two oral medications for at least two months. Study subjects must be over the age of 35. Please contact Fulton Velez, Senior Research Associate, at 305-243-2766 for details.

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 University of Miami Skin Research Group, directed by Brian Berman, M.D., Ph.D., is looking for people with acne, atopic dermatitis (eczema), and keloids.  Participants should be 18 or older for the acne and keloid studies and ages 2-17 for the atopic dermatitis studies.  If interested, please contact the research staff at 305-243-5519 or visit our website at www.skininvestigation.com.

The Division of Cosmetic Dermatology, directed by Leslie Baumann, M.D., is looking for people over the age of 18 who have never been treated with botulinum toxin to participate in a research study to determine whether injections with an investigational drug (Botulinum toxin Type A) will correct frown line wrinkles in the glabellar area (between the eyebrows). If interested, please contact a member of the research staff at 305-532-5552.

Carlos Hernandez-Cassis, M.D., is currently recruiting patients ages 18 through 80 with type 2 diabetes for participation in a research study to test the safety and effectiveness of an investigational medication. Patients must be taking at least 1500 mg. of Metformin (glucophage) daily to qualify. Those who are interested should contact Rogelio Suarez at 305-243-6573, or via e-mail at rsuarez2@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 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.

e-Update is a service of the Office of Communications at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine.
To view current and past issues, visit http://e-update.med.miami.edu.
The University of Miami is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action University.