NewsLink, Feb. 11, 2022 
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College News

Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo tickets

General Admission tickets and season passes to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, barbecue contest tickets and half-price carnival packs can be purchased in the Office of Communications, located in main Baylor, room 176B, Feb. 14 – 28, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Concert tickets are not available. Cash or check payable to Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. For more information, visit the HLS&R carnival sales website, email communicationsadmin@bcm.edu or call the Office of Communications at 713-798-4710.

Thank a Resident

Friday, Feb. 25, is Thank a Resident Day. Our residents and fellows have done amazing work the past year. Please take a moment to send a thank you note to them. Feel free to give shout outs to specific programs, or even specific instances where residents and fellows have gone above and beyond. These comments will be posted on the intranet for all to view. Please send notes by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 22.

Nominations open for Women of Excellence Awards

Nominations are open for the Women of Excellence Awards, which recognize members of the Baylor community who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to issues that affect women at Baylor or in the larger community. The awards are open to faculty, staff, trainees and students and will be presented by the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at a virtual ceremony during Women's History Month in March. See the award criteria and nomination form. Nomination deadline is Feb. 25, 5 p.m.

Title IX training

Annual training is required to help Baylor employees understand, identify and report gender- and sex-based discrimination. The trainings, "Building Supportive Communities: Clery Act and Title IX," and "SB 212: Mandatory Reporter Training," have been assigned in SuccessFactors and must be completed by Feb. 25.

School of Medicine course directors needed

The School of Medicine seeks innovative faculty members with expertise in their field and an interest in medical education to serve as associate course director for the MS2 hematology/oncology course and cardiology course. Both courses are about four weeks long and are typically held in August. See more information on the Faculty Opportunities page of the BCM intranet, InTouch. Nominations due for both by Feb. 28.

Volunteer judges needed for regional STEM fair

Volunteer judges are needed for the 2022 Science & Engineering Fair of Houston, the regional STEM fair for junior and senior high school students in Harris County and 22 surrounding counties. There are 17 categories including behavioral science and medicine and health. The fair will be held Feb. 26 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Learn more and volunteer.

HR news

Learning G.P.S.: The online learning system offers a wide range of professional and career development courses designed to help faculty and staff grow in their current positions and prepare for the future. Benefits-eligible employees have access to a comprehensive on-line catalog of courses, videos, books and certifications anytime, anywhere. Click here to get started.

Events

Black History Month events

Health Equity Grand Rounds: The Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion hosts "A Mile in My Shoes: How Workforce Diversification Can Solve Our Health Equity Crisis," Feb. 15, noon – 1 p.m., presented by Dr. Amber Johnson of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Register to attend.

Evenings with Genetics: How are physicians and scientists including underrepresented groups in the promise of precision medicine? Baylor will host a panel of experts to discuss this topic and the intersection of identity and genetics at a virtual seminar, Tuesday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m. Panelists are Vence L. Bonham, Jr., acting deputy director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, and Dr. Fatimah Jackson, professor of biology and former director of the Cobb Research Laboratory at Howard University, along with a parent speaker. Register to attend.

DocTalk on heart health

Join cardiologist Dr. Juan Carlos Plana for DocTalk on Thursday, Feb. 17, at noon. Participants will learn what it means to have a healthy heart, measures patients should take to protect their health and recent discoveries in the field of cardiology. Register online to receive the Zoom information. BCM BeWell Vitality points available.

Discussion with author Karl Deisseroth

Dr. Andreas Tolias, professor of neuroscience, will host a virtual discussion with author Dr. Karl Deisseroth on Feb. 18 at 1 p.m. Deisseroth is professor of bioengineering and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. His book, "Projections," is a work of literary nonfiction that links stories from psychiatry to discoveries of modern neuroscience, drawing on literature and the scope of human history. To join the Zoom event, use meeting ID 953 4426 7620. To phone in, dial 713-798-9666.

Primary care conference

The Pri-Med Southwest – Primary Care CME/CE Conference & Expo will be held at the George R. Brown Conference Center, April 5-7, featuring a number of Baylor presenters, including Drs. Robert Atmar, Angela Catic, Sunjay Devarajan, Prathit Kulkarni, Anupam Kumar, Marco Marcelli, Sanjay Mediwala, Saundra Nguyen, Michelle Schmidt and Daniel Wang. Dr. Richard Hamill serves as course chair. Baylor faculty and staff attendees can get a discount registration fee of $70 using code Baylor70; registration is free for students and trainees. Register online.

Awards and Recognitions

Hotez honored by AMA

Dr. Peter Hotez, professor of pediatrics and molecular virology and microbiology and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor, earned the Scientific Achievement Award from the American Medical Association. The award recognizes his work promoting vaccines and combating vaccine disinformation.  

Lalani, Lee receive awarded for genetic testing in underserved children

Dr. Seema Lalani, professor of molecular and human genetics, and Dr. Brendan Lee, chair, professor and Robert and Janice McNair Endowed Chair of molecular and human genetics, are principal investigators of a new NIH award to increase access to evaluation and genomic testing for rare genetic diseases in medically underserved children living along the Texas-Mexico border. They will receive more than $600,000 over two years to implement a web-based model of delivery of care and transform the current clinical practice to improve care for children with rare disorders.

Mattoxes honored by Wayland Baptist University

Dr. Kenneth Mattox, Distinguished Service Professor at Baylor and former longtime chief of surgery at Ben Taub Hospital, and his wife, June, will receive the 2021 Distinguished Alumni Benefactor Award from Wayland Baptist University at a Feb. 18 ceremony. The Mattoxes were donors to the school's Impact 2020 Campaign and specifically to the School of Mathematics and Sciences project in which the Moody Science Building will receive a new laboratory addition and interior updates and renovations. Their gift will result in the School of Math and Sciences being renamed after Dr. Mattox, a 1960 graduate.

Faculty in the News

Could a cure for depression be on the horizon through deep-brain stimulation? Dr. Sameer Sheth talks about his DBS research in this Houston Chronicle article. See Baylor’s news media mentions in this week's Faculty in the News, and follow BCMHouston_News on Twitter to keep up with our experts in the media. Interested in science news? Read the latest in From the Labs.

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