NewsLink, April 6, 2018
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Awards and Recognitions

Bacha elected to APS

Dr. Fida Bacha, associate professor of pediatrics - nutrition, was elected to membership in the American Pediatric Society. Membership is reserved for individuals in the U.S. and Canada who have distinguished themselves as child health leaders, teachers, scholars, policymakers and/or clinicians whose contributions are recognized nationally or internationally.

Rouce earns Be the Match grant

Dr. Rayne Rouce, Assistant Professor of pediatrics – hematology/oncology, was named one of the 2018 Amy Strelzer Manasevit Scholars by the Be the Match Foundation. The grant program supports early-career researchers whose work focuses on finding solutions to life-threatening post-transplant complications. Rouce's research is on T cells that target the CD19 molecule to treat relapse and viral infection in high-risk B-cell malignancies after bone marrow transplant. She received the award at the Tandem BMT Meetings in Salt Lake City earlier this year.

Osborne honored for career achievements

Dr. C. Kent Osborne, director of the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, will receive the 2018 AACR Distinguished Award for Extraordinary Scientific Achievement and Leadership in Breast Cancer Research at the AACR Annual Meeting 2018, April 14 – 18 in Chicago. He is being recognized for his extraordinary contributions to breast cancer research and for his leadership of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

Justino and Chun win innovation challenge

Dr. Henri Justino and Dr. Kwon Soo Chun, both with pediatric cardiology, along with their colleague Dr. Daniel Harrington of UTHealth, won first place in the American College of Cardiology Medical Devices Innovation Challenge, held last month as part of the ACC's 67th annual Scientific Session & Expo. Their innovation is focused on developing a new type of heart valve for children with congenital heart disease and has resulted in a startup company, Polyvascular Corp. Their work recently was featured in the TMC Pulse.

Events

Correction: Girls Elevated is April 7

Girls Elevated, sponsored by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Texas Children's Hospital, is April 7 at the United Way Community Resource Center for girls ages 10 to 18 and their parents/caregivers with topics including puberty, healthy relationships, personal safety, drugs and addiction, contraception and more. Register online.

April 10: CVRI Symposium

The Cardiovascular Research Institute Symposium is April 10 in Cullen Auditorium and Rayzor Lounge, showcasing the cardiovascular research accomplishments of Baylor and the Texas Medical Center through scientific lectures, poster presentations and awards, with keynote talks by Dr. Eric Olson of UT Southwestern and Dr. John Cooke of Houston Methodist and a heart healthy lunch. Interested attendees can register on the day of the event.

April 11: Center for Precision Environmental Health Symposium

The Center for Precision Environmental Health Inaugural Symposium is Tuesday, April 11, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Kleberg Auditorium. Topics will include environmental influences on birth defects, heart health and kidney disease, and more. With opening remarks from Dr. Paul Klotman and closing remarks from Center director Dr. Cheryl Walker, the symposium also will feature keynote speaker Dr. Linda Birnbaum, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, speaking on "Environmental Health: Global is Local is Personal." See the schedule.

April 9 - 12: Financial Wellness Week

Keep on track with your retirement goals by attending financial seminars throughout the week sponsored by HR and presented by Fidelity, TIAA, Social Security Administration, Society for Financial Awareness, Optum Bank and new vendor Social Finance. Benefits-eligible employees can earn up to 300 BCM BeWell Vitality points. See the full schedule. Can't attend? Live-stream Zoom sessions will be available (no points given for Zoom). For more information, email ask-retirement@bcm.edu or call 713-798-1500.

Register now for April 20 Psychosis Conference

The inaugural Baylor College of Medicine Psychosis Conference, co-sponsored by the Schizophrenia and Related Disorders Alliance of America, is April 20 at Onstead Auditorium, 6767 Bertner Ave. The conference is open to clinicians, patients and families and is focused on the role of cognitive impairments in psychosis and the importance of developing effective treatments. Learn more.

Showcase your culture at Multicultural Festival

The Association for Graduate Student Diversity is seeking Baylor students, faculty, staff and trainees to share their cultural community through food, performances, music, art and information at the Multicultural Festival, which will be held April 20 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Rayzor Lounge. Contact AGSD President Tiffany Rolle to reserve a spot at the festival.

College News

Nominations open for Faculty Senate seats

Nominations are open for 36 Faculty Senate seats and two officer positions, with elections scheduled for May and June. This is an opportunity for faculty to participate in shared governance and strategic planning for the College. Information about the elections and a link to the nomination form are online.

Workshop for faculty research mentors

Faculty research mentors are invited to attend a four-hour workshop focused on skill-building activities in four mentoring competencies: Aligning Expectations, Maintaining Effective Communications, Fostering Independence and Resilience and Promoting Professional Development. Curriculum is based on materials generated by the NIH-funded National Research Mentoring Network but will be tailored to research mentors at the College. To attend, please choose your preferred dates in this poll by April 16. For more information, contact Anna Marie Sokac, NRMN master facilitator of mentor training, or Sandra Haudek, director of peer coaching, BCM Office of Faculty Development.

Health Equity Scholars Program

Applications are now being accepted for the Center of Excellence in Health Equity, Training and Research Scholars Program 2018-2019 cohort of Baylor clinical fellows and junior faculty. The center seeks scholars who have demonstrated a commitment to promoting social justice and health equities and leadership in addressing educational, societal and healthcare needs of racial and ethnic minorities in the United States. The deadline to apply is April 27. Learn more and apply.

Billing compliance podcasts

More topics have been added to the library of billing compliance podcasts. The short informational recordings cover topics such as taking a patient history to billing for procedures. New topics will be added monthly. Email Christina Olson, manager of compliance training, with your suggestions for additional topics.

Faculty in the News

Dr. Gabriel Loor was featured in a Houston Chronicle story on a new transplant surgery device. Check out Baylor's news media mentions in 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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