NewsLink, Dec. 17, 2021
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College News

Holiday schedule

Baylor will be closed on Dec. 24 and 31 for the Christmas and New Year holidays. Morrison Café at main Baylor also will be closed on Dec. 23, and other TMC food options may be limited. BCM shuttle service will operate on the Red shuttle schedule Dec. 22-23 and Dec. 29-30. This route runs from 6:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. from main Baylor – Baylor Clinic – McNair Campus (two stops) – VA – McGovern. NewsLink will resume publication on Jan. 7. Happy Holidays to all!

Diversity essay contest

Progress Notes, Baylor's student blog, in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, has launched an essay contest to encourage reflections on diversity in medicine and the biomedical sciences. Submissions are open to Baylor students, trainees, faculty and staff and should be written as narrative reflection, addressing topics related to DEI and its importance in medicine, science and society. One winner will be chosen from each of four categories: faculty, trainee, staff and student. Winners will receive a cash award. Deadline for submission is Dec. 19. Click here to submit an essay.

Blue coats for Rusk 7th graders!

Students at the Baylor College of Medicine Biotech Academy at Rusk, a Baylor-HISD partner middle school focused on health sciences curriculum, received blue lab coats from a contingent of Baylor faculty and students on Dec. 8. Pictured, Dr. Tamara Ortiz Perez, associate professor of radiology and a Faculty Senator, helps a young student don his coat.

Events

Clinical Research Methods

Clinical Research Methods – Beginner Course will be offered by Zoom in February by the Department of Family and Community Medicine. The course trains healthcare professionals, researchers and students on knowledge and skills necessary to understand important concepts in health research and to conduct simple analysis independently using basic software. Learn more and register.

Awards and Recognitions

Anandasabapathy, Mizwa honored for global impact

Dr. Sharmila Anandasabapathy, director of Baylor Global Health and professor of medicine, and Mike Mizwa, CEO of the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative at Texas Children's Hospital, were among the seven Global Health Heroes honored at Medical Bridges 20th annual One People, One World Gala, held Dec. 9 in the Texas Medical Center. The organization aims to bridge the healthcare gap worldwide by distributing medical equipment and supplies to underserved communities.

Bajaj named to diabetes association board

Dr. Mandeep Bajaj, professor of medicine – endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism, has been named to the American Diabetes Association National Board of Directors, starting Jan. 1. The 17-member ADA board is comprised of medical, scientific, education and executive business professionals. Bajaj previously served on the ADA Research Grant Review Committee and the Scientific Sessions Meeting Planning Committee.

Chin earns award for epilepsy research

Dr. Jeannie Chin, associate professor of neuroscience, is the 2021 recipient of the Lombroso Lecturer Award from the American Epilepsy Society. The award recognizes a clinician/scientist who is among the most outstanding investigators in the field of epilepsy research. She received the award earlier this month at the society's annual meeting in Chicago.

Ludtke receives award for core lab

Dr. Steven Ludtke, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, was awarded $1.5 million from the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation for the CryoEM and CryoET Core at Baylor. The award was part of the foundation's Focused Ion Beam (FIB)-Milling Sample Preparation for Cellular CryoET program and will support the purchase of a high-pressure freezer and correlative fluorescence microscopy module to be used in conjunction with the just-purchased Cryo-FIB in the core. This new equipment will permit imaging of tissue and cell sections at 1-5 nanometer resolution and can image individual molecules within unfixed cells. It also will enable fluorescent labeling to identify cells or regions of interest. This will permit previously impossible ultrastructural studies on tissue from animal models or human patients.

TMA recognitions

Two BCM poster projects were recognized at the Texas Medical Association Physician Health and Wellness Annual Exchange event, held earlier this fall. The Baylor COVID-19 Task force was recognized in the Most Original category for its work to provide services and resources to frontline workers during the pandemic. In the Best Demonstration category, the BCM Wellness 5K team was recognized for its presentation on continuity of health and wellness initiatives during a global pandemic.

Faculty in the News

Dr. Sean Hartig joined other health experts on Houston Public Media’s Town Square to discuss the impact of diabetes. See this and Baylor’s other 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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