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News for BCM Faculty, Jan. 10, 2019
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From the Labs: January’s Image of the Month shows a crystal-like structure that occurs when rotavirus outsources cellular protein CK1a to assemble virus factories. Image courtesy of Dr. Mary Estes’ laboratory. Read more about the study by Dr. Jeanette Criglar, staff scientist, and Dr. B.V. Venkataram Prasad, professor and Alvin Romansky Chair in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, in this blog post. You can receive articles on Baylor's research and innovation highlights as they are posted by going to From the Labs and entering your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the right.

New Payroll App: The College has partnered with ADP, a management services company, to bring employees better access to pay statements and W-2s from any mobile device or computer. The new ADP tool offers an interface with third-party software such as TurboTax to make tax preparation easier. Use of this web- and app-based tool is completely optional and employees still will be able to view earnings statements online through ESS. The College also has redesigned its pay statements to make them easier to understand and use. Registration for the new ADP payroll tool opens today, Jan. 10. Find instructions and an FAQ on the Finance intranet page; for more information email payroll@bcm.edu.

Faculty Kudos

Team Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center completed the Blue Cure New Year Night Run 2019 in Sugar Land last weekend. The inaugural run highlighted prostate cancer awareness and promoted healthy lifestyle choices for men. Runners included Dr. Jeff Jones, professor of urology, Dr. Mike Coburn, professor and Russell and Mary Hugh Scott Chair in Urology, Ted Yank, DLDCCC administrator, Dr. Martha Mims, Dan L Duncan Professor, hematology & oncology, and Jeff Coburn. The Blue Cure Foundation, Sugar Land Skeeters and BCM sponsored the event.

The American Society of Nutrition has created an endowed position in honor of Dr. Dennis Bier, director of the USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, and his contributions to the field. The Dennis Bier, M.D., Young Career Editor at the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition will focus on training early-career journal editors on the importance of adherence to evidence-based science. Bier served as editor of the journal.

Dr. Joseph Jankovic, professor of neurology, Distinguished Chair in Movement Disorders and director of the Parkinson's Disease Center and Movement Disorders Clinic, was selected by the International Neurotoxin Association to receive its Lifetime Achievement Award. Recognized for his contributions to the development of botulinum toxin, he will present a keynote lecture on its "Past, Present and Future" during the INA Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark, next week.

image image image Four Baylor faculty members have been selected as Texas Medical Center Digestive Disease Center 2019 Pilot/Feasibility Awardees for their research proposals. Recipients include Dr. Mimi Tan for “Predicting Risk of Gastric Intestinal Metaplasia” and Dr. Rajesh Shah for “Molecular Predictors of Response to anti-TNF Therapy.” Both are assistant professors of medicine – gastroenterology. Funds also were awarded to Dr. James Collins, assistant professor of virology & microbiology, for “Adaptation and Spread of VRE” and Dr. Hongtao “Alex” Wang, assistant professor of pediatrics – gastroenterology, for “Activating LRH-1 using oral lauric acid in treating IBD.” The awards are offered annually to support innovative ideas and collaborations among TMC DDC members.

College Events

Learning Health System Series: Dr. Eric Boerwinkle, professor of public health and genetics at UTHealth School of Public Health and associate director of Human Genome Sequencing Center at BCM, presents “A Journey to Personalized Health and Medicine – Landmarks and Challenges” at 4 p.m. today, Jan. 10, in Cullen Auditorium, main Baylor.

Evenings with Genetics: Dr. Fadel Ruiz, assistant professor of pediatrics and director of the Cystic Fibrosis Care Center at Texas Children’s Hospital, and Pam Tuley, CFCC program director, discuss cystic fibrosis, the genetics behind the disease and personalized medicine approaches to treatment in a community outreach seminar starting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15, at the Children’s Museum of Houston. The event is free but registration is required.

Professionalism: The Center for Professionalism presents Dr. Maxine Papadakis of the University of California, San Francisco, speaking on the “Assessment of Professionalism as an Obligation for Self-Regulation,” in two CME-eligible sessions on Thursday, Jan. 17:

  • Department of Medicine Grand Rounds, 12:15 p.m. in Room M112
  • Professionalism Support Series, 4 p.m. in Room 201A

Faculty Opportunities

SMART Program: If you are interested in mentoring an undergraduate student in the SMART (summer undergraduate research training) program in your research laboratory, please complete a Mentor Commitment Form by Friday, Jan. 11. More information is available on the website. If you have questions, please email Evelin Young.

Call for Abstracts: The Center for Medical Ethics & Health Policy hosts “Personalizing Policy,” a Health & Science Policy Research Day on April 2 in Cullen Auditorium, main Baylor. You and your trainees are invited to submit abstracts for the poster session on any topic relevant to health and science policy online through April 1.

Faculty Resources

Learning Environment Seminars The International Association of Medical Science Educators Winter 2019 Webinar Series topic is “The Learning Environment in Health Sciences Education,” with the first of five sessions starting at 11 a.m. today, Jan. 10. Contact the Office of Faculty Development to register for free participation on your computer or join the viewing party from 11 a.m. to noon on Thursdays, Jan. 10 – Feb. 7, in Room N112.

History of Medicine: Dr. Garabed Eknoyan, professor of medicine – nephrology, speaks on the “Quest for certitude in medicine” at noon Tuesday, Jan. 22, in Cullen Auditorium, main Baylor, as part of the elective course sponsored by the College, McGovern Medical School and TMC Library.

Education Workshop: Join Dr. Cara Foldes, assistant professor of medicine, and Dr. Pedro Diaz-Marchan, associate professor of radiology, for the second part of the Team-Based Learning workshop series, taking place from 3 to 5 p.m. Feb. 1, in Room 111G (Frensley Center), main Baylor. To RSVP, email Faculty Development or call (713) 798-7285.

Doctor on Demand: UnitedHealthcare now offers virtual physician visits for minor ailments with its Doctor on Demand program. No appointment is necessary to see and talk to a board-certified physician on your mobile device or computer. A Doctor on Demand can diagnose and write a prescription for colds, flu, urinary tract infections, sore throats, stomach aches and rashes, for a co-pay of $50 or less. Find out more online.

For a Good Cause

DeBakey High School for the Health Professions seeks presenters for its Annual Scientific Symposium, 8:35 – 11:30 a.m. Friday, Jan 18. Faculty, staff and trainees across the College are invited to describe their work, career pathways and professional experiences before a small group of highly motivated students interested in medicine and STEM careers. For more information and to sign up as a presenter, please see the online form.

BP MS 150: Join Team BCM for the 2019 BP MS 150, April 27-28. To ride with the team, register online (password: bcm2019) AND complete the team survey by Tuesday, Jan. 15. Riders must raise at least $400 to participate, in addition to the registration fee. To support the team in a non-cycling capacity, sign up online. To donate items or services for the silent auction or to get more information, email wellness@bcm.edu.

Free Yoga: The Office of Student Services is offering free yoga classes on Tuesdays from noon to 1 p.m., made possible by the Doctors for Change student organization and the Good Yoga Project. There is no RSVP required. Limited yoga mats are available so please bring your own if you have one. Be sure to check the schedule for the location of each class.


Attention Clinicians: See Clinical Events

Clinical Seminars

Surgery Grand Rounds: Dr. Lillian Kao, professor and division director of Acute Care Surgery at McGovern Medical School, presents “How Can a Safety-Net Hospital Deliver High Quality Care?” at 7 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16, in Room N315, main Baylor. Or watch the webcast, I.D.: 517 471 817.

Best of SABCS: Attend a half-day regional review of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, organized by the College and the Texas Society of Clinical Oncology, on Jan. 26 in Kleberg Auditorium, main Baylor. CME credit is available; register online.


Attention Researchers: See Research Calendar

Research Seminars

Neuroscience: Dr. James Knierim of the Krieger Mind/Body Institute at Johns Hopkins University, speaks on “Spatial Coding and Episodic Memory in the Hippocampus” at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan 11, in Room N315, main Baylor.

Cancer Proteomics: Learn about the CPRIT-supported Cancer Proteomic and Metabolomic Core Facility’s technologies and services at a symposium from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 11, in Kleberg Auditorium, main Baylor. Contact Amy Craft to RSVP for the event.

Stem Cells: Dr. Margaret Goodell, director of the STaR Center, presents “Immortal Hematopoietic Stem Cells in Aging and Cancer” at noon Monday, Jan. 14, in Room M112, main Baylor.

XR in Space: The Transitional Research Institute for Space Health hosts a live-streamed workshop on the applications of augmented, virtual and extended reality (XR) in deep space exploration beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 17. The workshop brings together experts from academia and industry to address XR’s use in high priority projects in the NASA Human Research Program. Sign up to watch the free online event.

Research Resources

Moore Inventor Fellows: The College may submit two nominations to the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation's competition to identify outstanding early-stage inventors who harness science and technology solutions to enhance scientific research, strengthen environmental conservation or improve the experience and outcomes of patient care. Fellows receive $200,000 a year for three years. More information about the award is available online. Applications are due to the limited submissions award portal by Monday, Jan. 14.

Melanoma Grants: The Melanoma Research Alliance and the American Cancer Society are jointly sponsoring team research in “Understanding and Managing Metastasis in Melanoma and Other Cancers.” Proposals must include at least a 50 percent focus on melanoma but need not be limited to this disease area. Letters of intent are due Wednesday, Jan. 16. More information is available online.

Funding Opportunities: See the Office of Institutional Diversity, Inclusion and Equity’s list of funding opportunities for research on healthcare disparities and social determinants of health. The Office of Research offers a list of awards currently accepting applications for January.


Questions or Comments?

Faculty Senate: Please contact your senator for faculty-related questions or suggestions.

Institutional Policy Committee: Contact the Policy Committee to learn more about College policies and procedures.

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