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Faculty Commons, May 18 - 25, 2017
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From the Labs Image of the Month is a visualization of neurons and their connections in a section of the hippocampus from a mouse model of juvenile Batten disease. Red dots mark the aberrant proteolipid storage that characterizes the disease in this image by Dr. Marco Sardiello, assistant professor of genetics, and Abdallah Amawi. You can receive weekly articles on research at Baylor as they are posted in our newsletter by going to https://fromthelabs.bcm.edu/ and entering your email address in the box on the right. Or get a digest at the end of the month with links to the articles posted that month by emailing science writer Ana Rodríguez with "Subscribe me to From the Labs" in the subject line.

 

Vote for Your Faculty Senator: Faculty in Biochemistry, Family & Community Medicine, Medicine, Molecular & Human Genetics, Neurology, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, Pathology & Immunology, Pediatrics, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Radiology, Surgery, Lester & Sue Smith Breast Center, Center for Cell & Gene Therapy, Center for Medical Ethics & Health Policy, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Children's Hospital of San Antonio, Menninger Clinic, Texas Children's Hospital and TIRR have a week to vote for their Faculty Senators. Elections start this afternoon. The deadline to cast your ballot is 11:30 p.m. Thursday, May 25. Information about the Senate and a link to the ballot are online (BCM login is required to vote).


Commencement 2017: Dr. Darrell G. Kirch, president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges, will give the commencement address to graduates of the School of Medicine and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 30, at the Jesse H. Jones Hall for Performing Arts. A psychiatrist and neuroscientist, he has spoken and published widely on the role of academic medicine in transforming healthcare.


Faculty Kudos

imageDr. Bheru Gandhi, assistant professor of pediatrics – neonatology, was selected to present his abstract on quality improvement at the fourth annual Baylor Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference April 26. Medical resident Dr. Barrett Lawson also presented an abstract, while surgery residents Dr. Yangyang Yu and Dr. Elaine Vo were poster winners at the event, which drew almost 200 attendees.

 

imageDr. Thomas Giordano, associate professor of medicine, has been selected to serve as the inaugural vice chair for faculty and staff development for the Department of Medicine. Giordano has experience working across many of the groups and organizations critical to the successful development of department faculty and staff.

 

imageDr. Malini Mukherjee, instructor in pediatrics – human immunobiology, was awarded the 1st Place Junior Faculty (Clinical/Translational) Grant for her work at the Young Immuno-Oncology Investigators Forum held earlier this month in Houston. She conducts research on T-cell therapy to treat cancer and is part of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy led by Dr. Helen Heslop.

 

imageDr. Carolyn Smith, senior associate dean of graduate education and academic program development and professor of molecular and cellular biology, is featured in Growing Up Baylor on the Momentum blog. The series profiles the special group of physicians, faculty members and researchers who have spent the majority of their training and careers at the College and affiliated institutions. If you have “grown up” at Baylor, or know of a colleague who has, let us know.

 

imageDr. Peggy Smith, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, was named to the Reducing Maternal Mortality Steering Committee of the Houston Endowment. The committee seeks to develop a comprehensive, community-wide plan to reduce maternal mortality in Houston and Harris County.

 

imageDr. Salim Virani, associate professor in the Section of Cardiovascular Research, an investigator with the Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety (IQuESt) and a staff cardiologist at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, has been selected to serve as the vice chair for the American Heart Association Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Committee.


College Events

Faculty Awards Day: Cheer for your peers at noon today at this omnibus awards ceremony encompassing the Clark Faculty Service Award, Norton Rose Fulbright Faculty Excellence Award, Barbara and Corbin J. Robertson, Jr. Presidential Award for Excellence in Education, John P. McGovern Outstanding Teacher Award, Faculty Awards for Excellence in Patient Care and Ben and Margaret Love Foundation Bobby Alford Award for Academic Clinical Professionalism. The event is set for noon to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, May 18, in Cullen Auditorium, main Baylor, with a reception to follow. See the list of award winners.


Policy Prescriptions Symposium: The Department of Emergency Medicine's fourth annual health policy symposium will focus on the rising costs of healthcare, new regulations and the policies of the new administration. Dr. Seema Yasmin, the physician and journalist known as the "Disease Detective," will present the keynote talk. Register online for the event, set for 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, May 19, in Conference Rooms A and B, Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center McNair Campus.


Multicultural Festival: The Association of Graduate Student Diversity hosts a Multicultural Festival from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, May 19, in Rayzor Lounge. Attendees will learn about traditions around the globe and sample international cuisine, art, fashion, music and performances. Students, trainees, staff and faculty interested in showcasing their culture may email AGSD social outreach chair Anne Hause.


Real Toxicology - Not "As Seen on TV": This DocTalk with Dr. Spencer Greene, assistant professor of medicine, focuses on toxicology issues such as bites and stings from venomous and poisonous creatures at noon Wednesday, May 24, in Kleberg Auditorium, main Baylor.


Faculty Opportunities

Medical Director for PA Program: The Physician Assistant Program in the School of Allied Health Sciences seeks a licensed physician to provide guidance about the content of the clinical components of the curriculum, assist core faculty to develop and maintain high quality clinical training experience and advance understanding of the PA profession within the medical community. Please see the Faculty Opportunities intranet page for more information.


H&P Preceptor: Clinical faculty members are invited to participate as preceptors for the Undergraduate Medical Education Clinical PPS3 Course (Patient, Physician and Society). This course helps prepare second-year medical students to function effectively in a clinical setting by improving their patient history and physical (H&P) exam skills, as well as their communication skills. In this course students practice these skills with hospitalized patients. Ten preceptor sessions (five per group) are scheduled from Aug. 2 through Nov. 8 and the time involved to precept two groups of students is approximately 20-30 hours. Read the Faculty Opportunities listing for more details. Please let course coordinator Colleen McCampbell know of your interest in precepting before July 31.


Patient Safety Facilitator: The School of Medicine is recruiting clinical faculty to serve as small group facilitators for the Patient Safety Course, which meets weekly from 1 to 2:30 p.m., Aug. 1-Sept. 19. Each facilitator will be assigned nine or 10 MS2 students to work through a clinical case. Facilitators will complete evaluations of their students and be evaluated by their students. These evaluations can be used in an education portfolio or as evidence of excellence in an award application. Facilitators are asked to complete free online modules and attend an orientation to the course. See Faculty Opportunities for more information. For additional questions, please contact program co-director Dr. Cara Lye. The deadline to apply is July 31.


The Student Disability Committee is seeking nominations to fill an open School of Medicine faculty member seat. Committee members participate in the review of requests for accommodation from students with disabilities, in accordance with state and federal law. More information is available online. Nominations and self-nominations should include a personal statement of interest or a nomination letter as well as a current CV, emailed to committee vice chair Dr. Daryl Shorter no later than midnight Friday, May 19.


For a Good Cause

BCM Fund: Whether it is high impact research and discovery, compassionate and innovative patient care or career development for future health professionals and scientists, the BCM Fund is an effective choice to see an immediate difference in our healthcare community. Each year, your gifts go to critical needs where funding can make the biggest impact. Please support the BCM Fund with a gift by payroll deduction (BCM ECA required), credit card or cash.


Houston Take Steps: Support Baylor Gastroenterology as the team walks for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America at 7 a.m. Saturday, May 20 at the Houston Zoo. Donation and registration information is online.


Walk to Cure Arthritis Walk to Cure Arthritis: Join the BCM Walkin' Warriors on a three-mile or one-mile walk along Buffalo Bayou Trail to raise funds for arthritis research. The walk starts at 8 a.m. Saturday, May 20, at Fish Plaza, across from the Wortham Theater Center downtown.

Attention Clinicians: See Clinical Calendar

Clinical News

The PFT Lab at Baylor Clinic will be closed Monday, May 22, to Thursday, May 25, for new pulmonary function test equipment installation and training. The lab will reopen Friday, May 26, with two separate PFT rooms equipped with two new XXL-sized body plethysmographs from CareFusion. The body box has increased leg room for bariatric patients and easy access for patients with wheelchairs. The new lab will be located in Suites 12A.43 and 12B.26 at Baylor Clinic. Please come by and take a tour of the new expanded facility, thanks to the Lester and Sue Smith Foundation's generous gift.


Clinical Opportunities:

Transition Medicine Grant: Through a generous gift from the family, the Ligums Family Transition Medicine Grant is available to support projects focusing on adolescents and young adults who have chronic conditions originating in childhood and are transitioning from pediatric to adult care. The grant’s purpose is to support quality improvement in the transition experience, with the ability to partner with community leaders or interest groups. Its maximum annual amount is $10,000, with the possibility of renewal for a second year. Please see the announcement for more information. Letters of intent are due by 5 p.m. June 30.


Women Physicians Study: Female physicians are invited to participate in a research study titled Creation and Validation of the Unconscious Gender Bias Index. You will be asked to answer some basic questions about your experiences with barriers and obstacles in the workplace. These questions will take approximately 15 to 20 minutes to complete online. For more information and to take part in the study by May 30, please see Faculty Opportunities.


Attention Researchers: See Research Calendar

Research Resources

DoD Funding Opportunities: Fiscal year 2017 funding opportunities for the Department of Defense Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Program, Breast Cancer Research Program, Bone Marrow Failure Research Program, Ovarian Cancer Research Program, Peer Reviewed Alzheimer's Research Program and Epilepsy Research Program are now available for downloading from the Grants.gov website, the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs website and the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP). Please note that submissions with specific institutional nomination requirements or limited submission opportunities must go through the vetting process with the College's Faculty Committee on Awards. A BRAIN ESP2 proposal should be submitted at least five business days prior to the sponsor's deadline and Sponsored Programs must have documentation that you are BCM's approved nominee for limited and/or institutional nomination requirement opportunities.


GSBS Helpline: The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences now has a general email box that faculty and students can contact with any questions related to the grad school. It is Gsbs-Help@bcm.edu.


Funding Opportunities: See the Office of Research's list of privately funded awards currently accepting applications for May.

Questions or Comments?

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


Items for Faculty Commons: To submit items for this weekly email update for Baylor College of Medicine faculty, please contact us.

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