News for BCM Faculty, June 17, 2021
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College News

From the Labs: June’s Image of the Month in From the Labs at Baylor College of Medicine features an example of the cutting-edge imaging and image analysis tools offered by Baylor’s Optical Imaging & Vital Microscopy (OiVM) Core. The image shows bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells in the process of dividing. The mitochondria glows in orange/red/yellow and the actin appears as white filamentous structures throughout all the cells.

The DNA in the nuclei appears cyan (between blue and green). 63x Objective Magnification. Image courtesy of Jason Kirk/OiVM.

Academic Council: President Paul Klotman discussed the acceleration of the College’s contributions to the 401A retirement plan, which will increase to 7% on July 1 and return to the pre-pandemic level of 8% in the 2022 calendar year. The contribution was lowered during the pandemic as a strategy to ensure salary support across the College.

• Executive Vice President James McDeavitt discussed the new health clinic that will open for employees and their dependents on July 14 at Baylor Clinic. Following an advanced primary care model, the clinic is a collaboration with Vera Whole Health with plans to open additional clinics in the Houston area.
• Senior Vice President and Dean of Research Mary Dickinson reported on the multi-center clinical trial for a COVID-19 vaccine booster that is underway. Eighteen people have enrolled at the BCM study site, with 150 people enrolled across all sites. Another vaccine booster trial will enroll uninfected, unvaccinated participants. Learn more about the trials.
• Chief Information Officer Lee Leiber provided an update on the new intranet, which will be called InTouch and will launch on July 9. It will offer improved search and navigation as well as customization based on the user’s role at the institution.

Faculty Senate: Senators had the opportunity to learn about the Mosaic Project – Sap Reimplementation at the June 10 meeting. Improvements have been seen in this project with the successful launch of Success Factors HR and Concur Travel and Expense.

• Other discussions included a live demonstration of “InTouch” – the new BCM intranet. InTouch will officially replace the current BCM Intranet July 9, 2021. Faculty were encouraged to begin to migrate away from daily use of Skype for Business and migrate their daily online activities within the Microsoft Teams platform. Baylor has a long-term plan that will not feature Zoom as the primary virtual meeting platform. Microsoft TEAMS is the enterprise tool for Baylor to facilitate hosting and attending virtual meetings, chat messaging including libraries and integrated Microsoft Office 365 tools. Conversations were also held around upcoming BCM initiatives from BOX to MS One Drive through FY 2022.
• The Faculty Affairs & Benefits Committee reported on compensation-related questions of COO Joe Doty and Dean of Clinical Affairs Dr. Jim McDeavitt. Dr. Klotman announced that 401 (a) retirement contributions would increase to 7% as of July 1.

Faculty Kudos

Dr. Ionela Iacobas, assistant professor of pediatric hematology oncology and medical director of Texas Children's Hospital Vascular Anomalies Center has been invited to join the Scientific Committee of ISSVA (International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies). The Scientific Committee, which consists of about 10 international experts in the field, drives the organization’s scientific initiatives and oversees the vital role of creating the Scientific Program at ISSVA’s World Congress in 2022.

Congrats to Dr. Gordon Schutze, interim chair of the Department of Pediatrics, along with all Baylor faculty, staff and trainees at Texas Children’s Hospital. Texas Children’s has been ranked third nationally by U.S. News &. World Report in its 2021-22 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings. For the fifth year in a row, Texas Children’s is named as the best place in the country for children in need of pediatric cardiology and heart surgery care. In addition, U.S. News also ranks the top 50 pediatric hospitals across 10 major subspecialties each year. Texas Children’s is one of only 10 children’s hospitals across the country, and the only hospital in Texas, to achieve this Honor Roll designation.

Dr. Tim Porea, associate professor of pediatrics - hematology/oncology, received the inaugural Dr. Drutz Society Coach Award, named after Dr. Jan Drutz, professor of pediatrics.
Porea received this award to highlight the significant impact he has made in training pediatric residents as an advisor for one of the Baylor pediatric residency’s societies. In this role he helps to mentor a group of 25 residents, offering guidance in both clinical and career areas.

College Events

Workshop: Engaging Learners and Making Teaching Fair and Inclusive: CrossDisciplinary Tools, Insights, and Strategies to Promote Student Success is the topic of a webinar to be held from 11 - 12:30 p.m. on June 23. Watch it on Zoom. Passcode: SEPAL

Faculty Opportunities

Harris Health MBA Information Session: Harris Health System is offereing Baylor physicans and staff at the level of manager and above, who work at Ben Taub or Harris Health clinics the opportunity to earn an executive MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas. The Leadership Development program is being offered to a total of 30 people at three institutions – Harris Health, Baylor and UT-Houston. The program is three years and includes both online and six weekend sessions a year, in person, in Houston. Financial support is offered by the institutions with participants paying a portion of the tuition. More information can be found here. If interested, the first step is to submit a Letter of support from your Department Chair or Center Director to Lorie Tabak by July 14, 2021.

Questions? Contact Kim Nugent.

Male surgeons needed for fertility and fatherhood study: Researchers in the Scott Department of Urology are studying patterns and opinions about fatherhood among male surgeons through an upcoming study. If interested in participating, please fill out this anonymous questionnaire. For questions regarding this survey or study, contact Dr. Larry Lipshultz at (713) 798-4001.

Call for Abstracts: The Academy of Distinguished Educators hosts a virtual annual Showcase of Educational Scholarship Sept. 17. Faculty, staff and learners are invited to submit an abstract for presentation as a virtual poster display by Aug. 2. Areas of interest include content development, instructional design/delivery, learner assessment and educational leadership.

Call for Nominations: Nominate an outstanding BCM Physician Assistant Program alumnus or BCM Physician Assistant for the Carl E. Fasser Visionary Leadership Award. This award recognizes those PA professionals who demonstrate leadership in research, education, clinical practice, administrative and/or service. This award was established in honor of Carl Fasser for his sustained demonstration of visionary leadership toward the physician assistant profession. The deadline for nominations is July 30. See more information.

Baruch A Brody Lecture in Bioethics: Nominations are now being accepted for the 2021-2022 Baruch A. Brody Award & Lecture in Bioethics. This award, a $10,000 and named lectureship in Baruch Brody’s honor, will recognize junior and mid-level scholars who have made important theoratical contributions to the field of bioethics. The awardee will embody the values and virtues that were central to Brody’s scholarly life and work. Learn more. Deadline is July 30.

Vaccine Studies: Baylor investigators at the Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit are looking for volunteers who are age 18 and older, with no past history of COVID-19, to participate in vaccine studies. Please call (713) 798-4912, email COVID-VAX@bcm.edu or register online to get involved.

• Volunteers who have not yet received a COVID-19 vaccine can participate in COVID-19 vaccine studies.
• Volunteers who have received a COVID-19 vaccine can participate in COVID-19 booster vaccine studies.

Alumni Mentors: Many of Baylor's graduating medical students are seeking mentorship to help navigate the next phase of their medical career. The Office of Alumni Affairs seeks alumni mentors who can help guide these recent graduates. For any questions, please contact Nate Church.

Faculty Resources

Engaging Learners: The Department of Education, Innovation & Technology presents Dr. Kimberly Tanner, professor and director of the Science Education Partnership and Assessment Laboratory at San Francisco State University, speaking on “Engaging Learners and Making Teaching Fair and Inclusive: Cross-Disciplinary Tools, Insights and Strategies to Promote Student Success” at 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 23, via Zoom. Passcode: SEPAL.

Education Grand Rounds: “Telesimulation, Teledebriefing, Telementoring, Tele-what?” is the topic of a presentation by Dr. Rami Ahmed, professor of emergency medicine and simulation division chief, Indiana University School of Medicine, at noon July 7, via Zoom. Passcode: 383992. Sponsored by the School of Health Professions and Office of Faculty Affairs & Faculty Development.

Storm Season: Now that hurricane season is here, make sure you have enrolled in Baylor’s Emergency Notification System and that your contact information is current. Through the ENS, you’ll receive important College updates by text, phone and/or email. If a storm is approaching, you can find updates, information and resources on the Weather Safety webpage. Space City Weather is another source with information on hurricane tracking that is specific to this area.

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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