E-mail not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.
Faculty Commons Banner

News for BCM Faculty, June 25, 2020
Please submit items for Faculty Commons to Erin Blair.

Archive / Faculty Affairs / Today at BCM / Employee Discounts


All Faculty

College News

image

COVID-19 Update: As viral numbers in Houston continue to rise, the Incident Command Center reminds you that the following guidelines are in place to keep the Baylor College of Medicine community safe and healthy:

  • If you feel sick, stay home. Read the full guidelines regarding continuing to work/returning to work when you are sick and the appropriate steps to take. If you need to be evaluated for COVID-19 by a healthcare provider, contact Baylor Medicine's coronavirus triage line at 713-798-3888 or complete this form.
  • Maintain social distancing and wear masks in all areas. This includes social distancing in hallways, elevators and common areas such as breakrooms. Cloth masks must be worn in all areas, except where PPE already is required.
  • Keep meetings and other gatherings under 25 people. View a list of social distance-compliant room capacities.
  • Visitor access to campus is limited. Visitors are defined as anyone who is not a Baylor employee, learner or patient. See guidelines.
  • Practice proper hand hygiene. Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently. Departments and offices can request alcohol-based sanitizing spray bottles by completing this form.

Vaccine Volunteers: Healthcare workers who treat COVID-19 patients still are needed for a clinical trial to determine if an existing TB vaccine may be effective for COVID-19. The BCG vaccine prevents tuberculosis and is one of the oldest vaccines still in clinical use. Researchers at Baylor and four other institutions around the country are working to find out if it also can work against the coronavirus. If interested, email Dr. Andrew DiNardo or Sharon Harrison.

Coronavirus Research: Baylor's infectious diseases team continues to compile weekly newsletter updates of the latest published and pre-print research on COVID-19 from around the world. Each newsletter also includes the latest stats on cases locally and in Texas.

Faculty Kudos

The American Association for Cancer Research recognizes the founding members and the current project team of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) with 2020 AACR Team Science Awards at the AACR Virtual Meeting this week.

image The AACR honors Dr. Matthew Ellis, professor and director of the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center, McNair Scholar and recent Susan G. Komen Brinker Awardee, for his work on the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Breast Cancer Project team to functionalize the data generated by the project. Dr. Richard Gibbs, Wofford Cain Chair and professor of molecular & human genetics and director of the Human Genome Sequencing Center, is recognized for his work with the Genome Sequencing Centers team on the TCGA Pilot Project.

imageThe AACR also acknowledges Dr. Seth Lerner, professor and Beth and Dave Swalm Chair in Urologic Oncology, for co-chairing the Bladder Cancer Disease and Analysis Working Groups. Dr. Chad Creighton, associate professor and co-director of Cancer Bioinformatics in the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, is recognized for his work on 12 different TCGA projects.

Dr. Hsiao-Tuan Chao, assistant professor of pediatrics and molecular & human genetics and a McNair Scholar, has been honored with the Philip R. Dodge Young Investigator Award by the Child Neurology Society for her promising translational research in neurodevelopmental disorders like intellectual disability, epilepsy and autism. She will present the Dodge Lecture at the CNS-ICNA Conjoint Meeting in October.

Dr. Arindam Sarkar, graduating chief resident and new assistant professor in family & community medicine, had an essay on his residency experience published by the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Dr. Joshua Shulman, associate professor of neurology, neuroscience and molecular & human genetics, has been honored with the Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholar Award in the Basic Sciences by the American Neurological Association. He will present his research in disease neurobiology during the ANA’s Virtual Annual Meeting in October.

College (Virtual) Events

Hydrocephalus Conference: Dr. Gary Clark, professor of pediatrics - neurology, and Dr. William Whitehead, associate professor of neurosurgery and pediatrics, are speakers at the 16th National Conference on Hydrocephalus Friday and Saturday, June 26-27. The free, virtual event includes more than 25 sessions with world-renowned experts, medical professionals and researchers.

CRC Screening: The Colon Cancer Coalition and Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center host a webinar about colorectal cancer screening during a pandemic at noon Tuesday, June 30. The presentation by Dr. Milena Gould-Suarez, associate professor of medicine – gastroenterology, the Office of Outreach and Health Disparities and survivors is free and open to all. Advance registration is required.

Microbiome for Mars: The Translational Research Institute for Space Health and the California Institute of Technology host a one-day virtual workshop exploring the connection between the microbiome, healthcare and the future of long-duration human space flight starting at 10 a.m. July 13. The workshop is free and open to the public. See the website for the agenda.

Faculty Resources

LCME Update: The School of Medicine’s June LCME Newsletter features recent subcommittee work and an overview of Element 5.7—Security, Student Safety and Disaster Preparedness, Element 5.8—Library Resources, and Element 5.9—Information Technology. The newsletter also contains pertinent information for the site visit Sept. 26-29, 2021.

Compliance Reminder: Have you taken this year’s required Annual Compliance Education, focusing on the Code of Conduct? Baylor employees must complete the training through SuccessFactors by Tuesday, June 30, or may be subject to disciplinary actions. For all technical questions, please contact the IT Help Desk at 713-798-8737. For issues with access or accommodations, contact your supervisor or email the Compliance Office.

Clinical Research: The Clinical Scientist Training Program offers two courses this summer for physicians interested in pursuing clinical research. Registration is open through Thursday, July 9, for the Fundamentals of Clinical Investigation (Aug. 3-20) and Responsible Conflict of Interest for Clinical Investigators (Aug. 24-27). Registration forms and more information are available on the CSTP webpage.

Call for Abstracts: The Academy of Distinguished Educators invites you to submit your educational scholarship abstract to the virtual Annual Showcase of Educational Scholarship by Aug. 3. See the academy’s website for guidelines; the event is set for Sept. 18.

Renal ACD: The School of Medicine seeks an associate course director for the MS2 Renal course. At this time, the course is scheduled in Term 1, during September. It provides an introduction to clinical nephrology: specifically, the diagnosis, treatment, and management of abnormalities in electrolytes and acid base, glomerulonephritis, acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease in adults and children. The position comes with 10% FTE support. See Faculty Opportunities for more information.

PA Preceptors: The Baylor Physician Assistant Program, which is ranked third in the nation, seeks primary care providers to serve as preceptors for students during two-week rotations throughout the year. Preceptors in pediatrics, family medicine, outpatient internal medicine, psychiatry and obstetrics & gynecology practices are needed. You need not commit to specific dates at this time. Helping to prepare PA students for their future careers is a great way to ensure exceptional students are ready to take positions in your practice or those of your colleagues. Learn more about what is involved online.

Health Equity Scholars: The Center of Excellence in Health Equity, Training and Research is recruiting its 2020-2021 cohort of scholars. The program enhances the training of junior faculty members from populations underrepresented in medicine to increase the number of diverse and highly qualified medical professionals pursuing careers in academic medicine. For more information and the application form, visit the website.

Produce Pickup: BCM BeWell and Johnson’s Backyard Garden offer a Community Supported Agriculture worksite delivery program on Wednesdays at the Human Resources Lobby, 18th floor of O’Quinn Tower. Learn more about subscribing for fresh fruit and veggies online. For more information, email wellness@bcm.edu.

From the Labs: Read how Dr. Yong Xu, professor of pediatrics – nutrition, found unique sugar-sensing neurons that work together to prevent severe hypoglycemia in mice in this week's post. Receive From the Labs via email by entering your email address in the box at the end of any article and clicking the "subscribe" button.


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.

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


Connect With Baylor

facebook icon facebook icon twitter icon youtube icon linkedin icon Instagram icon