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News for BCM Faculty, Nov. 5, 2020
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Health Professions: Baylor College of Medicine celebrates its faculty, staff and students during National Allied Health Professionals Week – and all the rest of the year! Learn more about the school’s programs in Doctor of Nursing Practice–Nurse Anesthesia, Orthotics & Prosthetics, Genetic Counseling and Physician Assistant. PA students are pictured here showing their spirit in pre-COVID days.

Faculty Town Hall: President Paul Klotman delivered a College update to faculty at the virtual town hall Oct. 29; highlights follow. A video of the meeting is available on Box.

  • Dr. Klotman praised the College’s role in 25 coronavirus treatment trials and vaccine trials for Moderna and Novavax, plus a human trial in India for National School of Tropical Medicine Dean Peter Hotez’s vaccine. Baylor continues to work with the City of Houston and Harris County on COVID testing and wastewater viral surveillance. Public service – in the form of guides to safely reopening businesses and returning to school as well as educational curricula on the coronavirus and scores of faculty expert media interviews – also was recognized.
  • During FY2020, Baylor appointed Dr. Margaret Goodell as chair of molecular & cellular biology; Dr. Martin Matzuk, chair of pathology & immunology; Dr. Nancy Moreno, inaugural chair of education, innovation & technology; Dr. Ganesh Rao, chair of neurosurgery; and Stephanie Young, senior vice president of institutional advancement.
  • Chair searches are ongoing for pediatrics, radiation oncology and the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Klotman thanked Drs. Gordon Schutze, Eric Rohren and Helen Heslop for their interim leadership of the respective units. Searches for other department leaders will ramp up in the new year.
  • Following the meeting, faculty members were asked to vote on proposed changes in the Faculty Bylaws identified during a review in preparation for site visits by accrediting agencies. The ballot is open through Friday, Nov. 5.

Election Results: Regardless of outcome, the election results will not change the College’s values or the Baylor community’s vision of improving health through science, scholarship and innovation. For those experiencing a high level of stress and anxiety, Baylor is here to support you. Those needing someone to talk to can use the resources listed below:

  • Faculty, staff, residents and postdocs: Visit the Human Resources Employee Assistance Program or call 713-500-3008 or, outside Houston, 1-866-893-3776.
  • Students in all schools: Visit WellConnect or call 866-640-4777, available 24/7.
  • Student and House Staff Mental Health Service: Call 713-798-4881.
  • Any member of the Baylor community: Call 866-342-6892.

Faculty Kudos

image Dr. Leslie Archibald, assistant professor of anesthesiology and health professions and chief CRNA at Ben Taub Hospital, is featured in BCM Family and Elissa Love, PA-C, assistant professor in the Physician Assistant Program, is profiled in Growing Up Baylor as part of the College’s salute to health professionals this week.

Dr. Daniel DeSalvo, assistant professor of pediatrics, and his diabetes quality improvement team will be honored Nov. 10 with the 2020 T1D Exchange Award for Outstanding QI Team. The award recognizes their contributions to multiple publications, presentations, QI projects and data benchmarking and their sharing of resources with the other 24 centers in the QI Collaborative.

Dr. Neil Hanchard, assistant professor of molecular & human genetics, is senior author of findings on genetic data for African populations recently published in Nature. The Human Genome Sequencing Center, working with the Human Heredity and Health in Africa Consortium, generated high-coverage whole genome sequence data on 314 individuals representing 50 ethnolinguistic groups, paving the way for more broadly relevant studies.

Dr. Rayne Rouce, assistant professor of pediatrics-hematology & oncology, member of the Duncan Cancer Center and faculty senator, has won the National Cancer Institute's 2020 Cancer Clinical Investigator Team Leadership Award. It recognizes outstanding investigators who participate extensively in NCI-funded clinical trials and whose leadership and activities promote a culture of collaborative clinical research.

Dr. Salim Virani, professor of medicine-cardiology, has identified internet access as a COVID-related health disparity for people suffering from chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. His research found that telehealth follow-up visits and monitoring do not reach Black and Hispanic patients who lack an internet connection.

College (Virtual) Events

Biochemistry Seminar: Dr. Pei Zhou of the Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry at Duke University speaks on “Mission Impossible: Novel Therapeutics Targeting Undruggable Protein Interfaces and Minor Conformational States” at 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, via Zoom, meeting ID: 961 0008 5100, passcode: 366042.

Cancer Grand Rounds: Dr. Vida Robertson, associate professor of English and humanities and director of the Center for Critical Race Studies at University of Houston-Downtown, presents "Reimagining Scientific Epistemology: A Critical Race Examination of Medical Discourse and Education" at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, via Zoom, meeting ID: 387 923 767, passcode: 831342.

Spino-Plastic Conference: The 2nd Annual International Spino-Plastic Reconstruction Conference provides the latest advances and innovations in spinal surgery, including pedicled bone grafting, free tissue transfer and allograft and autograft arthrodesis, webcast live starting at 7:45 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 7. Register online to attend and earn CME credit.

Musical Interlude: Are you missing concerts and live music? Dr. Rajeev Raghavan, associate professor of medicine–nephrology and a faculty senator, Dr. Grace Lee, assistant professor of dermatology, and medical student Christopher Wong will be performing with a small ensemble from the Texas Medical Center Orchestra featuring vocalist Michael Gott. The program, "Love Can Move the World," is an hour of uplifting, beautiful music. There is no audience; the concert will be livestreamed from Miller Outdoor Theater at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7.

Evenings with Genetics: Dr. Sweta Dahr, associate professor of molecular & human genetics and medical director of the Adult Genetics Clinic, discusses research and treatment for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a connective tissue disorder, with patient advocates at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, in a public virtual seminar. Register online or by calling 713-798-8407 to attend.

Faculty Opportunities

Committee Nominations: Make your voice heard on an institutional committee. Nominations are open for new members on the Environmental Safety Committee, Institutional Policy Committee and Research Conflict of Interest Committee through Thursday, Nov. 12. This is an opportunity for you to gain collaboration skills and log service hours for your performance review and C.V. while participating in the civic life of the College. See Faculty Opportunities for more information on the committees and the nomination form.

NASA Scientist: The Translational Research Institute for Space Health has an exciting opportunity for a visiting scientist to lead a medical database project with NASA’s Human Research Program. The selected individual will work remotely with NASA’s Exploration Medical Capability Element. Applications are due Nov. 16. Learn more and apply online.

Faculty Appointments: The Department of Education, Innovation and Technology is pleased to invite applications for inaugural faculty appointments in the department. Faculty members with strong educational expertise may apply for co-primary, secondary or transfer of appointment to the Department of EIT. Staff members of the education mission or other areas with appropriate terminal degrees may apply for faculty status. More information is available online. The first phase application deadline is Nov. 23.

Robertson Award Nominations: The 2021 Barbara and Corbin J. Robertson, Jr. Presidential Award for Excellence in Education is accepting nominations for this most prestigious, college-wide award for stellar and enduring contributions to the educational mission. As part of the Baylor academic community, you are strongly encouraged to identify and nominate those you believe qualified for this award. The criteria and review process have been updated to assure that the selection of awardees applies to the broad scope of education at Baylor and recognizes teaching that transcends current techniques and topics. Please see the award website for criteria and instructions. Nominations will be accepted through Dec. 11.

Faculty Resources

Career Development: Monday, Nov. 9, is the deadline to apply for the Career Advancement Series, which offers professional development opportunities for instructors, assistant professors and associate professors. This series provides tools to enhance leadership skills and assist with professional and personal goals for advancement for early- and mid-career faculty in all departments, academic centers and schools.

Bioethics Grand Rounds: Dr. Nneka Sederstrom, director of clinical ethics at Children’s Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota, speaks on “Racism, Crisis Standards of Care and COVID-19” at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, via Zoom; to register dial 713-798-9666 and enter event ID 991 3732 2957.

Health Equity Grand Rounds: "Addressing Sexual Harassment in Academic Science, Engineering and Medicine," is the topic of a presentation at noon Thursday, Nov. 12, by Dr. Frazier Benya, senior program officer at the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. She will provide an overview of the 2018 report on the climate for women and discuss how institutions are responding. To attend virtually, please register by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10. Sponsored by the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Equity, Baylor's Group on Women in Medicine and Science and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

From the Labs: Dr. Hugo Bellen, distinguished service professor of molecular & human genetics and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, takes a closer look at the unwanted effects of insecticides 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.

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