NewsLink, Jan. 29, 2021
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Coronavirus Information

COVID Independence Day

What will it take to declare July 4, 2021, COVID Independence Day? Dr. James McDeavitt lays out a plan in his most recent weekly message. Read it online.

Healthcare heroes in vaccine clinic

Baylor remains committed to vaccinating eligible employees and learners, as well as our eligible patients, as quickly as COVID-19 vaccine supply allows. Our healthcare heroes who administer shots in the Baylor Medicine Vaccine Clinic, including Kimberly Acosta, Jonisha Batiste and Anita Cortez, pictured above, were recognized this week with some special treats. Thank you all for your hard work!

Awards and Recognitions

Lee elected to leadership in TAMEST

Dr. Brendan Lee, Robert and Janice McNair Endowed Chair in Molecular and Human Genetics and professor and chair of the Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, was elected vice president of the Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST) Board of Directors for a two-year term at the January 2021 meeting. Lee has previously served as TAMEST treasurer.

Lopez honored for public health contributions

Recognizing her outstanding work to overcome health inequities in pediatric congenital heart disease patients and help transition pediatric patients into adult care, the American Board of Pediatrics has named Dr. Keila Lopez, assistant professor of pediatric cardiology, the 2021 Paul V. Miles Fellow. As part of the fellowship, Lopez will give grand rounds at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University medical schools and will speak to ABP staff about her work. In addition, Lopez recently was named to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner's Hispanic Advisory Board, where she will contribute her perspective and experience to assist in the care of Latino populations in Houston.

Winkelmayer, Anumudu pen top nephrology article

Dr. Wolfgang Winkelmayer, professor and Gordon A. Cain Chair in Nephrology, was the senior author, and Dr. Samaya Anumudu, assistant professor, nephrology, was a co-investigator and co-author of an article that was selected as a top paper published in 2020 by the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. The article, focused on terminology used by physicians to describe kidney health that patients may find distressing, was selected for its potential to inform future research, change clinical practice and influence public policy, particularly in the United States.

Yallampalli earns grant for preeclampsia research

Dr. Chandrasekhar Yallampalli, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and of molecular and cellular biology, has received a 2021 Peter Joseph Pappas Research Grant from the Preeclampsia Foundation for his work examining the connection between preeclampsia and genetic abnormalities and whether genetic signature is different between women with preeclampsia and unaffected women. The grant program is designed to accelerate research in preeclampsia, a serious health problem for pregnant women and the cause of 15 percent of premature births in the U.S.

Events

New time for talk by Mayor Turner

The time has been changed to 1:30 p.m. (from 1 p.m.) for the talk today, Jan. 29, by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on leading the city through a pandemic and racial justice issues, with an introduction by Baylor President Dr. Paul Klotman. Attend by Zoom (Passcode: 981418).

Thoracic Oncology Group meetings

The Department of Surgery's Thoracic Oncology Group meets on the first Monday of every month from 4 – 5 p.m. to discuss clinical trials and for scientific presentations and concept and grant reviews. Attend by Zoom (Password: 036444) starting on Monday, Feb. 1.

Wear Red Day

Baylor will participate in National Wear Red Day Friday, Feb. 5, in support of the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women campaign, a nationwide movement to fight heart disease in women. Be sure to take a photo of you and your colleagues wearing red and send it to Anna Kiappes by 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5, to be featured on Baylor's social media channels. Be sure to follow Baylor on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to see the photos!

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Jan. 27 marked Holocaust Remembrance Day. One Baylor faculty member, Dr. Ervin Adam, shared his story of surviving the Holocaust and his journey in academic medicine with Baylor's Momentum blog. You can also hear from Dr. Adam directly in archival video from the Holocaust Museum Houston.

College News

HR news: College admissions webinar

BCM benefits partner Bright Horizons virtually presents "College Admissions: The Insider's View," Feb. 2, at noon. Topics will include colleges' application evaluation processes, planning a high school academic program with college in mind, crafting a college essay, selecting the right school and more. Learn more and register.

IT news: Collaboration tool

Are you aware of a great collaboration tool that is available for use? Microsoft Teams is a versatile online collaboration workspace that brings together instant messaging (chat), threaded conversations, meetings, audio and/or video calls, desktop and file sharing and more. As a part of BCM's Seamless Collaboration initiative, it works seamlessly with Office 365 apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, SharePoint, OneNote and other applications. Learn more here about Microsoft Teams and its capabilities.

Clinical professionalism award

Nominations for the Ben and Margaret Love Foundation Bobby Alford Award for Academic Clinical Professionalism are being accepted through Feb. 12. The prestigious award recognizes a physician for professionalism and humanism, and the ability to model these qualities in the practice of medicine. Additional information is available online.

Faculty in the News

Baylor experts weigh in on the latest pandemic developments. Check out this and Baylor's other news media mentions in this week's Faculty in the News, and follow BCMHouston_News on Twitter to keep up with our experts in the media. Interested in science news? Read the latest in From the Labs.

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