NewsLink, Feb. 5, 2021
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Coronavirus Information

Our impact during pandemic

As the pandemic nears its one-year mark, Baylor College of Medicine has responded and adapted across all its mission areas, including conducting more than 79,000 telehealth appointments at Baylor Medicine, participating in vaccine trials and continuing to educate and train learners at Baylor and in the community. View this infographic to see our impact.

Awards and Recognitions

Matzuk and Richards named distinguished fellows

Dr. Martin Matzuk, chair and professor of pathology & immunology and director of the Center for Drug Discovery, and Dr. JoAnne Richards, professor of molecular and cellular biology, have been named among the inaugural group of Society for the Study of Reproduction Distinguished Fellows. The fellowship is one of the highest professional scientific honors awarded for outstanding contributions to the scientific discipline of reproductive biology.

Monterrey contributes to food insecurity toolkit

Dr. Ana Monterrey, assistant professor of pediatrics, contributed to a toolkit on food insecurity for clinicians from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Her input in the 'Words of Wisdom from the Field' section discusses implementation of food insecurity screening in the clinic, which included working in partnership with the Houston Food Bank to train doctors and staff. See the toolkit online.

Morales earns ophthalmology photography awards

Joseph Morales, senior photographer in the Department of Ophthalmology, earned top awards for two of his images from the Ophthalmic Photographers Society, presented at the Academy of Ophthalmology virtual learning meeting and award ceremony. "Macular Star and Disc Edema," pictured above left, earned first place and "Atrophy of the Choroid," above right, earned second place in their respective categories.

Yustein appointed to St. Baldrick's board

Dr. Jason Yustein, associate professor of pediatrics - hematology and oncology, has been appointed to the St. Baldrick's Foundation board of directors. The foundation is the largest nongovernment funder of childhood cancer research grants. Yustein also serves on the foundation's Scientific Advisory Committee and Advocacy Committee.

BCM wins construction award

Baylor College of Medicine and Linbeck Group LLC have received the Outstanding Construction Award in Healthcare from the Associated General Contractors of America for the build-outs of otolaryngology – head and neck surgery on the fifth floor of the Jamail Specialty Care Center and the acute care surgery, cardiology, thoracic and vascular surgery, and Comprehensive Healthcare clinics on the sixth floor of the hospital building. Project leaders at Baylor included Mike Cassidy, executive director of business operations in Baylor Medicine, and Steve Womack, principal, construction planning, design and development in Facility Services.

Events

Black History Month programming

February is Black History Month.Check out the events below to commemorate the month, and visit the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion website for updates.

• The Human Genome Sequencing Center and Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, in collaboration with the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, will host a two-part series of Baylor's Evening with Genetics focused on race and genetics. There will be virtual sessions on Feb. 9 (register here) and Feb. 16 (register here), from 7-8:15 p.m.
  
• Provost Dr. Alicia Monroe will be part of a symposia on trailblazing Black women in academic medicine to celebrate the legacy of Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the first Black American woman to earn a degree in medicine, in 1864. Register online to livestream the Boston University School of Medicine panel discussion at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10.
• The Student National Medical Association and Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will host a virtual panel discussion of the feature film "Black Men in White Coats," by Dr. Dale Okorodudu, on Feb. 12, 5:30 p.m. View the 80-minute film on your own between 4 p.m. on Feb. 9 – 4 p.m. on Feb. 12 before attending the panel. Viewing is limited to 300 people in that time frame; register online by 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 9 to receive a link to view the film and attend the panel discussion.

Medical humanities book discussion

Join Humanistic Medicine & Stories from the TMC virtually on Feb. 11 at noon to hear Esmé Weijun Wang, writer and winner of the Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize, discuss her book "The Collected Schizophrenias," followed by a question-and-answer session with Dr. Sarat Munjuri, psychiatry fellow at the University of Texas at Houston McGovern Medical School. Sponsored by Baylor's Narrative Medicine Program, Humanities Texas, Rice's Medical Humanities Program Humanities Research Center, McGovern Medical School and University of Houston's Medicine and Society Program. Register for the Zoom event.

College News

Reber to lead neonatology

Dr. Kristina Reber will join Baylor on July 1 as the new head of the section of neonatology in the Department of Pediatrics and service line chief at Texas Children's Hospital. She earned bachelor's and medical degrees from Ohio State University and conducted residency and fellowship training at Columbus Children's Hospital before joining Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center and Nationwide Children's Hospital in faculty and leadership roles.

LCME monthly newsletter

The School of Medicine's February LCME newsletter features upcoming events and an overview of Element 11.1—Academic Advising and Element 11.2 — Career Advising. Read the February newsletter.

BeWell news: Complete Your Vitality Health Reviews

Start off the new BCM BeWell program year by completing the Vitality Health Reviews, confidential online questionnaires available on the BCM BeWell portal that can help you assess your current health. When complete, you'll receive your Vitality Age, a unique measure of your "true" age from lifestyle behaviors, and earn 500 BeWell Vitality (bonus points if completed within 90 days of the start of the new program year). Questions? Email wellness@bcm.edu.

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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