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NewsLink, Aug. 6, 2021
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Coronavirus Information

Masks and symptom screening

The prevalence of the delta variant has resulted in an increase in COVID cases locally and in the U.S. As a result, some COVID protocols have been reimplemented throughout Baylor facilities, including mask requirements and symptom screening at building entrances.

On-site vaccination clinics

On-site COVID-19 vaccinations and attestation assistance will be offered on the main Baylor campus on the dates below. Baylor faculty, staff and learners are welcome to walk in for their first shot, and they will be scheduled for their second shot.

  • Today, Aug. 6, 8:30-11:30 a.m. Rayzor Lounge (second dose will be scheduled for Aug. 27)
  • Tuesday, Aug. 10, 8:30-11:30 a.m., Rayzor Lounge (second dose will be scheduled for Aug. 31)

Advanced practice providers needed for COVID clinic

Advanced Practice Providers are needed to help staff the COVID Clinic@Home to meet the needs of the increasing number of COVID-19 positive patients. The Baylor Medicine COVID Clinic@Home provides care to non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients. It employs a multidisciplinary team and video visits to provide focused care, monitor of complications and guide recovery. Interested APPs can email Isabel Valdez, PA-C.

#StickItToCOVID Facebook frame

Help stop the spread of COVID-19 by getting your vaccine, then show your support by adding our #StickItToCOVID frame to your Facebook profile.


Awards and Recognitions

Hanania honored for educational leadership

Dr. Nicola HananiaDr. Nicola Hanania, associate professor of medicine – pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine, director of the Airways Clinical Research Center, and faculty senator, has been awarded the American College of Chest Physicians' 2021 Distinguished CHEST Educator designation. The award is given to the top 4% of CHEST faculty worldwide for leadership in CHEST education programs and activities.

Lee named ASHG president-elect

Dr. Brendan LeeDr. 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, has been named president-elect of the American Society of Human Genetics. His three-year term will begin Jan. 1, 2022. Lee previously served on the ASHG Board of Directors as secretary.

Rosenberg to serve on AACR committee

Dr. Susan RosenbergDr. Susan Rosenberg, professor of molecular and human genetics and Ben F. Love Chair in Cancer Research, has been named to the executive committee of the new American Association of Cancer Research Cancer Evolution Working Group. The mission of the group is to advance cancer diagnostic, therapeutic and prevention strategies by fostering a fundamental understanding of cancer evolution.

Cell and Gene Therapy researchers honored

Dr. Valentina HoyosDr. Valentina Hoyos, assistant professor in the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, earned the Clinical Scientist Distinguished Young Investigator Award at the 2021 Immuno-Oncology Young Investigators Forum, held July 29-31 in Houston, for her work on the role of the TRAIL Receptor 2 to enhance CAR T cell efficacy in breast cancer. In addition, Dr. Mary Kathryn McKenna, a postdoctoral fellow in the CAGT, earned first place in the Ph.D. Postdoc category for her work using certain T-cells to augment targeted therapies in solid tumors.

Faculty earn healthy pregnancy grants

Dr. Diana MonsivaisDr. Kathryn PatrasDr. Diana Monsivais, assistant professor of pathology and immunology, and Dr. Kathryn Patras, assistant professor of molecular virology and microbiology, each earned grants from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund through its Next Generation Pregnancy Initiative. The grant program is designed to stimulate both creative individual scientists and multi-investigator teams to approach healthy and adverse pregnancy outcomes using creative basic and translational science methods.


Events

BCM BeWell event: Benefits of stretching

Register to attend a presentation on the benefits of stretching, Tuesday, Aug. 10, at noon, presented by Gaby Salinas with BCM BeWell and Meghan McKay and Leah Palmer with BCM orthopedic surgery. The team will demonstrate stretches that can be done at your desk. BCM BeWell points available. Questions? Email wellness@bcm.edu.

Bystander training and responding to harassment

The Baylor community is invited to attend a virtual training session on bystander intervention to stop anti-Asian and Asian-American harassment, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 6 p.m., and a second training session on how to respond to harassment for people experiencing anti-Asian harassment, Aug. 12, 6 p.m. Register here for Aug. 11, and register here for Aug. 12.

TMC Orchestra auditions

Auditions for the TMC Orchestra are being held Aug. 18. The Texas Medical Center Orchestra is made up of healthcare professionals who rehearse once weekly and perform several formal concerts each year. If interested, schedule an audition online. If you cannot audition on Aug. 18, email concert manager Adrian Ponce at Adrianponcecello96@yahoo.com. Playing in the orchestra offers an outlet from the pressures of medical training or medical care. Incoming residents, fellows and other medical trainees are encouraged to apply!


College News

Welcome, new students!

Medical School Orientation

New students were welcomed to campus over the last couple of weeks, including 109 in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and 185 in the School of Medicine. Medical students started with an off-site retreat to get to know one another and develop critical skills through team-building activities, seen in this photo. Learn more about our new students in the Momentum blog.

Diversity training deadline extended

The required e-learning course, Inclusion Excellence: A T.E.A.M. Approach, must be completed by Aug. 13. The training focuses on the College's commitment to inclusion, highlights data to support the advancement of inclusion in a biomedical institution, provides historical context for exclusionary practices in the U.S. and offers strategies to achieve an anti-bias environment. The training has been updated for ADA compliance and now provides closed captioning on video segments. Access the training through SuccessFactors.

Call for QI coaches

Applications are open until Thursday, Aug. 12, for interested candidates to serve as quality improvement coaches in the BCM Institute for Continuing Professional Development in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (I-QIPS). The institute trains faculty, supports innovation and promotes scholarship in quality improvement and patient safety. Coaches will work with faculty, trainees and/or project teams involved in QI-related activities across Baylor and its affiliates. Learn more, or email CCIT-mgmt@bcm.edu.

LCME monthly newsletter

The School of Medicine's July LCME Newsletter features a Timeline of Upcoming Events and an overview of Element 6.3 — Self-Direct & Life-Long Learning, Element 6.6 — Service Learning/Community and Element 7.3 — Scientific Method/Clinical/Translational Research. Read the August newsletter.

HR news: Professional development courses

BCM Human Resources has launched a new online learning system called "Learning G.P.S. - Grow. Perform. Succeed." to all faculty and staff. Employees will have the ability to access flexible, on-demand learning content that aligns with professional development needs. Topics will include core competency, including community and collaboration; performance management; customer service skills; leadership/management; and Microsoft Office skills. Access courses.


Faculty in the News

Check out all of Baylor's 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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