NewsLink, Oct. 5, 2018
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Awards and Recognitions

Chao earns NIH early independence award

Dr. Hsiao-Tuan Chao, instructor of pediatrics at Baylor and a child neurologist and postdoctoral researcher at the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, has been awarded the NIH Director's Early Independence Award from the High-Risk, High-Reward Research program. The award will provide $1.25 million over 5 years to support her work on how single gene changes that alter transcriptional networks can affect communication between neurons. Read more.

Fasipe honored for sickle cell disease efforts

Dr. Titi Fasipe, assistant professor of pediatrics – hematology/oncology at Baylor and Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers, received the Sickle Cell Association of Texas Marc Thomas Foundation Leadership of Excellence Service Award. She was recognized for her commitment to patient care, education and community awareness, and has the unique perspective of understanding these needs as both a physician treating patients with the disease and an individual with sickle cell disease.

Roarty earns Komen grant

The Susan G. Komen organization has announced funding of new breast cancer research projects, including support for Dr. Kevin Roarty, assistant professor of molecular and cellular biology, who is working to identify how some triple negative breast cancer subtypes are better at spreading (metastasizing) than others. The goal of this research is to identify new treatment options for patients diagnosed with this type of aggressive breast cancer.

Events

Breast Cancer awareness

Join the Baylor team for tomorrow's Komen Houston Race for the Cure, or just stop by the Baylor booth for important information and resources. Then, on Oct. 11, attend Breast Cancer Conversations, a quarterly forum to engage the Houston community about breast cancer. This session is on breast cancer advocacy with Dr. Suzanne Fuqua, 6-7 p.m. at the Baylor College of Medicine Medical Center. The event is free but please register. Finally, in observation of Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day (Oct. 13), members of the Baylor community are invited to show their support by wearing pink on Oct. 12, based on dress codes within departments.

Oct. 8: Student advocacy event

Student Advocacy Engagement Day hosted by BCM Doctors for Change, in collaboration with Office of Institutional Diversity, Inclusion and Equity, BCM American Medical Women's Association and BCM Pride will be Monday, Oct. 8, 4:30-6 p.m. in Cullen Auditorium and Rayzor Lounge, main Baylor. It will include an organization advocacy fair and speakers Dr. Joslyn Fisher, associate professor of medicine; Dr. Lee Bar-Eli, a local family practitioner; and registered nurse Rachel Fischer.

Open enrollment benefits fairs and information sessions

Open Enrollment for benefits is Oct. 8 – 22. Learn more about healthcare and retirement plans for 2019 and about new programs like College Coach and the Real Appeal online weight loss program at campus benefits fairs, Oct. 8-10. Also at the benefits fairs, have your photo taken for the annual BCM calendar. General benefits meetings offer even more in-depth information and are scheduled at multiple locations Oct. 11-19; Zoom sessions available. See the full schedule of fairs and information sessions.

Oct. 12: Alexander R. Matzuk Lecture in Drug Discovery

Dr. P. Roy Vagelos, chairman of the board of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. and retired chair and CEO of Merck & Co. Inc., will present the Alexander R. Matzuk Lecture in Drug Discovery, Oct. 12, at 9 a.m. in room N315, on "My Career in Drug Discovery."

Oct. 17: Huffington Center on Aging symposium and dinner

The Huffington Center on Aging will celebrate its 30th anniversary on Oct. 17 with a daylong scientific symposium and poster session in Cullen Auditorium and Rayzor Lounge. Speakers from Baylor and other national institutions, including keynote speaker Dr. Shelley Berger of the University of Pennsylvania, will discuss the latest in research related to aging and diseases that affect the elderly. No cost but please register. The symposium will be followed by a dinner and keynote presentation by Arianna Huffington on "Thrive: How to Build a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, Wonder and Purpose – At Any Age," at the Junior League of Houston. Purchase tickets.

College News

Applications open for quality improvement course

Applications are open for the Institute for Continuing Professional Development in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety: QI Jumpstart. This intermediate-level training course to is designed for healthcare providers with an introductory knowledge of the concepts of quality improvement and patient safety but who would benefit from hands-on experience in applying the learned principles to improve their healthcare practice and to mentor trainees. There is no charge to attend the course but space is limited. Learn more and apply online by Oct. 21. Questions? Email CCIT-mgmt@bcm.edu.

Call for art!

The Graduate Student Council will host the 17th Annual Art Show Nov. 12-16, benefitting the Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers' Arts in Medicine Program. Art, including paintings, sketches, photography, jewelry and textiles, may be submitted by members of the Baylor community. Register your art donations online by Oct. 29; 40 percent of proceeds benefit Arts in Medicine, with all remaining profits going directly to the artists.

Mosaic Project updates

The Mosaic Project, a multi-year effort to reengineer processes and overhaul the SAP system used for the College's business operations, was announced earlier this year. Updates will be provided here regularly.
-Travel and Expenses: The transition to the new travel and expense system, called Concur, is scheduled for Nov. 5, following a three month pilot phase that has involved 12 departments. This will be used for all travel and non-travel related expenses for employees and will replace current petty cash, check request and travel reimbursement processes. More information will be coming in College communications and the Mosaic website, including dates and locations for hands-on training sessions on the new tool and updated processes and policies.

Faculty Handbook available online

The Provost's Office and the Office of Faculty Affairs are pleased to announce the arrival of the new Faculty Handbook. This edition is a web-based compilation of the policies, procedures and resources pertaining to faculty members across all the College's mission areas. By linking to source documents, the handbook is intended to reference the most current information available. While many of the links lead to Baylor's public website, some will require your BCM login to access the intranet. If you have any questions about the new handbook, please contact the Office of Faculty Affairs at facultyaffairs@bcm.edu.

Storytellers Sought

Submit a story for the Texas Medical Center’s storytelling event, Off Script: Stories from the Heart of Medicine. The theme is "Giving Thanks." Your 600-900 word story sketch is due Oct. 14. Those selected will be invited to workshop and share their stories at the event Nov. 14 at McGovern Medical School. For more information, see the website.

Faculty in the News

Read this week's Baylor news media mentions in 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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