NewsLink, June 17, 2016
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Awards and Recognitions

Buckmaster honored with service award

Dr. Cindy Buckmaster, director of the Center for Comparative Medicine, received the Distinguished Service Award from the Texas Society for Biomedical Research in recognition and appreciation of many years of dedicated service to the science, research and medical communities in the State of Texas.

Dietrich to lead pediatric/adolescent gynecology group

Dr. Jennifer Dietrich, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, began her term as president-elect of the North American Society of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology in April 2016, and will serve as president in 2017. During the next few years, as leader of the society, she plans to expand educational opportunities offered to faculty and trainees, encourage expansion of research in the field and partner with other societies toward common goals regarding the reproductive health of young girls.

Lamb elected president of bioanalysts association

Dr. Dolores Lamb, professor of urology and director of the Center for Reproductive Medicine, was elected the 2016-17 president of the American Association of Bioanalysts and assumed office during the organization’s 60th Annual Meeting and Educational Conference, held May 12-14 in Las Vegas. Founded in 1956, the AAB is dedicated to serving the community, clinical laboratory and the professionals involved in clinical laboratory operations.

Landi earns Young Investigator Award

Dr. Daniel Landi, clinical postdoctoral fellow in pediatrics - oncology, received the Pfizer Oncology Young Investigator Award from the Conquer Cancer Foundation, announced at the recent American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago. The one-year $50,000 grant provides funding to promising investigators during the transition year from a fellowship program to faculty appointment to encourage and promote quality research in clinical oncology. Landi’s research project is on chimeric antigen receptor T cells, and he is mentored by Dr. Nabil Ahmed, associate professor of pediatrics.

Events

Fidelity webinar on investing June 21 and 22

Fidelity will present an investment webcast, “Five Ways to Fit Investing into Your Busy Life,” with financial journalist Jean Chatzky on June 21 from noon to 1 p.m. and June 22 from 2 to 3 p.m. Topics will include finding financial balance, mapping out your goals, choosing investments and more. Register online. Can’t participate but still want help? Saving and investment guidance from Fidelity is always available to you as a free employee benefit. Call 800-642-7131 today to set up a one-on-one appointment. For questions, please email ask-retirement@bcm.edu.

Epilepsy support group meeting June 22

Are you or someone you know affected by epilepsy? Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center has organized an epilepsy support group meeting for people with the condition and their friends and family to provide resources, answer questions and offer a listening ear. It will be held Wednesday, June 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Kelsey Seybold Clinic, 2727 W. Holcombe Blvd., in the cafeteria on the second floor. Free parking and light refreshments offered. For information, contact Lisa Rhodes at 832-355-5098.

DocTalk June 23

The next DocTalk is Thursday, June 23, at noon at the McNair campus first floor conference room B. Dr. Eddie Liou, assistant professor of otolaryngology, will talk about thyroid cancer. DocTalk is a series of informal lunchtime talks with Baylor doctors on a variety of health topics, followed by a question-and-answer session. Eligible employees who attend will receive BCM BeWell Vitality points.

Blood drive June 28

The blood center at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center will host a blood drive on June 28 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Rayzor Lounge on the main Baylor campus. The donation process will include iron and cholesterol screenings, and all donors will receive snacks, a T-shirt and a $5 Subway gift card. Eligible employees who donate will receive 35 BCM BeWell Vitality points. In addition, a frequent donation program offers a $100 gas card or TMC parking voucher for every fourth donation, and interested people can sign up for this incentive program at the blood drive. Please consider giving blood – one donation can save three lives!

Call for Abstracts: Human Microbiome Consortium Congress

Abstracts are currently being accepted for the 6th Congress of the International Human Microbiome Consortium, which will be held in Houston Nov. 9-11. The theme of this year’s congress is “Frontiers of Microbiome Science and Metagenomic Medicine.” This is an excellent opportunity for students, postdocs, researchers and physicians to interact with academic and industry experts in microbiome research. Oral and poster presentation openings are still available, and abstracts can be submitted online until June 30. More information about the conference, including abstract and registration instructions, can be found online.

College News

Zoom: New AV conferencing service replacing Bluejeans

As of July 1, Baylor will be exclusively using a new video and audio conferencing service called Zoom. Bluejeans will no longer be available after July 1. Find the Zoom service online and click on the “LOGIN” button; then log in with your BCM account (“ECA”) user name and password. Contact the Baylor IT Help Desk at 713-798-8737 for assistance or to report any technical difficulties. For more details, check out the Getting Started Guide and Frequently Asked Questions. Additional helpful information can be found on the checklist for Zoom success page and by reviewing some helpful Zoom videos.

Support Baylor elephant herpes research

Eight years ago, scientists and zoo veterinarians embarked on a project to eliminate disease caused by Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus, a herpes virus highly fatal to Asian elephants. While a rapid test to detect the virus has been developed, Baylor researchers are now working on a vaccine. You can help in this effort by making a contribution that will fund the research of Dr. Paul Ling, associate professor of virology and microbiology, and his collaborators. Visit the crowdfunding page to make your donation.

Give your input through workplace survey

Baylor is again participating in the Best Places to Work workplace survey and would like your input about working at Baylor College of Medicine. You will receive an email with a link to an online survey within the next week. This email will come from WorkplaceDynamics LLC, not a Baylor email address. Please take a few minutes to complete the confidential survey and provide your feedback.

Faculty in the News

Read about the development of a children's cancer center in Botswana by Baylor and Texas Children's Hospital in this week's Faculty in the News. Interested in science news? Read the latest science post in From the Labs.

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