NewsLink, July 31, 2020
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Coronavirus Information

COVID response in action!

Employees working at the COVID-19 testing site on the McNair Campus have been playing an important role in the College and the community response to the pandemic, and this week they reached a significant milestone by conducting the 10,000th test. Read all about the hard work going on at the testing site and see photos in this BCM Family post.

Volunteers needed for COVID vaccine trial

Local participants are needed for a phase 3 clinical trial for an investigational COVID-19 vaccine. The study will evaluate the efficacy of Moderna's investigational mRNA-1273 vaccine at preventing the disease. Baylor is one of about 90 sites in the NIH trial. For more information or to volunteer, call 713-798-4912 or email CoVID-vax@bcm.edu.

Awards and Recognitions

Collaborative neuroscience grants awarded

Recipients of the Alzheimer's Disease/Alzheimer's Disease-related Dementias Collaboration Pilot Grant, a new donor-funded opportunity, have been announced. This area of research is an important component in BCM's neuroscience initiative, a key strategic focus in the College's Road to a Learning Health System strategic plan. Researchers and their projects are:

• "Elucidating ANK1 Dysfunction in AD," Matthew Rasband, BCM; Matthew Cykowski, Houston Methodist; and Sharon Stevens, BCM trainee
• "Capturing the Yin and Yang of Neuroinflammation through Novel PET Ligands," Joanna Jankowsky, BCM; Masahiro Fujita, Meixiang Yu and Matthew Cykowski, all of Houston Methodist; and Alireza Karidar, Houston Methodist trainee
• "Integrating Precision Medicine into Alzheimer's Disease Care," Amy McGuire, BCM; Joseph Masdeu, Houston Methodist; Stacey Pereira, BCM; Belen Pascual, Houston Methodist; Hadley Stephens Smith, BCM trainee; and Christine Rizk, Houston Methodist trainee

Ben Taub honored for cardiology care

The American Heart Association has recognized Ben Taub Hospital as a 2020 Mission: Lifeline – STEMI (ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction) Receiving Center – Gold Plus. This recognition is based on Ben Taub's continued success in using the Mission Lifeline program, including applying up-to-date evidenced-based treatment guidelines to improve patient care and outcomes. Dr. Nasser Lakkis is chief of the section of cardiology at Ben Taub Hospital and professor of medicine at Baylor.

Events

HR/BeWell events

Human Resources and the College's wellness program, BCM BeWell, are offering the following upcoming events by Zoom; BCM BeWell Vitality points available.

• Aug. 11: Financial Wellness Day with TIAA offering webinars on retirement and investing; register here.
• Aug. 12: BCM BeWell presentation on nutrition and a healthy lifestyle by Baylor registered dietitian Roberta Anding; register here.

Call for submissions: Datathon

Submissions are now being accepted for the College's first Datathon, to be held virtually in October. Hosted by the Office of the President, the event will help to build an understanding of the data that is available across the College and how it can be accessed to address questions that arise in clinical practice and research – key in Baylor's development as a Learning Health System. Proposed projects for the Datathon should be related to patient care at Baylor Medicine or Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center and should encompass quality improvement and population health. See important Datathon dates below, and learn more online.

• Aug. 3 to 21: Solicitation of proposals
• Oct. 8, 3 to 5 p.m.: Presentation of feasibility use cases
• Oct. 22, 2 to 5 p.m.: Final presentations

College News

Matzuk, Moreno appointed department chairs

Two new department chairs have been appointed by the Baylor College of Medicine Board of Trustees. Dr. Martin Matzuk was named chair of the Department of Pathology & Immunology. Matzuk has served as interim chair since March 2019 and also is director of the Center for Drug Discovery and holds the Stuart A. Wallace Chair and Robert L. Moody, Sr. Chair. Dr. Nancy Moreno was named the inaugural chair of the College's new Department of Education Innovation & Technology. She also is professor of health professions and family and community medicine and has served as associate provost for faculty development and institutional research.

Davis to lead DNP program

Dr. Rachel Davis, assistant professor of anesthesiology, will become director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice – Nurse Anesthesia program on Jan. 1, 2021. Currently the program’s associate director, she succeeds Dr. Jim Walker, who will remain on faculty in the DNP program.

U.S. News & World Report rankings

Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center and the College's affiliates look good in the latest U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings. Baylor St. Luke's is ranked in five adult specialties – Cardiology and Heart Surgery, No. 17; Neurology and Neurosurgery, No. 21; Gastroenterology and GI Surgery, No. 21; Cancer, No. 27; and – for the first time – Geriatrics, No. 47.

• Nationally, MD Anderson Cancer Center is ranked No. 1 in Cancer Care, Memorial Hermann TIRR is ranked No. 3 in Rehabilitation, and Menninger Clinic is ranked No. 9 in Psychiatric Care. Texas Children's Hospital is ranked No. 4 in the country on the Children's Hospitals list and listed on the Honor Roll with high rankings in 10 specialties.
• Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center is ranked No. 2 in Houston and No. 3 in the state, following Houston Methodist and UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Faculty in the News

Baylor experts continue to lead the way in keeping the public informed about COVID-19 through the media. Read the coverage 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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