Awards and Recognitions
Bottazzi receives Honduran National Science Award
Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi, associate dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and professor of pediatrics, is the recipient of the 2015 Jose Cecilio del Valle National Science Award from the government of Honduras. The award recognizes work that contributes to the nation’s body of knowledge, its resources and values as well as its development. Bottazzi’s principal interest is the role of vaccines as disease control tools integrated into international public health programs and initiatives.
Bozkurt honored by cardiology group
Dr. Biykem Bozkurt, professor of medicine, has been selected by the American College of Cardiology to receive the 2016 Gifted Educator Award in recognition of her innovative, outstanding teaching characteristics, compassionate qualities and major contributions to the field of cardiovascular medicine. Bozkurt will accept this award at the Convocation of the College’s 65th Annual Scientific Session in Chicago, early in 2016.
Chakraborty earns ASH Scholar Award
Dr. Rikhia Chakraborty, instructor of pediatrics and part of the Histiocytosis Research Lab at Texas Children’s Cancer Center, received a 2016 Basic Junior Faculty Scholar Award from the American Society of Hematology. Scholar awards support fellows and junior faculty dedicated to careers in hematology research as they transition from training programs to careers as independent investigators. The award is for $150,000 over two to three years.
Medical student Reddy honored for research
Third-year medical student Shawn Reddy received the John Pellock Award in Pediatric Excellence, which recognizes a young investigator conducting research in pediatrics related to epilepsy. He received this award at the American Epilepsy Society national meeting in Philadelphia earlier this month, where he was honored on stage and gave an oral presentation of his research project, “Safety and Efficacy of Stereotactic Laser Ablation of Hypothalamic Hamartomas.”
Rouce honored for work on immunotherapy
Dr. Rayne Rouce, instructor in the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, has been named a 2016 award winner of the American Society of Hematology and the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Rouce, one of only two award winners, was honored with the award at the recent ASH annual meeting in Orlando. She gave a presentation on her work, which focuses on immunotherapy for the treatment of pediatric cancer. She will also receive a $400,000, four-year grant to further her work.
Zoghbi recognized for research, mentorship
Dr. Huda Zoghbi, professor of molecular and human genetics and director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor, has been named to receive the 2015 Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Science. The award recognizes women scientists with a stellar record of research accomplishment who also have mentored other women in science. Prize winners receive an honorarium, deliver a Flexner Discovery Lecture, meet with Vanderbilt faculty and mentor Vanderbilt Prize Scholars – women who are pursuing graduate studies in the biomedical sciences at the medical school. Zoghbi will receive the prize April 21, when she is scheduled to give the Flexner Discovery Lecture.
Events
Narrative medicine workshop
Dr. Kathy Kirkland, professor of medicine – palliative care at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, will present two workshops on narrative medicine on Jan. 10 and 11 at Texas Children’s Hospital. Narrative medicine is the practice of medicine informed by the ability to “recognize, absorb, interpret, and be moved to action by the stories of illness.” Clinicians who have narrative competence can use patients’ stories to make diagnoses, select effective therapies aligned with patient preference and develop healing relationships with patients. The same workshop will be presented twice:
- Jan. 10, 4 to 6 p.m., Pavilion for Women, fourth floor conference room D.
- Jan. 11, 9 to 11 a.m., West Tower, sixth floor, neonatology conference room
The conference is free to attend but an RSVP is required by emailing Jennifer Aguillon at jxaguill@texaschildrens.org.
You FIRST celebration Jan. 21
The You FIRST program invites Baylor faculty and staff to “An Affair to Remember,” a casino-themed celebration scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 21, from 5:30 - 9:30 p.m. at the Bayou City Event Center, 9401 Knight Road, Houston, 77045. The event will include food, music and great prizes, as well as the opportunity to interact with your team members and meet and celebrate with new colleagues. Please note this is an employee-only event; non-Baylor guests cannot be accommodated. You must be present to win prizes. RSVP online by Friday, Jan. 15, at 5 p.m. Questions? Email youfirst@bcm.edu.
College News
Toy drive benefitting Child Advocates a success
The Baylor toy drive organized by human resources and benefiting Child Advocates of Houston was a huge success. Thanks to the generous donations from the Baylor family, more than 500 toys and gifts were collected and dropped off to the organization’s Santa’s Wish List warehouse on Dec. 14.
Volunteers needed for study on depression and gut function
Participants are needed for a study to understand how depression and gut function may be related in youth. Volunteers between the ages of 7 and 17 years who have experienced symptoms of depression and those who have not experienced any such symptoms both are needed for the study. Volunteers must be healthy, not have taken any antibiotics in the past six months and not have taken any psychiatric medications in the past three months. The study visit will involve completing questionnaires, providing a stool sample, taking a sugar solution and collecting urine for 24 hours, a blood draw and bone scan. Volunteers will be compensated for their time and mileage will be reimbursed. Those interested should complete the online screening form. For more information, call 832-824-5002 or email Calarge_Research@bcm.edu.
Faculty in the News
Dr. Sharon Plon was quoted in The Atlantic in a story on clinical genetics. See this and Baylor's other news media mentions in this week’s Faculty in the News.
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