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News for BCM Faculty, March 7, 2019
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Ask Me About My Research: Talking about the great work going on at Baylor not only informs the public but also might inspire the next generation of scientists. Dr. Sharmila Anandasabapathy, director of Baylor Global Health, and her daughter Tara Sikora show just how easy it is to start a conversation about your research in this video. You can pick up an “Ask Me About My Research” button in the Office of Communications and Community Outreach, Room 176B, main Baylor.

Faculty Kudos

Dr. Mary Brandt, professor of surgery, is the subject of a Progress Notes profile by third-year medical student Emillie Warren. In it she describes her experience as the third woman to finish the general surgery residency at Baylor and what she has learned as a surgeon and medical educator.

image Dr. Ruben Hernaez and Dr. Avinash Ketwaroo assistant professors of medicine – gastroenterology, are among 18 early career physicians and scientists selected nationally to participate in the American Gastroenterological Association Future Leaders Program. They begin the 18-month program with the AGA Leadership Development Conference in Rockville, Md., this weekend, March 8 - 10.

Dr. Helen Heslop, director of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation at the Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Meetings held last week in Houston. Her key contributions to the field involve research on adoptive T cell immunotherapy to improve hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and cancer therapy.

Dr. Gia Merlo, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, was honored as one of Houston’s 50 Most Influential Women by Houston Woman Magazine at a gala last week. She is associate dean of health professions and founding director of the Medical Professionalism Program at Rice University and serves on the board of directors of Child Advocates of Houston and the Academy for Professionalism in Health Care.

Dr. Meroë Morse, assistant professor of medicine – general internal medicine, has graduated from the fellowship program of the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson. Her training involved the philosophy and practice of healing-oriented medicine, addressing mind, body and spirit with conventional and alternative therapies.

Dr. Victor Rivera, Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Neurology, was the guest of honor at the 30th anniversary celebration of the International Restorative Neurology Center in Havana, Cuba. He was recognized for his support of multiple sclerosis research and education in Cuba and received a special recognition from the MS Cuban Association.

College Events

Student Research Symposium: The 19th Annual Henry J.N. Taub & James K. Alexander Medical Student Research Symposium features a keynote address on “Mechanisms of Endocrine Therapy Resistance in Breast Cancer” by Dr. C. Kent Osborne, director of the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center. The symposium starts at 9 a.m., with Osborne’s lecture at 12:15 p.m. today, March 7, in Cullen Auditorium, main Baylor. Poster presentations are on display until 2 p.m. in Rayzor Lounge.

STAT Vote: Vote for Baylor’s research in STAT Madness, an annual bracket-style competition that looks for the best innovations in science and medicine. Research out of the Department of Surgery on a common antibiotic that has been shown to damage the heart is being highlighted in the competition in a first-round matchup with Mount Sinai. Vote online by 11 p.m tonight, March 7.

Precision Medicine Grand Rounds: “Epigenetics, Stem Cells and Carcinogenesis” is the topic of Dr. Shuk-Mei Ho’s presentation at noon Monday, March 11, at the Denton A. Cooley Auditorium, Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, 6770 Bertner Ave. Ho is director of the Cincinnati Cancer Center and chair of the Department of Environmental Health at University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

DocTalk: Dr. Sanjiv Sur, senior faculty in medicine – immunology, allergy & rheumatology, talks about how “Allergy Season Has Sprung” at noon Tuesday, March 12, in Cullen Auditorium, main Baylor. Bring your lunch, join the conversation and earn BeWell points.

Faculty Opportunities

Biochemistry Faculty: The School of Health Professions is seeking enthusiastic and dynamic faculty members to teach in biochemistry. The course is designed to equip about 60 physician assistant and nurse anesthesia students with the basics of clinical biochemistry, so they may better understand aspects of metabolism and the fundamentals of human physiology and pathophysiology. Faculty members are being sought to teach on the topics of DNA (five lectures in late June), carbohydrate metabolism (one lecture early August), and lipid metabolism (one lecture early August) under course director Dr. Kristina Hulten. Faculty members who are passionate about these topics and are prepared to use engaging and interactive methods to teach students are encouraged to apply. Anyone interested in learning more should contact Dr. Aimee Gardner, assistant dean of the School of Health Professions, by Sunday, March 10.

Master Teachers: Applications are now open for the Master Teacher Fellowship Program, which aims to enhance the educational mission of the College by improving the knowledge, skills, scholarship and attitudes of faculty. The fellowship extends for 24 months, starting in October 2019, with once-a-month afternoon meetings. There is a $500 one-time fee that can be paid in three installments. Past fellows have called their time in the fellowship “a transformational experience.” All Baylor faculty are eligible for the fellowship. Applications are due April 1. For more information contact Faculty Development at (713) 798-7285.

Faculty Resources

IAMSE Webinar: The International Association of Medical Science Educators Spring 2019 Webinar Series topic is “The Role of Basic Science in 21st Century Medical Education,” with the first of five Thursday sessions starting at 11 a.m. today, March 7. Contact Faculty Development to register for free participation on your computer.

Career Advancement Workshops: The Office of Faculty Development offers classes to get you on the right track for promotion. To RSVP, contact Faculty Development at (713) 798-7285.

  • Develop and strengthen your Curriculum Vitae at noon Wednesday, March 20, in Room N112, main Baylor, or by Zoom.
  • Current assistant professors are the focus of the Pathways to Promotion Workshop, 3:30 – 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, in Room N317, main Baylor.

Professionalism Seminar: Dr. William Branch of Emory University School of Medicine speaks on “Healthcare at the Crossroads: Sustaining Humanistic Traditions in Today’s Practice Environment” at 4 p.m. Thursday, March 21, in Room 201A, main Baylor, as part of the Profiles in Professionalism series.

Team Discovery: The next Team Discovery session from Team Launch will focus on “Toxic Teams.” Dr. Nana Coleman, director of Team Launch, will lead the discussion from 3:30 - 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 28, in Rooms M321 and M323, main Baylor. Team Discovery sessions are dynamic seminars led by experts and are open to all faculty, students, postdoctoral trainees, and staff of Baylor as well as to individuals from other institutions throughout the Texas Medical Center.


Attention Clinicians: See Clinical Events

Clinical Seminars

Policy Research Day: The Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy hosts Health and Science Policy Research Day April 2 in Cullen Auditorium, main Baylor. The lunchtime keynote speaker, Dr. Tim Caulfield from the University of Alberta, addresses “Is Popular Culture Killing Science (and You)?” Abstracts will be accepted through Friday, March 15. Registration and more information are available on the website.

GI & Liver: The 18th Annual GI and Liver Course, directed by Dr. Manreet Kaur, assistant professor of medicine - gastroenterology, happpens March 30 – 31 in Onstead Auditorium, 6767 Bertner Avenue. Registration is open online through Sunday, March 24.

Quality & Safety: The College’s Sixth Annual Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Conference is set for 4 - 8 p.m. April 25 at Onstead Auditorium, 6767 Bertner Ave. Registration is now open online.

Bioethics Course: Registration is open for the Intensive Bioethics course, to be held April 29 – May 3. Sponsored by the Center for Medical Ethics & Health Policy and Houston Methodist Hospital, the course is geared toward professionals who encounter complex ethical challenges in the healthcare setting and want advanced training. CME credits will be offered. Learn more and register online.


Attention Researchers: See Research Calendar

Research Seminars

Life Science Entrepreneurship: Rice University’s Dr. Jack Gill and Dr. Paul Cherukuri and Baylor alumnus Dr. Will Clifton lead this interdisciplinary, interinstitutional course that discusses the major roles of scientists, engineers, physicians and MBAs in high tech startups. Live, ongoing case studies are presented by guest entrepreneurs of biotech, medical device and healthcare informatics companies. The course is 4 - 6 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, March 11 – April 17, at the BioScience Research Collaborative. More information can be found on the course website.

Research Mentor Training: Faculty research mentors are invited to participate in a workshop to build skills in mentoring competencies including aligning expectations, maintaining effective communications, fostering independence and resilience and promoting professional development. Workshop activities are based on the mentor training curriculum of the NIH National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) but will be tailored for Baylor mentors. Four workshop dates are offered for spring 2019. To attend, select your preferred date by Tuesday, March 19. For more information, contact Dr. Anna Marie Sokac, NRMN master facilitator of mentor training, or Dr. Sandra Haudek, director of peer coaching in the Office of Faculty Development and a faculty senator.

Gene Regulation: The Therapeutic Innovation Center presents its second annual symposium April 11 – 12 to further the understanding of diseases of gene regulation, especially RNA and chromatin biology. Keynote speakers are Dr. Robert Darnell of the Rockefeller University and Dr. Nathanael Gray of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Registration is free, but required to attend the symposium in Kleberg Auditorium, main Baylor.

Research Resources

Cancer Funding: The Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy is accepting applications for its 2019 Investigator’s Award in Cell and Gene Therapy for Cancer. The focus for this year is tenure-track or tenured scientists centering their work on solid, metastatic and childhood cancers. Grants of up to $500,000 for one to three years are available. Abstracts are due by 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 12, through ProposalCentral.

NIH S10 Grants: The NIH has issued calls for submission of S10 shared instrument grants ($50,000 - $600,000), high-end instrumentation grants ($600,000 - $2.0 million) and shared instrument grants for animal research ($50,000 - $750,000). Each institution is limited to one S10 application submission per type of instrument. To prevent duplications a letter of intent must be submitted, pre-reviewed and approved by the Office of Research prior to submission to NIH. Please submit an NIH biosketch and two-page maximum letter of intent to awards@bcm.edu by Wednesday, March 13. More information is available online.

Chao Physician-Scientist Award: Promising junior faculty members who are in the process of securing K08 or K23 grants but need interim funding are encouraged to apply for a Chao Physician-Scientist Award, made possible by a generous gift from the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation. Basic, clinical and translational research projects will be considered for one-year awards (up to $100,000) through ICTR. Applicants must hold a primary appointment in a Baylor department. Applications are due by 5 p.m. April 12. Read more information and apply online.

From the Labs: Read how Dr. Meng Wang, professor and Robert C. Fyfe Endowed Chair on Aging, learned a worm’s lessons for living a longer, healthier life in this blog post. Receive From the Labs via email by entering your email address in the box at the end of any article and clicking the "subscribe" button.


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