E-mail not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.
Faculty Commons Banner

News for BCM Faculty, March 25, 2021
Please submit items for Faculty Commons to Erin Blair.

Archive / Faculty Affairs / Today at BCM / Employee Discounts


College News

image

Match Day festivities last Friday looked almost like pre-pandemic times as Baylor College of Medicine fourth-year medical students gathered in the Courtyard to learn where they will pursue their residencies. The live event was open only to students participating in the match and speakers; families and mentors watched the speeches on YouTube. Read about the celebration online. Pictured is Yasmin Khalfe, president of the Class of 2021, speaking before the match flanked by Dean Jennifer Christner, President Paul Klotman, Provost Alicia Monroe and Dr. Joseph Kass, associate dean of student affairs.

Vaccine Update: To date, 63% of Baylor faculty, staff and learners have received a COVID-19 vaccine. See the data in the weekly COVID-19 Report Card. The State of Texas has updated its vaccine eligibility to include all adults, effective Monday, March 29. Those wishing to vaccinate at Baylor should complete the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility survey, even if you previously filled it out. You will receive an email directed specifically to you to initiate the scheduling process. Baylor is not administering vaccinations to employees' and learners' spouses, domestic partners and other family members unless they are Baylor Medicine patients who schedule through their healthcare provider. Here are some community vaccine resources:

Testing Update: The COVD-19 testing site at McNair Campus is no longer offering testing for visiting nursing homes, traveling or other personal reasons. Community testing resources include:

Faculty Kudos

Dr. Lindsey Minter has joined Baylor as the Career Development Center principal. She is a committed academic professional with more than six years of experience in developing academic and career plans, advising and teaching.

image Three pediatrics faculty members at Texas Children’s Cancer Center were invited to participate on National Cancer Institute Childhood Cancer Data Initiative Working Groups: Dr. Donald W. “Will” Parsons is on the Molecular Characterization Protocol Working Group, Dr. Monica Gramatges is on the Childhood Cancer Cohort Working Group and Dr. Philip Lupo is on the Engagement Committee. The goal of the CCDI is to build a community of pediatric cancer researchers, advocates, families, hospitals and networks committed to sharing data to improve treatments, quality of life and survivorship of every child with cancer.

Dr. Fred A. Pereira, associate professor of molecular & cellular biology, otolaryngology-head & neck surgery and Huffington Center on Aging and a faculty senator, was elected president of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program directors group representing all post-baccalaureate programs in the Division of Training, Workforce Development and Diversity (TWD). He was invited to be a member of TWD Program Directors’ Executive Committee, which advises the TWD director on training programs’ needs and issues.

College (Virtual) Events

Transplant Roundup: The sixth annual O.H. "Bud" Frazier Transplant Roundup: “Current Trends in Management and Treatment of Transplant Recipients” is Friday, March 26. Providers will learn the latest in kidney, liver, heart and lung transplantation, mechanical circulatory support and more. Register online.

Book Club: Baylor’s Group on Women in Medicine and Science Chapter leads a virtual discussion of Dr. Brené Brown’s nationally recognized book “Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts” at noon Friday, March 26. To participate, please register.

GI & Liver Course: The Department of Medicine Section of Gastroenterology & Hepatology hosts the 20th annual GI & Liver Course: “Managing & Avoiding Complications – What to Do When Things Go Wrong” this weekend, March 27-28. Registration is online.

Epilepsy Lecture: Dr. W. Curt LaFrance, professor of psychiatry and neurology at Alpert Medical School, Brown University, delivers the David K.H. Chen, M.D., Lecture in Epilepsy on “Psychogenic Non-epileptic Seizures” at noon Monday, March 29, via Zoom, meeting ID: 980 6224 5943, passcode: 962029.

Women of Excellence: Register to attend the virtual event to mark Women's History Month at noon Tuesday, March 30, featuring a keynote address honoring the late Dr. Peg Nosek, professor of physical medicine & rehabilitation, for her research and advocacy on women and disabilities, presented by three of her collaborators. The event includes recognition of the recipients of the Women of Excellence Award, which honors individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary dedication to issues that affect women at Baylor and in the larger community.

Genetics Careers: The Department of Molecular and Human Genetics hosts "A Whitecoat and Genes: The Life of a Medical Geneticist," a townhall to discuss pathways in genetics and precision medicine, at 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 30. Register online.

Faculty Opportunities

Teaching Fellowship: The Master Teacher Fellowship Program is accepting applications from interested faculty members through Friday, April 2. Its primary aim is to enhance the educational mission of the College by improving the knowledge, skills and attitudes of individual faculty. Members of the Office of Faculty Development will conduct interviews and notify applicants of their selection decision early in June. The class is limited to 20 participants.

Nominations Open: Make your voice heard on an institutional committee. Nominations are open for new members on the Faculty Committee on Awards, Institutional Committee Governance and Student Services Committee through Friday, April 2. This is an opportunity for you to gain collaboration skills and log service hours for your performance review and C.V. while participating in the civic life of the College. See Faculty Opportunities online for committee information and the nomination form.

Seed Funding: The Junior Faculty Seed funding program supports new investigators at the assistant professor level who are beginning their careers as independent researchers. The purpose of this award is to help prepare junior faculty members to submit applications to obtain independent research funding. Several awards of $30,000 each are available for fiscal year 2022 (July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022). These funds are unrestricted and must be spent in the fiscal year in which they are awarded. Eligibility criteria and instructions are available online; Monday, April 19, is the deadline for submissions.

Curriculum Renewal: The School of Medicine's Office of Curriculum seeks innovative and committed faculty members who are biomedical scientists to join the Curriculum Renewal Workgroup. This workgroup is tasked with redesigning the current four-year medical school curriculum, specifically the foundational sciences courses and concepts for first-year students. For more information, please see Faculty Opportunities.

Faculty Resources

FSA Deadline: The Flexible Spending Account deadline to file for reimbursement of eligible expenses incurred during 2020 is Wednesday, March 31. Complete the FSA claim form and submit it along with your receipts to UnitedHealthcare for processing. There are separate claim forms for dependent care expenses and healthcare expenses. See the FAQ or for questions, call UnitedHealthcare at 1-877-311-7849 (group #704431).

Blood Drive: Get a free COVID-19 antibody test when you donate blood at Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center’s drive, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 6, in the BCM Gym on the 8th floor of Garage 6. Appointments are required and can be made online.

DOI Deadline: Have you submitted your 2020 Annual Financial Disclosure through the DOI portal yet? If you previously entered "Financial Disclosures" but have not completed the “Annual Financial Disclosure,” which is a separate workflow, please log into the portal to "review," "affirm" and "submit" everything previously entered as accurate and complete. This closes out all 2020 reporting. Training materials are available on the DOI webpage, including a list of department representatives who can offer assistance ahead of the Friday, April 9, deadline.

Screen Time Study: Volunteers are needed for a Children’s Nutrition Research Center study to measure screen time for children. Researchers need parents with two children, 6- to 14-years-old, to help test a system to measure TV watching and phone use. Learn more about the study online.

From the Labs: Read how Dr. Chris Amos, professor of medicine – epidemiology & population sciences and director of the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, and his lab are using large-scale datasets to identify rare genetic variants that contribute to an increased risk of lung cancer in this week’s 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.


Questions or Comments?

Faculty Senate: Please contact your senator for faculty-related questions or suggestions.

Institutional Policy Committee: Contact the Policy Committee to learn more about College policies and procedures.

Items for Faculty Commons: To submit items for this weekly email update for Baylor College of Medicine faculty, please contact us.


Connect With Baylor

facebook icon facebook icon twitter icon youtube icon linkedin icon Instagram icon