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News for BCM Faculty, May 19, 2022
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College News

A person with black painted nails looking over their calendar book.

Caption: Are you feeling social burnout? People are trying to compensate for lost time during the pandemic, but they feel drained for different reasons. Some people are scheduling engagements too often and are not prepared for the sudden rush of social activities. Others are recovering from long-term COVID effects, such as fatigue, and are struggling to keep up. Read more on how to balance your planner and preserve your "me" time.

Faculty Kudos

Dr. Rachel Davis, associate professor of anesthesiology and health professions and director of the Nurse Anesthesia Program in the School of Health Professions, has received the 30th annual Didactic Instructor of the Year Award, which was established to recognize individuals who have made a significant contribution to the education of student nurse anesthetists in the classroom. The award will be presented Aug. 13 at the opening ceremonies of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology Annual Congress in Chicago

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From left, Drs. Kinjal Changela, assistant professor, Matthew Shieh, assistant professor, Vishal Patel, assistant professor, and Glynda Raynaldo, assistant professor, were named Hospitalists of the Year by Baylor's Department of Medicine.

Dr. Susan Raine, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, has been named associate dean of faculty affairs of Baylor College of Medicine. Raine received her medical degree from Baylor in 2001 before completing her residency training in obstetrics and gynecology and joining Baylor faculty in 2005. For the past six years, Raine has worked in the Office of Faculty Development on faculty awards and promotions.

Dr. William C. Culp, Jr., has been named associate dean of faculty affairs and faculty development of Baylor's new regional campus in Temple. Culp attended medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He joined Baylor Scott & White Health's anesthesiology department in 2005.

Dr. Shweta Dhar, professor of molecular and human genetics, has been appointed as the new executive director for genomics medicine in the Veterans Health Administration Office of Specialty Care Services. In this position, Dhar will serve as the primary advisor and subject matter expert on operational matters pertaining to genomics medicine. Dhar is medical director of the adult genetics division at Baylor and chief of genetics at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center.

This Week

Clinical Trials Day: On May 20, Baylor will observe Clinical Trials Day, which recognizes the work of clinical research professionals. Baylor currently has more than 800 active clinical trials, and more than 1,900 employees are directly involved in clinical research, including investigators, coordinators, nurses and regulatory affairs professionals.

OMG Lecture: At 4 p.m. May 24, Laura Niedernhofer with the University of Minnesota, will deliver a lecture, "Cell fates in response to endogenous DNA damage." Register online. This is part of the Online Molecular Genetics Seminars series with Erasmus MC.

Coming Up

Sequencing seminar: The Human Genome Sequencing Center will host a long read sequencing seminar from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. May 27. Dr. Fritz Sedlazeck, associate professor at the Center, will be among the speakers showcasing their application of long read sequencing technologies in diverse research areas. The virtual seminar will be focused on Oxford Nanopore Technologies. Register online.

Bio-Sketch Workshop: At 3 p.m. May 27, K Club will host an in-person, interactive Bio-Sketch Workshop in room 14D at Feign Center. Participants should submit their bio-sketch to Ariel Lyons-Warren at lyonswar@bcm.edu no later than May 26 for compilation and review. At the workshop, feedback on each bio-sketch will be provided by faculty and fellow attendees. Learn how to prepare an impactful, compelling bio-sketch for any grant application. K Club is a group that meets monthly to support junior faculty who are applying for mentored grants.

Bioethics Grand Rounds: Join Virtual Bioethics Grand Rounds at noon June 8 for "Genetically Modified Humans? Ethics of Developing CRISPR for Use in People" with Dr. Janet Malek, associate professor of medicine and medical ethics. This event is jointly sponsored by Baylor's Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, Houston Methodist and Texas Children's. Register online.

Faculty Opportunities

Admissions Interviewing Subcommittee: The School of Medicine is seeking nominations for the Admissions Interviewing Subcommittee, whose membership fulfills the role of interviewing and evaluating all interviewed applicants. Elections for the subcommittee are held annually over the summer or as needed, to maintain at-large membership that consists of two-thirds faculty/alumni/residents/fellows. Faculty, alumni, residents and fellows serve on the subcommittee for three years (renewable). Deadline to apply is May 20. Find application criteria and apply.

Pediatric device teams: Do you have a pediatric device idea and want to work with an engineering team to build it? The Southwest National Pediatric Device Consortium has announced its annual call for engineering capstone team projects during the 2022-23 academic year. Texas Children's and Baylor faculty and team members can partner with senior engineering design teams at Texas A&M's School of Engineering or Rice University's Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen for novel pediatric device development. Applications are due by 5 p.m. May 27 and must be submitted as a single PDF via Airtable. If you're selected, expect an email in early August. For questions, email Dr. Chester Koh or Kara Toman at southwestpdc@bcm.edu. Find more information at www.SWPDC.org.

College News

Vaccine trial: Baylor investigators at the Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit seek volunteers to test investigational COVID-19 booster vaccines. There are upcoming studies for people older than 18 years of age who have been vaccinated with approved COVID-19 vaccines and have or have not already been boosted. If you are interested in participating, call (713) 798-4912, email COVID-VAX@bcm.edu or register online.


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.

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