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News for BCM Faculty, Aug. 2 - 8, 2018
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College News

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New Faces on Campus: The College welcomed 186 MS1 students, 111 first-year graduate students and eight members of the inaugural class of the Genetic Counseling Program this week. Forty PA students and 24 Orthotics & Prosthetics students started their programs in June. Over the summer, 329 residents and 276 fellows joined Baylor. Pictured are members of the class of 2022 during School of Medicine orientation.

 

Faculty Kudos

imageDr. Christie Ballantyne, professor of medicine and chief of the sections of cardiology and cardiovascular research, was named to the Board of Directors of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology for the 2018-2021 term. The national society of healthcare providers and researchers is dedicated to the prevention of cardiovascular disease and the dissemination of evidence-based information to clinicians and patients.

 

imageDr. Ashley Butler, assistant professor of pediatrics – psychology, was awarded a National Institutes of Health / National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases R25 grant for a mentoring and leadership development program for early career faculty, postdocs and clinical fellows who are from groups underrepresented in medicine.

 

image imageDr. Claudia Carvalho Fonseca, assistant professor of molecular & human genetics, and Dr. V. Reid Sutton, professor of genetics, received an R03 grant from the NIH / Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development to discover and characterize genetic variants leading to Robinow syndrome and related skeletal dysplasias.

 

imageDr. Salma Kaochar, assistant professor of medicine – hematology/oncology, received a three-year $225,000 Prostate Cancer Foundation Young investigator Award for her research on prostate cancer in African Americans. She also recently accepted a 2018 Women in Cancer Research Scholar Award from the American Association of Cancer Researchers.

 

imageDr. Laura Petersen, professor of medicine – health services research and associate chief of staff for research at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, earned the Under Secretary’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Health Services Research for her work to understand the factors that affect the health of veterans and the quality of their care. She also was recognized for inspiring and training a new generation of investigators and enhancing the visibility of VA research through her work.

 

imageDr. Andrea Stolar, associate professor of psychiatry & behavioral sciences and assistant dean for student affairs, was elected a four-year term as a director of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, part of the American Board of Medical Specialties.

 

imageDr. Brian York, associate professor of molecular & cellular biology and a member of the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, is featured in this week’s Meet Your Senator article on the faculty intranet portal. He represents the faculty at large on the Senate.


College Events

Dog Volunteers Wanted: Help the College and Anizome explore new canine health solutions by enrolling your dog for microbiome research Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 6 – 7, outside the cafeteria at main Baylor. You fetch the sample kit, your pup provides the poop, you drop off the sample and get a free chew toy for your buddy!


Faculty Opportunities

Associate Course Directors: Nominations are now open for two leadership positions in the Medical School. Inspiring faculty members with an interest in medical education and experience in either patient safety or quality improvement are encouraged to apply for the Patient Safety associate course director position. Innovative faculty members with a heart for public health, underserved populations and medical education may be interested in the Determinants, Disparities and Social Health of Populations associate course director position. For more information, please see the Faculty Opportunities webpage. The application deadline is Aug. 17.


Faculty Resources

Safe Working & Learning Environment: Faculty, staff and trainees are required to understand, identify and report gender- and sex-based discrimination as part of Baylor's commitment to a safe and supportive working and learning environment. You recently received an email from the LawRoom system with a link to the training program, "Bridges: Building a Supportive Community." Please complete it by Nov. 30. If you completed the training as a “Responsible Employee” or as part of the new employee onboarding process, you do not need to re-train at this time. Contact Title IX Coordinator Mikiba Morehead for more information.


BeWell Screening: Biometric health screenings through the BCM BeWell program are set for 7 to 11 a.m. Sept. 4 - 6 in Rayzor Lounge, main Baylor. Complete your screening and 2018 Vitality Health Review to receive 2,000 BeWell Vitality points. Register for the onsite screenings online.


Bike Rentals: The Houston BCycle bike-rental program is expanding in the Texas Medical Center with four new stations, including ones at Ben Taub Hospital and the TMC Commons. BCycle is perfect for short trips between buildings in the medical center and around town for errands and events. Baylor trainees and employees can obtain a membership through Dec. 31 for $25. To enroll, download the app or sign up online and use promotional code BCMFALL1. More membership instructions are available online.


Free Yoga: The Office of Student Services, Doctors for Change and the Good Yoga Project offer a free Yoga class at noon Tuesdays at main Baylor. The Aug. 7 session is in Rayzor Lounge, the Aug. 14 session is in Room N311. Bring your own mat and wear comfy clothes, no RSVP is required.


Attention Clinicians: See Clinical Calendar

Clinical Events

Book & Author Dinner: Friends of the Texas Medical Center Library hosts its annual book and author fundraiser Sept. 7 in the UTHealth Cooley University Life Center, 7440 Cambridge. Dr. Kenneth Mattox, professor of surgery and editor of “The History of Surgery in Houston,” is the guest speaker. Prices range from $150 for the event and the book to $50 for students. Proceeds benefit the Friends Fund for Staff Development and the TMC Library McGovern Historical Collection. For details call (713) 799-7108 or email Sarah Keith.


Clinical Seminars

Hematology/Oncology: Dr. Helen Heslop, professor and director of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, is an invited speaker at the sixth annual meeting of the Society of Hematologic Oncology, scheduled for Sept. 12 – 15 at the Hilton Americas, 1600 Lamar St. Topics will cover the latest advances in the pathophysiology and therapy of leukemias, myelodysplastic syndromes, myeloproliferative neoplasms, lymphomas, multiple myeloma and related malignancies, plus exciting developments in basic research. More information and registration are available online.


Pediatric Thyroid Cancer: The Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers host the International Pediatric Thyroid Cancer Conference Sept. 13 - 14 in Cullen Auditorium, main Baylor. The free conference brings together leading multidisciplinary investigators, including many Baylor faculty members, for presentations, panel discussions and poster sessions. For more information and to register, please go online.


Chronic Illness & Disability: Dr. Albert Hergenroeder, professor of pediatrics, directs the 19th annual Chronic Illness & Disability Conference: Transition from Pediatric to Adult-based Care, Oct. 25 – 26 at the Onstead Auditorium, MD Anderson Mitchell Basic Sciences Research Building. Open to physicians, health professionals and families, the conference focuses on making a successful transition to adulthood and independence. Continuing education credit is available. More information and registration are online.


Attention Researchers: See Research Calendar

Call for Abstracts

Physician-Scientists Meeting: Abstracts are being accepted from physicians, researchers, trainees and students for the South Regional American Physician-Scientists Association Meeting. Hosted by the Baylor Medical Scientist Training Program, the meeting offers the opportunity to present research, network with colleagues, hear from keynote speakers and learn more about M.D./Ph.D. programs and medical scientist training programs from current students and faculty. It is Sept. 29 in MD Anderson's Onstead Auditorium. Submit abstracts online by Aug. 18.


Research Resources

Medical Devices: The TMC Innovation Center hosts a lunch and workshop with Carbon, a Silicon Valley-based digital 3D manufacturing company, on Sept. 19 at TMCx, McGovern Campus. The workshop focuses on strategies for leveraging additive manufacturing to design and deliver new medical devices. Register online.


From the Labs: Read what Dr. Scott LeMaire, professor of surgery and molecular physiology & biophysics, learned about the dark side of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin in this blog article. You can receive weekly articles on Baylor's research and innovation highlights as they are posted by going to From the Labs and entering your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the right. Or get a digest at the end of the month with links to the articles posted that month by emailing science writer Ana Rodríguez with "Subscribe me to From the Labs" in the subject line.


Funding Opportunities: See the Office of Institutional Diversity, Inclusion and Equity’s list of funding opportunities for research on healthcare disparities and social determinants of health. The Office of Research offers a list of privately funded awards currently accepting applications for August.

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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