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News for BCM Faculty, Dec. 12, 2019
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School of Health Professions: Family and friends gathered to celebrate the class of 2019 as the School of Health Professions graduated 16 doctor of nursing practice, 39 physician assistant and 24 orthotics & prosthetics students on Dec. 7. Pictured are new DNP graduates capturing the moment.

Faculty Town Hall: Mission leaders delivered a College update at the Dec. 4 Faculty Town Hall; highlights follow. A video of the meeting is available via Box.

  • President Paul Klotman presented the Strategic Plan implementation strategy, including precision medicine and population health initiatives and the further development of the McNair Campus as the home for Baylor’s private adult clinical practice.
  • Michael Cannon, academic operations lead, summarized updates to the Faculty Bylaws, which include formalizing the name of the Faculty Senate, renaming “acting” positions as “interim” ones, defining the Provost’s Office and establishing a separate section for the schools of the College. Faculty members have until 11:55 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17, to vote on these revisions to the Bylaws. Read the summary of changes online and vote.
  • Clinical Affairs Dean James McDeavitt discussed the rebranding of the Faculty Group Practice as “Baylor Medicine.”
  • Research Dean Mary Dickinson provided an overview of the research mission, detailing grant and core lab activities. The College, in collaboration with the University of Houston and Texas Southern University, will submit a Clinical and Translational Science Award proposal to the National Institutes of Health this month.
  • Dr. Peggy Yang, assistant professor of psychiatry & behavioral sciences, introduced the new Office of Institutional Well-Being, which has the priorities of addressing workplace burnout and improving individual and institutional resiliency. It will serve as a hub for faculty, staff, student and trainee wellness activities under the umbrella of the Well-Being Alliance.

Academic Council:

  • Medical School Dean Jennifer Christner presented the school’s Strategic Plan goals, which include national leadership in medical education innovation and pedagogy, support for precision education across the continuum of medical education, an increase in student diversity, inclusion and engagement, and enhancement of interprofessionalism and inter-community engagement.
  • Graduate School Dean Carolyn Smith rolled out a program to increase the College’s recruitment of postdoctoral fellows who are U.S. citizens. The Postdoctoral Research Opportunities in Science (PROS) program will bring senior Ph.D. candidates to the campus in April for three days of lab tours and faculty meetings. The application deadline is Jan. 15. Faculty members seeking postdocs may contact the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs to participate in PROS.
  • Senate Chair-Elect Christie Lincoln reported that the Faculty Senate will consider a resolution concerning the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at this week’s meeting. It will host a special meeting in January to discuss issues with the Defining Pathways and Possibilities implementation.
  • Dr. Marc Feldman, assistant professor in ambulatory operations, introduced Baylor’s concierge medicine clinic. Feldman and Dr. Lizabeth Riley, assistant professor, will staff the clinic when it opens in January. In addition to primary care and specialist referrals, it will offer nutrition, exercise and behavioral health services to members.
  • Chief Communications Officer Claire Bassett alerted chairs and center directors that they will be sent names of those who have not completed their flu vaccination attestation form for follow up.

Faculty Kudos

image Dr. Richard Gibbs, professor and director of the Human Genome Sequencing Center, Dr. Debra Murray, assistant professor in the HGSC, and Dr. Toi Harris, associate provost of institutional diversity and inclusion and student services, have been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health National Human Genome Research Institute. The R25 grant funds their “Initiative to Maximize Research Education in Genomics: Diversity Action Plan.”

Dr. Pengfei Liu, assistant professor of molecular & human genetics, and his colleagues in the department authored one of the 10 most impactful papers in genomic medicine, as selected by the National Human Genome Research Institute for its 2019 year in review. The paper, titled "Reanalysis of Clinical Exome Sequencing Data," was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in June. The full top 10 list is in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

Dr. Charles Minard, assistant professor and biostatistician in the Institute for Clinical & Translational Research, is this week’s featured senator. Read about his interest in collaborative research and his service to the Faculty Senate on the faculty intranet portal.

Dr. Mona Shah, associate professor of pediatrics - hematology & oncology and director of the Hemostasis and Thrombosis Program at Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers, gave a platform presentation on the Choosing Wisely Campaign at the American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting Dec. 9 in Orlando. The ASH Choosing Wisely initiative aims to help physicians and patients engage in conversations to reduce overuse of tests and procedures and supports physician efforts to help patients make smart and effective care choices.

College Events

Medical Imaging: The Center for Space Medicine and Translation Research Institute for Space Health host Dr. John Martin, chief medical officer of the Butterfly Network, presenting “Democratizing Medical Imaging Globally: A clinician’s view from inside a transformative tech company” at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17, in Cullen Auditorium, main Baylor.

Faculty Opportunities

Robertson Award: Nominations are due tomorrow, Dec. 13, for the 2020 Barbara and Corbin J. Robertson, Jr. Presidential Award for Excellence in Education. The criteria and review process recently have been updated to select and reward the most outstanding educators at Baylor as they educate the next generation for medical research, education and care. Please see the website for full details.

Clark Service Awards: Nominations for the Clark Faculty Service Award will be accepted through Monday, Dec. 16. Any Baylor faculty member may nominate a fellow faculty member whose exemplary service, with professionalism, has made significant and enduring contributions to the College but has not previously been recognized with an official BCM award. Criteria and nomination information are available online.

Macy Scholars: The Macy Faculty Scholars Program aims to develop the next generation of national leaders in medical and nursing education. It supports educational innovation at the scholar’s home institution plus participation in the Harvard Macy Institute and Annual Macy Faculty Scholars Meeting. The College may nominate one faculty member. Full details are available online. Applications are due to the internal submission portal by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18.

Women of Excellence: Nominations are open for the Women of Excellence Awards, which will be presented during Women’s History Month in March. Nominees can be women and men, faculty, staff and trainees, who have demonstrated extraordinary dedication to issues that affect women at the College or in the larger community while also exemplifying Baylor values. Learn more and nominate online by Tuesday, Dec. 31.

Public Health Education: The United States Public Health Service and the Interprofessional Education Collaborative are accepting applications for the 2020 Public Health Excellence in Interprofessional Education Collaboration Award. Teams of health professional school-based collaborators who have addressed a public health issue and made a lasting impact on the health of their community are encouraged to apply. The application deadline is Feb. 3. More information is available online.

Faculty Resources

Career Workshop: The Office of Faculty Development offers a workshop on “Building and Refining Your CV,” 3-5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17, Room N311, main Baylor. RSVP to attend.

IAMSE Webinars: The International Association of Medical Science Educators Winter 2020 Webinar Series topic is “How is Health Science Education Tackling the Opioid Epidemic?” with the first of five Thursday sessions starting at 11 a.m. Jan. 9. Contact Faculty Development to register for free participation on your computer.


Attention Clinicians: See Clinical Events

Clinical Seminars

Neurosurgery: “Reimagining Brain Tumor Hierarchies” is the topic of a talk by Dr. Peter B. Dirks, professor of neurosurgery at the University of Toronto, at 7 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18, in Onstead Auditorium, 6767 Bertner Ave.

Buprenorphine Waiver: The Department of Family & Community Medicine offers a free Opioid Use Disorder Training from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 11, at 3701 Kirby Dr. The training is intended for physicians who are interested in obtaining a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid use disorder. This in-person training, in combination with a four-hour online session, will qualify you to apply for the Drug Enforcement Agency waiver and provide up to four hours of CME credit. RSVP to reserve a place.


Attention Researchers: See Research Calendar

Research Seminars

Bioengineering: Dr. Jordan Miller, assistant professor of bioengineering at Rice University, presents “Illuminating Progress on 3D Bioprinting of Vascularized Tissues and Organoids” at 4 p.m. today, Dec. 12, in Room N315, main Baylor.

Molecular Physiology: “Anatomy of the Long Noncoding RNA” is the topic of a talk by Dr. J. Mauro Calabrese, assistant professor of pharmacology at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17, in Room 409B, main Baylor.

Single Cell Profiling Dr. Junyue Cao, postdoctoral associate in genome sciences at University of Washington, speaks on “Global, organism-scale views of cell state heterogeneity and dynamics via novel single cell profiling techniques” at a STaR/THINC special seminar, 4 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18, in Room M112, main Baylor.

Research Resources

MS Therapeutics: The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has released a request for proposals to fund commercial development opportunities for symptom management in MS. Both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions with commercial viability will be considered. Full details are available online. Pre-applications are due by Jan. 8.

Bladder Cancer: Applications are being accepted for the Bladder Cancer Research Innovation Award, which supports the work of an investigator with an exceptionally novel and creative project with great potential to produce breakthroughs in our understanding of the management of bladder cancer. One proposal will be funded for $300,000 over two years. Eligibility requirements and submission details are online. Letters of intent are due by Jan. 15.

From the Labs: Read how Dr. Meenakshi Anurag, assistant professor of medicine, applies precision data science to improve breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and survival 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?

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

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