News on the Go #587, April 16, 2007

News on the Go is a service of the Office of Institutional Advancement, providing timely news and information to faculty, staff, fellows, residents and students on the go. Deadline: 10 a.m. Thursday before Tuesday publication. Submit all events and deadlines to the Web Calendar. Submit other items for consideration using the News on the Go submission form.

Topics at a glance: Walk your socks off ... If I had a hammer ... New United to Serve venue ... New MS Agreement with Hospital District ... The Leader Update: MS 150 rider ... Surplus exercise equipment auction ... RSVP to UCSC Workshop ... Reinventing Public Health ...‘Pooling around ... Clinical research: Info & education ... Call for nominations ... Mail tips

Walk your socks off

• The Lone Star Stampede, a sanctioned race with a certified 5k course, takes place Saturday, April 28, to provide scholarships for deserving Houston-area high school students attending The University of Texas at Austin. Sponsored by the Texas Exes Houston Chapter, the race begins and ends in front of the School of Nursing and Student Community Center. Register online using a credit card. Packet pickup: 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Thursday, April 26, and Friday, April 27, Finish Strong Sports, 6426 Washington Ave.; 713-861-9779.
• March of Dimes WalkAmerica to raise money to find cures for premature birth babies, 8-10 a.m., Sunday, April 29, the University of Houston campus. Contact: Rose.M.Betancourt-Trevino@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-3209.
• The Texas Bluebonnet Chapter of the Scleroderma Foundation’s fifth annual 5K Run/Walk for Scleroderma is Sunday, April 29, at Bear Creek Pioneers Park Pavilion #6, 3535 War Memorial Dr. Join Physicians and scleroderma researchers in the Medical School’s division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunogenetics. The 5K run begins at 7 a.m. A 1K kids’ run begins at 7:05 a.m., and the 5K walk begins at 7:15 a.m. For questions or to volunteer, e-mail SclerodermaRace@yahoo.com or call 713-770-0228.

UT House Medics needs hammerin’ fools & more
If you can swing a hammer, wield a paint brush, do a bit of weeding or talk to a lonely senior citizen whose house is being repaired, UT House Medics needs you for the final day of their two-Saturday spring work-a-thon, Saturday, April 21.

New United to Serve venue
United To Serve has added more volunteer venues for the workday, Saturday, April 21, which kicks off with breakfast at the Dental Branch. One new venue is A Friendly Haven, a housing initiative for homeless families and their children living with HIV/AIDS. Projects for the day include landscaping, painting of railings, building a playscape, remodeling a pediatrics playroom, repainting the office, installing BBQ pits, socializing with the residents, and doing creative decorative projects with the children. There will be two work shifts: 8 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m. Volunteer opportunities. Register.

New MS Agreement with Hospital District
The Medical School and Baylor College of Medicine have renewed their operating contracts with Affiliated Medical Services (AMS), ensuring that the two medical schools’ physicians will continue practicing in hospitals and clinics of Harris County Hospital District.

“We are pleased to be continuing to work with the HCHD to provide quality medical care through the district,” said Brent R. King, M.D., the UT Health Science Center’s interim executive vice president and chief operating officer. “UT-Houston is signed on to this new agreement.  There remain details to be worked out, such as the specific basis for compensation.”

AMS is a Texas-certified non-profit health corporation formed by the two medical schools that contracts with HCHD to provide physician services from both schools.The deal between the hospital district and AMS is budgeted at more than $121 million for fiscal year 2008 (July 2007-June 2008).

The Leader Update: MS 150 rider
Learn about an MS patient who rides in the MS 150 and, while in remission, is working as a physical therapist to help other MS sufferers in this week’s edition of The Leader Update. Check out Seen for more about UT events.

Surplus exercise equipment — online auction
The UT Health Science Center is conducting an on-line auction of surplus exercise equipment. The auction continues until April 20. Go to: http://www.shattuck.com. Select online auctions. Select the search by auction field. A dropdown box will appear. Select University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Contact: Capital Assets Management Team, 713-500-4701.

UCSC workshop registration now closed
Check the list of invited guests. If you are one of the lucky people invited, confirm online whether or not you’ll be attending. Be sure to click “update” to activate your response. A declined space will be filled from the waiting list to ensure that 250 classified staff will attend the eagerly anticipated event.

Reinventing Public Health series
“Designing an Intersectoral Public Health System” is the topic of Beth Quill, associate professor, Management Policy and Community Health, School of Public Health (SPH), 9:30a.m.-noon, Friday, April 20, SPH Auditorium. Refreshments provided.

‘Pooling around
Looking for a vanpool to help get you to and from work at a more reasonable cost? Visit the Getting Around page of The Leader Update online for more information.

Clinical research info & education

• Applications for support from the Clinical Research Units (CRU) at Memorial Hermann Hospital (formerly the University Clinical Research Center) and Valley Baptist Regional Medical Center (CRU in Brownsville) have now been integrated with iRIS. Now, investigators can apply simultaneously to the CRUs and Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects (CPHS) when logging into iRIS. Details on requesting support.
• Clinical Research Budgeting/Billing Compliance Training 1-3 p.m., Friday, April 27, Medical School Building, Room B.620. Details. Registration deadline April 21.
• Learn best practices of the basics of coordinating a clinical research trial in a comprehensive three full-day and three half-day educational course (May 1-3, May 8-10) sponsored by the UT Health Science Center and Memorial Hermann Healthcare System. Details. Register by April 27.

Call for Nominations: President's Scholar Awards
Two President's Scholar Awards will be presented to outstanding faculty at the Honors Convocation that has been established to honor faculty achievements. The Convocation is scheduled for 4-6:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 4. The two awards will recognize faculty achievements during the 2007 academic year: one for outstanding research achievement and one for outstanding teaching achievement.

Nominations now are sought from any individual affiliated with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Complete nominations must be submitted electronically by Friday, May 4. Nomination process: http://www.uthouston.edu/mass_info/prezScholar2007.pdf.

Mail Tips
New United States Postal Service postage price and product changes become effective Monday, May 14. To help combat confusion related to these changes Mail Services will publish “Mail Tips” in the next several issues:

First Class Mail Tip: Use a letter-size envelope whenever possible.
Why?
The cost of postage will no longer be determined by weight alone. Effective Monday, May 14, the size/shape of the mail piece will play a major role in determining the cost of postage:

• Today — A 2 oz. letter or 2 oz. flat mailer each costs 63 cents to mail.
• Monday, May 14 — A 2 oz. letter will cost 58 cents; a 2 oz. flat mailer will cost 97 cents.