News on the Go #692, March 17, 2009

Topics at a glance: Darwin2009 Houston ... Fact Book 2009 ... American Reinvestment & Recovery Act ... Library Updates ... Community on Patrol Meetings ... CSW Annual Awards ... School of Public Health Events ... CCTS Lecture Series ... March for Babies Team Captain Workshop ... Conversation with Guy Clifton, M.D. ... Walter M. Kirkendall, M.D., Endowed Lecture Series ... Writing Competition: “Writing Science for the Public” ... Annual John P. McGovern Award Lecture Series ... UT House Medics ... Michael & Susan Dell Lectureship in Child Health ... Stamp Increase ... 2009 Spring Graduates Financial Aid Exit Interview ... Free and Open Source Software in Healthcare ... Employee Benefits Reminders ... Dental Services ... Getting Around ... WorkLife Wellness Tip of the Week

Darwin2009 Houston

Darwin2009 Houston honors the bicentennial anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species, with a year-long celebration of Darwin’s life and contributions to science. The goal of Darwin2009 Houston is to engage a broad audience in recognizing the importance of the science of evolution, supporting science education and recognizing how science affects life.

Darwin2009 Houston runs through Monday, Nov. 30, and includes various events:

• 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 17 – David Schneider, Ph.D. and Rick Wilson, Ph.D., Rice University, Lecture: "Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior." Tickets for this lecture are available online at the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies.
• 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 24 – Jill Pruetz, Ph.D., National Geographic, Lecture: “Redefining Chimpanzees: How Savanna Chimpanzees Inform Our Understanding of Human Evolution.”

For a complete list of events, location of events and details, visit Darwin2009 Houston.

Fact Book 2009

The University of Texas Health Science Center's Fact Book 2009 is ready for distribution. Copies will be distributed within the following week. If you have not received your copy or you have any questions, contact Henry.James@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-3246. The current Fact Book and previous copies can be accessed at Fact Book.

American Reinvestment & Recovery Act Web Site

As many of you know, there are tremendous extramural funding opportunities arising out of the American Reinvestment & Recovery Act (ARRA). To assist in relaying time-sensitive grant information, the Office of Research has launched a website devoted to ARRA funding announcements and other pertinent information. The Office of Research staff is working closely with the Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) to ensure that our research community has up-to-date information at its fingertips.

Please visit the site at American Recovery & Reinvestment Act.

Bookmark this site for easy access to RFAs and other announcements, which will be made available as soon as they come online.

For more information or if you have any questions, contact the Office of Research or Johnna.K.Kincaid@uth.tmc.edu.

HAM-TMC Library Updates

HAM-TMC Library Classes

• Caring for the Mind: Providing Reference Services for Mental Health Information – 8:30 – 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, March 18
• PubMed – 6:30 – 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 24
• Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) – 4 – 5 p.m., Wednesday, March 25

All classes are free and offered in the library classroom. Click here to view the complete class schedule and register.

Community on Patrol Meetings

The UT Police Community on Patrol (COP) meetings are scheduled for March and April. The meetings are open to all personnel and include updates on crime trends, crime statistics and community concerns. The topic of workplace violence will be discussed.
Listed below are the March meeting dates, times and locations:

• 11 a.m., Wednesday, March 18 – Fayez S. Sarofim Research Building (IMM 109 - 110)
• 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, March 24 – TMC Nabisco (TMC 1.2042)

For UTPD news and information, visit UTPD News. For additional information, contact the UT Police Crime Prevention component at 713-563-7794.

CSW Annual Awards Ceremony and Reception

Please join the UT Health Science Center at Houston and the Committee on the Status of Women (CSW) in honoring the 2009 winners of the Distinguished Professional Woman Award and the President’s Award for Mentoring Women for Faculty, A&P and Classified Staff. This year, the CSW Awards reception will be held 5-7 p.m., Thursday, March 19, at the Institute for Molecular Medicine (IMM).

This year's Distinguished Professional Woman Award goes to Cheryl Perry, Ph.D., regional dean of the UT School of Public Health, Austin Regional Campus and the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living. The President’s Award for Mentoring Women for Faculty goes to Robert E. Roberts, Ph.D., professor of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences at the School of Public Health. Richard D. Bebermeyer, D.D.S., M.B.A., chair and professor of Restorative Dentistry at the Dental Branch will receive the President’s Award for Mentoring Women in A&P. Lieutenant John K. Wayner, UT Police Department, will receive the President’s Award for Mentoring Women in Classified Staff.

To RSVP for the CSW Awards reception, please contact Carmela.H.Bourgeois@uth.tmc.edu.

School of Public Health Events

The University of Texas School of Public Health Career and Alumni Services offers the following upcoming events:

• Creating a Resume: noon – 1 p.m., Thursday, March 19, SPH 102A
• Career Fair: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Tuesday, March 31, Texas Southern University/Health and PE Building

For more information, contact Pantheia.Evans@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-9024.

CCTS Lecture Series

The Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences presents the following lecture series, noon – 1 p.m., throughout March, in the University Professional Building, 11th floor. The March schedule includes:

• Thursday, March 19 – “Genomic Studies in the Autoimmune Diseases in Scleroderma” presented by Frank Arnett, MD, clinical professor, Internal Medicine, Rheumatology, UT Medical School
• Thursday, March 26 – “What Can the MRI Core Do For You?” presented by Ponnada Narayana, PhD, professor of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging and director of MR Research, UT Medical School

Lunch will be provided for the first 20 attendees. For more information, contact Linda.N.Gilbert@uth.tmc.edu.

March for Babies Team Captain Workshop

March for Babies is the walk that saves babies. As the March of Dimes biggest fundraiser, March for Babies supports research and programs to help prevent or treat premature birth, birth defects and other threats to babies’ health. The UT Health Science Center annually helps with this major fundraiser.

Interested team captains, walkers and volunteers are invited to attend a team captains’ meeting at noon, Wednesday, March 25, in the University Center Tower, Conference Room 1505C. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP with Rose.M.Betancourt-Trevino@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-3209.

INTERESTED WALKERS: The March for Babies starts at 9 a.m., Sunday, April 26 at the University of Houston Robertson Stadium. Get your shoes on and help us walk to save babies.

Conversation with Guy Clifton, M.D.

All are invited to attend “A Conversation on Healthcare Reform with Guy Clifton,” 10 a.m., Thursday, March 26, in Medical School Building Room 2.135. Clifton, a former chair of neurosurgery at theUT Medical School, will discuss his recent book, “Flatlined: Resuscitating American Medicine.” Copies of Clifton’s book are available at the UT Bookstore.

Walter M. Kirkendall, M.D., Endowed Lecture Series

Joel Moake, M.D., professor and associate director, J.W. Cox Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering at Rice University, will present the Walter M. Kirkendall, M.D., Endowed Lecture Series "Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura: Long Journey from Bedside to Bench,” noon, Tuesday, March 31, in the Medical School Building, room 2.103.

For more information, contact Lynn.A.Medeiros@uth.tmc.edu.

Writing Competition: “Writing Science for the Public”

How often have you tried to explain your work to a friend, a relative, someone you met at a party or a wealthy uncle (with a rich foundation that gives large grants to graduate students)? Or, to someone who might be able to fund your research? To publish it? To recommend you for a job? Being able to explain what you do – and why it matters – briefly and in non-specialist language is a vital skill as you move forward in your profession.

GSBS invites all Health Science Center Ph.D. students in GSBS (includes students working in labs at M.D. Anderson and the IBT), School of Heath Information Sciences, School of Nursing and School of Public Health who were admitted to candidacy no later than January 1, 2009, to enter a writing competition to see who the top science communicators – and future winners of grants, speaking invitations, and philanthropic dollars – are.

How to enter:

• Write a summary of your doctoral research 500 words or fewer in length as if you were a reporter for a newspaper or news magazine. (Please feel free to discuss ideas with others, but the article you submit should be your own work prepared without editorial assistance.)

• Select a category for your entry: Fundamental Basic Research or Clinical and Translational Research
• Send in your submission electronically by April 6, 2009 to Joy.Lademora@uth.tmc.edu and indicate “Writing Science for the Public” in the subject line. Along with your submission, include an abstract of your work written for a scientific publication or grant. Include your name, e-mail address, telephone number, school, date admitted to candidacy and the name of your advisor.

A panel of six judges who are senior science writers will select winners in both categories. Awards include: First prize - $1,000, Second prize - $500, Third prize - $250.

Remember that both public and private support for research depends on people’s understanding of science. You have a key role to play in speaking for your profession and your field.

Annual John P. McGovern Award Lecture Series

The Annual John P. McGovern Award Lecture Series for Community Contributions and Activism in Health Promotion, sponsored by the Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., Tuesday, April 14, in the UT School of Public Health RAS Auditorium.

The 2009 award recipient, Meryl Cohen, M.Ed., LCSW, vice president of Education and Counseling, Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas, will present "Promoting Adolescent Sexual Health". Cohen has devoted herself to improving adolescent sexual health and preventing teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. She serves as a member of The University of Texas Prevention Research Center Community Advisory Group. Parking will be available in TMC Garage 2. Lunch will be provided for the first 100 attendees. ITV connection will be available to regional campuses.

For additional information, please contact Peggy.Tate@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-9609.

UT House Medics Spring Home Repair Program

UT House Medics is looking for volunteers to participate in the Spring Home Repair Program. There's something for volunteers of all ages to do. Don’t like to work with your hands? Not a problem! We need volunteers to visit with the homeowners, help us work safely, coordinate various tasks and teach our young ones how to paint and beautify a garden.

UT House Medics welcomes girl scouts, boy scouts, church groups, volleyball teams and children needing volunteer hours for high school and college. Volunteers are provided with a light breakfast, lunch, a commemorative t-shirt and a heart filled with joy at the end of each work day. The homeowners feel very blessed by our generous gift of time.

Work days (volunteers can work one or both days):

• Saturday, April 18
• Saturday, April 25

Each home requires a team leader and 50-60 volunteers. No experience necessary. Potential team leaders should contact Krysti Suarez, Krysti.Suarez@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-2241, or Dennie Clemons, Wanda.D.Clemons@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-2235, to sign up. To submit a sign-up form online, see photos of previous workers in action or get more information, visit UT House Medics.

Michael & Susan Dell Lectureship in Child Health

The third Annual Michael & Susan Dell Lectureship in Child Health is scheduled for 1:30 – 3 p.m., Thursday, April 16, at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center at 1900 University Avenue in Austin. The 2009 recipient, Shiriki Kumanyika, PhD, MPH, professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, will present "Childhood obesity: Which children are at highest risk, and why?" Kumanyika has a unique interdisciplinary background that integrates epidemiology, nutrition, aging, prevention, minority health and women's health issues. This lectureship is sponsored by the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living and The University of Texas School of Public Health Austin Regional Campus. For additional information, contact Tiffni.Menendez@uth.tmc.edu at 512-482-6178.

Stamp Increase

On May 11, the price for a 1-ounce First Class Mail stamp will increase from 42 cents to 44 cents. The prices for Standard Mail, Periodicals Services and Extra Services will also change. The new prices are available at the U.S. Postal Service.

Customers can use their Forever Stamps – regardless of when purchased – to mail 1-ounce letters after the price change, without the need for additional postage. Purchase the Forever Stamp now for 42 cents. On May 11, the price of the Forever Stamp will increase to 44 cents.

2009 Spring Graduates Financial Aid Exit Interview

If you are expecting to graduate between May and June 2009 and you are a recipient of Student Financial Aid, you are required to complete the Financial Aid Exit Interview within 10 days of your graduation date.

An EXIT HOLD will be placed on the academic records of students who fail to complete the Exit Interview within 10 days of their graduation date. Please note, the exit hold will stop you from receiving your diploma and any other university services until the Exit Interview is completed and the hold is removed.

Exit Interview instructions will be sent to you via your UT e-mail address once the exit site is ready to allow access based on your graduation date. Access to the site will be granted approximately 60 days prior to your graduation date to allow everyone enough time to complete the exit process.

For questions or comments, contact Student Financial Services at 713-500-3300.

Free and Open Source Software in Healthcare

The Health Quality and Interoperability Laboratory for Training (HealthQuilt) is a community resource funded to pilot a Health Information Exchange (HIE) for the Greater Houston Area. HealthQuilt is sponsoring a conference on Free and Open Source Software in Healthcare beginning 9 a.m., July 31.

The conference will include presentations by:

• WorldVistA (EHR)
• Misys (Interoperability)
• OpenMRS (EHR)
• ClearHealth (EHR)
• OpenClinica (Clinical Research)
• Mirth - WebReach (HL7 router!)
• OpenVistA -Medsphere (EHR)
• Sun Microsystems

For more information about the conference or registration, visit FOSS in healthcare. Visit HealthQuilt for more information on this project.

Employee Benefits Reminders

With the springtime rapidly approaching, the Employee Benefits Office offers some helpful reminders regarding your benefits.

There is a 31-day deadline for submitting change of status information during the year. Examples of status changes are the birth of a child, marriage, divorce, loss of employment, etc. You have 31 days from the date of the event to contact the Benefits Office and submit the necessary forms.

You may change your life insurance beneficiary at any time during the year. Review your beneficiary designation to ensure the individual selected is who you want it to be and contains up to date contact information. You can access the forms online in the Insurance Forms section of the Office of Benefits Web site.

You should also review the address on file for you to ensure insurance vendors (such as Blue Cross) have an accurate way to send you important information regarding your coverage. If your health provider has trouble locating your coverage, please confirm that they are using the correct ID. Your ID number is the LAST 8 digits in the sequence. The ID does NOT INCLUDE the letters UTSO.

Questions? Contact benefits@uthouston.edu or 713-500-3935.

Dental Services

The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston is currently seeking individuals in need of crowns and bridges to serve as patients for our dental students. All students are closely supervised by fully licensed professors at the Dental Branch. Typical fees are about one-third the cost normally found in the traditional private practice office.

The only difference is that the procedures performed in an educational setting are not done as swiftly as those in a private dental office. If you are interested in obtaining dental service at a reduced cost, please contact Dental.Crowns@uth.tmc.edu.

Getting Around

The Getting Around section of the intranet provides all the information you’ll need to get around the Texas Medical Center.

• Traffic Alerts – UT Shuttle notices, TMC area road closures, construction notices and METRO notices.
• Commuter Options – Discover transportation options serving your area.
• Submit a Vanpool – Post or view vanpool openings.

For more information about mobility, visit the Mobility Program. For more information about parking and shuttle services, visit the Auxiliary Enterprises Parking/ Shuttle Services.

WorkLife Wellness Tip of the Week

Don’t Skip Breakfast. Your grandmother was right when she told you to eat your breakfast. Research confirms that children who eat breakfast do better in school; so why do many of us stop doing that when we grow up? The most common excuse is “I don’t have time.”It doesn’t have to be ham and eggs! Yogurt and a banana do just fine.

For those who want to lose weight, skipping breakfast may be the worst thing you can do. According to the National Weight Control Registry, almost 80 percent of the participants who have been able to maintain long-term weight loss report eating breakfast every day.

If you’re not sure what’s good on the menu, call and make an appointment with Wellness Coach Sam Hester, cWC, CPT LWMC, at 713-500-3327. It's confidential and free. For more information on the wellness services provided, visit UT Counseling and WorkLife Services.