Issue #697, April 21, 2009

Topics at a glance: Summer Schedule of Classes ... Library Updates ... Internal Medicine Grand Rounds ... Community on Patrol Meetings ... Earth Day ... March for Babies ... CCTS Lecture Series ... EOHS Research Seminar Series ... Health & Safety Conference on Nanotechnology ... Surplus Auction & Warehouse Closing ... Fleming Center Panel Discussion ... School of Public Health Events ... PeopleSoft 9.0 HRMS upgrade ... 7-Digit Dialing System ... Spring Musculoskeletal Orthopaedic Update Course ... Lone Star Stampede & Children’s Fun Run ... Auxiliary Enterprises Updates ... Clinical Research Education ... 12th Annual Sprint for Life Run/Walk ... Duncan Clinic Summer Tutoring ... UTPD News ... Discount Houston Dynamo Tickets ... WorkLife Wellness Tip of the Week ... HOOP Updates

Summer Schedule of Classes

The Summer 2009 Schedule of Classes is currently available at the Registrar’s Office.

• Registration began Monday, April 13, for Dental Hygiene (DHYG), Dental Postgraduates (DBPG), Nursing (NURS), Medical Clinical Research (CLRS), Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS), Health Information Sciences (SHIS) and Public Health (SPH) students.
• Open registration is April 18 – May 22. Payment is due May 22.
• Late registration for GSBS, CLRS, NURS, SHIS and SPH students is May 26 – May 29. ($15 late fee).
• Late Registration DBPG is July 1-2, 6-7. ($15 late fee).

For more information, visit the Registrar’s Office.

HAM-TMC Library Updates

HAM-TMC Library Classes

• PubMed – 6:30 – 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 21
• Point-of-Care Tools – 1 – 2:30 p.m., Saturday, April 25
• PubMed Advanced – 4 – 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 29

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

Nurses Celebration

The HAM-TMC Library celebrates all our nurses and nursing students during National Nurses Week. On May 7, the library will host an open house. Come join us and participate in the following activities:

• Medical Websites for Nurses – 10 a.m. – 11 a.m., in the Street Level Classroom. This is a Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) class that will explain how to enhance research and clinical assessment skills by utilizing Internet search knowledge. Register online at Library Classes.
• NurseSearch – 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., on the first floor of the library. View short demos of NurseSearch, a new search engine the HAM-TMC Library created just for TMC nurses. You can now search several of our most important nursing resources all at one time.

During this open house, you can browse the latest nursing book collections from Majors Book Store and view exhibits and demonstrations of National Library of Medicine databases. Cake and punch will be served from 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. For more information, visit The Insider Express.

Internal Medicine Grand Rounds

The University of Texas Medical School at Houston presents the Department of Internal Medicine Grand Rounds, noon – 1 p.m., Tuesdays throughout April, in MSB 2.103. The April schedule includes:

• April 21 – “Hepatitis C Virus” presented by Ilan Nevah, M.D., assistant professor, Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, UT Medical School at Houston.
• April 28 – “Update in Urinary Incontinence” presented by Gazala Siddiqui, M.D., assistant professor, Department of Obstetrics-Gynecology, UT Medical School at Houston.

All lectures are accredited for CME credit unless otherwise noted. For more information, contact Cindy.Collins@uth.tmc.edu.

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 April meeting dates, times and locations:

• Noon, Tuesday, April 21 – Operations Center Building (OCB 2200)
• 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, April 22 – SCRBII (Rooms 4-5)

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

Earth Day at the Texas Medical Center

The first campus-wide Earth Day celebration is 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Wednesday, April 22, at the John P. McGovern Commons.

Numerous exhibitors—community organizations, TMC institutions, environmental businesses, government agencies and others—will be providing educational information regarding how we can work together to improve the environment in our community. Bring your old cell phones and eye glasses to recycle.

For more information, visit Houston Medical Center Recycling Collaborative.

March for Babies

UT has joined with Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital and LBJ Hospital to walk together this year.

You can help the March of Dimes fight prematurity by participating in the March for Babies. The March for Babies walk is Sunday, April 26 at the University of Houston Robertson Stadium. Team UT walkers will be served a light breakfast and then a barbecue lunch after the walk.

Team captains and walkers please reserve your t-shirt size(s) by Wednesday, April 22, with your team captain or email Rose.M.Betancourt-Trevino@uth.tmc.edu with your size(s) for the March of Dimes walk.

Volunteers & Walkers Timeline:

• 8 a.m. - Breakfast/ Registration at Team UT tent
• 9 a.m. - Walk
• 11 a.m. - Barbeque lunch

Visit the UT March for Babies site for more information. To participate, contact Rose.M.Betancourt-Trevino@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-3209.

CCTS Lecture Series

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

• April 23 – “Aseptic Meningoenecphalitis Syndrome in Adults” presented by Rodrigo Hasbun, M.D., MPH, associate professor, Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, UT Medical School
• April 30 – “CCTS Biobank Opportunities” presented by Lorraine Frazier, Ph.D., professor, Nursing Systems, UT School of Nursing

Lunch will be provided for the first 20 attendees. Please take advantage of the train or bus, CCTS will be unable to reimburse parking. For more information, contact Linda.N.Gilbert@uth.tmc.edu.

EOHS Research Seminar Series

The Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences presents “Mano A Mano – Results from the Mexican American Cohort,” by Melissa Bondy, Ph.D., professor, Department of Epidemiology, UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, noon – 1 p.m., April 24, at the School of Public Health, room 102B.
This research study is the first long-term effort to study health outcomes and risk factors of Mexican-Americans living in the Houston area by collecting health information and following a cohort of families for decades. Lunch will be provided for the first 50 attendees. For additional information, contact Michelle.R.Carter@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-9471.

Health & Safety Conference on Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is permeating all types of industries at every level. It can be found in cosmetics, sunscreens, commercial food freshness products, information technology and medicine, not to mention the applications used in fire, water and scratch resistance. Questions continue to arise: What do we know? What don't we know? How should we measure this or that? What level of protection is adequate?

The Southwest Center for Occupational & Environmental Health, along with the Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals and local host AIHA Texas Hill Country Section, presents the Health & Safety Conference on Nanotechnology April 26 - April 28, in Austin, Texas. The conference will address a variety of topics that will provide practical, applicable information from governmental agencies and the industry to help professionals determine how to manage the health and safety aspects of this dynamic and growing field.

For more information, visit the UT School of Public Health or contact Vickie.L.Mason@uth.tmc.edu.

Surplus Auction & Warehouse Closing

A Surplus Auction has been scheduled for 10 a.m., April 29, at the Operations Center Building (OCB), 1851 Crosspoint, Houston, Texas 77054. Early viewing is available 9 a.m. – noon and 1 – 4 p.m., April 28, and 8 – 10 a.m., April 29. Preview auction items by visiting Auctions in Progress.

In order to prepare for the auction, Capital Assets Management WILL NOT be picking up surplus or accepting equipment deliveries after April 17.

The Surplus Warehouse is closed through May 5, when the regular schedule will resume. Requests received for Surplus pickups will be scheduled on May 7, on a first come, first received basis. If you are unable to wait until surplus reopens, space is available for rent from Facilities Operation. For information about space available for rent from Facilities Operation, contact Marilyn Schlager at 713-500-4990.

If you have any other questions, please call the Capital Assets Management Team at 713-500-4701.

Fleming Center Panel Discussion

The University of Texas School of Public Health’s George McMillan Fleming Center for Healthcare Management will host its fourth moderated panel discussion from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Thursday, April 30, in the auditorium of the Reuel A. Stallones Building, 1200 Herman Pressler. The topic will be “The Future of Academic Medicine: What do we keep? What should we change?”

This presentation is open to anyone interested. For more information, contact Shannon.M.Larson@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-3252.

School of Public Health Events

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

• Intern and Career Opportunities: noon – 1 p.m., Thursday, April 30 , SPH 102A

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

PeopleSoft 9.0 HRMS upgrade

ATTENTION all HRMS users: The PeopleSoft 9.0 upgrade is nearing completion. In order to implement the changes, the production environments will be down 5 p.m., April 30 – close of business, May 4.

Please note that this affects HRMS, Budgets, Effort Reporting, SPAR and TMS. Harris County Psychiatric Center Kronos users will not be affected. All users should be prepared to keep manual records of exception time during that weekend, if necessary.

The new PeopleSoft HRMS version (now referred to as HCM – Human Capital Management system) will be available to all users May 5. Training for the new version is available through the Training Resource Center. For more information about training, visit the TRC.

For specific details about the HRMS (HCM) upgrade, visit PeopleSoft 9.0 upgrade. For questions, contact Teresa.L.Deis@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-3477, or Rhonda.Walton@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-3773.

7-Digit Dialing System

Due to the expansion of the university, the current 4-digit phone system will be upgraded and a 7-digit phone system will be implemented. Beginning May 1, all internal calls will require both the prefix and extension. Most of General Administration Information Technology will change to the new additional prefix subset, 486.
What this means for you:

• Beginning May 1, you must dial 500-xxxx or 486-xxxx to make internal calls.
• On May 8, the Harris County Psychiatric Center will change to 741-xxxx.
• Your phone number will not change.
• Dialing externally will not change (press *9).
• You will not need to dial a prefix for an emergency (dial 9-1-1).
• If your extension is currently listed on the internal or external homepage, please have it updated to include the correct prefix.

Telephones will be upgraded from Fujitsu technology to Avaya in the future. More information is to come. Please read the Information Technology's FAQ on the upgrade for more information.

Spring Musculoskeletal Orthopaedic Update Course

The University of Texas Medical School at Houston Department of Orthopaedic Surgery presents the Spring Musculoskeletal Update Course for Primary Care Physicians and Allied Healthcare Professionals, May 1 - 2, in the Memorial Hermann Conference Room, located on the ground floor of the Hermann Pavilion Building.
This program will feature faculty from the UT Medical School, renowned for their specialties in orthopaedics, research, rheumatology, peri-operative management, general medicine and physical medicine and rehabilitation. They will update the healthcare community on the advancements and treatment options available in specialized areas of orthopaedics. A total of 11 continuing medical education credits will be available for the target audience of primary care physicians, rheumatologists, endocrinologists, gynecologists and obstetricians, internal medicine physicians, occupational therapists, physical therapists, nurses and other allied health professionals at the low cost of $60 for physicians, $30 for nurses, physical therapists and allied health professionals, and is free to students and residents.

For more information or registration, visit UT CME or UT Physicians Orthopedic.

Lone Star Stampede & Children’s Fun Run

The Lone Star Stampede 10K, 5K & Children’s Run, 7:55 a.m., May 2, beginning at the School of Nursing at 6901 Bertner, is a fun family event, co-sponsored by the Texas Exes Houston Chapter and the UT Health Science Center at Houston. The run helps provide scholarships for deserving Houston-area high school students attending UT system schools.

For more information or to register, visit Texas Exes – Houston Chapter and click on Lone Star Stampede or contact Rose.M.Betancourt-Trevino@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-3209.

Auxiliary Enterprises Updates

Recreations Center Jobs

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Recreation Center is now hiring!! Positions available are Summer Sports Camp counselors (employment dates: June 15 - June 26, & July 6 - 17), Swim Instructors (employment dates: June 1 -August 8) and Pool Attendants (employment dates: June 1 - August 8). Applications are accepted until May 4. Don't delay, apply today! For more information, contact Kelly.McNamara@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-8422.

Continental One Pass Reward

Continental One Pass Reward account holders can earn Elite status twice as fast when you earn double Elite Qualifying Miles for eligible flights until June 15. Register by signing into your account at Continental Airlines. Then click One Pass Frequent Flyer; One Pass News & Offers; Airline; then select Register next to Earn Elite Status Twice as Fast (promotion code 58005).

Clinical Research Education

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and Memorial Hermann Healthcare System (MHHS) present a comprehensive four full-day and one half-day educational program focusing on the basics of coordinating a clinical research trial 8 a.m. – 3 p.m., May 5, 7, 12, 14 and 1 – 4:30 p.m., May 19 at the UT Medical School.

“Clinical Research Education: An Introductory Course for Safe and Ethical Research Practices” will provide a model of practice in conducting clinical research based on the principles of Good Clinical Practice, thereby focusing on research compliance, protecting the safety and well-being of the research subject and ensuring integrity of the research. Pre-registration is required. A $300 course fee applies to all non-health science center & MHHS employees. This fee applies to UT M. D. Anderson employees as well. For more information, visit Clinical Research Education or contact Kimberly.Wilson@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-7911.

12th Annual Sprint for Life Run/Walk

On May 9, UT M. D. Anderson's Gynecologic Oncology Department will host the 12th annual Sprint for Life 5K Run and Walk and Sprint for Sprouts Kids' Run, an event dedicated to raising funds for ovarian cancer research and building awareness about the risk factors and symptoms of the disease. This year's event will be hosted on the campus of M. D. Anderson and will begin at 7:30 a.m., followed by the Sprint for Sprouts Kids' Run at 9 a.m.
Online registration is available through May 6 with registration prices of:

• $25 for the 5K Non-Competitive Run/Walk (time will not be recorded);
• $28 for the 5K Competitive Run (price includes disposable timing tag); and
• $15 for Sprint for Sprouts, 12 years and younger (time will not be recorded).

Members of the UT Houston community registering for this event can select to register under the "UT Houston Medical School" team.
For those who cannot attend, you can still show your support by selecting "Sprinting in Spirit" when you register online. A "Spirit" packet which includes a Sprint t-shirt, pin, shoelaces and race number will be mailed to you at a cost of $50. Register online in the "Sprinting in Spirit" category by April 24, to receive your Spirit packet by mail.

Other ways to get involved:

• Build a group with your friends, family and co-workers
• Start a Pledge Page
• Volunteer on race day

For further information, call 713-792-2765 or visit Sprint for Life.

Duncan Clinic Summer Tutoring

The Dan L. Duncan Children’s Neurodevelopmental Clinic at the Children’s Learning Institute presents Duncan Clinic Summer Tutoring. The Duncan Clinic Summer Tutoring program is June 1 – 25 (session 1) or July 6 – 30 (session 2).

This summer program provides:

• Evidence-based Reading and Math programs for Grades 1-4
• Individualized instructional plans based on assessments
• Low tutor-to-student ratios (1:1 or 1:2)
• Specific feedback provided

A single session is 2 hours a day, 9 – 11 a.m. or 1 – 3 p.m., Monday – Thursday, and costs $950. The cost for both sessions is $1800. For more information, visit Duncan Clinic Summer Tutoring.

UTPD News

According to The University of Texas Police Department, there have been recent reports of robberies in a commercial parking garage in Bellaire, the Ben Taub Hospital Parking Garage and the University of Houston Central campus.

Remain aware and alert to your environment and report any suspicious person(s) or activities immediately. As you step into a parking area and/or as you approach your vehicle glance around to see if anybody is about. Should you witness a robbery or other crime, please come forward and report what you observed. If you fall victim to a crime, work closely with the police.

UT Police recommends the following crime prevention tips regarding safety from robberies:

• Be aware of your surroundings. Glance around to see if anybody is within your proximity.
• Trust your instincts even if you don't recognize the reason for them. If you don't feel comfortable about the person in the area or someone who may be approaching you, leave the area and go to a place where there are other people. Note - there is safety in numbers and lighting is considered a psychological barrier to deter criminal activity.
• When possible don't walk alone - go with a friend.
• Unfortunately, there is no single way to respond to a confrontation. Every situation will be different. The response you choose should aim to best preserve your personal safety at that time.

For additional tips, contact the UT Police Crime Prevention component at 713-563-7794. If you observe suspicious persons on or adjacent to UT property contact UT Police at 713-792-2890. For more information or security, tips visit the UT Police Web site.

For more news and announcements from The University of Texas Police Department, visit the Workplace page of the intranet. This section includes safety tips, security reports and crime alerts.

Discount Houston Dynamo Tickets

As a special offer, all employees, students, staff and friends of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston can now purchase discount tickets to watch the 2009 Houston Dynamo at Robertson Stadium.

Visit Houston Dynamo Tickets and enter password uthsc. New users will be required to create an account before purchasing tickets. For more information, contact Cedric Mills at cmills@houstondynamo.com.

WorkLife Wellness Tip of the Week

That cup of coffee in the morning might be good for your health. *A large study of over 27,000 postmenopausal women who were studied for 15 years found that coffee may reduce the risk of inflammatory diseases, which includes coronary heart disease. The project looked at the relationship between the level of coffee drinking and the risk of dying from coronary artery disease. Coffee drinkers – even those who drank 6 or more cups per day – were still at less risk of dying than non-coffee drinkers.
This surprising result was attributed to the anti-inflammatory properties of the antioxidants in coffee. There is mounting evidence that inflammation is a key component of coronary heart disease.

The point is that some of the things we think are bad for us might actually be beneficial in moderation. If you want to start eating healthier, 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.

*Source: Andersen LF, Jacobs DR Jr, Carlsen MH, Blomhoff R. Am J Clin Nutr 2006; 83: 1039-46.

HOOP Updates

Several policies in the Handbook of Operating Procedures (HOOP) have been revised, combined, and deleted. Please check out HOOP What's New? for specifics on new policy changes or the HOOP 2009 What’s New Archive for all 2009 policy changes. For general HOOP information, visit HOOP online.