Issue #720, September 29, 2009

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: Seasonal Flu Shots for Students ... Seasonal Flu Shots for Employees ... UTDB Social Media ... Student Exchange ... Rec Sports ... Family & Community Medicine Grand Rounds ... Public Health Grand Rounds ... IT SecuritySense ... Upcoming University Community Events ... IT Training Classes ... Peer Review Keynote Address ... Distinguished Research Ethics Lecture ... CCTS Lecture Series ... Clinical Research Education Course ... CPR Training ... New Investigator Development Program ... Help Desk Phone Number Change ... Automated Directory Change ... HAM-TMC Library Classes ... The Mystery of Space ... Getting Around ... Procurement Services HUB Vendor

Seasonal Flu Shots for Students

This is a reminder to all students that you are encouraged to get the seasonal influenza vaccine to protect yourself and your patients. Flu shots will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you currently interact with patients, you are in a priority group for receiving the vaccine and are strongly encouraged to do so.

UT Student Health Services is administering the vaccine from 9 – 11 a.m. and 2 – 4 p.m., Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and from 2 – 4 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays. No appointment is necessary. UT Student Health Services is located in The UT Professional Building, Suite 510. The cost of the vaccine will be covered by your insurance and student fees.

We are anticipating a limited supply of H1N1 vaccine in the near future. More information regarding this vaccine will be distributed at a later date.

For more information, visit the CDC information page or UT Houston's Flu Center or contact UT Student Health Services, 713-500-5171.

Seasonal Flu Shots for Employees

UT Employee Health will administer the seasonal flu shot for a $25 fee (cash or check only) according to the following schedule:

  • UCT Suite 1620 – 1:30 – 2:30 p.m., Oct. 1
  • Dental Branch B25 – 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Oct. 15
  • MSB B.645 – 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Oct. 20
  • SON Lobby – 1 – 3 p.m., Oct. 20
  • SPH 10th floor lobby – 9 – 11 a.m., Oct. 22
  • OCB Rio Grande Room 2.200 – 9 – 11 a.m., Oct. 27

This vaccine will not protect against H1N1. For more information, contact Cindy.A.Crosson@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-3254.

UTDB Social Media

The dental branch now can be found on popular social media Web sites:

Become a Facebook fan of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and find other schools and hospitals under ‘Favorite Pages’ on the left side of the page.

Student Exchange - A Semester in Brazil

Any University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston student with an interest in global health pertaining to Brazil in particular is invited to spend a semester (4 - 5 months) abroad in Brazil. The U.S.-Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program Fellowship will send students to Sao Paulo, Recife or both. To participate, you must be a UTHSC-H student in good academic standing, registered during the semester of travel and have permission from your current academic advisor. Students will receive a stipend for travel and language instruction. The chosen students will be exposed to student life in another country and broaden their horizons in global health issues and the role informatics can play in possible solutions.

To participate, email your CV, current courses and statement of interest to M.Sriram.Iyengar@uth.tmc.edu.

Rec Sports

Registration for men's, women's and co-ed flag football leagues at the Rec Center is open through Tuesday, Oct. 6. Games will be played Tuesday and Wednesday evenings beginning Oct. 13. Registration is limited to the first 40 teams and cost is $135 for UT students, $160 for Baylor/TMC students and $185 for all others.

Learn more about the Rec Center’s fall schedule. For more information, contact Kelly.McNamara@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-8422.

Family & Community Medicine Grand Rounds

The UT Medical School at Houston presents the Family & Community Medicine Grand Rounds, 1 – 2 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 30, in MSB 2.135. Gage Van Horn, M.D., professor in the Department of Neurology, UT Medical School at Houston, will present, “Parkinson Video.” Please note the change in date and update your schedule.

For more information, contact Carolyn.Love@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-7604.

Public Health Grand Rounds

The school of public health will present a live interactive Web cast event from 10 – 11 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 13, in SPH E-527. Raouf R. Arafat, M.D., MPH, assistant director, The City of Houston Department of Health and Human Services (HDHHS), will present, “H1N1: The public health response in Houston.” To register as a training site for this activity or view the live Web cast at your individual computer, visit Texas Association of Local Health Officials.

For more information, contact Nancy.M.Crider@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-9399.

IT SecuritySense

The September 2009 SecuritySense newsletter is now available at SecuritySense online.

Stories include:

SecuritySense, an online resource for the university, is created each month by Information Technology to discuss recent IT security issues and focus on user awareness.

Upcoming University Community Events

  • The 17th Annual Scholarship Golf Classic
    Attention golfers! Learn more about the 17th Annual Scholarship Golf Classic – held this year at 10 a.m., Monday, Oct. 19, at Palmers Golf Course in The Woodlands. This year's celebrity chair is country singer, Clay Walker.

  • Fun Fest
    Learn more about Fun Fest – the major fall event for the entire health science center community – from 2 – 6 p.m., Friday, Oct. 23, at Texas Medical Center – Grant Fay Park.

  • The American Heart Walk
    Save the date for the American Heart Walk, 8:30 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009, at Sam Houston Park in downtown Houston.

For more information about university community events, contact Rose.M.Betancourt-Trevino@uth.tmc.edu , 713-500-3209.

IT Training Classes

IT Training will offer classes for new MS Office 2007 users in University Center Tower (UCT) 1160:

  • Introduction to MS Excel 2007 – 1 – 5 p.m., Sept. 29
  • MS Word 2007 for the Non-Experienced User – 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Sept. 30
  • What’s New in Office 2007 – 2 – 4 p.m., Oct. 22
  • MS Word 2007 for the Non-Experienced User – 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Oct. 28
  • What’s New in Office 2007 – 9 – 11 a.m., Nov. 20

To enroll, visit the Training Resource Center (TRC) and login using your UID login and password. Classes are open to UTHSC-H employees as well as contract employees with approval from and prior arrangement by their department.

For more information, contact Jacqueline.Plaza@uth.tmc.edu, 713-486-4830.

Peer Review Keynote Address

Antonio Scarpa from the Centers for Scientific Review at the National Institutes of Health will deliver the keynote address, "Challenges and Opportunities Facing Peer Review: A vision for ensuring its strategic national value" at 3:50 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 6, in the Sarofim Research Building of The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases. All faculty/researchers, students and postdoctoral fellows from the health science center are invited to attend. Visit The Office of Research Affairs to register.

For more information, contact Kimberly.J.Campbell@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-5605.

Distinguished Research Ethics Lecture

The Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects will host its 5th series of Distinguished Research Ethics Lectures from noon – 1 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 7, in MSB 2.006. Laura R. Brosch, R.N., Ph.D. Col., U.S. Army Nurse Corps (Ret.) director, Office of Research Protections, U.S. Army Medical Research & Materiel Command, Ft. Detrick, Maryland, will present, "Successful Civilian Partnerships in Military Medical Research: Key Ethical/Regulatory Considerations." This event is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Paula.L.Knudson@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-6708.

CCTS Lecture Series

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

  • Oct. 1 – “Why PI's Should Think Like Small Business Owners: Lessons learned from budgeting perinatal,” presented by Sean Blackwell, M.D., associate professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, UT Medical School at Houston.
  • Oct. 15 – “Essential Elements of the Clinical Research Protocol,” presented by Ruby Benjamin-Garner, Ph.D., protocol coordinator, Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, Clinical Research Unit.

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.

Clinical Research Education Course

Clinical Research Education will present, “Introductory Course for Safe and Ethical Research Practice.” This course provides research coordinators, nurses and investigators with 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. Sessions are held from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., in MSB B.605:

  • Oct. 6 – Fundamentals of Clinical Research
  • Oct. 13 – Initiation and Financial Management of Clinical Trials
  • Oct. 20 – Implementation and Study Management Practices
  • Oct. 27 – Compliance and Monitoring of Clinical Trials
  • Nov. 3 – Human Subjects Protection with the IRB (8:30 – 11:30 a.m.)

This course is free for UTHSC-H and Memorial Hermann Healthcare System employees. Register at the Clinical Trials Resource Center. For more information, contact Madelene.J.Ottosen@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-7911.

CPR Training

The School of Nursing Alumni Association will present CPR training for beginners and Recertification CPR and AED training for adult, child and infant, along with the Heimlich Maneuver (choking). Upcoming classes will take place in SON Room 370 from 1 – 4 p.m., Friday, Oct. 16, and Friday, Nov. 13. A $50 registration fee is required, payable by cash or check only.

To register or for more information, contact alumni@uth.tmc.edu.

New Investigator Development Program

The Office of Research’s New Investigator Development Program presents Grants 101, a seminar providing an overview of administrative policies and procedures for submitting and managing research grants. The seminar will be held from 8 a.m. – noon, Monday, Oct. 12, and Tuesday, Oct. 13, in MSB 3.001. Grants 101 is open to all faculty, staff and trainees. A schedule of topics and speakers is available online. Participants must register online by Sept. 30. Registration is limited to 150 participants.

This seminar is a pre-requisite for faculty interested in Grants 102, an eight-month, mentor-based program from Oct. – May. Monthly workshops follow the classic steps involved in writing a grant where a proposal is planned and written, then reviewed and revised by a mentor. Grants 102 is open to faculty and limited to 20 participants only. Visit the Office of Research for more details.

For more information, contact Efren.H.Pena@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-3039.

Help Desk Phone Number Change

The university’s Help Desk has successfully transitioned to its new extension and can now be reached at 486-4848. The old extension, 500-4848 will forward to the new number through mid-November and then will no longer be active. Please adjust your speed dial accordingly and update the number wherever posted. A new Help Desk feature that announces the current status of Information Technology Services on campus is now available to callers.

Automated Directory Change

The automated telephone directory system that answers 713-500-4HSC (4472) has been discontinued. Calls to this number are now redirected to an off campus operator service for assistance. This 24-hour multilingual service is familiar with our community and allows you to speak with a live person. Employees are urged to use the online campus directory for local telephone numbers.

HAM-TMC Library Classes

The HAM-TMC Library offers these upcoming classes:

  • RefWorks – 3 – 5 p.m., Sept. 30
  • Springer eProduct Lunch & Learn – 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Oct. 2
  • Finding Electronic Resources - 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Oct. 7
  • Excel 2007 – Basic – 2 – 4:30 p.m., Oct. 7

All classes are free and offered in the library classroom. View the complete class schedule and register.

The Mystery of Space – Conference

Crossroads Cultural Center – Houston, in collaboration with the Physics and Astronomy Department at Rice University and the Rice Space institute, will present “Knowledge is Infinite: The mystery of space,” 6:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 2, at Rice University Herzstein Hall 210 (6100 Main Street).

This conference is free and open to the public and will feature a conversation with Thomas I. Hanson, team lead for NASA's Training Division, Capt. Mark Kelly, NASA Astronaut; and Massimo Robberto, Ph.D., full scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute.

For more information, visit Crossroads Cultural Center – Houston, 713-823-2263.

Getting Around

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

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

Procurement Services HUB Vendor

Each month, the Procurement Services HUB program will profile a new HUB vendor. This month’s featured HUB vendor is GHL. For more information, contact Nina.Lahasky@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-4862.