MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN OF MEDICINE
October 15, 2007
In response to requests from faculty and staff, we will be increasing our communication to you to keep you updated as best we can on all that is happening in the School of Medicine. We are a large, complex institution, and I understand there are times when many of you may wonder what is going on in other areas of campus. I will do my best to keep you apprised and answer questions you may have. If you have information you would like considered for inclusion in these messages and/or the SOM e-NEWS, please send the information to Jackie Genovese at jmgenove@utmb.edu.
For those of you who missed the October Faculty of Medicine, or Dr. Callender’s September Town Hall meeting, the web rebroadcasts are now online. You can also view Dr. Luca Cicalese’s presentation on the Comprehensive Transplant Center at the Faculty of Medicine Meeting, or a synopsis of Dr. Callender’s Town meeting when you click here and look under faculty information. We were happy to welcome 54 new faculty members to UTMB during the October FOM meeting, and recognize faculty who have been appointed to endowed professorships or chairs.
In September, U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), a member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, secured $1.75 million for UTMB to establish a National Biodefense Training Center. The funds would be used to construct a pilot training facility with a mock BSL4 laboratory for training of UTMB faculty and staff. The bill is now in the Senate version of the 2008 Defense Appropriations bill, and will go before Congress for final approval.
The Council on Education for Public Health recently accredited our MPH program for the maximum term of seven years. Congratulations to Dr. Laura Rudkin and the team of faculty who are responsible for this success. Our Occupational Medical Residency Program was reaccredited for another five years by the Residency Review Committee for Preventive Medicine. Congratulations to Dr. Nelson Avery and the team of faculty who helped make that possible. Dr. Robert Johnson and his team, working in partnership with M.D. Anderson, have received a grant from the American Cancer Society for the General Preventive Medicine Residency to facilitate cancer prevention education into the residency experiences in Internal and Family Medicine. Each resident will have the opportunity to present their work at the annual meetings of the American College of Preventive Medicine.
Don’t forget to make your pledge to the SECC Campaign, and help Chair Joan Richardson and UTMB reach the goal of 51 percent participation. You should have received your identification number via email last week. Visit the SECC web site to get more information or to make your pledge.
The invitations for the November 14th Faculty Mixer to be held at the Galveston Yacht Club from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. went out last week. Contact Shannon Speakes at sdspeake@utmb.edu to RSVP. This mixer will be a good opportunity for faculty to meet members of the Hospital Administration and colleagues from different departments. I look forward to seeing you there.