AROUND UMHS
A glimpse into some some major happenings in the Health System community
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• Dust off your pedometers because Active U is right around the corner. Last year, 2,000 Health System employees generated more than $10,000 for charity by participating in the Physical Activity for Life Charity Challenge. This year, the event has a new name, includes faculty and staff from all University campuses and features multiple enhancements such as the ability to easily log minutes online, create a team Web page, choose an incentive prize and sign up as an individual or team participant. Registration takes place in January and participants record minutes from Feb. 7 through April 3. Register or get more information.
• Do you have an idea to improve the employee experience and just need money to make it happen? If so, consider applying for a 2006 FIGS grant. The Fostering Innovation Grants program is a competitive process whereby faculty and staff can get seed money for a one- or two-year pilot program. FIGS is: fast -you'll know the fate of your submission within 30 days; easy -you fill out one simple form; and funded -the money is already allocated! This year, the focus is on Taking Care of Our Own. The deadline for proposals is Jan. 27. Visit the FIGS Web site for more information and a list of last year's awardees.
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• An $18.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health has placed U-M researchers at the center of the NIH Initiative in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. The grant creates the U-M National Center for Integrative Biomedical Informatics which will facilitate scientific exploration of complex disease processes on a much larger scale than is currently feasible, and lead to the creation of a technologically advanced repository of genomic and molecular information to be shared by the NIH community. Access informative factsheet.
• Engage, the Health System Web portal linking community members with clinical studies, recently launched a poster campaign throughout the medical campus and community. The goal is to create awareness and encourage people to visit the site, but also to increase awareness of the important role volunteers play in clinical research. Visit the Engage Web site for more information.
• The University of Michigan has added a 457(b) deferred compensation plan to its benefits package as an additional way for faculty and staff to save pre-tax dollars for retirement. Although there is no University matching contribution, the voluntary plan is a good opportunity for individuals who contribute the maximum to the Supplemental Retirement Account and want to save more. For information, call 734-615-2000 or visit the Benefits Web site. |
