May 15, 2009

Welcome to the University of Michigan Medical School E-News, your source for quick and current news from the medical school community.

Gift expands cardiovascular study, creates international research effort
Auditorium at BSRB to be named in honor of donor
The University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center has received a $5 million gift from the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Foundation. The gift will establish the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Cardiovascular Medical Engineering Research Fund to support research by physicians, scientists and engineers doing promising work in biomedicine and bioengineering, particularly research to understand and treat arrhythmias.

These new collaborations will take place across continents and in dedicated laboratory space at U-M to be named in honor of D. Dan and Betty Kahn. Scientists at Israel's Technion University will come together with U-M to potentially transform the ability to diagnose, treat and prevent cardiovascular disease.

Pending approval by the U-M Board of Regents Thursday, the auditorium at the Biomedical Science Research Building, will be named in honor of the Kahns. A dedication ceremony is planned this summer.

Save the date: June 3 Transplant and Survival Flight memorial sculpture dedication
On Wednesday, June 3, at 1 p.m. in the University Hospital lobby, the Health System community is invited to pay tribute to the legacy of the six men who were lost in June 2007 in the crash of a Survival Flight jet carrying a U-M transplant team.

This event will formally dedicate a new sculpture outside, near the University Hospital and Taubman Center entrance. It was commissioned as a permanent memorial to those we lost. Brief remarks by U-M President Mary Sue Coleman and Dr. Robert Kelch, will be followed by light refreshments, music and a chance to gather with others anytime between 1 and 3 p.m. More information about the sculpture and the event will be published in late May.

Call for Nominations - UMMS Dean's Faculty Research Awards
Application Deadline: Friday, June 12
The Medical School Dean’s Office is soliciting nominations for the Basic Science Research Award and the Clinical and Health Services Research Award. Each award recognizes a faculty member or group of faculty members who made outstanding contributions to the Medical School in the designated area of research. Each award carries a $5,000 discretionary academic support prize, which will be given to the faculty member or group. Nominees must be University of Michigan Medical School faculty. Please access the Web site for each award for the specific faculty rankings that are eligible as well as complete instructions for submission.

Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center accepting applications for diabetes interdisciplinary study program
Application Deadline: Monday, Aug. 3
The Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center is accepting applications for a pilot and feasibility study to promote interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers. This opportunity promotes collaboration between two faculty members from distinct disciplines to focus their combined research strengths on cutting-edge areas in diabetes. Proposals may be in areas of basic biomedical research or in clinical, behavioral, epidemiological, health services, or translational research. Proposals should address key questions in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, prevention or control of diabetes, its complications, or related endocrine or metabolic disorders. Proposals are for one year of support with funding up to $100,000.

It is anticipated that funding will begin a Dec. 2009 for between one to three projects, depending on the availability of funds. For more information and how to apply, visit the MDRTC Web site Web site.

Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center accepting applications for pilot and feasibility studies
Application Deadline: Monday, Aug. 3
The Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center NIH grant supports research initiatives by new and established University of Michigan faculty. Proposals may be in basic biomedical research or clinical, behavioral, epidemiological, health services, or translational research. They should address key questions in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, prevention or control of diabetes, its complications, or related endocrine or metabolic disorders. Proposals are for one year of support with requested funding up to $50,000.

Funding is expected to begin in early Dec. 2009. Possible supplemental NIH funding may make more grants possible than in previous years. For more information, including how to obtain an application, visit the MDRTC Web site.

Michigan Metabolomics and Obesity Center 2009 pilot/feasibility grant program
Application Deadline: Tuesday, June 30
The Michigan Metabolomics and Obesity Center announces its 2009 call for proposals to promote interdisciplinary, cross-organizational collaborative research to advance cutting-edge research on nutrition, obesity, and related diseases at the University of Michigan.

Proposals are for one year of support with funding up to $50,000. Anticipated funding to begin Oct. 1. For the application and further instructions, visit the MMOC Web site.

Faculty Group Practice Board election results
The individuals below were elected by clinical faculty members to represent their cohorts on the Faculty Group Practice Board. Each cohort representative will serve a three-year term beginning July 2009.

1. Suresh Mukherji, M.D., Radiology – Hospital-based departments cohort (Anesthesiology, Emergency Medicine, Pathology, Radiation Oncology, Radiology)
2. Timothy Laing, M.D., Internal Medicine – Internal Medicine cohort (excluding the Division of General Medicine)
3. Larry McMahon, M.D., General Medicine – Primary care cohort (Family Medicine, General Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine, Women’s Health Division in Ob/Gyn, General Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics)
4. Rachel Lipson Glick, M.D., Psychiatry – Medical departments (Dermatology, Neurology, Pediatrics (excluding the Division of General Pediatrics), PM&R, Psychiatry]        
5. Mark Orringer, M.D., Surgery – Surgical departments (Neurosurgery, OB/Gyn (excluding Women’s Health Division), Ophthalmology, Orthopedic, Otolaryngology, Surgery, Urology)

Our sincere thanks go to current FGP Board members who will step down at the end of this fiscal year: Jean Malouin, M.D., M.P.H., Albert Rocchini, M.D., Jeffrey Terrell, M.D., and Cosmas van de Ven, M.D. We appreciate their years of guidance and commitment to enhancing the clinical enterprise of Medical School clinical faculty. For more information, visit www.med.umich.edu/medschool/fgp/index.htm.

June 22: Register now for U-M employee weight management program, Healthy Habits at Work, at Med. Sci. II
Register May 11 - June 12, for this 12-week weight management program offered by MHealthy exclusively for University of Michigan employees who want to participate at their work sites with the help of health professionals. One-on-one consults with dietitians and fitness specialists take place the week of June 22. 45-minute weekly group sessions will take place on Tuesdays from 12:30 - 1:15 p.m., in Med. Sci. II room 5623, from June 30 - Sept. 1. Payroll deduction is available. To register, call 734-975-3024 or e-mail mhealthynutrition@umich.edu. For more information, visit the Web site.

U-M Makes the News!
M-News Now! is a Web page with timely information about members of the UMHS community who are in the news. See who is being interviewed or where their comments are being published at M-News Now!
May 13
--Dr. Perez quoted in Reuters
--Dr. Sagher quoted in Science Daily
--Dr. Akil quoted in Science Daily

May 12
--Ohye and Mott team part of "Sofi Needs a Heart" news series
--Listen to Dr. Markel on NPR's Talk of the Nation   

May 11
--Dr. Jagsi quoted on Michigan Radio and Science Daily
--Dr. Lord receives news coverage
--Dr. Flynn quoted in Ann Arbor News

May 10
--May 10 – Dr. Ubel quoted in Boston Globe

May 8
--Dr. Green quoted in WebMD

News Releases and Health Minute
For medical press releases and the details behind the headlines, visit www.med.umich.edu/news

Next Week's Health Minute
Kidney stones in children on the rise, U-M expert says

Medical School FAQs
You can find answers to many of your questions pertaining to the U-M Medical School in one place. The FAQ page links to a variety of resources including information and support, educational programs, research and policy information. The site also lists some useful U-M resources.

Seminars, lectures, colloquia and events for next week

Monday, May 18, 2009
Noon. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Science Seminar Series. Stephen G. Young, M.D., professor of medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Department of Medicine and Division of Cardiology, associate director, UCLA Specialty Training Advanced Research Program, will present "An Endothelial Cell Molecule Required for Plasma Triglyceride Metabolism," in the Cardiovascular Center Danto Auditorium.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009
3 p.m. Department of Biological Chemistry 2009 Distinguished Graduate Lecture. Catherine Drennan, Ph.D., professor of chemistry and biology, investigator and professor, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will present "Crystallographic Snapshots of Metalloproteins in Action," in Med. Sci. I North Lecture Hall.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009
11 a.m. Sixth annual Gilman and Barbour Lecture, Department of Neurology. David M. Holtzman, M.D., Andrew B. and Gretchen P. Jones Professor and chairman, Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, will present "Amyloid-ß Metabolism and Alzheimer's disease: New Ups and Downs in an Ongoing Story," in the Towsley Center Dow Auditorium.

11:30 a.m. Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship and Emergency Room Residency Joint Conference. Javier Gonzalez del Rey, M.D., MEd., professor of pediatrics, associate director in the Division of Emergency Medicine, director of pediatric residency training programs, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, "Becoming an Effective - Excellent Teacher," in the MCHC Auditorium.

Noon. Cell and Developmental Biology Seminar Series. Yehoash Raphael, Ph.D., professor, Department of Otolaryngology, U-M, will feature "Use of Developmental Genes for Inner Ear Therapy," in the Biomedical Science Research Building seminar rooms A, B and C.

3 p.m. Ninth Annual James V. Neel Lecture. Aravinda Chakravarti, Ph.D., an expert in computational biology and renowned geneticist, will present "Genetic Polymorphisms affecting Human Diseases," in the Biomedical Science Research Building Auditorium.

4 p.m. William W. Coon Lecture. Patricia Ganz, M.D., professor of health services in the School of Public Health, professor of medicine in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, will present "Improving Outcomes of Cancer Survivors: Lessons Learned from the Treatment of Breast Cancer," in Ford Auditorium.

5 p.m. Radiology Grand Rounds: 16th Annual Roger A. Berg Lecture. Paul E. Berger, M.D., F.A.C.R., president and chief executive officer, NightHawk Radiology Services, Idaho, will present, "The Radiologist's Future - The "Golden Goose" is dying, but Silver Eggs may be better!" in the MCHC Auditorium.

Thursday, May 21, 2009
Noon. Radiology Research Seminar. S. Takayama Ph.D., associate professor, biomedical engineering, macromolecular science and engineering, University of Michigan, will present "Microfluidics models of the body," in Med. Sci. I room 3330.

12:10 p.m. Gifts of Art. Classical clarinet and piano by Donald R. Grant and Gregory Sulik, UH Main Lobby, floor 1.

4 p.m. Pathology Research Seminar Series. Kojo Elenitoba-Johnson, M.D., associate professor and director, Division of Translational Research, Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, will present "Molecular pathogenesis of malignant lymphoma, " in Med. Sci. I room 4234.