Welcome Class of 2009! We are very glad you are here and look forward to working with you during the next four years. I hope you had a great Orientation Week, learned all about the college and know what to expect from medical school as your classes begin.

The Basic Science Department Realignment process continues to move forward. The four new basic science departments have been identified as: Molecular and Cellular Medicine; Molecular and Microbial Pathogenesis; Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics; and Systems Biology and Translational Medicine. These new department names were presented at the Town Hall meeting on July 20. I am excited about the prospects of these four new departments and believe they will propel us to the next level in terms of research growth. I will be appointing heads for these new departments in the next month, and we will then work toward faculty assignment to the four departments. The Faculty Affairs Task Force is doing an excellent job of developing a process for faculty assignment, and we will implement it as soon as it is approved.

I will keep you posted regarding our TRB proposal for the new building as more information becomes available. I spent a day in Austin last month listening to deliberations on this issue, and it appears our TRB request is still alive. More to come…

On a more personal note, I was honored to be elected as a psychiatry director for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, effective January 2006. To be elected by my peers to this position is humbling and gratifying. I look forward to serving my colleagues and the profession to ensure patients receive the best possible care from board certified psychiatrists and neurologists.

Incoming Students Receive White Coats at Annual Ceremony

The 81 entering students of the Class of 2009 took part in the time-honored tradition of receiving a white coat to signify the beginning of their medical training July 25 in Rudder Theatre. The ceremony was attended by the new students, their families and friends, as well as College of Medicine faculty and staff. The white coat has been the visual hallmark of physicians since the 19th century.

White Coat Ceremony introductory remarks were given by Dean Colenda, followed by Dr. Nancy Dickey, president of the Health Science Center. Dr. Roy Smythe, professor and chair of the Department of Surgery at the College of Medicine and a 1989 College of Medicine graduate, delivered the keynote address. A reception was held after the ceremony in Rudder Exhibit Hall.
See the full story at: http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/communications/index.html#news052905

Get to Know the Class of 2009

The Class of 2009 is a diverse and interesting group of people. Click here to find out a little bit more about them, such as countries where they were born or have visited, places they’ve worked, jobs they’ve held and other interesting facts about them.

West Retires from College of Medicine

After 12 years of service to the College of Medicine at The Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Dr. James R. West, distinguished professor and head of the Department of Human Anatomy and Medical Neurobiology, will be retiring August 2. The Dean’s Office is hosting a retirement reception to honor his service and contributions to the college Friday, July 29 from 3 to 5 p.m.

During his tenure at the college, Dr. West has helped cultivate the Human Anatomy and Medical Neurobiology Department, especially in the area of research. Through his leadership, the department’s federal funding has increased by more than 10 times in the past decade, and many of his faculty are recognized nationally for their research. The department has also put great effort into maintaining their excellence in teaching medical and graduate students.

Office of Institutional Advancement 2004-2005 Report

Total gifts to the College of Medicine (July 2004 – July 2005): 161
Total gift amount to the College of Medicine (July 2004 – July 2005): $471,189
Number of Personal Contacts* - 110

* personal contacts include phone/email conversations and personal visits – i.e. dialogue
Moves Management Categories**
**prospective donors are organized in 4 categories and may be included in one or several of the categories.
Initial Contact – 75
Cultivation – 60
Solicitation – 51
Stewardship – 31

Event Attendees
Houston A&M Club – 30
San Antonio A&M Club – 80
Austin A&M Club – 25
Dallas A&M Club – 25
Magnolia Tea – 60
Mini Medical School – 100
Dean’s Faculty/Student Golf Tournament – 31

College of Medicine Hosts National Young Leadership Forum Students

The College of Medicine hosted students from the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine (NYLF) Thursday, July 7 and 21. Since its inception 12 years ago, the NYLF program has introduced exceptional high school students to the field of medicine and provides them with the opportunity to interact with faculty and staff from many of the top medical schools and hospitals across the country. As part of the program based in the Houston area, the A&M College of Medicine hosts groups of students for a full day during two summer sessions.

The A&M College of Medicine welcomed 80 students during the first session July 7 and 88 for the July 21 program. In addition to planning a full day of educational activities for the students, the college also provided two need-based tuition scholarships of $2,045 to local high school students who attend the Houston program.
See the full story at: http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/communications/index.html#news052805

Doctor’s Office on Four Wheels

The Brazos Family Medicine Residency (BFMR) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony July 8 to commemorate the acquisition of their new Mobile Medical Unit. Congressman Chet Edwards (17th Congressional district), who helped secure funding for the state-of-the-art vehicle, was the honored guest and speaker at the ceremony. Brazos Family Medicine Residency Program Director Dr. David McClellan, Texas A&M University Health Science Center President Dr. Nancy Dickey and A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine Dean Dr. Christopher Colenda also offered remarks. The group was joined by BFMR’s CFO John Lewis for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Designed to make health care more readily available to rural and medically underserved communities across the Brazos Valley, the Mobile Medical Unit is a 39-foot Airstream vehicle that contains two exam rooms, a lab and patient education center. Dubbed “Hippocrates,” the unit is equipped with satellite, telehealth and internet capabilities, and will soon have the capability of accessing electronic medical records that enable physicians to track their patients. See the full story at: http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/communications/index.html#news052505

Baker Appointed to American Heart Association Posts

The Chairman of the Board, Robert L. Carson, Esq., and the President, Robert H. Eckel, M.D. of the American Heart Association, have appointed Kenneth M. Baker, M.D. to the National Board of Directors and to the Science Advisory and Coordinating Committee of the American Heart Association. Dr. Baker is the director of the Division of Molecular Cardiology and the Mayborn Chair in Cardiovascular Research.

This appointment is effective July 2005. Dr. Baker is also presently the Chair of the National AHA Research Committee.

Fergie Elected, Appointed to National Vaccine and Pediatrics Posts

Dr. Jaime E. Fergie is the assistant director for the residency program and the director for Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Driscoll Children’s Hospital, as well as an associate professor of Pediatrics for the College of Medicine. Dr. Fergie was recently elected to serve on the Executive Committee for the Section of Infectious Diseases in the American Academy of Pediatrics. The purpose of the section is to provide a forum for education, research and issues practicing physicians face regarding infectious diseases. Dr. Fergie will serve in this post for three years starting in November 2005.

Additionally, Dr. Fergie received a four-year appointment to the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, which is part of the National Vaccine Program Office in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. His role will be to work with other committee members to make recommendations to ensure the availability of an adequate, safe supply of vaccines, as well as plan for national vaccine preparation and the collaboration of governmental agencies.

Congratulations Dr. Fergie, and keep up the good work!

Dr. Houck Research in the News

Dr. Philip D. Houck, assistant professor of internal medicine and associate director of the Division of Cardiology, is being featured in the news for his work with heart attacks and their connection to the weather. The following story is courtesy of Lee Bowman, Scripps Howard News Service:

While you're enjoying not having to shovel snow this month, consider this: It may be dramatic changes in air pressure that accompany winter storms rather than the cold or snow that trigger more heart attacks during the winter.

"It's not shoveling snow. It's the snowstorm,'' said Dr. Philip Houck, co-chairman of the cardiology division at Scott and White Hospital and the Texas A&M College of Medicine and lead author of a new study on the phenomenon.
See the full story at: http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/communications/index.html#news052705

COM Alumnus Named Department Chair at UTMB

Dr. Randall J. Urban, a 1982 graduate of the College of Medicine at the Texas A&M University Health Science Center, has been named chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Urban holds the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Distinguished Chair in Internal Medicine. He served as the interim chair of the department since June 2004. Prior to taking the helm of internal medicine, Urban was director of the Stark Diabetes Center and the Division of Endocrinology.

A native of Victoria, Texas, Urban received his medical degree from the A&M College of Medicine in 1982 and completed his residency in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., in 1985. He completed his fellowship in endocrinology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, Va.
See the full story at: http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/communications/index.html#news052605

FitzSimon-Williams Garners Top-10 Finish at U.S. Fencing Nationals

Dr. Denise FitzSimon-Williams, assistant professor of Pediatrics, competed in the U.S. Fencing Summer National Championships July 1-10 in Sacramento. She placed 7th in the veteran 40/49 women’s saber event and is currently ranked 6th in her age category in the national rankings for this event.

Congratulations, Dr. FitzSimon-Williams!

DEPARTMENT OF HUMANITIES IN MEDICINE

Student Participates in Leadership Fellowship

Fourth-year student Jedidiah Grisel went on a Leadership in Medicine Fellowship July 4-29 at The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation in Alexandria, Virginia. While at the Academy, Jed followed David Nielsen, MD, Executive Vice President and CEO. Dr. Nielsen demonstrated leadership values to the Foundation that enhanced personal growth of its workers and accelerates changes to improve the quality of ear, nose and throat care among otolaryngologists worldwide.

Jed participated in research projects and other assignments related to identifying physician-level performance measures in both patient experience and satisfaction as well as clinical outcomes. The Leadership in Medicine Program, Department of Humanities in Medicine sponsored this Leadership Fellowship.

Rosen Organizes International Academic Conference

David Rosen, MD, professor in the Department of Humanities in Medicine, put together the 2nd International Academic Conference of Analytical Psychology & Jungian Studies Conference July 7- 10 at Texas A&M University. There were 250 attendees from 30 countries.

Additionally, Dr. Rosen is taking a sabbatical from July 17 to December 17 at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. He will be carrying out research on the healing aspects of personal narrative.

DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL MEDICINE

Donald J. DiPette, M.D., Chair of Internal Medicine

Stevens Accepts Hollerman-Rampy Chair in Geriatrics

Alan Stevens, Ph.D. has accepted our offer to hold the Hollerman-Rampy Chair in Geriatrics. Alan will bring first rate credentials and experience in health services research to our respective institutions in the area of dementia and the elderly. I appreciate everyone's help in the recruitment but would also extend a special thanks to Drs. Knight and Colenda for the support of resources and faculty appointment.
Dr. Stevens will also bring his "best" post-doctoral student with him to assume a junior faculty position as well. He is targeting mid fall as a start date and we will now start the process of examining his grant status i.e. bringing to us with sub-contracts back to Alabama etc. Again I want to say a very special thanks to all. This search was truly a team effort.

OFFICE OF EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Proposed Curriculum Model

A proposed new curriculum model for the College of Medicine has been developed by the Curriculum Coordinating Group and distributed to the Curriculum Committee and Department Chairs for review and comment. The policies and guidelines, a curriculum description, schema and example four-year calendar have been posted in the Dean’s area on the college website. We encourage faculty to review the model and send comments to Dr. Ben Green, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education at jgreen@swmail.sw.org.

Educational Technology Advisory Group

An advisory group has been formed to develop short and long-term plans for educational technology support in the College of Medicine. Dr. Paul Brandt, Department of Pharmacology, will chair the group, which will include faculty, students and technology support personnel from the college, Health Science Center, and educational partner institutions. A final report is expected by the end of calendar year 2005.

RESEARCH

Division of Molecular Cardiology

Dr. George W. Booz received a $39,988 Scott & White grant entitled “Regulation of non-Small Cell Cancer Apoptosis by Interferon-y” for the period 05/05-05/06.

Dr. David E. Dostal was awarded a $37,150 Scott & White grant entitled “Head-to-Head Comparison of Eplerenone and Spironolactone in the Treatment of Diastolic Dysfunction in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats” for the period 05/05-05/06.

Dr. Rajesh Kumar received a $124,000 American Heart Association – Texas Affiliate grant entitled “Intracrine Mechanisms of Angiotensin II Induced Cell Growth” for the period 07/05-06/07.

Dr. Jing Pan was awarded a $124,000 American Heart Association – Texas Affiliate grant entitled “Effects of Retinoic Acid on mechanical Stretch-Induced Cardiac Hypertrophy” for the period 07/05-06/07.

Dr. Ajay Rana received a $250,000 Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation grant entitled “MLK3 Meets Pak1 in Breast Cancer: A Prognostic Factor and a Therapeutics Target” for the period 05/05-04/07. He also was awarded a $500,200 Veterans Administration grant entitled “Regulation of Breast Cancer Growth by MLK3” for the period 06/05-05/08.

Medical Pharmacology and Toxicology

Dr. Alan Parrish has been awarded R21AG024179 “Age-Dependent Loss of N-Cadherin in Rat Proximal Tubules” from the NIH/NIA for the period 6/1/2005-5/31/2010; $200,000 in direct costs.

Medical Physiology

Dr. Mariappan Muthuchamy and Dr. Gerry Meininger received a $400,125 National Institutes of Health R21 grant entitled “Mechanobiology of cardiomyocytes” for the period 04/04/05-03/31/06.

Dr. Judy Delp, Dr. Lih Kuo and Dr. John Stallone received a $108,936 National Institutes of Health grant entitled “Aging, estrogen, and coronary endothelial function” for the period 04/15/05-03/31/09.

Dr. Anatoliy Gashev and Dr. Mariappan Muthuchamy received a $36,375 Texas A&M University Center for Environmental and Rural Health grant entitled “Lymphatic pumping mechanisms during aging” for the period 04/01/05-03/31/06.

Dr. Jay Humphrey and Dr. Emily Wilson received a $387,859 National Institutes of Health grant entitled “Ex vivo delineation of mechanisms of cerebral vasospasm” for the period 04/01/05-03/31/09.

Obstetrics and Gynecology

Dr. Jose F. Pliego was awarded two grants from Ethicon-Surgery, Inc.:

1) A grant for $65,000 to establish a Minimally Invasive Laparoscopic fellowship program in GYN Surgery. Our first fellow is Dr. Richard M. Wasserman. Dr. Wasserman obtained his MD degree from Chicago Medical School in North Chicago, IL. His postdoctoral training was performed in The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, Ob/Gyn Internship and his Ob/Gyn residency in Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH.

2) A grant for $106,238 to purchase laparoscopic equipment to be used exclusively for educational activities at our Minimally Invasive Surgical Training Center located at the Clinical Simulation Center at Temple College as well as in our animal facility.

FACULTY

Medical Microbiology and Immunology

Dr. John Quarles is continuing to work with other members of the editorial board of “Current Protocols in Microbiology,” a new publication being developed by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. He met with the full board at the American Society for Microbiology’s annual meeting June 5 in Atlanta.

OFFICE OF EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Dr. Tom Peterson, Dr. Vernon Tesh, Dr. Ben Green, Dr. Kelly Hester and Rebecca Baker presented a poster and oral presentation entitled "An Evaluation System for a Course in Progress" at the Annual Meeting of the International Association of Medical Science Educators in Los Angeles July 16-19, 2005.

Additionally, Dr. Paul Ogden, Vice Chair for Educational Affairs Department of Medicine, and Martha Howell, Medical Educator Department of Medicine, presented "Integrating High-Fidelity Patient Simulation in an Internal Medicine Clerkship Curriculum" at the same meeting. Fourth-year medical student Hannah Grubb also attended.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Human Anatomy and Medical Neurobiology

Bell-Pedersen, D, Cassone, VM, Earnest, DJ, Golden, SS, Hardin, PE, Thomas, TL, Zoran, MJ. Circadian rhythms from multiple oscillators: Lessons from diverse organisms. Nature Rev. Genetics 6, 544-556 (2005).

Medical Microbiology and Immunology

Lasco, TM, Cassone, L, Kamohara, H, Yoshimura, T, McMurray, DN. Evaluating the role of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in experimental pulmonary tuberculosis in the guinea pig. Tuberculosis 85: 245-258 (2005).

Medical Pharmacology and Toxicology

Zou, YH, Chiou, GCY. New ideas for medical therapy of glaucoma in the future. International Journal of Ophthalmology. 5: 411-422 (2005).

Wang, H, Mieckowski, AN, Frye, GD. Finasteride treatment partially prevents loss of zolpidem potentiation of GABAergic miniature postsynaptic currents in septal cultures after binge ethanol exposure, Soc. For Neurosci. Abstr. 35:916.6 (2005)

Mieckowski, AN, Wang, H, Frye, GD, Griffith, WH. Nicotine enhances and reduces synaptic transmission in rat basal forebrain neurons from brains slices and primary tissue culture. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, 157.5 (2005).

Murchison, D, Armstrong, G, Mieckowski, AN, LaSarge, CL, Bizon, JL, Griffith, WH. Age-related variation in a spatial learning task reveals individual differences in cognitive decline and in vitro intracellular calcium homeostasis in Fischer 344 rats. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, 92.11 (2005).

Etheredge, JA, Murchison, D, Abbott, LC, Griffith, WH. Plasticity of nifedipine-sensitive calcium currents represents a common mechanism in aged and tottering mouse basal forebrain neurons. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, 35.2 (2005).

Covington, MD, Bayless, KJ, Burghardt, RC, Davis, GE, Parrish, AR. Ischemia-Induced Cleavage of Cadherins in NRK Cells: Evidence for a Role of Metalloproteinases. American Journal of Physiology: Renal Physiology 289:F280-F288 (2005).

Medical Physiology

Davis, MJ. An improved, computer-based method to automatically track internal and external diameter of isolated microvessels. Microcirculation 12(4): 361-372 (2005).

Fu, WJ, Haynes, TE, Kohli, R, Hu, J, Shi, W, Spencer, TE, Carroll, RJ, Meininger, CJ, Wu, G. Dietary L-arginine supplementation reduces fat mass in Zucker diabetic fatty rats. J Nutr 135(4):714-21 (2005).

Hein, TW, Yuan, Z, Rosa, RH Jr, Kuo, L. Requisite roles of A2A receptors, nitric oxide, and KATP channels in retinal arteriolar dilation in response to adenosine. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 46(6):2113-9 (2005).

Humphrey, JD, Cote, GL, Walton, JR, Meininger, GA, Laine, GA. A new paradigm for graduate research and training in the biomedical sciences and engineering. Adv Physiol Educ 29(2):98-102 (2005).

Partridge, CR, Williams, ES, Barhoumi, R, Tadesse, MG, Johnson, CD, Lu, KP, Meininger, GA, Wilson, E, Ramos, KS. Novel genomic targets in oxidant-induced vascular injury. J Mol Cell Cardiol 38(6):983-996 (2005).

Sarin, V, Gaffin, RD, Meininger, GA, Muthuchamy, M. Arginine–glycine–aspartic acid (RGD)-containing peptides inhibit the force production of mouse papillary muscle bundles via *5*1 integrin. J Physiol (Lond) 564: 603-617 (2005).

Dates to Remember

• August 19 – CVRI First Annual Flow Cytometry Workshop, VA Research Building 205 Conference Room; 9 a.m.

• August 30 – Black-Zandveld Lecture in the History of Medicine with Dr. Paxton H. Howard, Lecture Hall 1; 1 p.m.

• September 1 – Executive Committee Meeting, Room 114 in Temple; 3 p.m.

• September 1 – Academic Council, Room 114 in Temple; 3 p.m.

• October 6 – George C.Y. Chiou Lectureship in Pharmacology with Dr. Charles W. Sanders, Lecture Hall 2; 11 a.m.

Christopher C. Colenda, M.D., M.P.H.
Dean, College of Medicine
The Texas A&M University Health Science Center
147 Joe H. Reynolds Medical Building College Station, TX 77843-1114
Phone:979-845-3431
Fax:979-847-8663
Email: Colenda@medicine.tamhsc.edu