January was a busy month at the College of Medicine. We completed the majority of the renovation in the dean's suite and relocated a few administrative and departmental offices to create a new research office. I am pleased with the outcome and want to thank everyone for being flexible during this process.

Our Mini Medical School kicked off Jan. 27 as Dr. Don DiPette gave a fabulous presentation on hypertension. We had more than 40 engaged participants which made for a dynamic interaction. I am pleased we had such a good turnout for the first session and look forward to the next two presentations by Dr. Roy Smythe (Feb. 3) and Dr. Farida Sohrabji (Feb. 10).

Last Friday we had a strategic planning retreat at Pebble Creek County Club to discuss the education portion of the strategic plan. Representatives from JPS Hospital and Coastal Bend were in attendance, along with the college's Executive Committee. Dr. Dickey was also present during the morning session and gave a brief synopsis of the discussions between Scott & White and the HSC.

Dr. Green presented the curricular models drafted by the Curriculum Coordinating Group (CCG). The CCG will continue to review model attributes that will best suit our needs. You will see more of these proposals in the near future.

In addition to the ongoing work of the CCG, I will be establishing an implementation group to document the necessary resources to expand our education plan. The discussion at the retreat was very insightful and I feel several good ideas emerged from the retreat. I will keep everyone updated as we make progress in these areas.

Dean Colenda Elected President of American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry

College of Medicine Dean Christopher Colenda was recently elected president of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP). Dr. Colenda will hold the role of president-elect during 2005 until he assumes the presidency in 2006. Dr. Colenda has been involved in AAGP since 1986, but will be in a position to help further promote the organization and its goals in his new role.

The role of president encompasses the representation of approximately 1,900 AAGP members, as well as acting as chief spokesman for the organization in matters of policy, research, patient advocacy and health services. Dr. Colenda will represent the AAGP in Congress, at the Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and other agencies to champion the organization's policy relating to psychiatric and mental health issues of late life.

In addition to acting as the treasurer in 2004, Dr. Colenda has been active in the AAGP by serving as a member of the Board of Directors from 2000 to 2004 and the chairman of the Public Policy and Communications Committee for the last three years.

Dr. Baker Appointed Chair of AHA National Research Committee

The Chairman-elect of the Board, Robert L. Carson, Esq., and the President-elect, Robert H. Eckel, M.D. of the American Heart Association, appointed Dr. Kenneth M. Baker, M.D., Professor and Director of the Division of Molecular Cardiology and the Mayborn Chair in Cardiovascular Research at The Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, as the new Chair of the American Heart Association's National Research Committee, effective July 2005.

Dr. Baker has been a member of the American Heart Association Research Committee since July 1, 2001 and has served as Chair of the committee's Peer Review Subcommittee for the past two years (July 1, 2003-June 30, 2005). As incoming Chairman of the Research Committee, Dr. Baker will be responsible for research oversight of the American Heart Association nationwide and will report to the President and Chairman of the Board of the American Heart Association. Dr. Baker has also been appointed to the National Board of Directors and to the Science Advisory and Coordinating Committee of the American Heart Association.

Dr. Rice-Ficht Receives Regents Professor Award

Dr. Allison C. Rice-Ficht, Ph.D. , Medical Biochemistry and Genetics department professor and director of the college's Center for Microencapsulation and Drug Delivery, received the prestigious Regents Professor Award at a meeting of The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents Thursday, Jan. 27.

The Regents Professor Award is bestowed annually by the Board of Regents in recognition of awardees' exemplary contributions to their university or agency and to the people of Texas. Award recipients are designated as Regents Professors for the duration of their service or employment within the A&M System, receive a $9,000 stipend payable in $3,000 increments over three consecutive years, and receive a special medallion bearing the seal of the A&M System and a framed certificate signed by the chancellor and the chairman of the Board of Regents.

Dr. Rice-Ficht has gained a strong international reputation in the areas of biochemistry, molecular biology and infectious diseases since joining the A&M System in 1984. She developed the research enterprise and created the radiological safety office in Temple and developed numerous interdisciplinary programs with Texas A&M University. In 2000, she was named to her current position as director of the new Center for Microencapsulation and Drug Delivery, for which she recruited 46 faculty members and oversees nearly $1.5 million in funding.

As a teacher, Dr. Ficht developed innovative electronic resources for teaching and was the course coordinator for genetics for eight years. Her one-on-one teaching has included numerous research projects conducted with students, as well as many science fairs at the elementary school level. Dr. Ficht has engaged in a number of research initiatives focused on the molecular biology of human and animal disease, including 34 national and state-level grants totaling approximately $21.5 million.

American Cancer Society Relay for Life Team

The College of Medicine is in the process of forming a team for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life fundraiser. The Relay for Life Event will be held at A&M Consolidated High School on Friday, April 22 beginning at 7 p.m. and ends at 7 a.m. Saturday, April 23.

If you are interested in joining the team or would like to donate goods, services and/or money, contact Brenda Long at bklong@medicine.tamhsc.edu or Kim Manry at kmanry@medicine.tamhsc.edu.

Student Tsunami Fundraiser

In light of the tragedy in Southeast Asia, the class of 2007 and 2008 took on the challenge to collect funds for the tsunami relief efforts. The classes collected $2,250 during their campaign and plan to donate the funds to the Red Cross.

M1 Emmanuel Minja and M2 Avni Shah organized the fundraiser.

"This was such a humbling tragedy and in a profession where we are supposed to be humanitarians, it seemed like the right thing to do," Shah said. Even though so many countries and private citizens have donated so much, there is still a need for medicine and proper drinking water amongst the survivors. Without the proper medical care, the death toll could end up even more than what the tsunami itself caused."

Temple of Doom - Not So Scary After All

The Class of 2006 welcomed the Class of 2007 to Temple and Scott & White for the Temple of Doom Friday and Saturday, Jan. 21-22. The classes had dinner together, followed by a slideshow and skits by the M3s on Friday evening. The second-years gathered Saturday morning at Scott & White's Mayborn Auditorium to receive information on housing and insider tips on living in Temple. Five M3s then served as a student panel and fielded questions from the M2s about life as a third-year student, answering inquiries about what a typical day is like, rotations, shelf exams, etc. Temple of Doom concluded with brief tours of the hospital and a residency fair.

M3 students Julie Faust and Maitriyi Jokhu planned this year's event, designed to show the M2 students what life will be like the next year.

"Temple of Doom is often the first time the M2s have been to Temple since they were accepted to the school, so they are reacquainted with the campus and get to reconnect with friends in the class ahead of them," Faust said. "At this point mid-way through second year, you begin to get really burnt out with studying. You have Step 1 looming in the near future and you really feel like the studying is never going to end, so Temple of Doom shows you as an M2 how different your third and fourth year of med school will be."

The event gives second-year students an inside look into what the next few years of their lives will be like. For Faust, hosting the M2s meant telling them what they have to look forward to, even the tough times.

"The best thing about transitioning to Temple is finally seeing patients on a daily basis and getting to feel like part of the health care team," Faust said. "Coming to Temple feels like you are "over the hump" and graduation is just around the corner. The toughest part has to be the first day of your first rotation when you really feel like you don't know anything and you are sent to the ER to work up a patient alone. Luckily, the learning curve is steep and you quickly learn what to do and what is expected of you."

M1s Host Cadaver Memorial Service

The Class of 2008 hosted a Cadaver Memorial Service the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 12 in the lobby of the Reynolds Building. The memorial service is an annual event that allows gross anatomy students to publicly express their appreciation for the individuals who donated their bodies for the educational benefit of physicians-in-training.

Class president Lori Acosta opened this year's ceremony by offering a welcome and introducing Dr. Wayne Sampson, professor in the Human Anatomy and Medical Neurobiology Department and Gross Anatomy Course Coordinator. Dr. Sampson congratulated the students on the completion of the course, and reminded them of the unselfish sacrifice made by the 21 generous individuals they dissected during the semester. The service concluded with a candle lighting ceremony and moment of silence.

The service also garnered some great publicity for the M1 students and the college. Reporters from KBTX Ch. 3, ABC 40 and the Bryan-College Station Eagle were in attendance to film the ceremony, take pictures and interview students and faculty.

Research Development After Hours Workshop a Success!

Office of Research Development hosted "Research Development After Hours - The SBIR/STTR Journey" Wednesday evening, Jan. 12. Attendees included College of Medicine students and faculty, representatives from more than five TAMU colleges and area businessmen. The event began with a cocktail social.

The workshop covered writing and submission of Phase I grant applications for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants. Guest speakers included Jill Dickman of UT-San Antonio and Dr. Oliver Murphy of LynnTech, Inc. Ms. Dickman's presentation included the history of the SBIR program, SBIR objectives and the participating federal agencies. Dr. Murphy presented the steps necessary to write a competitive proposal. Copies of these presentations are available by emailing Brenda Long at bklong@medicine.tamhsc.edu.

Two workshops remain in the "Research Development After Hours" series. The workshop planned for Wednesday, March 9 will cover intellectual property protection. An afternoon workshop will be hosted Wednesday, May 18 and will include several speakers on the subjects of research and commercialization.

Watch for details in the next Dean's E-Newsletter.

National Patient Safety Awareness Week

The Rural and Community Health Institute (RCHI) at the Health Science Center is sponsoring an event for College of Medicine faculty, staff and students in conjunction with National Patient Safety Awareness Week. Dr. Josie R. Williams will give a presentation entitled "Health Literacy" Monday, March 7 from 12-1 p.m. in Lecture Hall 1. Dr. Williams' lecture will focus on how health care professionals can help their patients better understand medical language and topics. Faculty and staff may receive CME credits for attending this session.

RCHI will be providing pizza for this event, so an RSVP is requested before Monday, February 28. RSVP to Dr. Ralitsa Akins at 458-7244 or email RAkins@tamhsc.edu.

For more information about the National Patient Safety Foundation, visit www.npsf.org for current information on National Patient Safety Awareness Week.

Monica Ocon Named COM Employee of the Month

Monica Ocon, Accounting Assistant III in the Medical Microbiology and Immunology department, has been named the Employee of the Month for January. Monica has been employed in MMIM for more than 3 ½ years. Her responsibilities include accounting for all grants in the department.

The department faculty rely heavily on Monica to assist them with grant management. She is an outstanding employee with excellent organizational and accounting skills and is very deserving of this honor.

Winners of the Employee of the Month honor receive a congratulatory letter, a reserved parking space for the month and a free portrait package from HSC Communications.

On the Road Again

Dr. Colenda will be touring A&M clubs in major metropolitan areas around the state this spring to raise awareness about the College of Medicine. He plans to attend the clubs' regular scheduled luncheons, serving as guest speaker. In addition to regular club attendees, we will be contacting College of Medicine alums and Aggie doctors in the area encouraging them to attend as well.

The tour schedule is as follows:

March 21 - Houston A&M Club
April 4 - San Antonio A&M Club
April 8 - Dallas A&M Club
April 25 - Austin (Capitol City) A&M Club

OFFICE OF EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

USMLE Step 2 Student Forum

The Office of Educational Development (OED) and Office of Student Affairs will be putting on a student forum for the third year students on February 22 in Temple. The purpose of the forum is to provide information to assist the students in their preparation for Step 2 of the USMLE. Student Affairs will present the results of a survey of fourth year students who took the exam last summer and discuss the past College of Medicine performance on the exam. A panel of fourth year students will also share with the attendees their experiences in preparing for and taking the exam. The deadline for third year students to RSVP for this event is February 17. RSVP by calling Pam Wilson at 254-724-6190 or e-mail at pwilson@swmail.sw.org.

OED Exam Question Item Writing Workshop

The OED has developed an Exam Question Item Writing Workshop based on the faculty development workshop that was presented last fall by representatives of the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). This OED workshop was recently presented to one of the Basic Science departments at one of their faculty meetings. Any other departments or course faculty interested in having the OED present this workshop to their faculty should contact the OED.

Audio Seminar Series on "Learner Centered Education"

The International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) will be offering a webcast audio seminar series on "Learner Centered Education." These types of programs are offered on a regular basis by this organization and provide valuable and useful information on various topics in medical education. This particular series consists of one-hour presentations on the following topics and dates: March 8 th - "Learning Theories," March 22nd - "Learning Portfolios," April 5th - "Learning Styles," April 21st - Analyzing Learners and Learning Context," May 3rd - "Concept Mapping as a Student Learning Tool" and May 17th - "Student-Centered Academic Counseling." All of the presentations are at 11 a.m. (CST). The OED will be subscribing to this series as an institutional group meaning that any interested faculty may have access to attend any of these programs. Please contact the OED for more information.

CurrMIT Update

The Office of Educational Development (OED) is launching an initiative to "load" the College of Medicine curriculum on the AAMC's electronic curriculum database, CurrMIT (Curriculum Management and Information Tool). This will allow internal or external searching of our curriculum; and facilitate educational research, preparation of periodic LCME/AAMC surveys, and curriculum planning. Course, block, and clerkship directors will be contacted by OED soon to arrange orientation to the system and develop plans for data entry. Questions should be directed to Darcy Tammen (979-845-5315) in College Station or Jane Tonn-Bessent (254-724-6806) in Temple.

Undergraduate Medical Education

New Student Education Director at Driscoll

Dr. William Allen, Professor of Pediatrics, has been appointed Director of Medical Student Education at Driscoll Hospital in Corpus Christi. Dr. Allen will provide administrative oversight for the College of Medicine Student Education Programs at Driscoll, including the required Year III Pediatric Clerkship for students assigned to Driscoll and Year IV Electives. Ms. Denise Quintana will serve as Program Coordinator for College of Medicine Educational Programs.

Rural Track Family Medicine Clerkship Update

MS3 Brett Chamberlin has recently completed his required 6-week Family Medicine Clerkship in Beeville, Texas, as our first student in the Rural Track Pilot Program. Brett was supervised by Dr. Grady Hogue during his clerkship and was provided housing and other logistical support by Christus-Spohn Hospital in Beeville. Several more third year students are scheduled to complete their Family Medicine Clerkships in Beeville during the remainder of the academic year under the tutelage of Drs. Hogue, Joseph Larakers and Francisco Calica.

RESEARCH

Cardiovascular Research Institute

Dr. Basabi Rana received a grant from the Veterans Administration for "Regulation of Hepatocyte Growth by PPARgamma" in the amount of $100,000 for the time period 10/04-09/06. Dr. Rana also received $40,000 from Scott & White for "Molecular Mechanisms Regulating the Cross-talk Between PPARy and B-catenin" for the time period 12/04-12/05.

Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Dr. Gregg Wells (PI) received an NIH/Cutting edge basic research award for "Bacterial proteins in the nicotinic/GABA receptor family" and a grant from Philip Morris for "Essential amino acid residues of the extracellular domain of nicotinic receptors."

Dr. Lori Bernstein (PI) received a grant from the Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation for "Two New AP-1 transrepressors that bind AP-1 DNA."

Dr. Kayla Bayless (PI) received an American Heart Association (National)- Scientist Development Grant for "The effects of TIMP-3 and TGF-beta on metalloproteinase-mediated 3-D capillary network formation and stabilization."

Dr. George Davis (PI) received the following NIH grants: NIH-R01 (renewal) with Dr. Van Wilson, collaborating investigator, for "Genes regulating capillary morphogenesis and apoptosis"; NIH-R21 for "Function of CMG-2, an anthrax toxin receptor"; and NIH-R01 for "Pericyte proteinase inhibitors and EC tube stabilization" with Dr. Michael Davis, collaborating investigator.

FACULTY

Medical Microbiology and Immunology

Dr. McMurray attended the 40th Annual Meeting of the US-Japan Tuberculosis and Leprosy Panel of the US-Japan Cooperative Medical Sciences Program in Kyoto, Japan, from 3-11 December. He is currently Chair of the US Panel, and represented the Panel during a program review by the governing Council of Delegates in Tokyo from 5-6 December. He presented an invited paper entitled "Recombinant guinea pig cytokines alter the cellular response to virulent mycobacteria."

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Cardiovascular Research Institute

Palm-Leis A, Singh US, Herbelin BS, Olsovsky GG, Baker KM, and Pan J. Mitogen-activated protein kinases and mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatases mediate the inhibitory effects of all-trans retinoic acid on the hypertrophic growth of cardiomyocytes. J. Biol. Chem., Oct 2004; 10.1074/jbc.M407383200.

Booz GW. Putting the Brakes on Cardiac Hypertrophy: Exploiting the Intrinsic NO-cGMP Counter-Regulatory System. Hypertension (In Press).

Pan J, Yu-Lin K, Joshi S, Jeetendran S, DiPette D and Singh US. Activation of Rac1 by Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase in vivo: Role in Activation of MAP kinase Pathways and Retinoic Acid-Induced Neuronal Differentiation of SH-SY5Y cells. J of Neurochemistry, In Press 2004.

Singh US and Pan J. Transglutaminase and cell survival signaling. Mehta K and Eckert R (eds): Transglutaminases: Family of enzymes with diverse functions. Prog Exp Tum Res, Basel, Karger 2005, vol 38, pp 75-88.

Medical Microbiology and Immunology

Ma DWL, Seo J, Switzer KC, Fan Y-Y, McMurray DN , Lupton JR, Chapkin RS. 2004. N-3 PUFA and membrane microdomains: a new frontier in bioactive lipid research. J Nutr Biochem 15: 700-706.

Skwor TA, Cho H, Cassidy C, Yoshimura T, McMurray DN . 2004. Recombinant guinea pig CCL5 (RANTES) differentially modulates cytokine production in alveolar and peritoneal macrophages. J Leuk Biol 76: 1229-1239.

Rosas-Acosta G, Langereis MA, Deyrieux A, Wilson VG. 2004. Proteins of the Pias Family Enhance the Sumoylation of the Papillomavirus E1 Protein. Virology 331 :190-203.

Harrison LM, van den Hoogen C, van Haaften WCE, and Tesh, VL (2005) Chemokine expression in the monocytic cell line THP-1 in response to purified Shiga toxin 1 and/or lipopolysaccharides. Infection and Immunity 73 :403-412.

Medical Pharmacology and Toxicology

Huang LZ, Trzeciakowski JP, Winzer-Serhan UH. (2005) Neonatal rat pups as a model to study the effects of nicotine during a period corresponding to the third human trimester. Soc. Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, Rapid Response Abstr.

Neernman MF, Umaili AP, Chen H-T, Waghela SD, Parrish AR , Simanek EE. (2005) Biological evaluation of dendrimers based on melamine. Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology , in press.

Medical Physiology

Amerini S, Ziche M, Greiner ST, Zawieja DC. Effects of substance P on mesenteric lymphatic contractility in the rat. Lymph Res and Biol 2(1): 2-10, 2004.

Breslin JW, Yuan SY. Involvement of RhoA and Rho in kinase in neutrophil-stimulated endothelial hyperpermeability. Am J Physiol: Heart and Circ Physiol 287: H381-H389, 2004.

Gaffin RD, Tong CW, Zawieja DC, Hewett TE, Klevitsky R, Robbins J, and Muthuchamy M. Charged residue alterations in the inner-core domain and carboxy-terminus of alpha-tropomyosin differentially affect mouse cardiac muscle contractility. J Physiol 561: 777-791, 2004.

Gashev AA, Davis MJ, Delp MD, and Zawieja DC. Regional variations of contractile activity in isolated rat lymphatics. Microcirculation 11: 477-492, 2004.

Meininger CJ, Cai S, Parker JL, Channon KM, Kelly KA, Becker EJ, Wood MK, Wade LA, Wu G. GTP cyclohydrolase I gene transfer reverses tetrahydrobiopterin deficiency and increases nitric oxide synthesis in endothelial cells and isolated vessels from diabetic rats. FASEB J 18(15): 1990-2, 2004. Epub 2004 Dec.

Na S, Sun Z, Meininger GA and Humphrey JD. On atomic force microscopy and the constitutive behavior of living cells. Biomech and Modeling Mechanobiol 3:75-84, 2004.

Rojas JD, Sennoune SR, Martinez GM, Bakunts K, Meininger CJ, Wu G, Wesson DE, Seftor EA, Hendrix MJ, Martinez-Zaguilan R. Plasmalemmal vacuolar H + -ATPase is decreased in microvascular endothelial cells from a diabetic model. J Cell Physiol 201(2): 190-200, 2004.

Shi W, Meininger CJ, Haynes TE, Hatakeyama K, Wu G. Regulation of tetrahydrobiopterin synthesis and bioavailability in endothelial cells. Cell Biochem Biophys 41(3): 415-34, 2004.

Tinsley JH, Teasdale NR, Yuan SY. Involvement of PKC and PKD in pulmonary microvascular endothelial cell hyperpermeability. Am J Physiol: Cell Physiol 286: C105-C111, 2004.

Tinsley JH, Teasdale NR, Yuan SY. Myosin light chain phosphorylation and pulmonary endothelial cell hyperpermeability in burns. Am J Physiol: Lung, Cell and Mol Physiol 286: L841-L847, 2004.

von der Weid PY and Zawieja DC. Lymphatic smooth muscle: the motor unit of lymph drainage. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 36: 1147-1153, 2004.

Wu G, Bazer FW, Cudd TA, Meininger CJ, Spencer TE. Maternal nutrition and fetal development. J Nutr 134: 2169-2172, 2004.

Dates to Remember

• February 3 - Mini-Medical School: Session 2 with Dr. Roy Smythe, 6 p.m.

• February 5 - Health Circus, Caldwell Middle School Cafeteria; 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

• February 10 - Mini-Medical School: Session 3 with Dr. Farida Sohrabji, 6 p.m.

• March 9 - Research Development After Hours workshop

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