We have a busy month ahead in the Dean’s Office as I prepare for a couple of key events. I will be traveling to A&M Club meetings around the state during March and April. This is a great opportunity to tell the story of the College of Medicine to the Aggie family, and I am looking forward to sharing our story with them.

Also, on March 30 we have the inaugural meeting of the Dean’s Leadership Council. This group has been brought together to provide advice and guidance to the college from the perspectives of stewardship, development and strategic positioning. They will be on campus all day to learn about the college and meet faculty, students and staff.

First Annual Dean’s Golf Tournament

The First Annual Dean’s Tournament, “Shootout in the Brazos Valley," is planned for Saturday, May 14. College of Medicine students and faculty are invited to participate in the tournament, which will be held at the Texas A&M University golf course. The tournament format will be a multi-flight, four person scramble, with teams made up of two students and two faculty members. Registration begins at 7 a.m., followed by the rules explanation at 7:45 a.m. and an 8 a.m. shotgun start. Prizes will be awarded for the top three teams in each flight, the last place team, longest drive, longest putt and closest to the hole. Each participant will also receive a goodie bag. An awards ceremony and lunch will follow the conclusion of play. And the best news is...there are no entry fees for students or faculty! But space is limited to 25 teams, so please RSVP by Friday, April 1 to Tom Pool at twpool@medicine.tamhsc.edu or 979-862-3992.

Research Development After Hours Workshop

The Office of Research invites all faculty, post docs and grad students to participate in this month’s Research Development After Hours workshop, “Protecting Your Intellectual Property.” The guest speakers will be patent attorneys, Edwin Flores, Ph.D., J.D. of Chalker Flores, LLP from Dallas and Jeffrey Harder of WINSTEAD from The Woodlands. The seminar will be held Wednesday, March 9 in the Reynolds Medical Building. A cocktail/networking reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the lobby and the program will begin at 6 p.m. in Room 162. Please RSVP by e-mailing bklong@medicine.tamhsc.edu or call 862-3993.

Health Circus Heads to Hearne

Medical school students from the College of Medicine are hosting the Health Circus Saturday, March 5 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Mary’s Parish Hall in Hearne. The Health Circus offers free health education and services to local residents, but also entertains participants with face painting, balloon animals, popcorn, games, a moonwalk and door prizes. In addition to the normal festivities, students have 100 children’s bicycle helmets to give away at the Hearne event as part of the Hard Hats for Little Heads program. The giveaway is funded by Health Circus and the Texas Medical Association Foundation (TMAF). Health Circus had a successful visit to Hearne last year, with more than 80 attendees. Twelve children received 49 immunization shots and 39 children were given healthy child screenings. More than             40 families and 45 children attended presentations by Early Childhood Intervention and Stand Tall Against Tobacco (STAT), respectively. The next Health Circus will be held in Navasota in April.

Round the Wards

The medical school match took place February 1, giving the College of Medicine an initial list of students that will be the Class of 2009. Round the Wards, an annual event designed to reaffirm the decision of the students to attend our college, was held Friday, February 25 at Scott & White in Temple. The purpose of Round the Wards is to inspire and motivate our incoming class, as well as impress them with the quality of our students, faculty and clinical facilities. Following a continental breakfast at the Scott & White Medical Education Building, 57 prospective students shadowed our current M3 and M4 students and staff physicians at the Scott & White and VA facilities. The day concluded with a celebratory luncheon held in honor of the Class of 2009 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Temple. The luncheon’s keynote speaker was Dr. Rebecca Riser, MD, a 1999 College of Medicine graduate, pediatrician at Scott & White and an assistant professor for the college. Dr. Riser told the group of prospective students that the College of Medicine is an excellent place to study medicine because it is a “nurturing, dedicated and well-rounded place.” Thanks to the Office of Admissions for organizing this excellent event and we look forward to meeting our entire incoming class at the White Coat Ceremony this summer!

Dr. John Quarles Elected Councilor of AMSMIC

Dr. John Quarles, professor and head of the Medical Microbiology and Immunology department, was recently elected as the Councilor of the Association of Medical School Microbiology and Immunology Chairs (AMSMIC). Quarles was selected by his fellow chairs to serve in the capacity for a three-year term.

The AMSMIC is an AAMC-sponsored organization, composed of microbiology and immunology department heads from medical schools all over the United States and Canada. AMSMIC’s purpose is to promote, advance and support the educational and scientific purposes of the field of microbiology and immunology, and to provide a forum for communication among chairpersons of Departments of Microbiology and Immunology or equivalent organizational units responsible for teaching medical students.

Dr. Art Johnson Elected AAAS Fellow

Dr. Arthur E. Johnson, E. L. Wehner-Welch Foundation Chair in Chemistry at the College of Medicine, was recently recognized for his election as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The AAAS honored 308 members in 23 section affiliations, ranging from astronomy and linguistics to mathematics and psychology. Dr. Johnson was recognized for his contributions to science in the area of chemistry.

The AAAS Council elected the 2004 fellows last September, and honored them February 19 at the Fellows Forum during the AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. The new fellows received a certificate and a blue and gold rosette pin as a symbol of their distinguished accomplishments. Raymond L. Orbach, director of the Office of Science at the U.S. Department of Energy, was the speaker.

An international non-profit organization, the AAAS was founded in 1848 and serves 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, encompassing 10 million people. The AAAS is dedicated to the worldwide advancement of science and publishes the journal Science, scientific newsletters, books and reports, in addition to serving as an educator, leader, spokesperson and active professional organization.

Undergraduate Medical Academy Update

In the fall of 2004, an Undergraduate Medical Academy on the Prairie View A&M University campus was created through a partnership between the College of Medicine, the Texas A&M Health Science Center and Prairie View A&M. The academy, which welcomed 18 students in its inaugural year, serves to recruit and train the next generation of medical professionals by offering unique opportunities for undergraduate students. This summer, 15 academy students will be working side-by-side with faculty and researchers to get hands-on experience in the health care industry - 12 at the College of Medicine, one at the School of Rural Public Health, one at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and one at the Baylor College of Dentistry.

College of Medicine faculty are highly involved in the program, acting as instructors and advisors, and work with the students to help them prepare for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). During the first academic year, College of Medicine faculty have been meeting with Undergraduate Medical Academy students on the Prairie View campus. Every other Wednesday, a different faculty member gives the students a presentation on topics such as current research, clinical experiences and the medical field.

Mini-Medical School Graduates Inaugural Class

The College of Medicine welcomed Bryan-College Station residents to campus for the 2005 Mini-Medical School during January and February. Mini-Medical “students” attended informative lectures given by College of Medicine faculty members Dr. Don DiPette, Dr. Roy Smythe and Dr. Farida Sohrabji.

Dr. DiPette kicked off the program with “Hypertension: The Heart’s Silent Enemy” and a discussion about the dangers of hypertension and methods of treatment. Dr. Roy Smythe lectured to attendees about current cancer research in “Cancer: When Good Cells Go Bad." Dr. Sohrabji concluded the Mini-Medical School with a talk entitled “Hormones: To Replace or Not to Replace," which discussed the benefits, pitfalls and current research on menopause, estrogen and hormone replacement therapy.

Students who attended at least two of the three sessions were presented with a certificate of achievement at a graduation ceremony on the last night of the Mini-Medical School. This year’s event drew more than 100 attendees to all three sessions, and organizers are looking forward to broadening the scope of this community outreach opportunity at next year’s event.

Joey Dale Named COM Employee of the Month

Joey Dale, lead office associate in the Office of Business Affairs, has been named the Employee of the Month for March. Since being hired in May 2002, Joey has taken on increasingly more responsibility in her role. In addition to acting as the main office assistant, she also handles inventory for the Dean’s Office, accounting for several accounts, international graduate student processing and some payroll.

According to her co-workers, Joey is not only a quick learner who always produces top-quality work, but is also enthusiastic and helps to promote teamwork in the office. She creates a welcoming atmosphere and provides excellent and sincere customer service.

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.

RESEARCH

Medical Microbiology and Immunology

Dr. David McMurray received a Notice of Award from NIH for the next five years (Yrs 23-27) of funding for his R01 grant (R01 AI15495), entitled "Dietary deficiencies and tuberculosis vaccine efficacy.” The total award (direct plus indirect) is $1,455,000. The new funding period begins on 1 February.

Dr. David McMurray received a Notice of Award from the Research Foundation for a project funded by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Tokyo. The project, entitled "Pre-clinical evaluation of novel tuberculosis vaccine candidates," is a collaborative effort with Dr. Saburo Yamamoto. The one-year award consists of $56,354.

FACULTY

Medical Biochemistry and Genetics

Dr. Allison Rice-Ficht, director of The Center for Microencapsulation and Drug Delivery, organized and presented “Advances in Controlled Release and Drug Delivery Technologies” October 27-28, 2004.

The conference was heavily attended, including many representatives of the pharmaceutical and controlled release industry. Five CMDD speakers were featured, including three from Texas A&M University and two members from the University of Texas School of Pharmacy. Members of the Texas/ UK Collaborative Program were also featured.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Medical Biochemistry and Genetics

Alston RW, Scholtz JM, Reinhart GD, Lasagna M, Urbanikova L, Sevcik J, Pace CN (2004) “Contribution of Single Tryptophan Residues to the Fluorescence and Stability of Ribonuclease Sa” Biophysical Journal, 87, 4036-4047.

Bahukudumbi P, Carson KH, Rice-Ficht AC, Andrews MJ. (2004) On the diameter and size distributions of bovine serum albumin (BSA)-based microspheres. J. Microencapsulation 21, 787-804.

Ficht TA, Adams LG, Khare S, O’Shea B, Rice-Ficht AC. (2004) Global Analysis of the Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis Genome and Model Systems Exploring Host-Agent Interaction. In “Preharvest and Postharvest Food Safety: Contemporary Issues and Future Directions,” Beier RC, Pillai SD, Phillips TD, Ziprin RL (Eds.). Blackwell Publishing, Ames, IA.

Kang CM, Jiang YW. Genome-wide survey of non-essential genes required for slowed DNA synthesis-induced filamentous growth in yeast. Yeast. 2005 Jan 30; 22(2):79-90.

Khare S, Ficht TA, Santos RL, Romano J, Rice-Ficht AC, Zhang S, Grant IR, Libal M, Hunter D, Adams LG. (2004) Rapid and Sensitive Detection of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in bovine milk and feces and naturally/experimentally infected American Bison fecal samples by an immunomagnetic PCR. J. Clin. Micro. 42, 1075-1081.

O’Shea B, Khare S, Bliss K, Klein P, Ficht TA, Adams LG, Rice-Ficht AC. (2004) Genotyping and Characterization of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis Using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism. J. Clin. Micro. 42, 3600-3606.

Sridharan S, Razvi A, Scholtz JM, Sacchettini JC. (2005) “The HPr Proteins from the Thermophile Bacillus stearotherophilus Can Form Domain-swapped Dimers” Journal of Molecular Biology, 346, 919-931.

Thurlkill RL, Cross DA, Scholtz JM, Pace CN. (2005) “The pKa of Fentanyl Varies with Temperature: Implications for Acid-base Management During Extremes of Body Temperature.”

Medical Microbiology and Immunology

Ly LH, Smith R, Chapkin RS, McMurray DN. (2004) Dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids suppress splenic CD4+ T cell function in Interleukin (IL)-10-/- mice. Clin Exp Immunol 139: 202-209.

Dates to Remember

• March 5 - Health Circus, St. Mary’s Parish Hall in Hearne, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

• March 9 - Research Development After Hours workshop, Reynolds Building, 5:30 p.m.

• March 17 - Match Day

• March 30 - Dean’s Leadership Council, 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

• April 1 - Cadaver Ball

• May 14 - First Annual Dean’s Golf Tournament, Texas A&M University Golf Course, 7 a.m.

• May 18 - Research Commercialization Workshop, Reynolds Building, 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.

• May 21 - College of Medicine Commencement

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