We've had an interesting couple of weeks, and I would like to thank everyone for their cooperation and understanding during this time of uncertainty. I especially want to thank George Martin and Bill Bertrand for their work during Hurricane Rita. They stayed in the building during the entire weekend to ensure that any potential system failures would be promptly addressed. I appreciate their hard work and dedication!

I was also very proud of our faculty and students during Hurricane Rita. Many of them worked at the Vet School hospital, as well as other shelters/infirmaries around town. They were very helpful and provided much needed assistance to local medical personnel. Our student volunteers represented thse college very well and should be commended for their efforts. Also, I want to thank Curt Gulde and his IT staff for being so prompt in setting up a "Hurricane Rita Update Center" for our website. This was very useful and made information dissemination to college employees much more efficient.

Tulane Medical Student Update: We continue to work with officials from Tulane to accommodate their medical students. We have accepted 10 third-year and two fourth-year students from Tulane. They are all located on our Temple campus where they will be completing their clinical rotations.

Basic Science Department Realignment Update: We held a Town Hall meeting September 14 to present some of the issues related to realignment and the Academic Council will hold a special meeting Wednesday, October 5 to endorse the realignment. In the meantime, we have updated some of the basic science websites to reflect the new departments, and we have a faculty recruitment ad in Science magazine to recruit faculty for the new departments. Our next step is to have faculty choose their department home.

COM Rated Top 10 Medical School for Hispanics by Hispanic Business Magazine

College of Medicine at the Texas A&M Health Science Center has been named one of the top 10 medical schools in the United States for Hispanics by Hispanic Business Magazine. Ranked number four on the list, the A&M College of Medicine is noted for its commitment to diversity within the student body.

"We are deeply honored to be recognized by Hispanic Business as one of the top medical schools in the country for Hispanics," Dr. Christopher Colenda, Dean of the A&M College of Medicine, said. "This recognition is a testament to our wonderful faculty and staff, as well as to our students, who practice the values of the college every day. The college offers a highly personalized educational experience reflecting our diverse backgrounds, and it is wonderful to be recognized for that."

For the full story, visit: http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/communications/index.html#news054005

Development Update

Tom Pool, Director of Institutional Advancement, is announcing that Dr. Colenda has generously made a $26,000 payroll deduction pledge to endow the Christopher C. Colenda, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund, in honor of his late father. The endowed gift marks the first of its kind given by a sitting dean of the college.

"Leadership gifts like Dr. Colenda's demonstrate an internal investment into our institution," says Pool. "We are grateful for his generosity."

Dr. Colenda's endowment pledge will be credited to a scholarship campaign currently in the planning stages by the Office of Institutional Advancement.

In August, the Office of Institutional Advancement launched an Annual Appeal Campaign. All current and former students of the college were invited to participate in the campaign at suggested giving levels. The levels are:

Active $50.00 - $99.99

Bronze $100.00 - $249.99

Silver $250.00 - $499.99

Gold $500.00 - $999.99

Platinum $1000.00 +


In addition, faculty and staff will now be able to give to the college's Annual Appeal Campaign through payroll deduction. To participate, visit http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/institutional-advancement/donors/ways.html under "Employee Giving." Print and fill out the payroll deduction form, designating "Annual Campaign Unrestricted Fund."

All faculty and staff will soon receive an email with further details about the Annual Appeal Campaign. In the meantime, contact Tom Pool at 979-845-3431 or by email at development@medicine.tamhsc.edu with any questions.

COM Joins Alliance to Assist Tulane Medical School in Katrina Aftermath

Tulane University School of Medicine officials have been meeting with Houston-area medical school leaders to coordinate a plan for setting up temporary quarters for the New Orleans school displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The Alliance of South Texas Academic Health Centers was formed as a single entity to work with Tulane officials in offering support for the school's needs in education, training and research.

Alliance members are Baylor College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

Tulane officials have been briefed by alliance members on what facilities and services they can offer to the medical school, and Tulane has outlined its immediate needs in arranging for the education of medical students, training of residents and continuation of research programs.

For the full story, visit: http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/communications/index.html#news053705

College of Medicine Hurricane Relief Efforts

In response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, students, faculty and staff at the College of Medicine have reached out to evacuees, with efforts ranging from playing with evacuee children to offering opportunities for Tulane students to continue their medical education. The following information briefly outlines efforts at the College of Medicine:

First and second-year medical students held a Health Circus, spent time with evacuee children, gave immunizations, conducted health screenings and helped evacuees fill out their electronic health records. In addition, they volunteered at the special needs shelter set up at the A&M Vet School, as well as shelters all over the Bryan-College Station community.

Wanda Watson, director of recruitment and special programs, coordinated collection of items for Katrina evacuees in the local area shelters. She and other College of Medicine staff and students delivered carloads of food, clothing, books, toys, diapers, toiletries, sleeping bags, blankets and cash to local shelters. According to Ms. Watson, "the response has been phenomenal and everyone has been so generous."

The Microbiology and Immunology Department collected gift cards to distribute to evacuees.

College dean, Dr. Christopher C. Colenda held an in-service session Saturday, September 3 for local nurses on "Understanding the impact of the Katrina crisis on mental health", and also hosted a session Wednesday, September 7 for medical students and A&M undergraduate students on "Working with Evacuees from Katrina." He also held a post-hurricane debriefing session at the college for faculty and students that volunteered with evacuees.

German Fulbright Scholar to Study at College of Medicine

Fulbright scholar Moritz Bolle arrived in College Station August 14 and was surprised at what he encountered. The German student had pictured his new community and campus with a small, rural atmosphere. He'd heard about Texas before-

"I expected to spend the next year in a very small community and figured the campus probably had 5,000 students. According to the most European understanding, I also thought everybody in Texas would be conservative and Republican," Bolle laughs. "But I was pleasantly surprised. College Station is far bigger and livelier than I expected, and the campus is about the size of the university I attended."

For the full story, visit: http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/communications/index.html#news053505

CTVHCS Joins AAMC's Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems

As one of the original partners in the formation of the College of Medicine at the Texas A&M Health Science Center, the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System (CTVHCS) has been a major player in the education of medical students for almost 30 years. Now, the CTVHCS has joined the Association of American Medical College's (AAMC) Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems (COTH).

Composed of approximately 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems including 64 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, the COTH was established in 1965 to provide representation and services related to the special needs, concerns and opportunities facing these institutions in the United States and Canada. It serves as the principal source of hospital and health system input into overall AAMC policy and direction.

For the full story, visit: http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/communications/index.html#news092905

Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Antonio (Tony) Hernandez

We recently caught up with Dr. Tony Hernandez, Class of 2001, at his office in Mansfield and asked a few questions about what he's been up to since graduating from the College of Medicine. Dr. Hernandez just finished his OB/GYN residency at Methodist Hospital in Dallas and has opened his private practice in Mansfield.

For the full story, visit: visit: http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/communications/index.html#news053905

Esteve-Gassent Receives Outstanding Thesis and Dissertation Award

Dr. Loles Esteve-Gassent, a post-doctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Jon Skare, has been awarded the prestigious Outstanding Thesis and Dissertation Award from the University of Valencia, Spain.

Each year, The University of Valencia rewards the best research among the graduate students by offering an Outstanding Thesis and Dissertation Award in different fields within sciences, engineering and humanities, with no more than 20 dissertations awarded per year. Only those students with the highest grades are eligible for such an honor, and the award is based, in part, on the presentation of their thesis, published papers, presentations at National and International meetings, previous awards and the overall impact of their research.

For the full story, visit: http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/communications/index.html#news054105

DEPARTMENT OF HUMANITIES IN MEDICINE

Humanities in Medicine Consultations & Medical Ethics Grand Rounds

The Department of Humanities in Medicine and the Scott & White Hospital Ethics Committee had its first Medicine and Humanities Consultation for the 2005-2006 Academic Year. It was held Monday, September 19, from 1-6 p.m. at the Halley House in Salado. The facilitator for the consultation was Richard M. Zaner, Ph.D., who led an informal discussion on "The Context of Clinical Ethics: Genetics and Prenatal Diagnosis." Dr. Zaner is the A.G. Stahlman Professor Emeritus of Medical Ethics and Philosophy of Medicine at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Dr. Zaner also participated as a lecturer for The Medical Ethics Grand Rounds series hosted by the Department of Humanities in Medicine and sponsored by the Texas Medical Foundation. He presented a one-hour lecture Monday, September 19 at Scott & White's Sid Richardson Auditorium in Temple. On Tuesday, September 20, he presented a one-hour lecture at the Reynolds Medical Building on the College of Medicine's College Station campus. Both of Dr. Zaner's lectures were on the topic "The Context of Clinical Ethics: Genetics and Prenatal Diagnosis."

The next Medicine and Humanities Consultation will be held Monday, November 7 with facilitators Gerald G. Jampolsky, M.D., and Diane V. Cirincione, Ph.D. They will be speaking on the topic "The Role of Forgiveness in Healing."

OFFICE OF EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Curriculum Reform

In June, a proposed Curriculum Model was distributed to the Curriculum Committee and Department Heads for dissemination to the faculty and solicitation of feedback. The Curriculum Coordinating Group (CCG) received input from several departments and individual faculty members. On August 30, the CCG met to review comments, concerns, and suggestions. Most of the concerns expressed centered on the following areas:

1. Course Sequence - "need normal before abnormal," "need a foundation in anatomy, histology, and physiology first"

2. Faculty - "much faculty development and cooperation will be needed for implementation"

3. Control - "disengagement of departments and faculty"

4. Student Issues - timing of and study time for the USMLE Step I exam ("too late"), timing of move to the clinical campus ("out of sync with the reality of the housing situation in College Station [leases, etc.], problems for students with kids in school, etc")

5. Content - compression of some traditional subject matter and expansion of others, excessive Phase III (current Yr IV) requirements

Based on the input received, the CCG is in the process of incorporating suggestions in order to produce a "Version 2" of the Curriculum Model for wide dissemination to the faculty. The ultimate goal is to have a final model for presentation to the Academic Council in early 2006. Implementation will likely be "phased in" over several years thereafter.

Faculty Needs Assessment

In early October, the Office of Education Development will send all faculty a faculty needs assessment questionnaire. Zoomerang is the software that will be used for the faculty needs assessment. Zoomerang online surveys offer a cost-effective way to gather information, improves ease of responding for faculty and gives immediate results. The results of the faculty needs assessment will be used to plan faculty development workshops.

Medical Education Webcase Seminars

The International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) is presenting a series of webcast audio seminars on "Innovation and Technology in the Learning Environment." All College of Medicine faculty are invited and encouraged to attend. The IAMSE seminars are an excellent means of increasing faculty awareness of important issues and developments in healthcare education. This particular series consists of the following seminars presented on these dates:

Thursday, October 6th, 12:00 pm: Beyond Anatomy as a Discipline

Thursday, October 13th, 12:00 pm: Design of Learning Spaces

Thursday, October 20th, 12:00 pm: Integrating the Use of Simulators

Thursday, October 27th, 12:00 pm: Student E-Portfolios for Independent and Group Projects

Thursday, November 10th, 12:00 pm: The Virtual Practicum: "Advanced multimedia" for comprehensive clinical education

All of these seminars will be presented at both College Station and Temple. Room locations will be announced prior to each seminar.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Medical Microbiology and Immunology

Lee, S.Y., Cherla, R.P., Caliskan, I., Tesh, V.L. Shiga toxin 1 induces apoptosis in the human myelogenous leukemia cell line THP-1 by a caspase 8-dependent, tumor necrosis factor receptor-independent mechanism. Infect. Immun 73 :5115-5126 (2005).

Pharmacology and Toxicology

Huang, L.Z. and Winzer-Serhan, U.H. "Effects of paraformaldehyde fixation on nicotinic acetylcholine receptor binding in adult and developing rat brain sections." Journal of Neuroscience Methods.

Zimmer, W.E., Stanfel, M.N., Moses, K.A., Chi, X., Takamoto, N., Dean, D.A. and Schwartz, R.J. "The bagpipe homolog Nkx3.2 is an important factor in the specification of bone and intestinal tract mesoderm." Mech Dev 122, S64, 2005.

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Murman D.L., Colenda C.C. "Economic impact of behavioural symptoms associated with Alzheimer's disease: Can drugs ease the burden?" Pharmacoeconomics. 23(3): 227-242, 2005.

Colenda C.C., Wilk J.E., West J.C. "The Geriatric Psychiatry Workforce in 2002: Analysis from the 2002 National Survey of Psychiatric Practice." American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 13: 756-765, 2005.


Dates to Remember

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

• October 7-9: 2005 Student National Medical Association Region III Conference, Scott & White in Temple

• October 21-22: Parent's Weekend

• October 27-28: First Annual CVRI Research Retreat, Scott & White in Temple

• November 4-9: AAMC Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.

• November 21: Harvest Luncheon, Reynolds Medical Building lobby; 11:30 a.m. ¡§C 1:30 p.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