We received the exciting news this summer that the Texas Enterprise Fund awarded $50 million for the creation of the Texas Institute for Genomic Medicine, founded by the Institute of Biosciences and Technology (IBT), Texas A&M University and Lexicon Genetics Incorporated. The Institute, which is expected to add 5,000 jobs to the state, is designed to pioneer the development of life-changing medical innovation, accelerate the pace of medical discoveries and foster the development of the biotechnology industry in Texas.

Lexicon will create a comprehensive knockout mouse embryonic stem cell library for the Institute containing 350,000 cell lines. One copy of the library will be housed in remodeled facilities at IBT in Houston and another copy will be located at a new research and commercialization facility to be built in College Station. When complete, the new library is expected to be the world’s largest collection of mouse embryonic stem cells. Our own Dr. Zimmer will be working on the project.

In other news, the Dean’s Leadership Council met August 25 in Temple and was introduced to the clinical side of our medical school. The council was also presented with information regarding the function and structure of an academic medical center. Several of the clinical chairs presented at the meeting to give the council members a broad perspective of the importance of clinical training and translational research. I believe it was a very productive meeting.

The latest word from Austin is that with the failure of the legislature to reach an accord over school financing, the TRB proposals are dead. All institutions in the state were denied any additional funding for buildings this year. Rumors abound, but what seems to be the best information on the street is that once the state Supreme Court makes a decision on the current school financing case, another special session will be called. But who knows… As a result, I am working with the HSC administration to develop a plan for renovation of the Reynolds building and to build a smaller new building with PUF money. Stay tuned…

College Launches Annual Appeal Campaign

The College of Medicine’s Office of Institutional Advancement recently launched an Annual Appeal Campaign and sent a letter with details about the annual fundraiser to all current and former students. Gifts made through the annual fund drive will support a variety of programs, from student scholarships to capital expenses, such as necessary renovations to our education building in College Station.

The five annual sponsorship levels are as follows:

Active $50.00 - $99.99

Bronze $100.00 - $249.99

Silver $250.00 - $499.99

Gold $500.00 - $999.99

Platinum $1000.00 +

Fore more information about the Annual Appeal Campaign, contact Tom Pool at 979-845-3431, or by email at development@medicine.tamhsc.edu.

College of Medicine SNMA Chapter Hosts Regional Conference

The College of Medicine’s chapter of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) is hosting the 2005 SNMA Region III Medical Education Conference, “Building a Legacy: A Temple Without Health Disparities.” The conference will be held October 7-9 at Scott and White Hospital in Temple. This year’s event promises to be one of the most far reaching conferences with the aim of tackling health disparities, one of medicine’s biggest issues.

Students at the College of Medicine recognize the racial and ethnic disparities in the quality, intensity and comprehensiveness of health care. Organizers hope that this conference, through forums, workshops and health initiatives, can provide the medium by which education, research and community partnership come together. The conference will address the underlying causes of health disparities in order to equip future physicians with both the knowledge and confidence to care for increasingly diverse patient populations across the nation.

For more information, contact Kemi Nurudeen at sknurudeen@medicine.tamhsc.edu or 254-771-5955.

Grisel Receives TMLT Memorial Scholarship

Fourth-year College of Medicine student Jedidiah J. Grisel was one of seven Texas medical students to receive the Texas Medical Liability Trust’s (TMLT) 2005 Memorial Scholarships. The TMLT Memorial Scholarships were created to recognize academically gifted Texas medical students who are interested in finding creative ways to enhance patient safety. Applicants were asked to communicate their ideas in a short essay.

The $5,000 scholarships were awarded to one student at each Texas medical school that participated in the competition. Scholarship recipients were chosen based on the student's written essay, academic achievement, and financial need. Winning essays will be published on the TMLT web site and in TMLT's bimonthly newsletter, the Reporter.

Texas Medical Liability Trust is a physician-owned, health care liability claim trust offering medical liability insurance products to Texas physicians. Created in 1979 by Texas Medical Association, TMLT currently protects more than 12,000 doctors in all specialties practicing in all areas of the state.

Couchman Appointed Family and Community Medicine Head

Glen R. Couchman, M.D., associate professor of Family and Community Medicine at College of Medicine, has been named the chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine. Dr. Couchman joined the College of Medicine faculty and the Scott & White staff in 1982. He served as Vice Chairman of the Family and Community Medicine Department from 1997 to 2001 and as Acting Chairman for the past four years. Dr. Couchman has served as the Medical Director for the Scott and White Regional Clinic system since 2001 and was promoted from assistant to associate professor in 2003. He is currently on the Board of Directors for the Scott & White Foundation as one of the Medical Trustees.

A fellow of the American Academy of Family Practice, Dr. Couchman is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine. He continues to have a busy clinical practice in Temple working with students and residents in the clinic and the hospital. His current research activities include the development of a Primary Care Research Network for Texas and a process to improve patient safety by identifying types of miscommunication which lead to medication errors. Dr. Couchman has also researched and published in the area of doctor-patient communication via email.

Dr. Couchman received his B.S. degree from the University of Iowa and earned his M.D. from the University of Iowa College of Medicine. He completed his Family Practice residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and now resides in Belton, Texas with his wife and three children.

Gelderd Named Interim Department Head

John B. Gelderd, Ph.D., professor of Human Anatomy and Medical Neurobiology, has been named the Interim Head of the department, effective August 2005. He has also agreed to serve as the Interim Head of the newly aligned Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics department when the realignment process is implemented. Dr. Gelderd is replacing Dr. James West, who retired after 12 years at the College of Medicine on August 2.

Having served as Associate Department Head for the past 3 years, Dr. Gelderd is also the director for the Medical Neuroscience course. One of his primary duties is to ensure that all the medical student courses offered by the department are current, relevant and presented in a way that provides medical students with a sound foundation of knowledge in preparation for their clinical training.

Dr. Gelderd came to the A&M College of Medicine in 1977. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Florida in 1972.

Katherine Kelly Named COM Employee of the Month

Katherine Kelly, Associate Research Specialist in the Department of Medical Physiology, has been named the Employee of the Month for September. She has worked in the department for 13 years.

According to her co-workers, “Katherine does it all -- research, teaching, mentoring and managing a laboratory. She works all hours and all days of the week. Katherine is determined to make sure an experiment is done the best way that it can be done so that the results are reliable, reproducible and remarkable!

She is the backbone of Dr. Cynthia Meininger's lab -- organizing research and guiding graduate students. In addition, she is an integral part of the success of Methods in Cell Physiology, a hands-on laboratory course for beginning graduate students. Finally, she's an inspiration to all around her -- reminding us that science can be fun!”

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.

Department of Emergency Medicine

Lieutenant Colonel Marco Coppola, DO, FACEP; Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, recently returned from serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Assigned to Camp Bucca, Iraq, Dr. Coppola served as Battalion Surgeon for the 105th Military Police Battalion, the Officer-in-Charge of the Emergency Department of the Security Hospital and as Deputy Commander for Clinical Services. Part of Dr. Coppola's duties included supervising medical care to more than 6,500 Iraqi detainees.

Welcome home, Dr. Coppola!

DEPARTMENT OF HUMANITIES IN MEDICINE

Texas A&M University Gold Humanism Honor Society

The College of Medicine Chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society inducted nine new members August 23 in Temple at the Hilton Garden Inn. The nine new members from the class of 2006 include: Brian Dixon, Hannah Grubb, Brian Harrell, Jonathan Johnson, Deborah Moore, Melissa Reily, Virginia Smith, Leslie Strickland and Mona Zaidi. One new faculty advisor, Craig Borchardt, Ph. D., Adjunct Assistant Professor for the Department of Humanities in Medicine, was also inducted into the society. Faculty members from the Department of Humanities, several clerkship directors and the students’ fellow classmates chose the students that were inducted.

Guest speaker Sandra Gold, Ed. D., Executive Vice President-Board of Trustees for the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, inspired the students by encouraging them to always model and sustain the values of humanism and professionalism no matter where they go. She also encouraged the group to always lead, mentor and inspire others to promote humanism at all levels of healthcare. The Gold Humanism Honor Society’s Purpose and Qualifications are: “The Gold Foundation initiated this national society in medical schools to recognize fourth year medical students who have demonstrated exemplary attitudes and behaviors characteristics of the most humanistic physicians.”

The Black-Zandveld Lecture in the History of Medicine

Dr. S.H. Black, Professor Emeritus of Humanities in Medicine and of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, established the Black-Zandveld Lectureship in the History of Medicine in 1997 as a memorial to his wife of 36 years, Elisabeth Martha Black-Zandveld. The endowment is intended to support the Department of Humanities in Medicine in bringing to the college eminent scholars to speak on various topics related to the history of medicine. It is Dr. Black’s hope that this lecture series will serve both as a fitting tribute to his beloved wife and as a way of enriching the academic environment of the College of Medicine. Dr. Black was greatly honored to deliver the inaugural lecture in this series in 1998.

The eighth annual Black-Zandveld Lectureship was held August 30 with lecturer Paxton H. Howard, Jr., M.D. F.A.C.P. Professor of Internal Medicine at the College of Medicine at Scott & White. Dr. Howard’s lecture was titled “A Brief History of Contemporary Topics in Medical Ethics.” After the lecture there was a panel discussion with four participants: Nancy Dickey, M.D.; Richard DeVaul, M.D.; Charles Sanders, M.D.; Craig Borchardt, Ph.D.

Paxton Howard, Jr. has practiced Internal Medicine at Scott & White since 1969. He has been a faculty member since the founding of the school in 1975 and remains active as a semi-retired physician at Scott & White and a consultant to the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners. Dr. Howard started the Medical History and Medical Ethics Committees at Scott & White and has served on those committees for more than 25 years. He was Interim Department Head for the Department of Humanities in Medicine from 1998 to 1999, continues to maintain an interest in department activities and serves as an important resource of knowledge for the department. It was a great privilege to have Dr. Paxton Howard a guest for the Eighth Annual Black-Zandveld Lecture.

Past speakers were:

1998 -- S. H. Black, Ph.D.; “Colorful Medicine: Plague and Pestilence in History & the Arts”
1999 -- Chester R. Burns, M.D. Ph.D.; “Changing Patterns of Disease & Health Care in the Legacies of the Lone Star State”
2000 -- James R. Schofield, M.D.; “Illness of the Great and Famous: Medical Care and Cover-ups in the White House”
2001 -- Charles S. Bryan, M.D.; “The Oslerian Tradition: Is It Relevant Today?”
2002 -- Robert L. Martensen, M.D., Ph.D.; “Disease as an Historic Force”
2003 -- Edmund D. Pellegrino, M.D.; “The Metamorphosis of Medical Ethics: A Historical Perspective”
2004 -- John L. Montgomery, M.D.; “War and Medicine”

DEPARTMENT OF RADIOLOGY

Debra L. Monticciolo, M.D., professor and Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Radiology and chief of the Section of Breast Imaging, has been invited to serve as a member of the National Mammography Quality Assurance Advisory Committee of the Food and Drug Administration. She is certified by the American Board of Radiology and has been on staff at Scott & White since 2001.

OFFICE OF EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Kimberly van Walsum, Ph.D., M.Ed., LPC, Educational Director of Clinical Simulation in the Office of Education Development, presented a paper entitled "The Relationship and the BodyMind: Core Clinical Components in Integrated Behavioral Health Care" as part of a symposium on Primary Care Psychology in College Health at the American Psychological Association National Convention in Washington, D.C. August 18-21, 2005. The symposium was identified by the president of APA, Ronald Levant, Ph.D. as an exemplar of the 2005 APA initiative promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and integration in health care.

RESEARCH

Dr. Jose Pliego received a grant from Stryker to support the training of minimally invasive surgery for surgical-related specialty residents for the amount of $317,000.

FACULTY

Medical Microbiology and Immunology

Dr. John Quarles participated in a teleconference of the planning committee for the AMSMIC Educational Strategies Workshop for teaching medical microbiology and immunology meeting to be held in Myrtle Beach, SC, April 29 - May 3, 2006. Dr. Quarles also participated in a meeting of the System Graduate Deans with Dr. Donald Thompson, Acting Assistant Director and Directorate for Education and Human Resources at the National Science Foundation, to discuss funding a proposal they have submitted seeking NSF funding for the Pathways to the Doctorate program (approximately $5.5 million for the first year). The proposal includes a request for funding 75 doctoral fellowships.

Dr. David McMurray traveled to Bethesda from 18-20 July to attend the meeting on the NIH campus of the Council of Delegates of the US-Japan Cooperative Medical Sciences Program (USJCMP). As the Chair of the US Joint Tuberculosis and Leprosy Panels, he presented their 5-year progress report (2000-2005) and our Strategic Plan for 2006-2010 to the Council. Dr. McMurray also traveled to Seattle from 26-31 July to attend a Workshop on the Immunology of TB and Leprosy, and the 40th Annual TB and Leprosy Conference sponsored by the Joint Tuberculosis and Leprosy Panels of the USJCMSP, which he chairs. Most of the members of his research team attended the meeting as well.

Dr. Vernon Tesh convened a session entitled “Zoonotic Public Health Concerns” at the 55th Annual Southwest Conference on Diseases in Nature Transmissible to Man in College Station, TX.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Medical Education

Parrish AR, Oliver S, Jenkins D, Ruscio B, Green JB and Colenda CC. A Short Medical School Course on Responding to Bioterrorism and Other Disasters. Academic Medicine; Vol. 80, No. 9: 820-823 (2005).

Medical Microbiology and Immunology

Cegielski JP, McMurray DN. Tuberculosis: Nutrition and Susceptibility. In Encyclopedia of Human Nutrition, 2nd Ed; Caballero B, Allen L, Prentice A (eds); Elsevier, Oxford, UK; Vol 4, pp. 287 - 293 (2005).

Zhang P, Smith R, Chapkin RS, McMurray DN. Dietary (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids modulate murine Th1/Th2 balance toward the Th2 pole by suppression of Th1 development. J Nutr 135: 1745-1751 (2005).

Dates to Remember

• September 14 – Town Hall meeting, Lecture Hall 1; 4 p.m.

• 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

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