Happy New Year to everyone and welcome back! I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing break. I spent the time in Virginia and North Carolina with family and friends, so it was a nice break. I apologize for any confusion caused by the change to the holiday schedule, but I must say that I really enjoyed having January 2 off as it gave me time to get some things in order at home before coming back to work.

Staff announcements

Dr. Ed Childs, Surgery, has been appointed as Assistant Dean for Faculty Development effective immediately. Dr. Childs brings excellent experience and skills into the role, and I am excited to have him in a leadership position.

Dr. Donald Wesson will be here January 15th to assume responsibilities as Vice Dean for the Temple campus.

I'd like to thank Dr. Donald DiPette who served as Interim Executive Associate Dean on the Temple campus. He was instrumental in getting several initiatives off the ground, including our information technology upgrades and class expansion program.

Gene Garrison, formerly the Director of Research Development, will assume the role of Special Assistant to the Dean and will work exclusively with the Dean's Leadership Council.

Dr. Ben Green has officially retired from Scott & White. Fortunately, he will continue to work on curricular issues and the dual campus implementation as we move toward class size expansion for the fall of 2007 as a special assistant to me.

Mini Medical School begins again this month. It is a six-week program beginning January 18th. We have an exciting slate of speakers and topics for this session. I want to personally thank all the speakers for their dedication to the College of Medicine and this program. Without our faculty, this program would not be possible. For more information, see the story below.

The Board of Regents has confirmed the new HSC campus location, and it will be on Highway 47 between Hwy 60 and Villa Maria. The exact location of the acreage is currently being worked out. At this point, we are not certain where the new buildings will be located on the property, but I will keep you posted.

College of Medicine Hosting 3rd Annual Mini-Medical School

For the third straight year, the College of Medicine is presenting a Mini-Medical School for members of the local community who are interested in medicine and science. The purpose of the 2007 Mini-Medical School, planned for six consecutive Thursday evenings in January and February, is to offer current health-related information to members of the community in a relaxed, educational atmosphere.

Presented by several talented members of our faculty, the program also serves to familiarize attendees with medical terminology, enhance scientific knowledge and give new insights into medical research. Our goal is for all Mini-Medical School "students" to come away from the program with a better understanding of health, science, medicine and research.

Dr. William Rayburn will be presenting "Are You Confused? Controversies in Women's Health" on January 18, followed by Dr. Don Wilson on January 25 with "Diabetes and Obesity in Children" and Dr. Ben Green on February 1 with "Cancer Risk in the USA--How Are We Doing?" On February 8, Dr. Christopher Colenda will present "Aging and Your Brain", with Dr. Gary McCord presenting "A Bluffer's Guide to Medical Imaging" on February 15. Dr. John Quarles will wrap up the Mini-Medical School on February 22 with "The Flu: Past, Present and Future".

The Mini-Medical School begins at 6 p.m. on all six dates: January 18, January 25, February 1, February 8, February 15 and February 22. Sessions will be held in Lecture Hall 1 in the Reynolds Medical Building on Texas A&M's west campus. Each session lasts approximately an hour and a half, and includes presentations by faculty experts, followed by a question and answer period.
For more information, visit: http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/minimed/index.html.

Johnson Receives 2006 JoAnn Treat Research Award

Arthur E. Johnson, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Molecular and Cellular Medicine at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, was awarded the 2006 JoAnn Treat Research Award for Excellence from the Texas A&M Research Foundation on Friday, December 8. Dr. Johnson holds the Wehner-Welch Foundation Chair in the College of Medicine and also serves on the faculty at Texas A&M University as a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics.

Along with the award, Dr. Johnson received $10,000 and a commemorative plaque. He will also have his name inscribed on the JoAnn Treat commemorative glass vase displayed in the Research Foundation lobby.

"So many of the things researchers do are subject to high criticism such as publications and grants," Dr. Johnson said. "But I was really happy to win this award because it is great to get positive reinforcement. And although I'm the one that gets named, the reason this award came in my direction is because I've been able to convince such intelligent people to work in my lab with me."
For the full story, visit: http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/communications/latestnews.html#news121306

College of Medicine Faculty, Staff Receive Awards

Faculty and staff at the College of Medicine received service recognition pins at ceremonies held Friday, December 15 in Temple and Wednesday, December 20 in College Station. Employees with five, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years of service were recognized for their hard work and dedication to the college.

Additionally, three staff members were honored with the Outstanding Staff Awards: Pam Wilson (Office of Medical Education) and Amelia Rodriguez (Cardiovascular Research Institute) in Temple and Brenda Long (Office of the Dean) in College Station. These three staff members received a plaque and monetary award.
Congratulations to all award winners and thank you for your commitment and service!
Click here to view lists of the faculty and staff who received service recognition pins: http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/communications/latestnews.html#news122006

M.D./M.B.A. Student Learns Life Lessons from Business Expert

Delip Patel is taking the road not often traveled by his medical school colleagues, as he takes a year between his second and third years of medical school to work on an M.B.A. degree. Already five months into his coursework, Patel is grateful for what he has learned and the experiences he's had.

"I have already learned so much," Patel says of his studies at the Mays Business School. "I recently finished four courses and we've just started the next trimester, so life has been busy. I'm really enjoying this experience and have had some great professors."

In addition to his traditional education, Patel had the opportunity in early October to travel with a group of 60 of his Mays classmates to Omaha, Nebraska, for an education with a more practical twist. The group, along with business students from Harvard Business School, spent a day with Warren Buffett, one of the most successful businessmen in history and the second richest man in the world.
For the full story, visit: http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/communications/latestnews.html#news112706

SNMA Hosts Bone Marrow Drive

The Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine's chapter of the Student National Medical Association hosted a Bone Marrow Drive Wednesday, November 29 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Reynolds Medical Building.

"The inspiration for the Bone Marrow Drive came from a member in another SNMA chapter that died from leukemia waiting for a transplant," said second-year student Nitasha Thompson. "There is a great need for bone marrow donors, especially from minority populations, so this event was important for us to put together."
For the full story, visit: http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/communications/latestnews.html#news113006

Office of Medical Education

Clinical Simulation Presentations

2007 APGO Faculty Development Seminar: Drs. Jose Pliego and Russell Fothergill will present a workshop: "High-Fidelity Simulation as an Integral Part of the Ob/Gyn Clerkship: The 5 W's", January 6-9, 2007, Amelia Island.

7th International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare: Lake Buena Vista, Florida, January 13-18, 2007. Drs. Jose Pliego and Hasan Rajab will present: "Residency Education: Impact of Clinical Simulation Training on Anxiety and Self-Confidence".

7th International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare: Lake Buena Vista, Florida, January 13-18, 2007. Dr. Jose Pliego and Dr. Tony Errichetti, Virtual Medicine Director at the Institute For Clinical Competence at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, will present a Workshop: "Teaching and Assessing Medical Team Communication through Simulation Training: Development of a Medical communication Training Model, Assessment Tool and Debriefing Guide".

OFFICE OF RESEARCH

FACULTY

Microbial and Molecular Pathogenesis

Dr. Veronica Sanchez will be joining the Microbial and Molecular Pathogenesis department in March as a new faculty member (tenure track assistant professor). Her research focuses on human cytomegalovirus-host cell interactions. Dr. Sanchez is currently an Assistant Project Scientist in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. Her graduate work was conducted at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, where she received her Ph.D. in 1998. Dr. Sanchez completed her bachelor's of science degree in biology from the University of Texas in 1990.

Dr. David McMurray gave three research seminars during a visit to various institutions in Osaka, Japan, from November 18-24. His trip was sponsored by a grant from the Overseas Researcher Invitation Program of the Japan Health Sciences Foundation. The seminars and the institutions at which they were presented are: Kinki-Chuo Chest Medical Center (20 Nov): "Research applications of the guinea pig model of pulmonary TB"; Osaka University Research Institute for Microbial Diseases (22 Nov): "Mechanisms of vaccine-induced protection against pulmonary TB in guinea pigs"; Osaka Prefecture Institute of Public Health (22 Nov): "Role of animal models in taking new TB vaccines from the bench to the field"

Dr. McMurray was invited to attend an international conference - "New Frontiers in TB Research" - from December 1-7 in New Delhi, India. The conference was sponsored by the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB). Two papers were presented at the conference: "Vaccine-induced cytokine profiles in the lungs of guinea pigs infected with virulent mycobacteria" and "Microdissection of the cytokine milieu of pulmonary granulomas from tuberculous guinea pigs".

Dr. Quarles participated in the Texas Branch American Society for Microbiology meeting in Galveston, TX, Nov. 16-18, 2006.

Dr. Vernon Tesh participated in the joint meeting of the Society for Leukocyte Biology and the International Endotoxin and Innate Immunity Society held in San Antonio, TX, Nov. 9-11, 2006.

Systems Biology and Translational Medicine

Natasa Popovic, Jessemy D. Neiger, Matthew Miller, Theresa Fossum, Jay D. Humphrey and Emily Wilson presented the poster "TGF beta and BMP signaling in hypertensive vascular remodeling" at the American Society for Cell Biology 46th Annual Meeting held in San Diego in December.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Molecular and Cellular Medicine

Farris, HE, Wells, GB and Ricci, AJ. Steady-state adaptation of mechanotransduction modulates the resting potential of auditory hair cells, providing an assay for endolymph [Ca2+]. Journal of Neuroscience. 26(48):12526-36 (2006).

Trevino, SR, Scholtz, JM and Pace, CN. Amino Acid Contribution to Protein Solubility: Asp, Glu, and Ser Contribute more Favorably than the other Hydrophilic Amino Acids in RNase Sa. Journal of Molecular Biology. Oct 13 (2006).

Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics

Son, JH and Winzer-Serhan, UH. Postnatal expression of alpha2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit mRNA in developing cortex and hippocampus. Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy. 32(2-4):179-90 (2006).

Systems Biology and Translational Medicine

Dixon, JB, Gashev, AA, Zawieja, DC, Moore, JE Jr. and Cote, GL. Image correlation algorithm for measuring lymphocyte velocity and diameter changes in contracting microlymphatics. Annals of Biomedical Engineering 2006 Dec 7; [Epub ahead of print]
Quick, CM, Venugopal, AM, Gashev, AA, Zawieja, DC and Stewart, R. Intrinsic pump-conduit behavior of lymphangions. American Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. 2006 Nov 22; [Epub ahead of print]

Zhang, R, Gashev, AA, Zawieja, DC and Davis, MJ. Length-tension relationships of small arteries, veins, and lymphatics from the rat mesenteric microcirculation. American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology. 2006 Dec 15; [Epub ahead of print]

Dates to Remember

• January 15: MLK Holiday (College of Medicine offices closed)
• January 18: Mini-Medical School - Session 1 (Speaker: Dr. William Rayburn); 6 p.m.; Lecture Hall 1 RMB
• January 24: Senior and Junior Investigator Research Awards; 4 p.m.; RMB lobby
• January 25: Mini-Medical School - Session 2 (Speaker: Dr. Don Wilson); 6 p.m.; Lecture Hall 1 RMB
• February 1: Mini-Medical School - Session 3; 6 p.m. (Speaker: Dr. Ben Green); Lecture Hall 1 RMB
• February 8: Mini-Medical School - Session 4; 6 p.m. (Speaker: Dr. Chris Colenda); Lecture Hall 1 RMB
• February 15: Mini-Medical School - Session 5; 6 p.m. (Speaker: Dr. Gary McCord); Lecture Hall 1 RMB
• February 22: Mini-Medical School - Session 6; 6 p.m. (Speaker: Dr. John Quarles); Lecture Hall 1 RMB

Christopher C. Colenda, M.D., M.P.H.
Dean, College of Medicine
The Texas A&M 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