FROM THE DEAN

These are exciting times for the College of Medicine as we continue to expand:

• I want to thank all the faculty and staff who participated in the HSC Groundbreaking and Convocation. Your presence was greatly appreciated. It was an exciting day for the HSC and the next couple of years will continue to be exciting with the anticipation of a new campus on the horizon. To view renderings of the new campus and first two buildings, visit: http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/communications/news/campus-renderings.html.
• The Round Rock campus is also moving forward. The Board of Regents approved a land deal in Round Rock that would give the HSC 15 acres, purchase 10 acres, and offer the option for an additional 25 acres in the future. The College of Medicine will obviously be a part of this campus as we are gaining a firm foothold in the Round Rock community as we prepare for Year III clerkships in June. For more information, visit: http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/communications/news/25january2008.html.
• Please join me in welcoming Brian Hervey to the College of Medicine. Brian is the new Director of Institutional Advancement as Tom Pool recently accepted a position with the foundation at St. Joe’s. I’m sure Brian will be making appointments to meet with several of you in the next few weeks.
• Chancellor McKinney will be bringing members of his Century Council to the COM and SRPH on February 21. Drs. Sohrabji, Scholtz and McCord will be making presentations.
• Mini-Medical School is underway for the 4th consecutive year and going very well. Approximately 140 people are registered. The speakers this year include: Dr. P.K. Carlton, Dr. David Dostal, Dr. Rich DeVaul, Dr. Jane Bolin, Dr. Jonathan Friedman and Dr. Wayne Sampson. If any of you are interested in doing a lecture for Mini-Medical School in the future, please contact Brenda Long in my office. Thanks to our student ambassadors for helping welcome our guests and check them in before each session – it’s great for members of the local community to see our students looking sharp in their white coats! For more information, visit: http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/mini-med/index.html.

I think that’s it for now – have a great month!

COLLEGE NEWS

Faculty, Student Organization Recognized at HSC Convocation Events

At the HSC-hosted faculty luncheon held prior to Convocation on Wednesday, January 16, College of Medicine Distinguished Achievement Awards in Teaching were given to Gary McCord, M.D., associate professor in Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics and assistant dean for Student Affairs; Kathleen Jones, M.D., assistant professor in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine; and Sharyl Santema, M.D., assistant professor in Pediatrics. Long-time faculty member Dr. Lamar McNew was recognized for his nomination by COM students for the 2007 AAMC Humanism in Medicine Award.

Additionally, at the Convocation ceremony, the student organization Health Circus was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Community Outreach. The organization was recognized for its exemplification of the mission and vision of the HSC and contributions to the health and well being of underserved and/or rural populations or communities.

Dr. McNew, professor of Family and Community Medicine, was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Health Care Services and Delivery. Having served thousands of patients during his years of practice and extensive overseas travel, Dr. McNew has been a volunteer faculty member for 30 years and was instrumental in creating the Brazos Family Residency Program. The award acknowledges exceptional commitment and innovation to the provision of health care over time.

Congratulations to all these deserving award winners!

FACULTY NEWS

Cirillo Receives $2.1 Million Grant from Gates Foundation

Jeffrey D. Cirillo, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Microbial and Molecular Pathogenesis at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, has received a $2.14 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The grant, from the Gates Foundation’s Global Health Program, will support Dr. Cirillo’s work on real-time optical imaging and detection of tuberculosis bacteria. This is the first Gates Foundation grant received by any component of the Texas A&M University System.

According to Dr. Cirillo, the optical imaging technology being used in his research has not been previously applied to infectious diseases.

“This technology was first used in cancer research to visualize tumors in their very early stages,” Dr. Cirillo said. "Derived from military technology, a highly sensitive camera is able to detect very small tumors which are made to produce light through the use of special compounds. Our concept is that the same technology may be able to detect tuberculosis and potentially other infectious diseases.”

For the full story, visit: http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/communications/news/11january2008.html.

STUDENT NEWS

SNMA Participates in MLK Day Events in Local Community

Submitted by Suliat Nurudeen, 2007-2008 SNMA chapter president

The Student National Medical Association (SNMA) is an organization dedicated to increasing the number of underrepresented minorities interested in medicine as well as increasing admission and retention of these students. Much of our work is geared towards eliminating health disparities in our communities via education and services. Every year the graduate chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. hosts a march in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Following the march, there is always a celebration with members and officials in the community such as the new president of Texas A&M University.

Our group provided blood pressure screenings to the attendees as well as medical advice based on their varying health conditions. Dr. Rachel Bramson was in attendance to guide us and give those at-risk patients the opportunity to see a physician that they most likely would not be able to see. The students in attendance were: Nureen Haq (M1), Jesse Rajan (M1), Jamalia David (M2), Maria San Andres (M2), Ruth Trevino (M2), and Suliat Nurudeen (M2).

BASIC SCIENCE DEPARTMENTAL NEWS

MOLECULAR PATHOGENESIS

Scientific Presentations

Moo-Seung Lee, Sang-Yun Lee, Rama Cherla, and Vernon Tesh presented “Shiga toxin 1 induces apoptosis in the human myelogenous leukemia cell line THP-1 through the ER stress response” at the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology, Washington, D.C., December 2007.

Dr. David McMurray traveled to Haikou, Hainan Island, China, from 2-7 December to attend the 12th International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in the Pacific Rim, entitled “Antimicrobial Resistance in Respiratory Infections”. The Conference was sponsored by the US-Japan Cooperative Medical Science Program (USJCMSP). He chaired the US-Japan Tuberculosis and Leprosy Panel of the USJCMSP, and was involved in the planning and organization of the Conference. He served as a moderator for one of the scientific sessions.

Publications

Lee, SY, Lee, MS, Cherla, RP, and Tesh, VL. Shiga toxin 1 induces apoptosis through the endoplasmic reticulum stress response in human monocytic cells. Cell. Microbiol. 10:770-780 (2008).

Grants

Dr. Tesh received an Award Notice from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for a collaborative project with Dr. Shinichiro Kurosawa at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation entitled “ Shiga toxins: pre-clinical animal model development and therapeutic testing” (1UO1 AI75386-01). The total award obligated through 8/31/08 is $129,079.

Dr. David McMurray received the Award Notice for the next year of funding of our NIH sub-contract to Colorado State University (G-4401-1) for the project entitled “TB Vaccine Testing and Research Materials”. The total award for the fiscal year (9/24/07 to 9/23/08) is $298,889.

NEUROSCIENCE & EXPERIMENTAL THERAPEUTICS

Publications

Huang, LZ, Liu, X, Griffith, WH and Winzer-Serhan, UH. Chronic neonatal nicotine increases anxiety but does not impair cognition in adult rats. Behavioral Neuroscience; 121(6), 1342-1352 (2007).

Winzer-Serhan, UH. Long-term consequences of developmental chronic nicotine exposure. Frontiers in Bioscience 13, 636-649 (2008).

Grants

Mendell Rimer, Ph.D., received an HSC Research Development Grant entitled, “Generation of Zipro I-null mice using the TIGM resource” for $15,000 for one year.

CLINICAL DEPARTMENTAL NEWS

FAMILY & COMMUNITY MEDICINE

Faculty and staff from the department attended the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) 34th Annual Predoctoral Education Conference, “Igniting Students’ Passion for Serving the Underserved,” held January 24-27 in Portland, Oregon. Attendees from the college were students Drew Weiner and John Reneau, staff members Michelle Jeter and Laura Gibson, faculty members Dr. Rachel Bramson and Dr. Mark English, Phil Haas (Director, Health For All clinic) and Chrissy Hester (incoming President, Health For All Board).

Several in the group attended pre-conference workshops “Creating and Managing Student-run Free Clinic Projects” and “Family Medicine and Informatics Education: Rising to the Challenge to Teach Students to Care for Patients in the Information Age.”

During the conference, staff members Michelle Jeter and Laura Gibson led a session entitled “Organizational and Communication Skills for the Family Medicine Coordinator.” Additionally, Michelle was selected as co-chair of a new group for predoctoral academic coordinators within the STFM.

Dr. Bramson also presented “Effects of Perfectionism and Imposter Phenomenon on Psychological Adjustment of Medical Students,” a paper she co-authored with medical student Delip Patel and fellow faculty Dr. Robert Wiprud and Dr. Mark English.

INTERNAL MEDICINE

View the full Internal Medicine department report (PDF).

ACADEMIC MEDICINE NEWS

For the latest AAMC news, visit http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/aamcstat/aamcnews.htm.  A subscription option is available to receive free weekly updates.

DATES TO REMEMBER

• February 7: Mini-Medical School Session 4 - Chronic Disease Management Efforts in the Brazos Valley; 6 p.m. – Lecture Hall 1
• February 14: Mini-Medical School Session 5 - Current Treatments of Stroke; 6 p.m. – Lecture Hall 1
• February 21: Mini-Medical School Session 6 - Bone Health and Osteoporosis; 6 p.m. – Lecture Hall 1

Christopher C. Colenda, M.D., M.P.H.
The Jean and Thomas McMullin Dean
Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine
147 Joe H. Reynolds Medical Building
College Station, TX 77843-1114
Phone: 979-845-3431; Fax: 979-847-8663
Email: colenda@medicine.tamhsc.edu