November
From the Interim Dean
Colleagues, Faculty, Staff and Students,
HSC President Dickey and I recently attended the opening night of the 5th International Conference on Mesenchymal and Non-Hematopoietic Stem Cells in Austin. Our Institute of Regenerative Medicine and its director, Dr. Darwin Prockop, hosted 135 scientists from around the world—experts in regenerative medicine and the ever-changing realm of personalized medicine.
As technical as the conversations that night could be, they reminded me that we are all in one way or another on our own journeys of discovery. Whether in academic hallways or the clinical setting or in the laboratory, we have accepted the charge to advance the College of Medicine, and we will do so collaboratively and purposefully. Outstanding teamwork is the “master key” required to open the doors to excellence in research, patient care, education and all of our endeavors.
As the year draws to a close, I hope that you take the opportunity to attend our upcoming events like the MSC Conference. The upcoming Ribbon Cutting and Dedication of the Round Rock Campus and our service award receptions offer all of us opportunities to collaboratively and purposefully advance the College.
Sincerely,
Edward J. Sherwood, M.D.
Interim Dean
Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine
147 Joe H. Reynolds Medical Building
College Station, Texas 77843-1114
Phone: 979/845-3431; Fax: 979/847-8663
Email: sherwood@medicine.tamhsc.edu
Dates to Remember
- December 10: Round Rock Ribbon Cutting, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
College News
Prenzlauer appointed Regional Chair of Psychiatry and in Round Rock
It gives me great pleasure to announce the appointment of Dr. Steven Prenzlauer as the new Regional Chair of Psychiatry on the Round Rock campus. Dr. Prenzlauer received his Doctorate of Medicine from Wayne State University Medical School in Detroit, Michigan and completed an internship in Psychiatry from the University of Cincinnati in Ohio and residency in Psychiatry from Mount Sinai Medical Center, in New York, New York. Dr. Prenzlauer has also held academic appointments, including Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at State University of New York at Stony Brook, where he served as the Consultation Liaison Attending and provided outpatient and comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program Supervision. Additionally he was appointed as a Psychiatrist with the Center for Community Partnerships Specialty Extension Services at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Dr. Prenzlauer currently practices as a Psychiatrist with Lone Star Circle of Care in Round Rock, in addition to acting as Lone Star’s Integrated Behavioral Health Program Director. Most recently, Dr. Prenzlauer also served as the Psychiatry Clerkship Director for the Round Rock campus.
Dr. Prenzlauer is a Diplomate with the National Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He is a member of the American Psychiatric Association and the Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians, where he is a member of the Committee on Public Mental health Services.
Dr. Prenzlauer’s commitment to outstanding medical education and leadership skills make him an exceptional asset to the Round Rock campus, College of Medicine and the Health Science Center. Please join me in welcoming him in his new role as Regional Chair.
I am also pleased to announce Dr. Virginia Garay as the new Psychiatry Clerkship Director on the Round Rock campus. Dr. Garay received her Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Miami School of Medicine in Miami, Florida and completed post-doctoral training at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio. Dr. Garay currently practices at Lone Star Circle of Care in Round Rock, Texas as a Psychiatrist. More than half of her time will be devoted to serving as a role model, educator/teacher and mentor for medical students.
Dr. Garay’s experience in medical education and commitment to students make her an excellent addition to the Round Rock campus and the Texas A&M HSC College of Medicine. Please join me in welcoming her in her new role as Clerkship Director.
Sincerely,
Kathryn J. Kotrla, M.D.
Chair, Department of Psychiatry
Associate Dean
Round Rock Campus
Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine co-hosts gathering of adult stem cell experts in Austin
Thanks to the Texas A&M Health Science Center (HSC) College of Medicine, Scott & White Healthcare System and the International Society for Cell Therapy, 135 international and regional regenerative medicine experts from countries such as Italy, Germany, China and Japan gathered in Austin from Thursday, November 12 through Saturday, November 14 to discuss the latest developments in research on the adult stem and progenitor cells referred to as “mesenchymal stem cells” (MSCs).
Reminder: Round Rock Ribbon Cutting and Open House
The College of Medicine family reminds all of the opening of the Round Rock campus on Thursday, December 10, 2009 from 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. For more information about the event, please contact the HSC Office of Institutional Advancement at 979-458-7201.
Latest News from Center of Excellence
WACO, Texas (November 2009) - Since its establishment by the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System in mid-2007, the Department of Veterans Affairs VISN 17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans (COE) has continued the research focus on vulnerability and resilience to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other trauma-induced disorders encountered by returning war veterans.
In August of 2009, the COE was awarded VA Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment to support two post-doctoral research fellows. The COE recruited, Dr. Jack Tsan in October 2009 to fill one of the two positions. Dr. Tsan comes from the University of Houston with a PhD in clinical psychology. He is interested in conducting research on help-seeking behavior and telemedicine. In particular, his area of concentration will center on understanding and addressing treatment resistance among Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom returning war veterans for receiving evidence-based mental health care. In the midst of this growth in research, the Waco VA campus that houses the COE is also expanding physically while in the midst of a $10 million renovation.
Extended information about the COE is also available.
In Print and On Air
Gerald D. Frye, Ph.D. was quoted in HealthDay online medical news in an article about a gene mutation and the relationship between learning and dopamine in the brain.
Dr. James Brien, assistant professor of pediatrics, was featured in the Temple Daily Telegram for his work in Iraq as a representative of the International Medical Corps.
Employee of the Quarter
The following people were nominated for the Employee of the 3rd Quarter Award:
- Margaret Stubbs Bosenbark
- Dr. Gerald Grimsley
- Shelley Kopriva
- Winona Murphy
- Margie Olivarez
- Stephanie Ruffin
- Sara Stevens
Dr. Grimsley has been an invaluable asset to the Molecular & Cellular Medicine department. He is instrumental in keeping the common equipment operational, making sure the safety and environmental health rules and policies are being met and in performing a number of general lab duties. In anticipation of the arrival of three new faculty members, he took the lead in cleaning and preparing their laboratory space before their arrival. Dr. Grimsley richly deserves this honor and recognition as a valuable member of our college.
Dr. Grimsley is always a great help for the Departmental office taking care of things that are not in his job duties. Dr. Grimsley assists in inventory, chemical inventory, chemical removal, autoclave problems, and dishwasher problems and is always willing to help me out with whatever I need. Dr. Grimsley is a great asset to the Department and the College.
Dr. Grimsley also received a $100 gift certificate to a location of his choice.
Faculty
Molecular & Cellular Medicine Announces Joint Appointments
Drs. Wallace McKeehan, Leyuan Liu, Robert Tsai and Fen Wang recently received joint appointments within the department joining Drs. Mingyao Liu and James Martin who are all members of the IBT Center for Cancer and Stem Cell Biology.
Drs. Brad Amandt, Richard Finnell and Stephen Safe members of the IBT Center for Environmental and Genetic Medicine recently received joint appointments within the department.
Students
International Clinical Research Scholars Program Available for Overseas Fellowships in Global Health and Clinical Research
The Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholars and Fellows (FICRS-F) Support Center at Vanderbilt is offering a one-year clinical research training experience for graduate-level U.S. students in the health professions. This is an opportunity for highly motivated individuals to experience mentored research training at top-ranked NIH-funded research centers in developing countries.
Administration
OFFICE OF FACULTY DEVELOPMENT
College of Medicine Education Grand Rounds Presents “Programs to Support Investigator Initiated Research”
- Presenters – Alan B. Stevens, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, HSC-COM and the Vernon D. Holleman-Lewis M. Rampy Centennial Chair in Gerontology, Scott & White Memorial Hospital and Van G. Wilson, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Microbial & Molecular Pathogenesis and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, HSC-COM
- Date – Wednesday, 11/18/09, Noon-1:00 p.m.
- Locations - Reynolds Medical Building, Room 162, College Station simulcast to Lecture Hall 1 (R109) Medical Education Center, S&W Temple; Old Town Square, Ste. 400, Round Rock; CVRI 1R21, Temple; St. Joseph’s COM Classroom, Bryan and Alkek Tower, Room 202A & Smith Tower, Room 1115, Houston
Basic Science
HUMANITIES IN MEDICINE
HOLD THE DATE:
The Eleventh Annual Paxton Howard/Gerald Keegan Lectureship in Bioethics will be on December 7, 2009, in Mayborn Auditorium, Temple Campus. Colleagues, friends and grateful patients of Paxton H. Howard, Jr., M.D., and Gerald T. Keegan, M.D., established the Howard/Keegan Lectureship in Bioethics, honoring these two pioneers of bioethics at Scott & White. Through the studies of bioethics, physicians, nurses, medical students, patients and their family members can improve their understanding of the ethical issues involved in health care and better equip themselves to make difficulty life-and-death decisions or resolve ethical dilemmas.
The distinguished speaker will be David L. Lakey, M.D., Commissioner, Texas Department of State Health Services. Dr. Lakey will lecture on “Allocation of Limited Resources in Pandemics like H1N1”. As Commissioner, Dr. Lakey oversees programs such as disease prevention and bioterrorism preparedness, family and community health services, environmental and consumer safety, regulatory programs and mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment programs. Please place December 7, 2009, 12:00 noon on your calendars and watch for additional details.
Later that afternoon, Dr. Lakey will be the facilitator for the Medicine and Humanities Consultation at the Stagecoach Inn Conference Center, Salado, Texas. Consultations engage clinicians of medicine, nurses, social workers, and clergy. If you would like additional information about the consultation, please contact Tina Price, 979-845-0755 or price@medicine.tamhsc.edu.
The 2009 John P. McGovern Lectureship in the Art and Science of Medicine
Students and faculty thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Janet Rose Osuch as the guest speaker for the 2009 John P. McGovern Lectureship in the Art and Science of Medicine. The title of the lecture was “To be a Physician, to be a Patient”. Dr. Osuch, very effectively represented the facts and feelings for both the physician and the patient in a real life serious medical condition.
Faculty Presentations
Recently, Dr. Gül A. Russell, Professor, Humanities in Medicine gave a lecture presentation in Rudder Auditorium, entitled “Chemistry of Art”. This event was in collaboration with the Texas A&M University College of Science, Department of Chemistry. Dr. Russell’s talk on the science of light, vision and impressionism was complemented by the centennial exhibit from the Pasteur Institute/United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization.
MICROBIAL & MOLECULAR PATHOGENESIS
Publications
Dr. David McMurray had the following peer-reviewed research publication published:
Xing X, McFarland CT, Sallenave JM, Izzo A, Wang J, McMurray DN. (2009). Intranasal mucosal boosting with an adenovirus-vectored vaccine markedly enhances the protection of BCG-primed guinea pigs against pulmonary tuberculosis. PLoS One 4(6): e5856.
Dr. Ammini Jeevan had the following published this month:
A Jeevan, DL, Bonilla, and DN McMurray. 2009. Expression of interferon-AAand tumour necrosis factor-a messenger RNA does not correlate with protection in guinea pigs challenged with virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis by the respiratory route. Immunology, 128:e296-e305.
Awards and Grants
Dr. David McMurray received an Award Notice for the next year of funding on a contract to the Japan BCG Laboratory to test novel TB vaccines in the guinea pig model. The new award for the period from January to December, 2010, is $43,519. This contract continues a long-standing collaboration with Dr. Saburo Yamamoto.
Dr. Helene Andrews-Polymenis received a Notice of Award for a subcontract with Vaccine Research Institute of San Diego entitled “Salmonella Genes Associated with Colonization of Specific Hosts”.
Dr. Jeffrey Cirillo received a Notice of Award for a grant entitled “Mycobacterial Dissemination and Persistence”.
Meetings and Conferences
Dr. Jeffrey Cirillo attended the 2009 China-US Relations Conference in Beijing, China, to present a Round Table discussion entitled “Tuberculosis Epidemiology and Emerging Drug Resistance” from October 21-23, 2009.
Dr. James Samuel attended the annual meeting of the Western Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research in Covington, LA, from October 21-22, 2009.
Dr. Helene Andrews-Polymenis attended the 3rd ASM Conference on Salmonella: Biology, Pathogenesis and Prevention in Aix-en-Provence, France, from October 5-9, 2009.
Dr. Robert Alaniz attended the SACNAS National Conference in Dallas, TX, from October 15-18, 2009.
MOLECULAR & CELLULAR MEDICINE
Faculty
Dr. James Martin presented a seminar on October 6 to the University of Texas at Austin, TX, Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology Seminar Series entitled “Regulation of Cardiac Progenitors.”
Dr. Richard Finnell hosted the 6th International Conference on Neural Tube Defects in Burlington, Vermont on September 12-15, 2009. Dr. Finnell gave a presentation on "Maternal Immune Factors and Risk for Neural Tube Defects" at the conference.
Dr. Tina Gumienny presents a TAMU Biomedical Engineering seminar on September 16, 2009 entitled "Body size matters - molecular insights from the nematode C. elegans"
Dr. Richard Finnell spoke at the US Environmental Protection Agency Conference on STAR Centers in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina in September 2009. His talk was entitled "The Texas-Indiana Virtual STAR center; Data-Generating in vitro and in silico Models of Developmental Toxicity in Embryonic Stem Cells and Zebrafish".
Dr. Carl Gregory gave an invited seminar entitled "Osteorepair and cancer: lessons from mesenchymal stem cells" at the Stem Cell Center, University of California–Davis on September 30, 2009.
Dr. Carl Gregory gave an invited seminar entitled "Control of mesenchymal stem cells by modulation of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway. Therapeutic targets for the skeletal disorders" at the Department of Veterinary Science, University of California-Davis on October 1, 2009.
Dr. Sig Musser presented a seminar at Los Alamos National Laboratory (Los Alamos, New Mexico), Center for Nonlinear Studies, Q-Bio Seminar Series entitled "Single Molecule Fluorescence Studies of Nucleocytoplasmic Transport" on October 6, 2009.
Dr. Richard Finnell presented a seminar entitled "Embryonic Consequences of Abnormal Folate Transport" at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine on October 9, 2009.
Dr. Richard Finnell was an invited lecturer at the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston on October 20. The title of his lecture was "Using Environmental Risk Factors to Inform Genetic Studies of Neural Tube Defect Susceptibility Factors".
Dr. Carl Gregory presented a webinar entitled "Small Molecule Screens for Adult Stem Cell Activity" for the Society for Biomolecular Sciences Webinar Stem Cells Series, Module 3: Library Screening and Potential Therapeutic Applications of Stem Cell Preparations on October 21, 2009. This was open to academic and private sector delegates.
Dr. Richard Finnell was the keynote speaker at the 19th World Congress on Neurology in Bangkok, Thailand on October 24-30, 2009. The title of his seminar was "Anti-Epileptic Drug-Induced Teratogenesis: Pharmacogenetic Approaches to Understanding Risk Factors for Abnormal Neurodevelopment".
Dr. Mingyao Liu presented invited lectures "G-protein coupled receptors and signaling pathways in cancer and development" on October 18, 2009 at East China Normal University, Shanghai, China; and "G-protein coupled receptors and signaling pathways in diseases and drug discovery" on October 27, 2009 at Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Grants
Dr. Fei Liu received Award Notice from NIH for funding on Grant entitled “Modulating Wnt and Hedgehog Pathways for Functional Restoration of Salivary Gland” for $762,727 from 09/22/2009 – 08/31/2011.
Dr. Siegfried Musser received Award Notice from NIH for funding on Grant entitled “Protein Transport by the Bacterial Tat Machinery” for $379,149 from 09/30/09-08/31/11.
Dr. James Martin received a new R01 award from NIH/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute entitled “Pitx2 function in heart development” for $1 million ($250,000 per year for four years).
Dr. Wallace McKeehan was awarded a subproject from NIH/National Cancer Institute entitled the “MD Anderson Cancer Center Prostate SPORE” of direct costs $73,798 per year for five years. Co-PI is Dr. Fen Wang also a joint faculty within MCG. The subproject will define the role of the FGF signaling axis in prostate tumor progression and bone metastasis.
Recent Publications
Dr. Richard Finnell and the Finnell lab recently had their research featured on the cover of Nature Cell Biology.
Liang, F.-C., Bageshwar, U. K., and Musser, S. M. (2009) "Bacterial Sec Protein Transport is Rate-limited by Precursor Length: a Single Turnover Study". Mol. Biol. Cell 20:4256-4266.
Bageshwar, U. K., Whitaker, N., Liang, F.-C., and Musser, S. M. (2009) "Interconvertibility of Lipid- and Translocon-bound Forms of the Bacterial Tat Precursor pre-SufI". Mol. Microbiol., 74:209-226.
Johnson, G.A., Bazer, F.W., Burghardt, R.C., Spencer, T.E., Wu, G., Bayless, K.J. (2009) "Conceptus-uterus interactions in pigs: Endometrial gene expression in response to estrogens and interferons from conceptuses". Soc Reprod Fertil Suppl. 66:321-332.
Gray, R.S., Abitua, P.B., Wlodarczyk, B.J., Szabo-Rogers, H.L., Blanchard, O., Lee, I., Weiss, G.S., Liu, K.J., Marcotte, E.M., Wallingford, J.B., and Finnell, R.H. (2009) "The planar cell polarity effector Fuz is essential for targeted membrane trafficking, ciliogenesis and mouse embryonic development" Nature Cell Biology 11: 1225-1232.
Calmont, A., Ivins, S., Lammerts Van Bueren, K., Papangeli, I., Kyriakopoulou, V., Martin, J.F., Moon, A.M., Basson, M. A., and Peter J. Scambler (2009) "Tbx1 controls cardiac neural crest cell migration during arch artery development by regulating Gbx2 expression in the pharyngeal ectoderm". Development 136: 3173-3183.
Cho, S.G., Yi, Z., Pang, X., Yi, T., Wang, Y., Luo, J., Wu, Z., Li, D., Liu, M. (2009) "Kisspeptin-10, a KISS1-derived decapeptide, inhibits tumor angiogenesis by suppressing Sp1-mediated VEGF expression and FAK/Rho GTPase activation". Cancer Res. 69:7062-7070.
Liu, L., Xie, R., Yang, C. and McKeehan, W.L. (2009) "Dual function microtubule- and mitochondria-associated proteins mediate mitotic cell death". Cellular Oncol. 31:393-405. The publication described a mechanism that may prevent diverse cancers at their earliest common origin and was the subject of a layman's news release (http://www.tamhsc.edu/news/index.html?postID=2807) published in several venues.
Tsai, R.Y.L. (2009) "Nucleolar Modulation of TRF1: A Dynamic Way to Regulate Telomere and Cell Cycle by Nucleostemin and GNL3L". Cell Cycle. 8:2912-2916.
NEUROSCIENCE & EXPERIMENTAL THERAPEUTICS
Service
Dr. David Earnest presented a seminar entitled “Circadian Rhythms and Chronotherapy” to the Texas A&M University Psychology Department in October.
Dr. Ian Murray attended the Society for Neuroscience Conference from October 16-21 in Chicago.
Dr. Murray also served as a panel expert for the COM Alzheimer’s Project screenings in September and October in conjunction with HBO.
Dr. D. Samba Reddy was elected as Council Member of the Association of Scientists of Indian Origin in America (ASIOA).
Dr. Reddy also served as a charter member of the NIH study section, ANIE (acute neuronal injury and epilepsy) in which he reviewed several grants and participated in the meeting discussion on October 1 - 2, 2009. He also served as an ad hoc member of the NIH study section, Competitive Revisions; Clinical Neuroscience and Disease in which he participated in the review and meeting discussion on October 2, 2009.
Presentations
Dr. William H. Griffith attended the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Chicago on October 17-21 and presented a poster entitled:
Age modulates the non-genomic actions of estrogen on synaptic transmission in basal forebrain cholinergic neurons from F344 rats. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts.
Dr. Ian Murray presented a poster “Lipid Peroxidation in Alzheimer’s Disease Plaques” at the Society for Neuroscience on October 20, 2009.
Dr. Mendell Rimer presented a research seminar entitled “Of (transgenic) mice, normal and diseased neuromuscular synapses” to the Behavioral Neuroscience Group of the Department of Psychology at Texas A&M University on September 28, 2009.
Abstracts
Dr. D. Samba Reddy submitted the following abstracts:
Gangisetty O and Reddy DS. Role of progesterone receptors in neurosteroid withdrawal-induced upregulation of GABA-A receptor alpha4-subunit expression in the hippocampus. Society for Neuroscience Abst.
Reddy DS and Briyal S. Role of progesterone receptors in the development and expression of hippocampus kindling epileptogenesis in adult female mice. Society for Neuroscience Abstr.
Dr. Mendell Rimer submitted the following abstract:
Y. Lee, M. Mikesh, M. Rimer, W. Thompson. Reduced postnatal maturation of muscle fibers and neuromuscular synapses in a severe model of spinal muscular atrophy. Neuroscience Meeting Planner, Chicago, IL: Society for Neuroscience, 2009. Online.
SYSTEMS BIOLOGY & TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
Presentations
Dr. Cynthia J. Meininger presented "Modulation of nitric oxide synthesis via nanoparticle-mediated delivery of tetrahydrobiopterin to endothelial cells" at the Frontiers in Microcirculation: Control Processes and Clinical Applications meeting, Microcirculatory Society, Columbia, Missouri, October 2009.
Professional Service
Dr. Cynthia J. Meininger chaired the Plasticity Symposium at the Frontiers in Microcirculation: Control Processes and Clinical Applications meeting, Microcirculatory Society, Columbia, Missouri, October 2009.
Dr. Mariappan Muthuchamy participated in the teleconference for National AHA Peer Review, Vascular Wall Biology Committee, October 2009.
