January 2009
Dean's Comments
As is often pointed out when the years change from one to the next, a new year brings with it fresh hope and renewed spirit. Let this be no different for 2009, as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the University of Nevada School of Medicine. This is a time to reflect, but also a time to look forward to the positive changes going on around us.
Forty years of enduring odds, creating quality education, and keeping promises to our community—each of us is proving every day that what we do matters. Faculty, staff, and students have kept the vision that began in 1969 alive and flourishing. Your dedication has transformed our school into the sound educational facility that it should be.
In honor of our 40th anniversary, Synapse magazine, last printed a decade ago, will once again be released. It is a twice-a-year publication spreading the news of the service, education, and research of the school to a statewide audience and beyond.
Some highlights to mention as we commemorate this notable anniversary are that the class size has doubled from 32 to 64 since the first class of 1969; we are fortunate to have several top researchers in the biomedical sciences right here in our own School of Medicine like Dr.s Thomas Kozel (microbiology), Joseph Hume and Iain Buxton (pharmacology), Kenton Sanders (cell biology and physiology), and many others who have put this School of Medicine on the map as a serious center of research with federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health.
We are beginning to see some of this research stimulate related joint work in clinical sciences departments such as pediatrics and gynecology.
Finally, we have construction projects in Las Vegas and Reno that will focus on molecular medicine and health sciences.
I am especially excited about the beginnings of a presence on our Shadow Lane Campus in Las Vegas where we collaborate with the nursing schools of UNLV and Nevada State College, sharing state-of-the-art simulation equipment for our clinical students.
With great hope and gratitude I anticipate our continued success and achievement going into 2009. I look forward to our accomplishments in this new year, and while struggling through a difficult economic environment, I feel privileged to help steer our medical school into a promising future.
Ole J.Thienhaus, M.D., MBA
Dean,
University of Nevada School of Medicine
Medical Education
Two match into military residency programs
Congratulations to Joseph Brown and Colin McCormack, Class of 2009, who successfully matched at residency programs at the U.S. Naval Medical Center in San Diego.
Brown has matched into a transitional internship and will move on to a residency in diagnostic radiology, while McCormack has matched into a transitional internal medicine internship and will move on to a residency in pathology.
Bierkamper Research Convocation set for Jan. 20
The 26th Annual George G. Bierkamper Student Research Convocation will take place on Tuesday Jan. 20 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Reno’s Pennington 16 where medical and graduate students will showcase their talents in original scientific research.
Guest speaker Kim Eagle, M.D., chief of cardiology at the University Of Michigan Cardiovascular Center and a School of Medicine alumnus, will present his remarks at 4 p.m.
Students participating in the convocation will be evaluated by a panel of judges from the School of Medicine faculty and will be judged based on the quality of their research, findings and presentation. The top student in each category will receive a $250 award as well as recognition for their achievement during School of Medicine commencement ceremonies in May.
Martin receives AAFP award
Kate Martin, M.D., chief resident in the Department of Family and Community Medicine in Las Vegas, received the Leaders on the Front Line of Health Care Award for excellence in graduate medical education from the American Academy of Family Practitioners.
The AAFP awards $2,000 each year to 20 outstanding residents displaying exceptional performance during their residencies in addition to a trip to the annual scientific assembly of the AAFP. Among the attributes required for nomination for this award are exemplary patient care and demonstrated leadership ability.
“This is an amazing honor for Kate, for our department and our medical school,” said Elissa J. Palmer, M.D., chair of the department.
Horsley to present at Society of Critical Care Medicine conference
Jennifer Horsley, Class of 2011, will present a poster at the Society of Critical Care Medicine's 38th Critical Care Congress at the end of January in Nashville.
“My poster is titled ‘Tight Glucose Control Improves Mortality in Adult Brain Injury Patients’,” she said. “Basically it is a retrospective analysis of BGM in trauma patients with brain injury to see how different control of glucose levels affected their outcome. This is part of the research I did with Dr. Deborah Kuhls over the summer.”
Nanayakkara accepted as global health fellow
Deepa Nanayakkara, Class of 2012, has been accepted as a global health fellow at Duke University.
The program, based in Geneva, Switzerland this summer, is designed to equip students to join in the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and other pressing health challenges and will provide participants with both an academic and experiential perspective on how inter-governmental institutions, public-private partnerships, and non-governmental organizations shape global health policy.
Faculty
Faculty members, program honored by Southern Nevada Immunization Coalition
Two School of Medicine faculty members from the Las Vegas Department of Pediatrics and one of the department's programs were recognized by the Southern Nevada Immunization Coalition (SNIC) at its first-ever Silver Syringe recognition event last November in Las Vegas.
Echezona Ezeanolue, M.D., MPH received the “outstanding immunization champion” award for his work in leading the organization of first community physician immunization workshop and for his active support for immunizations.
Beverly Neyland, M.D. earned the “promoting physician involvement in immunization” honor for her work to encourage physician involvement in immunizations and for teaching a new generation of pediatricians to be involved not only in patient care but in promoting community responsibility involvement.
On behalf of the Department of Pediatrics, Kami Larson, M.D., accepted an award for the department’s achievement of an 80 percent or higher immunization rate for two-year-olds through the Kids Healthcare program.
The Silver Syringe awards recognize individuals, organizations or businesses that have worked to increase immunization awareness, improve immunization rates, provide in-kind services or perform other activities to help promote immunizations in the southern Nevada community.
Hogan to present at annual meeting
A poster by Mary Beth Hogan, M.D., Department of Pediatrics in Reno, was accepted for presentation at the American Academy of Allergy Asthma Immunology meeting this March in Washington, D.C.
The poster is entitled, “Cysteinyl leukotrienes modulate both bone marrow eosinophilia and T cells numbers in a murine model of allergen-induced airway remodeling.”
Wilson to serve on food allergy planning committee
Nevin Wilson, M.D., chair of the Department of Pediatrics in Reno, will serve on the planning committee for the American College of Allergy Asthma and Immunology XIII International Food Allergy Symposium, which meets this November in Miami.
Gillis will serve as committee chair
Marin Gillis, Ph.D., director of medical humanities, was appointed chair of the American Philosophical Association’s Committee on Non-Academic Careers for a three-year term beginning in July.
Alpha Omega Alpha's call for professionalism fellowship applications
Alpha Omega Alpha, the medical honor society, announces a call for applications for the professionalism fellowship which is open to assistant professors, associate professors and professors at medical schools, such as the University of Nevada, with an active Alpha Omega Alpha chapter.
The potential recipient must show a demonstrated commitment to professionalism and the education and continuing development of medical professionals. Applications must be received by Apr. 1, 2009.
Health literacy faculty training series Jan. 12
The Nevada Geriatric Education Center presents a health literacy and aging faculty training series on Jan. 12 from noon to 1 p.m. via pictel in Pennington 20 in Reno, the dean’s conference room in Las Vegas and various rural locations throughout the state.
Continuing medical education credit is available. The program is free and registration is accepted depending on space. Contact Allan Froman via email or call 702-671-2381 for more information.
New faculty orientation workshop Jan. 26
The Office of Faculty Affairs and Development will host a brown bag new faculty orientation workshop on Jan. 26 from noon to 1 p.m. in the Las Vegas dean’s conference room with pictel to the Reno dean’s conference room. Register via email or by calling 775-784-6777.
New Hires, Promotions, Departures and Staff Recognitions
Crittle joins School as clinical librarian
Triza Crittle has joins the School of Medicine as clinical librarian at University Medical Center’s library in Las Vegas. Read more
School Notes
January's Student Outreach Clinic dates announced
The University of Nevada School of Medicine’s Student Outreach Clinics for Jan. 2009 have been announced for the following dates: general health clinic, Saturday, Jan. 10 from 8 a.m. to noon; women’s clinic, Monday, Jan. 12 from 6 to 9 p.m.; and a children’s clinic on Saturday, Jan. 24 from 8 a.m. to noon.
All clinics are held at the Family Medicine Center on the Reno campus. Call 775-682-8646 for more information.
New book on history of medicine now available
Anton Sohn, Ph.D., professor and chair of the pathology department, served as editor and published another book in the history of medicine series, Frontier Surgeon and Georgetown Medical School Dean by George Martin Kober, M.D.
The 500-page volume describes in the first person the reminiscences of Kober, who lived from 1850-1931. The book is available by contacting Lynda McLellan or calling 784-7034.
Medicine and humanities continuing education opportunity on Jan. 13
A special continuing education opportunity will be offered Jan. 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Renown Health Center, Classroom 107 just behind Remedees Restaurant in Reno. Six people will read parts in the Medical Readers' Theater adaptation of Susan Onthank Mates' "Laundry."
Literature and Medicine: Humanities at the Heart of Healthcare® is a program developed by Maine Humanities Council. It encourages participants to connect the worlds of science and lived experience, giving them the opportunity to reflect on their professional roles and relationships through plays, short stories, poetry, fiction and personal narratives in a setting where they can share their reflections with colleagues.
This program is brought to Nevada by Humanities and Ethics at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, Renown Health, and Nevada Humanities. Register by email to Karissa Loper or call 775-682-8393.
Status of LCME accreditation visit
Visit the School of Medicine Web site for an update on the progress of the LCME accreditation visit in 2009.
State job openings at the School of Medicine
Visit the University of Nevada, Reno Web site for a current list of state jobs at the University of Nevada School of Medicine.
In This Edition
Medical Education
Two match into military residency programs
Bierkamper Research Convocation set for Jan. 20
Horsley to present at Society of Critical Care Medicine conference
Nanayakkara accepted as global health fellow
Faculty
Faculty members, program honored by Southern Nevada Immunization Coalition
Hogan to present at annual meeting
Wilson to serve on food allergy planning committee
Gillis will serve as committee chair
Alpha Omega Alpha's call for professionalism fellowship applications
Health literacy faculty training series Jan. 12
New faculty orientation workshop Jan. 26
New Hires, Promotions, Departures and Staff Recognitions
Crittle joins school as clinical librarian
School Notes
January's Student Outreach Clinic dates announced
New book on history of medicine now available
Medicine and humanities continuing education opportunity on Jan. 13
Past Editions 2008
March, April, May/June, July, August, September, October, November, December
Inside Nevada Medicine is a service of the Office of Health Science Communications, University of Nevada School of Medicine and is published monthly. Faculty, staff, residents and students are encouraged to submit items of school-wide interest to Editor Anne McMillin for publication. Deadline is the 20th of the month prior to publication. Copyright 2008 University of Nevada School of Medicine.