september 2009
Dean's Comments
Looking at the School of Medicine, and especially reviewing the last few years, Norman Mailer’s statement rings quite true to me: “There is that law of life, so cruel and so just, which demands that one must grow or else pay more for staying the same.”
In times of fiscal restraint, growth is not the first thing that comes to mind. Indeed, we have made cuts at the School of Medicine in salaries, administrative support hours, delayed hirings, reduced travel, etc. But, as the citation goes, simply contracting or even maintaining the status quo was not an option because we can’t afford it. So, throughout this recessionary period, we have initiated and supported new developments to further the mission of the School of Medicine.
This month, we will start using our new simulation center in Las Vegas where medical students, residents and fellows, alongside nursing students, will have the opportunity to train on electronically controlled clinical simulation situations. These simulations are a far cry from the models many of us know from our basic life support training. The apparent reality of these simulated clinical challenges, in all their complexity, is so close to clinical reality that we expect trainees to achieve competency in certain skills before practicing on live patients.
The importance of this addition to our education arsenal can only be compared to the critical role flight simulators have brought to pilot training. It is inconceivable today to even imagine going back to “pre-sim” days in aviation and I predict we will feel the same way about our sim lab in a few years. Mimi Bar-on, M.D., our associate dean of graduate medical education as well as Vice Chancellor James Lenhart, M.D., deserve special commendation for making the simulation center a reality.
The School of Medicine is also moving ahead with conversion to electronic health records. This is a venture we share, in its pilot project phase, with Renown Regional Medical Center. This fall, I am expecting our first group of clinicians in Reno to go live with electronic management of patient information. If this pilot project works, this change will eventually increase our efficiency managing a large interdisciplinary group practice. It also brings us in-line with the national mandate associated with health care reform to replace paper files with electronic medical records. And finally, it is another step in preparing our students more realistically for the practice of medicine in the 21st century.
On September 1, we expect to welcome our new chair of pathology to Nevada. Sanford Barsky, M.D., comes from a highly regarded institution and with a stellar academic track record. He rings in a new era of pathology for the school and our state, collaborating with the Nevada Cancer Institute and other community partners in order to move our department to a highly visible model of excellence in research, teaching and clinical support.
Looking over these examples, and knowing that there are many more, I believe I am justified to claim that the University of Nevada School of Medicine has clearly opted for growing rather than for paying more to maintain the status quo.
Ole J.Thienhaus, M.D., MBA
Dean,
University of Nevada School of Medicine
Medical Education
White Coat Ceremony welcomes Class of 2013
Incoming medical students from the Class of 2013 participated in the White Coat Ceremony on Friday, Aug. 14 which symbolically welcomed them into the health care profession. The ceremony, which took place at Lawlor Events Center in Reno, concluded the students’ orientation week and is part of the University of Nevada School of Medicine’s Family Day celebration.
The annual Family Day offered students and their families the opportunity to participate in workshops aimed at informing them as to what to expect during the next four years of medical education. Read more
Faculty
Faculty honored as Nevada Business magazine's Healthcare Heroes
Four University of Nevada School of Medicine faculty members recently earned honors at Nevada Business magazine’s Fourth Annual Healthcare Heroes awards dinners in Las Vegas and Reno.
At the northern Nevada banquet, three faculty were honored including Ken Maehara, M.D., as the “educator” hero; Phil Goodman, M.D., as the “technology/research” hero and Tom Kozel, Ph.D., for lifetime achievement. At the southern Nevada banquet, Colleen Morris, M.D., was honored for “technology/research,” making for a clean School of Medicine sweep in that category statewide. Read more
Fairley elected to advisory council
Jemila Fairley, Au.D., was recently elected to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Audiology Advisory Council for a three-year term beginning Jan. 1, 2010.
As a council member, she will be responsible for identifying and discussing issues of concern to members and providing information on these issues to the board of directors. She will also provide recommendations for the board’s consideration in determining possible future programs and services to be developed and/or supported by association resources.
Faculty members to address medical conference in Thailand
School of Medicine faculty will continue building the international exchange program with medical universities in Thailand this fall by serving as guest speakers at a medical conference. Miriam Bar-on, M.D., professor of pediatrics, and Melissa Piasecki, M.D., professor of psychiatry, will be the featured guest speakers at the Sixth Annual Thailand National Medical Education Conference hosted by Pramonkutklao College of Medicine near Bangkok, Thailand in November. Beverly Neyland, M.D., professor of pediatrics, and Caroline Barangan, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics, will discuss obesity and adolescent problems with high school teachers and nursing and medical school faculty members at Thammasat University a few days later.
Three pediatric clinical trials approved
Echezona Ezeanolue, M.D. MPH, assistant professor of pediatrics, recently received institutional review board approval for three pediatric clinical trials. The first is a study on using fluconazole prophylaxis for the prevention of candidiasis in infants less than 750 grams at birth. The second involves a prospective, multi-center study to investigate the safety and tolerability of voriconazole as primary therapy for treatment of invasive aspergillosis and molds in pediatric patients. The final study is an open-label, multicenter, multiple-dose pharmacokinetic and 48-week safety and efficacy trial of marovoric in combination with optimized background therapy for the treatment of antiretroviral-experienced CCR5-tropic HIV-1 infected children.
Ezeanolue awarded grant for hospital-based immunization system
Vaccines are among modern medicine’s most successful and cost-effective public health tools for the prevention of disease. Immunizations are one of the most important ways to protect children from serious illnesses. Nevada has one of the lowest immunization rates in the U.S., leaving many children susceptible to diseases that can be prevented with vaccinations.
In an effort to reverse this trend, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services awarded an $87,000 grant to Echezona Ezeanolue, M.D. MPH, assistant professor of pediatric infectious disease at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, to evaluate the impact of implementing a hospital-based immunization information system. Read more
Piasecki makes presentation to Department of Justice
Melissa Piasecki, M.D., associate dean for faculty affairs and development, presented on the topic of “Competency Standards for Immigration Hearings” to a gathering of federal immigration judges last month at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.
Faculty featured at pediatric conference
Faculty members from multiple departments of the Las Vegas and Reno campuses were keynote speakers at the annual meeting of the Nevada Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics held recently in Las Vegas.
Beverly Neyland, M.D., professor of pediatrics, is the chapter president and moderated the event along with Kami Larsen, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics, who served as the continuing medical education chair for the program.
A mini-symposium on adolescent morbid obesity, organized and chaired by John Gosche, M.D., professor and chief of pediatric surgery, opened with a presentation by Rola Saad, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics specializing in pediatric endocrinology, who discussed “Metabolic Syndrome in Adolescents.”
Barbara Kohlenberg, M.D., clinical psychologist in the Center for Nutrition and Metabolism, and Erica Ryst, M.D., assistant professor and training director of child and adolescent psychiatry, gave a presentation on “Psychological Factors in the Etiology & Treatment of Morbidly Obese Adolescents.”
David Gremse, M.D., professor and chair of pediatrics in Las Vegas, a pediatric gastroenterologist, reported on “Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis in Adolescents.” James Lau, M.D., assistant professor of surgery, updated the audience on “Barriers to Bariatric Surgery in the Adolescent Patient in Nevada.”
Other addresses during the meeting included Nevin Wilson, M.D., professor and chair of pediatrics in Reno, an allergist-immunologist, delivering a talk on “Pediatric Food Allergies” followed by Caroline Barangan, M.D., assistant professor and director of adolescent medicine in Las Vegas who spoke on “The 5-minute Teen Screen.”
Another segment of the conference highlighted breastfeeding. During this session, Dr. Madeline Sigman-Grant of the UNR Cooperative Extension in Las Vegas discussed “Hospital Policies for Breastfeeding Mothers.”
School Notes
Foundation banquet, CME event on Sept. 24, 25
Faculty, staff, students and residents are invited to attend the University of Nevada, Reno Foundation Banquet, sponsored by The Whittemore Family Foundation, honoring the School of Medicine’s 40th anniversary on Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. at John Ascuaga’s Nugget in Sparks.
Featured speaker is Atul Gawande, M.D., who served as the senior health policy advisor to President Bill Clinton and is the director of the World Health Organization’s Global Challenge for Safer Surgical Care.
Tickets for the banquet are $200 per person and advanced purchase is required by Sept. 17 as tickets will not be available at the door.
Prior to the banquet, at 5:30 p.m., the School of Medicine Alumni Association will host a reception for alumni and faculty where it will present the inaugural outstanding alumni award to Susan Desmond-Hellmann, M.D.’82, left, chancellor of the University of California, San Francisco.
For additional information on either of these events, please contact Christina Sarman at (775)784-6009.
A continuing medical education program with updates on topics including pathology, hypertension, patient safety, allergies pain management and service deliveries in primary care will be held in the Manville auditorium in Reno on Sept. 25 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Registration for this program is $75 ($50 for alumni, faculty and residents if registered by Sept. 10).
Get ready to run in Annual Northern Nevada Race for the Cure
It is once again time to Race for the Cure in support of the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s mission to find a cure for breast cancer.
The School of Medicine and University Health System are again supporting this year's race, scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 4 on the University of Nevada, Reno campus quad, for the third consecutive year. All students, faculty and staff are encouraged to participate on the School of Medicine/University Health System team, "Save Second Base." Read more
Health literacy and aging series continues in September
The Nevada Geriatric Education Center’s upcoming Health Literacy Faculty Training Series: Palliative Care, Health Literacy, and Aging will be presented to various rural sites via interactive video on Thursday, Sept. 17 from noon to 1 p.m. The program is free and 1.0 continuing education units for nurses, social workers and physicians will be available. The presenter will be Vicki Koceja, Ph.D., RN from the Oncology/Palliative Care Center at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, Henderson, Nev. To register or for more information, contact Allan Froman at (702)671-2381 or via email.
Outreach clinic dates for August announced
The University of Nevada School of Medicine’s Student Outreach Clinics for August 2009 have been announced for the following dates: a general clinic will be held on August 22 from 8 a.m. to noon and a women’s clinic will be held Aug. 24 from 6 to 9 p.m. Read more
Holocaust survivor to speak on Sept. 30
The School of Medicine's Division of Medical Humanities and Ethics will co-sponsor a talk entitled "Through the Eyes of a Child: An Evening with Eva Kor." Eva Moses Kor is one of the few surviving twins experimented on by Dr. Joseph Mengele during World War II at Auschwitz Birkenau.
Out of her uniquely tragic ordeal, Eva Kor has emerged with a victorious message of forgiveness which she will share on Sept. 30 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Nightingale Concert Hall on the University of Nevada, Reno campus. The event is sponsored by the Holocaust, Genocide and Peace Studies Program, Nevada Humanities and others. It free and open to the university community and the public. Contact Marin Gillis at (775)682-7725 for more information.
Professional development opportunities at the School of Medicine
The Office of Continuing Medical Educations has CME opportunities to announce for this fall:
The 2009 Annual Diabetes Conference will be held Friday, Oct. 2 at the Peppermill Convention Center in Reno. The topic is “Insulin Resistance: Why a Cluster is a Cluster.” The 10th Annual Autumn Update of Networking for HIV Care is scheduled for Oct. 17 and 18 at Northstar-at-Tahoe in Truckee, Calif.
To register or for additional information on either of these events, call (775)784-4782.
Offerings at Nevada Cancer Institute in Las Vegas
Nevada Cancer Institute in Las Vegas is offering two continuing medical education opportunities in September. On Thursday, Sept. 17, from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., the tumor board will be hosting a talk on “Surgical Techniques in Breast Cancer” given by Souzan El-Eid, M.D., FACS. On Friday, Sept. 18 from noon to 1 p.m., the institute will host a talk on “Postoperative Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer: Adjuvant or Salvage?” by Howard Sandler, M.D., of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. All seminars are held at Nevada Cancer Institute. For more information on these offerings and to register, please call Diane Terrano at (702)822-5163.
The institute will also host several community lectures this month. Karen Milligan, M.D., director of clinical survivorship services at NVCI, will give a lecture on “Colon Cancer: Survivorship Issues” at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 16. Kenneth A. Foon, M.D., chief of hematological malignancies at NVCI, will give a discussion for patients on “Leukemia & Lymphoma” from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 23. This lecture is hosted by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Oscar Goodman, M.D., Ph.D., medical oncologist at NVCI, will talk on the “Eradication of Prostate Cancer” at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
To register for any of these lectures, please call Lisa Emrich at (702)821-0071.
Status of LCME accreditation visit
The School of Medicine's early year-long self-study effort in preparation for the Liaison Committee on Medical Education’s accreditation visit in October concluded this spring. As part of this self-study, five committees examined different aspects of the medical school including institutional setting, program for the M.D. degree, medical students, faculty and educational resources. Medical students, administrators from UNR and our affiliated hospitals and medical school faculty from across disciplines and campuses participated on the self-study committees. In addition, medical students conducted an independent student analysis.
Findings of the self study were reported at the May school assembly and at individual departmental meetings. The self-study summary report, supporting documents and the independent student analysis were submitted to the site visit team members in July.
The site visit takes place Oct. 18 through 22 during which time site visitors will tour and meet with faculty and students at both the Reno and Las Vegas campuses. The findings of the LCME committee should be reported to the dean early next year.
The Liaison Committee for Medical Education is the accrediting body for medical schools in the U.S. and Canada. The School of Medicine’s last accreditation visit was in 2001, when it was granted the full eight-year accreditation.
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
White Coat Ceremony welcomes Class of 2013
Faculty
Faculty honored as Nevada Business magazine's Healthcare Heroes
Fairley elected to advisor council
Faculty members to address medical conference in Thailand
Three pediatric clinical trials approved
Ezeanolue awarded grant for hospital-based immunization system
Piasecki makes presentation to Department of Justice
Faculty featured at pediatric conference
School Notes
Foundation banquet, CME event on Sept. 24, 25
Get ready to run in the Annual Northern Nevada Race for the Cure
Health literacy and aging series continues in September
Outreach clinic dates announced for August
Holocaust survivor to speak on Sept. 30
Professional development opportunities at the School of Medicine
Nevada Cancer Institute offerings
Status of LCME accreditation visit
Past Editions 2008
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Past Editions 2009
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 2009 University of Nevada School of Medicine.