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December 1, 2009 | Tuesday 
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Dr. Gary Kleiner Wins Micah Batchelor Award for Stem Cell Transplant Research

Gary I. Kleiner, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of clinical pediatrics and recipient of the 2009 Micah Batchelor Award.
Gary I. Kleiner, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of clinical pediatrics and the director of the Jeffrey Model Center for Primary Immune Deficiencies, is the 2009 recipient of the prestigious Micah Batchelor Award for Excellence in Children's Health Research. His winning research proposal is designed to make stem cell transplants an option for more children afflicted with hematologic disorders, primary immune deficiencies and cancer.

Kleiner, a specialist in pediatric immunology and allergy, plans to use the $300,000 that accompanies the award to test his hypothesis that using a combination of stem cells from a sick child's parents and unrelated umbilical cord blood from a bank will reduce the risks of, and barriers to, stem cell transplants, enabling more children to qualify for them.
Dr. Camillo Ricordi Knighted in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Consul General Marco Rocca (left) at the knighting ceremony with Camillo Ricordi, M.D.
Camillo Ricordi, M.D., the Stacy Joy Goodman Professor of Surgery, Distinguished Professor of Medicine, and Scientific Director of the Diabetes Research Institute at the Miller School, was knighted in the Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic) during a ceremony on November 24. The induction took place at the Coral Gables home of the Consul General of Italy, Marco Rocca.


Dr. Thomas Balkany Honored for Tenure as Chair of Otolaryngology

From left, Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., W. Jarrard Goodwin, M.D., UM President Donna E. Shalala, Thomas J. Balkany, M.D., and Fred Telischi, M.D.

University and Miller School leadership, colleagues, friends, family and, most importantly, grateful patients came together on November 20 to honor Thomas J. Balkany, M.D., for his ten years as chair of otolaryngology at the Miller School of Medicine.


New in the Neighborhood: SpringHill Suites Opens for Business
The new SpringHill Suites hotel is two blocks from the UM/Jackson campus.
The Miami Health District has a new hotel - the 198-room SpringHill Suites by Marriott, located just two blocks from the University of Miami/Jackson medical campus at 1311 NW 10th Avenue. Offering an all-suites product, the property also has 1,200 square feet of space for meetings and features a lounge and a restaurant that offers breakfast and dinner.


Shared Resources Fair Tomorrow

The first Shared Resources Fair, sponsored by the Office of Research and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, is tomorrow (Wednesday) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Schoninger Research Quadrangle. The fair will feature more than 30 posters with information about a variety of shared resources available on campus.




Appointments

Andrew Colin, M.D.

Andrew Colin, M.D., professor of pediatrics and director of the Division of Pediatric Pulmonology, has been named chair of the scientific program committee for the IX International Congress on Pediatric Pulmonology being held in Vienna in June 2010. The congress is the only gathering fully dedicated to pediatric pulmonology. Dr. Colin was also an invited speaker at the 12th annual convention of the Puerto Rican Society of Pulmonology last month. He gave one presentation on necrotizing pneumonia and its interface with pleural effusions and another on the infection-asthma connection.

Judith Schaechter, M.D.

Judith Schaechter, M.D., associate professor of clinical pediatrics, has been reappointed by Florida Governor Charlie Crist to a new term on the Children and Youth Cabinet. Her second consecutive term will run through August 2013.

Awards

Adrien A. Eshraghi, M.D., M.Sc.

Adrien A. Eshraghi, M.D., M.Sc., associate professor of otolaryngology, received the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) Honor Award at the opening ceremony of the 2009 AAO-HNS annual meeting in San Diego in October. The Academy presents Honor Awards to medical professionals in recognition of outstanding service through the presentation of instructional courses, scientific papers, or participation on a continuing education committee or faculty. Dr. Eshraghi is currently the Director of the University of Miami Hearing Research Laboratory.

Andrew Maudsley, Ph.D.

Andrew Maudsley, Ph.D., professor of radiology, has received a travel award from the Indo-US Science and Technology Forum to develop methods for brain cancer imaging at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medicine Sciences, in Lucknow, India. The two-year award is designed to establish research collaborations between the two countries and will provide for an exchange of faculty and students from the United States and India.

Presentations

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Roberto C. Heros, M.D., (left) and Jacques M. Morcos, M.D.

Roberto C. Heros, M.D., professor and co-chairman of neurological surgery, completed his four-year term as president at the XIV World Congress of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies, which took place in Boston August 30 to September 4. This premier international neurosurgical meeting is held in a different area of the world every four years. Jacques M. Morcos, M.D., professor of neurological surgery, chaired the Scientific Program Committee, which attracted a remarkable 1,900 invited speakers from 86 countries. More than 3,400 neurosurgeons and 1,000 paraprofessionals, guests and exhibitors from all over the world attended the meeting, making it by far the largest international neurosurgical meeting ever held. Faculty and residents from the Miller School's Department of Neurological Surgery, including Chairman Barth A. Green, M.D., participated in the program with platform presentations and posters. At the conclusion of the meeting, Dr. Heros was named Honorary President of the World Federation.

Ernesto A. Pretto, Jr., M.D., M.P.H

Ernesto A. Pretto, Jr., M.D., M.P.H., professor of clinical anesthesiology, organized a partnership between the Miami Transplant Institute at the University of Miami/Jackson and the Ministry of Health and Social Security Health Systems in Panama to strengthen Panama's organ transplant infrastructure, upgrade existing organ transplant programs, and provide education and training to enable the creation of new programs. Teams from the Institute and UM's Life Alliance Organ Recovery Agency traveled to Panama to make presentations and work with surgeons there to provide training on organ procurement procedures. Dr. Pretto's efforts led Panamanian health authorities to introduce a new bill that will address gaps in organ transplant services in Panama, and will allow the exportation of organs that cannot be used in Panama for use by patients elsewhere - a first for any country in the region and a direct result of a successful collaboration with the Miller School.

Eugene Schiff, M.D.

Eugene Schiff, M.D., Leonard Miller Professor of Medicine and director of the Center for Liver Diseases, presented the 3rd annual Dr. Robert Resnick Lecture in Clinical Liver Disease at Harvard Medical School teaching hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. In the Oct. 1 address, Dr. Schiff spoke about the "Prevention of Mortality from Hepatitis B and C." The lecture is held annually and is named after Dr. Resnick, a renowned liver disease specialist and associate clinical professor of medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess.

Publications

Shelly Baer, LCSW

Shelly Baer, LCSW, social worker at the Jay Weiss Center for Social Medicine and Health Equity, was the editor and project coordinator for the third edition of ACCESS Miami. The handbook is a local resource guide for people who use canes, crutches, walkers, wheelchairs and other accommodations. The guide features information ranging from access to parks and pools to educational facilities and employment.

Profiles
Biochemist Terace Fletcher, Ph.D., Trades Tradition for the Study of Telomeres

Terace Fletcher, Ph.D.

When Terace Fletcher, Ph.D., was growing up in a small town in the Midwest, she received no encouragement to pursue a career in science, and female role models were hard to find. So when she headed off to college in the 1980s, she planned to become a medical technologist, not exactly her passion.

"When I graduated from college with a degree in medical technology, I was on a path for a very traditional life - job, marriage and children -- but I knew I wasn't maximizing my full potential," remembers Fletcher. "So I scrapped everything, and much to my parents' surprise, I headed to graduate school and a future in the so-called hard sciences, biochemistry, chemistry, physics and the like."

Two Miller School Students Present Posters at Cardiology Conference in Prague

From left, Mohamed Kaif, Kathy Hebert, M.D., and Jatin Anand stand in front of a UHealth/Miller poster at the Eighth International Congress on Coronary Artery Disease in Prague.

In October, Jatin Anand, a third-year medical student, and Mohamed Kaif, a fourth-year student, flew from Miami to the Czech Republic where they made presentations at a prestigious cardiology conference. Anand and Kaif were among a small group of international students chosen to present posters at the Eighth International Congress on Coronary Artery Disease alongside luminaries in the cardiology field.

Grand Rounds
Tuesday, December 01, 2009 8 a.m.
Pediatric Grand Rounds: “Update on Inflammatory Bowel Disease”
Tuesday, December 01, 2009 12 p.m.
Cardiovascular Grand Rounds: "Predicting and Preventing Stroke"
Wednesday, December 02, 2009 7:30 a.m.
Plastic Surgery Grand Rounds: “Minimizing Scars and Keloids – Update”
Wednesday, December 02, 2009 11:45 a.m.
Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery Grand Rounds: "Catalyzing Health Care Transformation Via TeleHealth"
Thursday, December 03, 2009 6:45 a.m.
Anesthesiology Grand Rounds: "Controversies in Perioperative Pacemaker and Defibrillator Management"
Thursday, December 03, 2009 7 a.m.
Neurological Surgery Grand Rounds
Thursday, December 03, 2009 7 a.m.
Orthopaedic Grand Rounds: “Mobile Bearing Total Knee Replacement”
Thursday, December 03, 2009 7:30 a.m.
Surgical Grand Rounds/Barbara B. Williams Lecture: “Laparoscopic Liver Resection for Cancer”
Thursday, December 03, 2009 8 a.m.
Otolaryngology Grand Rounds: “Facial Reanimation”
Thursday, December 03, 2009 12 p.m.
Pathology Grand Rounds: “On Social Entrepreneurship – There is Life Outside of Pathology”
Friday, December 04, 2009 10 a.m.
Neurology Grand Rounds
Friday, December 04, 2009 12 p.m.
Psychiatry Grand Rounds: “Medical Errors Prevention, Part One”
Tuesday, December 08, 2009 8 a.m.
Pediatric Grand Rounds: “Facial Clefting and Reconstruction”
Thursday, December 10, 2009 7 a.m.
Orthopaedic Grand Rounds: "Proximal Opening Wedge Osteotomy of the First Metatarsal with Plate Fixation for Hallux Valgus"
Thursday, December 10, 2009 7:30 a.m.
Surgical Grand Rounds: “Malpractice Lawsuit Prevention”
Thursday, December 10, 2009 8 a.m.
Neurological Surgery Grand Rounds: “Neuropathology Review Conference”
Thursday, December 10, 2009 8 a.m.
Otolaryngology Grand Rounds: “Allergic Rhinitis”
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 12 p.m.
Cardiovascular Grand Rounds: “Chronic Kidney Disease: Can We Reduce Cardiovascular Risk?”
Thursday, December 17, 2009 7 a.m.
Orthopaedic Grand Rounds: “Thumb Carpometacarpal Joint Arthritis”
Thursday, December 17, 2009 7:30 a.m.
Surgical Grand Rounds: “Percutaneous Treatment of Aortic Valve Disease”
Thursday, December 17, 2009 8 a.m.
Neurological Surgery Grand Rounds: “Neuropathology”
Events
Tuesday, December 01, 2009 11 a.m. Student Members of Physicians for Human Rights Commemorate World AIDS Day with Awareness Campaign
Tuesday, December 01, 2009 12 p.m. Cell Biology and Anatomy Seminar: “Probing Mitochondrial DNA Structure with Mitochondria-Targeted DNA Methyltransferases"
Tuesday, December 01, 2009 4 p.m. Genetics and Genomics Seminar: “miRNAs, Morphology and Metastasis”
Wednesday, December 02, 2009 11:59 a.m. Gail F. Beach Memorial Visiting Lectureship: “Applications of Recurrent Brain-Computer Interfaces”
Thursday, December 03, 2009 7 a.m. Continuing Medical Education Course: "An Update in the Management of Pediatric Growth Hormone Deficiency"
Thursday, December 03, 2009 12 p.m. Microbiology and Immunology Seminar: "Hyperoxic Reversal of Hypoxia-Adenosinergic Immunosuppression in Lung Metastases"
Friday, December 04, 2009 12 p.m. Friday Noon Interdisciplinary Lecture Series/First Fridays Talks on Autism: "Toilet Training Individuals with Autism"
Friday, December 04, 2009 12 p.m. Neuroscience Center Seminar: "Control of Ion Channel Modulation, Synaptic Plasticity and Neuronal Circuits by Light"
Friday, December 04, 2009 12 p.m. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Seminar: “Nucleosome Dynamics During DNA Replication and Repair”
Saturday, December 05, 2009 7 a.m. Bascom Palmer Presents: “Retinal and Glaucoma Imaging 2010”
Saturday, December 05, 2009 7:29 a.m. Advances in Flexible Endoscopy Course
Thursday, December 10, 2009 10 a.m. The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis Hosts First Holiday Bazaar
Thursday, December 10, 2009 4 p.m. Miller School Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., to Present the 10th Biennial Gross Lecture
Thursday, January 14, 2010 9 a.m. Save the Date: Collaborative Research Exchange Forum
Wednesday, March 24, 2010 8:15 a.m. Save the Date for the 15th Annual Medical Issues and the Growing Child Conference: "Topics in Early Childhood: Examining How Bilingualism and Challenging Behaviors Impact Learning"
Thursday, April 29, 2010 6:45 p.m. Corporate Run is Back!
For Your Benefit

Faculty and Staff Assistance Program Seminar: “Stress Management and Relaxation Training”

Grand Rounds

"Steve went from no options to new options. That's the most important message."

Joseph Rosenblatt, M.D., commenting on how SGN-35, a drug created using an antibody developed by colleague Eckhard Podack, M.D., Ph.D., helped vanquish patient Steve Guarin's anaplastic large cell lymphoma, bringing him back from the brink of death. Guarin and Podack met for the first time on Nov.17.

"Student Meets Man Who Saved His Life"
The Miami Herald, Nov. 18

"I don't think I will let this ... change my recommendation. There is no research science in this recommendation, and that's a problem for me."

Joyce Slingerland, M.D., Ph.D., commenting on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's highly controversial recommendation against routine annual mammograms for healthy women in their 40s.

"Experts Criticize New Advice on Mammograms"
The Miami Herald, Nov. 16

"The biggest expense in diabetes comes from treating the complications of the disease. If we can show that these interventions keep people from developing these complications, this could have an enormous impact."

Ronald Goldberg, M.D., discussing the results of a study suggesting that lifestyle changes resulting in long-term weight loss, even a few pounds, proved roughly twice as effective as drug treatment for preventing type 2 diabetes.

"Diet Beats Drugs for Diabetes Prevention"
WebMD, Oct. 28

"There are [genetic] tests that could be run on all of us. You need to understand why you're doing it. Make sure it's answering the question you want answered."

Jeffery Vance, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics, speaking about the explosion in the availability of medical tests and people's responsibility to consider the need before submitting to them.

"Test Overload"
The Miami Herald, Nov. 3

"It's a ‘molecule to community' interaction. Unless the community understands the molecular changes that drugs (legal and illegal) produce on the brain, the best policy for treatment won't materialize."

José Szapocznik, Ph.D., commenting on the scientific effects of drugs on the brain and the need to understand and consider the effects when developing drug policy.

"Bad Policies Create Revolving Door for Addicts"
The Miami Herald, Nov. 1

"'Go Red Por Tu Corazon' is designed to tap into cultural traditions as a means to a healthier lifestyle, and provide Hispanic women and their families with the tools and resources needed to enjoy good heart health."

Luz Marina Prieto-Sanchez, M.D., commenting on the "Go Red Por Tu Corazon" campaign launched at this year's Latin Grammys to educate Latinas about their heart health.

"The American Heart Association Launches ‘Go Red Por Tu Corazon' at the Latin Grammys"
Reuters, Nov. 5


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Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
CEO, University of Miami Health System
Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D.

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Associate Vice President for Communications
Christine Morris

Editor
Jenny Prather

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Maya Bell
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Lisa Worley


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