This is the June 6, 2010 edition of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine\u27s newsletter - Watercooler.
Contents Include:    USA Medical Students To Receive White Coats June 26 Dr. Karen Fagan: Her Journey Through ELAM Program Webinar for New LexisNexis Interface  The Challenges of Parkinson\u27s Disease  NIH Funds Consortium to Develop Lab Models for Mitochondrial Disease

Lyle, Lindsey

English

University of South Alabama Institutional Repository

1/19/23, 9:25 AM Med School Watercooler: 6/6/10 - 6/13/10https://medschoolwatercooler.blogspot.com/2010_06_06_archive.html 1/5F r i d a y ,  J u n e  1 1 ,  2 0 1 0USA Medical Students To Receive White Coats June 26The University of South Alabama College of Medicine will hold its annual WhiteCoat Ceremony at the USA Mitchell Center on June 26, 2010, at 10 a.m. Duringthe ceremony, rising third-year medical students will be cloaked with their firstwhite coats, the traditional dress of physicians for more than 100 years.“The white coat symbolizes the profession and the trust and responsibilitybetween a patient and their doctor,” said Dr. Maggi O’Brien, associate dean at theUSA College of Medicine. “It represents the privilege that physicians have incaring for patients and the confidence patients place in them.”In the United States, medical schools typically organize their four-year curriculuminto two distinct parts - the preclinical and the clinical years. This tradition holdstrue at USA, where students spend the first two years in a classroom settinglearning the fundamentals of basic science and pathology, followed by two yearsof hands-on training in the clinical environment under the supervision andmentoring of faculty and resident physicians.The ceremony marks a significant milestone for these students - the point wherethey will begin their clinical rotations and start interacting with patients. Theirthird year begins on Monday, June 28.For students, the White Coat ceremony serves as a reminder of the importanceand responsibility they take by dedicating themselves to the care of patients.During the ceremony, the students in unison will take the Medical Student Oath,a promise to uphold the human aspects of medicine, such as sensitivity,compassion and respect for patients.Each year, the USA Medical Alumni Association sponsors this event. For moreinformation, contact Melodie Robinson at (251) 460-6805.Search This BlogFeel free to email your ideas tolalyle@health.southalabama.eduGot news to share?►    2023 (10)►    2022 (249)►    2021 (269)►    2020 (191)►    2019 (245)►    2018 (236)►    2017 (231)►    2016 (206)►    2015 (205)►    2014 (241)►    2013 (232)►    2012 (245)►    2011 (262)▼    2010 (247)►    12/19 - 12/26 (5)►    12/12 - 12/19 (6)►    12/05 - 12/12 (5)►    11/28 - 12/05 (5)►    11/21 - 11/28 (4)►    11/14 - 11/21 (5)►    11/07 - 11/14 (5)►    10/31 - 11/07 (5)►    10/24 - 10/31 (6)►    10/17 - 10/24 (5)►    10/10 - 10/17 (6)►    10/03 - 10/10 (5)►    09/26 - 10/03 (4)►    09/19 - 09/26 (5)►    09/12 - 09/19 (7)►    09/05 - 09/12 (6)►    08/29 - 09/05 (6)►    08/22 - 08/29 (4)►    08/15 - 08/22 (4)Blog ArchiveMore Create Blog  Sign In1/19/23, 9:25 AM Med School Watercooler: 6/6/10 - 6/13/10https://medschoolwatercooler.blogspot.com/2010_06_06_archive.html 2/5Posted by Med School Watercooler at 10:29 AM No comments:   Dr. Karen Fagan: Her Journey Through ELAM ProgramDr. Karen Fagan, associate professor ofinternal medicine and pharmacology whodirects the pulmonary and critical caremedicine division at the University of SouthAlabama College of Medicine, recentlycompleted a fellowship in the 2009/2010Hedwig van Ameringen ExecutiveLeadership in American Medicine Programfor Women (ELAM).The program, which is offered throughDrexel University, has the goal ofincreasing the number of qualified womencandidates for leadership positions in thefields of academic medicine, dentistry andpublic health.Dr. Fagan said the ELAM program was atremendous experience. “The programhelped me develop skills to be most effective in my current job,” she said. “ELAMalso gave me areas to develop that will allow me to continue to grow and evolveas an effective leader at USA and in internal medicine.”Participating in the program requires fellows to participate in a large individualleadership project over the course of a year in addition to working on smallerprojects and collaborating with other fellows in the program. In this year’s classthere were a total of 54 women from North America – U.S. and Canadianmedical, dental and veterinary schools. Overall the program has graduated morethan 600 fellows in its 15 year history.“This program gave me leadership skills and a comprehensive view of the variousaspects of academic medicine,” she said. “Our missions at USA -- service to thecommunity, clinical service, education and research are complicated and difficultto execute. Leaders in academic medicine need to have an understanding andskills to meet those mission needs.”The ELAM curriculum included an assessment of each fellow’s personal skills,education in financing, and an understanding of leadership.“It was great to be able to find out the areas in which you need to furtherdevelop,” Dr. Fagan said. “I learned how to manage people better, communicatemore effectively, and delegate and support others so they can reach theirmaximum potential. These are skills that I will continue to work on and improvethroughout my career.”The ELAM program has an intense curriculum on health care financing,specifically finance organization using budget development, planning for futuregrowth and challenges. Fellows were given the task of critically assessing thefinances of their own institutions as well as that of a fictitious, troubled medicalschool in need of a financial overhaul.Dr. Fagan said the most enjoyable part of the program was learning how to betterunderstand leadership. Participants were encouraged to do senior leadershipinterviews, and were required to meet with leaders in a variety of roles at theiruniversity.“Meeting with the leaders at USA really gave me a broad view of not just theCollege of Medicine, but of USA as a whole,” she said. “It gave me a real insight►    08/08 - 08/15 (5)►    08/01 - 08/08 (5)►    07/25 - 08/01 (6)►    07/18 - 07/25 (3)►    07/11 - 07/18 (6)►    07/04 - 07/11 (5)►    06/27 - 07/04 (4)►    06/20 - 06/27 (6)►    06/13 - 06/20 (5)▼    06/06 - 06/13 (5)USA Medical Students To ReceiveWhite Coats June 26Dr. Karen Fagan: Her JourneyThrough ELAM ProgramWebinar for New LexisNexisInterface"The Challenges of Parkinson'sDisease"NIH Funds Consortium to DevelopLab Models for Mit...►    05/30 - 06/06 (2)►    05/23 - 05/30 (4)►    05/16 - 05/23 (2)►    05/09 - 05/16 (6)►    05/02 - 05/09 (5)►    04/25 - 05/02 (5)►    04/18 - 04/25 (5)►    04/04 - 04/11 (5)►    03/28 - 04/04 (4)►    03/21 - 03/28 (5)►    03/14 - 03/21 (6)►    03/07 - 03/14 (6)►    02/28 - 03/07 (9)►    02/21 - 02/28 (7)►    02/14 - 02/21 (12)►    01/31 - 02/07 (3)►    01/24 - 01/31 (3)►    01/10 - 01/17 (5)►    01/03 - 01/10 (5)►    2009 (88)1/19/23, 9:25 AM Med School Watercooler: 6/6/10 - 6/13/10https://medschoolwatercooler.blogspot.com/2010_06_06_archive.html 3/5Posted by Med School Watercooler at 9:45 AM No comments:   into people and the culture of the university – especially how leaders at ouruniversity view the challenges ahead. Everyone that I approached to interviewfrom President Moulton to individual faculty members and administrators werevery accommodating and informative.”The ELAM program also gave Dr. Fagan the opportunity to network with otherwomen in academic medicine. Participants were put into groups and would workon projects together, allowing everyone to hear different perspectives on today’shealth care issues.“The program really boosted my confidence, and it gave me a chance to learnfrom my experiences,” Dr. Fagan said. “I spent a year practicing skills throughthis program, and I want to use those skills to contribute to USA. I feel like now Ican offer a payback to the university by being a more effective leader and byadvancing our missions.”Dr. Fagan was the fourth person from USA to participate in the program. “TheCollege of Medicine has three women who have previously completed the ELAMprogram, and all of them have made important contributions to the university,”Dr. Fagan said. “My hope is to do the same.”-------------------Dr. Fagan joined USA in March 2008 as both chief of the pulmonary division ininternal medicine and associate professor in the Center for Lung Biology. Most ofher research deals primarily with lung health, specifically pulmonaryhypertension.She received her medical degree from the University of California at San DiegoSchool of Medicine in 1992, and completed a fellowship in pulmonary diseasesand critical care at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, where shealso served as a National Institutes of Health trainee.Dr. Fagan’s research has earned her multiple awards, including the Best AbstractAward from the American Heart Association, the Giles F. Filley Memorial Award forExcellence in Respiratory Physiology and Medicine from the AmericanPhysiological Society, and the Howard Hughes Individual Investigator Award fromthe University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.T h u r s d a y ,  J u n e  1 0 ,  2 0 1 0Webinar for New LexisNexis InterfaceThe University of South Alabama Libraries is hosting a LexisNexis webinartraining session on June 16, 2010, at 10 a.m. The session will be held in Room305 of the USA Library.This past spring, the LexisNexis Statistical Index database received a newinterface for accessing statistical information and has been re-christened --LexisNexis Statistical Insight.This database provides fast and easy access to statistical information producedby U.S. federal agencies, states, private organizations and majorintergovernmental organizations.If you are involved in gathering statistical information from published sources,this would be a good opportunity to learn more about how to efficiently searchthis valuable database. The training workshop is open to everyone in theUniversity community.In addition, during the month of June, the USA Libraries will have a trial access toStatistical Insight's companion database -- LexisNexis DataSets.LexisNexis Statistical DataSets is a Web-based research solutions tool thatprovides fast and easy access to 1.5 billion data points from licensed and publicdomain datasets within an easy-to-use interface. With this new tool, you canscan the contents of over 530 datasets, select subjects and variables of interest,1/19/23, 9:25 AM Med School Watercooler: 6/6/10 - 6/13/10https://medschoolwatercooler.blogspot.com/2010_06_06_archive.html 4/5Posted by Med School Watercooler at 12:50 PM No comments:   and view your data in side-by-side tables and charts.To access this trial database, go to the USA Library's home page and click on the"Articles, Indexes, and Databases" link:http://www.usouthal.edu/univlib/other.html. Then look for "TRIALS" in green forthe listing of current trial databases.If you have any questions, contact Vicki Tate at vtate@jaguar1.usouthal.edu.W e d n e s d a y ,  J u n e  9 ,  2 0 1 0Posted by Med School Watercooler at 4:05 PM No comments:   "The Challenges of Parkinson's Disease"The June Med School Café lecture will feature Dr. DeanNaritoku, professor and chair of neurology at theUniversity of South Alabama College of Medicine. Hislecture, titled “The Challenges of Parkinson’s Disease,”will take place June 16, 2010, at the Chandler YMCA at951 Downtowner Blvd. in Mobile. Lunch will be served at11:30 a.m., and the presentation begins at noon.Dr. Naritoku will lecture on Parkinson’s disease, adegenerative disorder of the central nervous systemthat can impair cognitive and motor skills.During his talk, Dr. Naritoku will outline the causes ofthe disease, as well as its signs and symptoms. He will also provide importantinformation on current treatment options and promising new research.Dr. Naritoku has close to 30 years of experience in academic medicine. Prior tojoining USA, he served as professor and associate chair of neurology and directorof the Center for Epilepsy at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) School ofMedicine in Springfield, Ill.At SIU, he also directed the office of therapeutics research and served as thefellowship director of clinical neurophysiology for the school of medicine.Dr. Naritoku is board certified in neurology and clinical neurophysiology by theAmerican Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and is board certified by theAmerican Board of Clinical Pharmacology.Dr. Naritoku received his medical degree from Chicago Medical School andcompleted his internship in internal medicine at the University of Illinois inChicago. He completed neurology residency training at Washington University inSt. Louis. Following his residency, he completed a neuropharmacology andepilepsy fellowship also at Washington University.The Med School Café lecture and lunch are provided free of charge, butreservations are required. For more information or to make reservations, pleasecall Kim Barnes at (251) 460-7770 or e-mail kebarnes@usouthal.edu.Med School Café is a free community lecture series sponsored by the USAPhysicians Group. Each month, faculty from the USA College of Medicine sharetheir expertise on a specific medical condition, providing insight on the latesttreatment available.M o n d a y ,  J u n e  7 ,  2 0 1 0NIH Funds Consortium to Develop Lab Models forMitochondrial Diseases1/19/23, 9:25 AM Med School Watercooler: 6/6/10 - 6/13/10https://medschoolwatercooler.blogspot.com/2010_06_06_archive.html 5/5Newer Posts Older PostsHomeSubscribe to: Posts (Atom)Posted by Med School Watercooler at 10:05 AM No comments:   The National Institutes of Health recently funded a consortium between theUniversity of South Alabama and Auburn University to develop lab models formitochondrial diseases. The universities were able to secure $1,469,078 in NIHfunding during the next four years.This consortium will draw on previous studies at USA funded with the R21 grant,a special category at the NIH for “high risk, high reward” proposals. Theseproposals are deemed to be of exceptional value on the entire field of study.Dr. Mikhail Alexeyev, assistant professor in the department of cell biology andneuroscience at USA and principal investigator of the project, said these studies,if successful, will put USA on both national and international maps as an authorityin mitochondrial research.“The technology and experimental approaches developed in the course of thesestudies will enhance other mitochondrial research projects at USA,” he said. “Itwill also increase awareness of mitochondrial diseases, which often goundiagnosed or misdiagnosed due to the complexity of the symptoms.”Mitochondria are cellular organelles that are often referred to as the“powerhouse” of the cell because they produce the bulk of ATP, which is anenergy currency of the cell. Mutations in the mitochondrial DNA often result inmitochondrial diseases.“The problem with the current research models for mitochondrial diseases is thatthey failed to faithfully recapitulate human disease,” Dr. Alexeyev said. “Themodels we are working with can allow us to observe outcomes faster and moreeffectively.”According to Dr. Alexeyev, there are more than 100 known disease-associatedmutations in mitochondrial DNA. “Mitochondrial diseases are hereditary diseases,caused by changes in the genetic information,” Dr. Alexeyev said. “To model thehuman disease, we need to change the genetic information in the lab model’smitochondrial DNA.”Studies indicate that mitochondrial diseases are some of the most commongenetic disorders. “They are progressive and incurable, and some are lethal.” Dr.Alexeyev said. “Availability of reliable models will facilitate and accelerate findingeffective treatments and ultimately a cure.”StatCounterSimple theme. Powered by Blogger.

Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - June 6, 2010

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Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - June 6, 2010

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