Re-keying project under way

The Medical School Building’s re-keying project is in full swing, with re-coring and re-keying starting this week.

The Medical School is the first school of the entire UT Health Science Center to be re-keyed as a safety measure, and the result will mean new keys for all building occupants.

“This building has had the same locks and key sets since it was built,” said Judson Lloyd, senior project manager.

The MSB project, which affects every locking core of every door and every key – including new masters, will be redone by the end of the fiscal year.

The new keys will be created by locksmith Richard Lampert on a special patented key machine, which will prevent duplicates from being made. Pat Dualeh will keep track of all of the keys and their holders through special software. Those who request a master key must have Dean’s Office approval.

“We will replace the existing hardware and offer locking upgrades to departments,” Lloyd explained.

Extra keys will cost $4, and other upgrade options will include card readers and key punch pads, with Dean’s Office approval.

The re-keying process will take about three weeks per floor. Badges will not be affected.


-D. Brown

For more Headlines, see Page 2 Stories

Study: Long-Term Treatment for Psoriasis Effective and Safe

Patients using the psoriasis medication, etanercept, will not experience added infections or adverse side effects if they use the drug for an extended period of time, according to a study published in the June issue of Archives of Dermatology. In fact, study participants saw continued improvement after using the drug for up to 96 weeks.

Dr. Stephen Tyring, clinical professor of dermatology, was the principal investigator for the two-year clinical study at 39 medical centers in the United States and Canada.

“This study represents, to our knowledge, the longest continuous exposure of patients with psoriasis to 50 milligrams of etanercept biweekly, and provides further insights into the safety and efficacy of high-dose etanercept for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis,” Tyring said.

Psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin disorder, usually requires long-term therapy. Right now, the Food and Drug Administration has approved etanercept for 12 weeks of continued use at the higher dosage. This phase 3, randomized, double-blind trial examined whether more than 12 weeks of use could be harmful to the patient, and whether they would see continued improvement.

The study involved more than 600 patients, some using etanercept and others taking a placebo. The participants were examined every 12 weeks to evaluate their progress.

“Patients responded within two weeks to etanercept, with statistically significant differences between the etanercept group and placebo groups at week 12,” Tyring said.

Study participants hit their peak of improvement around the 48th week.

Etanercept (Enbrel ®) is manufactured by Amgen and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.


- M. McDonald

For more Headlines, see Page 2 Stories

Appointments to Endowed Positions Announced in Urology, Pathology

Dr. Ouida Lenaine Westney and Dr. Robert E. Brown each have been named to endowed positions at the Medical School.

Westney, associate professor of surgery in the Division of Urology, was named to the C. R. Bard Inc./Edward J. McGuire, M.D., Distinguished Chair in Urology.

Westney, who is division director and residency program director, said being named to this endowed position carries a great deal of meaning and sentiment for her, as it bears the name of one of her mentors. “Dr. McGuire was my residency and fellowship program director at the Medical School and continues to be my most valued mentor and close friend,” said Westney, who completed a fellowship in female urology, neurourology and pelvic reconstruction at the Medical School.

“I strive to emulate his example as an educator and advocate for resident and fellow education. Additionally, I am very honored to be selected as the guardian of funds donated to the university as a tribute to his unique brilliance and vision.”

McGuire was a professor of surgery and director of the urology division at the Medical School during the 1990s. He is currently a professor of surgery in the section of urology at the University of Michigan. The distinguished chair in his honor was established in 1996 by various donors.

Founded in 1923, C. R. Bard Inc. develops, manufactures and markets medical technologies in the fields of vascular medicine, urology, oncology and surgery. Some of their products include hemodialysis catheters, angioplasty balloons and vascular patches. The company helped Frederick E. B. Foley, M.D., develop and market the first Foley catheter in the 1930s and developed the first arterial prosthesis by Michael E. DeBakey, M.D., in 1954.

Westney specializes in incontinence, neurourology and complex urinary tract and pelvic reconstruction. She hopes to use her endowment funds to support and mentor young researchers.

Like Westney, Brown said he is pleased, not only to be awarded an endowed position, but honored as well because of the endowment’s namesake.

“It was a double honor to receive the appointment to the Harvey S. Rosenberg, M. D., Chair in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine,” Brown said. “Not only does it convey the academic distinction of an endowed position at a prestigious medical school, but also it is given in the name of one of the most, if not the most, distinguished pediatric pathologists of our time, Dr. Rosenberg.”

Rosenberg was appointed professor emeritus in 2001 and has been on the faculty at the Medical School for more than 25 years. Various donors established the endowed chair in his honor in 1987.

Brown, professor and vice chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, said he hopes the endowed funds will help advance research into morphoproteomics, which identifies the molecular circuitry of proteins within tumors to detect molecular targets amenable to specific intervention. The goal is to create “personalized medicine,” as Brown calls it, specific to an individual patient’s tumor.

“The endowment will enable me to pursue my goal of testing the concept of morphoproteomics at the largest medical complex in the world and applying it in a clinically scientific manner, in collaboration with my clinical colleagues, to individualized therapy for cancer patients.”

An endowment establishes a permanent fund that the donor designates for a specific use. Income earned from the endowed fund supports the donor’s specified purpose, but the corpus is never used; thus, the endowment is held in perpetuity.

“Faculty endowments are essential to the recruitment and retention of our top-notch educators, clinicians, and researchers,” interim Dean Jerry Wolinsky said. “We rely on the generosity of our benefactors who wisely choose to fund these mentors of tomorrow’s physicians and scientists.”


-W. Mohon

For more Headlines, see Page 2 Stories