Town hall set for Aug. 18

Dean Giuseppe Colasurdo will host a town hall meeting at noon Aug. 18 in MSB 3.001. He will give the latest updates on the state of the Medical School and answer questions from the audience.

To submit questions in advance, please e-mail them to Suzanne Paramore, Suzanne.J.Paramore@uth.tmc.edu or, med.dean@uth.tmc.edu.

Lunch will be available for the first 150, and a Webcast of the event will be available to LBJ.

 

 

 

 

Students take to the phones in search of scholarship funds

Everyone knows students love to talk on the phone. The Office of Development and Alumni Relations is putting that favorite hobby to work as medical students, for the first time, are calling alumni to raise money for the Medical School’s 1,000 x 500 Campaign for Scholarships.

Student volunteers have been manning the phone lines 5:30-8:30 p.m. this week (July 21-24). The phone campaign is targeting all alumni – those who have already given will be thanked, and those who have not will be asked to do so.

The goal of the 1,000 x 500 Campaign for Scholarships is for 1,000 alumni and friends of UT Medical School to each give a gift of $500 – thereby boosting the alumni association scholarship fund by half a million dollars.

Over the first two nights, the students received 24 pledges from alumni. Dean Giuseppe Colasurdo joined the students in the calling Tuesday night, and other faculty members are expected to help call and thank donors.

“The support shown thus far is very encouraging. We are not only trying to raise the amount of scholarships we give out but also increase our alumni giving rate, which has jumped to 3.5 percent from less than 1 percent over the past few months,” said Claire Lindsay, director of development.

Donations are being accepted from nonalumni as well. To donate, and join the ranks of the generous contributors to this campaign, see www.utmshalumni.org/1000x500

-D. Brown

Information technology issues discussed at senate meeting

At their July 17 meeting, faculty senators learned about information technology compliance issues. The reasons behind recent changes to policies in how information is secured and handled at the UT Health Science Center were clarified by Bassel Choucair, director of the Office for Medical School Information Technology.

Choucair explained that compliance with UT System regulation was the driving force behind recent changes. For example, there is increased regulation leading to greater diligence in keeping passwords secure. Although there are mechanisms in place to permit sharing of files, it is critical that passwords remain solely in the domain of the individual user. Another issue of security concern revolved around the requirement for data encryption in removable storage systems, such as flash drives and external hard drives.

Other issues addressed by Choucair included the upcoming changes to archiving e-mail, modifications to increase multiple users simultaneously on Blackboard, and upgrades to exchange servers to allow better integrated use of mobile devices such as the iPhone and mobile PDAs.

Dean Giuseppe Colasurdo was pleased to report to the Faculty Senate that the Annual Operating Agreement (AOA) to provide clinical and educational services at the Memorial Hermann – Texas Medical Center had been signed. Likewise, the Affiliated Medical Services (AMS) contract for services provided at LBJ Hospital is also in place. Dean Colasurdo discussed the challenges faced in the upcoming years, and the need to be efficient to ensure a solid partnership with associated hospital systems.

Senate President Dr. Jeffrey Actor also spoke about the Interfaculty Council’s commitment to respond to the faculty satisfaction survey data released earlier this spring. The Senate discussed many of the IFC’s highlighted concerns, with the challenge of suggesting reforms to proactively address and resolve issues of highest priority. A subcommittee was formed to further explore issues and make recommendations to the Dean’s office.

Study: Using heparin after cardioembolic stroke increases risk of severe bleeding

The common practice of giving patients the anticoagulant heparin after one of the most common forms of stroke can increase the risk of serious bleeding, according to researchers in the Department of Neurology.

The research has been released in an online article posted July 14 that will appear in the September 2008 print edition of Archives of Neurology.

“This can potentially influence clinical practice,” said Dr. Hen Hallevi, neurology fellow and principal investigator of the retrospective study. “Our research reveals that 10 percent of patients placed on high-dose enoxaparin (Lovenox) after the cardioembolic stroke develop serious cerebral hemorrhaging.”

Enoxaparin is a low-molecular-weight heparin.

Cardioembolic stroke is a stroke caused by a clot traveling from the heart, which can occur in patients with atrial fibrillation (a flutter or abnormal heart rhythm). It accounts for 20 percent of ischemic stroke, the most common form of stroke.

After the stroke, patients routinely are placed on anticoagulants to prevent further strokes. But because the original stroke also can cause damage to the blood vessels and increase the risk of hemorrhage shortly after the stroke, the questions are when to start the anticoagulants and which ones to use.

According to previous research, the best anticoagulant to use is warfarin (Coumadin), but it takes several days to build up to a therapeutic level in the blood. So many physicians commonly "bridge" that time by giving patients heparin or high-dose enoxaparin despite a lack of studies proving efficacy.

“Although it’s a retrospective study, it may be enough evidence for some physicians to discontinue bridging with heparin or enoxaparin” said Dr. Sean Savitz, assistant professor of neurology and a co-author on the study.

Researchers studied 204 patients who had been admitted to Memorial Hermann – Texas Medical Center with cardioembolic stroke between 2004 and 2006. Of those, eight received no anti-clotting therapy, 88 received aspirin only, 35 received aspirin and warfarin, 44 received intravenous heparin and warfarin, and 29 received a full dose of enoxaparin, followed by warfarin. Those not receiving heparin or the full dose of enoxaparin also received low doses of enoxaparin to prevent blood clots in the legs or thighs.

Two of the patients (1 percent) had a recurrent stroke due to atrial fibrillation. All of the patients who developed serious cerebral hemorrhaging, 10 percent, received high doses of enoxaparin, the low-molecular-weight heparin. Systemic bleeding (bleeding in other areas of the body) occurred in two patients and was associated with heparin bridging. Patients who received only aspirin were at a higher risk of progressive stroke with worsening symptoms and poorer outcomes.

But the combination of aspirin and warfarin—even with a low-dose of enoxaparin—appeared to be safe and therapeutically helpful.

“If you give these stroke patients aspirin and warfarin, they don’t bleed and they don’t have another stroke,” Hallevi said.

Dr. James Grotta, senior author and chair of the Department of Neurology, said the study further supports the use of warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation.

“This is something not just for stroke specialists because atrial fibrillation is so common and a very untreated condition. This is important information for any medical doctor,” Grotta said.

-D. Mann Lake

Call open for nominations for nationally, internationally influential texas medical educators

TIAA-CREF and The Health Museum (also known as the John P. McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science) are soliciting statewide nominations for the 2008 TIAA-CREF Distinguished Medical Educator Award (www.tiaa-crefaward.org).

The TIAA-CREF Distinguished Medical Educator Award annually honors teaching physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals who have a long history of significant contributions to medical education and have nationally and internationally influenced medical education. Eligible 2008 nominees are medical (teaching physician) or non-medical (nurse, doctorate, or equivalent professional designation) who exemplify the highest standards of leadership, guidance, and dedication in medical education both professionally and personally.

To honor those who have made long-term investments in the lives of others, TIAA-CREF and The Health Museum will jointly recognize the recipient at an award ceremony in fall of 2008. The recipient will receive a $10,000 honorarium, and 20 scholarships will be donated in the recipient’s name to children attending The Health Museum’s Mini Medical School Summer Camp.

The 2008 recipient will follow in the footsteps of the previous recipients:

• 2004 - Dr. Ralph D. Feigin, J.S. Abercrombie Professor of Pediatrics and Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at the Baylor College of Medicine and the Physician-in-Chief for Texas Children's Hospital;
• 2005 - Dr. Herbert L. Fred, professor of medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston;
• 2006 - Dr. Frank C. Arnett, Jr., professor of internal medicine and Elizabeth Bidgood Chair in Rheumatology at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston; and
• 2007- Dr. Denton A. Cooley, president and surgeon-in-chief of the Texas Heart Institute.

“TIAA-CREF is honored to recognize these educators whose life work advances the greater good,” said Mike Noone, managing director, Institutional Client Services at TIAA-CREF. “Through their contributions to future physicians and nurses, these individuals have had far reaching influence on medical research and education and greatly impacted the quality of health care in Texas.”

The 2008 steering committee, established to govern the award and evaluate nomination entries, is comprised of some of the industry's top health professionals, including:

• Dr. Bobby Alford, chancellor, Baylor College of Medicine;
• Dr. John C. Baldwin, president, Texas Tech University Health Sciences;
• Dr. L. Maximilian Buja, executive vice president of academic affairs, The University of Texas Health Science Center Houston;
• Dr. Lewis E. Foxhall, vice president for health policy, office of physician relations, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center;
• Dr. Willis C. Maddrey, executive vice president for clinical affairs at UT Southwestern Medical Center;
• Dr. Roderick E. McCallum, vice president for academic affairs, Texas A&M Health Science Center
• Dr. Michael Speer, medical director of quality and outcomes management at Texas Children’s Hospital;
• Dr. Patricia Starck, dean of UT School of Nursing at Houston; and
• Dr. Pamela Watson, dean, UT Medical Branch School of Nursing.

The deadline for nominations is Aug. 15, 2008. To nominate a distinguished medical educator, visit http://www.tiaa-crefaward.org or contact Melissa Campbell at 713.523.7900 for more information.

Magazines needed for UT Physicians clinics

Want to recycle your old magazines? The waiting rooms at the UT Physicians clinics would be happy to accommodate the magazines you have finished reading so that patients will have some new reading materials. Send or drop off your magazines to Lynn Cutrer, UTPB 120. Your address label will be removed before being placed in waiting rooms.