Welcome to ROUNDS! This weekly e-newsletter goes out to all OU-COM and CORE personnel and students.
The ROUNDS archive is here.
NEWS
Jennifer Brunner to deliver graduation keynote address Saturday
Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner will deliver the graduation keynote address at our Sat., June 7, commencement exercises, which begin 10 a.m. at Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium.
In 2006 Ohio voters made Brunner the state’s first woman elected secretary of state. In May, she received the 2008 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award—one of the nation’s most prestigious honors for elected public servants—for taking decisive action to ensure that all Ohioans’ votes count amid uncertainty about new electronic voting machines.
“The College of Osteopathic Medicine had the privilege of hosting Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner last year. Through our discussions, it became clear that she shares our college’s dedication to improving health care among underserved areas like the Appalachian region,” said Dean Jack Brose, D.O. “We invited her to speak at our 2008 commencement based on our common goal of equitable, quality medical care in Ohio.”
Our 29th graduating class of osteopathic physicians is composed of 106 members—59 men and 47 women. Twenty-four are from ethnically diverse backgrounds, and 14 are from Southeastern Ohio. Eight will practice medicine with the U.S. Military.
Burke aids earthquake victims in China
William Burke, D.O., associate professor of family medicine, and his wife Debbie happened to be in China on a trip with the humanitarian aid group Heart to Heart International when the earthquake struck in Sichuan. The Burkes are helping set up tents and distribute medical care to the victims.
Burke is a past president of the Ohio Osteopathic Association’s family practice affiliate.
For more on Heart to Heart International and their work in China, go to http://www.hearttoheart.org/.
Monkeys control robot with their minds; student coauthors report
On Wed., May 28, Chase Spalding, OMS II, coauthored an article in Nature reporting a groundbreaking demonstration of brain-machine interface technology. Spalding’s research team has taught two monkeys with tiny sensors in their brains to direct a mechanical arm to retrieve snacks—using only their thoughts. Spalding and his associates from the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University hope the technology can eventually assist people with spinal cord injuries and other paralyzing conditions.
According to Spalding, hundreds of media outlets around the world have reported on the discovery since Wednesday, including Thursday morning interviews on CBS, ABC and NBC.
Spalding enrolled at OU-COM in 2001, but has been on academic leave since 2003 to complete his Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh. He will resume classes at OU-COM June 23 as a member of the class of 2010.
“I’m very interested in the field of rehabilitation medicine,” Spalding says. “This is an area that will allow me to advance my research and develop the skills necessary to apply scientific findings in a clinical setting.”
To read about Spalding’s research in the New York Times, go to http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/29/science/29brain.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
Shubrook seeks parent-child pairs for summer fitness program, study
Enrollment is underway for Take Action 2, a program coordinated by Jay Shubrook, D.O., assistant professor of family medicine. Take Action 2 is a multidisciplinary, community-based lifestyle program developed to address childhood obesity. After a successful pilot last summer, Dr. Shubrook and his co-organizers would like to expand participation this year.
They are looking for children six to 17 years of age and their parents to take part in the program. There is no age limit for parents. Sign up will continue into early June to gather a total of 80 participants (40 children and 40 parents). Parents may enroll more than one child, but each child must have a parent or guardian participating.
Participants must commit to attending two-hour sessions twice a week, starting June 16 through Aug. 23. Organizers will offer incentives for participation, such as gas vouchers, Wal-Mart cards, iPod and exercise equipment vouchers, bowling passes and community center passes.
For more information, go to http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/news/stories/fitness_08/ or contact Dr. Shubrook at 594.2416 or jshubrook@yahoo.com.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Gerardo appointed sub-editor for gerontology newsletter
Michael Gerardo, D.O., assistant professor of geriatrics and gerontology, has been appointed sub-editor for Gerontological Health Newsletter, a publication of the American Public Health Association.
Trace and Davis inducted into Trimble High School Wall of Fame
Kathy Trace, M.H.A., director of Community Health Programs and the Area Health Education Center, and Dennis Davis, D.O. (’95), CORE assistant clinical professor, were both inducted into the Trimble High School Wall of Fame during a May 22 ceremony. Davis is now a family physician with the Cleveland Clinic and director of hospital medicine for the Cleveland Clinic in Wooster.
Baker Center COM health kiosk a big hit
An OU-COM-sponsored health kiosk, which allows people to measure their weight, blood pressure and body mass index for free, was installed in Baker Center on Tues. May 20. Since then, more than 200 individuals have used the kiosk for personal health screenings.
CALENDAR
Acupuncture in Geriatric Medicine
Stevan Walkowski, D.O., assistant professor of OMM, discusses the history, physiology and geriatric application of medical acupuncture. Lunch trays and brown bags are welcome.
· Mon., June 2, noon to 1 p.m., O’Bleness Memorial Hospital Medical Education Conference Room 014.
OU-COM Willed Body Program Memorial Service
All OU-COM faculty, staff and students invited to attend; medical students are asked to wear white coats. Please be seated by 2:50 p.m.
· Thurs., June 5, 3 p.m., Baker Center Ballroom B.
Commencement
Please join us to welcome our 29th graduating class of D.O.s to the osteopathic profession. Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner will deliver the keynote address.
· Sat., June 7, 10 a.m., Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium
Summer Scholars
The 2008 Summer Scholars program begins Thurs., June 12. Summer Scholars is designed to increase medical school access for students who are from an underrepresented minority or an educationally or economically disadvantaged background.
· June 12 to July 25, Grosvenor and Irvine
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program
The 2008 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program begins with the students’ arrival on Sun., June 15. The opening program for SURF will take place Mon., June 16, at 9 a.m. in Grovesnor West 111.
· For more, go to http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/Admissions/surfprog.htm, or contact Sarah Tipton, admissions administrative coordinator, at 593.2146, or tipton@ohio.edu.
· June 15 to July 28, Grosvenor and Irvine
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Faculty Development Tidbit: One Minute Papers…! (Adapted from Walker Teaching Resource Center)
“The One Minute Paper: These quick, short bits of writing can help students check what they know. Cut 8.5” x 11” sheets of paper into quarters. Hand out paper slips to your students or have them cut them up as they come into the classroom. Ask students to write an answer to a question about the lecture or reading material for one minute (yes, time them!). Collect the papers for review or ask students to review each other’s answers and discuss.”
You can find more “Teaching Tips” at your faculty development web resource site: www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/programs.htm.
If you have a great strategy that seems to always work, send it to me, and I’ll include it in a future Faculty Development Tidbit (all Faculty Development Tidbits courtesy of Steve Davis, Ph.D., director of faculty development, www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd).
OU-COM IN THE NEWS
“Dinosaur tracks discovered on Arabian Peninsula” has been picked up by press agencies around the world and has appeared in more than 90 media outlets, from the Washington Post and Boston Globe to the Yemen Times and Germany’s Innovation’s Report.
Outlook (5/30/08)
“New doctors prepare to serve”
http://www.ohio.edu/outlook/07-08/May/568.cfm
Outlook (5/29/08)
“Colleges announce commencement receptions”
http://www.ohio.edu/outlook/07-08/May/560.cfm
The New York Times (5/29/08)
“Monkeys think, moving artificial arm as own”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/29/science/29brain.html?_r=3&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
(This story has been picked up by hundreds of media outlets across the country since Wed.)
NPR (05/27/08)
“Ohio couple tells Sichuan quake tales”
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90864856
WKYC (05/19/08)
“Bone marrow drive helps cancer patients”
http://www.wkyc.com/video/player.aspx?aid=64090&bw
(Melissa Juliano, OMS III, based at Affinity Medical Center, was interviewed for this broadcast. She recently donated her time for the bone marrow drive at Akron Children’s Hospital in Akron. Juliano, herself a cancer survivor, is also conducting a bone marrow drive in Massillon. You can contact her at 330-603-7506 or 330-320-0826.
Please send your news/announcements to rounds@oucom.ohiou.edu each week by Wednesday, 3 p.m. for consideration in the following week’s ROUNDS. If you have questions or suggestions, please contact Anita Martin, assistant director of communication, at 593.2199 or martina@oucom.ohiou.edu.