07-16-07

In this issue

• College news

• • Dr. Jaime Modiano holds Al and June Perlman Endowed Oncology Chair

  • Search begins for new dean

  • Online chemical inventory system developed; training sessions are July 19 and July 24

  • Automated defibrillators now available in four locations at College

  • Raptor Bowl raises $50,000 for TRC (photo!)

  • Agriculture Open House is Thursday

• Calendar

• Media news

• Faculty and staff news

• • Dr. Jeff Bender coauthors guidelines for disease prevention

  • Dr. Alice Larson invited to serve on Women's Faculty Cabinet

  • Shaun Kennedy to testify in Washington, D.C.

• Student news

• • Dr. Jennifer Johnson wins two awards; former intern also honored

• Research news

• • Normal dogs ages 7-12 needed for study

  • Clinical studies currently enrolling in the VMC

• Need a home

• • Bailey, a new blood donor cat

• Links

College news (top)

Dr. Jaime Modiano holds Al and June Perlman Endowed Oncology Chair
Leads Animal Cancer Center

Dr. Jaime Modiano

Jaime Modiano, V.M.D., Ph.D., has joined the College as the Al and June Perlman Professor of Oncology. He will serve as director of the Veterinary Medical Center’s Animal Cancer Center and lead the College’s comparative cancer research program, which ultimately seeks to develop effective strategies for cancer prevention and treatment by integrating knowledge gained from studies of cancer in people and animals. “Cancer in animals is very similar to cancer in humans, both in cause and in response to therapy,” said Dr. Robert Washabau, chair of the Veterinary Clinical Sciences Department. “Comparative medicine is an important part of research efforts at the University of Minnesota. The research directed by Dr. Modiano will support that program by benefiting both animals and humans.”

“I am extremely pleased that Dr. Modiano has joined our faculty,” said Dr. Trevor Ames, interim dean. “He has the experience, commitment, and know-how to help the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine become a world leader in comparative cancer research.” For more information, see the College's news release.

Search begins for new dean
The national search for the next dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine will get underway this week. Frank B. Cerra, M.D., senior vice president for health sciences, has appointed a search committee, which will hold its first meeting on Wednesday. John Finnegan, dean of the School of Public Health, and Jody Lulich, professor, will chair the committee. Other members include:

• Al Beitz, Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine
• John Collister, Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine
• Peter Davis, Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine
• William Hartman, Minnesota Board of Animal Health

• Lisa Hubinger, Graduate Program Coordinator, College of Veterinary Medicine

• Maria Huh, student, College of Veterinary Medicine

• John Kersey, Professor, Medical School

• Erin Malone, Associate Medical Director, College of Veterinary Medicine

• Daryn McBeth, Dean's Advisory Council
• Elizabeth Pluhar, Assistant Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine
• Dan Tjornehoj, Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association
• Michael White, Professor, College of Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources

Terry Bock, the Academic Health Center's associate vice president, and Kathy Anderson, Dr. Cerra's executive assistant, will staff the committee. The Hollander Group, which recently helped the College recruit a new associate dean of research, has been hired to assist in the search.

Dr. Cerra has asked the search committee to gather the names of potential candidates from faculty, staff, and students. His goal is complete the recruitment and selection of the next dean by spring 2008.

Online chemical inventory system developed
Training sessions are July 19 and July 24
A new, user-friendly online chemical inventory system has been developed for the CVM by Ricq Pattay of Information Systems and the CVM Lab Safety Committee. All CVM units that have chemicals are expected to report their chemicals using the new inventory system.

Training sessions for the new system are scheduled for:

• Thursday, July 19, noon-1 p.m., 125 Animal Science/Veterinary Medicine
• Tuesday, July 24, noon-1 p.m., 125 Animal Science/Veterinary Medicine

The Lab Safety Committee recommends that every unit that has chemicals send one or more staff members to a training session to learn how to use the system.  More information about the reasons to do an inventory and all of the mechanisms to accomplish it will also be presented. You need to attend only one of the training sessions.

A centralized chemical inventory has long been recognized as a desirable goal for the U of M. Some of the advantages are:

• Good management of lab chemicals for cataloging and reordering
• Potential for sharing chemicals
• Compliance with local building codes
• Iinformation for emergency personnel during a fire or other incident

An additional incentive is an anticipated federal requirement for institutions to report the presence of certain hazardous chemicals. A list of approximately 340 chemicals has been initially targeted for this requirement. Although some of the College's labs have current inventories, many labs and other units do not. For more information, contact your research safety officer.

Automated defibrillators now available in four locations at College
The Department of Emergency Management has provided the College with four automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and will provide ongoing maintenance of the units in the following locations:

• The Raptor Center behind the front desk
• First floor of Animal Science/Veterinary Medicine next to the north entry doors
• Second floor of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory by the elevator (new building)
• The south end of the walkway that ties Veterinary Science to the Large Animal Hospital

An AED is a portable automatic device used to restore normal heart rhythm to patients in cardiac arrest. Applied outside the body, it automatically analyzes the patient’s heart rhythm and advises the rescuer whether or not a shock is needed to restore a normal heartbeat. If the patient’s heart resumes beating normally, the heart has been "defibrillated."

AEDS are designed to be simple for laypeople to use. Training is offered through many first-aid classes such as those offered by the American Red Cross. For more information about classes, visit   http://www.storemplsredcross.org/classes/Classpages/caAdult.html).

Raptor Bowl raises $50,000 for TRC More than 150 people attended Raptor Bowl, an annual fund-raising event to benefit The Raptor Center, at Brit's Pub in downtown Minneapolis on July 11. The event featured a lawn-bowling competition on Brit's rooftop bowling green, live raptor exhibits, a silent auction, and live music by Chris Hawkey. Guest celebrities included Ron Coomer of the Minnesota Twins, Mike Greenlay of the Minnesota Wild, Susie Jones, Dave Lee, and Dave Mona of WCCO Radio, Stan "the Krusher" Kowalski, Eric Perkins of KARE 11, and Bill Sherck of Minnesota Bound. Sponsored by Xcel Energy (the title sponsor) along with Target, Frauenshuh, WCCO Radio, KARE 11, and U.S. Bank, the event raised more than $50,000 for TRC.

Agriculture open house is Thursday
On Thursday, July 19, go see what's growing in the U's research fields and talk with experts about such topics as organic vegetable farming and biofuels. The Agriculture Open House, which includes a free tour of the U's display gardens and dairy barns, will run from 4 to 7:30 p.m. outside the Agronomy and Plant Genetics Greenhouse. For more information, visit www.cfans.umn.edu/openhouse.

Equine Center grand opening set for October 15
A grand opening event for the new Equine Center is planned for October 15 at 2 p.m. Mark your calendar!

Calendar (top)

Monday, July  16

American Veterinary Medical Association/World Veterinary Conference
Continues through Wednesday, July 18
Washington, D.C.
For details, go to www.avma.org/convention/default.asp and www.worldvet.org/

New Employee Orientation
8:30 a.m.-noon
458 Veterinary Medical Center

Tuesday, July 17

Managing Differences in the Workplace
Sponsored by the University of Minnesota Office of Human Resources
1:00-4:30 p.m.
210 Donhowe
For more information and to register, go to   www1.umn.edu/ohr/supervisors/workshops/index.html

Wednesday, July 18

Master's Thesis Defense Seminar
An Assessment of Insects as Regional Vectors of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus
Presented by Jennifer Schurrer
Advisor:  Dr. Scott Dee
9:30 a.m.
280 Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.

Thursday, July 19

Hill's Pet Food Distribution
7:30-9:30 a.m. and noon-4 p.m.
Gortner Avenue dock, Large Animal Hospital

Online Chemical Inventory Training
Noon-1 p.m.
125 Animal Science/Veterinary Medicine

Agriculture Open House
4-7:30 p.m.
Sponsored by the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences, the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, and the University of Minnesota Extension Service
Outside the Agronomy and Plant Genetics Greenhouse
For more information, visit www.cfans.umn.edu/openhouse.

Friday, July 20

College-wide Personal and Professional Development Time
Noon-1 p.m.

What's ahead

Online Chemical Inventory Training: July 24, noon-1 p.m., 125 Animal Science/Veterinary Medicine

Association of Avian Veterinarians Annual Conference: Aug. 4-9, Providence, Rhode Island. For details, go to www.conferenceoffice.com/aav/

Pet First Aid: Aug. 7, 6-10 p.m., Veterinary Medical Center. $40 per person. Register with our cosponsor, the St. Paul Red Cross, by calling 651-291-6704 or online at www.stpaulredcross.org. Must be 16 or older to register.

Ribbon-Cutting Event for Linear Accelerator: Aug. 21, 7 p.m.

Go to the Academic Health Center's calendar of events.

Go to the University of Minnesota campus events calendar.

Media news  (top)

Shaun Kennedy, director of the National Center for Food Protection and Defense and director of partnerships and external relations at the College, was quoted in Newsweek about the vulnerability of the United States' food supply to terror attacks. The article is online at   www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19649891/site/newsweek/

Dr. Stephanie Valberg, director of the Equine Center, was referenced in an article about polysaccharide storage myopathy in July 9 issue ofThe Horse, online at www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=9967

Gail Buhl of The Raptor Center was featured in an article about the Elk River ArtSoup art festival in the Star News on June 27, online at    http://erstarnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=510&Itemid=85

Faculty and staff news (top)

Dr. Jeff Bender coauthors guidelines for disease prevention
Dr. Jeff Bender of the Center for Animal Health and Food Safety is the coauthor of Compendium of Measures to Prevent Disease Associated with Animals in Public Settings, a comprehensive collection of guidelines published by the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians. To see the document, go to  http://www.nasphv.org/documentsCompendiaAnimals.html

Dr. Alice Larson invited to serve on Women's Faculty Cabinet
Dr. Alice Larson, a professor in the Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Department,has been invited to serve on the Women's Faculty Cabinet, which provides leadership to improve and enrich the academic and professional environments for women faculty at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. The Women’s Faculty Cabinet currently has six faculty members who represent colleges and professional schools.

Shaun Kennedy to testify in Washington, D.C.
Shaun Kennedy, director of partnerships and external relations and assistant professor in the Veterinary Population Medicine Department, has been invited to testify on "Food Defense: Post-Harvest Preparedness" at the House Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology hearing in Washington, D.C., on July 19.

Student news (top)

Dr. Jennifer Johnson wins two awards; former intern also honored
Graduate student and former Large Animal Medicine resident Dr. Jennifer Johnson won two awards at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Forum in Seattle June 6-9: the ACVIM's award for best presentation in the food animal section and an award for best oral presentation from the Comparative Gastroenterology Society (CGS) for her abstract "The Effect of Oral Omeprazole on the Third Compartment pH in Healthy Male Alpacas." Dr. Micah Bishop, a former intern, also received an award from the CGS for best poster presentation for work that was done here at the College. Each award came with a check for $750.

Research news (top)

Normal dogs aged 7-12 needed for study
Normal dogs between 7 and 12 years of age are needed for a study being conducted by Dr. Leslie Sharkey and Dr. Inese Berzina. The study involves exam, blood pressure, one blood sample, and follow-up calls for a year. The dogs need to have a normal medical history, not be on medications or supplements (except heartworm preventive), have a normal physical exam and serum creatinine level. Contact Dr. Leslie Sharkey at shark009@umn.edu or 612-624-6171 and Inese Berzina at berzi008@umn.edu or 612-626-5322.

Clinical studies underway in the VMC
For a list of clinical studies currently enrolling in the Veterinary Medical Center, visit the Clinical Investigation Center Web site at http://www.cvm.umn.edu/cic/current.

Need a home (top)

Bailey, a blood donor cat
Bailey, a blood donor cat in the Veterinary Medical Center, is ready to go to a foster home. She is a cute and cuddly grey-and-white domestic shorthair, healthy and up-to-date on vaccinations. If you are interested in adopting Bailey, please e-mail Dora at schro067@umn.edu or Beth at johns547@umn.edu

Links (top)

CVM This Week
Back issues of CVM This Week, from June 2004 to today's issue, are at                    http://www.cvm.umn.edu/newsandevents/publications/cvmthisweek/home.html.

Hills pet food distribution program
Food ordering is now done online through the Hills online ordering system at https://www.summationdata.com/hpn. For more information about the Hill's Pet Food Distribution program, contact Katie Cartledge, cart0333@umn.edu, Jaime Nett, nett0049@umn.edu, or Alisha Leonard, leona156@umn.edu.

Housing
For information about student and off-campus housing, including a housing and roommate search service, go to http://www.housing.umn.edu/.

Job openings
For information about positions available at the College, visit   www.cvm.umn.edu/About/HumanResources/Employment   /. For detailed information about current job openings, how to apply, and application materials, go to the University of Minnesota Office of Human Resources at http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/employment/index.html.

The VMC Pulse
Issues are available online by logging in at   http://www.cvm.umn.edu/vmc/staffresources/Pulse.html.

University of Minnesota Legislative Network News
http://ga4.org/u_of_m_leg_net/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=8620389&r=

Veterinary conferences
Dates, places, and links for national and international veterinary conferences are on the College Web site at                                                                http://www.cvm.umn.edu/newsandevents/conferences/home.html.

Veterinary Medical Library
For information about the Veterinary Medical Library, including new acquisitions, visit http://www.vetmed.lib.umn.edu/news.

Veterinary Practice News
Did you know that you can get a free subscription? Subscribe (or renew) online at www.vetpracticenews.com.

CVM This Week is a weekly newsletter for faculty, staff, and students of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Please submit news and calendar items for next week's issue to Sue Kirchoff, editor, at kirch004@umn.edu before noon Friday.

The University of Minnesota is an equal-opportunity educator and employer.