Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota

What's Inside

Quick Links for:

Cancer Information Line
Ask about cancer, clinical trials, and how to make an appointment:
ccinfo@umn.edu
612-624-2620
Toll-free in IA, MN, ND, SD, WI: 1-888-CANCER MN
(1-888-226-2376)

A Comprehensive Cancer Center Designated by the National Cancer Institute
Print this page. Mail this link to a friend.

Cancer Center Update

July 25, 2006

Cancer Center Update is sent to Cancer Center members and staff every Tuesday at 10 a.m. To submit an item for publication, send the information to Sandi Sherman by noon the Friday before publication.

In This Issue:

 

News

Events

Grant Information & Announcements

Reminders

NEWS

New deadline for Update

Beginning with the August 7 Cancer Center Update, the new deadline for news items is going to be Noon on the previous Friday. We appreciate everyone's cooperation.

Cancer Center members in the news

Ann Bode, Ph.D., associate director and research associate professor, and Yong Yeon Cho, Ph.D., research assistant professor, University of Minnesota Hormel Institute, were interviewed on KAAL TV about the Institute's research finding that histone proteins promote cell suicide and how this discovery may lead to efforts to kill cancer cells and other unwanted tissue.

Dorothy Hatsukami, Ph.D., was quoted in an article about nicotine vaccine research that appeared in the Los Angeles Times, South Florida Sun Sentinel and other newspapers across the country.

John Kersey, M.D., is featured in a story about the first successful bone marrow transplant on the University's web site. Read the full story at the U of M Web site.

John Wagner, M.D., discussed funding of stem cell research on KSTP-TV and in an article in the Pioneer Press.

Population Sciences event reviews success, recognizes outstanding staff

At the Population Sciences Recognition Award event held on Wednesday, July 19, Julie Ross, Ph.D., associate director, highlighted recent program activities and presented the recognition award to an outstanding member. Ross reported that Population Sciences consists of 117 members, who currently have over $21 million in NIH funding and published 381 publications in 2005. New initiatives in the program include increasing inter-programmatic interactions, hiring additional faculty, and expanding activities among current studies. Highlights of the program that were discussed at the award ceremony included:

  • The establishment of a new Steering Committee for Population Sciences consisting of Drs. Ross, Lazovich, Lando, Yu, Church, Hecht, Le, and Hatsukami. This group meets the first Friday of each month and is always open to topics for discussion by the membership.
  • The Population Sciences Retreat that took place in May 2006 at the Landscape Arboretum and several new collaborations among members of several disciplines that have developed since the retreat.
  • Four new faculty hired since July 2005 (Drs. Jian-Min Yuan, Kirsten Ness, Kim Robien, and Ognjanovic).
  • Grants awarded to program members in 2006 with particular mentioned of the cancer survivorship program and the TREC grant.

Following Dr. Ross' presentation, brief talks were given by Cancer Center pilot grant recipients Harry Lando, Ph.D., ("Pilot training for Filipino tobacco cessation"), Natalia Tretyakova, Ph.D., ("Mechanisms-based biomarkers of lung cancer risk in smokers"), and Cindy Blair ("Minnesota Urban Rural Pilot Study").

The Population Sciences Recognition Award went to Bob Carlson, an executive administrative specialist in the Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program. Bob was recognized by two nominators for his commitment to assisting with grant applications, manuscript preparation, and poster presentations among program members. Among the comments they made were: "Bob routinely goes way beyond the call of duty in his work" and "Bob ranks among the very top of all administrative assistants." Congratulations Bob!

Transitions and Life Choices receives Circle of Life Award

On July 14, Transitions and Life Choices, Fairview's palliative care program, received the Circle of Life award from the American Hospital Association. This prestigious award recognizes innovation and excellence in caring for people with advanced illness or near the end of life and is accompanied by a $10,000 award. Cancer Center members who are part of this program are: Rudolph Keimowitz. M.D., Mark Leenay, M.D., Doretta Stark, social work, and Lyn Ceronsky, system director of palliative care and principle investigator, Palliative Care Leadership Center.

NEW MEMBERS

Bruce R. Lindgren, M.S.
Senior Research Fellow, Biostatistics Core, Cancer Center
Programs: Prevention and Etiology, Transplant Biology and Therapy, Translational Research
Area of scientific interest: Biostatistics applied to cancer research
Area of clinical interest: Colorectal cancer, hematologic malignancies

Xianghua Luo, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Biostatistics, School of Public Health
Area of scientific interest: Biostatistics: analysis of recurrent event survival data, univariate survival data, and longitudinal data; case-crossover design.

Melissa H. Stigler, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Assistant Professor, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health
Program: Prevention and Etiology
Area of scientific interest: Youth health promotion worldwide. Currently involved in a large-scale randomized trial of a tobacco prevention intervention for youth (n~12000) in schools (n=32) in Delhi and Chennai, India.

Change in University domestic lodging travel policy

Domestic lodging rates are expected to be the least costly rate that meets the scheduling and business needs. Travelers are expected to pay a reasonable rate for lodging. For conference travel, the lodging rate which has been pre-negotiated by the conference is considered reasonable.

For non-conference travel, the University employs a formula, using the US Government General Services Administration (GSA) lodging per diem rates (www.gsa.gov), to determine 'reasonableness' of rates. The University has established a guideline of 150% of the GSA rate (excluding applicable taxes) as reasonable. For example, the GSA rate for Atlanta, Georgia is $115. 150% of the GSA rate is $173. This means that rooms that are less than $173 (excluding applicable taxes) for Atlanta would be within the guideline. The GSA site shows multiple rates for some destinations, due to pricing fluctuations based on the time of the year.

For non-conference travel, if the lodging rate will exceed the guideline, pre-approval by supervisor/manager who is at least one level higher in authority than the traveler or the appropriate designee must be obtained. If a request for reimbursement is made for non-conference lodging, which exceeds the guideline and was not pre-approved, the supervisor/manager may deduct the overage from the reimbursement request.

These guidelines exclude conference travel, where the traveler is paying a pre-negotiated rate that is offered by the conference. For more information vist the Finanical Services Web site.

Support the Children's Cancer Research Fund when you shop

Just shop on-line at your favorite stores, or explore the many other affiliates available, and a percentage of each purchase will be donated to the Children's Cancer Research Fund. Start shopping by visiting the Shop CCRF Web page.

Back to top

EVENTS

Cancer Center Special Seminar

July 25, 2006, 12-1 p.m., 450 CCRB

Genomic approaches to hematologic malignancies
Benjamin Ebert, M.D., Ph.D., Instructor in Medicine, Division of Hematology, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital (Golub Laboratory)

Dr. Ebert is a Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation Division faculty candidate.

First Annual George L. Adams, M.D. Lectureship

Monday, August 7, 2006, Campus Club, Conference Rooms A - C, Coffman Memorial Union

  • 4 p.m. Resident Presentations -Overview of George L. Adams' work in head and neck cancer
  • 5 p.m. Dinner
  • 6 p.m. Tracheotomy and Other Tracheal Surgery, Henry Hoffman, M.D., Professor, Department of Otolaryngology, University of Iowa
  • 7 p.m. The Changing Paradigm in the Care of Laryngeal Cancer, Jonas Johnson, M.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh

Donations appreciated for the lectureship. Checks can be made payable to the Minnesota Medical Foundation - George Adams fund and sent to the attention of Joan Petersen at MMC 396. RSVP for the event by calling Joan Peterson, 612-625-2410.

First Annual George L. Adams Memorial Golf Tournament

Tuesday, August 8, 2006, Oak Glen Golf Course, Stillwater
Questions? Call Joan Petersen - 612-625-2410

Children's Cancer Research Fund 2006 Dawn of a Dream Benefit - "Journey to the Ends of the Earth" - tickets are now on sale

In 1980, after losing their daughter to leukemia, Diana and Norm Hageboeck and their friends organized the first Dawn of a Dream benefit concert, raising $50,000. Today, Dawn of a Dream is one of the largest gala events in the Twin Cities. This year's event, on Saturday, November 4, 2006 will feature a few surprises along with the traditional silent and live auctions, dinner, and live entertainment by Los Lobos. Don't miss your chance to attend the event and support Children's Cancer Research Fund! For more information and to reserve your Journey to the Ends of the Earth tickets now visit the Children's Cancer Research Fund Web site.

Back to top

GRANT INFORMATION AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards for Individual Predoctoral Fellowships (F31) to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Career Development Program

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Career Development Program provides awards intended to meet the specific needs of investigators at different states in their research careers. The awards - Scholar, Scholar in Clinical Research, Special Fellow, Special Fellow in Clinical Research and Fellow - provide stipends to investigators, allowing them to devote themselves to research bearing on leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. A preliminary application is mandatory for those applying for a 2007 Career Development Program grant and must be completed online via the Society's Web site by midnight on Sept. 15, 2006. Full applications must be received by the Society at our White Plains Home Office by 5 p.m. on Oct. 2, 2006.

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Specialized Center of Research Program

The Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) program was established to encourage multidisciplinary research focused on the prevention or cure of leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma. The program requires synergy among at least three research programs and these programs may be supported by scientific core laboratories. Preliminary applications must be received by 5pm on November 1, 2006. Applicants must be invited to submit a full application. For further information visit the Society's Web Site.

Back to top

REMINDERS

15th Annual University of Minnesota Symposium in Developmental Biology

Gene networks in development: Lessons from C. elegans and beyond
September 26-27, 2006, Coffman Memorial Union, University of Minnesota , Minneapolis Campus

Information about poster submissions, registration, and program can be found at the Developmental Biology Center Web site.

Support Children's Cancer Research Fund by visiting the Water Park of America and save on admission

Anyone using a Water Park of America Coupon will save $2 on admission per guest to the park through September 1st. Each visitor using the coupon available online (pdf) will also help generate $0.50 for Children's Cancer Research Fund, benefiting childhood cancer research at the University of Minnesota , and WAMSO, benefiting the Minnesota Orchestra.

Back to top