Cancer Center Update is sent to Cancer Center members and staff every Tuesday at 10 a.m. Please submit items to Sandi Sherman, sherm019@umn.edu, by noon the previous Friday.

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In This Issue

News

Education and Events

Funding News and Opportunities

Positions Available

 

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News

Lange, Yee to speak at the breast cancer international congress
Breast Cancer Program member Carol Lange, Ph.D., and Douglas Yee, M.D., Cancer Center director and leader of the Breast Cancer Program, will speak at the Sixth Annual International Congress on the Future of Breast Cancer July 25-28 in Hawaii. The theme of the congress is "Optimizing the Diagnosis and Treatment of Breast Cancer Subtypes." Lange will speak on "Clinical implications of progesterone receptor regulation by growth factor signaling" in a session titled "Networks and New Agents in Endocrine-Responsiveness Disease." Yee will present "Emerging applications of IGF-1R(=1/N=) targeted therapy" in the session "Networks and New Agents to Enhance Cytotoxicity." Yee is also serving on the program committee for the congress.

New members

Joel W. Carter, M.D.
University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview Pain and Palliative Care Center
Program area of interest: Translational research
Area of clinical interest: Palliative medicine
Area of scientific interest: Assessment and treatment of symptomatology and psycho-social issues for terminal patients and their families

Amanda E. Galster, M.P.H., CCRP
Regulatory and Clinical Research Manager
Department of Pediatrics/Division of Hematology/Oncology
Area of clinical interest: Clinical research, childhood cancer
Area of scientific interest: Regulatory and data management of clinical trials in pediatrics, including the facilitation of clinical research between oncology groups at the University, and fostering outreach collaborations

Waddah B. Al-Refiae, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery/Surgical Oncology
Area of clinical interest: GI malignancies, soft tissue tumors
Area of scientific interest: Outcomes research in the areas of gastrointestinal and soft tissue tumors.

Welcome Corrie Maki Knudson
Corrie Maki Knudson has joined the Cancer Center development staff as a major gifts officer. Knudson comes to the Cancer Center and the Minnesota Medical Foundation from Loyola University where she focused on raising funds for medicine and medical research as a major gifts and donor relations officer. Prior to Loyola, she was employed by Kensington Financial Services, a financial planning and insurance firm in Illinois.

A native of Eveleth, Minn, Knudson holds B.A. degrees in religion and women's studies from Wartburg College and a M.M. degree in nonprofit administration from North Park University. She can be reached by phone at 612-624-7627, e-mail c.knudson@mmf.umn.edu. Her office is located at 549 CCRB. Please stop by, introduce yourself, and welcome Corrie to the Cancer Center.

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Education and Events

Rein in Sarcoma
Monday, July 23, 6-9 p.m., Cafesjian's Carousel and Como Park Visitor Center, St. Paul
The Karen Wyckoff Rein in Sarcoma Fund is sponsoring "Rein in Sarcoma 2007" to raise funds for sarcoma research, patient support, and physician education. More than $200,000 has been directed to sarcoma research at the University of Minnesota Cancer Center through this volunteer-driven event. Among other projects, funding has supported undergraduate medical education about sarcoma, a study on the genetic epidemiology of osteosarcoma, and a musculoskeletal tumor database.

This year's event will include carousel rides, live entertainment, and a silent auction. A picnic for sarcoma patients and survivors will precede the event. For more information, visit www.reininsarcoma.org or call 651-486-9114.

Registration now open for 4th Annual Women's Health Research Conference
Monday, September 17, 2007, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., McNamara Alumni Center
The Deborah E. Powell Center for Women's Health presents the 4th Annual Women's Health Research Conference, "Hot Topics in Mature Women's Health." The keynote address at this year's conference is "The menopausal transition: What we are learning about menopause and healthy aging" by Nancy Fugate Woods, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., Dean, School of Nursing, University of Washington. Other speakers include Doug Yee, M.D., Cancer Center director and leader of the Breast Cancer Program, who will speak on "Targeting the estrogen receptor in post-menopausal women with breast cancer: Strategies, benefits, and risks."

Abstracts on any topic regarding women's health must be submitted by Monday, August 6, 2007 in order to be recognized in the printed program. The conference will include a poster session and a women's health resource fair. There is a $25 registration fee (waived for students). Visit the Deborah E. Powell Center for Women's Health Web site for a schedule of speakers and registration and abstract submission information, or call 612-626-1125 or e-mail wmhealth@umn.edu if you have any questions.

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Funding News and Opportunities

Reducing Health Disparities Among Minority and Underserved Children
(PA-07-391)—R21
(PA-07-392)—R01
National Cancer Institute (among others)
Application Submission/Receipt Date(s):  Standard dates apply, please see http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm

This initiative is designed to stimulate research that targets the reduction of health disparities among children. For purposes of this initiative, health disparities apply to children who have limited access to resources and privileges that impact their health. As such, this initiative includes a focus on ethnic and racial minority children and populations of underserved children to include: children from low literacy, rural and low-income populations, geographically isolated children, hearing and visually impaired children, physically or mentally disabled children, children of migrant workers, children from immigrant and refugee families, and language minority children. Children are individuals 0-21 years of age. The primary purpose of this initiative, therefore, is to solicit intervention studies targeting one of the aforementioned groups.

Visit the Funding News & Opportunities Web page to see listings previously published in Update.

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Positions Available

Post Doctoral Research Fellowship in Pediatric Cancer Epidemiology
T32 CA099936
One postdoctoral slot will be available in September 2007 on the Research Fellowship in Pediatric Cancer Epidemiology. This is a training program that emanates from the University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics and the Cancer Center. There are three postdoctoral fellows and one predoctoral fellow currently supported by the training grant (see the Web site for individual research descriptions). This program provides opportunities for students to enhance their research training and experience in pediatric cancer across an interdisciplinary environment. Trainees have the opportunity to work in a variety of research settings including molecular and cellular biology, animal studies, prevention and etiology, clinical outcomes (including late effects), and exposure and behavior assessment. The graduate faculty offer courses in epidemiology, genetics, cancer epidemiology, behavioral epidemiology, cancer biology, genetic epidemiology, nutrition, methods, human experimental studies, and field research relevant to pediatric cancer. Further, students have opportunities for supervised research in basic biology, human laboratory research, study design, analysis, and grant writing. Postdoctoral trainees can also choose to obtain an M.S. in Clinical Research through the Graduate School. Trainees who graduate from this program will have the capacity to undertake pediatric cancer epidemiologic research across a spectrum of disciplines. All trainees participate in weekly research topic meetings, an annual retreat, and present their own research at national meetings. All trainees receive instruction in the responsible conduct of research. Women and minorities are especially encouraged to apply.

Applicants must be United States citizens or permanent residents. Eligible postdoctoral trainees may include pediatric fellows who have completed their clinical training and are beginning a research training period, as well as recent Ph.D. recipients in health sciences (laboratory, clinical and epidemiology). Criteria for selection include academic performance and a career orientation toward independent research in an academic, clinical, or public health setting. Download an application from the Web site.

For questions, contact: Julie A. Ross, Ph.D., Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, 420 Delaware Street SE, MMC 422, Minneapolis, MN 55455; e-mail: ross@epi.umn.edu.

Research Associate-Department of Pediatrics (requisition #148331)
Applications are invited for a Research Associate in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, supporting pre-clinical research using murine bone marrow transplantation models in the laboratory of Dr. Bruce Blazar, M.D. an internationally recognized authority in the field of bone marrow transplantation.

This position is open to applicants with a Ph.D. in cellular biology/immunology with expertise in transplantation immunology and experience in murine bone marrow transplantation models of graft-versus-host disease. Research experience in cellular immunology and molecular biology should include T-cell purification techniques, T-cell proliferation and cytotoxicity assays, regulatory T-cell purification and culture, multiparametric flow cytometry for cell surface and intracellular phenotyping; and cell cycle analysis, RT-PCR, confocal microscopy, immunohistology and cell culture.

The successful applicant will participate in the design, implementation, and evaluation of bone marrow transplantation studies, import cutting-edge technologies, develop new techniques, protocols and assays, oversee an extensive murine colony, and collaborate on publications. The position will supervise 2.5 assistant scientists and report directly to Dr. Patricia Taylor.
Applicants should send a current curriculum vitae, letter of interest, and three letters of reference to: Dr. Patricia Taylor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota , 420 Delaware St. S.E., MMC 366, Minneapolis, MN 55455 , e-mail: taylo012@umn.edu.

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