Update is sent to Masonic 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

Program Meetings

Funding News and Opportunities

Employment Opportunities

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News

New on the Web
The Clinical Pharmacology shared resource at the Masonic Cancer Center is now on the Web. Please visit their new site.

Masonic Cancer Center welcomes new employee
John Oleksowicz is the new executive office and administrative specialist providing support for the Department of Pediatric's Division of Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation. Oleskowicz will provide administrative support for Angela Panoskaltsis-Mortari, Ph.D., Transplant Biology and Therapy Program member. He will also coordinate BMT conferences, attending schedules, and Children's Cancer Research Fund tours and events. John received a B.A. in psychology from the University of Minnesota and is fluent in German. His office is located in the Masonic Cancer Center Research Building, Suite 660. John can be reached at 626-2961 or olek0010@umn.edu. Welcome John!

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Education and Events

Pediatric Cancer and Blood Diseases Conference
Wednesday, June 25, 2008, 4 p.m., 450 CCRB
Health and risk behaviors in survivors of childhood acute myelogenous leukemia
Kris Ann Schultz, M.D., Fellow, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/BMT

Cookies and beverages will be available.

Web Seminar: NHLBI Training and Funding Opportunities & Overview of Cell Therapy in Lung Biology and Disease
Wednesday, June 25, 2008, 11 a.m.-noon
The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Production Assistance for Cellular Therapies program invites scientists, technologists, managers, and supervisors to participate in a Web-based seminar that will cover steps to follow when applying for training and funding opportunities within NHLBI; challenges of classical stem cell hierarchical models in the biology of lung stem cells; and the potential role of endogenous stem/progenitor cells in the lung for repair/regeneration. Download the flyer (PDF) for more information and registration instructions.

Opening Doors: Contemporary African American Academic Surgeons
Reception Wednesday, June 25, 2008, 4 p.m., Mayo Auditorium
Exhibit June 1-July 28, 2008, Biomedical Library, Diehl Hall
Speakers include Deborah Powell, M.D., dean of the Medical School, Selwyn Vickers, M.D., chair, Department of Surgery and associate director of translational research at the Masonic Cancer Center, and Levi Watkins, M.D., professor of surgery and associate dean of the School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University. This exhibit is the joint effort of the National Library of Medicine and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, Baltimore. Visit the Web site for more information.

Time to Fly™ Walk/Run
Saturday, June 28, 2008, Harriet Island Regional Park, St. Paul
Time to Fly is a family-friendly walk/run event perfect for everyone from the competitive runner to the recreational participant. Set along the banks of the beautiful Mississippi River, Time to Fly race events include: 10K run, 5K run, 5K walk, and a kids' fun run. The day also features live entertainment, performance t-shirts, event bags, complimentary food and beverages, an abundance of kids' activities, and inspirational stories by families with children affected by cancer. Awards are presented to top race finishers in eight age categories, as well as the top corporate, community, and individual fundraisers through a competitive online pledge program. The 6th annual Time to Fly will be held in conjunction with the Picnic of Hope.

Plan to form a team. For additional information visit the Children's Cancer Research Fund Web site.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Tuesday, July 1, 2008, 7:10 p.m., Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, 34 Kirby Puckett Place, Minneapolis
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network invites you and your family and friends for a night of fun with the Minnesota Twins as they play the Detroit Tigers. Help raise awareness for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network by wearing purple to the game and by joining the Twin Cities Affiliate as they lead the traditional "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" song during the 7th inning stretch!

Tickets are $20 each, and $8 of each ticket goes directly to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. To purchase tickets, visit the Web site. For more information, contact Toni Dachis at tdachis@pancan.org.

The Masonic Cancer Center Clinical Trials Office Training Series
How to make the clinical trial start-up process the most efficient possible
Tuesday, July 8, 2008, 7:30-9:30 a.m., 450 CCRB
Learn tips to streamline study start-up and learn what resources are available through the CTO. This session will cover the basic steps required to take a clinical trial from concept to initiation:

• Project Management (oversight from protocol to initiation)
• Budget/Contracts (draft budget to final contract)
• Medical writing of protocols, informed consents (review of template and required elements of protocol, how to survive CPRC review)
• Regulatory approvals (getting approval from the CPRC, IRB, and other committees); Guest speaker from IRB, Patrice Webster
• IND process (assist with preparation of documents)
• Systems (clinical trial management/data management)
• Study Initiation (staff training/open to enrollment)

RSVP by Tuesday, July 1, 2008, to Katy Lind, lindx141@umn.edu or 625-3650.

August 3, 2008: 19th Annual Twin City Polo Classic
Twin City Polo Club, Maple Plain, Minn.
The Twin City Polo Classic will feature activities for all in attendance, from the traditional divot stomp, to a horse parade, to musical entertainment in the family activity area. Attendees will enjoy a riveting exhibition match followed by the excitement of a full-length match. Caterers will enhance the experience by offering fare ranging from scrumptious to exquisite. This is the first year all proceeds from the event will benefit Children's Cancer Research Fund, whose support enables the Masonic Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota to continue its pioneering efforts in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure of childhood cancers. For more information, or to purchase individual tickets, visit the Web Site.

August 15, 2008: Macy's Glamorama
Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis.
Macy's Glamorama 2008 is heading back to the '80s with an arcade of eye candy couture and modern sounds. Headlined by the chart-topping '80s superstar Cyndi Lauper and late '80s hip-hop sensation MC Hammer, Macy's fashion spectacular will rock the runway in true '80s style, once again supporting Children's Cancer Research Fund. Topping this year's list of designers are Varvatos USA, Michael Kors, Marc by Marc Jacobs, BCBG Runway, Donna Karan and Just Cavalli. All proceeds benefit Children's Cancer Research Fund, whose support enables the Masonic Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota to continue its pioneering efforts in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure of childhood cancers. A complete schedule and event details will soon be available at the Web site .

Challenges and Tensions in International Research Collaborations
October 2-3, 2008, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
Sponsored by the U.S. Office of Research Integrity and the University of Minnesota
International research collaborations are expanding rapidly, but they involve certain challenges. Speakers will discuss problems stemming from cross-national differences in the organization and funding of science, cultural perspectives, the training of students and research personnel, and legal and policy systems. They will also propose ways to mitigate the effects of these challenges in collaborative research. Scientists who collaborate or intend to collaborate internationally, other scientific research personnel, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, and others interested in international collaboration are encouraged to attend. Early registration deadline is July 1, 2008. Space is limited. Visit the conference Web site for information on the conference program and registration.

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Program Meetings

Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program Meeting
Tuesday, June 24, 2008, 4:15 p.m., 450 CCRB
DNA adduct formation in extra-hepatic tissues of rats chronically treated with tobacco-specific nitrosamines
Siyi Zhang, doctoral candidate, Hecht lab

For a complete schedule, visit the Web site.

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Funding News and Opportunities

NIAID Independent Scholars Program
Deadline: September 10, 2008
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), created the NIAID Independent Scholars Program to help exceptional young Ph.D.s establish cutting-edge, independent research programs within the mentoring framework of an NIAID laboratory. Applicants to the NIAID Independent Scholars Program should have completed or be near completion of a Ph.D. thesis. Applicants with significant postdoctoral experience will not be considered.

The program aims to develop recent Ph.D.s into the next generation of leaders in immunology and infectious disease research. Unlike conventional postdoctoral programs, the NIAID Independent Scholars Program offers a direct and immediate path to independence.

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

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Employment Opportunities

Postdoctoral Associate
A Postdoctoral Associate position is available to investigate the effects of C-5 cytosine substitution on reactivity of neighboring guanine bases towards tobacco carcinogens. The work will involve synthesis of structural analogs of cytosine and their incorporation into DNA by phosphoramidite chemistry, structural characterization of modified DNA duplexes, and investigation of their reactivity towards carcinogen metabolites using mass spectrometry techniques. Principal Investigator: Natalia Tretyakova, Ph.D. Applications accepted through the online University of Minnesota Employment System, requisition number 156187, with resume/curriculum vitae attached.

Clinical Research Associate II (professional non-faculty, requisition number 155768) working with the Clinical Trials Office.

Junior Scientist (professional non-faculty, requisition number 155759) working under the supervision of Erica Langer.

Junior Scientist (professional non-faculty, requisition number 155372) working in the lab of Deepali Sachdev/Doug Yee.

Principal Accounts Specialist (secretarial/clerical, requisition number 156108) working under the supervision of Hieu Ngo.

Regulatory Assistant (secretarial/clerical, requisition number 155598) working under the supervision of Janet Sauers.

Regulatory Specialist (technical/paraprofessional, requisition number 155599) working under the supervision of Janet Sauers.

Research Nurse (professional non-faculty, requisition number 156110) working under the supervision of Katie Mellskog, R.N.

Senior Research Nurse Clinician (professional non-faculty, requisition number 155767) working under the supervision of Katie Mellskog, R.N.

For more information about these positions and additional opportunities visit the Cancer Center's Employment Opportunities Web page.

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