Swine Influenza: The number of confirmed and probable cases of Swine Influenza A (H1N1) continues to rise in the United States and in West Virginia. It is important to know what precautions to take to help prevent you from getting the H1N1 virus and from spreading it to others. To read the CDC’s New Guidelines click on this link.

To read about the H1N1 vaccine in West Virginia click on this link.

Click on the following links for more information.

( CDC Update | Respiratory Etiquette | Cover Cough )

The OSHER Lifelong Learning Institute of the WVU Center on Aging invites you to attend its Fall Open House on September 9, 2009, Mountaineer Mall Community Room, from 2-4pm with remarks by WVU President Jim Clements at 3pm. For more information, click on this link.

There will be a HSC Rural Health Fair on Tuesday, November 17, 12:30-4:30 pm in the Health Sciences Center Pylons Lobby.

The Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system is back on the tracks and running smoothly after a three month-long, diagnostic and system repair. For information on the PRT renovations, click on this link.

Lori Brownlee, TY Coordinator and GME office educator, is now certified by TAGME. She has also been appointed to the TAGME Board of Directors with membership to the TY specialty review board and the Monitored Assessment Committee. She is a founding member of the TY certification process.

The Division of Physical Therapy has released its fall 2009 newsletter. To see what is happening in Physical Therapy, click on this link.

The Women In Science & Health Committee at the Health Sciences Center has selected Melanie Ann Fisher, M.D. M.Sc., as the 2009 Women In Science and Health Awardee. A reception to honor Dr. Fisher will be held on Monday, September 14, 2009, from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the Health Science Center Pylons Lobby. RSVP to phussing@hsc.wvu.edu or phone 293-1979 by Tuesday, September 8, 2009.

Four internationally recognized experts on tobacco research and behavior will lecture on the WVU Health Sciences campus September 9, 10 and 11 during the second annual Tobacco Research Intensive Lecture Series (TRILS). The talks are free and open to the public.

Last month, WVU provided several health reports to the West Virginia community. Click on the following links Women and Stroke, Keeping Kids Active, Smoking Cessation Drugs.

Medical Students are collecting the recycling bins in the HSC on Fridays. Contact Jeff Richmond at jrichmo4@mix.wvu.edu for more information.

WVU Eastern Division Hosts Inaugural Freedom’s Run: October 3rd, five events spanning four national parks (Harpers Ferry, the C&O Canal, Antietam Battlefield, and Potomac Heritage Trail) will welcome runners & walkers of all abilities. To register and for more information go to www.freedomsrun.org or contact race director, Dr. Mark Cucuzzella, Associate Professor of Family Medicine at cucuzzellam@rcbhsc.wvu.edu or 304-268-8813.

COMING

George Ciporkin, M.D., has joined the Morgantown Campus of the School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, as an assistant professor.

Mehdi Hamadani, M.D., and Christy Stotler, D.O., have joined the Morgantown Campus of the School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, as assistant professors. Both Drs. Stotler and Hamadani specialize in hematology oncology.

Maple Landvoigt, M.D., has joined the Morgantown Campus of the School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, as an assistant professor. Dr. Landvoigt specializes in pediatric pulmonology.

Mohamad Salkini, M.D., has joined the Morgantown Campus of the School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, as an assistant professor. Dr. Salkini specializes in urology.

Jason McChesney, M.D., has joined the Morgantown Campus of the School of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology, as an assistant professor.

James Murray, D.O., has joined the Eastern Campus of the School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, as an assistant professor.

GOING

Kenneth Fallon, M.D., is leaving the Morgantown Campus, Department of Pathology.

Last month the M.D. Degree class of 2013 started medical school with a week of orientation. Click on links to see photos from camp orientation, Kouples Klash, and the Oath of Integrity Ceremony.

WVU’s pioneering nuclear medicine imaging research wins $2 million grant

Tomorrow’s results are created by today’s dreamers. Many dream of a way to help the School of Medicine grow in the future. Some find that a good way to accomplish that is to set up an income-producing gift for retirement income that will later provide support for the School.

Using cash, stocks, corporate bonds or mutual funds, it’s easy to build up more retirement security while also receiving an income tax deduction. The income can begin at any age chosen by the donor. The best part is choosing how the remaining funds will benefit the School after the income payout ends.

Learning more about this support option happens when you call the Development Office at 304-293-3980. They can assist you to make it work.

Laura Gibson, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, has recently been named the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center’s Deputy Director. For more information on this appointment, click on this link.

Jim Keresztury, Director, Mountains of Hope Cancer Coalition, represented the Cancer Center at the premiere LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Summit in Dublin, Ireland, in August. The Summit is the landmark event of the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign, an effort of the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) to address the global cancer burden. For more information, click on this link.

Several School of Medicine faculty members have worked together to publish the Women's Health Web-based Tutorial in MedEdPORTAL, a peer-reviewed publication service and repository for medical and oral health teaching materials, assessment tools, and faculty development resources. The tutorial can be accessed through MedEdPORTAL.

The first national study of homeless people’s use of emergency rooms finds that they are more likely to arrive at the hospital by ambulance and more than twice as likely to be uninsured. One-third of homeless patients arrived by ambulance – at an estimated cost of almost $67 million, according to the researchers. For more information on this study click on this link.

Giovanni Piedimonte, M.D., chair, Department of Pediatrics, is the senior author on a study that has discovered that (respiratory syncytial virus) RSV prompts the release of a molecule that keeps invaded cells alive despite the infection. The mechanism allows infected cells to survive for a longer period of time while they continue to produce viral particles, thus contributing to the severity and persistence of the infection. For more information on this study, click on this link.

That in 1991 under the guidance of then Governor Gaston Caperton and the WV Legislature that the Rural Health Education Program (RHEP) was created. The program was designed at WVU and involved all of the health schools in the state and is a model for rural health training nationwide.

The Exercise Physiology program students can have an internship anywhere in the United States, but most students stay in this region or in West Virginia.

Can you guess who these two faculty members are?

(Click Images to enlarge)

The answers will appear in next
month’s issue.

Last month’s faculty members were
Jeffrey Neely, M.D. and James McJunkin, M.D.