*****
University of Washington School of Medicine
Online News
Vol. 11, No. 1
January 5, 2007
*****
To view an archived version of Online News on the UW Medicine Web site, visit:
http://www.uwmedicine.org/Global/NewsAndEvents/somnews/index.htm
*****
This week’s news:
* Alfred Berg stepping down as chair of the Department of Family Medicine
* National Institutes of Health (NIH) announces fiscal policy for grant awards in 2007
* In Memoriam: Harold Goldberg, professor of medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine, 1949-2006
* UW health sciences and Harborview Medical Center communities plan events in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
* The Art of Aging, a locally produced film on healthy practices for older adults, to be aired on KCTS this month
* Lecture today: Sherrlynne Fuller, director of UW Health Sciences Library and Information Center, to speak on the role of medical librarians in the practice of medicine
*****
BERG RESIGNING AS CHAIR OF FAMILY MEDICINE
Alfred Berg is resigning as chair of the Department of Family Medicine, effective Aug. 1. He plans to begin a six-month sabbatical after leaving his position as chair. Paul Ramsey, dean of the UW School of Medicine, will appoint a search committee later this month to identify candidates to serve as chair of the department. Dean Ramsey would appreciate suggestions regarding individuals who might serve on the search committee.
Berg has served as chair of the department for the past eight years, including one year as acting chair. Under his very effective leadership, the Department of Family Medicine has continued to be a national leader in research, education and patient care. Berg's strong focus on academic excellence sets a standard for the department and has positioned the faculty, staff, students and trainees for continued success.
Berg earned his medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis, and completed a master's in public health and residency in preventive medicine at the UW School of Public Health and Community Medicine. He completed his residency in family medicine at the University of Missouri Medical Center in Columbia, Mo., and was a fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at the UW. He joined the UW faculty in 1977 as a clinical instructor of family medicine, and has been a full professor since 1991.
Berg has served in many leadership positions in the Department of Family Medicine, including director of the research section, director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Faculty Development Fellowship, director of the National Research Service Award Fellowship, and director of the Affiliated Family Practice Residency Network. He served as acting chair of the department before being named chair in 1999. He is recognized as a national leader in family practice medicine and preventive care. Berg has served as chair of the United States Preventive Services Task Force and is now serving as chair of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel on genetic testing. Berg was also recognized with the Thomas W. Johnson Award, the highest honor for family medicine education given by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
An Institute of Medicine member since 1996, Berg was recently named chair of the IOM Committee on the Treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which will review the best practices for treatment of that condition and make recommendations for the types and timing of certain interventions.
Berg may be reached at aberg@u.washington.edu
*****
NIH ANNOUNCES FISCAL POLICY FOR GRANT AWARDS IN 2007
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) have issued an announcement on their fiscal policy for grant awards in fiscal year 2007. Faced with a flat budget and more demand for grants, the funding agency said, it is taking several steps to manage its grant portfolio and handle financial constraints.
For instance, NIH will not make inflationary adjustments to existing, non-competing renewal grants in the coming fiscal year. The agency will work to shore up areas such as funding for new investigators, while maintaining investment in established investigators with little to no support outside of NIH. The agency also plans to adjust the number of competing Research Project Grants that are awarded, to help stabilize yearly variation in the number of awards at around 9,600 new and competing grants, similar to the level seen in the fiscal year 2005.
To read the new NIH fiscal policy on the Web, visit:
http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-07-030.html
*****
HAROLD GOLDBERG, PHYSICIAN AND RESEARCHER: 1949-2006
Longtime UW faculty member Harold I. Goldberg, professor of medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine, died unexpectedly on Dec. 27, 2006, at the age of 57. Goldberg had served on the faculty for 20 years, and was also an adjunct professor in the Department of Medical Education and Biomedical Informatics and in the Department of Health Services of the School of Public Health and Community Medicine.
Goldberg was born in New York, completed his undergraduate education at Oberlin College in Ohio, and earned his medical degree from Stanford University. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the UW before returning to Stanford as a fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar Program. He served for three years on the faculty of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland before joining the UW faculty in 1986.
Goldberg was an internal medicine physician, with expertise in clinic-based research, health services research, and informatics. At Harborview Medical Center, he served in many different positions, including medical director of the Adult Medicine Clinic, acting section chief, and associate medical director for clinical information services. He saw patients and supervised residents in the Adult Medicine Clinic, and mentored junior faculty and fellows.
As director of clinical informatics development for UW Medicine, Goldberg helped coordinate the research and development of medical informatics for UW Medical Center and Harborview. He led the team that created MINDscape, the first regional, Web-based electronic medical record system in the country.
Goldberg is survived by his wife, Yuki Durham; his son, Noah; and his daughter, Kimiko. A celebration of Goldberg's life will be held at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 9, in the Harborview Research and Training Building Auditorium, with a reception to follow in room 109/113. Donations may be made in his honor to a memorial fund in the Division of General Internal Medicine (c/o Karen McMasters, UW Box 359780) or to a charity of the donor's choice. Cards may be sent to his home, 1216 E Newton St., Seattle, WA, 98102.
*****
UW, HARBORVIEW TO HOLD EVENTS IN HONOR OF MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY
The UW health sciences and Harborview communities will celebrate the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with events next week. The events are being held ahead of the observance of Martin Luther King Day, Monday, Jan. 15, which is a state holiday.
The UW Medical Center and health sciences event will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 11, at the Magnuson Health Sciences Center Lobby. The theme of the day is the Noble Road to Peace. Nikhil Pal Singh, associate professor of history at the UW, will be the keynote speaker for the celebration, and UW graduate student Catherine Claiborne will be the student speaker. Claiborne is in the dual master's degree program of the Jackson School of International Studies and the Evans School of Public Affairs, and is also in the International Health certificate program of the School of Public Health and Community Medicine.
The event will include entertainment from the Eckstein Middle School Jazz Band, the John Stanford International School Choir, and Seattle Poet Populist Jourdan Keith. Winners of the Distinguished Community Award and the UW Community Service Awards will also be announced at the celebration. For more information, call 206-543-3620.
Harborview Medical Center will celebrate the legacy Martin Luther King Day with speech and song from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Friday, Jan. 12. The event, sponsored by Harborview’s Cultural Diversity Advisory Council and administration, will be held in the Harborview cafeteria, located in the West Hospital basement, 325 Ninth Ave., Seattle.
The event’s featured speaker will be Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean of undergraduate academic affairs and associate professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the UW. He is an expert on the history of higher education, policies and programs serving disenfranchised groups in secondary and post-secondary schools, and the construction of race-based policy. Micki Flowers, a former health reporter for KIRO-TV, will emcee the event.
*****
THE ART OF AGING TO BE AIRED ON KCTS THIS MONTH
The Art of Aging, a new locally produced documentary about staying healthy as you grow older, will air next week and later in the month on KCTS, the Seattle PBS station. The documentary includes interviews with physicians and researchers at UW Medicine and other area institutions.
The film shows a new generation of older adults learning about better health practices and leaving behind the old problems of obesity, lack of exercise, and mental stagnation. Medical research has helped older adults learn that physical activity, bone health, and social and intellectual interactions can help them age well.
The film is hosted by Ron Reagan, and will air at 7:30 p.m. next Wednesday, Jan. 10. It will repeat at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 21. The film was produced and directed by Michelle Mansfield of Leaping Media, a Seattle-based production company. Julianne Collier, outreach manager for Health Sciences/UW Medicine News and Community Relations, and Eric Larson, director of the Center for Health Studies at Group Health Cooperative, were executive producers.
For more information, to watch a preview of the film, or to access online resources about healthy aging, visit the documentary's companion Web site at http://www.artofaging.org/
*****
SHERRILYNNE FULLER, DIRECTOR OF HEALTH SCIENCES LIBRARIES, GIVING LECTURE TODAY
Sherrilynne Fuller, director of the UW Health Sciences Libraries and Information Center, will speak today on the significance of medical librarians in the field of medicine. Fuller's talk, The Role of Medical Librarians in Evidence-Based Medicine, Education and Practice -- Opportunities and Challenges, will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Friday, Jan. 5, in Hogness Auditorium, Room A-420 of the UW Health Sciences Center.
Fuller is a professor of medical education and biomedical informatics, and associate dean of university libraries. She studies the design and evaluation of health information systems to support decision-making at the place and time of need, as well as approaches to extracting and mapping the results of scientific research in support of improved information access and knowledge discovery.
*****
Online News is published by Health Sciences/UW Medicine News and Community Relations.
Justin Reedy, editor:
206-685-0382, jreedy@u.washington.edu
Online News is copyright 2007. All rights, including electronic redistribution, are reserved.
*****