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University of Washington School of Medicine
Online News
Vol. 12, No. 25
June 20, 2008
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To view an archived version of Online News on the UW
Medicine Web site, visit:
http://www.uwmedicine.org/Global/NewsAndEvents/somnews/index.htm
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This week’s news:
* Charles Rohrmann Jr. receives UW Medicine Bruce Gilliland Award for Excellence in Teaching of Residents and Fellows, and will address UW Medicine community June 24
* Researchers uncover mechanism of immune response to hepatitis C virus
* Teaching Scholars Program accepting applications until June 30
* Julie Overbaugh and Catherine Otto receive School of Medicine Award for Excellence in Mentoring Women and Minorities
* Robin Bennett, genetic counselor at UW Medical Center, receives UW Distinguished Staff Award
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ROHRMANN RECEIVES BRUCE GILLILAND AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN GME TEACHING
Charles Rohrmann Jr., professor of radiology, has received the inaugural Bruce C. Gilliland Award for Excellence in Teaching of Residents and Fellows. The award will presented annually as an institution-wide recognition of a teacher of residents and fellows from any of the 85 graduate medical education programs across UW Medicine. Rohrmann will deliver an address in honor of the award on June 24.
Rohrmann earned his medical degree at the UW and completed his residency at the University of Minnesota. He has served on the UW faculty since 1972, and has held many leadership positions during his tenure, including 21 years as program director for radiology residency. Rohrmann has received five teaching awards from the UW radiology residents and a School of Medicine Teaching Excellence Award. Under his leadership, the UW radiology program became the national leader in the proportion of residents passing the American Board of Radiology board exams.
Rohrmann's teaching philosophy focuses not just on strong clinical experience, but also residency education that uses thematic, small-group case analysis with an expert teacher guiding case discussion. In Rohrmann's nomination for the award, one faculty member described him as a superb educator with an obvious love for teaching and an ability to communicate information that is unmatched in the department and the medical school.
The award is named for the late Bruce Gilliland, professor of medicine in the Division of Rheumatology and professor of laboratory medicine. He was known for his skill and compassion as a clinician, his many contributions to the field of rheumatology, his service as an administrator in the School of Medicine, and for his dedication to teaching residents and fellows. Gilliland served in several leadership positions in the School of Medicine, including acting dean, in his more than 40 years on the UW faculty. He died last year at the age of 75.
Rohrmann will speak about Gilliland in a keynote address titled Lessons Learned from an Excellent Teacher, as part of the new medical resident orientation, 8 a.m., Tuesday, June 24, in Hogness Auditorium, Room A-420 of the Health Sciences Center. Rohrmann's speech is open to all in the UW Medicine community.
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RESEARCHERS UNCOVER MECHANISM OF IMMUNE RESPONSE TO HEPATITIS C VIRUS
A group of researchers led by Michael Gale, associate professor of immunology, has uncovered a new mechanism that alerts the body's immune system to a hepatitis C virus infection. Their findings were published online last week by the journal Nature.
Scientists have known that RIG-I is a receptor in cells that recognizes genetic material from a virus and alerts the immune system to attack the invader. Gale and his colleagues found a genetic pattern, called a polyuridine motif, in the genome of the hepatitis C virus that is recognized by RIG-I. Similar genetic patterns are found in the genomes of other viruses, like rabies and Ebola.
The findings boost scientists' understanding of the immune system response to a hepatitis C infection, and viral infections in general. Researchers hope that the work will help improve therapies for hepatitis C virus. The findings may also help in designing additives for vaccines to boost immune responses to other viruses.
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TEACHING SCHOLARS PROGRAM ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS UNTIL JUNE 30
The UW's Teaching Scholars Program, a program aimed at promoting leadership among educators in health professions, is accepting applications until the end of June. The one-year certificate program is designed to help educators who have a passion for teaching and a desire to become academic leaders.
The program is run by the Department of Medical Education and Biomedical Informatics in the UW School of Medicine. Scholars accepted to the program devote one morning a week to scholarly discussion and reflection on academic leadership, educational scholarship, and practice. They work with faculty mentors to plan and conduct seminars on topics of interest and to complete a scholarly project in education suitable for publication.
The program was recently featured in University Week, the campus newspaper. That article is available here:
http://uwnews.org/uweek/uweekarticle.asp?articleid=42282
To participate in the program, faculty need to obtain financial support from their department chair and approved release time on Tuesday mornings for seminars and research projects. Scholars nominated by their department chairs will be chosen to start the program in September. A participant’s department chair must provide a commitment of support, Tuesday morning release time, approval for a two-day workshop, a program fee of $3,650, and travel funds for one national meeting.
For more information or to learn how to apply to the program, visit:
http://www.mebi.washington.edu/scholars.html
Applicants should also send a curriculum vitae and a letter of support from the department chair to Lynne Robins, Teaching Scholars Program Director, Department of Medical Education and Biomedical Informatics, UW HSC, Box 357240.
Further information is also available from Rachael Hogan, program coordinator, at 206-616-9875, rhogan@u.washington.edu or Robins at 206-616-9874, lynner@u.washington.edu
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MCCAULEY AND WALD RECOGNIZED WITH MENTORING AWARD
UW faculty members Julie Overbaugh and Catherine Otto have received the School of Medicine Award for Excellence in Mentoring Women and Minorities.
Overbaugh, an affiliate professor of microbiology and a researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, studies the mechanisms of HIV infection and pathogenesis. Her research examines how the virus evolves to become more effective at transmission and more pathogenic in an infected host.
Otto is a professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology, and the J. Ward Kennedy-Hamilton Endowed Professor of Cardiology. She directs the UW Medicine Fellowship Training Program in Cardiovascular Disease, the training program for physicians who have finished their internal medicine residency and are continuing on in cardiology. Otto's specialties include valvular heart disease, inherited cardiac diseases, and adult congenital heart disease.
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BENNETT RECEIVES UW DISTINGUISHED STAFF AWARD
Robin Bennett, senior genetic counselor and associate director of the UWMC Medical Genetics Clinic, has received a 2008 UW Distinguished Staff Award. She was honored at the Annual Recognition Ceremony earlier this month.
Bennett, one of the most prominent genetic counselors in the nation, teaches human genetics in the School of Medicine and lectures widely in the community. She is the author of Practical Guide to the Genetic Family History, used by counselors and medical geneticists around the world. Last year she was honored for her work by the National Society of Genetic Counselors and was featured recently in an ABC News story about consanguineous couples. Bennett is profiled in a University Week feature about this year's UW award recipients:
http://uwnews.org/uweek/awards2008/profile.asp?id=42234
The rest of the UW award recipients can be seen here:
http://uwnews.org/uweek/awards2008/index.asp
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Justin Reedy, editor:
206-685-0382, jreedy@u.washington.edu
Online News is copyright 2008. All rights, including electronic
redistribution, are reserved.
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