Medical School scientist elected to National Academy of Sciences
Rowena G. Matthews, Ph.D., the G. Robert Greenberg Distinguished University Professor of Biological Chemistry and senior research scientist in the Biophysics Research Division, is one of 72 new members and 15 foreign associates elected April 30 to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. She joins four other U-M faculty members affiliated with the Medical School’s Department of Biological Chemistry who are members of NAS.

NAS members are elected in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original scientific research. The members act as official advisers to the federal government on questions involving science and technology. Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors a scientist can receive.

The Postdoctoral Research Training Program Is Back
The Postdoctoral Research Training Program will be held again this year beginning July 1, 2002. As in the past, the program is designed to introduce those individuals with a strong interest in pursuing a career in academic medicine to new and emerging concepts in cell and molecular biology. The entire course will encompass a 10-week period (July-September), which is divided into two basic categories: cell biology and biochemistry, and molecular biology and genetics. These two sections will be introduced by a core of 10 faculty members who have been chosen from the Departments of Biochemistry, Human Genetics, Physiology, Pathology, Pharmacology, Biology, Internal Medicine, as well as the HHMI.

The course is designed to introduce the students to the methods of scientific thought, inquiry and analysis via the presentation of specific research topics. The Program does not emphasize techniques, but rather problem solving exercises. To apply, applicants should send their CV and a brief paragraph stating why they are interested in this Program to their Division Chief or Chairperson. Questions should be directed to Stephen J. Weiss, M.D., 5220 MSRB III/0640, 764-0030.

Don't Miss UAAMSA's Bake Sale this Friday
On Friday, May 3, UAAMSA will be holding its annual bake sale at the Towsley Link from 11a.m. to 2 p.m. They will be selling mouthwatering Asian dishes at a very affordable price so please come by and experience the taste of Asia. UAAMSA is one of the most active medical student groups. The bake sale is a fundraising activity to support many of their projects.

Cancer Biology Trainee Fellowships Available
Pending notification from the NCI, we anticipate having 2 pre- and 3 postdoctoral fellowships in the Cancer Biology Training Program (CaBioTP) available beginning July 1, 2002 or later (plus an additional postdoc position open now to be filled before July 1). Trainees are funded through NCI, Loeb and Cancer Center funds. U.S. citizens (or permanent resident aliens) are eligible for positions on PHS training grants. Other funds can be used to support non-citizens. Both M.D. and Ph.D. postdocs are eligible for funding. Please note that for predoctoral candidates, only students who begin their second or third year of training this fall are eligible.

The CaBioTP Steering Committee will evaluate each candidate. Funding decisions will be based on the qualifications of the trainee, cancer relevance and scientific quality of the project. A strong course background in cancer biology-related topics, including Cancer Biology 553, will carry significant weight. Applicants who receive funding are required to participate in the Cancer Biology Journal Club, attend Cancer Biology seminars, associate with one of the UMCCC Clinical Programs and attend ethics training sessions as required by the NIH. Please contact Ginny Schneider at 6-9603 or ginnysch@umich.edu for an application form and for more information. We strongly encourage nominations of underrepresented minority trainees.

Register for the Micro-& Nanotechnology in the Life Sciences Symposium
On Thursday, May 9, and Friday, May 19, the Micro-& Nanotechnology in the Life Sciences Symposium will be held at the U of M. For the agenda, room locations and registration, visit http://www.bme.umich.edu.

Answer the Call: Attend the VISN 11 Palliative Care Symposium
On Wednesday, May 8, the VISN 11 Healthcare Network of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the UMHS will be sponsoring a symposium on palliative care entitled "Answering the Call." The program is intended to both introduce health personnel to the concepts and practices of palliative care and to enhance the clinical skills needed for providing that continuum of services.

A copy of the full program and registration forms are available from Cathy Bennett at 930-5638 or Cathy.Bennett@med.va.gov. The program is free and open to faculty and staff. Continuing Education credits are available.

News Releases and Health Minute
For medical press releases and the details behind the headlines, visit http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/relarch.htm
- Medical School scientist elected to National Academy of Sciences
- Statement on Two Unusual Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Cases at the University of Michigan Health System
- Learning not to burn

Next week's Health Minute:
Gray and blue:Depression in the elderly often ignored or misunderstood

Seminars, lectures, colloquia and events for next week
To access the entire UMHS events database, see:
http://www.academic.med.umich.edu/LassoPages/ProStaffEvents.lasso

Tuesday, May 07, 2002
--12 p.m., Biological Chemistry Seminar. Dr. James Broach, professor, Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, "Deconstructing Yeast Signal Transduction Pathway by Global Transcriptional Analysis," 5330 Med Sci I

--3 p.m., Medical Library Classes: Electronic Resources for Scientific Writing and Publishing. Learn how to locate journal information, understand journal impact factors, find author instructions and online style manuals, and verify citations quickly. This session will also cover copyright considerations. Register online at http://www.umich.edu/~teachtec/ES2002. This event will be held in room 1720, Chemistry Building.

Wednesday, May 8, 2002
-8:45 a.m., Anesthesiology: Research Discussion. Helen Tamer, PharmD, assistant professor, College of Pharmacy, "Investigational Drug Services at the UMHS," UH 1H245

--10 a.m., Medical Library Classes: Strategic Internet Searching for Health Information. Come learn tips and tricks for asking the right questions, choosing the right search engines and doing a great Internet search from the authors of The Medical Library Association Guide to Health Information on the Internet. Register at http://www.umich.edu/~teachtec/ES2002. This event will take place at 4059 Shapiro Library.

--10:30 a.m., Psychiatry Grand Rounds. Stephan F. Taylor, M.D., Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, "Psychosis, Emotion and the Brain: Insights from Neuroimaging," MCHC Auditorium

--11 a.m., Neurology Grand Rounds. Robin Grey, M.D., professor of medicine, Division of Neurology, The University of Texas Heath Sciences Center, "Neuropsychiatric Lupus," 2C108, UH

--12 p.m., Pharmacology Seminar. Channing Joseph Der, Ph.D., professor of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, "Ras and Rho Signaling and Oncogenesis," 2736 Med Sci I

--12 p.m., Graduate Program in Immunology Seminar. Susan K. Pierce, Ph.D., chief, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, NIH/National Institute of Allergy, "Location is everything: The spatial organization of B cell Signaling receptors," 5623 Med Sci II

--4 p.m., Hemostasis/Thrombosis Research Seminar. J. Evan Sadler, M.D., Ph.D., investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, professor, Hematology Division, professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, "Von Willebrand Factor, ADAMTS13 and Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura," 5623 Med Sci II

Thursday, May 9, 2002
--8: a.m., OBGYN Grand Rounds. Kathleen, Cho, M.D., associate professor of pathology, "Ovarian Cancer: Molecular Clues to Pathogenesis and Tumor Classification," MCHC

--9 a.m., The Michigan Life Sciences Symposium: The Structural Cell of Cell Signaling. Please note the times for the seminars below under this heading: Michigan Life Sciences Institute Seminar.

--9:10 a.m., Michigan Life Sciences Institute Seminar. John Kuriyan, Ph.D., Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, "The Conformational Plasticity of Protein Kinases," Ford Auditorium

--10:10 a.m., Michigan Life Sciences Institute. Yigong Shi, Ph.D., associate professor of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, "Insights into Programmed Cell Death Through Structural Biology," Ford Auditorium

--11:20 a.m., Michigan Life Sciences Institute. Jonathan Goldberg, Ph.D., Cellular Biochemistry and Biophysics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, "Structural Biology of Transport Vesicle Formation," Ford Auditorium

--12:10 p.m., Gifts of Art: Celebrating Diversity by the U-M Business Finance Diversity Choir under the direction of Alex Cave. University Hospital Lobby

--1:45 p.m., Michigan Life Sciences Institute. Harvey Lodish, member, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, "Signaling by the Erythropoietin Receptor, " Ford Auditorium

--2:45 p.m., Michigan Life Sciences Institute. Zhaohui Xu, Ph.D., assistant professor, "Chaperone-assisted Protein Folding and Protein Translocation," Ford Auditorium

--4 p.m., Michigan Life Sciences Institute. Roderick Mackinnon, professor, Molecular Neurobiology and Biophysics, Rockefeller University, investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, "Structure and Function of Ion Channels," Ford Auditorium

Friday, May 10, 2002
--10:30 a.m., Neuroscience Program Seminar: Dissertation Defense.Matt Travis Bianchi, neuroscience graduate student, "GABA-A Receptor Properties That Shape Neuronal Inhibition," Waggoner Conference Room, 1057 MHRI

Public Relations & Marketing Communications. For information, contact Lisa Copeland at 647-4890 or e-mail at lisacc@umich.edu.

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