Produced by the Office of Communications // February 2, 2012

Art Wall Silent Auction starts Feb. 6

Find unique gifts and art for personal pleasure at the sixth annual Art Wall Silent Auction the week of Feb. 6–9. All proceeds from the auction event will benefit the Faculty Wives and Women Faculty Doris Simon Student Scholarship Fund.

Thirty-two pieces of art by 19 artists will be available for bidding, including watercolors, pastels, pen and ink, oils, computer compositions, collages, and photography. Art has been donated by previous exhibitors of the Art Wall project.

Included in the offerings will be work from six popular artists who have generously contributed to every Art Wall auction: watercolors by Dr. Regina Verani and Patty Browning; color pencil sketch by Philip Chang; computer compositions by Eugenia Mileykovskaya; and photography by Dr. Rita Swinford and Dr. Sam Li. Faculty wife Donna Buja has donated three striking photographs as well.

Auction art can be previewed on the Art Wall website or at the Art Wall Silent Auction Exhibit beginning Feb. 3. Live bidding (only) will be conducted 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Feb. 6–8 and 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Feb. 9. Buyers can pay with Visa, Master Card, American Express, or personal check.

The auction closing celebration and announcement of winners will be held 11:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 9. Two raffle prizes (framed photographs) also will be awarded at that time.

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Symposium on Quality Initiatives in Neuroscience set for Feb. 18

The Medical School and the Mischer Neuroscience Institute of Memorial Hermann will present a Symposium on Quality Initiatives in Neuroscience Feb. 18 at Hotel Granduca in Uptown Park.

The half-day continuing medical education seminar is set for 7:30 a.m.–noon. Medical School speakers include Drs. Arthur Day, Dong Kim, and Jim Grotta.

After attending the sessions, participants should be able to:

• Describe how aligning financial incentives and quality at a university hospital improves medical outcomes;
• Implement mechanisms of aligning financial incentives with quality and improved outcomes for Memorial Hermann;
• Support current efforts and results with aligned financial and quality initiatives in a combined university and community based neurosurgical practice with both employed and private practice physicians;
• Identify new quality metrics surrounding the care of patients with strokes (at Memorial Hermann);
• Practice team based approach to improving outcomes in the care of stroke patients;
• Evaluate the use of evidence based order sets and protocols in a broad spectrum of neurosurgical patients in both community and university setting; and
• Utilize protocols to improve outcomes for patient registration.

Seating is limited, so please register by Feb. 11.

For more information, please e-mail.

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Sea snails help scientists explore a way to enhance memory

Efforts to help people with learning impairments are being aided by a species of sea snail known as Aplysia californica. The mollusk, which is used by researchers to study the brain, has much in common with other species including humans. Research involving the snail has contributed to the understanding of learning and memory.

Medical School neuroscientists used this animal model to test an innovative learning strategy designed to help improve the brain’s memory, and the results were encouraging. It could ultimately benefit people who have impairments resulting from aging, stroke, traumatic brain injury, or congenital cognitive impairments.

The proof-of-principle study was published on the Nature Neuroscience website Dec. 25. The next steps in the research may involve tests in other animal models and eventually humans.

The strategy was used to identify times when the brain was primed for learning, which, in turn, facilitated the scheduling of learning sessions during these peak periods. The result was a significant increase in memory.

“We found that memory could be enhanced appreciably,” said Dr. John Byrne, senior author and chair of the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy.

Building on earlier research that identified proteins linked to memory, the UTHealth investigators created a mathematical model that tells researchers when the timing of the activity of these proteins is aligned for the best learning experience.

Right now, the scheduling of learning sessions is based on trial and error and is somewhat arbitrary. If the model proves effective in follow-up studies, it could be used to identify those periods when learning potential is highest.

“When you give a training session, you are starting several different chemical reactions. If you give another session, you get additional effects. The idea is to get the sessions in sync,” Byrne said. “We have developed a way to adjust the training sessions so they are tuned to the dynamics of the biochemical processes.”

Two groups of snails received five learning sessions. One group received learning sessions at irregular intervals as predicted by a mathematical model. Another group received training sessions in regular 20-minute intervals.

Five days after the learning sessions were completed, a significant increase in memory was detected in the group that was trained with a schedule predicted by a computer. But, no increase was detected in the group with the regular 20-minute intervals.

The computer sorted through 10,000 different permutations in order to determine a schedule that would enhance memory.

To confirm their findings, researchers analyzed nerve cells in the brain of snails and found greater activity in the ones receiving the enhanced training schedule, said Byrne, the June and Virgil Waggoner Chair of Neurobiology and Anatomy.

“This study shows the feasibility of using computational methods to assist in the design of training schedules that enhance memory,” Byrne said.

Other contributors from the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy include lead authors Drs. Yili Zhang, research fellow; and Rong-Yu Liu, senior research scientist; as well as George Heberton, medical student; Dr. Paul Smolen, assistant professor; Dr. Douglas Baxter, professor; and Dr. Len Cleary, professor.

The study, “Computational Design of Enhanced Learning Protocols,” received support from the National Institutes of Health and the Keck Center National Library of Medicine Training Program in Biomedical Informatics of the Gulf Coast Consortia.

— Robert Cahill, Office of Advancement, Media Relations

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Medical School joins White House effort to improve military health

The Medical School is among 108 AAMC-member medical schools that have pledged to improve the health and wellness of military service members and their families as part of the Joining Forces initiative.

First Lady Michelle Obama, who started the effort to mobilize support for America's military in the areas of employment, education, and wellness, made the announcement at an event at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va. “Today the nation's medical colleges are committing to creating a new generation of doctors, medical schools, and research facilities that will make sure that our heroes receive care that is worthy of their service,” Obama said.

As part of their commitment, participating medical schools pledged to improve the health care of military veterans and their families by enriching curricula, disseminating the most up-to-date information on conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder, growing the body of knowledge available through new research and clinical trials, and collaborating with other stakeholders.

“This represents a commitment to make sure our heroes and their families receive the care worthy of their sacrifice,” said Col. John Holcomb, vice chair, professor and chief of the Division of Acute Care Surgery.

Dean Giuseppe Colasurdo, said the Joining Forces initiative is a natural extension of the Medical School’s integrated missions in education, research, and clinical care.

“This pledge reaffirms our commitment to the wellness of our nation’s military,” Dean Colasurdo said. “Our purpose is to provide educational opportunities and real solutions to the most pressing health-related challenges of our time.”

As participants in Joining Forces, medical schools will document how they address military cultural competence, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and traumatic brain injury in the curriculum. They also pledge to encourage ongoing collaborations with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health, and others to ensure the highest quality of clinical care and research.

“The UTHealth Medical School is committed to ensuring that our students are educated regarding the treatment of traumatic brain injury and the attendant psychological issues for the patient and his or her family,” said Dr. Patricia Butler, professor and senior associate dean for educational programs.

Holcomb, director of the Center for Translational Injury Research and a trauma surgeon at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, said UTHealth is leading numerous initiatives that could have a significant impact on the health and well-being of our nation’s veterans. Those include one of the largest traumatic brain injury programs in the country and a new clinical trial examining PTSD.

“We have a whole generation of people coming back from the war, and we need to make sure we are addressing their health care needs,” said Holcomb, who served as a U.S. Army colonel prior to joining the Medical School.

Dr. Paul Schulz, associate professor of neurology, added that research discoveries stand to benefit both military personnel and civilians.

“With PTSD alone, people can be affected for decades, and because it is so ubiquitous, any insights we get into understanding, treating, and preventing it will potentially affect the quality of life for millions of people worldwide,” Schulz said.

— AAMC, Meredith Raine, Office of Advancement, Media Relations

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Skin deep

First-year medical students learn all about honey crusted impetigo, scalded skin syndrome, necrotizing fasciitis, and Erysipelas during the Infectious Diseases Microbiology lecture presented by Dr. Audrey Wanger, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, and Dr. Lisa Armitige, visiting professor of internal medicine, Jan. 20. Marcie Hamburger, program manager, Office of Educational Programs, and Carla Kruger, Standardized Patient Program coordinator, applied the makeup worn by the standardized patients.

— Dwight C. Andrews, Office of Communications, Medical School