Produced by the Office of Communications // September 20, 2012

Dyer named chief of staff at LBJ Hospital

Dr. Carmel Dyer has been named chief of staff for Lyndon Baines Johnson General Hospital (LBJ), part of the Harris Health System. She was named associate dean for Harris County Programs for the Medical School, effective July 1.

Dyer, professor and director of the Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine, is the fourth chief of staff in the hospital’s history.

“It’s an honor to be able to work with so many dedicated people at Harris Health System and UTHealth,” Dyer said. “Together, we bring great value to our community. My goal is to further develop our leadership teams to enhance the delivery of high-quality healthcare to our patients and promote the professional growth of all our healthcare team.”

The Harris County Hospital District Board of Managers, the governing body for Harris Health System, ratified Dyer’s appointment by Dean Giuseppe Colasurdo.

“Dr. Carmel Dyer is a passionate and caring clinician and is deeply committed to the teaching programs at Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital,” Colasurdo said. “As chief of staff, she will work closely with Harris Health System leadership and LBJ’s service chiefs to foster a culture of excellence in clinical care and patient safety. On behalf of all of us at the Medical School, I congratulate Dr. Dyer on this appointment.”

Dyer is an internationally recognized expert on geriatrics and elder abuse. On numerous occasions, she has testified on the topic in congressional hearings in Washington, D.C. She is a graduate of Stetson University in Florida, earning her medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine. Dyer is an active member of the American Geriatrics Society, the Gerontological Society of America, and the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse.

— Harris Health System

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Registration now open for Oct. 9 research retreat

Registration for the Annual Medical School Research Retreat sponsored by the Medical School Research Committee is now open. All faculty, graduate students, and fellows are invited to attend the retreat, which will be held 8 a.m.–4 p.m., Oct. 9 at the Sarofim Research Building, Institute for Molecular Medicine.

This year the event will include a thematic symposium on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, a Graduate Student Education Committee sponsored poster session, a Clinical and Translational Sciences Award forum, and a New Investigator series designed to highlight the work of new faculty members.

Dr. Joseph Takahashi, UT Southwestern Medical Center, will discuss “Transcriptional Architecture and Dynamics of the Mammalian Circadian Clock” in the keynote address.

The purpose of the retreat is to inform and promote interdisciplinary collaboration, and it is a unique opportunity to learn more about the research conducted on our campus and an excellent way to interact with your colleagues and peers.

Abstracts are now being accepted for the poster session, and awards will be given for the top three places that demonstrate outstanding and innovative research that has the potential to contribute to the advancement of medical science and health care.

— Kimberly Campbell, Office of Research Affairs

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Medical School telephone upgrade project starts Sept. 24

Communications Services will replace all of the telephones in the Medical School Building, Jesse Jones Library Building, and Medical School Extension as part of a program moving the telephones to a modern voice-over-internet protocol (VOIP).

The current Fujitsu telephone system is more than 15 years old and is failing.

The new network will be on the buildings’ emergency power generators and will be connected to uninterrupted power supplies, so in the event of a power outage the network and telephones will remain operational.

Aside from the added stability of a newer system, the AVAYA telephones have new features, including ad-hoc conference calls for up to five parties and up to 250 contacts for quick access to phone numbers.

The telephone upgrade project is estimated to cost $2.5 million and will start Sept. 24, which includes upgrading the network in each building. Users will be charged at current telephone rates, and phone numbers will not be changed.

Specific departments will be notified when their areas will be impacted. View the master schedule for the network upgrades and the telephone replacement. Training for the new telephones also will be available once the new telephones are introduced. The telephone upgrade project is expected to wrap up by the end of November.

If you have questions about your specific area and how this might impact your business, please contact Troy Fontenot, manager, Network Operations, 713.486.2172.

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Orthopaedic lectureship set for Nov. 1

The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery will host the 56th annual Edward T. Smith Orthopaedic Lectureship Nov. 1 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Houston.

Course chairs for “Advanced Reconstructive Techniques in Shoulder Surgery” are Drs. Timothy Achor, assistant professor; Steven Flores, assistant professor; Robert Fullick, assistant professor; and Walter Lowe, chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Named in honor of the department’s first chair, Edward T. Smith, this continuing medical education program is directed primarily toward all surgeons, residents, and fellows currently treating patients for injuries to the shoulder. Other physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals who work with orthopaedic patients and athletes also would benefit from this program, which will be held Nov. 1–2 and include a hands-on lab at the Medical School’s Surgical and Clinical Skills Center.

Registration will close Oct. 30. Register here.

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Farewell, friend

The Medical School congratulates Dr. Henry Strobel on his semi-retirement Sept. 18 at a reception in his honor in the Fifth Floor Gallery.

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

 

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