- Features: Meeting of the minds; A sonic substitute for surgery; Using analytics to attack addiction; Top of Mind podcast: Mental health at the U of M.
- Awards and Recognition: The U of M has been selected by the Toyota Research Institute to participate in the next five-year phase of a collaborative research program; and more.
Meeting of the minds
Sophia Vinogradov is quick to point out what’s missing in her field, psychiatry. “Neuroscience,” she says simply. As head of the Medical School’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, she knows this seems counterintuitive. Why wouldn’t neuroscience—the study of how the brain functions—play an integral role in caring for people with mental illnesses? “It sounds obvious, but it’s not actually what’s happening,” says Vinogradov. Too rarely, she says, do experts from both fields join forces. She and neuroscientist A. David Redish are working to change that.
A sonic substitute for surgery
What do cats and astronauts have in common? They’re both at risk for getting kidney stones. And, in search of a kidney stone treatment for cats, veterinarians at the University of Minnesota are looking to human medicine to test a modified version of an ultrasound system that could provide an inexpensive, safe, and speedy alternative to surgery in cats.
Using analytics to attack addiction
The Minnesota based Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation recently turned to the Carlson School Analytics Lab to analyze hundreds of thousands of patient records accumulated at its facilities over the years. During a semester-long project, a team of five students used artificial intelligence to analyze more than 250,000 records in search of data patterns. Their findings add to the knowledge base that enables clinicians to adjust care for higher-risk patients and will be the foundation for a new research publication that Hazelden Betty Ford plans to share with the entire addiction-treatment field.
Top of Mind podcast: Looking back on 2020 and forward to new initiatives
In the second episode of a podcast series highlighting the issue of mental health at the University of Minnesota, host Rick Moore talks with students who share how COVID-19 and the events of 2020 have affected their well-being. The episode also looks at what some schools and departments have been doing to improve the landscape for student mental health.
Awards and Recognition
The U of M has been selected by the Toyota Research Institute to participate in the next five-year phase of a collaborative research program; The Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics has announced its 2021 research awardees; the University of Minnesota has been awarded a $4.48 million contract to support health sciences higher education advancements in Afghanistan; Catherine Burrows has been appointed as a NIH K12 Building Interdisciplinary Research Career in Women's Health Scholar; U in the News features highlights of U faculty and staff cited in the media. Awards and Recognition
Submit nominations for the Regents Professorship
The deadline for submitting nominations for the Regents Professorship is March 12. This year there are two openings. The Regents Professorship is the highest honor the University of Minnesota bestows on its faculty. It recognizes faculty who have made exceptional contributions to the University through teaching, research, scholarship, or creative work, and contributions to the public good.
Submit nominations for the President's Award for Outstanding Service
The nomination deadline for the 2021 President's Outstanding Service Award is March 5. The award is presented each year in the spring and recognizes exceptional service to the University, its schools, colleges, departments, and service units by any active or retired faculty or staff member.
Center for Urban and Regional Affairs research funding opportunities
The Faculty Interactive Research Program supports interactive public policy research between U of M faculty and community organizations or government agencies in Minnesota. The Fesler-Lampert Chair in Urban and Regional Affairs supports the work of a U of M faculty member on a project related to urban and regional affairs in Minnesota. Proposals are due March 12.
25,000 face masks donated, more to come
The University of Minnesota Alumni Association delivered another round of maroon and gold face masks from the buy-one, donate-one program of the Alumni Association's Minnesota Alumni Market. This brings the total donated to M Health Fairview patients, families, and caregivers to 25,000. The face mask donation program is not finished. Upcoming donations will be to U of M students in on-campus housing. Order your face mask here.
Osterholm Update: An Imperfect Storm
In episode 40 of the Osterholm Update, Michael Osterholm and host Chris Dall discuss the latest information on SARS-CoV-2 variants, estimates as to just how much of the U.S. population might have some immunity to the virus, and the current supply and demand of vaccines. Previous episodes are available here.
Medical School launches COVID-19 vaccine trial
The University of Minnesota Medical School will participate in a Phase 3 COVID-19 clinical trial in the fight against the novel coronavirus. The clinical trial will test the safety and effectiveness of an investigational vaccine developed by U.S. biotechnology company Novavax, Inc., called NVX-CoV2373.
Talking critically needed blood donations with the U of M
The month of January is when the blood supply tends to be at its lowest. U of M Medical School professor Claudia Cohn explains why blood donations are needed now more than ever and how choosing to give could equip donors with new information about their exposure to COVID-19.
Medical School launches new Center for the Art of Medicine
Jon Hallberg, Maren Olson, and Ben Trappey will lead the Medical School's new Center for the Art of Medicine, which will focus on storytelling in medicine as an outlet to reduce physician burnout and promote the joy of practice.
Researchers speed up neuron reproduction with new differentiation protocol
Two University of Minnesota Medical School faculty have developed a new protocol to improve the generation of neural and glial cells from human induced pluripotent stem cells. Ann Parr, associate professor in the Department of Neurosurgery, and James Dutton, associate professor in the Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, began their collaboration when both researchers were trying to develop a very specific cell type found in the brain and spinal cord.
2021 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Pledge Drive
In recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy of service and the University’s mission of public engagement, the U of M has launched the 2021 University of Minnesota Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Pledge Drive. This systemwide community service campaign promotes opportunities for faculty, staff, students, alumni, and retirees to conduct virtual and remote activities that serve and benefit our neighbors and communities. Faculty and staff who participate in the Wellbeing Program can earn up to 150 points through volunteering.
Beginning Feb. 1 - Online Teaching & Design Program
The Online Teaching & Design Program is designed to support instructors with a range of online teaching goals and strategies, from sharing online resources with students to maximizing learner engagement. The program can help instructors choose appropriate online strategies and technology tools to apply to their own courses. Two enrollment options are available: a nine-week facilitated cohort or a self-paced format. This course is designed for instructors who have a working knowledge of Canvas and some experience teaching online with a learning management system.
Research Brief: How skin tone bias and age affect preterm birth rates of Black women
In 2019, one in seven infants born to Black women in the U.S. were born before the 37th week of pregnancy, a rate of preterm birth that is 50 percent higher than the rate for non-Hispanic white and other women of color. To learn more about how racism affects pregnancy, School of Public Health assistant professor Jaime Slaughter-Acey conducted the first study in the U.S. to investigate how skin tone bias relates to Black women's birth outcomes.
U of M featured virtual events
Jan. 27 - Minnesota Law’s 6th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation
Ongoing - EXHIBITION | Breaking Silence: Design for a Changing World
Feb. 4 - Working Internationally Alumni Panel
Feb. 10 - Channeling Anna Arnold Hedgeman: Laying the Foundations for Gender and Racial Justice
Crookston’s commitment to preserving the history of Hispanics in the Red River Valley chronicled in upcoming documentary
University of Minnesota Crookston staff member and alumnus Ken Mendez ’11, along with alumni Victoria Ramirez ’02 and Allan Dragseth ’57, are featured in Prairie Public’s upcoming documentary Ésta Es Mi Casa – This Is My Home. The documentary chronicles the migration stories of Hispanic families who came to the Red River Valley to help with hoeing beet fields, tending crops, and bringing in the harvest. Prairie Public will air the documentary on Jan. 28, 9 p.m.
A lasting legacy
Rick Smith, UMD alumnus and director of the American Indian Learning Resource Center, retired recently after more than 30 years at UMD. In addition to mentoring hundreds of students, Smith helped to create the Mishoomis Collection Library, which consists of more than 10,000 books, videos, and documents. He was recently invited to serve as Elder in Residence for the Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team at the U of M Medical School.
Captain’s log
Alumnus Rual Lee worked in the marine safety gear industry and in commercial diving before becoming captain of the Noodin, the predecessor to the UMD Large Lakes Observatory’s current research vessel Blue Heron. Lee says he and his crew are there as “science support.” Their mission? To ensure that scientists can maximize their time on the Great Lakes and to troubleshoot when things go wrong, miles away from land.
Prairie Gate Literary Festival returns
U of M Morris’s Prairie Gate Literary Festival returns this year, offering a variety of virtual events February through April. Learn how to get your work of fiction published, be part of a conversation with science fiction and fantasy authors (featuring Assistant Professor Josh Johnson ’10), and explore the world of poetry (featuring poet and Teaching Specialist Athena Kildegaard).
UMR Career Pathways: Health Care Research and Discovery
UMR's innovative degree programs and integrated curriculum provide students with a foundational undergraduate education. Discover how Alynn Kruse navigated UMR’s many health career opportunities with an individually planned capstone to prepare herself to be a genetic counseling assistant while she pursues a Masters of Genetic Counseling. Learn more about UMR's Pathways.
Handling animals at fairs, on the farm linked to serious bacterial disease in people
A new School of Public Health study shows that directly handling animals on farms or at agricultural events, such as fairs, can raise the risk of developing hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a very serious illness that can lead to renal failure. PhD student Madhura Vachon has found that direct farm animal contact was a key risk factor among people infected with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.
50 years of Chicano & Latino Studies
In 2021, the Department of Chicano & Latino Studies (CLS) celebrates its 50th anniversary. To commemorate this historic moment, CLS will produce public programs throughout the calendar year. The first event is the exhibition “¡Presente!: 50 Years of Chicano & Latino Studies,” Feb. 8-May 16. Learn more about the anniversary celebrations.
Feb. 15-19 - U of M Major/Minor Expo Week
Faculty and staff are encouraged to let undergraduate students know about this year’s Virtual Major/Minor Expo Week. Representatives from academic departments across all undergraduate colleges at the U of M Twin Cities will be hosting live Zoom sessions to help students learn more about majors and minors. The event is open to current undergraduate students on the Twin Cities campus.