| Message
From The Dean
Focus
on Grants Administration
By
Cam E. Enarson,
M.D., M.B.A.,
Dean, Creighton School of Medicine
Vice President for Health Sciences
 An
active research program is vital to the success of schools
of medicine with international reputations for excellence
such as the Creighton University School of Medicine.
A vibrant research program enhances the school’s ability
to attract the best and the brightest faculty and students.
A comprehensive research program is also critical to the school’s
ability to prepare the next generation of faculty and researchers.
In recent years, studies conducted at Creighton have led to
such groundbreaking discoveries as:
• Vitamin D and its role in cancer prevention
• Genetic links to breast cancer and colon cancer
• Isolation of a gene mutation related to hearing loss
• Relation of bone loss to calcium intake and absorption
efficiency
According to a poll released in 2006 by Research!America,
a nonprofit advocacy group for medical research, 94 percent
of Americans currently rank health-related research as one
of the nation’s priorities.
Unfortunately, obtaining grants for research is becoming increasingly
competitive and difficult, particularly for young investigators.
Funding from the National Institutes of Health, which supports
75 percent of all U.S. biomedical research, has fallen behind
inflation since 2003.
Despite these obstacles, Creighton’s School of Medicine
has actually increased its total research funding from private
and public sources in recent years. Awards have grown from
$15.9 million in 1998 to more than $32 million in 2007.
As dean, I am committed to increasing total research and NIH
research award dollars and promoting collaborative research
activities.
Kathy Taggart, assistant vice president for research and compliance,
and her team, which includes Beth Herr, Brandi Tumbleson and
Darin Jensen, help advise the Creighton community through
the grant application process, from conception to the final
edits. I encourage faculty and researchers to take full advantage
of the excellent resources available in Grants Administration.
Grants
Administration
From
left, Beth Herr, Darin Jensen, Kathy Taggart and Brandi
Tumbleson. |
Putting
Together Winning Proposals
By Kathleen Taggart
Assistant Vice President
for Research and Compliance
Grants give faculty
the opportunity to explore their ideas, make discoveries and
enhance their university’s reputation. The more grants
a school receives, the more likely it is to be considered
for other grants.
The Creighton University Office of Grants Administration –
from the idea stage through the actual award – has the
tools and technical expertise to help make your grant application
easier and potentially more successful. Search engines, agency
data bases and listservs are among the tools we use to identify
opportunities and match grants to faculty members’ research
interests. Beth Herr and Brandi Tumbleson are available to
help investigators with the interpretation of sponsor guidelines,
preparation of budgets, and electronic grant submissions.
The grant application process has become increasingly competitive
and complex. While the money available to fund good scientific
research is flat or shrinking, compared to seven to 10 years
ago, there are grants out there. That makes the grant application
process more important than ever. To that end, Grants Administration
provides the services of a full-time technical writer/editor,
Darin Jensen, who can help develop a grant application that
avoids common pitfalls of grant writing, including:
• Cluttered or unclear language, including jargon and
acronyms
• “Buried” purpose of a study, also known
as the “nugget”
• Vague or immeasurable objectives
• Grammatical and typographical errors as well as stylistic
inconsistencies
• Incorrect statements
• Applications ignoring rules and directions
When should investigators contact Grants Administration? As
soon as possible! One of the biggest mistakes investigators
make is not starting soon enough.
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Appointments
Csordas
Joins Creighton
 Attila
Csordas, M.D., has been named chief of vascular and interventional
radiology at Creighton University Medical Center.
Csordas, who also holds an appointment as an assistant professor
of radiology at Creighton University School of Medicine, specializes
in minimally invasive surgery or image-guided therapy, including
the treatment of patients with cancer, peripheral vascular
disease, or varicose veins.
Csordas earned his medical degree at University Medical School
of Pecs in Hungary in 1995. He went on to complete his residency
in radiology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell
Medical Center and an interventional radiology fellowship
at the medical center and Sloan Kettering Memorial Cancer
Center, New York City. He is board certified in diagnostic
radiology.
Bothmer
Named Assistant Vice President
 Jim
Bothmer has been named assistant vice president for health
sciences at Creighton University, effective Jan. 1.
Bothmer will continue to serve as director of the Creighton
University Health Sciences Library/Learning Resources Center,
a position he has held since 1991. In his new role, he will
assume additional responsibilities for working with the health
science schools to enhance the academic mission of the health
science division.
The author of one book, three book chapters and more than
20 professional papers and book reviews, Bothmer has earned
the Bernice M. Hetzner Award from the Midcontinental Chapter
of the Medical Library Association, a National Library of
Medicine medical informatics fellowship, and the Nebraska
Library Association’s distinguished service award.
Bothmer holds a master’s degree in library science from
the University of Minnesota. He is certified as a distinguished
member of the Academy of Information Health Professionals
and serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of
Academic Health Sciences Libraries. He is also a member of
the Nebraska Library Commission joint task force for helping
shape the future of libraries in Nebraska.
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In
the News
USDA
Reps View Program
Nancy Montanez Johner, undersecretary for food, nutrition
and consumer services for the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA), and Brian Wansink, Ph.D., executive director for USDA’s
Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, visited Creighton
University in January for a special presentation on the School
of Medicine’s “New Clinical Approach to Foster
Healthy Weight in Youth” workshop.
The workshop, offered through Creighton’s Continuing
Medical Education Division, is designed for health care providers
who work with children. It was presented for the first time
last fall at four locations across the state of Nebraska.
 “Childhood
obesity has reached epidemic proportions in this country,”
said Cristina Fernandez, M.D., assistant professor and associate
program director with Creighton’s Department of Pediatrics.
“The workshop gives health providers the tools they
need to determine whether their pediatric patients are at
risk and, if so, what can be done to eliminate or reduce the
risk.”
The visit and the workshop were reported Jan. 21 in the Omaha
World-Herald.
Loggie’s
Patients Featured
 Brian
Loggie, M.D., a professor of surgery and chief of Creighton’s
Division of Surgical Oncology, and his successful treatment
of patients with pseudomyxoma peritonei, a rare and deadly
form of cancer, was the subject of separate stories by the
Washington Post (Dec. 11) and KETV (Dec. 4).
Loggie is particularly known for his innovative treatment
of rare, cancerous conditions. Patients around the world have
come to Creighton University Medical Center to be treated
by him for pseudomyxoma peritonei, peritoneal mesothelioma,
appendix tumors and other cancers.
Haddad’s
Poetry Published
 Amy
Haddad, Ph.D., R.N., director of Creighton University’s
Center for Health Policy & Ethics, is a contributor to
a new anthology on “Stories of Illness and Healing:
Women Write Their Bodies.” Haddad contributed two poems
to the book, “What if They Said?” and “Stereotactic
Biopsy,” which reflect on her experiences as a patient.
The Omaha World-Herald ran an Oct. 29 story on Haddad
and her poetry.
Sonnino
Photos Highlighted
 Photographs
taken by Roberta E. Sonnino, M.D., associate dean for academic
and faculty affairs and professor of surgery and pediatrics,
were featured in a Dec. 24 story on KETV. The story, titled
"Premature Babies in Omaha-Beating the Odds," can
be viewed at www.ketv.com/video/
14920968/index.html?taf=oma
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Research
Creighton
Study Points to Relief from Seasonal Allergies
The results of a new Creighton University study may soon spell
relief for some of the estimated 40 million Americans who
suffer from seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) caused by pollens
such as grass and ragweed.
According to Creighton researchers, noninhaled, intranasal
carbon dioxide (CO2) may offer a new, effective and safe treatment
for many SAR sufferers. The study was reported in the January
issue of the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology.
“These findings indicate that noninhaled, intranasal
carbon dioxide is very promising as a safe and effective treatment
to provide rapid relief for seasonal allergic rhinitis. With
the exception of a burning/stinging sensation when the carbon
dioxide is first administered, there appears to be no significant
side effects with this technique.
“It could be a good alternative for people who don’t
want to take intranasal steroids,” said Thomas B. Casale,
M.D., principal investigator and chief of Creighton School
of Medicine’s Division of Allergy/Immunology.
Currently, there are no treatments available that provide
truly rapid relief of SAR symptoms and can be used safely
long-term, he added.
In the Creighton study, patients receiving CO2 reported a
significant and rapid improvement in congestion, sneezing
and other nasal symptoms – within 10 minutes and lasting
at least 24 hours – over those taking a placebo (plain
air). The CO2 group also reported some, although not statistically
significant, improvement in non-nasal symptoms such as watery
and itchy eyes.
The Creighton study involved 89 subjects, 18 to 75 years of
age, who had at least a two-year history of seasonal allergies
requiring pharmacotherapy. Sixty received CO2 and 29 received
plain air.
New
NIH Grants Awarded
The School of Medicine has received four major National Institutes
of Health grants. Awardees are:
• Yaping Tu, Ph.D., Department of Pharmacology, five-year
grant of $1.24 million to study “Regulator of G-Protein
Signaling (RGS) Proteins in Prostate Cancer”
• Xian-Ming Chen, M.D., Department of Microbiology and
Immunology, four-year grant of $1.4 million to study “MicroRNAs
in Epithelial Innate Immunity to C. parvum”
• Laura Hansen, Ph.D., Department of Biomedical Sciences,
five-year grant of $1.52 million to study “Mechanisms
of UV-induced Skin Carcinogenesis”
• Devendra Agrawal, Ph.D., Department of Biomedical
Science, five-year grant of $1.79 million to study “TGF-Beta,
Chloride Channels and Migration of Eosinophils”
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Other
News
Free
Glaucoma Screenings Offered
 Creighton
University’s Office of Health Sciences Multicultural
and Community Affairs (HS-MACA) celebrated Glaucoma Awareness
Month in January with free eye screenings.
“An estimated 2.5 million Americans have glaucoma. Half
of those individuals are unaware that they suffer from the
disease, which is the second leading cause of blindness in
this country,” said Sade Kosoko-Lasaki, M.D., Creighton
professor of surgery (ophthalmology) and associate vice president
for health sciences. “Early detection is critical in
treating glaucoma.”
Approximately 400 took advantage of Creighton’s screening
sessions at Charles Drew Health Center, One World Community
Health Centers and other locations throughout the city during
January.
Since 2001, HS-MACA has reached out to populations that are
at particular risk of developing glaucoma, including African
Americans and Hispanics, through free eye screenings and educational
programs and materials.
CUMC Celebrates Anniversary
Creighton University Medical Center (CUMC) celebrated a historic
anniversary on Dec. 17. It was on that day 30 years ago that
St. Joseph Hospital - now CUMC - officially opened its doors
to patients at a new facility at 601 N. 30th St.
On Dec. 17, Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey, Creighton President the
Rev. John P. Schlegel, S.J., and CUMC Chief Executive Officer
Linda Ollis participated in a special ceremony that included
a proclamation and a statue dedication.
"Dec. 17 is a day to reflect on and celebrate the critical
role the hospital has played and continues to play in our
community and the region by offering high quality and affordable
patient care while helping educate the health care providers
of tomorrow," said Cam Enarson, M.D., M.B.A., Creighton
vice president for the health sciences.
Faculty
Club Meets
 More
than 100 Creighton University School of Medicine faculty members
gathered Oct. 25 at Joslyn Art Museum for the school’s
first Faculty Club event titled, "Innovation in Basic
Science and Clinical Research."
The event gave faculty an opportunity to review 61 poster
presentations on research by their Creighton colleagues. Attendees
voted for the top three research poster exhibits with the
primary investigators for those projects receiving awards.
The winning projects and authors were:
• Margaret Scofield, Ph.D., “The Role of Native
Signal Peptides in Trafficking RAMP2 to the Plasma Membrane”
• Laura Armas, M.D., “The Effects of UV-B Light
on Serum Vitamin D Levels in Humans"
• Kristen Drescher, Ph.D., “Development of a Model
of Demyelination that Permits the Study of Early Phases of
Lesion Development”
Creighton
Recognizes Alum
 George
B. Murray, S.J., M.D., received Creighton University’s
Alumni Achievement Citation during the University’s
winter commencement on Dec. 15.
Murray, ordained in 1965 as a Catholic priest in the Society
of Jesus, completed his medical degree at Creighton in 1972
and an internship in internal medicine at Creighton-affiliated
hospitals in 1973. An associate professor of psychiatry at
Harvard, he served for many years as director of a preeminent
fellowship training program in psychosomatic medicine and
consultation psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital.
The Alumni Achievement Citation is the highest honor bestowed
on a University alumnus.
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Future
Meetings
Health
Care and Dispute Resolution
Creighton’s
Werner Institute for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution will
hold a June 3-5 international conference on “Creating
Cultures of Engagement in Health Care.”
The purpose of the conference is to identify and explore new
models for addressing conflict, disruption and avoidance in
the health care setting. For more information, visit: http://law.creighton.edu/wernerinstitute/
healthcareconference/
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