Vol. 12 | July 2022 – 5 minute read

Celebrating Breakthroughs Together

To recognize the many contributions of women in STEMM – science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine – UT Southwestern is launching the multimedia project "Celebrating Breakthroughs Together."

It consists of a wall outside the McDermott Lecture Hall featuring the pictures of 60 women faculty selected by a committee using objective inclusion criteria, a streaming video of women’s influence at UT Southwestern through the years, and a website highlighting 100 inspiring stories of UT Southwestern Women in STEMM who are transforming medicine and science.

This multimedia project is designed to be a living celebration of the accomplishments made by women to our institution. Featured stories and photos will be rotated in subsequent years.

An event to unveil the wall to the UT Southwestern community will take place Tuesday, July 19, from 3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m., outside of the D1.600 Lecture Hall, on South Campus. Please join us in person as we celebrate women breaking through together.

UTSW-Parkland Health Equity Scholars Program

A new scholars program will provide resources to recruit and retain outstanding faculty committed to care for patients from underserved and disadvantaged populations, and equip them with practical tools to engage the community in activities that promote health and support health equity.

The UT Southwestern-Parkland Health Equity Scholars Program is open to UT Southwestern faculty in the Clinician-Educator or Clinician tracks who have a stated career goal of clinical service to underserved and disadvantaged communities. Eligible faculty must be within five years of their initial appointment as a faculty member, with primary clinical responsibilities at Parkland Hospital, William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital, or Children’s Medical Center.

Scholars will have two years of protected time (approximately 20% FTE) to engage in a mentored health equity or community outreach project. At the end of the two-year period, they will continue working with underserved and disadvantaged populations with support from their department and/or extramural funding.

Jointly funded by UT Southwestern and Parkland, the program will be overseen by Quinn Capers, IV, M.D., Associate Dean for Faculty Diversity at UT Southwestern, and Roberto de la Cruz, M.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer at Parkland.

Faculty Announcements

Drs. Chen and Wu Part of Global Cancer Grant Winning Team

Dr. Zhijan "James" Chen

Dr. Sihan Wu

Zhijian “James” Chen, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biology, and Sihan Wu, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UTSW, are part of a team that has been awarded a Cancer Grand Challenges grant. The award aims to solve some of cancer’s toughest problems by bringing together global teams with diverse areas of expertise.

Supported by the Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute, the grant will provide about $25 million over five years to Drs. Chen and Wu and colleagues from the U.S., U.K., and Germany to investigate the role of extrachromosomal circular DNA in tumor evolution.

Dr. Russell Debose-Boyd wins ASBMB Avanti Award

Russell DeBose–Bo yd, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Genetics, has been recognized by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) with the Avanti Award in Lipids for his outstanding research contributions in the area of lipids.

His research seeks to understand, in molecular detail, the mechanisms for feedback regulation of HMG-CoA reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol synthesis. Among his scientific contributions, Dr. DeBose-Boyd’s lab discovered the pathway by which sterol and nonsterol isoprenoids combine to regulate the degradation of HMG-CoA reductase. Understanding these basic mechanisms will inform new approaches to prevention and treatment of heart disease.

TAMEST Top Poster Award Winner: Dr. Denise Marciano

Denise Marciano, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and the Department of Cell Biology, won the inaugural Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology (TAMEST) Protégé Poster Challenge. The challenge was a new addition to the well-established TAMEST Protégé Program, designed as a mentorship tool for early-career researchers.

Her poster presentation focused on establishing tubular interconnections for bioengineered kidney tissues. She has developed a test to assess tubule-tubule interconnections and has identified a protein that can promote tubule interconnections between damaged kidneys and kidney organoids, a novel therapeutic strategy to improve kidney function.

URM Faculty Group Coaching Sessions

The Office of Faculty Wellness is launching a new online resource to better support the overall well-being of underrepresented minority (URM) faculty members in conjunction with the Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.

Register to join colleagues for discussions about the unique challenges faced by URM faculty across their academic career in medicine. This is not a training program but rather an opportunity to learn and grow with a small group of peers.

The first of six group-coaching sessions will begin Thursday, Aug. 11. For more information, contact Faculty Wellness.

Important Dates and Upcoming Events

New Policy Management System

The Policy Library will move to a new platform with improved search capabilities, single sign on (SSO), and easy to use navigation. Instructional material is available on the UT Southwestern Policies site (VPN required).

The platform goes live July 6. For more information, contact the Policy Office.

Call for Nominations: Shine Academy

Nominations are open for The University of Texas System Kenneth I. Shine, M.D., Academy of Health Science Education.

Submissions are due July 15. For more information, contact Deborah Del Pino.

UT Southwestern Fund to Retain Clinical Scientists (UT-FOCUS) Program

The UT-FOCUS Program supports early career physician-scientists with a clear need for additional

assistance due to caregiving responsibilities exacerbated by COVID-19.

Apply by July 15.

Developing Engaging Oral Presentations

This workshop will help you approach your presentation with enthusiasm and manage your audience with confidence.

Thursday, July 21, from 4-7 p.m. Register to attend.

UT Southwestern Pitch Competition 2022

An opportunity for faculty, students, and staff to present their startup or early-stage technologies to leading investors, entrepreneurs, and representatives from the health care industry.

Submit your pitch by Aug. 19.

Creating Impactful Slide Presentations

You will learn how to create a persuasive presentation layout and design simple and clean slides that showcase your research.

Thursday, Aug. 25, from 4-7 p.m. Register to attend.

Starting University Clinical Careers Effectively, Scholarly, and Successfully (SUCCESS)

Save the date for the SUCCESS program’s fall workshops for clinician-educators.

Part 1: Tuesday, Sept. 20. Register to attend.
Part 2: Tuesday, Sept. 27. Register to attend.

International Research Activities Cohort

Research security – as mandated by the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) – is one of the top priorities of federal funding agencies that support international collaborations. The newly established International Research Activities Cohort (IRAC) will facilitate the implementation of federal requirements related to research security.

To ensure a comprehensive approach, the group includes members from Research Support and Regulatory Management (including Conflict of Interest and Export Control), Human Research Protection Program, Academic Information Resources, Information Security, Internal Audit, Office for Technology Development, Sponsored Programs Administration, and Research Integrity.

Updates from the IRAC will be provided as deadlines are established by the OSTP. For more information, contact Conflict of Interest.

Staying Connected, Informed, and Involved

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