October 28, 1998, Vol. 20, No. 40

KU MedWest Opening Set for January

    Interior construction at the new KU MedWest, the outpatient facility in Shawnee, continues on schedule, with a target opening in January.
    The examination rooms, the cabinetry, even the grand staircase at the facility are nearly complete. Workers will begin installing medical equipment in the next few weeks, said Chris Hansen, vice president of ambulatory services.
    The 60,000 square-foot, multi-specialty practice will provide primary care and specialty care physician offices, diagnostic and imaging services, an urgent care center and an outpatient surgery center. Pain management, laboratory services and physical and occupational therapy also will be provided.
    Designed to provide convenience as well as easy access to KU MedWest's comprehensive services, KU MedWest will enable people to schedule all necessary appointments with a single phone call.
    "Block scheduling for specialty areas will ensure that patients have one-stop shopping for most of their health care needs," said Irene Cumming, chief executive officer and president of the hospital.
    Patients will receive one statement for services provided at KU MedWest and billing will be coordinated across different service areas. Wellness programming will include monthly health seminars as well as support groups and a resource area.
    More than 30 physicians, including six primary care practitioners, have established office hours at KU MedWest. Though some will maintain full-time practices at the Shawnee facility, others will see patients at both KU MedWest and KU Medical Center.     
    "KU MedWest will bring the clinical expertise of KU Medical Center to people in a location that's convenient and accessible," said Cumming.

Jared Grantham, MD, honored By National Kidney Foundation

    Congratulations to Jared J. Grantham, MD, a nephrologist in the departments of medicine and biochemistry and molecular biology. He has received the highest honor given annually by the National Kidney Foundation. The recognition, the David M. Hume Memorial Award, was presented during a special ceremony at the Foundation’s Oct. 24 annual meeting in Philadelphia. The Hume Award is given by the Foundation to a distinguished scientist-clinician in the field of kidney and urological diseases.
    The award augments Dr. Grantham’s national reputation as a leading researcher of kidney diseases. Dr. Grantham and two colleagues at KUMC are currently leading a team of researchers in a study of two genetic-based kidney diseases, which is funded by a five-year, $3.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
    The study, entitled “Molecular Mechanism Underlying the Progression of Diseases of Different Etiologies to a Common Outcome, Endstage Renal Failure,” is designed to increase understanding of the underlying disease processes at the molecular level. The study focuses on two separate kidney diseases, Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) and Alport Syndrome.
    “We’re trying to understand how these two diseases end up killing kidneys,” Dr. Grantham explained. “Both diseases have genetic bases. They are different diseases, but the outcome is the same: Either the patient has to have a kidney transplant or undergo dialysis.”
    Dr. Grantham hopes that the study will allow researchers to begin to understand how abnormal genes develop abnormal proteins which trigger both diseases. If the processes that come into play once the genes are triggered can be understood, new medications to fight PKD and Alport Syndrome could possibly be developed.
    Dr. Grantham’s research focuses on the mechanism that pumps fluids into cysts in the kidney. He has found a lipid that, when present in the fluid, plays a major role in the progression of PKD.    Continued on page 3, see Grantham
Grantham, continued from page 1
    The KUMC research team is led by Dr. Grantham, Billy Hudson, PhD, and James Calvert, PhD, both biochemists in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The study will bring together the work of these three researchers and other co-investigators from KUMC and the University of Toronto.
    Polycystic Kidney Disease is the most common potentially fatal hereditary disorder. The disease can remain undetected for many years before complications such as high blood pressure, abdominal pain and renal failure begin to appear. An estimated 600,000 Americans have PKD, although only about 20 percent are aware that they have the disease.

Around KUMC...
What’s New

Cancer Institute round table Features KU's Gunda Georg

    The next Kansas Cancer Institute research round table is noon Tuesday, Nov. 3, in Wahl Hall West Auditorium. Gunda Georg, PhD, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Lawrence campus, will present "Recent Progress in the Chemistry and Biology of Tubulin-Binding Anticancer Agents."

Anti-Violence Seminar to be Nov. 10
    The Human Resources Department and University Police Department will present "Preventing Violence in the Work Place" from 2 to 4 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 10. The location will be announced. For more information or to enroll, call ext. 5089.


Smoking cessation class offered
    Anyone wishing to stop smoking can take advantage of the on-campus smoking cessation classes offered in the Dykes Library conference room. The classes are 5 to 6 p.m. Nov. 3, 5, 10 and 12. To register, call Carol Hickey, ext. 2714, or email <chickey>.

Nancy Hoffart receives MAIN Presidents Award
    Nancy Hoffart, RN, PhD, KU School of Nursing assistant professor, received the President’s Award during the 19th Annual Midwest Alliance in Nursing conference. The $5,000 award enables Dr. Hoffart to implement her project, “Impact of Differentiated Nursing Practice on Patient, Nurse and Organizational Outcomes.” Her co-investigators are Ruth Heaton, RN, MS, director for nursing resources and M. Suzanne Shaffer, RN, MN, director of nursing practice at the hospital.

Neither rain nor early morning chill...

...slowed the enthusiasm of more than 100 volunteers who participated in the Sixth Annual Drive-Thru Flu Shot Clinic Oct. 17. Professors, students, and staff braved early morning downpours to provide 2,542 free flu shots to Kansas City area residents between 8 a.m. and noon Saturday, Oct. 17.

KU Cancer Center, Jacobson's celebrate joint breast cancer screening service

    The KU Cancer Center and Jacobson's celebrated the grand opening of their joint, in-store mammography center Oct. 21. The ceremony in the Jacobson's Town Center Plaza featured appearances by Donald Hagen, executive vice chancellor; Gaylon Lowery, KU Cancer Center vice president and executive director; Carol Fabian, MD, Cancer Center medical director, and C.H. Joseph Chang, MD, PhD, professor of radiology.
    The joint venture is designed to encourage more women to have regular mammograms, by offering the procedure in a convenient, familiar setting. Already, it has meant the difference of early detection for two of the 100 women who have used the facility. KU clinicians identified cancer in them. That rate, said Dr. Chang, is well above the national average of four positive results in 1,000 mammograms.
    The KU-Jacobson's facility features a waiting area, exam room, mammography room and a computer to access information on cancer care. Mammograms are developed in the store and interpreted by physicians at KU Medical Center. Results are available within 48 hours.
    The KU Cancer Center provides equipment and a staff of certified mammography technologists. Jacobson's donated store space for the center, and shared the cost of construction with the Cancer Center.
    Of the nearly 100 procedures performed at the Jacobson's center before the grand opening, two were positive. These results, which are much higher than average, underscored the benefit of making this important screening easily available in the community Employee, student flu shot clinic room moves
    The second employee, student and volunteer flu shot clinic will be 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday Oct. 28, at the old nurses’ station on second floor of Wescoe. This location is a room change from earlier announcements.
    Valid staff or student identification is required to receive the shot. People cannot receive the vaccine before the flu shot clinic. However, those who can’t attend the clinic itself can call Occupational Health Clinic after Oct. 28 to arrange for getting the vaccine. Support Services Building employees can receive their flu shots in the SSB dining room 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 29. If you have any questions, call ext. 6512.

Student Link

Planning Your Financial Future Focus of student seminar
    Managing money, contending with school loan debt, and dealing responsibly with income increases are among the topics to be discussed during a Nov. 14 seminar for students. The seminar will be 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Battenfeld Auditorium.
    Guest speaker Paul Garrard, senior staff associate and director of student financial services at the Association of American Medical Colleges, will speak about "The Doctor is In (Debt, That Is)." During his presentation, Garrard will discuss managing a student loan portfolio, including medical student loan indebtedness, deferments, forbearances, and repayment options. Julie Wood-Warner, PhD, therapist from the Student Counseling Center , will talk about the psychological issues related to money and budgeting. Topics will include differences in spousal/cultural management of money, personal lifestyle values and expectations related to income and purchasing power.
    Peggy Johnson, certified financial planner with American Express Financial Advisors, will discuss formulating budgets for varying circumstances such as during school, during residency and after residency. Other topics include coping with sudden increases and decreases in income, as well as the components that comprise a budget.
    The seminar is sponsored by the University of Kansas Office of Student Financial Aid with assistance from the Association of American Medical Colleges, the University of Kansas Student Counseling Center, and American Express Financial Advisors, Inc.

Medical Student Association Sponsors Halloween party
    Medical students can don their most original costumes and join the Halloween party beginning at 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30 at the Best Western InnConference Center at Rainbow and Southwest Boulevards. Advance purchase tickets are $6 and are on sale outside the Educational Resource Center in Orr-Major. On-site tickets are $8. In addition to party entertainment, the fest will have prizes for the best costume and the best couple costume.

Donald Hagen, EVC

Care enough to do your very best! It seems appropriate for me to begin this week's message with a paraphrase from Hallmark, one of the finest institutions and families in the Kansas City area and in the nation. It is time to focus on achieving new levels of excellence. I deeply appreciate the way you have supported and continued your important work while we prepared for the transition. We have worked hard to make the transition a reality. Now, we want to turn that same energy and attention to our education and research activities.
Today, we have even greater opportunities to focus on producing the very best --- the best students, the best educators, the best researchers and the best work environment. As one of the leaders of the institution, I am totally dedicated to the principle that we must create the finest work environment for our professionals, so they can excel in their mission. That means our classrooms, laboratories and offices will be clean and well equipped. Our libraries and information technologies will be current and cutting edge. We must make certain that staff morale will be high.
Our outstanding professors and scientists have received significant attention recently. We are particularly proud of them, and the way they all share a passion for excellence whether in education, patient care, or research. In filling our faculty and staff vacancies, we are recruiting for excellence. Sometimes it takes longer to search, but it is well worth the wait.
As a faculty member, you have a responsibility to be leaders in education, research and patient care. We expect our faculty to bring expertise, enthusiasm and empathy to your classrooms, laboratories and clinics. We expect you to mentor and be mentored by your students and colleagues.
As a staff member, you have a responsibility to come to work each day determined to do your best. We expect you to be cheerful, friendly and helpful. We expect you to perfect your current skills and develop new ones. We want you to work smarter, not longer.
Currently, we are unrelenting in our attack on the physical aspects of our campus. Classrooms and buildings are being renovated or constructed, and there is a frenzy of activity. Adequate space is a high premium. We must have more room for our operations if we are to excel in our education and research missions. Wichita's campus is a model for a warm, friendly, and exciting environment.
Our deans and vice chancellors look forward to helping you develop your career, and to your contributions to the University and your professions and the citizens of Kansas. Together, we will do our best to secure resources. We will lobby for continuing support from the state legislature. We will help cultivate private and corporate donors to become our partners to increase our resources. We cannot succeed as an academic medical center unless everyone succeeds.
This is rebuilding time. Let's rebuild together.

Classifieds

For Sale

For sale: Three by five-foot beveled glass top dining room table with four upholstered chairs. Excellent condition. $150. Call 362-1860.

For sale: Dish Network satellite system, brand new; two receivers and plenty of cable, system-ready. $175 or best offer. Call 677-2570 evenings.

For sale: Living room set. Sofa, love seat and chair. Beautiful set with lots of extra pillows. Very good condition. Also very nice wood coffee table. Paid $1,800, asking $500 or best offer. Call 248-9274.

For sale: Chiefs tickets! Two seats for NY Jets and Arizona Cardinals. Also, 12 rolls of building insulation, unfaced, 24 inches by 6 inches. Call 422-1831 after 6 p.m.

Automotive

For sale: 1985 Nissan 300ZX, 120,000 miles, tan, full-power options, T-top, excellent condition, mechanic-owned must sell. Asking $4,000, or best offer. Call 362-0574 evenings or weekends.

For sale: 1997 Jeep Wrangler, green/tan, soft top, A/C, cloth interior, alarm, soundbar, warranty. Call 363-3069 or 676-8036.

For sale: 1991 Toyota Corolla DX. Less than 68,000 miles, very good condition,
$4,800. Call 263-8294.

Housing

For rent: One-bedroom apartment near KUMC. Off-street parking. Water paid.
Available Nov 1. $285 per month. Call 722-0505.

Pets

Free: Free to good home. Friendly tan dog. Call for more information, 371-5580.

Free: Kitten, free to good home, gray with white paws and belly. Adorable and very playful. Approximately two months old, male. Call 221-9389.

Wanted

Wanted: Project EAGLE family in need of a carseat for 9-month-old child over 20 pounds. A donation would be most appreciated but a low price would also be considered. Contact Heather Rhoades at hrhoades@kumc.edu. or by phone, 281-2648.

Wanted: Babysitting job for a child or an adult. If interested, call 432-7155.

Study Subjects

Healthy Male Subjects Needed
PhD candidate and research assistant in the Center on Aging is seeking 10 healthy male volunteers between the ages of 20 and 30, and 10 healthy male volunteers between the ages of 65 - 75. All volunteers should be in apparently good health and free of knee problems (no previous knee injuries, arthritis, etc.). Qualified volunteers will participate in the study of muscular knee strength. Volunteers will be asked to produce small, moderate, and maximal levels of knee force. Volunteers will be asked to make two visits (two hours each visit) to the Human Performance Lab in the Center on Aging.

Healthy Male Volunteers and Subjects with Heartburn Symptoms Needed
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology is seeking three healthy male volunteers (between the ages of 18 and 75) without any symptoms and five male subjects of similar ages with heartburn
(symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease, GERD) at least once a day who do not require any continuous prescription medication for their condition and who do not have other medical conditions requiring other concomitant regular medication. Qualified volunteers will be enrolled for the study of a prokinetic drug called Propulsid (cisapride) on salivary and esophageal secretion (using nasogastric tubing) in controls and patients with heartburn symptoms. Participants will receive a good stipend and undertake two (before and after 7 days of treatment) already mentioned secretory tests. For more information call Michele at ext. 4051.

KUMC is close
to reaching it’s
1998 United Way goal
of $160,000

to date-$140,916.90
Thanks to You, It Works!

Topics Information
Topics is the employee publication of the University of Kansas Medical Center.
It is published weekly by the office of Public Relations and Marketing. The deadline for submitting news briefs for consideration is noon on the Wednesday before they are to appear. For longer articles or features, contact the editor in advance.
Send story ideas to Leslie Champlin, acting editor, G114 Hospital, or e-mail: lchampli@ kumc.edu or call ext. 1602

Topics ad policy
Send or bring your ad to Topics, G114 KU Hospital, or fax to ext. 1225, or e-mail: lchampli@kumc.edu by noon Wednesday of the week before it is to run.
Ads run free of charge for employees, students and volunteers. For-sale ads are limited to three items. All ads must include the advertiser’s name and work extension (or medical student box number) for verification.
Only home phone numbers --- no pager numbers or KUMC extensions --- will be published. No ads for commercial services or pets for sale will be accepted. Ads will not be taken by telephone. Only one phone number per ad.
Ads may be a held a week if space is limited.

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