June 24, 2011
MEDICAL UNIVERSITY of SOUTH CAROLINA
Vol. 29, No. 43
InsIde Wireless Capabilities
3
Longent will improve and extend the indoor coverage for cell phones, smartphones and iPhones.
aviatiOn partners
10 By dawn Brazell Public Relations
S Emily Allen, biomedicine researcher, studies pygmy sperm whales. Like the sperm whales pictured above, these deep divers offer clues to how they thrive under pressure.
ome life events seem just too good to be true. That’s why researcher Emily Allen found herself repeatedly refreshing the online website to see her name listed as a recipient of the three-year, prestigious National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). “I didn’t really believe it,” she said. “I think ecstatic disbelief may describe part of what I was feeling. I must have refreshed the page over 50 times in the hour and a half after results were posted. I feel honored to receive the award.” For good reason. Eric Lacy, Ph.D., director of the Marine
Biomedicine and Environmental Sciences (MBES) Center, said that MUSC has received only one of these highly-competitive awards previously, despite annual submissions for decades. “Proudly, I must say that the other award also came to an MBES student. Nonetheless, Emily’s accomplishment with her mentor, Dr. Demetri Spyropoulos, is a coup for MUSC and the Marine Biomedicine Center.” Allen, a doctoral student in MBES, will be studying the amazing but highly elusive member of the toothed whales, the pygmy sperm whale. Her mentor, Spyropoulos, Ph.D., said the award speaks volumes about Allen, the MBES center and the Oceans & Human Health Training program. See DEEP on page 8
Meducare finalizes agreement for air medical services.
4 Currents 5
Meet Kim
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t h e C ata ly s t Online http://www. musc.edu/ catalyst
2 The CaTalysT, June 24, 2011
MUSC recognized for recycling, green campus
By CIndy aBole
Public Relations
MUSC took some big steps in the past year to create and establish a more sustainable, green and energy efficient campus for its 12,000 employees and students. And MUSC’s Sustainability and Recycling Program has the awards to prove it. Since spring 2011, MUSC has won multiple community and national awards for its recycling and sustainability efforts. For the fifth consecutive year, MUSC won in the category of community environmental sustainability awards. In April, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) presented the institution with the 2011 Earth Day Award for its recycling and waste reduction efforts. MUSC’s recycling program was recognized for its improved record of recycling 1.4 percent (113 tons) in 1993 to recycling 27 percent (1,325 tons) in fiscal year 2010. The institution is one of only two institutions in the country to own a shred truck to shred and haul away recyclable paper—properly disposing of confidential papers and documents. Other recent awards include the 2011 Community Pride Award and the S.C. Energy Managers Award for Energy Project of the Year. These awards were recycling, managing energy and water consumption, supporting public transportation through a park and ride system and other green projects. MUSC
Editorial of fice MUSC Office of Public Relations 135 Cannon Street, Suite 403C, Charleston, SC 29425. 843-792-4107 Fax: 843-792-6723 Editor: Kim Draughn catalyst@musc.edu Catalyst staff: Cindy Abole, aboleca@musc.edu Dawn Brazell, brazell@musc.edu
also was awarded grants from the CocaCola Company’s Coke Bin Grant and Kohl’s department store’s Go Green Program, which provided a $1,500 grant to MUSC’s Grounds Department to plant flowers in commemoration of Earth Day, April 22. This year, MUSC was named among the top nine schools in the country for paper recycling by competing in RecycleMania, an annual competition involving more than 500 colleges and universities across the country. MUSC Sustainability and Recycling Program manager Christine von Kolnitz Cooley is pleased with the campus’ progress and achievements in this direction. “It’s MUSC’s employees and students who are responsible for making the campus the sustainable, environmentally responsible institution it is today. Our sustainability program is just the support mechanism to everyone’s efforts. It takes every department, every person to achieve this in one unified, successful effort.” Recycling efforts have been ongoing on MUSC’s campus since 1992. In June 2007, MUSC President Ray Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, a nationwide effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and overall energy consumption. John Malmrose, chief facility officer, MUSC Engineering and Facilities, supports the efforts of MUSC employees and students for participating in recycling and embracing the campus’
The Catalyst is published once a week. Paid adver tisements, which do not represent an endorsement by MUSC or the State of South Carolina, are handled by Island Publications Inc., Moultrie News, 134 Columbus St., Charleston, S.C., 843-849-1778 or 843-958-7490. E-mail: sales@moultrienews.com.
sustainability goals. “We have focused on utility savings projects since 2000 and have implemented 24 projects on our own, which saves over 1 billion BTUs annually. Recently, we hired Ameresco to work on utility savings measures including lighting, water, steam, HVAC and fume hood improvements to save another 1 billion Btus annually. It is these two efforts that have resulted in over $4 million in utilities cost avoidance,” said Malmrose. The Sustainability Program has requested campus members turn out lights and unplug items. MUSC also works with SCE&G and Charleston
Public Works to evaluate rates. The campus continues to be dedicated in its recycling efforts. Employees actively recycle a variety of plastics (#1, #2, #3, #5, and #7); glass bottles; aluminum and steel cans; used toner cartridges, cardboard, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, magazines and phone books and the list continues to grow. Earlier this year, the medical center began a new recycling program in its operating rooms (OR) that was prompted by university hospital OR nurses Angela Allen, Amenah McDougall and Teresita Hutcheson. Encouraged to promote sustainability in their work areas, they See RECYCLE on page 10
Newton C. Brackett Endowed Chair
The Department of Medicine’s Division of Nephrology held a reception at the Wickliffe House to celebrate the establishment of the Newton C. Brackett, Jr., M.D., Endowed Chair for Clinical and Translational Renal Research in the university’s Renal Disease Biomarkers Center of Economic Excellence. Pictured with Ann Brackett (wife of Newton C. Brackett), is Dr. James B. Edwards, from left, MUSC President Emeritus; Philip Prince; Dr. John Arthur, Division of Nephrology; and Dr. David Ploth, Division of Nephrology. This endowed chair will serve as a permanent tribute to the late Brackett for his outstanding contributions as a teacher and physician in the Department of Medicine’s Division of Nephrology.
The CaTalysT, June 24, 2011 3
Longent tapped to extend indoor wireless service
There’s nothing worse than weak or no cell phone service. No one knows that better than Vince Dibble, manager of telecommunications and network services at MUSC. Poor quality cellular service affects not only patients and visitors across MUSC’s facilities, but it also can prevent medical staff from gaining the full benefits of new wireless technologies. To solve this problem and improve indoor wireless coverage, MUSC worked with Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility who turned to Longent based on the integrator’s track record of improving in-building wireless in the health care space. MUSC has already deployed the distributed antenna system (DAS) solution for Verizon Wireless and will soon complete the same for AT&T Mobility. Longent, an integrator of Corning MobileAccess systems, is handling the campuswide wireless deployment, which will cover 24 total floors and nearly one million square feet of indoor space. Dibble said it’s an exciting advancement. “We have a lot of folks using smartphone and iPhone technology now—faculty, patients and guests. Even better is that it was fully funded by our wireless carriers and MUSC didn’t have to pay a penny,” he said. Verizon users already have the stronger service and
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AT&T users will see a difference in about a month, he said. “The rapid innovation of wireless technology is of huge benefit to health care institutions, but in order to make full use of these wireless devices, the proper infrastructure must be in place,” said Dibble. “By enhancing our in-building wireless system, we have essentially created 'future-ready' wireless capabilities that enable our medical staff to better leverage mobile technologies and wireless services today, while also supporting emerging services like 4G running on tablets and smartphones. Our main goal was to improve the poor quality cellular service in several of our large buildings; not only did we solve that issue, but we also opened the door for many future possibilities, including the use of 4G LTE as a backup to our 802.11 network.” For equipment, Longent selected the MobileAccess1000 to enhance Personal Communication Services (PCS) and cellular service, including the university hospital (and the main operating rooms in the Children’s Hospital), Ashley River Tower, the Basic Science Building and the Charles P. Darby Children’s Research Institute. The MobileAccess equipment offers flexible inbuilding wireless connectivity through a single open
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platform that distributes cellular services, in a wide range of radio frequencies over a common grid of antennas. For campus installations, the MobileAccess solution simplifies the process of supporting wireless services in multiple buildings, avoiding the burden of having to purchase additional equipment and radio frequency sources for each facility on campus. This combined "Wire-it-Once" market approach reduces the costs and maintenance burdens for the Information Technology staff and one network cost effectively delivers coverage without antenna farms on ceilings. Rick Youngbar, founder and chief executive officer at Longent, said the rapid innovation of wireless technology is of huge benefit to health care institutions that have the proper infrastructure in place. “Deploying an indoor wireless solution in a health care environment is different than an implementation for an office building or stadium, but the needs are the same—to make wireless services a more integrated component of daily operations,” said Youngbar. “Combined with the growing importance of electronic medical records, determining how to better utilize wireless technologies is a serious quandary for medical institutions across the country. By enlisting Longent to design, build and deploy a wireless solution, MUSC has ensured that the staff can use the latest technology.”
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4 The CaTalysT, June 24, 2011
Currents June 21
People–Fostering employee pride and loyalty
Employee of the Month— June q Willie Nelson, MUHA Safety and Security, came to the aid of a depressed individual by talking and counseling the person. (nominated by Paul Moss) q Missey Davis, Meduflex team, assisted an elderly visitor who accidentally fell and escorted her to the adult ED. She also took time to call and visit the visitor’s sister, who was a patient in the medical center. (nominated by Stephen Schaer)
Weather Emergency Green Card Chris Williamson, OCIO infrastructure applications group, reviewed details with the green card system, an offsite voice mailbox tool used by managers to notify their employees in the event of a weather emergency. She reminded managers that they can access the system’s instructions via the MUSC Web site under the weather and emergency button down and using Net ID. She advised managers to write a draft of their message (do not use acronyms) prior to recording. Managers should advise employees which phone number to call to access recorded information. HR update q PTO cash-in incentive: due to the current financial status, this option will not be available in July or December; managing PTO hours—employees should be reminded to manage their PTO hours; PTO Conversion to ESL—as of July 1, eligible employees may choose to convert up to 40 hours of PTO to ESL, In order for each employee to convert PTO to ESL, the PTO conversion request (located in My Records) must be completed and submitted prior to deadline, conversion requests should be submitted online (via My Records) by July 13 to be reflective in ESL bank as of July 20. For information, contact Patty Burn at
burnp@musc.edu q SuccessFactors update—Annual Review forms: Due Aug. 31; pillar goal results are usually available in late July, but start on your reviews now; managers must leave forms in Supervisor Review step until the pillar goal results have been entered. Save and close the form. q 2012 Planning forms: Located in SuccessFactors inbox; due by Sept. 30; if an employee’s job is not changing, the manager must have the employee sign once the 2012 Pillar Goals are entered; if the employee’s job is changing, do not make any changes until the employee signs the 2012 Review Form; and 2012 Goal Library Achievement Guide is now available to translate common LEM goals into SuccessFactors format. Visit https://www.musc.edu/ medcenter/SuccessFactors/source/ GoalLibraryAchievementGuide2012.pdf. Be sure to change any patient satisfaction goals to the new Avatar scale (unless you work in a Pediatric area) q New features for 2011: TeamRater— use the team rater button in the behavior standards section to rate your whole team at once for behavioral standards and Shortcuts—take advantage of new icons at the top of an employee’s review form as a shortcut to access 360 forms, past performance reviews and HML documents and SuccessFactors notes. q New Employee Reception: new employees and managers hired during the 2011 first quarter are invited to attend the MUHA new employee reception, 1-2 p.m., June 22 at ART auditorium. q Employee partnership survey results: e-mail sent to managers June 20 from Press Ganey; rollout packets will be forthcoming. For information, contact Helena Bastian, bastianh@musc.edu or Jane Scutt, scuttj@musc.edu. Project Request System Dan Furlong, OCIO, explained details of the new project submission process for requesting a new clinical project which requires OCIO resources. A new process is necessary for any project that requires two or more hours of work
To Medical Center Employees As we enter into the hurricane season, the management team needs to be sure everyone is familiar with their department-based weather emergency plans and relevant medical center policies. Also, employees need to be familiar with the General/Emergency Information line (aka “Green Card”). At the June 21 management communications meeting, Chris Williamson, OCIO Customer Service Center manager, gave the management team “refresher” instructions on how to record department-specific information in the General/Emergency Information system. The Weather Emergency Information line enables directors and others to record and update messages for their respective areas. During periods of hazardous weather or weatherrelated emergencies, employees can call their designated numbers as indicated on the cards to get the latest work-related instructions and other general information. The Weather Emergency Card is posted on the medical venter intranet at https://www. musc.edu/medcenter/emergencyManagement/source/MedicalCenterEmployees.pdf and routinely updated as needed. Recently, laminated hard copies (Green Cards) were issued to directors for dissemination to all staff within their respective areas. Anyone who needs a Green Card can contact Angela Ladson (ladsona@musc.edu or 792-6902) On another matter, Joan Herbert, Organizational Performance director and coach, updated the management team on the medical center’s fiscal year 2011-2012 MUSC Excellence action plan. The FY action plan serves to support our overall MUSC Excellence goals and includes global (organizationwide) and targeted (unit or service-specific) opportunities for improvement. Additional details are included in this newsletter. Thank you very much. W. Stuart Smith Vice President for Clinical Operations and Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center utilizing OCIO resources. Projects are evaluated and ranked by priority through a committee composed of leaders representing various areas of the medical center. The group meets weekly to review and rank submitted projects, which are ranked based on merit. A description of the process and ranking scale is listed in the medical center forms toolbox site on the MUHA intranet. Projects involving compliance, Joint Commission, employer of choice topics are considered top priority. Furlong suggested employees use appropriate key words to describe and distinguish their projects during the submission process. MUSC Excellence Action Plan Joan Herbert, director of organizational performance, updated the management team on the FY 20112012 MUSC Excellence action plan. The plan was based on an assessment that focused on organizational (global) and department-specific (targeted) opportunities for improvement. The plan includes continuation of some initiatives from FY 2010-2011. Herbert stated the new leader
orientation program was revised in FY 2010-2011, but going forward this will be “split” to focus upon on-boarding of new leaders plus building a set of resources (online and live) for continued leadership skills development. AIDET refreshers will be offered to all staff. Leadership “accountability” for following through on best practices for patient satisfaction and employee engagement will be an area of focus. Efforts will continue to improve the discharge process and post discharge phone calls. The First Impressions Group made of key staff from support departments who have face-to-face interaction with visitors and patients will continue their work. The Patient Transportation team will be bringing forward their process improvement plan. Other priorities include: Avatar and HCHAPS education; bedside shift reports; nurse leader rounding on patients; physician communication; registration; radiology flow in RT; and other unit-specific initiatives. Announcements The next meeting is July 19.
The CaTalysT, June 24, 2011 5
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6 The CaTalysT, June 24, 2011
10-year-old prepares for second bout with cancer By allyson BIrd
hOW tO help
The Post and Courier
If you would like to make a donation to Hugs for Harper, deposit a check made payable to Harper Drolet at any local Wachovia/Wells Fargo bank. Follow Harper's progress on Facebook: http://www. facebook.com/pages/Hugs-forHarper/253901732554.
S
he sits on her grandmother's front porch, looking sophisticated with her pixie hairstyle and a pearl necklace, as the midday sunlight catches her fair skin and an American flag waves overhead. Harper Drolet smiles on cue for the painter, a family friend named Beverly Grantham Derrick. Then, after flashing a few perfect grins for Beverly's camera, she dashes inside as her grandmother, Carol Drolet, pauses on the banister and clenches her forehead. "It's just the thought of Beverly taking her picture because she might not be here," Carol said. She wipes away tears, inhales deeply and takes off her black cardigan. "I can't let her see me this way." Harper is 10 years old and preparing to fight a rare form of soft-tissue cancer for the second time. To meet this precocious girl, a rising sixth-grader at Blessed Sacrament School in West Ashley, it's hard to believe that those knots of cancer have returned to her body. That in just a few days she's expected to spend hours hooked up to machines harvesting healthy stem cells, and that in coming weeks she'll grow weary under the poisonous pressure of chemotherapy. Jamie Drolet, Harper's father and the retail advertising manager at The Post and Courier, teases her about not brushing her hair sometimes. "Dad, I was bald," she replies. He shrugs. "She's got a point."
Harper Drolet keeps busy by drawing horses at her home in West Ashley. She hopes to sell the pictures, then use the money for a shelter for abused horses.
Photos by Grace Beahm/The Post and Courier
Harper Drolet is the picture of poise and loveliness as she sits for her photograph to be taken by family friend Beverly Grantham Derrick, who then will paint Harper’s portrait. Her grandmother cries. Her parents cry. All the adults do. Harper, instead, chooses to draw horses. She keeps a "menu" of her equine art with prices for each sketch, some going for as little as 55 cents. She plans to give the proceeds to a shelter for abused horses, once she finds such a place. A family friend donated horseback riding lessons to Harper in December, after she finished more than a year of chemotherapy. Harper Drolet keeps busy by drawing horses at her home in West Ashley. She hopes to sell the pictures, then use the money for a shelter for abused horses. "Unfortunately, the cancer came back," her father says, "so that's going to have to wait." Harper's follow-up scans in January and April looked clear, but by May two tiny tumors—one in her left thigh and one in her mid-pelvic region—appeared on the screen, and a mass on the back of her tongue quickly grew to the size of a racquetball and was partially removed. Harper returned to wing 7B at MUSC Children's Hospital last week in preparation for efforts to gather her stem cells. She earned a reputation during her earlier stay there for unplugging her IV pole and wandering the halls to visit
other young patients. "I knew quite a few of them, and a few of them, unfortunately, have passed way," Harper said matter-of-factly. She led a drive to collect 7,000 toys for the hospital around the time her first treatment ended. Her doctors and nurses took to calling her "the ambassador of MUSC." Outspoken and articulate, Harper quickly became the local face behind fundraising efforts for cancer patients. She took to the microphone at some MUSC charity golf tournaments to share her story. She carried a torch in the Relay for Life. And she went on the air for a radio pledge campaign on WEZL-FM. Michelle Hudspeth, M.D., one of her primary physicians, said Harper's positive attitude never wavered, even as tough treatments dragged on, turning her stomach and stealing her blond hair. She even encouraged other young patients along the way, her doctor said. She changed from, initially, a very quiet young girl to a very talkative, very mature young lady," Hudspeth said. Just as Harper rallied for her hospital, local businesses rallied for her in a flurry of fundraisers. The Sunflower Café on Ashley River Road near the Drolets' house began collecting money in a glass
jar in late 2009, and continues pulling in cash daily. Between ringing up customers, owner Jenny Hooker stands behind the cash register and counts the money in Harper's jar. For each dollar, Hooker folds a strip of baby blue or yellow paper into a ring and staples the ends together, interlocking them in a daisy chain that she attaches to the cafe's walls. She calls them hugs, and on each hug she writes a message: Joy. Good Health. Courage. The hugs passed the $6,000 mark and now circle the restaurant six times. "When she's all good, we're gonna take down all these rings and wrap her all in them," said Hooker, who updates the restaurant's marquee once a week. During Harper's previous chemo treatments, she asked her mother to drive past the sign on Mondays so she could see the Hugs for Harper tally. "So Sunday afternoons I update the sign in case she drives by," Hooker said. "…We're gonna get her there." This time doctors plan to tackle the tumors with a clinical trial. After healthy stem cells are harvested, Harper will receive an aggressive chemo cocktail several times a week to shrink her cancer. So far, this treatment approach has offered little evidence of success. Harper starts with two courses of chemo, each lasting three weeks. If the chemo treatments shrink the cancers sufficiently, her doctors will replant her healthy stem cells in the hope that they will take over and rid her of the cancer. She also may require additional radiation treatment. The process could take close to a year, See PREPARES on page 9
The Catalyst, June 24, 2011 7
Volunteer office has new home MUSC medical center’s volunteer and guest services office has relocated its operation to Room 101, North Tower, adjacent to the admissions office (main entrance). The move helped accommodate the new MUSC Children’s Hospital and Women’s Services volunteer office, located in Room 101 of the Children’s Hospital lobby. This summer, from June to August, teenage students have a chance to explore their interests in science and gain experiences working in a health care environment at MUSC. Students assist patients, families, visitors and work with hospital employees in various departments throughout the medical center for three-week sessions. Participants must be at least 14 years old by the program’s orientation date and complete an online application and meet a cumulative GPA of 3.0. Because of the volume of applications received and requirements, MUSC volunteer services may not be able to place every applicant. A total of 25 junior volunteers will
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MUSC Candy Striper volunteers Kennede Duncan, 14, left, and Nora Rudolph, 14, depart with a cart of fresh coffee, snacks, magazines and other reading to share with patients and visitors.
8 The CaTalysT, June 24, 2011
deep Continued from Page One
“Emily is a very bright, motivated and engaging individual. She has had interdisciplinary research experiences in marine, earth and physical sciences,” he said. “She cares greatly about the environment and human health and has been very involved in making a positive impact on the teaching, public education and policy-making levels and within the natural world.” Originally on a pre-med track, Allen said she got sidetracked when she took a Wood’s Hole SEA semester that put her on a large, research sailing vessel for a trip across the Pacific. The Maine native, who grew up on the coast, was hooked. When she discovered MUSC’s program that blends marine science and biology, she found she could combine both of her loves. Allen’s research focuses on the pygmy sperm whale. Though the mammal is a small to mid-sized whale, it can reach the depths of the larger deep divers, such as the blue whale. Humans cannot withstand that kind of pressure, so it’s amazing how these animals can, she said. “One of the interesting things about their physiology is the deep-diving part because their bodies are able to withstand intense pressures. When you go down to that depth, in addition to high levels of compression, the conditions are also very hypoxic, and their bodies are able to compensate for these extreme conditions. Their physiological differences from other animals are interesting in their own right.” The pygmy sperm whale is among the deepest diving mammals, spending up to 90 minutes at depths of up to 2000 meters or about 1.24 miles. This feat is done with very little time on the surface and without the decompression dives that larger deep diving mammals do. To put this in context, Spyropoulos said the maximum dive time for a person at 1/100th the depth that the whale can reach is 45 minutes without decompression and that divers have to wait a whole day before diving again to the same depth while still loosing 10 percent of their dive time for safety reasons. “We think that the extreme adaptation of the pygmy sperm whale to long periods of high pressure and low oxygen makes them ideal candidates for learning about cellular and molecular processes that could help divers with the bends and people with breathing disorders,” said Spyropoulos. “We also believe that their extreme lifestyle may make them highly susceptible to anthropogenic toxins.” Spyropoulos said the project really took off when Allen’s mentor and his close collaborator John Baatz, Ph.D., and their group developed a procedure for freezing live lung tissue from deceased and stranded pygmy sperm whales that have washed up on the South Carolina coastline. They were able to salvage a variety of viable lung cell types from these frozen tissue samples, which will be of great use in the banking of rare and endangered species, he said. They were also able to take
Dr. John Baatz and colleagues developed a procedure for freezing live lung tissue from deceased and stranded pygmy sperm whales that has led to important research applications. one cell type, the fibroblast, and induce it to behave like stem cells. “With these stem cells, we have the potential to generate many more cell types and tissues of the body beyond those of the lung.” Spyropoulos said these cell types and reconstructed tissues will be used to study normal functions under stress and their responses to toxins, such as liver toxicity and enlarged (hypertrophic) heart syndrome that the pygmy sperm whales experience. The stem cells themselves also can be studied for their regenerative capacity under stress, which may be more critically important in high-endurance, extreme environments. “In Emily’s work, there’s potential benefit for us and those around us, and a heightened appreciation for life in general on this incredible planet.”
“In Emily’s work, there’s potential benefit for us and those around us, and a heightened appreciation for life in general on this incredible planet.” Dr. Demetri Spyropoulos
Allen said she’s excited because the research will break new ground. “It can go a lot of ways. I’m sure it will evolve like any research. There’s a lot I can look at. That’s one of the exciting parts. I can’t derail on this one.” Its medical applications are wide open from shedding light on ways to help divers and astronauts dealing with unusual pressure conditions and extreme G-forces to the exciting frontier into the mysteries of how cells differentiate. “I think one reason it got funding was because it’s basic biology. It’s looking at the characteristics of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) between species. It’s seeing the differences in the expression of genes or proteins or molecules that could change their actual physiology. Maybe there’s something innate about them that’s different and that would contradict everything we think we know about stem cells.” Researchers have figured out how to make such cells as hepatocytes of the liver and cardiomyocytes of the heart. How they respond to stress and toxins and how they regenerate—is a critical area of exploration with many practical medical applications. “It’s really important to know exactly where the differentiation potential comes from and what the differences between species or even within a species are. It all sheds light on the bigger mystery.” Allen has no doubt the marine world holds important clues, and she loves that she can help unlock some of the secrets of the deep. “There’s a big undiscovered pool of knowledge out there.”
The CaTalysT, June 24, 2011 9
Person of interest
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All Crescent Homes Are Built to Energy Efficient EarthCraft Standards. The person in the above photo is a person of interest in regards to two separate larcenies that occurred in the university hospital in the sixth floor MICU waiting room area. If you have any information, contact Sgt. Charles Davis in the MUSC Office of Public Safety at 792-0334.
and if the doctors don't think it is going well, they are prepared to shift to another trial procedure. Last time, she stayed at MUSC well after her chemo treatments because her body couldn't recover from them without help. "I'm anticipating her being in the hospital quite a bit," her father said. Last week, the Make-A-Wish Foundation sent Harper, her two sisters and her parents to Disney World. A family friend flew them to Florida on his private jet.
Harper wanted to meet singer Justin Bieber, but she was No. 59 on the Make-A-Wish list, she said—too far down to guarantee that she would feel well enough to meet him when the time came. She hopes to get that wish granted after treatment. Harper starts chemo June 27, the day after a luau to celebrate her 11th birthday. Editor’s note: The article ran in the June 18 issue of The Post and Courier and is reprinted with permission.
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prepares Continued from Page Six
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10 The CaTalysT, June 24, 2011
Meducare partners with Med-Trans for air services MUSC finalized an agreement with Med-Trans Corp. to become aviation partners for regional helicopter ambulance service. Fred Buttrell, president and chief executive officer of Med-Trans Corp., said Meducare will continue on as a regional asset and industry leader providing an indispensible service. "We are very pleased to be partnering with MUSC Meducare and to be a part of their continued dedication of serving critical patients in need of air medical transport." Terms were reached after an exhaustive selection process looking at significant factors such as aviation safety, customization of the program and excellent customer service. The Meducare adult flight team comprises four pilots, mechanics and eight full-time medical personnel, including four flight nurses who are registered nurses with critical care experience and four critical care paramedics. The Meducare pediatric and neonatal team comprises 13 full-time medical personnel, including eight pediatric
reCyCle Continued from Page Two noticed a need to recycle certain items after their use and approached Cooley. “They were excited and anxious to begin a recycling program in the main OR areas,” said Cooley, who approached it as a pilot project. After getting permission, they placed a recycling bin in a specific area where nurses and OR staff were encouraged to place specific recyclables—empty saline bottles and glass medicine vials. The pilot worked so well that Cooley was able to expand OR recycling at Ashley River Tower and the ambulatory OR in Rutledge Tower. But Cooley and her 10-member sustainability and recycling crew aren’t ready to rest on their laurels just now. Cooley hopes to work next with the campus’ research community to establish recycling in their areas. She’d also like to see more renewable energy projects and increase the number of built-in recycling centers, areas within office and work areas that accommodate separate bins for recycling paper, plastics, aluminum cans and glass bottles and trash, in more buildings around the 65-acre campus. For information, call 792-4066 or visit http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/ vpfa/eandf/sustainability/.
flight nurses and five pediatric flight respiratory therapists. Their extensive knowledge includes the emergent stabilization of critical pediatric and neonatal patients. While familiar faces and highly skilled clinical care remain consistent, the Meducare program will further enhance its safety record with a factory-new EC 135 aircraft, Night Vision Goggle (NVG) technology for the entire crew, and high-tech aviation safety aids through the partnership with Med-Trans Corp., which officially begins July 1. Meducare manager Carl Kennedy said the Meducare service was launched 24 years ago, providing the privilege of serving patients in scores of communities throughout South Carolina. "When an emergency calls for a patient to be brought to MUSC, it is reassuring to know that we have highly-trained responders rapidly heading to the scene in a state-of-the-art aircraft. MUSC is excited to begin this new relationship with MedTrans, a proven leader in the industry." Meducare's brand-new EC 135 is a technologically
e-Waste banned from South Carolina landfills As of July 1, South Carolina residents may not place or discard a computer, computer monitor, printer or television in any waste stream that is to be disposed of in a solid waste landfill. For MUSC property, employees must follow these instructions: q If state property, contact University Property Control and follow state procurement laws regarding disposal of state property; call 792-3065 or go to http:// academicdepartments.musc.edu/ vpfa/finance/controller/property/ index.htm q If hospital property, contact MUHA property control 876-7000 https://www.musc.edu/medcenter/ facilities/index.html For information on how to dispose of your home electronics, go to the store you purchased the equipment from or visit http:// www.scdhec.gov/environment/ lwm/recycle/e-cycle/index.htm.
advanced helicopter featuring a wide, unobstructed cabin with a Fenestron(r) tail rotor and bearingless main rotor for excellent performance, range and payload capacity—along with low-noise operation and multi-mission capability. Oversized sliding side doors and rear clamshell doors enable fast loading and unloading of patients and equipment.
aBouT Med-Trans Med-Trans Corporation, headquartered in Dallas, is a provider of air ambulance programs, focused on establishing partnerships with leading hospital systems, medical centers and EMS agencies to provide customized air medical programs through specialized delivery formats, including alternative delivery models, community based models or traditional hospital-based models. The company's fleet delivers teams of trained medical and flight professionals to patients requiring emergency medical care and transports the patient to the appropriate medical facility. Visit http://www.medtrans.net.
The CaTalysT, June 10, 2011 11
CLASSIFIED P AGE • Household Personal Items for MUSC employees are free.
All other classifieds are charged at rate below. Ads considered venture-making ads (puppy breeder, coffee business, home for sale, etc.) will be charged as PAID ADS •• PROOF OF ELIGIBILITY REQUIRED * NO MORE THAN 3 LINES * FREE ADS RUN 2 WEEKS ONLY!
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PAID ADS are $3 per line (1 line = 28 characters) DEADLINE: TUESDAY – 10:00 AM * CLASSIFIED ADS CAN BE E-MAILED TO sales@moultrienews.com, OR MAILED (134 Columbus St., Charleston SC 29403) Please call 849-1778 with questions. *Must provide Badge No. and Department of Employment for employees and Student I.D. Number for MUSC Students. IP01-213824a
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