Regarding our colleagues

Sept. 29

M. Judy Chavez, assistant dean for budget and human resource services in the Business School, was recently appointed to the PERA Board of Trustees from Higher Education. Chavez is former president of the Exempt Professional Assembly and was awarded the Staff Council Outstanding Staff Award winner in 2006.

Maureen Garrity, PhD, associate dean for Student Affairs has been elected National Vice Chair of the AAMC Group on Student Affairs for 2008-2009. Garrity will progress to the position of GSA National Chair-Elect in 2009-2010 and to the position of GSA National Chair in 2010-2011. The purpose of the Group on Student Affairs is to advance medical education and, specifically, to represent the interests of medical schools and medical students in the areas of admissions, student affairs, financial aid, minority affairs and student records. Garrity has been active in the GSA for several years, including serving as chair of the AAMC National Committee on Student Affairs from 2003-2007 and as chair of the Western Group on Student Affairs in 2007-2008.

Jean Kutner, MD, MSPH, associate professor of Medicine and head of the Division of General Internal Medicine is on the October cover of Denver's 5280 magazine. The annual “Top Doctors” issue includes 110 of our full-time faculty and dozens of our clinical faculty in this annual listing of our community’s 270 most-respected physicians.

Chris Lambrecht at the School of Medicine Addiction Research and Treatment Services Outpatient Clinic received this month's University of Colorado Denver Outstanding Employee Award during a ceremony last week. About 40 people were on hand and gave Lambrecht a standing ovation. He also received certificate signed by Chancellor M. Roy Wilson and a monetary award.

Margaret E. Wierman, MD, professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics has been selected as the recipient of the Endocrine Society’s 2009 Sidney H. Ingbar Distinguished Service Award, a prestigious and well-deserved recognition.

Sept. 24

SEHD’s Margarita Bianco has been selected to serve on the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Diversity and Equity Committee. This is a three-year commitment to help the NAGC address and move forward critical issues of diversity and equity in the field of gifted education.

Evalina Burger, MD, associate professor and vice chair of Orthopaedics, goes to Japan next month as the Presidential Guest Speaker at the Japanese Orthopaedic Society Meeting. In addition, she has garnered three industry grants and, with Vik Patel, MD, assistant professor and chief of Spine Surgery, Burger has received funding for two new fellowships in spine which started in July 2008.

Jeffrey J. Cain, MD, FAAFP, assistant professor and chief of Family Medicine at The Children’s Hospital, has been elected to the board of directors of the American Academy of Family Physicians. The AAFP represents more than 93,000 physicians and medical students nationwide. Cain was elected to a three-year term by the AAFP's governing body.

Bill Goodwin in SEHD has been named an AERA Inaugural Fellow, a new honor that has three purposes: it recognizes educational researchers with substantial and long-term research accomplishments, conveys AERA’s commitment to excellence in research, and encourages emerging researchers to appreciate the value of sustained achievements in research. Goodwin, along with the other AERA Fellows, will be honored at the spring AERA conference.

St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising money for childhood cancer research, has awarded $330,000 to fund Amy Keating, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, as a St. Baldrick’s Scholar for three years.

Keating’s research project is “The Role of Mer and Axl Tyrosine Kinases in Pediatric Astrocytoma.” Astrocytoma is a brain tumor that has no effective chemotherapies and the survival rates for high-grade astrocytoma remain well below 10 percent. Brain tumors are the most common solid tumor of pediatrics and are a leading cause of cancer related deaths in children. Identification of new potential treatment targets is the goal of her project.

Keating is one of the first doctors to be funded as a St. Baldrick’s Scholar. Part of a new funding program to further the research of promising young pediatric oncologists, these awards bridge the funding-gap between their fellowships and sources of funding available to more established researchers. These awards will also provide much-needed research funding to doctors during this critical stage of their careers.

Worldwide, 160,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year and in the United States, cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among children. Find out more

School of Education and Human Development (SEHD)'s Maria Ruiz-Primo was recently awarded $80,000 in additional funding by the National Science Foundation for her grant Undergraduate Science Course Innovations and Their Impact on Student Learning. The award with this amendment totals $276,567 and expires March 31, 2009. NSF was very happy with the work they have been doing and gave them more money.

Jennifer Wolf, MD, assistant professor, and Karen King, PhD, associate professor, were featured in the July/August 2008 issue of the OREF’s Impact newsletter for their research on CMC Arthritis in women. Wolf is the recipient of the OREF 2008 Clinician Scientist Award, which provides her with a significant stipend for three years. Nancy Hadley-Miller, MD, is a past recipient of OREF grants and is featured in a photo in the September 2008 issue of AAOS Now.

Judy Zerzan, MD, MPH, assistant professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine, will be part of the inaugural class of Health and Aging Policy Fellows. Supported by The Atlantic Philanthropies and administered by Columbia University, the goal of the Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program is to create a cadre of professional leaders who will serve as positive change agents in health and aging policy, helping to shape a healthy and productive future for older Americans.

Sept. 22

Michael Bristow, MD, PhD, professor of medicine and co-director of the Colorado Cardiovascular Institute at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine is the 2008 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Heart Failure Society of America. The award recognizes a lifetime body of work by an individual who has made a significant and sustained contribution to the field of heart failure. Bristow received his award today at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the HFSA in Toronto.

Among his many accolades, in 2006, Bristow published breakthrough research detailing the discovery of a common genetic variation that could help determine whether a person with heart failure would benefit from beta-blockers, a class of drugs used to treat chronic heart failure. It often takes several months to determine if a specific beta-blocker is working for a patient; one in five patients with heart failure die within a year of diagnosis. This discovery led the way in the development of genetic medicine and personalized care in cardiac patients, saving valuable time in treating individuals.

The award was established in 2006 to enable the HFSA to pay tribute to a renowned clinician and/or researcher whose work is advancing the field of heart failure. Bristow is the third recipient in the award’s history.Find out more

Sept. 18

UC Denver’s Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute appointed Lisa Cicutto, MD, at left, as program director and Allan Prochazka, MD, as educational director for the Clinical Science Graduate Program (CLSC). Cicutto assumes the role from her current position as associate program director. She holds appointments in the College of Nursing and the Colorado School of Public Health as an associate professor and is the director of Community Research at National Jewish Health. Prochazka, a professor of Medicine at the VA Hospital, also will maintain his position as director of the Clinical Investigation Track for the CLSC. He has received numerous teaching awards and has been involved in the program since its inception. CLSC is part of the Colorado Clinical and Translational Science Award, which the National Institutes of Health funded earlier this year. CLSC began in 1998 as one of the first graduate degree-granting programs in clinical science and investigation in the U.S., under the direction of James Crapo, MD and Associate Director Laurie Shroyer, PhD. Crapo will remain actively involved in the CLSC as program director emeritus.

Sept. 17

School of Ed faculty members Maria Ruiz-Primo, Deanna Sands, left, and Julie O’Brian, right, were awarded a $1 million National Science Foundation Research and Evaluation on Education in Science and Engineering (REESE) grant for Building a Methodology for Developing and Evaluating Instructionally Sensitive Assessments.

In addition, Ruiz-Primo received a $259, 000 NSF 08-502, Discovery Research K-12 (DR-K12) grant for Identifying Critical Characteristics of Effective Feedback Practices in Science and Mathematics Education, collaborated with the University of Washington.

Associate Professor Joni Dunlap, School of Ed, published “Getting to the heart of the problem: Using the problems of practice approach as a starting place for creating problem-centered instruction,” in Performance Improvement, 48(8), 26-34. Dunlap also received the MERLOT ELIXR subaward (funded by FIPSE and managed by California State) for $16,600. The project is Faculty Development Centers and Online Repositories Collaborating to Share Exemplary Practices.

Laura Summers, assistant professor in the School of Ed, was awarded a Laura Bush Early Career Research pilot study grant for $100,000 for her proposal Culturally Responsive Teacher-Librarian Professional Development Research Initiative, from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Ritu Chopra, School of Ed, received $307,000 for second year funding for her Transition of Paraprofessionals to Special Education Teachers through Alternative Licensure Program (TOP-SETALP) grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Carole Basile, School of Ed, received second year funding of $63,000 for her Northeast Front Range Mathematics/Science Partnership (MSP) II project from the Colorado Department of Education through Jefferson County School District.

Mike Marlow, School of Ed, received $64,000 additional funding from the National Park Services for his Developing Education Resources “View of the National Parks” project.

Nancy Shanklin, School of Ed, received $22,000 for continuation of the Literacy Coaching Clearinghouse project funded by the National Council of Teachers of English.

Sept. 11

Tim Byers, MD, MPH, University of Colorado Cancer Center deputy director, recently attended the World Cancer Conference in Geneva to talk about the World Cancer Research Fund paper on cancer and nutrition he was co-published last year. The report is being reprinted this fall in Chinese, and being distributed in both Hong Kong and Beijing.

About 60 high-level policy makers from around the world joined together to talk about cancer as a global health concern. At the end of the conference, an 11-statement declaration was released about the improving the state of cancer control programs in the developing world.

"Developing countries are about where we were in the 1930s," Byers says. "With new global connections, they can now see how far they're behind. We have rightly focused on infectious diseases, but now it's time to put cancer on the G8 agenda and the World Health Organization agenda.”

Computer Science and Engineering Associate Professor Ellen Gethner attended “MathFest 2008,” the 86th annual summer meeting of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) held July 31-Aug. 2 in Madison, Wis. Gethner gave an invited talk on “An Adventurer's Guide to the Colorful Tale of Thickness—Two Graphs” to an audience of research mathematicians and undergraduate and graduate students. Conference topics included pure and applied mathematics, mathematics education, and the history of mathematics.

Teresa J. Sakraida, RN, PhD, MS, MSEd, an assistant professor in the University of Colorado Denver College of Nursing, was one of 15 junior faculty nationwide to receive an inaugural Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholar award. The three-year, $350,000 grant began on Sept. 1.

The award will support her research to test whether patients with type 2 diabetes and stage 3 chronic kidney disease who self-manage their conditions by following a  tailored behavioral education and counseling intervention have improved health outcomes, quality of life, and glycemic control compared with similar patients who do not follow this behavioral education and counseling intervention. 

The award will also support Sakraida’s participation in a training program that will help prepare her for academic leadership and translating evidence into policy and practice initiatives.

Sept. 8

The National Science Foundation Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) Program has hired Luann Rudolph as the IGERT Program Coordinator. Rudolph has a bachelor’s degree in Marine Science Biology and a master’s degree in Environmental Science and Policy. Prior to coming to UCD, Rudolph worked as a Community Assistance Planner in Northeast Wisconsin and was a member of the City of Green Bay Sustainability Task Force. Her office is located in the Administration Building, Room 2040E. Visit the IGERT website.

In August, Bogdan Chlebus, associate professor of computer science and engineering, attended the 27th annual ACM Symposium on Principles of Distributed Computing (PODC 2008), in Toronto, Canada. Chlebus and Dariusz Kowalski (University of Liverpool) presented a joint paper “Asynchronous Exclusive Selection.” The PODC conference focused on research in the theory, design, specification, and implementation of distributed systems. Topics regarding all aspects of distributed computing from theoretical or experimental viewpoints were covered, with the common goal of improving understanding of the principles underlying distributed computing.

In June, Chlebus attended the 4th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Distributed Computing in Sensor Systems (DCOSS 2008), on Santorini Island, Greece where he participated as a program vice chair for papers submitted to the algorithms track. The conference covered the areas of distributed sensor systems that allow intelligent dense monitoring of physical environments, making them useful for data collection and analysis.

Professor Anu Ramaswami, at right in photo, director of the NSF IGERT program and environmental engineering professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, attended the 6th Gordon Conference on Industrial Ecology, Aug. 17-22 at Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire. The conference focused on “Transforming the Use of Energy, Materials, Water and Wastes.” Topics of discussion included energy policy challenges, energy efficiency and carbon mitigation, energy sources for transportation, biofuels, nanotechnologies, and management of water resources. Two IGERT graduate students, Karen Kronoveter, in photo left, and Leslie Miller, also attended and presented posters on IGERT-based research.

From July 12 to 19, Electrical Engineering Assistant Professor Fernando Mancilla-David, at left and standing at far right, attended a wind generation workshop taught by Hugh Piggott in Scotland where each participant built a windmill. Piggott is a pioneering creator of recycled wind turbines and in fact maintains an entire community located on Scotland's north-west coast on wind power.

Civil Engineering Professor N.Y. Chang is the acting chair of the Department of Civil Engineering. Chang’s specialization is geotechnical engineering, and he is also director of the Center for Geotechnical Engineering Science. Chang was hired as an assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering in the UC Denver College of Engineering in 1975, and in May 2008 was one of the UC Denver faculty recognized by the chancellor for his length of service to the university.

Sept. 5

Joann Brennan, currently chair of visual arts, has been chosen associate dean for the College of Arts & Media (CAM). Before joining UC Denver in 1998, Brennan taught photography and digital imaging at Princeton University in New Jersey and The School of Art and Design at Alfred University in New York. Her photographic work explores the complex relationship between wildlife and human concerns.

Brennan has received the CAM Research and Creative Activities Award in 2004, the Service Award in 2003, the CAM Teaching Award in 2000 and the Faculty Teaching Award, among several others.  

In 2005, she was appointed chair of CAM’s Visual Arts Department and has worked with faculty to build a cohesive vision for the department, integrate new technology into every program area, develop stronger curricula with higher levels of academic rigor, and define learning objectives and outcomes.

Michael Greene, assistant professor in the Department of Biology at UC Denver, will appear in an episode of the television series Evolve that is currently airing on the History Channel. The episode is scheduled to air on the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 9, at 8 p.m.

The segment concerns Greene’s collaborative research with Deborah Gordon, PhD, of Stanford University concerning the role of chemical communication in the non-hierarchical regulation of work in ant societies. Greene’s research revolves around how ants are able to produce, perceive and act upon chemical information cues.

Dominic Martinez has been selected as director of the Office of Diversity for the University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus. Martinez has served as assistant and associate director for the Office of Diversity for the past five years. “He has proven to have the leadership and experience that will make the Office of Diversity more visible and accessible for students, faculty and staff,” explains Zenaido Camacho, vice provost and associate vice chancellor of diversity and inclusion. “We look forward to the new ideas that he brings with him. With his leadership and your support, we will expand this office in order to meet the needs of the AMC community.”

Rori Knudtson, a lecturer in the Department of Architecture for the College of Architecture and Planning, has work displayed in the exhibition “Spatial Investigations: New Art from Redline,” the first show in this new exhibition space in the Rino Art District.  The work will be on display through October 3, free and open to the public Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.  For more information call 303-296-4448. Website: http://www.redlineart.org.

Sept. 2

The University of Colorado Denver recently announced Janet Lopez, PhD, former deputy director of Colorado Governor Bill Ritter’s P-20 Education Council, as the new director for P-20 Education Initiatives. Lopez begins in this role on Sept. 3.

The P-20 Education Initiatives director’s primary responsibility is to coordinate, enhance and provide support for research, service and academic programming across the multiple UC Denver colleges, schools and academic units that engage in P-20 Education work. Lopez will create funding opportunities through grants, private foundations and entrepreneurial activities for participating faculty and staff and represent the university’s P-20 Education initiatives to external audiences.

"The opportunity to return to the higher education community, while continuing to work on P-20 education initiatives, allows me to continue the work I am most passionate about and to feed off of the energy and enthusiasm of the faculty, staff and students on a college campus,” said Lopez. “I am so excited to return to a higher education setting and to connect and collaborate with the University of Colorado Denver community."

Aug. 27

Jeffrey Kieft has been appointed as the new director of student and faculty affairs in the program in Biomolecular Structure. Robert Hodges will remain as director of the Program overseeing its six core facilities (NMR, X-ray Crystallography, Mass Spectrometry/Proteomics, Computational Biology, Peptide/Protein Chemistry and Biophysics). Kieft’s responsibilities include student recruitment and advising, seminar program, program retreat and overseeing the courses (Proteins, Structural Analysis of Biomolecules I and II) offered by the program.

Aug. 25

Professor Arthur Gutierrez-Hartmann, MD, School of Medicine has been announced as the winner of the 2009 Distinguished Educator Award of the Endocrine Society of America. The award will be presented at the group's annual meeting next June. 

Aug. 19

Each year the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) organization recognizes individuals and groups for outstanding contributions to the agency and the nation. Laura Welch, international scholar advisor in the Office of International Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver, has been named by ICE as a recipient of the Service to the Homeland Award. Welch will formally be recognized along with 11 other recipients at the awards ceremony in Washington D.C., later this month.

Welch was selected for her work in organizing the Denver portion of ICE’s 12-city national tour which took place earlier this year. On the tour, representatives from various ICE departments answered questions from participants at community forums across the nation regarding the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System II (SEVIS II) initiative which will increase the fees for international students and the institutions they attend. SEVIS II is projected to be in place by October 2009.

Mitch Handelsman, professor of psychology, presented a paper titled “Helping supervisees master a more comprehensive approach to ethical reasoning” on Aug. 17 during a symposium at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association in Boston. An article he co-authored with two colleagues, “Some Principles for Ethics Education: Implementing the Acculturation Model,” is the lead article in the latest edition of the journal, Training and Education in Professional Psychology.

Aug. 18

The Colorado School of Public Health welcomes new Associate Dean for Education & Student Affairs J. Jackson (Jack) Barnette, PhD. Dr. Barnette, who officially started last Friday, brings years of higher education experience and enthusiasm to his new role. “I am excited about being involved in the Colorado School of Public Health, an endeavor that will affect the health of millions in the region being served and beyond.”

Barnette holds a PhD in Educational Research and Development from Ohio State University (1972). Barnette spent more than 25 years in the field of educational research and evaluation as a faculty member at Ohio State, Penn State, Virginia, Memphis, and Alabama at Tuscaloosa before taking a position in the College of Medicine at the University of Iowa. In 1999, when the College of Public Health at Iowa was established, he was appointed associate dean for education and student affairs and associate professor. At Iowa, he developed the dual degree programs with the MPH, directed CEPH accreditation, set up a distance education based Summer Institute and directed the Iowa Center for Public Health Evaluation. In 2004, he accepted the position of senior associate dean for academic affairs and professor of biostatistics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Joy French has been chosen director of Alumni Relations for the schools and colleges of the Anschutz Medical Campus. Her responsibilities include managing programs, projects and activities to support engaging alumni and keep them connected with the University of Colorado Denver. She hopes to continue building relationships with alumni while working closely with alumni association boards to develop strategic plans, improve communication and outreach to alumni, and increase alumni involvement in university-related programs and events. Prior to joining UC Denver, French worked with education and volunteer programs at the Denver affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure. She holds a MPH in Community Health Practice from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and a BS in biology from the University of Texas.

Architecture instructor Tamarah Long has been selected to show her sketches at The Winot in Niwot. The mixed media drawings will be displayed Aug. 15 to Sept. 26 at 7960 Niwot Road, Longmont. The opening is Aug. 20 from 6-9 p.m. and all faculty and students are welcome to attend. Architectural Landscapes: A Memoir of India explores the origins of patterns in the built environment. Sketches from Longs recent trip to France will also be included.

T. John Hughes, Department of Architecture lecturer teaching Architectural Photography, is currently exhibiting his Cityscape Panorama Project at the Art Institute of Colorado, 1200 Lincoln St. in Denver, showcasing the dramatic transformation of downtown Denver the past 15 years. The exhibit features 20 sets of four panoramic photographs of downtown Denver taken from the identical vantage points in 1992, 1997, 2002and 2007.

Aug. 11

Shelley Thompson has joined the UC Denver administrative team as director, Office of Outreach and Events responsible for articulating and executing an outreach strategy focused on grassroots, person-to-person communication. Events will be a key element of her outreach locally and nationally. Most recently, Thompson raised charitable funds for Outward Bound USA and The Women’s Foundation of Colorado, with a focus on corporate sources and fundraising events. She holds master’s in Political Science from CU-Boulder and a BA in Politics and Government from the University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Wash.

Aug. 7

The University of Colorado Cancer Center (UCCC) has awarded $178,990 to nine researchers for promising new research projects. The funding comes from UCCC’s American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grants, internal seed grant funding and special funding from its Cancer and Aging program. The UC Denver awardees include:

Adrie van Bokhoven, PhD, Instructor, Pathology, $20,000 for "Prognostic Value of Gene-Translocations in Prostate Cancer"

Virginia Borges, MD, MMSc, assistant professor of Medical Oncology, $20,000 for "Biologic Subtype of Breast Cancer Defines its Host Immunologic Impact"

Antonio Jimeno, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Medical Oncology, $20,000 for "Generation of a Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer Direct Xenograft Model"

James R. Lambert, PhD, assistant research professor, Pathology, $18,770 for "Suppresion of PTEN-mediated Prostate Cancer Tumor Initiation and Progression by Prostate Derived Factor"

Robert A. Sclafani, PhD, professor, Biochemistry & Chemistry, $20,000 for "Natural Plant Polyphenols as Potentiators of Radiation Therapy in Head and Neck Cancer"

Jessica K. Tyler, PhD, associate professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics, $20,000 for "Novel Pathway of Aging that is Dependent on Histone Acetylation"

Aug. 5

The Music & Entertainment Industry Educators Association Research Committee awarded the 2008 Collaborative Educator and Industry Practitioner MEIEA research grant to Storm Gloor, assistant professor of Music & Entertainment Industries Studies at UC Denver's College of Arts & Media.

August 4

Three professors from the University of Colorado Denver Business School have been named among the most influential scholars in the field of management over the last 25 years. The faculty researchers at UC Denver were the only current Colorado business school professors to be included. They are: Herman Aguinis, PhD, professor of Management, International Business; Wayne Cascio, PhD, professor of Management, International Business; and Marlena Fiol, PhD, professor of Health Administration and Strategic Management. They were named in the August edition of the Journal of Management, among the top 150 most influential scholars in the field. The purpose of the study was to identify the universities and research scholars who have had the greatest impact on the field of management during the past quarter century and the factors that influence their impact. Using bibliometric techniques, 30 management journals were examined to identify the 100 most-cited universities and 150 most-cited authors from 1981 to 2004. The analysis included more than 1,600 universities and 25,000 management scholars.

August 3

School of Education and Human Development’s (SEHD) Maria Araceli Ruiz-Primo has collaborated with the Secretaria Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnologia e Innovacion on a project entitled Strengthening the Processes of Investigation, Education and Technological Innovation, sponsored through an agreement with the Republic of Panama. The grant amount is $199,500.  SEHD’s Mike Marlow received another $10,000 grant from the National Park Services for his new project entitled Classroom Implementation and Evaluation of the Spanish Version of the Wilderness Module from the "Views of the National Parks" Program. Also noteworthy are the recent continuing awards to members of the SEHD faculty including $194,800 for Barbara Smith ‘s Project Early Childhood Special Education Leadership (ECSEL) second year funding from the U.S. Department of Education. Ritu Chopra also received second year funding of $169,000 for her Comprehensive Training Opportunities for Paraprofessionals in Early Intervention Services grant sponsored by the Colorado Department of Human Services. Mark Clarke and Alan Davis’ English Language Acquisition: National Professional Development grants with Denver Public Schools and New America Schools have been awarded their second-year grants with combined total of $501,600.  And Willie Brown’s efforts during the last year brought another year of funding at $12,500 for the Americorps Program sponsored by the Colorado Campus Compact. 

Retired School of Medicine’s Elinor Miller Greenberg has co-authored a just-published guide for women in their sixties A Time of Our Own from Fulcrum Publishing. The authors explore and celebrate the lives of contemporary women who are redefining and reinventing the third and final chapter of their lives.

July 30

Jessica Tyler, PhD, leader of the molecular oncology program, and her group have an article in Friday's edition of Cell that discusses a breakthrough in understanding the basic mechanisms of cell cycle regulation.

Tyler’s research deals with “checkpoint” genes, which act as brakes that stop a cell with damaged DNA from dividing, especially when a cell has a double strand DNA break. The checkpoint is turned on, and normal cells mobilize mechanisms to fix that break on the DNA. When the DNA repair is finished, the checkpoint is turned off and the cell can divide again.

Tyler's group has identified how the cell knows to turn off the checkpoint. "When the checkpoint is activated, chromosomal proteins—specifically histones—are removed from the DNA," she explains. "You then have naked DNA. The DNA break is repaired. Then the histones are put back onto the DNA. We've discovered the mechanism that takes care of that last bit. We have also proven that the act of putting the histones back on the DNA tells the cell it is safe to divide again, not the physical act of DNA repair."

Tyler and her group solved the structure of a complex of a key protein required for this histone acetylation bound to histones in 2006, in collaboration with Mair Churchill of the department of Pharmacology (also published in Cell).

"Many cancer cells have mutations that turn off this braking mechanism," Tyler says. "We believe the proteins that make this epigenetic mark could be a new target for cancer therapy."

July 28

Suzanne Brandenburg, MD, has been chosen as the recipient of the second annual UC Denver School of Medicine Faculty Professionalism Award. This award will be presented at the Matriculation Ceremony on August 14. It recognizes a faculty member who has served as a role model for professionalism. Brandenburg is associate professor of Medicine and director of the Internal Medicine Residency Training Program. According to letters from colleagues, residents and students supporting her nomination, she has demonstrated exemplary academic and institutional citizenship as a clinician, educator and administrative leader.

July 25

Ronica Rooks, assistant professor in Health and Behavioral Sciences, has been accepted as a fellow in the Advanced Leadership Training Program Class of 2009 for the Regional Institute for Health and Environmental Leadership. The annual, year-long program seeks to enhance participants’ leadership skills and create an interdisciplinary network of leaders dedicated to the health and environment of the Rocky Mountain Region.

July 16

Food allergies continue to affect 6 to 8 percent of children living in the United States, with severe cases of reactions resulting in anaphylaxis – a life-threatening condition that causes a drop in blood pressure, triggering breathing difficulties and sometimes death. Glenn Furuta, MD, associate professor at the School of Medicine, has received a $440,000 research grant from Exploratory Investigations in Food Allergy, a program funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Furuta is using the grant to further advance his research in developing diagnoses and treatment options for eosinophilic esophagitis a disease related to food allergic reactions.

Presently, esophageal involvement in food allergies can only be detected using endoscopy and biopsy. Because the esophagus is more involved in food allergies than what was previously thought, researching inflammation and allergic reactions in the esophagus could potentially change the focus of future food allergy treatments.

“We are ecstatic to receive funding for eosinophilic esophagitis research,” said Furuta. “This is a growing and emerging health problem in both children and adults.”

Paul A. Bunn Jr., MD, at left, Fred Hirsch, MD, PhD, at right, Marileila Garcia, PhD, and Wilbur Franklin, MD have recently published an article in the July issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology that could result in treatment advancements in non-small-cell lung cancer patients.

The research shows that the EGFR FISH test—developed at the cancer center—helps clinicians select the best patients to treat with the EGFR inhibitor, cetixumab, in addition to standard chemotherapy.

When given chemotherapy and cetuximab as the first line of treatment, patients who test positive for the EGFR gene may live twice as long as those who are EGFR negative.

Researchers will soon begin the next phase of trials and are anticipating FDA approval of the tool soon.

July 10

UC Denver has selected two participants for the 2008-09 Academic Management Institute: Tammy Stone, PhD, associate dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Carla Johnson, MBA, director of Budget and Finance, College of Nursing. Both were nominated by the deans of their respective colleges for their demonstrated potential to assume leadership positions. Funding for their participation is provided by the Chancellor's Office.

The Academic Management Institute (AMI) for Women begins its 22nd year this September. This program serves women in higher education in Colorado and Wyoming, and is sponsored by the Colorado Network of Women Leaders, the state affiliate of the American Council on Education Office of Women. Approximately 600 women have participated in the program since its inception.

UC Denver was invited to send two (or more) women to participate in the 2008-09 program. It consists of four seminars featuring faculty and administrators from Colorado and Wyoming, as well as national experts in the field of higher education. Topics include legal and ethical issues in higher education, managing change, political savvy, effective leadership, diversity issues, personnel issues and career development. Each participant completes a project at her own institution and interviews senior-level administrators on campus.

July 9

Bryan Wee, assistant professor in the School of Education and Human Development at UC Denver, is using multicultural lenses to enhance sustainability and environmental education on both local and global levels.

Nature photographs by Wee will be on display at the Delectable Egg, located at 16th and Market streets, from July 20–Aug. 18. Wee will be at the Delectable Egg on Saturday, July 19, from 2-4 p.m. to present his work.

In addition, Wee’s research, “Moving toward sustainability? The face of environmental education in Singapore,” has been published in a recent edition of Green Teacher.

July 3

Every 14 seconds someone in the United States is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, notes the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN). Ricardo Gonzalez, MD, is a catalyst for the cure. Gonzalez, assistant professor in the division of GI, Tumor and Endocrine Surgery at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, was recently honored by PanCAN for his efforts in combating pancreatic cancer and his continued involvement with the organization. The honor was presented to Gonzalez during the organization’s annual gala June 21 in Golden.

“It's truly an honor to be recognized by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network,” said Gonzalez. “The organization tirelessly supports families and patients with this disease through raising awareness and generates millions each year toward funding new research in pancreatic cancer.”

Founded in 1999, PanCAN has become one of the national leaders in the fight against pancreatic cancer. The organization has been responsible for significantly increasing the federal funds available for pancreatic cancer researchers nationwide.

July 2

Andrew Thorburn, PhD, associate director for basic research, has been appointed member of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP). As a member of the BCRP Integration Panel, he will take part in directing the program vision and funding strategy for the USAMRMC and will conduct second-tier reviews of proposals for funding.

Kate Horwitz, PhD, distinguished professor of medicine and member of the Cancer Center Hormone Related Malignancies Program, has received a $1 million grant from the Avon Foundation. So far, Avon has given UC Denver $6.4 million for breast cancer prevention, treatment and research.

This grant, which was facilitated by the University of Colorado Foundation, will be used for patient access to care programs, the Comadre Program and Project Survivorship Outreach to Latinas (Project SOL).  In addition, funds support a high-risk genetic screening program for the medically underserved and research projects exploring the role of breast stem cells in cancer.

June 30

Nathan Pearlman, MD, professor of surgery in the division of GI, Tumor and Endocrine Surgery, was recently honored for his steadfast commitment to the University of Colorado Hospital’s tradition of patient-centered care. After receiving exceptional care from Pearlman, a patient was inspired to make a donation to the hospital out of gratitude. During a recent Department of Surgery faculty meeting, Bruce Schroffel, president and CEO of the University of Colorado Hospital, presented Pearlman with the Inspired Kindness Award.

Along with this honor, Pearlman has also been included in the exclusive “Best Doctors of America” 2007-2008 database. Nominated by his peers through confidential, qualitative and quantitative peer-to-peer reviews that are unanimous and confidential, he is considered by fellow physicians to be the most skilled in his field and most qualified for reviewing and treating complex medical conditions.

June 27

Vasilis Vasiliou, PhD, left, professor at the UC Denver School of Pharmacy and director of the school’s Toxicology Graduate Program, has been chosen editor of Human Genomics. David Ross, PhD, professor of toxicology and chair of the school’s Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, serves as the publication’s associate editor.

Vasiliou’s research interests include cellular responses to oxidative stress induced by physical agents and the metabolism of both endogenous and foreign chemicals; functional and comparative genomics, genetic polymorphisms and etiology of complex diseases and molecular evolution.

Ross’ research interests focus on understanding the mechanisms underlying toxicity, genetic polymorphisms, molecular pharmacology and anti-tumor drug development.

Human Genomics focuses on the application of genomic approaches to improve understanding of human disease, drug discovery and variable drug reaction. It brings together academics and practitioners in industry who are actively interested in realizing the full potential of the ever-expanding Human Genome Project. The journal is published quarterly, fully peer-reviewed and directed by a panel of leading experts acting as editors and referees.

June 25

Tim Byers, MD, MPH, Cancer Center's deputy director, is lead author on a paper that shows being poor and undereducated puts people at higher risk for dying of cancer. “The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Survival After Cancer in the United States : Finding From the National Program of Cancer Registries,” will be published in the Aug. 1 issue of CANCER, a journal of the American Cancer Society. The paper was previously published online. Holly Wolf, PhD, a member of the Cancer Center Prevention and Control program and executive director of the Colorado Cancer Coalition, and Xiang Yin, MS, of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, also faculty worked on the study.

S. Gail Eckhardt, MD, leader of the Cancer Center’s Developmental Therapeutics Program and head of the UC Denver Medical Oncology Division has been awarded an $890,000 2008 Jeannik M. Littlefield-AACR grant to apply to her work in developing individualized therapy for IGF-1R (insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor) inhibition in advanced colorectal cancer. 

Cancer Center Director Paul Bunn Jr., MD, spoke at the First Addario Foundation Keynote Lectureship at the Ninth International Lung Cancer Congress on Saturday in Kauai. The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation is the largest philanthropy dedicated to the eradication of lung cancer. Bunn talked about state-of-the-art lung cancer treatment.

June 19

Frank Accurso, MD, professor and section head of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine, led research that could produce a major breakthrough in the treatment of cystic fibrosis. Accurso served as the principal national investigator on a study that measured the effects of denufosol tetrasodium inhalation solution made by Inspire Pharmaceuticals. Study results showed that the drug didn’t just thin the mucus in the lungs associated with cystic fibrosis but that it opened a new chloride channel that improved lung function and treated the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis. Accurso conducted the study on 14-year-olds because adolescence is an especially vulnerable time for CF patients.

Amy Barton, left, associate dean of the College of Nursing (CON), has been selected as academic director for the Daniels Opportunity Scholarship Program. CON, in partnership with the Daniels Fund, has made Daniels Opportunity Scholarships available to five of its undergraduate students. The scholarship recipients are Lynnette Chambers, Brandy Herrera, Jana Mischlich, Amber Sansaver, and Carmon Spatz. Scholarship recipients met individually with Barton in May to review program plans and requirements. The Daniels Opportunity Scholarship program seeks to get scholarship funding into the hands of non-traditional students such as adults pursuing education later in life, GED recipients, transfer students, young people from the foster care system, and students exiting juvenile justice programs.

Steve Leong, MD, is newest member in the Cancer Center's Developmental Therapeutics Program. He joined UC Denver last summer as an assistant professor of Medical Oncology, following a fellowship here. His areas of interest are investigating novel agents such as inhibitors of IGF-1R and activators of the death receptors DR4 and DR5 and their potential use in GI malignancies. In the laboratory, he is investigating the action of these novel agents in colorectal cancers. Leong received his MD from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and a MS in Medical Science (Physiology) from the University College Dublin. He served as chief resident during his internal medicine residency at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia.

June 16, 2008

The National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) recently selected Cathy J. Thompson, PhD, RN, CNS, associate professor at the University of Colorado Denver College of Nursing, as the recipient of the 2007 Clinical Nurse Specialist Educator of the Year Award. Thompson was officially recognized at the NACNS annual conference in Atlanta, Ga.

 “I am very honored to be the first recipient of this prestigious award,” said Thompson, who resides in South Fork. “The fact that my students nominated me was such a nice surprise and, for an educator, there is no higher honor than to be recognized for excellence by your students. To be chosen by my colleagues in the NACNS for this award is an honor and a professional milestone.”

NACNS, an organization representing all clinical nurse specialists in the United States, created the award to nationally recognize a NACNS member for outstanding professional achievement as a Clinical Nurse Specialist Educator. The award acknowledges a CNS educator’s commitment to excellence and innovation in preparing CNSs and in implementing the NACNS Statement on CNS Practice and Education.  

SEHD professors Joni Dunlap, Ellen Stevens and Kenny Wolf were awarded $14,250 for ELIXR Proposal for a New Theme with Six Supporting Digital Case Stories: Advancing Teaching and Learning through Assessment Rubrics. UC Denver is one of four institutions selected to be a part of California State University, Long Beach’s ELIXR program (US Ed FIPSE-funded spring 2008 cohort.

Wanda Blanchett, associate professor in the School of Ed, was interviewed by the magazine Diverse Issues in Higher Education for an article called "Creating an Atmosphere of Acceptance."

Project ECSEL, a four year grant from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs, has been awarded to Barbara Smith, professor in the School of Ed, to provide training in leadership competencies to post-doctoral fellows in early intervention and early childhood special education. Fellows have opportunities to apply these leadership competencies in four areas of critical need coordinated by mentor SEHD faculty: 1) culturally and linguistically responsive services (Sheila Shannon and Susan Moore), 2) young children with autism (Phil Strain), 3) social emotional development and challenging behavior (Barbara Smith), and 4) paraeducators and other non-degreed personnel (Ritu Chopra).

June 13, 2008

Steve Medema, professor of economics in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has been chosen as one of five President’s Teaching Scholars. The program, established as a presidential initiative, is designed to honor and reward faculty who have excelled in teaching, scholarship, and research and to endorse teaching excellence throughout the university.

The President's Teaching Scholars are a group of faculty from all three CU campuses chosen not only for skill in their own classrooms, but for their promise of improving education and enlarging its possibilities across the university.

The President's Teaching Scholars form a faculty learning community, serving as ambassadors for teaching and research, establish and develop individual, departmental, and campus-wide projects, including mentoring, aimed at the cultivation of teaching and engaged learning as well as the integration of research in teaching at the university. Other 2008 recipients include Diane Conlin, Steve Pollock, Stan Deetz and Elizabeth Robertson, all from the Boulder campus.  

Assistant Professor Bryan Leister in the College of Arts and Media has had his videos into several festivals and exhibitions including:

• The Globians Film Festival, Berlin
• RUCKUS, REPEAT, RUCKUS at The Lab at Belmar
• Brooklyn Fine Arts Festival
• Atlanta Film Festival

The Atlanta Film Festival, specifically, attracted more than 1,500 entries and only accepted 150 films. Find out more about the activities at http://strangerthanbeauty.blogspot.com/ and see the streaming video online at http://www.86collective.com/.

Associate Dean for Long-term Planning and Initiatives Brenda J. Allen facilitated three seminars for the Knapsack Institute: Transforming the Curriculum at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs on June 5 and 7. The annual institute provides a framework for teaching about privilege and oppression, as well as a forum for sharing ideas and strategies.

June 9, 2008

James O. Hill, PhD, UC Denver expert in obesity and weight loss, took office as president of the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) on June 1. Hill serves as Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine and Director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado Denver. Hill will concentrate his year-long term on raising the profile of the society and emphasizing the importance of nutrition research to daily life. “Many Americans say that nutrition news is constantly changing and that it is confusing. ASN is here to lessen the confusion through our expert scientists and our spokespeople.” As leader of the Society for the next year, Hill will support increased funding for nutrition research at a time when funding for science is shrinking dangerously. In addition, he sees opportunities to join forces when approaching health problems that face America today.

SEHD faculty Farah Ibrahim and Carmen Williams published an article on prejudice, its impact, and counseling implications in the Sage Encyclopedia of Counseling.

School of Ed Associate Professor Diane Estrada was elected vice president of  the Latino Network. The position is one of the four VPs of the American Multicultural Counseling Association, a division of the American Counseling Association. 

June 6, 2008

Meredith Banasiak, instructor of architecture, has received a 2008 AIA Research Grant of $7,000 from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Knowledge Committee.  She will be eligible to present the findings of her project, “From Benchtop to Bedside: Transferring research lessons learned in an undergraduate program,” at the 2009 AIA National Convention in San Francisco, and the work also will appear in other print and electronic venues.

Louise Chawla, professor of planning, pictured, Pamela Wridt, senior instructor and associate chair of planning, and PhD student Doug Ragan gave presentations at a colloquium held at the University of Montreal May 29-30 on "Public Participation in Environmental Planning and Management: Reflections on the Ethics of Participation." Chawla's paper was on "Participation as political capacity building: An ethical obligation." Ragan's paper was on "Growing up with expectations: Better understanding the expectations of community partners in participatory action-research projects." Wridt served as a discussant, presenting remarks on a panel of four papers. The colloquium will form the basis of a special issue of the journal Atelier, which will be published by the Center of Research in Ethics of the University of Montreal in the summer of 2009.

June 3, 2008

Bonnie Walters, director of the Evaluation Center in the School of Ed, received a $1.5 million annual award for the next five years to conduct the evaluation for the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. 

School of Education and Human Development Associate Professor Connie Fulmer was selected as the first division director for the newly formed Teacher Education Division. Fulmer was the department chair for teacher education at Northern Illinois.  Her experience and value for district partnerships, as well as her keen interest in the idea that it takes students, teachers, and leaders to produce high-quality student achievement, is a good foundation for the division to bring their vision to life.

The Cancer Center welcomes two new colleagues as full members. Frank Jones, PhD, joins the Hormone Related Malignancies Program. William Tse, MD, is a new full member of the Developmental Therapeutics Program.

Jones, associate professor of Pathology has two R01 grants (Influence of ErbB4 activity on metastatic breast cancer, and ErbB4 signaling in the normal and neoplastic breast), and has applied for two patents. His work focuses on two overlapping interests: novel mechanisms of direct EGFR family and estrogen receptor α crosstalk in breast cancer and development. In addition, his lab has identified the first clinically important genetic alteration of the HER2/NEU gene in breast cancer, referred to as HER2Δ16. Jones says, "Most important for our success is to establish collaborations with Cancer Center members with the goal of clinically translating our current experimental findings."

During the past decade, Associate Professor Tse of Medical Oncology has focused his clinical and research work on acute myeloid leukemia. He has been PI in numerous multicenter clinical trials, and he has been a prolific author, including publications in Blood, Experimental Hematology and Cancer Research. He has an ASCO Career Development Award and an NCI SBIR/STTR grant for a phase I drug development of 6-benzothionine in treatment of acute myeloid leukemia. Tse is a welcome addition to the growing University of Colorado Hospital Hematological Malignancies and Bone Marrow Transplant program, where he joins Han Myint, MD, and Choon-Kee Lee, MD.
June 2, 2008

Louise Chawla, professor of Planning, and Selena Paulsen, incoming Design and Planning PhD student, are presenting a paper on "Restoring Children's Access to Nature in Urban Environments" at the 46th International Making Cities Livable Conference in Santa Fe, N.M., June 1-5. They'll also take part in a meeting to discuss the creation of a point system for certifying child-friendly neighborhoods, towns and cities, with board members of the International Making Cities Livable Council and representatives of the National Town Builders Association.

Bill Henderson, PhD, a professor in the School of Medicine’s Colorado Health Outcomes Program, has been named a Fellow of the American Statistical Association. The ASA is the nation’s preeminent professional statistical society. The designation of Fellow has been a superlative honor in ASA for more than 90 years. According to the association by-laws, each year the Committee on Fellows can elect no more than one-third of one percent of the ASA’s 18,000 members as Fellows. Henderson is among 53 individuals named 2008 Fellows. He was nominated for the honor by other ASA members because of his reputation and outstanding contributions to statistical work. These Fellows will be presented at a ceremony Aug. 5 at the ASA’s 168th annual Joint Statistical Meetings in Denver.

Joshua Thurman, MD, assistant professor of Medicine, Division of Renal Medicine Diseases & Hypertension, has been recognized with a Career Development Award from the Schweppe Foundation. The award is for $50,000 each year for two years. Thurman is only the second faculty member to receive this award since the School of Medicine was allowed to submit applications beginning in 2003.

May 27, 2008

Landscape Architecture Senior Instructor Lori (Cockerham) Catalano and Assistant Professor Joern Langhorst, at right, both from the College of Architecture and Planning wrote an article about their design-build project in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward in the May/June issue of Rocky Mountain Exposures, Newsletter of the Colorado Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Read it at: http://www.ccasla.org/pdf_files/Newsletter.pdf.

UC Denver Assistant Professor David Liban in the College of Arts & Media has been awarded two awards at the Houston Film Festival. The Ghosts of Elitch Theatre has won a Gold Award in the category of Historical Documentaries, and Geocache won a Silver Award in the Short subjects category. There were more than 4500 entries competing from 37 countries.

May 20, 2008

In June UC Denver Assistant Professor of Philosophy David Hildebrand had Dewey: A Beginner's Guide published by Oneworld Press (Oxford, UK, 2008). The book, Hildebrand's second, takes a critical look at the major areas of Dewey's philosophical thought: psychology, epistemology, ethics, politics, education, aesthetics, and philosophy of religion.

May 19, 2008

Mike Glodé, MD, has been chosen the associate director for outreach at the Cancer Center. The new position will help the center strategize and organize all cancer clinical outreach activities in cities such as Glenwood Springs. Glodé and the center will continue looking at how to partner with cancer colleagues throughout the region to bring clinical trials access and provide the best possible care to patients.

Yang Chen, MD, professor of Medicine and director of the Endoscopy Service at University of Colorado Hospital, is being honored May 19 during the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in San Diego with the Crystal Award for his outstanding achievements in advancing the field.

Joni Dunlap, at left, assistant professor in the School of Ed, will be appointed to the Faculty Development Center half-time beginning this fall. She will join Ellen Stevens and Kenny Wolf who in the Faculty Development Center full-time. The appointment takes advantage of Dunlap's expertise in the classroom as well as her online expertise.

Connie Fulmer, associate professor in SEHD, has been selected to serve as a reviewer by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement, Synergy Enterprises Inc. (SEI) for the School Leadership Program grant competition.

May 15, 2008

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences established Advancing Curricula and Teaching (ACT) grants designed to further develop a campus environment that supports and encourages teaching and learning that advance goals of the college’s strategic plan. Awards up to $3,500 were available.

Inaugural winners are:

• Greg Cronin, associate professor of biology, for A Field Course Investigation of Non-Sustainable Use of Freshwater in the Southwestern United States
• Tod Duncan, senior instructor of biology, for Video based Supplemental Instruction for General Biology
• Ronica Rooks, associate professor of health and behavioral sciences, for Enhancing the Social Determinants of Health through Service Learning in Health and Health Care Settings
• Catherine Wiley, associate professor of English, for Summer Institute in Community Theater
• Rudy Hartman, senior instructor of geography and environmental sciences, for
  Southeast Colorado Heritage Tourism problem Based Learning project: Hard Times, Atrocities and Human Tragedies Revisited

 May 14, 2008

Lynn Bemis, PhD, associate professor of Medicine in the Division of Oncology, was named as an Outstanding Faculty member during the UC Denver Chancellor’s Diversity Recognition and Award Luncheon for the health sciences programs. Bemmis founded and serves on the faculty of a program called GENA – Genetic Education for Native Americans. GENA tries to provide understandable information about genetics and to help students from minority communities get the scientific education they need to study for advanced degrees.

Also named Outstanding Faculty member was Christina Robohm, MS, PA-C, who has helped diversify our Child Health Advocate/Physician Assistant program. As director of admissions of that program, Robohm raised awareness in minority communities and worked to emphasize diversity throughout the admissions process.

And, the Anschutz Medical Campus chapter of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) garnered recognition as an Outstanding Student Organization for its work in stimulating interest in health care careers among minority high school students. SNMA also works to reduce health care disparities among ethnic groups.

May 12, 2008

History Professor Pamela W. Laird presided April's 2008 annual meeting of the Business History Conference (BHC) in Sacramento, Calif. Hosted by California State University at Sacramento and the California State Railroad Museum, the conference drew nearly 300 participants attended from 22 different countries. As president of BHC, Laird selected the conference's theme, "Expanding Connections," which highlighted scholarship that expands the field's connections across disciplines, perspectives, and audiences, focusing on what business history offers to other fields of scholarship, as well as what business historians can learn from other scholarly perspectives. She also organized  the opening plenary and a roundtable that explored how business historians can work with the press to extend our reach into the public and business management arenas.

School of Education and Human Development Associate Professor Honorine Nocon delivered an invited presentation in Austin, Texas, last week at the annual meeting of the Bilingual, Immigrant, and Refugee Education Directors of the Council of Great City Schools. Nocon's talk focused on LDE and L2CRT faculty work in partnership with Denver Public Schools.

Laurie Sperry, assistant research professor in the School of Education and Human Development, was awarded a Senior Specialist Fulbright in autism, and she currently is in Australia teaching a class at Griffiths University. While there, Sperry also is working with Australia's Austism Early Intervention Outcomes Unit to help the country develop more inclusive services. Next on her agenda is a meeting with the Austrailian minister of education in Sydney.

Kenna Bruner received a first place award from Colorado Press Women in the category of science for articles she wrote for Vivat magazine, including an article about laboratory animals used in research on the Anschutz Medical Campus and an article about research on malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Bruner is director of communications and alumni affairs for the University of Colorado Denver School of Pharmacy.