8 november 2001 • volume 3 • number 43 two physicians …
TRANSCRIPT
8 NOVEMBER 2001 • VOLUME 3 • NUMBER 43
Two physicians make list ofKansas City’s “top docs”
wo physicians at KU Med have
been named among the “top
docs” in Kansas City, according to
a list released recently by Ingram’s
Magazine.
Susan Pingleton, MD, director
of Pulmonary and Critical Care,
and J. Brantley
Thrasher, MD,
chief of
Urology, were
named to the list,
released
annually
by the
local
magazine. Pingleton and Thrasher
were nominated by their peers and
patients for their passion and com-
passion.
Pingleton has been at KU Med
since 1992. She is president of the
American College of Chest
Physicians (ACCP). She called her
involvement with ACCP “one of the
most important and rewarding
opportunities of her career.”
The Ingram’s article noted
Pingleton’s enjoyment of her job
and the varied opportunities it
offers, including teaching, seeing
patients and research.
Thrasher has brought innovative
treatments in urologic oncology,
especially
prostate can-
cer, to KU
Med. Under
Thrasher’s
leadership,
the Prostate
Center
offers the
most com-
prehensive treatments in the region.
Patients are able to see a team of
specialists at one time and in one
location, thereby getting the profes-
sional opinions they need in one
convenient visit.
Susan K. Pingleton, MD
T Beginning Tuesday, Nov. 13,hospital employees can pick upinformation about benefits openenrollment for 2002, which runsfrom Nov. 13-Dec. 3.
New enrollment forms must becompleted by employees who wantto change their medical, dental orvision plans, as well as those whowant to sign up for, or continue,participation in health care and/ordependent care flexible spendingaccounts.
All forms must be returned toHospital Human Resources, 5040Delp, by 4:30 p.m., Dec. 3.Changes take effect Jan. 1, 2002.
Employees may obtain openenrollment packets from HumanResources or by attending one ofthese open enrollment meetings:
Tuesday, Nov. 131-3 p.m., Battenfeld Auditorium5-7 p.m., Rieke Auditorium
Wednesday, Nov. 14:7-9 a.m., Lied Auditorium
Thursday, Nov. 155-7 p.m., Lied Auditorium
Friday, Nov. 167:30-9:30 a.m., Rieke Auditorium1:30-3:30 p.m., SoN Auditorium
Saturday, Nov. 1710 a.m.-noon, Lied Auditorium
After the last meeting onNov. 17, supervisors can pick upextra open enrollment packets tohave on-hand for their employees.
Hospital tohold openenrollment
Employee flu shotsNov. 8
7 a.m.-4 p.m. Francisco Lounge
9-10:30 a.m.Support Services building
J. Brantley Thrasher, MD
THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS MEDICAL CENTER
2
Soon all hospitals must be in
compliance with the new Joint
Commission on the Accreditation
of Healthcare Organizations’
(JCAHO) standards for pain
management.
KU Med has formed a pain
management partnership com-
prised of Teresa Long, MD, Karl
Becker, MD, Bob Twillman, MD,
Marge Barnett, RN, and Suzanne
Foster, RN, to evaluate how KU
Med can do a better job of man-
aging patients’ pain.
“We’ll be establishing a uni-
form method of assessing pain,”
Twillman said. “We will talk with
the various nursing units to get
their input on pain management
issues. Our goal is to establish a
complete pain management pack-
age with protocols and assess-
ment standards.”
Pain management is a very
important factor when assessing a
patient’s satisfaction level,
according to Long.
“You can’t separate pain
management from quality of
patient care,” she said. “This is an
area we can improve upon to
serve our patients and the hospi-
tal very well.”
Examiningpainmanagementstandards
During October, our deans
were front and center in their
national professional associations.
The National Association of
Student Personnel Administrators
named Dorothy Knoll, Ph.D., dean
of students, the 2001 James J.
Rhatigan Outstanding Dean. This
regional award was bestowed in
recognition
of her pro-
fessional-
ism, competence, innovation and
leadership.
We know first-hand of Dr.
Knoll’s passionate commitment to
our students and staff, so it seems
natural that her peers would honor
her. Winning this regional award
makes her a nominee for the
national Goodnight Award for
Outstanding Performance to be pre-
sented next spring. It’s hard to
imagine anyone more qualified or
deserving. I’m already planning a
celebration!
Karen Miller, RN, Ph.D., dean
of the Schools of Nursing and
Allied Health, delivered the
keynote address, “Pathways in
Nursing: Chaos and Caring,” at the
University of Rochester’s School of
Nursing 43rd annual Clare
Dennison Lecture Oct. 26. She was
invited to speak because of her
leadership and national prominence
in the field of nursing.
Last year, Deborah Powell,
MD, executive dean of the School
of Medicine and vice chancellor for
Clinical
Affairs, was
elected to the
National Academy of Science’s
Institute of Medicine (IoM). She
recently attended her inaugural
meeting.
The IoM is a private, non-gov-
ernmental organization that under-
takes special policy studies for gov-
ernmental agencies. Some of the
IoM’s recent studies made recom-
mendations on immunization safe-
ty, health insurance coverage, fami-
ly violence and stem cell research.
Dr. Powell is only the sixth Kansan
to receive this honor.
Please take the time to offer
congratulations to these outstand-
ing, nationally-recognized deans.
We are proud of them and their
achievements!
Executive Forum
Hats off to deans Knoll, Millerand Powell
Donald Hagen, MDExecutive Vice ChancellorKUMC
JaniceBenjamin is apioneer at KUMed.
RecentlyBenjamin wasnamed the hospi-tal’s first-everdevelopmentdirector incharge of fundraising. Although she is part of theKansas University EndowmentAssociation staff and works closelywith her colleagues, Benjamin’s officeis in the hospital executive suite and
she focuses on raising funds for thehospital.
Benjamin describes her newposition at KU Med as a “philan-thropic partnership” between the hos-pital and the Endowment Association.
“My goal is not only fund raisingbut friend raising,” she said.
To accomplish her goal,Benjamin plans to tap financial
resources locally and regionally andreach out to grateful KU Med patientswho want to make gifts to enhanceand support patient care. Already shehas worked with cancer services toestablish a special patient tribute fund.
She’s also leading a planning study todetermine the direction of KU Medand its long-term philanthropy goals.
“KU Med, as the clinical arm ofthe region’s premier academic andresearch campus, has a unique oppor-tunity to build a strong philanthropyprogram to better serve its patients,”said Benjamin.
Before joining KU Med,Benjamin served as vice president ofthe Menorah Medical CenterFoundation for five years. She alsoowned a career development and man-agement firm for 15 years.
Benjamin joins KU Med as developmentdirector
The Occupational
Therapy department recently
welcomed a visitor from
Singapore who was eager to
learn more about U.S.
approaches to occupational
therapy.
So Sin Sim, an occupa-
tional therapist who works
for the largest mental health
facility in Singapore, spent
two weeks “shadowing” Tana
Brown, Ph.D. and other colleagues
in Occupational Therapy Education.
She had contacted Dr. Brown
from Singapore after her supervisor
read one of Dr. Brown’s profession-
al articles and felt that Sim would
benefit by learning from Brown.
Sim was impressed by her
experience at KUMC. She said the
biggest difference between the way
occupational therapy is practiced in
Singapore and the U.S. is the focus.
In Singapore, it is more “skill- and
craft-based.” In the U.S.,
patient perceptions are taken
into consideration when
developing a therapy program
that is cognitive-based.
“We are about five years
behind, developmentally, in
our approach to occupational
therapy,” Sim said. “The cog-
nitive approach taken in the
U.S. is what I would like to
see our facility do more of, includ-
ing research. I found it very inter-
esting to see how a treatment plan
is developed, implemented and
assessed in the occupational therapy
department here.”
East meets West in occupational therapy
3
Tana Brown, Ph.D., assistant professor of Occupational
Therapy Education, left, and So Sin Sim, an occupational thera-
pist from Singapore.
Janice Benjamin
Students from the North Kansas City school district
who are interested in nursing careers participated in a
“job shadow day” in the School of Nursing Nov. 5.
They toured the hospital and attended lectures.
From left, Anna Boyd, junior nursing student, looks
on as Candice McKinney tests the reflexes of fellow
student Samantha Harris.
Children from a playgroup at KU Med’s Hartley Family Center
trick or treated at the Child Development Unit and the Speech
and Hearing department on Halloween.
With the installation of the last 49 television sets in semi-
private patient rooms Nov. 2, there is now a TV for each
patient.
“This has been a long-time dream of mine,” said Marla
Bernard, vice president of Support Services, pictured
above. “It will greatly enhance patient satisfaction.”
Students visit
Installation complete
Trick or treat
4
Front & Center . . .
As part of a weekend celebration of the Kansas
Rural Preceptor Program, the School of Medicine
presented a women’s health symposium Nov. 2.
Among those taking part were the Perlman,
Nikkanen, Baily Piano Trio, who entertained in
Battenfeld Auditorium.
After the performance, Navah Perlman, center,
world-renowned classical pianist and founder of
the trio, shared her successful coping strategies
for rheumatoid arthritis. She is the daughter of
famous violinist Itzhak Perlman.
Preceptor celebration
The staff of nursing Unit 42 was treated to a pancake breakfast Oct. 30, after earning
top marks on patient satisfaction surveys. Jeff Wright, executive director of Cancer
Services, and Linda Campbell, MD, clini-
cal instructor in Hematology/Oncology,
served up the breakfast.
The 13th annual Kansas City Regional Firefighters Burn Foundation’s walk-a-thon, organized by KU Med’s Burnett Burn
Unit, raised nearly $8,000 to support burn victims and their families. Seventy-five people participated in the walk on Oct. 13,
including burn survivors, their families and friends, Kansas City, Kan. firefighters, staff from KU Med’s Burnett Burn unit
and staff of the Children’s Mercy Hospital’s burn unit. Funds raised go to the burn units at KU Med and Children’s Mercy
Hospital to support burn prevention and burn care.
Walk-a-thon
5
Patient satisfaction
Allied HealthProfessions WeekAn ice cream social was held Nov. 5 in the School of Nursing
atrium to celebrate Allied Health Professions Week. From left,
Carrie Austin, Myndee Butler, Jason Rucker and Chris Sawyer,
all second-year physical therapy students, sample the ice cream.
Carol Bomberger, RN, left, and Kristie
Masters, RN, enjoyed the breakfast.
6
How to kick the smoking habit
If you smoke, you already know it’s dangerous.* Itsmells bad and is expensive.
Maybe you want to smoke anyway. But if you’resick and tired of being addicted, the American CancerSociety is giving you another opportunity to quit onNov. 15 during the 25th annual Great AmericanSmokeout.
If you want to quit smoking, here are some tipsthat may help:
1. Make a list of reasons you would like to quit.2. Ask your doctor about new treatments that work
and can make quitting easier, such as gum, a patch,Zyban and support/training.
3. Set a “quit date.” November 15 would be agood day.
4. Use proven techniques – drink plenty of water,delay smoking any time you can, use deep breathingand find something to do other than smoke.
5. If you relapse – relax. Just quit again and use
what you have learned.6. For help, check these websites:a. ashline.org/ASH/quit/readytoquit/b. quitsmokingsupport.comc. quitnet.com“Two challenges faced by those who want to quit
smoking are weight gain and finding new ways to dealwith stress,” said Jan Schmidt, assistant director ofKirmayer Fitness Center. “To help, we are opening thefitness center to all KUMC employees, free of chargeon the 15th.”
Schmidt suggests reserving the Tranquility Roomwith its electronic chair message as a method to com-bat stress.
*Cigarette smoking kills more U.S. citizens than ALLmurders, suicides, car accidents, drug overdoses andinfectious diseases combined. Thousands of people alsodie from inhaling second-hand smoke.
Resource center provides help for parents,students and health care professionals
For some parents,
finding out that your child
has been diagnosed with a
serious disorder can be
frustrating because of lack
of information and referral
sources.
That’s not the case for
parents whose children
have been diagnosed with
autism or Asperger’s disor-
der, two developmental
disabilities that alter the
way children perceive their
relationships to the world
around them.
The Autism Asperger
Resource Center (AARC),
located on the fourth floor
of the Miller building,
offers a wide variety of
resources to parents, stu-
dents and health care pro-
fessionals. Many referrals
to the Center come from
physicians, social workers
and from the Child
Development Unit. The
center is also a valuable
resource for students in
Special Education’s
Autism and Asperger
graduate program.
A lending library con-
taining more than 500
titles is available free of
charge and can also be
computer downloaded.
AARC can provide pro-
gram planning suggestions
to school districts, parent-
ing workshops and support
groups, social skills train-
ing and summer camp.
“Because we’re one of
the few autism centers in
the country, we get a lot of
calls from all over the
country,” said Edna
Herron Smith, Ph.D.,
AARC executive director.
For more information
about AARC, visit its web
site at autismasperger.org
or call 8-5988.
By Robert McCool, MS Research associate, department of Preventive Medicine
visit us online at:http://www2.kumc.edu/publications/inthecenter/
7
KU Med employeesurvey
There’s still time for hospital
employees to fill out employee
surveys.
Time slots still available in the
OB/GYN conference room, 5003
Hospital are:
• Nov. 8, 9-11 p.m.
• Nov. 9, 6-8 a.m., 4-6 p.m. and
9-11 p.m.
• Nov. 13, 6-8 a.m. and 9-11 p.m.
• Nov. 15, 9-11 p.m.
• Nov. 16, 6-8 a.m.
Time slots available in the
Boley conference room,
1603 Hospital (in lab dept.), are:
• Nov. 8, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Nov. 9, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Nov. 16, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Security dayOn Nov. 15 and 16, a display
table will be set up in the hallway
outside of Employee Health to
remind employees to safeguard
patient data and other sensitive
information. The theme of this
year’s Security Day is “Computer
Security – A Shared Responsibility.”
Some of the areas that will be
highlighted are appropriate Internet
and e-mail usage, privacy and pass-
word tips.
Gwen Pierce, security adminis-
trator from Hospital Information
Systems, will be on hand to provide
information and to answer any
questions you might have.
A similar display will be held at
KU MedWest, 7405 Renner Rd.,
Shawnee, Kan. on Nov. 13 from
7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
ReminderIn the event of a disaster,
KUMC may be expected to provide
services to the community. Both the
hospital and the University Human
Resources departments maintain a
roster of all employees, faculty and
staff.
It is important that the informa-
tion used for this list be as up-to-
date and accurate as possible.
If you have moved recently or
changed your home phone number,
please provide your Human
Resources department with the new
address and/or phone number as
soon as possible.
Quiz winnersCongratulations to the winners
of last month’s nutrition quiz from
the Food and Nutrition department.
The correct answers are:
1. Which vitamin enhances
iron absorption?
Vitamin C
2. Moderate consumption of
red wine has healthful benefits
such as raising your HDL (good
cholesterol). Moderate consump-
tion is one serving per day for
women and two servings per day
for men. What amount is consid-
ered one serving of wine?
5 ounces
3. Lycopene is a photochemi-
cal present in certain foods that
may reduce a man’s risk of devel-
oping prostate cancer. Which of
the following is the best source of
lycopene?
Tomatoes
First prize of a $10 cafeteria
meal pass goes to Meredith
Crenshaw, clinical student. Bea
Coleton, Internal Medicine, won a
$5 meal pass, and Jan Kruse, RN,
Nursing Central, claims a $2 meal
pass. There were 42 winners who
are eligible for a grand prize draw-
ing to be held next year. Please e-
mail ckaleeka to claim your prize.
Automotive:2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo, bur-gundy w/taupe leather interior, automatic4-wheel drive, cruise control, AM/FM/CDpremium sound system, dual power seats,theft control system, keyless entry, powerheated mirrors, fog lights, 43K miles,clean, $21,000. 913-906-0726.
1984 Nissan Sentra, rough but runs well,starts every day, dependable, heater worksgreat, excellent gas mileage, $500 OBO.913-262-2166.
1999 Mercury Grand Marquis 99 LS,white, fully equipped, alloy wheels, leatherseats, $15,900. 913-722-0702.
2001 Ford F-150 XLT Supercab 2WD, 13Kmiles, auto, 4.6L V8, CD, pw, ps, pb, pl,ABS, airbags, A/C, keyless entry, askinglease buyout of $20,000. 913-206-0403.
1997 C230 Mercedes-Benz, black, beigeinterior, auto, leather, heated seats, tractioncontrol, 6-CD changer, power moonroof,all avail. options, 54K miles, flawless,must sell, priced at loan value, $16,700.816-415-8511.
For Rent:2 BD, 1.5 BA Lenexa townhouse, off-streetparking, w/d hookup, w/o basement, no pets,nonsmoker, $650/month. 913-441-8560.
For Sale:3 BR home in an excellent location onCountry Club Terrace in Lawrence, Kan.Ranch-style with LR, DR, den, 1.5 BA, 2-car garage, excellent condition with newcarpets. Call 785-841-4513 or 785-843-0029.
3204 Francis St. Very close to KU Med, 2BD, 1 BA, newer furnace, c/a, roof andgutters, hardwood floors, great colors,washer hookup, fridge stays, cheaper thanrent and you can walk to work, $59,900.Katie at 913-709-8343.
2926 Campbell. Updated 2-story, 3 BR, 1.5BA, hrdwd, 3-car gar, fncd, deck, securitysys, satellite, $120,000. 816-547-4338.
White Jeans 14-stitch sewing machine,very good condition, new $240, yours for
3901 RAINBOW BOULEVARD • KANSAS CITY, KS 66160 • (913) 588-5000 • WWW.KUMC.EDU
CLASSIFIEDS, ETC.c o m i n g
u pFriday, November 9• Kidney screening, 8 a.m.-noon
and 1-4 p.m., KU DialysisCenter.
• Community flu shots,8 a.m-1 p.m., KU MedWestcommunity room, 7405 RennerRd., Shawnee, Kan.
Saturday, November 10• Free Medical Arts Symphony
concert, 8 p.m., BattenfeldAuditorium.
Monday, November 12• Veterans Day holiday
• Family resources program,“Sharing the Holidays withYoung Children,” 6:30-8 p.m.,KU MedWest, 7405 Renner Rd.,Shawnee, Kan.
Tuesday, November 13• Music at the Med Series,
Kathryn Koscho, pianist, noon,Battenfeld Auditorium.
Wednesday, November 14• KUMC Interfaith, noon-1 p.m.,
2023 Wescoe.
• Anxiety education meeting, 4-5 p.m., Adult OutpatientPsychiatry Clinic.
Thursday, November 15• Burn patient family support
group, 6-7 p.m., Burnett BurnCenter waiting room.
CLASSIFIEDS, ETC.
Irene M. Cumming Donald Hagen, MDPresident and Executive Vice ChancellorChief Executive Officer University of KansasKU Med Medical Center
Toni Wills, Editor
Jan Lewis, Senior Writer
Tiffany Mahaffey, Writer
P. Fowler, Designer
Mary King, Communications ManagerIn The Center is a weekly employee publication ofthe KU Med Public Relations Department. Sendstory ideas to Toni Wills, G114 Hospital or e-mailtwills2 or call 8-1846.
Ad Policy - Send or bring your ad to G114 KUMed, or fax to 8-1225, or e-mail twills2 by noonThursday of the week before it is to run. Ads run freeof charge for employees, students and volunteers.All ads requested must include the advertiser’sname and work extension (or student box number)for verification. Only home phone numbers–nopager numbers or work extensions–will be pub-lished. Please include area code. No ads for com-mercial services or pets for sale will be accepted.Ads will not be taken by telephone. Ads may beheld a week if space is limited.
$120. 816-746-1216.
Micron PC, PIII 750 Mhz, 256 MB ofRAM, 30 GB HD, 32 MB video cardw/video in and out, Ethernet adapter, CD-ROM, 2-year warranty, $600. Arsen at785-841-4634 or Elza at 816-746-1216.
Bedroom suite: dresser with mirror, chestof drawers, queen headboard and night-stand, two lamps, all match and are in mintcondition, $350; full-size bed (frame, mat-tress, boxsprings) with brass headboard,$75. Michael at 816-941-4767.
Wanted:Portable pet carrier/crate for larger dog.Debbie or Brian at 913-652-6911.
Got stories?If you have a
story idea,
question or
comment, call
the In the Center hotline at 8-1454.