UWMC AP Conferences: Click here for information on Anatomic Pathology conferences.

Pathology Seminars: A list of seminars can be found on the Department of Pathology website.

UW Calendar
Looking for a campus calendar of events and don't know where to go? Check out the UW Calendar,
a fully customizable, web based calendar program that lists campus events, lectures, seminars and conferences.

SLU Website
Please visit the UW Medicine South Lake Union Campus website for information on news and events from the Brotman Building.

Faculty Appointments and Promotions

Jason Bielas, Ph.D., was appointed Acting Instructor with the Department of Pathology, effective September 15, 2006. Dr. Bielas' appointment was unanimously recommended by the Department's Appointments and Promotions Committee.

Jason, pictured left with Larry Loeb, received his Ph.D. in 2003 in Biology from York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He has been a postdoc in Dr. Loeb's laboratory for the past three years. Dr. Bielas' research is focused on mutations in human cancer. He has developed an extremely important assay for measuring mutations in human cancer.

Science on Tap

Looking for an informal environment to discuss science with like-minded people while enjoying an adult beverage? Science on Tap is the place for you. Once a month Science on Tap explores the latest ideas in science and technology in a relaxed and spirited atmosphere, making science more accessible for anyone interested.

The monthly Science on Tap meetings take place the last Monday of the month at the Ravenna Third Place Bookstore in Seattle at the corner of 20th Ave NE and NE 65th Street. Free parking is available. Please visit the Science on Tap website for more information.

2006/2007 Resident Didactic Lecture Series
Below is the tentative schedule for the 2006/2007 Resident Didactic Lecture Series: Mechanisms of Disease: A Case-Oriented Introduction to the Study of Human Diseases

All talks are Tuesdays starting at 8:00 AM in the UWMC, NE-110 Conference Room. Check the Pathology website regurarly for lecture titles.

2006
October 10: Charlie Alpers, M.D., Professor
November 14: Nancy Kiviat, M.D., Professor
December 12: Bob Hevner, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor

2007
January 9: George Martin, M.D., Professor Emeritus
February 13: Nelson Fausto, M.D., Professor and Chair
March 13: Larry True, M.D., Professor
April 10: Melissa Upton, M.D., Associate Professor
May 8: Ray Monnat, M.D., Professor
June 12: Tom Montine, M.D., Ph.D., Professor

New Copy Center
As of September 1st all Health Sciences Center and UWMC print services have been consolidated into a single service center located in Room NW-079 of the hospital. Please read this memo regarding the new Copy Center and the services available.

Dawg Dash
The 21st Annual Dawg Dash 5K and 10K Road Race is Sunday, October 22nd this year. Please visit the Dawg Dash website to register. The race kicks off Homecoming Week festivities on campus and is presented by the UW Alumni Association.

Employee of the Quarter Nominations
In an effort to better recognize the outstanding achievements of our colleagues, the Department of Pathology introduced the Employee of the Quarter Award last fall. At the completion of each academic quarter, the Employee Recognition Team will review the nominations and select a winner to be announced at a formal recognition ceremony. Winners will receive a $100 gift certificate from the University Bookstore. The Department will also provide catering for the recognition ceremony.

All Department of Pathology classified and professional staff members are eligible to be nominated. Faculty, residents, post-docs, graduate students, and student assistants are not eligible, but are encouraged to submit nominations.

The deadline for the Summer 2006 Employee of the Quarter Award is October 15th. Past winners include Dianne Willis from HMC, Anthony Trotter from PCS, and Chiyen Miller from the EM Lab at UWMC.

Click here to submit your nomination for the Summer 2006 Employee of the Quarter.

Save the Dates
Dawg Daze Freshman Orientation The annual University of Washington Freshman Orientation is Tuesday, September 26th from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Numerous campus events are scheduled including UWMC activities hosted in the Health Sciences Center lobby and courtyard.

Hans Popper Hepatopathology Society Annual Meeting Please visit the conference website for more information and to register for the event.

2006 Department of Pathology Holiday Party Wednesday, December 13, 2006 from 3-5 pm at the South Campus Center, Portage Bay Room. All Department of Pathology employees are invited to attend.

2007 Dermatopathology Conference The 2007 Dermatopathology Conference is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, May 19, 2007 at the UWMC. Please watch this space for new conference information.

2007 Pathology Retreat August 24-25, 2007 at the Sleeping Lady in Leavenworth, Washington. All faculty, residents, post-docs, grad students, and selected staff members are invited to attend.

SLU Phase II Construction Update
Every month the Pathology Newsletter will feature photos of Phase II construction taken by Fiscal Operations Supervisor Cindy Lacer to keep you updated on progress the Brotman Building on 815 Mercer.

Cindy's upclose vantage point of the ongoing Phase II construction was never more evident than when her office was shattered by an unidentified flying object. Thankfully no one was hurt and the window will soon be replaced. After nearly a month of sluggish progress due to the concrete strike, construction activity has dramatically increased greatly with the recent settlement of the strike.

Friends of Denny Park
The Friends of Denny Park are working with The Berger Partnership on a plan to revitalize Seattle's oldest park: Denny Park. The immediate goal is to create a children's play space and a multigenerational gathering area. Come and make your voice heard about what future phases of development should encompass and share your ideas on how the play space and gathering area should be developed at one of the workshops listed below.

SEPTEMBER 21 - Spruce Street School, 914 Virginia St, 6-8pm
NOVEMBER 16 - Denny Park Lutheran Church, 766 John St, 6-8pm

Please visit the Friends of Deny Park website for more information about the project.

Lake Union Water Taxi
Looking for a new way to get to the University, Fremont or South Lake Union? Have lunch on the lake? Impress someone special? Try a water taxi.

The Lake Union Water Taxi currently operates like a taxi; you call them up to schedule a ride. Current rate is $5/person one-way. They also do tours for $17/person. Visit the Lake Union Water Taxi website for more information.

Cigarette Companies Raise Nicotine Levels
According to a new study nicotine levels in most cigarettes rose an average of almost 10 percent from 1998 to 2004. Nicotine levels in brands targetting minorities and youth increasesed nearly 30 percent. Read the Washington Post article for more details about this controversial approach to increasing market share of their product.

UWMC to Help Patients Understand Billing
In response to a class action lawsuit, UWMC will implement measures to provide patients with a better understanding of the charges for services they receive to help estimate expenses. Read the UW News and Information article for more details.

Research Funding at UW Declines
Funding for research at UW has declined for the first time in twenty years. The Seattle Times recently chronicled this disturbing trend.

President Emmert Discusses Education Priorities
President Emmert visited China this summer and came back with some interesting thoughts about the state of eduction in America and in Washington state. Click here to read more about President Emmert's strong opinions on investing in education.

Visa Process and Congress
The Puget Sound Business Journal recently published two pieces about the current visa climate and how restrictions are adversely impacting the local economy and limiting education opportunities and what Congress should do to improve the H-1B visa program.

Area Hospital Construction Surges
According to the Puget Sound Business Journal Washington state is experincing a boom in hospital construction to keep up with increasing demand from our aging and growing population. Visit the Puget Sound Business Journal website for details.

UW Purchases Safeco Tower
The following message is from President Emmert regarding the purchase of Safeco Tower in the Univesity District to consolidate university operations, programs and administrative offices.

Many of you likely have seen the news that the University has successfully negotiated the purchase of the Safeco property in the University District. I want to take this opportunity to tell you briefly about this landmark transaction.

A chief outcome of the purchase will be more available space on campus for teaching and research as administrative units are relocated to the Safeco building. The purchase also will enable the University to consolidate in the University District programs and operations that currently are scattered in leased space throughout the city, bringing these activities in much closer proximity to the University.

The purchase includes the prominent Safeco Tower plus three adjacent low-rise buildings totaling 510,546 square feet, two parking garages with 727 stalls, a residential building with 29 units, and two surface parking lots. The University will purchase the property for $130 million, financed by debt the University will issue. Money the University is currently paying for rent will instead be applied to servicing the debt. Safeco will lease back the property through December 2007, when it will move downtown. University units will begin moving into the property in early 2008.

The University currently leases 1.2 million square feet of space throughout the city. Over time, as the cost of rent increases, moving units into an office building it owns will result in considerable cost savings to the University. Moreover, the purchase allows the University to acquire space in the University District at a cost significantly lower than new construction on or near campus. From a financial perspective, this transaction simply makes great sense.

Purchasing the Safeco property is a unique opportunity for the University, and it will have beneficial impacts on our programs and people for generations to come.

Sincerely,

Mark A. Emmert
President

Retreat Recap
The annual Department of Pathology Retreat took place September 15-16 at the Sleeping Lady Conference Retreat Center in Leavenworth. Nearly 130 faculty members, grad students, post-docs and residents attended the retreat. Nelson Fausto, Professor and Chair of the Department of Pathology, was the Retreat faculty sponsor this year. Dr. Fausto put together an impressive line up of speakers whose presentations ranged from cancer and stem cell research to clinical applications of current research.

Dr. Eric Schadt, Senior Scientific Director of Genetics at Rosetta/Merck Research Lab delivered a mind boggling keynote address about a systems biology approach to dissecting disease, eliciting a wide range of opinions from retreat attendees.

Congratulations to all the participants and winners of the traditional retreat poster contest. Over 40 posters were submitted in three different categories. The winners are listed below:

Grad Student Category
1st Place: Marc Vermulst
2nd Place: Paul Keire
3rd Place: Ingrid Harten
Post Doc/Fellow Category
1st Place: Nancy Linford
2nd Place: Fredrik Johannson
3rd Place: Al Aplin

Resident/Other Category
1st Place: Dirk Keene
2nd Place: Camille Allen
3rd Place: no entrant selected

Please visit the Retreat photo gallery to view pictures of the big event.

Community Service: Melissa Upton
Dr. Melissa P. Upton, Associate Director of Anatomic Pathology and Director of the GI and Liver Pathology Service served as a clinical mentor for the 2006 Summer Medical Dental Education Program of the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Barrie La'Ron Buey, a third year undergraduate college student at Howard University, who is a Biology major hoping to attend medical school, was assigned to shadow Dr. Upton in hospital practice of pathology for four Thursday mornings. Barrie had opportunities for experiences in GI and Liver pathology signout, liver tumor board, GI Conjoint conference, frozen section/intraoperative consultations, surgical gross room, histology, cytogenetics and general surgical pathology.

Special thanks are also due to Dan Luff, Pathology Assistant and supervisor of the Gross Room, Dr. Thomas Norwood of cytogenetics, and to the residents and fellows in pathology, who graciously shared their insights and experiences with Barrie during his mornings in Anatomic Pathology. In addition, Dr. Upton attended a dinner for all participants in the program and had a chance to discuss pathology as a career choice with a number of SMDEP students.

Award-Winning Faculty
Congratulations to Morayma Reyes, M.D., Ph.D., for being selected as the University of Washington's ninth recipient of the Marian E. Smith Junior Faculty Research Award. The $25,000 award is presented annually to an outstanding junior faculty member whose research holds the promise of attracting additional outside funding. Dr. Reyes was also recently promoted to Assistant Professor with the Department of Pathology.

Resident Appointment
Erin Grimm (R2) was recently selected to the Institutional Resident/Fellow Advisory Committee (IRFAC) for 2006-2007. IRFAC is responsible for the development and implementation of the various policies related to residency and fellowship programs at UW.

Resident Pool Party
The residents, fellows and faculty gathered under a perfect sunny sky on Sunday, August 27 for the annual pool party. It is a wonderful opportunity for the new staff and their families to get to know everyone they will be working with for the next four or five years. This is the third year that Dr. Jim Fine, Chair for Laboratory Medicine, and Dr. Mary Fine, internist at Fircrest, have hosted this summertime get-together. With a big pool to splash around in and lots of places to chat over burgers and dogs, we really thank them for their generous hospitality.

Grad Student Retreat
The annual Fall Graduate Student Retreat was held on September 21st at the Crow's Nest in the South Campus Center. Graduate Program Director Dan Bowen-Pope moderated scientific presenations by Bethany Cool, Richard Fox, Paul Keire, Tom Nhan, and Will Driscoll. Each presenter had ten minutes to discuss their research followed by five minutes of intenses questioning. Pictured is Will Driscoll responding to questions and advice for his presentation. Following the presentations, the grad students and several grad program faculty members headed off on a three hour tour of Lake Union in Duffy Electric Boats.

Following the Retreat, Graduate Program Coordinator Kathy Hobson was also honored for twenty years of service with the University of Washington. Pictured with Kathy are Program Director Dan Bowen-Pope and Academic Programs Manager Michelle Rickard.

Spring 2006 Employee of the Quarter: Chiyen Miller
In honor and recognition of her outstanding supervision of the EM Lab, Chiyen Miller was selected as the Department of Pathology Spring 2006 Employee of the Quarter. Chiyen's nomination by Dr. Roberto Nicosia acknowledged her proactive supervision of the EM Lab retrofit, including her involement in the selection of a new digiatl electron microscope. Chiyen also met and exceeded the needs and expectations of the renal pathology group, consistently providing excellent and responsive services and leadership. An award ceremony for Chiyen is being scheduled for October. Congratulations Chiyen.

Employee Milestones

Tony Saulawicz 30 years with the University of Washington

JP Paredes 15 years with the Schwartz Lab

New UW HR Newsletter
Learn more about the array of benefits available to you and register for upcoming events and seminars in the latest edition of the Benefits and WorkLife newsletter. The format allows you to easily print and share information on upcoming events, seminars and special offers with coworkers and family members. For more information please visit the Benefits and Worklife website.

New Parking Guidelines
The new Parking Guides are now available online at the UW Parking and Transportation website.

Fremont Bridge Approaches Replacement Project
Please visit the Fremont Bridge Approaches website for details on the bridge closures and how it may impact your communte. The site also features construction updates, alternative route information, and now a live web cam.

Seattle Transit Tunnel
For construction updates on the Seattle Transit Tunnel and how it may impact your commute, please visit the Seattle Transit Tunnel website.

Sound Transit Light Rail
For updates on the Sound Transit Light Rail project, including the University Station, go to the Sound Transit Light Rail Project website.

There is no Budget/Finance news to report this month.

Tech Request Reminder
Just a friendly reminder that to receive assistance from the Pathology Computer Support (PCS) team, you must first submit a tech request. Unfortunately, over the past few months the PCS team has received an increasing amount of phone and in person requests. These types of requests adversely impact their ability to provide professional technical assistance.

The PCS team is happy to help us, but they need our help first. The online tech request system allows the PCS team to better allocate personnel, matching skill set and technical expertise with each individual request which saves invaluable PCS resources and time. Submitting an online tech request also provides the PCS team with the ability to track the progress of your request and to identify problem areas of service.

Click here to submit a tech request or go to or from MyPath (mypath.pathology.washington.edu) click on the Computer Support tab. If your computer is not working, please ask a colleague if you can submit a tech request from their workstation.

A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary clinic. As she lay her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest. After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said, "I'm so sorry, Cuddles has passed away." The distressed owner wailed, "Are you sure? "Yes, I am sure. The duck is dead," he replied. "How can you be so sure," she protested. "I mean, you haven't done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something." The vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the room. He returned a few moments later with a black Labrador Retriever. As the duck's owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the duck from top to bottom. He then looked at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head. The vet patted the dog and took it out, and returned a few moments later with a beautiful cat. The cat jumped up on the table and also sniffed delicately at the bird. The cat sat back on its haunches, shook its head, meowed softly and strolled out of the room. The vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck." Then the vet turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill which he handed to the woman. The duck's owner, still in shock, took the bill. "$150!", she cried, "$150 just to tell me my duck is dead?!" The vet shrugged. "I'm sorry. If you'd taken my word for it, the bill would have been $20, but what with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan ...."