University of Washington School of Medicine
Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center
Department of Pediatrics Newsletter

DATE : 2005-10-07


ITEMS COVERED IN THIS NEWSLETTER:

Important Dates
Fall Faculty Meeting: Oct. 17, 5:30pm
Thank you for Intern Retreat Coverage
Faculty News


Important Dates

Monday, October 17, 5:30pm Sound Caf: Fall Faculty Meeting. 5:30-6:00 PM buffet dinner; 6:00-8:00 PM program

November 1, 2005. Deadline for nominations to Western Society for Pediatric Research.

September 1, 2005- December 1, 2005 8:00 p.m. EST: Starting Thursday, September 1, 2005, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will begin accepting applications for its five Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs). All applications for 2006 awards must be submitted online by 8:00 p.m. EST, December 1, 2005. For an online application, program information, or other assistance, visit the LRP Web site at www.lrp.nih.gov, telephone the Helpline at 866-849-4047, or send email inquiries to lrp@nih.gov.

Fall Faculty Meeting

October 17, 5:30 PM Sound Caf: Fall Faculty Meeting. Dean Ramsey will be visiting with faculty and answering questions about the UW School of Medicine. (Sound Caf: 5:30-6:00 PM buffet dinner; 6:00-8:00 PM program). Please submit to Dr. Stapleton any questions that you would like to present to Dr. Ramsey. The Dean will also be accepting questions at the meeting.

Thank you for Intern Retreat Coverage

The following individuals’ efforts to support our residency program are gratefully acknowledged:

Kym Ahrens
Maneesh Batra
Tell Bennett
Scott Borenstein
Michael Boyer
Alison Brooks
Julie Brown
Jill Brubaker
Pamela Statler Chapman
Brian Coleman
Rachel Courtney
Michael Cunningham
Mark DelBeccaro
Scott Diede
Lin Di Gennaro
Matt Eisenberg
Jake Garcia
Chris Gleason
Oscar Gomez
Richard Gould
Mark Grubb
Janie Hallstrand
Kristen Hayward
Carrie Heike
Tracy Hentz
Ann Hing
Shane Hoffman
Howard Jeffries
Tracy Thomas Kelly
Mary King
Cathy Kinyoun
Rhonda Levitt
David Loren
Robert Mazor
Susannah McNeill
Jason Mendoza
Ann Melvin
Darren Migita
Kathy Mooney
Kyle Nagle
Suzinne Pak-Gorstein
Julie Park
Kathy Park
Angela Peck
Tom Pendergrass
Ari Pollack
Linda Quan
Hal Quinn
Amanda Rappaport
Lelach Rave
Jennifer Reid
Sarah Ringold
Rob Roskin
Sheela Sathyanarayana
Marna Schwartz
Elena Shephard
Lorena Shih
Andrea Smith
Jodi Smith
Sherilyn Smith
Susan Spiller
Kimberly Stone
Glen Tamura
Beth Tarini
Monica Thakar
Howard Uman
Cor Van Niel
Scott Weissman
Kristin Welch
Josh Weldin
Julie Wen
Jessica Wright

Faculty News

Harlan R. Gephart, MD, Clinical Professor, was Visiting Professor at the University of Indiana, September 28th, and gave the Grand Rounds lecture on ADHD at Riley Children's Hospital, Indianapolis.

Chance and Hannibal Discover Gene Mutations Associated with HNA:

Two UW researchers are part of an international team that has discovered gene mutations associated with a type of severe pain and weakness syndrome known as hereditary neuralgic amyotrophy (HNA).

Phillip Chance, chief of the Division of Genetics and Developmental Medicine, and Mark Hannibal, assistant professor, were lead authors in a study to find the specific gene responsible for HNA. Twenty-seven medical scientists in universities in Germany, Belgium, the United States, Finland, and Spain participated in the study, which appears in the Sept. 25 edition of Nature Genetics.

No treatment is known for the condition, which short-circuits a peripheral nerve center called the brachial plexus, a network of more than 100,000 nerves that branches from the spinal cord to supply muscular function and sensation to the shoulders, arms, and hands.

By studying several multigenerational families who had relatives with HNA, the researchers identified mutations in a gene named septin-9, known as SEPT9. Cells from a variety of life forms, from yeast to humans, contain septins. Septins form protein filaments that provide the internal scaffolding of cells, and play key roles in the process by which cells divide. HNA is the first genetic disease found to be caused by a mutation in a gene of the septin family.

PUBLICATIONS

Congratulations to Sandy Watkins, MD, on her recent publication:

*Please let us know of your latest publications, awards, and honors by emailing Brooke Freed (brooke.freed@seattlechildrens.org).