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.