Accomplishments
September 2002
Professor of pediatrics Young Chang Kim, M.D., from South Korea, joins COM faculty as the first participant in a medical scholar exchange agreement with Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine in Seoul.
SRPH adds a national Center for Ergonomic Studies.
October 2002
Enrique Ruelas, M.D., deputy minister of health of Mexico, gives ninth annual Ibarra Lectureship in International Health at the SRPH-Scott & White-sponsored event, then signs an agreement on border health issues with Nancy W. Dickey, M.D., HSC president.
November 2002
HSC fills a new position in homeland security. Lieutenant General Paul K. Carlton, Jr., M.D., formerly surgeon general of the U.S. Air Force and now the director of homeland security for the A&M Health Science Center, is addressing homeland security issues related to human health.
In the November 18, 2002, issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Eric Brown, Ph.D., IBT assistant professor, shows how the MHC class II analog protein interferes with the function of T cells, which appears to promote the persistence and survival of Staphylococcus aureus in infected mice.
December 2002
Construction begins on a 23,000-square-foot facility for the South Texas Center in McAllen.
Laura Smith, J.D., is named vice president for governmental affairs for the HSC. She oversees the HSC's interaction with the Texas Legislature and the HSC's federal initiatives.
A&M Health Science Center president Nancy W. Dickey, M.D., creates the President's Student Advisory Board. The board provides a direct liaison between the student body and president, to advise and assist the president on student-related issues and to share information and ideas among students.
January 2003
Ceremony and ribbon cutting officially opens the A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine Education Center at Scott & White at the COM campus in Temple.
CBHEC holds its first Future Nurses Club Conference in an effort to recruit more students into the nursing profession.
A&M Health Science Center receives full accreditation for 10 years from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Christopher C. Colenda, M.D., M.P.H., assumes post of dean of the College of Medicine.
IBT joins Mission Connect, a collaboration focused on using basic and clinical research to reverse the consequences of brain and spinal cord injuries.
BCD's Tobacco Intervention and Education Clinic opens to aid individuals in quitting the use of tobacco products. BCD is the only dental school in Texas with a clinic devoted to tobacco cessation.
February 2003
More than 150 children receive free dental treatment from more than 160 BCD faculty, staff, and students who volunteered for the college's Children's Dental Health Day.
Nancy W. Dickey, M.D., president of the A&M Health Science Center and vice chancellor for health affairs for the A&M System, serves as Family Physician of the Day at the 78th Texas Legislature.
March 2003
COM holds Fourth Annual Open House at the College Station campus.
SRPH hosts first Texas Training Initiative for Emergency Response to train those involved in bioterrorism planning.
April 2003
SRPH celebrates its fifth anniversary.
James R. West, Ph.D., is named the first distinguished professor for the A&M Health Science Center. Dr. West is a world-renowned expert on fetal alcohol syndrome.
The Texas Department of Public Health recognizes COM students for their Health Circus program.
In a report published in the journal Birth Defects Research, IBT Director Richard Finnell, Ph.D., says vitamins give clues to preventing birth defects.
May 2003
Special Olympics Special Smiles is a rousing success for athletes and volunteers alike when BCD sponsors the event for the fourth year.
The HSC debuts its new website, featuring a new look, updated information, and many new features, including improved search functions, a news archive, and a photo gallery.
IBT center director Stephen H. Safe, Ph.D., is presented with Spirit of Innovation Award for Research Support by the Texas A&M University System Technology Licensing Office.
June 2003
A&M Health Science Center establishes Rural and Community Health Institute.
BCD's International Oral Lichen Planus Support Group's web site logs its 100,000th visitor since the site's launch in 1997. Lichen planus is a chronic disease that can appear in the mouth and on the skin.
July 2003
IBT center director Robert D. Wells, Ph.D., becomes the 88th president of the American Societies for Experimental Biology.
August 2003
IBT researcher Kishore Wary, Ph.D., identifies set of 11 genes associated with the processes of angiogenesis (the formation and differentiation of blood vessels).
SRPH and Texas A&M's College of Veterinary Medicine sign an agreement that allows students to obtain both a bachelor's degree in biomedical science and a master of public health degree in five years.
BCD replaces all dental chairs and completes renovations on its preclinical laboratory and several clinics.
David S. Carlson, Ph.D., regents professor and associate dean for research and advanced education at BCD, is appointed vice president for research and graduate studies at the A&M Health Science Center.
