kumc kidney researcher wins international prize
TRANSCRIPT
Apioneer in the research of
polycystic kidney disease
(PKD) at the University of Kansas
Medical Center has received an
international honor. Jared
Grantham, MD, University
Distinguished Professor and direc-
tor of the Kidney Institute, has been
awarded the inaugural Lillian Jean
Kaplan International Prize for
Advancement in the Understanding
of Polycystic Kidney Disease.
Grantham will receive the
$50,000 prize, one of the most sig-
nificant in the medical research
field, on June 9 at the International
Society of Nephrology World
Congress in Berlin, Germany.
PKD is the most common of all
life-threatening genetic diseases,
affecting 600,000 Americans and
12.5 million people worldwide. It is
more common than cystic fibrosis,
muscular dystrophy, hemophilia,
Down’s syndrome and sickle cell
anemia combined. There is no
known cure or treatment for PKD.
A normal kidney is the size of a
human fist. However, with PKD, cysts
develop in both kidneys. There may
be just a few cysts or many, and the
cysts may range in size from a pin-
head to a grapefruit. When many cysts
develop, the kidneys can grow to be
the size of a football or larger and
weigh as much as 38 pounds each.
Grantham established the PKD
Foundation in Kansas City in 1982
with businessman Joseph Bruening,
whose wife had the disease. He
remained an officer with the foun-
dation until 1998. The PKD
Foundation provides nearly $2.5
million in research funding through-
out the United States.
“I am honored and humbled
that an international panel of scien-
tists has chosen me as one of its
first recipients of this prestigious
award,” said Grantham. “I think it
is a particularly important event for
the University of Kansas Medical
Center, as the PKD research move-
ment, now involving hundreds of
scientists worldwide, began on this
campus in the late 1970s.”
Thomas Kaplan of Paris, France,
established the Lillian Jean Kaplan
International Prize, in honor of his late
mother who died of the disease. The
prize, to be awarded every other year
after 2003, was created to stimulate
interest in advancing research that can
lead to new treatments and a cure for
PKD. The International Society of
Nephrology and the PKD Foundation
sponsor the prize.
“The impact of Dr. Grantham’s
research on the lives of thousands of
people around the world is immense,”
said Donald Hagen, MD, KUMC
executive vice chancellor. “He has
brought honor to his profession and the
University of Kansas. Thanks to his
work, NIH grants have been awarded
to construct new offices and labs for
the Kidney Institute here. These facili-
ties should be ready this summer.”
Page 2 Food Service Changes
Page 3 KU First FamilyTime & Attendance
Pages 4-5 Front & Center
Page 6 Stroke Survivors
Page 7 What’s News
Page 8 Classifieds, etc.
KUMC Kidney Researcher Wins International Prize
The University of Kansas Medical Center
15 MAY 2003 • VOLUME 5 • NUMBER 20
Inside
Jared Grantham, MD, PKD pioneer
Have you noticed all the new
improvements in the cafeteria?
New carpeting, booths, tables
and chairs, fresh paint and artwork
on the walls and a new coffee bar –
all are making the cafeteria a more
inviting and relaxing place for
patients, their families, visitors,
employees and staff.
But the changes don’t stop there.
In addition to the physical
improvements, employees can look
for faster service, checkout lines
that move more quickly, more food
variety and other changes that add
up to better and more consistent
customer service.
Those are some of the plans
Andrew Stonestreet brings to his
new position as director of Dietary
and Nutrition Services.
Stonestreet, a native of Kansas
City, recently returned to the area
with his wife and three children
from Oklahoma City, Okla., where
he served as food service director for
the Oklahoma University Medical
Center. He has more than 30 years of
experience in food service.
“We’re a service department,”
Stonestreet emphasized. “We sup-
port nurses’ efforts at bedsides by
providing patients with more than
165 menu items from which to
choose. We also provide staff, fami-
ly members and guests a place to
get away and relax from the stresses
of the day.”
Stonestreet wants to focus on
creativity and increased variety in
food choices. He also plans to
improve signage, reduce congestion
and enhance the overall customer
service experience.
“You’ll see me at the front door
of the cafeteria at breakfast, lunch
and dinner,” Stonestreet said. “I
want to meet people and find out
their needs.”
He’ll also be on the units talk-
ing to nurses and patients about
how to improve food services. And
he welcomes customer comments.
To offer your suggestions or com-
ments, e-mail Stonestreet at
New Dietary and Nutrition Services DirectorStresses Customer Service
Kansas Congressman Dennis Moore’s office is looking for volunteers to
go door to door in Wyandotte County areas affected by the tornado to identi-
fy people in need. These volunteers will work May 20-22, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Volunteers are also needed for Saturday cleanup crews. If you would like to
help, please contact Paul Davidson at 913-621-0832.
Volunteers Needed for Disaster Relief
Andrew Stonestreet, director ofDietary and Nutrition Services.
2
3
Ask Mary Luder, BSN, what
she does at KUMC and you’ll get
several answers. She’s a labor and
delivery nurse and mother/baby
nurse at KU Med, where she also
teaches childbirth classes. She’s a
graduate teaching assistant in the
School of Nursing’s skills lab, and
she’s a student in the family nurse
practitioner program in the SoN.
As both a teacher and a student,
Mary’s ties to the school are strong.
That’s why she has made several
gifts to the SoN, where she received
her bachelor’s degree in 1993.
“My nursing degree changed
my life,” Luder said. “It put me in a
new income bracket and gave me a
rewarding career. I feel it’s impor-
tant to give back to the place that
has given you a better life.”
Her gift counts toward the $500
million goal of KU First: Invest in
Excellence, the largest fund-raising
campaign in KU history.
KU Endowment is conducting
KU First on behalf of KU and
KU Med through 2004 to raise funds
for scholarships, fellowships, profes-
sorships, capital projects and
program support for the university,
and capital projects, program support
and patient services for the hospital.
KU First Family CampaignStrong Ties to SoN Prompt Gift
New Time and Attendance System GoesLiveKU Med’s switch to a new
computer-based time and atten-
dance system for hourly employees
officially took place at 7 a.m.,
Sunday, May 11.
To use the new system, most
employees slide their ID badges
through time clocks in their depart-
ments. Step-by-step instructions are
posted by each time clock. About
70 employees who don’t have
access to time clocks use a comput-
er-entry method.
“After just a few days, the sys-
tem is working very well,” said Bill
Marting, vice president, Financial
Operations. “Whether employees
use a time clock or a computer to
clock in and out, it’s important they
remember to consistently and cor-
rectly use the system. This ensures
they will be properly paid for the
hours they’ve worked.”
The system automatically
deducts a half-hour meal break dur-
ing every shift of at least six hours.
Employees don’t need to clock in
and out for their meal breaks unless
they last for more than a half-hour
or employees leave the hospital,
KU Medical Center campus or
other off-campus work facility.
If employees have supervisor
permission to not take a meal break,
they should use the “No lunch”
option on the time clock. This
should be entered at the end of their
shifts by pressing the “No lunch”
option and sliding their ID badges
through the slot. Then they should
slide their ID badges again to end
their shifts. Employees using the
computer-entry method should
check the box that cancels all meal
deductions for the day.
Any KU Med employees who
have questions about the new time
and attendance system, should talk
to their department managers.
Dwight Kasperbauer, (below)
KU Med vice president Human
Resources, greeted Barbara
Lessovitz, RN, nurse manager, Float
Pool, at the Olathe entrance, during
National Hospital Week.
KU Med employee Margaret Davis
(below right), Information Desk, was
welcomed to work Monday by
members of the executive team.
Greeters at the front door of the
hospital included Jon Jackson,
senior vice president System
Integration, Bob Page-Adams, sen-
ior vice president and chief
operating officer, and Tammy
Peterman, vice president of Patient
Care and chief nurse executive.
Flipping Over KU MedA Chris Cakes staffer (in Uncle Sam hat)
flips pancakes for KU Med employes at
a special recognition breakfast held
May 13 to celebrate National Hospital
Week. More than 1,500 pancakes were
served 6:30-9 a.m., along with
sausages and orange drink.
Skin Cancer AwarenessMay is Melanoma and Skin
Cancer Awareness Month.
Gwen DePriest (left) and
Traci Wilper of the Kansas
Cancer Institute recently
provided information on
melanoma and skin cancer
prevention at a table out-
side the cafeteria.
Employees received compli-
mentary sunscreen and
registered to win one of three gift packs that included “cover up” items such
as beach towels, sunscreen, T-shirts, sunglasses and more. The winners were
Beth Vandenberg, RN, Victoria Clark, Medical Records, and Peggy Steppig,
KU Med Human Resources.
4
Front & Center
National Hospital Week
Kisses for Charity The Hershey’s Kissmobile was on the
KUMC campus May 6 to raise aware-
ness and donations for the Children’s
Miracle Network and the University of
Kansas Medical Center. Austin Tilford
of Kansas City, Mo., (below left)
receives Hershey Kisses and a book
from chocolate ambassador Alisa Lowman (in costume). The Hershey
ambassdors later visited the KU Med Pediatrics Unit. The Kissmobile can store
nearly a ton of Hershey’s Kisses in its refrigerated compartment.
SoN NursingReception
The University of Kansas School of
Nursing recognized faculty and staff
during a reception May 12 in honor
of Florence Nightingale's birthday
and National Nurses' Week. Above
left, Rita Clifford, RN, PhD, associate
professor and associate dean for
Student Affairs, Yevette Harrell, RN,
clinical instructor, and Sharon
Kumm, RN, clinical assistant profes-
sor, enjoy food and conversation
during the reception.
Janet Wiglesworth (right), KU Med
volunteer, used one of the hospital’s
new Staxi Taxi wheelchairs to pick
up a patient. Staxi Taxis “stack” one
inside another like grocery carts to
save storage space. They are easy
to push and provide a smooth, com-
fortable ride for patients who weigh
up to 450 pounds. Three new wheel-
chairs were purchased for the
Volunteer Services Department
through the KUMC Auxiliary Projects
Fund. Events such as the fall bazaar
and the spring plant and bake sale
raise money for the Projects Fund.
KUMC Auxiliary Gift
5
6
A group of 33 stroke survivors
gather three times a week for a rig-
orous eight-week wellness and
fitness program in a small ground-
floor room in KUMC’s Delp
Building.
As they exercise, they work on
increasing their muscle tone, mobili-
ty, balance, strength and endurance.
They talk to one another about their
strokes. They vent their frustrations.
And together, they celebrate their
successes.
They also may be changing the
way science – and insurance com-
panies – view stroke survivors and
their recovery.
“Currently, stroke survivors
receive physical therapy up to six
months following a stroke,”
explained Denise Gobert, PhD,
assistant professor, Department of
Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation
Sciences. “After six months, insur-
ance payments stop. The current
theory is they have plateaued. They
are considered chronic stroke sur-
vivors, and they go into
maintenance mode.”
Gobert’s “Stroke Wellness and
Fitness Program,” a research study
funded by the American Stroke
Foundation, challenges that theory
by continuing to help stroke sur-
vivors – some who have had strokes
years before. The program creates a
customized exercise and fitness reg-
imen and provides a support system
that helps stroke survivors stick
with an exercise program for life.
In addition to seeing remark-
able physical improvements in
balance and mobility, Gobert
hopes the study will prove that an
on-going exercise regimen
decreases blood pressure and
reduces the risk of subsequent
strokes – a common occurrence
with stroke survivors.
“Stroke victims have a five to
10 percent chance of having another
stroke during the first year,” Gobert
said. “That percentage increases to
30 percent at five years.”
Gobert is also tracking a variety
of quality of life issues, including
depression.
“Depression is common among
stroke survivors,” Gobert said.
“Stroke often means loss of work
and independence. Stroke changes
everything for survivors, their fami-
lies and other caregivers. It can be
overwhelming.”
John Holmes, an active partici-
pant in the study since last August,
has survived five strokes, his last
one more than four
years ago. The for-
mer construction
superintendent, who
built his own house,
is now confined to a
wheelchair. But he
is not disheartened.
“When I came
into the program, it
took three therapists
to help me walk the
10-foot length of the parallel bars,”
Holmes said. “Now, I can do 22
laps back and forth with the help of
one therapist.”
Stroke Survivors Make Big Strideswith Long-Term Fitness Program
Maxine Kennard exercises twice aweek on the recumbent step machine.
Physical therapist Joe Foecking(left) assists Jim Bowden on theEquiTest machine that helps strokesurvivors develop balance andimprove mobility.
7
Visiting LecturerThe Distinguished Visiting
Scholar Lecture Series will present
“Food Frequency Questionnaires:
Design and Data Analysis”
Tuesday, May 20, noon-1 p.m.,
1050 School of Nursing.
The speaker will be Amy
Subar, PhD, Applied Research
Program, Division of Cancer
Control and Population Sciences,
National Cancer Institute (NCI).
Subar is widely known for her
work on dietary assessment, includ-
ing the use of food frequency
questionnaires in epidemiological
and behavioral research. She has
been at NCI for 12 years and serves
on the editorial board of the Journal
of the American Dietetic Association.
Lunch will be provided for the
first 35 attendees. Continuing med-
ical education credit is available.
Award WinnerKathy Davis, KU Med director
of Pediatric Education and Child
Life, received a “Reasons to
Believe” award from the Kansas
City, Kansas School District during
a celebration May 2 at Harmon
High School. The award recognized
12 outstanding community and
business leaders who are graduates
of the district’s schools.
Bereavement ExpertRev. Jennie Malewski,
KU Med staff chaplain for 14
years, has received designation
from the Association of Death
Education and Counseling
(ADEC) as “Certified in
Thanatology: Death, Dying and
Bereavement.” The certification is
awarded for demonstrating knowl-
edge of thanatology, documenting
professional and educational
achievements in the field, and ful-
filling prescribed standards
required for certification.
Malewski is the first board-certi-
fied chaplain in the Greater
Kansas City area to receive this
certification from ADEC.
Parkinson’s BenefitThe Parkinson Research
Center at KUMC will benefit
from “Race to Plant Cure 2003,” a
5K run/walk and one-mile family
fun walk, Sunday, May 16.
Proceeds from the event at
Corporate Woods in Overland
Park will be disbursed through the
Parkinson Foundation of the
Heartland. Race-day registration
is from 6:30-7:30 a.m., and the
race begins at 8 a.m. For more
information, contact Loretta
Jenkins at 8-6924.
Holmes is so happy with his
progress that he has recruited 25
fellow stroke survivors from the
study to participate as a team in the
American Stroke Foundation’s
“Walk on the Wild Side” Saturday,
May 17, at the Kansas City Zoo.
He and his teammates hope to
go the distance. But even if they
can’t complete the four-mile walk,
they are making giant strides in
their own recovery while helping
the American Stroke Foundation
provide services and programs to
other stroke survivors.
Gobert has pledged $1 for
every step Holmes makes. Holmes
says he’s up to the challenge and
hopes to make a large donation to
the foundation.
If you would like to make a
pledge, contact the American Stroke
Foundation at 913-649-1776.
Denise Gobert, PhD, (left) talks tofive-time stroke survivor John Holmesduring her “Stroke Wellness andFitness Program.”
Irene M. Cumming Donald Hagen, MDPresident and Executive Vice ChancellorChief Executive Officer University of KansasKU Med Medical Center
Barbara Jaekel, EditorVal Renault, Senior Writer
Kevin White, Senior Graphic DesignerJan Lewis, Editorial Manager
Mary King, Communications Services DirectorIn The Center is a weekly employee publication pub-lished by the KU Med Communications ServicesDepartment. Send story ideas to Barbara Jaekel, Bldg.48, Room 1070, or e-mail bjaekel or call 8-1074.Ad Policy - Send or bring your ad, 30 words or less, toBldg. 48, Room 1070, fax to 8-1063, or e-mail bjaekelby noon Thursday of the week before it is to run. Adsrun free of charge for employees, students and volun-teers. All ads must include the advertiser’s name andwork extension (or student box number) for verifica-tion. Only home phone numbers–no pager numbersor work extensions–will be published. Please includearea code. No ads for commercial services or pets forsale will be accepted. Ads will not be taken by tele-phone. Ads may be held a week if space is limited.
Friday, May 16• Neurology Grand Rounds,
“Provisionally Acute Spinal CordCompression,” Ram Venkatesh, MD,assistant professor, Neurology,8:30-9:30 a.m., 1563a hospital.
• Psychiatry Grand Rounds,“Depression in Parkinson’sDisease,” Sally Frutiger, PhD, 10:30 a.m.-noon, Sudler Auditorium.
Sunday, May 18• Commencement Ceremony,
2:30 p.m., Memorial Stadium,University of Kansas, Lawrence.
Tuesday, May 20• Distinguished Visiting Scholar
Lecture Series, “Food FrequencyQuestionnaires: Design and DataAnalysis,” Amy Subar, PhD, noon-1 p.m., 1050 School of Nursing.
Wednesday, May 21• KU Stroke Caregivers’ Support
Group, 6:30 p.m., Landon Center.
• Diabetes self-management classes,“Monitoring for the Future,” WanitaWalker, RN, 9 a.m., “ManagingYour Diabetes with Medications,”Jim Backes, PharmD, 10 a.m.,Room 1107, hospital.
• KUMC Credit Union picnic,11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., MurphyCourtyard.
Coming UpClassifieds, etc.
Automotive:1997 Jeep Cherokee Sport, 6-cylinder,new tires, roof rack, trailer hitch, tintedwindows, well maintained, $6,500. 913-244-6659.
1992 Honda EX, perfect condition, sun-roof, Alpine CD player, one owner,194K, $3,500. 913-481-2570.
1990 Toyota Supra Turbo, partiallyrestored, many extra parts, $3,000. 816-260-0097.
1995 Honda Civic, green with sunroof,CD/AM/FM cassette, A/C, 115K, verygood condition, $3,800 OBO. 816-728-2601.
1994 Grand Prix, black, excellent condition, 68.2K, $4,850. 913-362-7349.
For Sale:2 BR, 11/2 BA KCK Berkshire VillageTownhouse, full basement, quiet andfriendly neighborhood, 2 window A/Cs,2 ceiling fans, window coverings includ-ed, must qualify for HUD, $4,975.913-362-0574.
Mission home, 6150 W. 61st St., 3 BR,2 BA, basement, deck, 2-car garage, FP,central air, attic fan, near park/pool/ten-nis, mature trees, level backyard, 10min. from KUMC, appliances included,$154,500. 913-262-3522.
Slumberjack sleeping bag, Superpacker+20 model, forest green, rated to 20degrees, regular length, excellent condi-tion, used only twice. $45. 913-722-6319.
Blackburn bicycle spinner, $100;Trinitron 19" flat screen monitor, $125;traditional style coffee table, $50;Broyhill end table, $25; La-Z-Boyloveseat with hide-a-bed, $150; PVamplifier, $40; Marshall Valvestate100W “half-stack” guitar amp, model8100 and 8412, $500. 913-481-2570.
Pine computer armoir, $175; green La-Z-Boy chair, $75; queen headboard,dark wood, $35; wrought iron bistro set,$30; Lifestyle Cardiofit exercisemachine, $45. 913-897-9069.
To Rent:Duplex, 79th and Antioch, Overland Park,3 BR, 1 BA, 1-car garage, deck, availableJune 1, $895/mo. 913-906-9015.
Duplex, 79th and Antioch, Overland Park,3 BR, 1 BA, 1-car garage, deck, fencedbackyard, available June 1, $925/mo.913-906-9015.
Free:Two 5-hole rims for 1966-68 Mustang.913-722-3489.
Rescued Border Collie-AustralianShepherd mix, female, 7 months old,friendly, good natured. 913-236-7407.
Wanted:Study subjects, women 20-35 years ofage to participate in non-invasive studyof memory processes, maximum of 45minutes. Call Jennifer or Tania at 8-5956.
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