Pulse

Volume5/1992_November19November 19, 1992 PULSE - UNIVERSITY OF UTAH HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER U Ophthalmology Researcher Wins Prestigious National Award Helga E. Kolb, Ph. D., research professor of ophthalmology and physiology at the University of Utah School of Medicine, has been awarded one of her specialty's most prestigious honors. She has been named the 1993 recipient of the Proctor Medal, presented by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology ( ARVO), for exceptional contributions to ophthal-mology and visual science. Kolb is the third woman to receive the medal since it first was awarded in 1949. In May 1993, Kolb will present the Proctor Lecture on her research at ARVO's annual meeting in Sarasota, Florida, where she will receive her medal. The Proctor Medal was estab-lished in 1946 in memory of Francis I. Proctor, M. D., a prominent ophthalmologist, and was the first ophthalmologist- related award to honor non- clinical professionals in the field. " I consider this the most presti-gious recognition award for ophthal-mic researchers, and we are all proud that Dr. Kolb has been given this great honor," said Randall J. Olson, M. D., professor and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the medical school. Kolb has invited Geoffrey Arden, Ph. D., M. D., from the Institute of Ophthalmology, London, the scientist who introduced her to research and for whom she first worked, to make the medal presenta-tion. " We have stayed in touch over the years and I thought it would be nice for him to share this honor," she said. Kolb came to the U as a research 1971, she received her Ph. D. in medi-cine from the University of Bristol. She came to the United States in 1966 and worked at the Wilmer Institute at the Johns Hopkins Univer-sity School of Medicine, National Eye Institute and the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke before coming to theU. Kolb is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Society for Neuroscience and the International Society for Eye Research, in addition to ARVO. Helga E. Kolb professor in 1979 from the National Institute of Health. Her investigations on the anatomy of the retina are focused on the organization of the pathways in the retina and the method by which neurons found there interconnect and send information to the brain. She is concentrating on how night vision is organized and how certain color messages arise in the human retina. By studying the retina with anatomical techniques, scientists can see the overall shapes of the neurons that comprise it. With the help of the electron microscope, they can see how these neurons " talk" to each other via synapses, the U professor said. " Questions open up all the time- - that's the fun of research," Kolb says. Kolb started her scientific career as a technician in a vision research laboratory in England and was encouraged to become an independent researcher. She continued to expand her education and research, and, in From Treats To A Tree: A Gift From Health Information In a few years, staff from the Health Information office will be able to enjoy shade under " their" tree in Red Butte Gardens and Arboretum. Health Information personnel observed Health Information Week in October by holding a bake sale and contributing proceeds to the arbore-tum to purchase a tree. A zelkova tree, a large shade tree with beautiful yellow fall color, will be planted in the amphitheater area, according to Mary Pat Matheson, arboretum director. " We decided planting a tree was a way of symbolizing the importance of replanting the forests that provide the paper used by us and the entire community," said A1 Tokunaga, director of Health Information. Matheson hopes others will be inspired by this gift to demonstrate a genuine interest and concern for conservation. Catch The Holiday Spirit This Season At UH Here come the holidays! And the University Medical Center Holiday Dinner is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 17 in the Wasatch Spectrum Cafeteria. This year's theme is " Sounds of the Season," and Holiday Committee members are providing employees with a number of ways to get excited about the holiday season. As always, the traditional dinner-free to employees and staff- will be offered throughout the day and evening ( hours are: lla. m.- 2 p. m.; 4: 30- 6 p. m; and 10: 30- 11: 30 p. m.). In addition, the Departmental Deco-rating Contest is scheduled, with prizes for the winners. A food drive to support a number of local charities will take place from Dec. 3- 17. Drop sites for non-perishable food items include the Hospital lobby, the cafeteria, North-west Pipeline, Human Resources, Environmental Services, Wasatch Clinics and the Dean's Office in the School of Medicine. The Ornament Decorating Contest will not be a departmental contest as stated earlier. The committee has changed the contest to an individual Winners From Craft Fair Drawing The UH Craft Fair ended last week, with more than $ 9,000 in sales. A percentage of that money goes toward patient care. A drawing was held Friday afternoon, and the following individu-als received prizes: Sherie Flandro, Chiharie Hatha, Teresa Maxwell, Diana Murphy, Billie Tagge, Tamara Anderson, Theresa Hudson, Orion Sherwood, Joan Stoddard, Lora Harward, Susan Sample, S. Richards, and Leona Conn. To claim your prize, contact Lora Harward, x 1- 2401. competition. Individuals are encour-aged to construct a wall or tree decoration to be displayed in the cafeteria ( wreaths, floral arrange-ments, bells, etc.). The ornaments and decorations will be judged and winning entries will receive prizes. All entries will be auctioned off, and the money raised will go to the Pediatric Unit on 5 South. Also, a special performance by the song and dance act, Encore, is scheduled for 3: 30 p. m. on Dec. 17. All patients and employees are encouraged to come and watch. No food will be served during the performance. In addition, committee members are looking for employees who know owners and managers of local businesses who might be interested in donating prizes for the employee drawing. If you know anyone and would like to help, call Cynthia Faircloth, x 1- 2380. Join your co- workers from the Medical Center in the Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis. On Saturday, Dec. 5, at 10: 30 a. m., participants from the Salt Lake community and local businesses will run or walk in the first Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis 5K and non-competitive walk at Sugarhouse Park. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Utah chapter of the Arthritis Foundation and fund research, patient service and educational programs for the 240,000 Utahns with the disease. To enter, pick up a registration form from Community Relations, UHA045 ( west of the Espresso Bar) and collect $ 25 in pledges. Your $ 25 in pledge money gets you a T- shirt and jingle bells to tie on your shoe laces during the race. In addition, the first 300 participants to register receive a free pair of gloves courtesy of The Olive Garden. UMC/ Pepsi Caselot Sale For The Holidays Stock up for holiday parties with the University Hospital/ Pepsi- Cola caselot sale, Dec. 7- 8. Scheduled on the Nutrition Care Loading Dock ( west of the Medical Center), all Pepsi products will be available for $ 5.50 a case! Employees may buy as many cases as they want ( but cases will not be variety packs- you must buy one case of each product.) The sale runs from 9 a. m.~ 2 p. m. both days. Digital Pagers For Respiratory Therapy Paging someone from Respiratory Therapy will be different than before. All beepers have changed from voice to digital systems. The numbers are still the same, but no voice pagers will be used by the department. There is also a constume contest with prizes awarded in the following categories: most original, most authentic Santa Claus, most original couple costume, most original family costume, and most original team costume. For more information, contact Doug Boudreaux in Community Relations, xl- 7387. The Great American Smokeout Thursday, Nov. 19 The American Cancer Society estimates there will be 168,000 new cases of lung cancer and 146,000 cancer deaths in 1992. Cigarette smoking is responsible for 90 percent of lung cancer cases among men and 79 percent among women- about 87 percent overall. Enter Now To Run Against Arthritis Printed on Recycled Pape