Martinez-Rogers appointed to review board of noted journal Norma Martinez-Rogers, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., associate professor of family nursing, was recently appointed to the review board of the Hispanic Health Care International (HHCI), a quarterly, peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal. Dr. Martinez-Rogers serves as the president-elect of the prestigious National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN), which produces the HHCI.
The mission of the HHCI, the NAHN’s official publication, is to advance the Hispanic research agenda and improve the health of our communities. As a member of its review board, Dr. Martinez-Rogers reviews manuscript submissions in her area of expertise.
In 2006, Dr. Martinez-Rogers was named a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing – nursing’s highest honorific society.
Congratulations to Dr. Martinez-Rogers on all her achievements.
Purchasing department selects Employee of the Quarter The purchasing department is pleased to announce that Rebecca Mendez, office manager, has been selected as the most recent Employee of the Quarter. Mendez was selected by her peers based on her ability to provide excellent customer service, her contribution to the office, effective teamwork, and professional and personal development.
Mendez has worked for the Health Science Center’s purchasing department for approximately six years. Her picture will be displayed in the purchasing office (now located at Med Centre Plaza) for the next quarter and her name will be added to the Employee of the Quarter plaque displayed in the purchasing office.
Mendez is recognized for her outstanding achievement.
Surgery selects Employee of the Month The surgery department applauds Vanessa Soto, who was recently named the department’s Employee of the Month.
Soto is an administrative assistant II who takes on duties well beyond her job description, colleagues say. “Vanessa approaches all tasks with energy and enthusiasm. Even when working a tight deadline, she maintains a cheerful, polite demeanor. She is an excellent role model and a true asset to the department of surgery.”
Soto will be presented with a certificate and a $100 Simon Gift Card that can be used anywhere that VISA is accepted. She is also eligible for the honor of “Employee of the Year.” The Employee of the Year will receive a five-night, four-day Royal Caribbean Cruise.
Pharmacology graduate students are nationally recognizedNoted national organizations recently recognized three pharmacology graduate students for their exceptional research projects.
Ginger Becker, a fifth-year graduate student in the lab of Charles France, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology, received two awards for her research in the area of substance abuse. Becker was the recipient of the 2006 John P. McGovern Award from the Texas Research Society on Alcoholism (TRSA) for her grant proposal titled “Conditioning and Opioid Withdrawal.” This $5,000 award will help fund her continuing doctoral research and will assist in her travel expenses to present her work at the annual TRSA meeting in spring 2007. As the recipient of an additional award, the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) Primm-Singleton Minority Travel Award, Becker was invited to the 68th Annual CPDD Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz. in to present her poster titled “Protracted Withdrawal in Morphine-Dependent Rhesus Monkeys: Physiological and Behavioral Effects,” in June 2006.
Corina Bondi, a fourth-year graduate student in the lab of David Morilak, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology, recently presented her research project, “Chronic unpredictable stress induces a cognitive deficit and anxiety-like behavior in rats,” at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Ga. Bondi received an award of $750 from Eli Lilly & Co. and the Vernon Rowland Memorial Fund to cover the cost of her travel and attendance at the meeting. This award recognizes the promising work of graduate students who have been nominated by their local chapters for excellence in neuroscience.
Dania Rossi, a fifth-year graduate student in the department of pharmacology, was selected by the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)/Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) Program to present her research at the annual Experimental Biology Meeting, to take place April 28 through May 2, 2007, in Washington, D.C. Rossi works in the lab of Julie Hensler, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmacology, and is examining the mechanisms by which antidepressant drugs desensitize serotonin1A receptors in the brain. As the recipient of the Minority Graduate Student Travel Award, Rossi receives awards in the amounts of $600 from ASPET and $850 from the FASEB/MARC program.
