Neuroscience faculty receive NIH funds to increase diversity in health-related careers
Christine Portfors and Allison Coffin, both neuroscience faculty members, have each received grants from the National Institutes of Health to support training and mentoring of underrepresented women in biomedical careers.
The new grants supplement recent NIH awards to the Portfors and Coffin labs.
The NIH offers supplemental grants to increase diversity on a national or institutional basis and ultimately to diversify the workforce and improve the nation’s capacity to address health disparities.
Receiving these competitive awards “shows our commitment to increasing diversity on our campus,” Christine said.
Christine received $305,000 in supplemental funds to support a Latina postdoctoral fellow for three and a half years and
extend her research examining how the brain alters its processing of sounds in different situations. The postdoctoral fellow is Marcela Fernandez-Peters, who is doing research at WSU Vancouver after earning a Ph.D. at Cornell University.
Allison received $70,297 to support a Latina graduate student for two years while extending her funded research on how certain drugs damage hair cells and lead to hearing loss. Alexandria Camino, who is pursuing a master’s degree and a career in neuroscience, is working with Coffin on the research.
Portfors initially received $1.6
million over five years in 2014. Coffin received an initial grant of $444,845 over three years in 2014.
Earthquake drill scheduled for Thursday
The Great Shakeout earthquake drill will take place at 10:15 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 15. WSU Vancouver will join millions of people worldwide in practicing how to drop, cover and hold on. Participating is a great way to be prepared to survive and recover quickly from a big earthquake. The drill will be announced using the mass notification system and campus public address systems.
WSU community invited to provide input to presidential search
WSU alumni, students, faculty, staff and other stakeholders are invited to provide input about the considerations important in selecting the university’s next president at a series of statewide community forums. The forums will kick off here on Oct. 19. All forums will be held in the Dengerink Administration Building, Room 129.
Students 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Faculty and staff 4 – 5 p.m.
Southwest Washington community
5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Feedback will be shared with the Presidential Search Advisory Committee and others involved in the search process.
Forum attendees are asked to consider these topics:
Current and future opportunities for the next president
Challenges
the president may face
Ways to measure the president’s success
Plant a tree at the StreamTeam Make a Difference Day Celebration
8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. Oct. 24
Mill Creek, WSU Vancouver Barn
Come make a difference with Clark Public Utilities StreamTeam and WSU Vancouver.
Celebrate the volunteer spirit while planting native trees. Each tree will do its part to clean the air that we breathe, the water we drink and provide habitat for the animals we enjoy. No experience is necessary. Morning refreshments, lunch, training and tools will be provided.
It’s not too late to start logging your steps for the first-ever Walktober Challenge. Pick up a free pedometer at Human Resources, Dengerink Administration Building, Room 126, to learn how much you walk. A new batch has just arrived.
Remember, it’s a contest with Clark College and Lower Columbia College, and every step counts! Get your log on the
WellCoug website and remember, other activities count, too. A step–equivalent chart is also available on the WellCoug website. Turn in your completed log Nov. 2 to Human Resources.
Join Sensei Jeff Wynn, of the Vancouver Institute of Self Defense, as he teaches basic self-defense specifically focused for WSU Vancouver. The class is limited to current WSU Vancouver students, employees and guests. Attendees must be a minimum of 14 years of age. Registration is mandatory and class size is limited. To register, call 6-9001 or email wsuvcops@wsu.edu.
1st Annual Jay D. Miller Conference
“Best Practices in Health Communication for the Neuroscience Caregiver”
Attend a free conference to learn how neuroscience research is put into practice. The one-day event features a panel discussion, question and answer sessions, and speakers from business, medicine, neuroscience and nursing, including WSU faculty Allison Coffin, Cindy Corbett, Lida Dekker, Dawn Doutrich, Bill Griesar and keynote presenter Tom Tripp. Sponsored by PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center and WSU Vancouver. Meals are provided. Register today online.
The tragedy at Umpqua Community College was felt Thursday at Clark College and Washington State University Vancouver. This was part of the statement issued by WSU Vancouver Chancellor Mel Netzhammer: “My heart goes out to our friends and colleagues at Umpqua Community College. I am deeply saddened by the loss of life at Umpqua. I share their grief as I am sure you do.”