• Colosurdo Named Executive Communicator of the Year
  The Houston chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators has named Dr. Giuseppe Colasurdo, dean of the Medical School, its Executive Communicator of the Year. The prestigious award was given April 24 at the organization’s annual Bronze Quill Awards Banquet at the Junior League of Houston. Colasurdo is the ninth recipient of the award, which recognizes excellence in leadership , management, and communication skills. Awardees are chosen for their achievements in “initiating, directing, supporting, or sustaining outstanding and effective communication programs” and demonstrating “solid understanding and support of communication within his or her organization with the highest professional and ethical standards in fulfilling his or her responsibilities.”

  Judges cited Dean Colasurdo for his great breadth of communication vehicles and reaching varieties of audiences. “He embraces technology and understands two-way communication. The feedback he receives is extremely powerful,” added the judges.

  Colasurdo believes effective and strategic communication is the foundation of good leadership and success. “Effective communication must be open, transparent and honest; it must build relationships and promote trust among the constituents; it must promote upward communication to overcome skepticism toward the administration; and it must encourage broad and inclusive feedback,” he said.

• Joan Bull, M.D., professor and director of the Division of Oncology at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, received the 2008 J. Eugene Robinson Award for outstanding achievements in the field of hyperthermic oncology. Bull, who also is  the director of Hyperthermia Research at the Medical School, received this prestigious award from the Society for Thermal Medicine during its 2008 meeting held in Munich Germany.
  
  Bull, director of the Oncology Clinic at Memorial Hermann Hospital – Texas Medical Center, has been researching hyperthermia for more than 20 years.

• Joanne Hickey, Ph.D., the Patricia L. Starck/PARTNERS Professor in Nursing and coordinator of the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program at the UT School of Nursing, was honored with the "Honorary Membership Award" for her outstanding contributions to neuroscience nursing and neuroscience patient care at the 40th anniversary annual meeting of the American Association of Neuroscience Nursing last month in Nashville, Tenn.
  
  Hickey, assistant dean and  chair of the Department of Acute and Continuing Care, has focused her career on acute and critical care neuroscience nursing. She teaches in the advanced practice and acute care nurse practitioner programs and conducts outcomes research and studies on caregivers of stroke patients.

Staff

• At the recent District IV conference of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Karen Krakower, editor of HealthLeader, in the Office of Institutional Advancement at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, was awarded the Grand Gold Award for the feature “Sleeping with the Enemy.”

  “Sleeping with the Enemy” told the story of Mina Rosenthal-Eames, a UT Dental Branch student, who was killed by her estranged husband. The article addressed misconceptions and facts related to intimate partner violence and provided resources for people dealing with an abusive relationship.

  CASE annually recognizes outstanding work in institutional advancement through the District Awards program. “Sleeping with the Enemy” won for outstanding general feature writing.

Volunteers

• The University of Texas Volunteers Tender Loving Care program named Linda Vong its 2008 Volunteer of the Year. Vong, a post-baccalaureate student at the University of St. Thomas, is fulfilling her pre-med prerequisites while volunteering at UT Physicians clinics.

  Lynn Cutrer, coordinator of the UT-TLC volunteers, said, “Linda brings a dedicated and competent quiet presence to our clinics. She will be a great physician as she has perseverance to accomplish what is at hand.”

  Vong became a volunteer for UT-TLC in May 2007. Recently, Vong has been involved in a shadowing program, which has allowed her to learn more about general pediatrics and pediatric genetics.