Path/Micro.Edu 1

PATH/MICRO.EDUNEWSLETTER

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER, 2003Issue 23

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PATH/MICRO.EDUUniversity of Nebraska Medical Center Issue 23 August, September, October, 2003

Bioterrorism Grant FundedPhyllis Muellenberg, MA, MT

(ASCP), Director of the UNMC

Medical Technology Program,

recently learned that her proposal

for a unique, collaborative effort

among faculty from SAHP (nine

allied health programs), the

Colleges of Medicine, Pharmacy,

and Nursing, and the Public Health graduate program

has been approved for a two-year, $700,000 grant.

The purpose of the grant will be to develop

educational materials on bioterrorism and public

health emergency preparedness. The funding will be

used to develop bioterrorism-related curricula, which

will benefit all UNMC students and may be used by

students nationally.

Approval of the funding was announced by Tommy

Thompson, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human

Services. UNMC was one of only 12 universities

nationwide to receive the curriculum-development

funding.

UNMC was awarded $363,777 on September 12th,

according to Ms. Muellenberg. Year 2 funding will be

in the amount of $338,286. With the funding,

UNMC plans to develop eight modules – an overview

and seven topic-specific course modules – that can be

tailored to students in specific programs.

Other members of the School of Allied Health and

the Department of Pathology and Microbiology will

participate in this project, as well. Dr. Jim Booth will

serve as faculty/co-investigator. Susan Langdon, MT

(ASCP) DLM, will serve as the full-time project

manager. Beth Letheby, MS, MT (ASCP) will provide

Blackboard course and database development support

for this project.

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E

3-4 LETTER FROM THE CHAIR/UNMC RECEIVES

$2.5 MILLION

DR. ABRAHAMS JOINS DEPARTMENT/DR. WEISENBURGER

NAMED ONE OF AMERICA’S BEST DOCTORS/BIOTERRORISM

GRANT FUNDED/LAB PASSES CAP INSPECTION

5-6 NEW HIRES

GRANTS AWARDED/UPCOMING SEEMAYER SYMPOSIUM

7-8 GRADUATE PROGRAM INFORMATION/DISSERTATIONS

HONORS AND AWARDS/ COMPUTER TIPS & TRICKS

9-10 HANDLING WEST NILE VIRUS/BIOSAFETY PROGRAM

Tom Jerrells is Recipient of Joint$6 Million Grant

A collaborative effort between theUniversity of Iowa and ThomasJerrells, Ph.D., UNMC Professor ofPathology and Microbiology, hasresulted in a joint five-year, $6.3million grant from the NationalInstitute of Alcohol Abuse andAlcoholism, one of the NationalInstitutes of Health. Robert Cook, M.D., Ph.D.,University of Iowa Professor of Pathology and Directorof Clinical Laboratories at the Veterans Affairs MedicalCenter in Iowa City, is the coordinator of the grant.

The University of Iowa researchers will receive $4.85million and UNMC will receive nearly $1.5 million toconduct studies of the immune system abnormalitiescaused by chronic alcohol abuse. According to Dr.Jerrells, “the research in our lab is designed to definehow the immune system response to viral infections

(continued on page 8)

(Dr. Thomas Jerrells)

(Phyllis Muellenberg)

Path/Micro.Edu 3

Letter from the ChairDr. Stanley Robbins, the

originator of the textbook,Pathologic Basis of Disease, recentlydied. His textbook revolutionizedthe teaching of pathology tomedical students by incorporatingpathobiology and clinical relevanceto accompany the morphologicdescription of diseases. After Dr.Robbins’ retirement, Dr. RamziCotran took over the editorshipof this textbook. Unfortunately, Dr. Cotran died a fewyears ago; the baton has been passed to his successor, Dr.Vinay Kumar. Although the volume has evolved as amulti-authored textbook, it remains the cornerstone ofpathology education for medical students. It is amazingthat the entire textbook at one time was written entirelyby Dr. Robbins, partly as a result of his incredible notesfor lectures that he presented to students in Boston.

Education is the fundamental mission of ourdepartment, and forms the cornerstone around which auniversity medical center is organized. We are fortunateto have several outstanding educators in our department,several of whom have received major awards from thestudents and from their faculty peers, not only within theCollege of Medicine, but within the medical center as awhole and from the entire University of Nebraska system.We are particularly proud of the recent university-wideaward received by our medical technology program forthe Outstanding Teaching program at the University.

The Durham Research Center will soon be completed,including a beautiful new lecture hall that will be the siteof lectures for the second year medical students, themajor focus of our department’s educational efforts in theCollege of Medicine. There will also be several smallclassrooms utilized by the medical students for smallgroup discussions and other educational activities.

Beginning in January, 2004, we will be pursuingmany of our department’s educational activities in thisnew structure. We will continue building on thefundamental foundation for pathology educationestablished by Stan Robbins nearly 50 years ago, with afocus on the contribution of pathology to clinicalmedicine. Stan Robbins and Ramzi Cotran were giantsin pathology and medical education. I was fortunate tohave known both of them personally, and both will bemissed dearly.

(Dr. Sam Cohen)

UNMC Receives $2.5 MillionThe U.S. Congress approved an appropriation bill

from the Department of Defense that, pendingPresident Bush’s approval, will provide UNMC with$2.5 million to develop portable and networkedautomation testing technology that would processspecimens to detect the existence of biological agents inthe event of a biological attack.

Dr. Rodney Markin, Professor and Vice Chair in theDepartment of Pathology and Microbiology, Presidentand CEO of University Medical Associates, andAssociate Dean for Clinical Affairs, is also founder andchairman of the board of LAB-Interlink, a UNMC

technology transfer company thatdesigns and manufacturesautomated laboratory technology.According to Dr. Markin, thefunding “would enable UNMC todevelop the technology to enhanceour country’s Homeland Security,as well as the safety of our troopsin battlefield conditions.”

According to Dr. Markin, the automated laboratorytechnology provides UNMC with the tools it needs toperform mass screenings of people in the event of abioterrorism incident. The screenings could be done24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The system is capableof testing 1,000 specimens an hour, or 24,000specimens a day.

The automated laboratory system is portable enoughthat, in the event of a bioterrorism attack, such as therelease of the smallpox virus, the automated laboratorysystem could be transported to the site of the attackwithin hours. The system could even be run andmonitored by remote control which would “minimizethe potential exposure to any harmful agents and createa level of bio-safety that you wouldn’t have with otherlaboratory systems,” according to Dr. Markin.

* ***************************To profit from good advice requires morewisdom than to give it.

– John Churton Collins

(Dr. Rodney Markin)

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Lab Passes CAP InspectionOn September 16-17th, The Nebraska Medical

Center Clinical Laboratory underwent an accreditationinspection performed by the College of AmericanPathologists (CAP). This also included a concurrentinspection of our blood transfusion service by theAmerican Association of Blood Banks (AABB). A teamof 21 inspectors led by a team from the University ofMassachusetts Health Sciences Center spent 2 daysreviewing our policies and procedures, inspecting ourfacilities and equipment, and interviewing our managersand staff, as well as hospital administrators and medicalstaff leadership. During the summation conference, theinspection team leader, Dr. Guy Vallaro, stated that“The Nebraska Medical Center has a laboratory thatthey can be truly proud of.” He further reported thathe and his team had found several useful practices andprocedures that they were going to be taking back touse in their laboratory. As a result of this inspection weanticipate full accreditation of the clinical laboratory tocontinue for another two year period. Special thanksfor this success goes to the managers, lead technologistsand a special note of appreciation goes to Karen Hansenwho spent many hours updating policies andprocedures in advance of the inspection.

* ***************************

UMA Clinics Receive COLAAward

The UMA Clinics in the Durham Outpatient CareBuilding are recipients of COLA’s Laboratory ExcellenceAward that recognizes those laboratories that demonstrateexemplary patient testing. COLA’s Laboratory ExcellenceAward is bestowed on COLA laboratories that completean on-site survey and are found to have superiorlaboratory safety and practices for their patients. Inaddition, award recipients must have demonstratedsuccessful proficiency testing for the prior three testingevents and have no valid complaints against thelaboratory. COLA is a nonprofit organization approvedby the federal government that accredits physician officesand clinic laboratories. Coordination of preparationefforts for the survey and ongoing support to the clinics isprovided by Cheryl Churchill, coordinator andconsultant in the clinical lab. Congratulations to Cheryland the UMA DOC clinic

Dennis WeisenburgerNamed One of America’sBest Doctors

Dennis Weisenburger, M.D.,

was among 13 UNMC physicians

to be named one of “America’s Top

Doctors,” according to the latest

edition of a national guide

published annually by Castle

Connolly Medical Ltd. The

doctors are selected through a peer

nomination process. Of more

than 650,000 physicians

nationwide, only about 4,000 physicians are ultimately

included in the guide.

Dr. Weisenburger is a Professor in the Department of

Pathology and Microbiology, and the Director of the

Hematopathology Fellowship Program.

* ***************************

Dr. Abrahams Joins DepartmentNeil A. Abrahams, M.D., is the

newest faculty member of the

Department of Pathology and

Microbiology. Dr. Abrahams

joined the department on August

13, 2003, arriving from a recently

completed fellowship at M.D.

Anderson Medical Center. Dr.

Abrahams specializes in

nephropathology.

Dr. Abrahams’ office is located on the north campus.

He will be involved in clinical pathology and teaching

of students and residents. Special congratulations go

out to Dr. Abrahams and his wife, Marilyn. Shortly

after arriving in Omaha from Houston, he and his wife

welcomed their second child, Lauren. They also have a

three-year-old son, Nicholas.

(Dr. Dennis Weisenburger)

(Dr. Neil Abrahams)

Path/Micro.Edu 5

New Hires:Neil Abrahams – Assistant Professor – 8/13/03

Anser Azim, Instructor – 10/1/03

Alyssa Bouska – Graduate Assistant – 8/25/03

Michael Burrows – Graduate Assistant – 8/20/03

Tammy Carey – Staff Medical Technologist – 10/27/03

Jami Carrell – Laboratory Assistant – 8/25/03

Jesse Chrastil – Research Technologist I – 8/12/03

Muralidhar Deshpande – Postdoc Research Assoc – 8/31/03

Alok Dhar – Postdoc Research Associate – 9/1/03

Brenton Ellison – Research Technologist I – 8/18/03

Marti Emrick – Grants Accountant – 10/14/03

Mitsuru Futakuchi – Postdoc Research Associate – 8/1/03

Amber Gillham – Laboratory Assistant - 9/03

Allen Gindulis – Laboratory Assistant – 9/22/03

Marcy Gregory – Medical Transcriptionist – 9/03

Erika Guzman – Laboratory Assistant – 8/13/03

Ruth Hagemann – Research Technologist I – 8/18/03

Toby Hardiman – Laboratory Assistant – 8/25/03

Irena Kadiu – Graduate Assistant – 8/25/03

Chad Laurie – Graduate Student Fellow – 8/25/03

Tam Le – Other Hourly Worker – 8/14/03

Laura Marsha – Research Technologist II – 8/27/03

Rhonda Noel – Staff Medical Technologist - 9/03

Christine Peters – Clerical Associate – 10/20/03

S. Anne Ratashak – Research Technologist II – 8/11/03

Martha Rhoades – Graduate Assistant – 8/25/03

Kathie Rogers – Graduate Student Fellow – 8/20/03

Becky Simon – Laboratory Assistant – 8/25/03

Adam Safford – Laboratory Assistant – 9/22/03

Justin Zabrocki – Laboratory Assistant - 8/18/03

Collen Yates – Staff Medical Technologist 9/03

We confide in our strength, without boasting of it;

We respect that of others, without fearing it.

– Thomas Jefferson (Continued on Page 8)

Dr. Abrahams Receives CAP/Abbott Lab Award

Every year the College of American PathologistsFoundation and Abbott Laboratories give up to 9awards to support one, two or three months of advancedtraining in evolving and emerging technologies, such asmolecular diagnostics, that are expected to have animpact on pathology practice.

Nine residents/fellows were selected for this award in2003. Dr. Neil Abrahams was one of the recipients.The award was granted for a two month period fortraining in Solid Tumor Cytogenetics, FISH andmolecular diagnostic testing under the supervision ofDr. Julia Bridge at the University of Nebraska MedicalCenter (UNMC).

During the two month period that Dr. Abrahamswas an award recipient, he worked closely with theCytogenetics Laboratory at UNMC. This laboratoryhas been involved in solid tumor cytogenetic studies aswell as the application of fluorescent in-situhybridization (FISH) in the diagnosis and managementof solid tumors for over 15 years. Recently theMolecular Cytogenetics Laboratory has been involved inthe clinical evaluation of a multi-target FISH assay forbladder cancer. Dr. Abrahams has recently completedhis fellowship in genitourinary pathology at MDAnderson Cancer Center, and the award allowed him tofocus on the application of cytogenetic and moleculardiagnostic techniques to the study of tumors of thegenitourinary system.

Techniques that Dr. Abrahams was exposed to duringhis rotation included karyotyping of conventional

(From L to R: Jun Nishio, Neil Abrahams, Stuart Bridge, Jacque Bailey, PamAltof, Julia Bridge, Ming Zhou)

6 Path/Micro.Edu

Grants Awarded(Continued from Column 1)

Grants Awarded:Eric Anderson, M.A., Synaptic Transmission in HIV-1 Associated

Dementia. Awarded by: DHHS/NIH/NINDS. 9/1/03 – 8/31/

04 - $29,198.

Julia Bridge, M.D., Soft Tissue Sarcoma Committee. Awarded by:

National Childhood Cancer Foundation. 3/1/03 – 2/29/04 -

$63,629.

Julia Bridge, M.D., Urine Collection for Use in Validation of

Extended Applications of the UroVysion Kit. Awarded by:

Abbott Laboratories. 8/1/03 – 7/31/05 - $37,041.

Steve Carson, Ph.D., Junction Adhesion Molecule CAR and the

Immune System. Awarded by: DHHS/NIH/NIAID. 9/5/03 –

12/31/03 - $66,450.

John Chan, M.D., Molecular Classification of B-Cell Lymphoma.

Awarded by: DHHS/NIH/NCI. 9/23/03 – 3/31/04 - $728,949.

John Chan, M.D., Epstein-Barr Virus and Breast Cancer.

Awarded by: U.S. Army. 9/1/03 – 8/31/04 - $147,000.

Nora Chapman, Ph.D., Enterovirus Persistence in Myocarditis.

Awarded by: DHHS/NIH/NIAID. 9/17/03 – 9/16/04 -

$73,500.

Howard Gendelman, M.D., Blood Brain Barrier Physiology and

HIV Dementia. Awarded by: DHHS/NIH/NINDS. 7/1/03 – 6/

30/04 - $376,210.

Howard Gendelman, M.D., Experimental Therapeutic Strategies

for ALS. Awarded by: NIH through Columbia University. 2/1/

03 – 12/31/03 - $67,647.

Howard Gendelman, M.D., Neural Immunity in HIV Dementia.

Awarded by: DHHS/NIH/NINDS. 5/15/03 – 4/30/04 -

$1,203,933.

Steven Hinrichs, M.D., Bioterrorism Laboratory Services

Agreement. Awarded by: Nebraska DHHS. 7/1/02 – 6/30/04 -

$412,572.

Thomas Jerrells, Ph.D., The Role of Immune Responses in

Alcoholic Liver Diseases. Awarded by: DHHS/NIH/ NIAAA. 8/

8/03 – 6/30/04 - $294,000.

Thomas Jerrells, Ph.D., A Role for Viral Infection in Alcoholic

Pancreatitits. Awarded by: DHHS/NIH/NIAAA. 8/1/03 – 7/31/

04 - $142,300.

Kyung-Soo Kim, Ph.D., Defective Interfering Coxsackieviruses in

Human and Murine Myocarditis. Awarded by: American Heart

Association. 7/1/03 – 6/30/04 - $45,616.

R. Lee Mosley, Ph.D., SPECT Evaluation of GBR 12909

Inhibition of b-CIT/Dopamine Transporter (DAT) Interactions.

Awarded by: Pfizer, Inc. 8/5/03 – 5/4/04. - $28,000.

Yuri Persidsky, M.D., Ph.D., Effect of Alcohol on HIV-1 Immune

Responses & BBB Damage. Awarded by: DHHS/NIH/NIAAA.

8/1/03 – 7/31/04 - $294,000.

James Talmadge, Ph.D., UNMC Eppley Cancer Center Support

Grant. Awarded by: DHHS/NIH/NCI. 2/1/03 – 1/31/05 -

$250,000.

Steven Tracy, Ph.D., Inoculation of Neonatal NOD Mice with

Coxsackievirus B3: Is Later IDDM Suppressed? Awarded by:

American Diabetes Association. 7/1/03 – 6/30/04 - $50,000.

Jialin Zheng, M.D., Macrophage Activation, Chemokines and

HIV Dementia. Awarded by: DHHS/NIH/NINDS. 5/1/03 – 4/

30/04 - $8,428.

* ***************************

Upcoming SymposiumThe Thomas A. Seemayer, M.D., Educational

Symposium willl be held on Friday, November 14,2003 in the College of Nursing Amphitheater.

Guest speakers include Dr. Christian Nezelof, fromParis, France, speaking on “From Histiocytosis X toLangerhaus Cell Histiocytosis: A Still Moving Story;”Dr. Wayne Lapp, from Montreal, Canada, speaking on“Graft -versus - Host Disease: The Thymus Connectionand Beyond;” Dr. Walter Schurch, from Montreal,Canada, speaking on “Myofibro-blast in Neoplasia;” Dr.Jean Pierre de Chadaravian, from Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, speaking on “Ten Years to Make aDiagnosis;” and Dr. Robert Bolande from Pineville,North Carolina, speaking on “The Neurocristopathies.”

Please mark your calendars for this special event.

Path/Micro.Edu 7

Graduate Program InformationOn July 1, 2003, new members were appointed to

the Graduate Committee for the Department ofPathology and Microbiology. The committee membersnow include:

- Nora Chapman, Ph.D., Chair

- Steven Carson, Ph.D.

- Paul Fey, Ph.D.

- Tsuneya Ikezu, M.D., Ph.D.

- Thomas Jerrells, Ph.D.

- Donald Johnson, Ph.D.

- Rakesh Singh, Ph.D.

The Graduate Students, their Programs and Advisorsfor the 2003 Summer/Fall Session Are:

- Valerie Piening, - M.S. – (Dr. Hua Xiao)

- Beth Schweitzer – M.S. (Dr. Peter Iwen)

- Alyssa Bouska – Ph.D. (Rotations)

- Michael Burrows – Ph.D. (Rotations)

- Marissa Carstens – Ph.D. (Dr. Kay-Uwe Wagner)

- Michael Dempsey – Ph.D. (Dr. Steven Hinrichs)

- Jessica Gardner – Ph.D. (Dr. Anuja Ghorpade)

- Xiaolu Huang – BIO/Ph.D. (Dr. Hesham Ali)

- Janel Johnson – Ph.D. (Dr. Angie Rizzino)

- Chris Ramey – BIO/Ph.D. (Rotations)

- Kathie Rogers – Ph.D. (Dr. Paul Fey)

- Jarrod Tremayne – Ph.D. (Dr. Tony Hollingsworth)

- Brian Boer – M.D./Ph.D. (Dr. Angie Rizzino)

* ***************************

CongratulationsNick Markin participated in the College of

Medicine’s White Coat ceremony, signifying his start inmedical school, on August 22, 2003. Nick is the son ofDr. and Mrs. Rodney and Annette Markin. Dr. Markinis the Vice Chair in the Department of Pathology andMicrobiology.

Christian Johansson, Dr. Sonny Johansson’s son and aHarvard Business School graduate, was appointedExecutive Vice President of the Greater BaltimoreAlliance.

Graduate Student DefensesPresented

Frank SotoLeon , M.S.,presented his Master’s Defenseon August 1, 2003. Hisadviser is Dr. Iqbal Ahmad.The title of his thesis was:Lysophosphatidic AcidPromotes Proliferation andSurvival of Retinal Stem Cells/Progenitors. Franks’s futureplans include attendingCreighton Medical School.

Michael Dixon, Ph.D.,presented his doctoral defenseon August 6, 2003. HisAdvisor was Dr. Robert Lahue.The title of his thesis was:“Genetic Instability ofTrinucleotide Repeats inYeast.”

Michael’s future plansinclude becoming a facultyliaison and technology transfer

associate in Intellectual Property at UNMC.

Karl Kohlgraf, Ph.D.presented his doctoral defenseon August 8, 2003. Hisadvisor was Dr. M.A.Hollingsworth. The title ofhis thesis was: “Contributionof The Tandem Repeat andCytoplasmic Tail Domains ofMUC1 to Anti-tumorImmunity and MetastaticPotential of Tumors.” Karl’sfuture plans include attending the University of Iowa.

Nils Went-Sumegi, M.S. (Bioinformatics), presentedhis Master’s Defense on August 22, 2003. His advisorwas Dr. Donald Johnson. His future plans includebecoming a researcher at the department of PediatricHematology/Oncology at Cincinnati’s Children’sHospital Medical Center.

(Frank SotoLeon)

(Michael Dixon)

(Karl Kohlgraf )

8 Path/Micro.Edu

Dr. Abrahams Receives CAPAward (Continued from Page 5)

$6 Million Grant Awarded(Continued from Page 2)

damages the liver and the role of alcohol abuse in theseverity of the infections. Hepatitis C virus infectionsare severe in humans who abuse alcohol, but themechanisms of the interactions of alcohol abuse andhow the virus causes damage are not identified.”

Dr. Cook, from the University of Iowa, believes thatthe development of a new animal model will allow theresearch team to investigate the immune system changescaused by chronic alcohol exposure. Dr. Jerrells’laboratory will use this model, as well as cell culturestudies, to investigate the effect of chronic alcohol abuseon various cellular components of the immune system,including T-cells, B-cells, dendritic cells, monocytesand natural killer cells. Each of these cells plays adifferent role in fighting infectious disease.

Dr. Jerrells hope that the “data obtained from thesestudies will provide ideas of how to intervene in theseserious consequences of alcohol abuse by humans.”

* ***************************

Computer Tips & Tricks Reminder – when saving

important computerdocuments and files: Thebest place to store criticaldata is on the Path2 server.The server is backed upnightly and is wellmaintained. The worse place to store documents is on aremovable disk like a floppy or zip drive. Floppy andzip disks have a finite life and are likely to go badsomeday, resulting in the data being lost forever. Savingon your computer’s hard drive is also a gamble. If yourhard drive dies, or something happens to yourcomputer, the data is gone. If you have any questionsabout how to access the server, space limitations, etc.,email Jeff Annin at jannin@unmc.edu.

Also, Jeff will be coming around during the next fewmonths doing a mandatory upgrade on all computers toLotus Notes 6.

Finally, please remember, if you have a computerproblem, please contact the Help Desk at ext. 97700,rather than contacting Jeff directly.

specimens using an enhanced imaging software program(Cytovision NT Brightfield Karyotyping), spectralkaryotyping (SKY) which allows the simultaneousvisualization of all human chromosomes in 24 differentcolors using a SkyVision spectral imaging system, andthe preparation and analysis of urine specimens frompatients with bladder cancer using fluorescence in situhybridization (FISH) with probes from a UroVysion kitdistributed by Vysis Labs (Abbott Laboratories).

Finally, during the rotation, Dr. Bridge and Dr.Abrahams collaborated on a large study of cytogeneticabnormalities of renal cell carcinoma and theirprognostic implications (metastatic potential). Thisongoing study has collected, to date, greater than 38cases with documented cytogenetic abnormalities andwill continue. The preliminary data is being collectedand will be presented, if successful, as an abstract at thenext USCAP meeting.

* ***************************

Honors & AwardsLinda Fell, MS, MT (ASCP)SH,

Associate Program Director in theDivision of Medical Technology,has been elected to the Board ofDirectors of the American Societyfor Clinical Pathology (ASCP). Shewill serve a two-year term in herposition as Chair Elect and Chairof the Associate Council of ASCP.

Konnie Zeitner, HT, wasrecently appointed the EditorialAdvisory Board for the ADVANCEfor Medical Laboratory Professionsalsmagazine. This is the only newsmagazine in the field to linklaboratory professionals in alldisciplines encompassing theindustry.

(Linda Fell)

(Konnie Zeitner)

Path/Micro.Edu 9

Handling the West Nile VirusEpidemicIncreasing laboratory capability and capacity from 200 to2000 diagnostic tests per week, a team effort.

Epidemiological evidence gathered following thespread of West Nile Virus (WNV) throughout the USAhas shown that typically the second and third years havebeen the most severe for states encountering the presenceof WNV. Last year all human serological testing forWNV antibodies of Nebraskans was done by the Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), other statepublic health laboratories, or private commerciallaboratories outside the state. Because of numerousproblems, it was decided that the Nebraska PublicHealth Laboratory (NPHL), in a coordinated effort withthe epidemiology department at the Nebraska Healthand Human Services System (NHHSS), would performserological testing for West Nile Virus (WNV) IgMantibody. It was felt that in-state testing by the NPHL,handled through Regional Pathology Associates (RPA)Client Services performed in the serology department inThe Nebraska Medical Center Clinical MicrobiologyLaboratory, would allow the state epidemiologists tocircumvent previous test-result reporting problems byutilizing the web-based Public Health LaboratoryInformation Program (PHLIP), thus being able to morereadily track the spread of WNV in our state throughreal-time electronic reporting.

The testing methodology used was that of asolid-phase IgM capture ELISA assay that would allowfor 80 specimens to be run in a 96 well microtiterplate. Analyte specific reagents (ASR) used were thesame reagents that the CDC recommended and thatMayo Clinic and other reference laboratories used inprevious years.

As with any new test brought into the laboratory,planning for the anticipated volume of testing is criticalin outlining the patterns of workflow necessary tocomplete the task in an acceptable length of time. Testturn-around-time (TAT) is an important issue whenthese results are critical in treating a patient or planningpublic health intervention. The decision was made todevelop this test on an automated system used for otherserological tests that used ELISA-based methodology, tobatch specimens, and to perform testing twice per week.

Handling the West Nile VirusEpidemic (Continued from Column 1)

The NPHL began specimen testing in early to mid-June. During the first several weeks the volume waslow, less than 200 per week. This strategy worked welluntil mid to late July when the WNV epidemic hitNebraska and the rest of the midwest extremely hard.Specimen volume went from less than 200 per week to600 per week, to a one-day high of nearly 1,000!

As the number of specimens started to increasesharply, weekly and then daily team meetings with RPAClient Services personnel, Clinical Laboratory personneland members of the NPHL were held to review andcoordinate changes necessary to positively impactcritical workflow issues. The entire “process” related tospecimen receiving, test ordering, laboratory testingstrategy and finally reporting of test results to allnecessary health officials including ordering physician,ordering facility, and local and state health officials, wasanalyzed to understand the bottlenecks that werecausing restrictions of the workflow and decreased turnaround time for the tests.

Changes made to the process were incremental atfirst, but as the season reached its peak, magnitudinalchanges were necessary to handle the marked increaseseen in the volume of specimens received, includinglonger shifts, addition of temporary staff, additionalreceiving area and computer workstations, weekendruns, a second machine purchased, and automatedelectronic mining and reporting of results of NHHSS.

Through a coordinated team effort involving staffat RPA Client Services, The Medical Center ClinicalMicrobiology-Serology Department and the NPHL,resulting from many meetings that analyzed the entireprocess of specimen testing, successful handling of themarked increase in specimens during the epidemic periodwas accomplished. The Nebraska Medical Center wassuccessful in handling the increased specimen testingvolume and, to date, has tested over 11,000 serum andCSF specimens from people living throughout the state.This allowed for the timely release of critical test resultsto health care providers. The recording of the lessonslearned from this naturally occurring epidemic willcertainly help us prepare for a man-made event or foranother naturally occurring event.(Continued on Next Column)

10 Path/Micro.Edu

Biosafety Program at UNMCThe biosafety program at

UNMC was recently enhanced bythe hiring of Peter Iwen, Ph.D.,Associate Professor in Pathologyand Microbiology as the campusbiosafety officer. This program isbeing coordinated through theDivision of Research andRegulatory Affairs in the AcademicAffairs office. The duties of thebiosafety officer, as described in the NIH Guidelines,includes the periodic inspections of laboratories to ensuresafety standards are followed, the development of anemergency plan for handling biohazardous spills, and as asource for advice on laboratory security and safety.Additionally, Dr. Iwen has been given the task ofdeveloping a campus-wide biosafety training programand to act as the Responsible Official on campus to directand monitor the Select Agent Program, which involvesthe utilization of biological agents in research that areconsidered the most likely to be used by bioterrorists.Numerous activities have been initiated to fulfill theseduties, including the development of a web-basedbiosafety training program and the commencement oflaboratory inspections for individuals filing InstitutionalBiosafety Committee (IBC) protocols. As an ex officiomember of the IBC, Dr. Iwen works closely with the IBCchair Oksana Lockridge, Ph.D., to monitor researchactivities involving biohazardous agents. Thiscollaboration helps to identify those laboratories wherebiohazardous agents are utilized that require periodicinspections and the individuals who work in these areasthat require biosafety training.

As the Responsible Official for the Select AgentProgram, Dr. Iwen has been working with the U.S.Departments of Health and Human Services and ofAgriculture to fulfill the new mandates outlined infederal law 42 CFR Part 73. Recently, a team ofrepresentatives from the Center for Disease Control andPrevention was on campus to evaluate our Select AgentProgram as part of the process for the University toreceive a Certificate of Registration to be allowed to doresearch involving the use of select agents. This processis a necessity for many of the programs on campus tocontinue, including the collaborative tularemia projects

with colleagues at UNL. The UNMC campus was oneof the first institutions in the country to undergo thisaudit process.

As the Biosafety Officer, Dr. Iwen will also participatein the commissioning of laboratories in the DurhamResearch Center prior to occupation by the researchgroups. This process will be done to ensure that thelaboratories are designed for their intended purpose andcomply with federal standards for research involvingbiohazardous agents. This process has begun and willcontinue as the laboratories are completed.

The overall goal of the biosafety program is to makethis a safer campus to do research and to conductbusiness. Any questions or comments concerning thebiosafety program are welcomed and can be directed toeither Dr. Iwen at piwen@unmc.edu or to Dr.Lockridge at olockrid@unmc.edu. Additionalinformation can also be found on the IBC web site athttp://www.unmc.edu/ibc/.

* ***************************Visiting Faculty

The department would like to welcome the followingvisiting faculty:

Dr. Sherif al-Kotb Ahmed,arrived from Egypt on September15th. He joined the Hemato-pathology group as a VisitingResearch Associate. Dr. Ahmed isa consultant in hematopathologyat the Maadi Hospital in Cairo.He will return to Egypt at the endof this year.

Dr. Carlos Montero joined thedepartment as a Visiting ResearchAssociate on October 27th. He willbe working in the NebraskaMedical Center Transfusion andTransplantation Laboratory withDr. James Landmark. Dr. Monterois joined by his wife, Lourdes, and their two children Samuel and

Maria. They will be here in Omaha for the next year.

(Dr. Peter Iwen)

(Dr. Sherif Ahmed)

(Dr. Carlos Montero)

Biosafety Program at UNMC(Continued from Column 1)

(Continued on Next Column)

Path/Micro.Edu 11

Happy Birthday To:

August September October8/1 - Dianna Bannister 9/1 - Erika Guzman 10/1 - Susan Anson

Rakesh Singh 9/3 - Dave Varga 10/2 - Yulei ShenAbbie Sorensen 9/7 - Rebecca Digiacinto Terry Staley

8/2 - Eleanor Sigafoose Deanna Grasmick 10/3 - Amy Kapels8/3 - Donna Gombold Robin Hartley Nick Markin

Cindy Hunter 9/8 - Lawan Ali 10/5 - Kathleen GreerMarnie Imhoff James Haorah 10/6 - John GlockJulie Muller Deb Hotz Anne Rice

8/4 - Jennifer Francke Paul Lux Kaye ShepardJulia Gulizia 9/9 - Scott Smith 10/7 - Steven CampbellMaria Ihrig 9/12 - Jodeen Jones Kathy DeWittJean Lauer 9/14 - Marilynn Larson 10/8 - Karen Keller

8/5 – J. Smith Leser Thomas Seemayer Adam Stafford8/6 - Vakara Meyer 9/15 - Penny Sanders 10/9 - Nancy Abraham8/8 - Milissa Gerken 9/16 - Diana Acero Brian Anderson

Nancy Shimerdla James Buescher Stan RadioBeth Schweitzer 9/17 - Sandra Irons Earline TitsworthBarb Switzer 9/19 - George Bamsey 10/10 - Eric AndersonHuangui Xiong James Landmark Rochelle Gordon

8/9 - Joel Knopik Deseyre Magee 10/11 - John Chan8/11 - Keith Young 9/20 - Santhi Gorantla Jim Gulizia8/12 - Troy Matthias 9/23 - Michelle Varney Elizabeth Hartwell8/13 - Nathan Butler 9/24 - Sam Cohen 10/12 - Herninia Kyamko

Annette Nared Ann Conces 10/13 - Ronald Daly8/14 – Jean Filbey 9/25 - Janice Jerrells 10/14 - Scott Kurz

Chad Marshall 9/26 - Darby Carlson 10/15 - Myhanh Che8/16 - Rhonda Gagliolo Jesse Chrastil Val Henry

Kathleen Trudell 9.27 - Timothy Goodwin 10/16 - Debbie Vidlak8/17 - Julia Bridge 9/28 - Tuire Cechin Sandy Wiese8/20 - Stephanie Tabaka 9/29 - Barb Johnson 10/17- Kathleen Borgmann8/21 - Lisa Cornet Barbara Miller 10/18 - Brent Keenportz

William West Becky Nattermann Joan Mares8/23 - Matthew Backora Heather Ross 10/20 - Yunlong Huang

Mary Parsons Mindy Winkelman 10/21 - Beth Avery8/24 - Dave McKenzie 9/30 - Tim Greiner James Linder

Gayla Carter Pat Koso Kim Mathewson8/25 - Catherine Gebhart James Wisecarver Conisha Page

James McCoy 10/22 - Kellie Neth8/26 - Kirsten Stites Eric Schriner8/27 - Verna Katzenstein 10/23 - Lori Akers8/28 - Rodney McComb Leslie Bruch

S. Anne Ratashak Sophia Hauxwell8/29 - Vicki Herrera 10/24 - Geoffrey Talmon

Sarah Schrad Jialin Zheng8/30 - Cindy Hardesty 10/25 - Jolene Jones

Lacey Petrina Brian LenzSteve Tracy Ken Young

10/26 - Melissa FrenchCynthia Page

10/27 - Sonny Johansson10/29 - Sara Doukas

Tom McDonald10/30 - Christopher Ramey10/31 - Scott Koepsell

Paula Bartee-Williams

12 Path/Micro.Edu