Carol Hayden

Carol Hayden, contract specialist, and Wendy Rivera, purchasing agent with the Division of Station Support Acquisitions, OLAO, OD, are completing Cooperative Education I this spring through Montgomery College. This 3-credit course targets new learning in work situations.

Both Hayden and Rivera were recently promoted to their respective positions and are focusing on new learning in their jobs. The two students, their supervisors, and the Montgomery College instructor collaborated to create learning contracts that link new learning and new job responsibilities. The course and discussions were a factor in at least one of the promotions.

Along with meeting the requirements of their jobs, students attend three seminars at Montgomery College, create a critique of their job performance and develop a resumé at the completion of the course. Both Hayden and Rivera are pursuing business degrees at Montgomery College.

Researchers in the Laboratory of Computational Biology and Risk Analysis, within the National Toxicology Program at NIEHS, have something to smile about these days. Their paper, “Gene Interaction Network Suggests Dioxin Induces a Significant Linkage between Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor and Retinoic Acid Receptor Beta,” was selected best paper by the Society of Toxicology. The paper was published in the NIEHS journal Environmental Health Perspectives in August 2004. Paper authors include (from l) Hideko Sone; Nigel Walker; Fred Parham; on the computer screen is Hiro Toyoshiba, lead author, who has now returned to Japan; Chris Portier, senior author and director of the Environmental Toxicology Program at NIEHS; and Janelle Martinez. Not shown is Takeharu Yamanaka, who has also returned to Japan.

Dr. Mary E. Kerr

Dr. Mary E. Kerr recently joined the National Institute of Nursing Research as deputy director.

"Dr. Kerr brings to NINR an outstanding record of scientific achievement and leadership in studies of nursing science," said NINR director Dr. Patricia Grady. "We're excited that she has joined us." Kerr comes to NINR from the University of Pittsburgh, where she has served most recently as UPMC Health System chair in nursing science in the School of Nursing. Her primary appointment is professor in the department of acute and tertiary care nursing in the School of Nursing and she has a secondary appointment as professor in the department of neurological surgery in the School of Medicine. Kerr is also associate director, clinical core, Brain Trauma Research Center at UPMC.

Kerr's research has focused on preventing cerebral ischemia and maximizing cerebral perfusion in the critically ill patient with a neurologic condition. She is particularly interested in identifying early biomarkers or parameters that help identify individuals at risk for cerebral ischemia. This includes genetic-specific variation in an individual's response to and recovery from an acute neurologic condition such as traumatic brain injury or a ruptured cerebral aneurysm.

A faculty member at Pitt since 1991, Kerr served as director of the Center for Nursing Research, where she mentored junior investigators, sponsored research activities and advised, taught and supervised research of undergraduate and graduate students. In recognition of her teaching skills, she was honored with a Distinguished Teaching Award in 1996. Kerr served as a member and chair of multiple university committees, primarily focused on issues related to research and technology.

She has received numerous honors and awards throughout her career. In 2004, she received the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing Outstanding Alumni Award. She received the Excellence in Nursing, Nightingale Award of Pennsylvania for Nursing Research in 2002, and in 2001 the Distinguished Research Lectureship Award from the Eastern Nursing Research Society. She is also a fellow in both the American Academy of Nursing and in the American College of Critical Care Medicine.

In addition to authoring and coauthoring over 100 research papers and publications, Kerr has served as manuscript reviewer for medical and nursing publications. She has participated in a number of review activities for NIH, such as a permanent reviewer for the adults and older adults study section of CSR, and an ad hoc reviewer for several other divisions in CSR. Recently, she participated in the research themes meeting on public access chaired by NIH director Dr. Elias Zerhouni.

The NIH Stroke Scale Training DVD, produced by the NINDS Office of Communications and Public Liaison, recently won a CINE Golden Eagle Award. The training DVD is an interactive tool that teaches medical professionals how to administer and score the scale, a measure of stroke severity, in a clinical setting.

The studio-produced footage provides views of doctors performing the scale and illustrates every score on each item of the scale. The DVD includes two demonstration cases that let viewers practice the test and grade themselves, and three sets of six patients each for scoring and submission to an accrediting organization for certification in the use of the scale. The two-disc set also includes commentary and tips from national stroke experts.

Since the DVD's release, thousands of physicians, nurses and other health care professionals have learned how to administer the scale. In addition, NINDS partnered with the American Stroke Association to put the footage online, so medical professionals now have web site access to the training. NINDS recruited a faculty of experts to help design the training tool to take advantage of the latest technology and ensure a user-friendly product.

Founded in 1957, CINE is dedicated to discovering, educating and supporting talent in film and video. The Golden Eagle award distinguishes excellence in professional and amateur works and is an internationally recognized symbol of the highest production standards in filmmaking and videography. Among former winners of the award are Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and such documentarians as Ken Burns and Charles Guggenheim.

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