HR InsightsKU Cancer Center News

February 2019

Launched in 2008, the Midwest Cancer Alliance (MCA), is a membership-based network of hospitals, providers and researchers throughout Kansas and western Missouri focused on fostering collaboration in cancer prevention, screening, treatment and survivorship. As the outreach network of The University of Kansas Cancer Center (KUCC), the MCA extends clinical trials through the region, linking medical professionals and patients with KUCC research and programs so the latest cancer research and evidence-based care can be accessed close to the patient’s home.

All MCA members have access to outreach programs, patient navigation support, continuing education sessions, second opinions and consultation services with multi-disciplinary cancer experts and more. MCA members partner on services like free cancer screenings, survivorship care, health and wellness programs, sun safety initiatives and psycho-social oncology programs. These services have helped thousands of individuals. In 2018, MCA supported 25 regional cancer screenings where 1,673 people were screened; 292 (17 percent) of those were referred to a physician for abnormal findings. MCA has expanded to support a practice-based research network – Kansas Patients and Providers Engaged in Prevention Research (KPPEPR) – and a KUCC patient research advocacy initiative – Patient and Investigator Voices Organizing Together (PIVOT).

Elucidating the important role National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer centers play in community outreach and provider engagement, the NCI has added two new components to the P30 Cancer Center Support Grant for institutions applying for or renewing NCI designation – Cancer Research Career Enhancement and Community Outreach and Engagement. MCA, KPPEPR and PIVOT are key strategies to connect with communities and populations in the region and to engage healthcare providers with the goal of improving health across the Heartland.

The close-knit MCA staff of 15 is led by executive director Hope Krebill, MSW, BSN, RN. KUCC Director Roy Jensen, MD, serves as MCA’s chief executive officer and Gary Doolittle, MD, is MCA’s medical director. The MCA office is located in the Clinical Research Center in Fairway.

Department Spotlight: Midwest Cancer Alliance Welcome to the newest KU Cancer Center

employees!(Jan. 1 - Feb. 25)

• Adam Al Douri, project director Early Phase, CTO

• Eric Crowder, data management director, CTO

• Amy Davis, regulatory coordinator, CTO

• Mary Gitonga-Mbogori, clinical data coordinator, CTO

• Amanda Gossard, regulatory coordinator, CTO

• Sara Kendall, clinical research coordinator, CTO

• Maura Kluthe, laboratory technician, BRCF

• Leah Miller, clinical research coordinator, CTO/Rad Onc

• Erica Ramos, laboratory technician, BRCF

• Michelle Reiter, clinical research coordinator, CTO

• Lana Rhaimeh, clinical data coordinator, CTO

• Zach Seitz, laboratory technician, BRCF

• Ashley Willingham, regulatory lead, CTO

Guidelines for Interactions with Government OfficialsThe Office of Public Affairs in Lawrence leads all government relations activities for the university at the local, state and federal levels. As a general rule, all KU Cancer Center administrators, faculty and staff should contact public affairs before engaging with government officials. View the guidelines here.

HR Insights

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Recognizing Employee Accomplishments

• Michelle Cairns has taken the position of project director, H&N/Gyn/Brain/RadOnc, CTO.

• Maghen Farris is now clinical systems manager, CTO.

• Melody Kabrey has been promoted to associate project director, CTO.

• Santana Fortney is now clinical research coordinator II, CTO.

• Kristin Holmes is now clinical research coordinator II, CTO.

• Kendra Cruz is now clinical research coordinator II, CTO.

• Cassie Shipman has taken the position of administrative officer, BRCF.

• Anh Pham has been promoted to clinical lab supervisor, BRCF.

• Alex Webster has been promoted to clinical lab supervisor, BRCF.

• Lauren DiMartino has been promoted to program manager, BRCF.

• Emily Coolbaugh is now lead research coordinator, BRCF.

• Alice Wang has been promoted to research associate for Dr. Sharma.

• Congratulations to our newest certified clinical research professionals after passing their SoCRA certification: Emily Kelly, James Jeffrey, Stacy Hotchkiss and Zaid Naima.

ê ê Referral Ambassador Program

Thank you to the following KUCC Ambassadors who referred employees working with us today! Thank you for sharing with others how fortunate we are to work for the cancer center.

• Natalya Bailey• Kacee Boggs• Lauren DiMartino• Alex Dinkel• Maghen Farris• Kristin Holmes• Theresa Leinwetter• Karla McNutt • Cameron Redmond• Ben Roberts• Meaghan Wachter• Paul Washington

Communications Awards: Submitting, Winning Firsts

Media Inquiries ReminderFaculty members need to refer all media inquires to Chris Wilson and Kay Hawes. Interviews must be coordinated via the communications team.

The University of Kansas Cancer Center has won several awards for its marketing and communications efforts.

The recognition is from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). For the awards, the cancer center competed with other universities and educational institutions in CASE’s Midwest district – Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.

KUCC's Beyond the Bench, an annual report highlighting its research activities, won a gold award in the Research Publications category. Also, Bench to Bedside, the cancer center’s weekly Facebook live series, won a silver award in the Best Use of Social Media category.

The team also received a silver level Social Media Club of Kansas City AMPS award within the category of Facebook Campaigns for a Nonprofit via Internal Team for the Facebook Live Bench to Bedside series, as well.

This is the first time the projects were submitted for awards.

• Senior Lab Coordinator, J0010396

• (3) Clinical Research Coordinators, J0201471

• Budget Analyst, J0084901• Clinical Systems

Administrator, J0083664• Project Director – Breast,

M0202261• Clinical Research Accounts

Receivable Manager, 01200583

• Associate Project Director, Cellular Therapy

Employee referrals can be the best way to find strong candidates. KU Cancer Center has several job openings. For more information, contact Alana Estes.

Employee Referrals“Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is in the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for

the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be.” - Zig Ziglar

"Beyond the Bench 2018"The annual publication, Beyond the Bench 2018, is now online! View it here. "I am immensely proud of our team and the progress we have made in understanding cancer’s complexities and reducing its burden in our communities. I hope you enjoy learning about some of these efforts in this year’s issue of Beyond the Bench." - Roy Jensen, MD

Brag it up!

Congratulations to Champion Coordinator of the Quarter, Xuan Lam. Below are comments from those who nominated her:

“I truly appreciate Xuan's positive attitude and commend the determination and commitment she has to our patients.”

“Xuan has done so much covering all of our studies whenever possible."

“She may feel pressure from principal investigators, the study team and sponsors, but she always tries to keep a positive outlook and a smile. Xuan goes above and beyond to provide world-class care to our patients and our team. We appreciate her!"

“She doesn’t dwell on the negatives, but views those instances as learning experiences. I look up to her as a coordinator and she is important to the Early-Phase team.”

“Study monitors comment on how organized she is and how easy she is to work with. She is going above and beyond. She’s a true team player.”

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HR Insights

February 2019

Clinical Research Coordinator Kayra Thompson has been named Employee of the Quarter. Congratulations, Kayra! View comments from her coworkers and those who nominated her below.

“She is a professional in dealing with faculty, nursing and other staff to ensure our research patients receive the best care.”

“Kayra is the lead study coordinator for the GI group and stepped up as the sole study coordinator for GI, taking on the role of two. This includes coverage of eight medical oncologists and surgeons. She was part of the working group that developed the onboarding syllabus and competency checklist used to train new employees, while also training new data and study coordinators on her team."

“Kayra’s work preparing for a study activation was integral for the study treatment of patients during and after brain surgery. With her efforts, a complicated procedure was successfully implemented, with no significant findings following the FDA audit, a sponsor audit and an internal audit."

Employee of the Quarter Kayra Thompson, Clinical Research Coordinator, CTO

Champion Coordinator of the QuarterXuan Lam, Clinical Research Coordinator, CTO

Congratulations to Andrew Godwin, PhD, deputy director of KUCC, who has been awarded three grants for research projects involving precision medicine.

National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Institute of General Medical Sciences: Drs. Godwin, Steven Soper and Alan Yu were awarded a P20 grant by the Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) to build a multidisciplinary program dedicated to investigating and implementing precision medicine across varying human diseases.

“The proposed Kansas Institute for Precision Medicine (KIPM) will advance our mission to improve lives and communities in Kansas and beyond, through innovation in education, research and healthcare. It will advance scientific careers of junior physicians and basic scientists through funding and mentoring,” Dr. Godwin said.

Tina Brozman Foundation for Ovarian Cancer Research (Tina’s Wish): Dr. Godwin, in alliance with Drs. Soper and Claudio Soto of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, were awarded a misfolded P53 grant to develop novel molecular tools to capture and analyze ovarian exosomes that accumulate in bodily fluids of women at increased risk for developing cancer. They discovered that nanovesicles carry a range of biomarkers, which can be early indicators for finding cancer. The goal of the study is to develop clinically useful assays to better detect ovarian cancer at earlier stages when therapies are curative.

NIH/National Cancer Institute: Dr. Godwin and his colleagues have received a phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award in partnership with BioFluidica. They plan to isolate and characterize circulating extracellular vesicles from breast cancer patients’ blood samples. Using a novel microfluidic platform developed by BioFluidica, members of Dr. Godwin’s team will develop and validate a liquid-based biopsy to establish molecular subtypes of breast cancer.

Three grants awarded to Andrew Godwin, PhD

HR Insights

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April 4: Biometric Screening, main campus - Francisco Lounge, sign up via HealthQuest portal

April 5: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., Midwest Cancer Alliance annual meeting, KUMC main campus - Beller Conference Center (register here)

May 15: Biometric Screening, main campus - Francisco Lounge, sign up via HealthQuest portal

May-June: AFLAC Short-Term Disability Enrollment

May 27: Memorial Day holiday

June 2: National Cancer Survivor's Day

July 4: Independence Day holiday

Sept. 2: Labor Day holiday

Nov. 8: Research Symposium

Nov. 11: Veteran's Day holiday

Nov. 28 and 29: Thanksgiving Day holiday

Dec. 25: Christmas Day holiday

Dec. 27: Last day to use discretionary day after six months of employment

February 2019

Benefit BriefsHealthQuest: As an employee and a member of the State Employee Health Plan (SEHP), you can participate in the HealthQuest Wellness program and earn $480 off your health insurance premiums ($20 per paycheck). If you have a spouse on the health plan, you must earn 40 credits each to earn the premium reduction. If only one completes the required 40 credits, the discount earned is $240. If both do, the discount earned is $480. Don’t forget your employee ID is a letter followed by 10 digits and then EE for employee (ex. K0001234567EE). Spouses will use the employee’s ID followed by SP (ex. K0001234567SP).

Nuesynergy - New HSA and HRA Administrator: Starting Jan. 1, 2019, NueSynergy expanded its partnership with the State of Kansas to administer the Health Savings Account (HSA) and Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) benefit. New HSA and HRA members will receive a NueSynergy debit card. You can access your accounts online through the portal. Through this portal, you will be able to submit claims, view your balances, view any email or text alerts and manager your HSA investments. For more information, call (855) 750-9440 or email kansassupport@nuesynergy.com, Monday – Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Sign up for Biometric Screenings: HealthQuest offers three ways for you to obtain your biometric numbers, including onsite screening events. Screening events will take place in

Francisco lounge on the following dates: Thursday, April 4 and Wednesday May 15. Additional screening dates will be added later.

Spouses covered on employees' policies may also attend the biometric screening event. To sign up, go to the HealthQuest portal and select "Step 2 Biometric Screenings" on your dashboard. Walk-ins are accepted if all the appointments are filled up.

Testing is conducted in 30 minutes or less using a simple finger stick. Results you will receive include total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and total cholesterol-to-HDL ratio; triglycerides and glucose; systolic and diastolic blood pressure; height, weight and body mass index (BMI); and waist circumference.

Remember to fast for a minimum of nine hours prior to your appointment. Please drink water to stay hydrated; black coffee and tea are also okay (no cream or sugar). Take medications as usual.

Once you obtain your biometric numbers, be sure to complete the required Health Assessment. Earn a total of 40 credits and save $480 on your 2020 medical insurance premium. The program runs from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2019.

2019 Calendar of Events

Have an HR topic you think KU Cancer Center employees

should know about? Send suggestions to Theresa

Leinwetter, director of Human Resources.

Clinical Trials Office employees attended the

3rd annual "Make the Magic" event for Camp

Kesem. The event raised over $64,000, exceeding

the goal to send more than 100 kids affected by

cancer to camp.