Children work with an infant patient simulator at the School of Nursing and Health Studies. Photo courtesy of Rosa Paulino

Working parents, businesses, and even first lady Michelle Obama celebrated the annual Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day last Thursday. On the University of Miami’s Coral Gables campus, more than 120 children showed up for work with their parents, practicing on the high-tech patient simulators at the School of Nursing and Health Studies (top), producing their own film at the School of Communication (below), and participating in many other planned activities.

At the College of Engineering, children built model airplanes and competed in an edible car contest. They examined plant life at UM’s Gifford Arboretum, constructed a model home at the School of Architecture, and learned about the carefully choreographed fight sequences of Hollywood at the Ring Theatre. UM President Donna E. Shalala and head football coach Al Golden spoke to the children during lunch, and student-athletes, cheerleaders, and Sebastian the Ibis interacted with the kids during a Hurricane Sports Experience.

The magic of Hollywood came to life for children who visited UM's School of Communication. Photo courtesy of Rosa Paulino

From left to right: Robert Schwartz, professor and chair of the Department of Family Medicine, who is providing general University of Miami Medical Group oversight of the clinic; Mara Garcia, ANRP for the employee clinic; Steven Falcone, associate vice president for medical affairs and associate executive dean for practice development; Sebastian the Ibis; William W. O’Neill, executive dean for clinical affairs; and Jennifer Cohen, executive director of health and wellness, celebrate the clinic’s grand opening.

After quietly opening on the seventh floor of the Professional Arts Building last month, the University’s first Healthy ‘Canes Employee Clinic was averaging 30 patients a week, a number that is expected to grow after last week’s official grand opening.

The cost to see the clinic’s nurse practitioner is just $10 for any benefits-eligible University employee, even those on a non-University plan, and walk-ins are welcome, even encouraged.

As William O’Neill, chief medical officer of UHealth, said at the festive April 26 grand opening, complete with an appearance by Sebastian the Ibis, “We’ve got to take care of ourselves first to take care of others, so this is a wonderful opportunity.’’ Read the full story

Betty Alvarez, right, and her husband, Marcelo, listen to Laerdal's heartbeat, while UM nurse educator Susana Barroso observes.

The eartips of a stethoscope securely in place, Betty Alvarez pressed the instrument’s diaphragm firmly against Laerdal’s heaving chest and looked downward, leaning slightly forward as if to get a better listen.

“Thump-thump, thump-thump” went the sound coming from Laerdal’s upper torso. Alvarez was astonished. “It sounds just like a real heart,” she exclaimed.

A retired nurse who earned her degree from the University of Miami in 1965 before starting a career as a certified diabetes educator and clinical researcher, Alvarez knows better than most people what a healthy heart—and a sick one—sounds like.

Which is why the heart sounds emanating from Laerdal were even more astonishing, considering that he’s not human. Read the full story

From a veteran journalist recognized as one of the most influential role models for today’s Hispanic women to a recent graduate who developed and implemented a plan to get doctors into Haiti in the event of a disaster, a group of 12 distinguished individuals were honored by the University of Miami Alumni Association on April 14 during the annual Alumni Awards Ceremony. This year’s event, held at the new Newman Alumni Center, recognized not only outstanding alumni and University affiliated groups but also individuals who have been actively involved with the UM Alumni Association. Ten individuals received awards, while two were granted the designation of honorary alumnus.

Seated, from left to right, are: Morgan Smith, president, and Jennifer Pfleger, vice president, Beaux Arts, Outstanding Affiliate Group; Jennifer Phillips, B.B.A. ’06, Outstanding Young Alumnus; Cristina Saralegui, ’71, Edward T. Foote II Alumnus of Distinction; Gregory Cesarano, J.D. ’76, Henry King Stanford Alumnus of the Year; and Elizabeth Greig, M.D. ’10, Student of Distinction. Standing, from left to right, are: Rudy Moise, M.B.A. ’94, J.D. ’97, William R. Butler Community Service Award; Todd Payne, A.B. ’84, J.D. ’89, Outstanding Service; Shelly Berg, dean of the Frost School of Music, Inside Out Award; Richard B. Bermont, senior vice president of The Bermont/Carlin Group at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney; Nicholas A. Buoniconti, co-founder of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and founder of the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, Distinction of Honorary Alumnus; and John K. Schulte, A.B. ’54, Outstanding Fundraiser. Unable to attend was Kristina Rosales, A.B. ’10, Student of Distinction. To learn more, click here.

UM research assistant Stephanie Honorat, far right, cheers children running a relay race at Kids Kollege, which is participating in the Miller School's Health Caregivers-Healthy Children project. Watching are, from left, Katie Golden, of the Bipartisan Policy Center, project research director Sarah Messiah, former Secretaries of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman and Dan Glickman, teacher Mareline Galeano, and UM President Donna E. Shalala.

The 3- and 4-year olds at Kids Kollege preschool in Miami Springs showed off their nutrition smarts to some special guests this week – UM President Donna E. Shalala and two other former Cabinet secretaries – who watched the youngsters talk, sing and dance about the function of their hearts, kidneys, brains, bones, and yes, even their intestines.

“If you want to keep it movin’, then you have to have a plan. You can start by eating fiber, fruits and vegetables and bran,” the youngsters sang along with “Hardy Heart” and the “Kidney Brothers,” three cuddly characters in the innovative “Organ Wise Guys” curriculum the Miller School of Medicine is testing in 27 Miami-Dade preschools for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Followed by a three-stop tour of UM nutrition and fitness programs and an evening public forum on the importance of nutrition education and physical activity, Wednesday’s preschool visit officially kicked off the Bipartisan Policy Center’s new Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative aimed at combating obesity in a nation where more than one-third of adults and 17 percent of children are obese. Read the full story