Volunteers are trained to direct patients to appropriate clinics, escort them when necessary, provide information on Duke University Medical Center and community services, and perform many other tasks. Duke provides free parking for volunteers.

For more information, call Volunteer Services at 684-3835. For additional volunteer opportunities, visit http://volunteer.mc.duke.edu.

The North Carolina Jaycees will provide the base of the 1,000 volunteers needed to host the 17-hour event, but many more are needed from Duke and the community. A range of volunteer opportunities is available from providing directional support on the courses to staffing one of the 29 aid stations along the route. You can volunteer individually, with friends and families, or gather a group to host an aid station, which departments within Duke are encouraged to do.

All food and beverages distributed to the athletes are provided. Volunteers will be responsible for replenishing items and offering encouragement for the passing athletes. Prizes will be awarded to the top station.

All volunteers will receive an official event T-shirt and complementary food and beverages at the Finish Line Celebration. The celebration on the Chapel Quad will run from 3:00 p.m. until after midnight. It will include live music and activities for kids of all ages, as hundreds of spectators cheer on the finishers of this grueling event.

All proceeds will be used for cancer research and to help construct "Hope Lodge," a pediatric housing facility for Duke bone marrow and stem cell transplant patients.

For more information about the event visit www.dukebluedevil.org. To volunteer, contact damic002@mc.duke.edu or 667-2613.

As demand for MRI services at Durham Regional continues to rise, the new magnet is expected to help eliminate any backlogs, which in the past have been as long as three weeks, but recently are about one week. "The hope is that we will have the capability to perform an outpatient MRI the same day it is ordered," says Dottie Hughes, Radiology director.

The new MRI will have the most up-to-date imaging capabilities, such as the Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR) for evaluating cardiac anatomy and blood flow to demonstrate leaking valves and aortic dissections. The new, faster technology also will allow imaging of the abdominal organs that is currently not available at the Hospital. The new facility will contain a skylight, which will create a sense of openness for the patient and should reduce claustrophobic symptoms.

As part of the purchase agreement, Durham Regional's current MRI, which is less than two years old, will be upgraded to the same level of technology as the new one.

The four-hour classes will be held from 8:00 a.m. to noon at Hanes House. Register on-line at http://edservices.mc.duke.edu or call 684-4293. The classes are:

• September 10, Facing Death. An experiential class that explores societal and individual values, beliefs, and attitudes about dying and death.

• October 16, Talking to the Dying Patient and Family. Explores strategies and techniques to initiate and respond to questions and issues that patients and families may have about death.

• November 20, Palliative Care. Focuses on palliative care, the active total care for patients living with advanced incurable illness, and their families. It involves a comprehensive, patient/family centered approach to physical, psychosocial, spiritual, and existential needs.

The White Coat Ceremony was held August 9 in Reynolds Theater in the Bryan Center. During the event, each student came on stage and was helped into a white coat by one of the school's four advisory deans.

Melissa Chung (right) beamed as Robert Drucker, MD, an associate dean of Medical Education, helped her put on her white coat. Drucker and the other advisory deans joined Barton F. Haynes, director of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, in making remarks to the students about their new profession.

The students received lapel pins from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation and three books at the ceremony, which capped off a week of orientation.

Here's a look at a few of the vital statistic for the new class: 52 are female, 49 are male; average age, 22 years old; states represented, 30; countries represented, four; and underrepresented minorities, 18.

If you're unable to volunteer but can't wait to see your Duke friends and colleagues perform in the show, you can purchase tickets in advance at the Duke University Hospital Auxiliary gift shops by calling 684-444 or buy online at www.tickets.edu.

The show will be held on Thursday and Friday, September 12 and 13 in the Reynolds Theater in the Bryan Center. Proceeds from ticket sales support arts activities at Duke University Medical Center and at the McGovern Children's Health Center.

"We are gratified with Fitch's announcement in that it acknowledges the hard work which has gone into strengthening the Health System over the last several years," said Kenneth C. Morris, vice president and chief financial officer of DUHS. "Maintaining the 'AA' rating will assure access to lower cost funds for DUHS in the future and provide reassurance to bondholders that their investment in Duke is solid."

DUHS ended the 2002 fiscal year with a non-audited operating surplus of $21.1 million and an operating margin of 1.7 percent, Morris said. The operating profitability has been spurred by increased reimbursement from recently negotiated managed care organizations, improved operations from Durham Regional Hospital and Duke University Affiliated Physicians (DUHS's physician group practices), and a slight increase in hospital utilization. DUHS had $1.2 billion in operating revenues in fiscal year 2001. DUHS expects to have its audited financials available in late September.

Fitch also cited its belief that DUHS's operating profitability should continue to improve with better reimbursement rates from managed care organizations and its continuation to utilize its brand image in the greater Triangle region, where it has more than 2,000 referring physicians.

The Duke Information Training program offers, but is not limited to, the highly sought training required for Microsoft Systems Engineer (MCSE) and Systems Administrator (MCSA), Oracle, Cisco and A+CompTIA certification. Convenient day, evening, and weekend classes are offered through the Office of Continuing Education at the Erwin Square Mill location.

For more information about Duke's Fall IT Training Program,visit www.techtraining.duke.edu or call 1-866-248-6265 to register for a free information session on Wednesday, September 4 at 7:00 p.m. in Room 130 of the Biological Sciences Building. General inquires regarding the IT program also can be directed to dholland@duke.edu.

"CME Leadership in the 21st Century" will be held at Duke's R. David Thomas Conference Center on September 21 - 25.

"The world of CME is changing," says Joseph Green, PhD, associate dean for CME. "For CME to be truly effective in coming decades, we need to help a new generation of CME leaders assume increasing responsibility to improve and expand the impact of CME on the practice of medicine."

For information about the conference, visit www2.mc.duke.edu/docme or call 684-6878.

The Duke University Medical Center Cultural Services Program and the Arts Advisory Committee has developed a new exhibition policy that will bring more art and a greater number of educational exhibits for patients and staff to enjoy. The large Mars Display cases will host two concurrent educational exhibits at times.

Sam Morrison, visual arts coordinator with Cultural Services, says, "The new policy will give every department an equal opportunity to have an exhibit during its national recognition week or month, where the old policy excluded some departments due to concurrent recognition periods. Departments that have never had a chance to exhibit will be given special consideration."

Contact Cultural Services at 477-2644 to request a copy of the new policy, exhibit guidelines, and the application form, or visit the Intranet Web site at http://staff.dukehealth.org to download a copy. Applications are due in the Cultural Services' mailbox at Hanes House by 5:00 p.m. on September 30.

The Health and Nursing Ministries Program is a joint program offered through the Divinity School and the School of Nursing. The weeklong intensive program is offered as a supplement to the two-semester Parish Nursing Continuing Education Program, which provides nurses with a foundational education in the principles and practices of congregational nursing.

For more information, contact Christine Meyer at 660-3538 or Christine.meyer@duke.edu.

If prostate cancer is detected early, it can be treated effectively, but early prostate cancer has no symptoms. Most cases of prostate cancer occur in men older than 50 and more than 70 percent of these are in men over 65.

The best defense is early detection, so two free screenings have been scheduled. The first will be held Saturday, September 21 from 8:00 a.m. until noon at Lincoln Community Health Center, located at 1301 Fayetteville Street. The second will be held Sunday, September 22 from noon to 4:00 p.m. at Duke University Medical Center's Surgical Oncology Clinic, located on the first floor of the Morris Cancer Clinic.

The screenings will include: educational brochures and pamphlets, a digital rectal exam to detect abnormalities of the prostate, and a blood test to screen for prostate-specific antigens (PSAs) that may indicate cancer.

The events are being coordinated by the American Cancer Society, Cornucopia House, Duke University Health System, Durham Regional Hospital, and Lincoln Community Health Center, and supported by Beckman Coulter, Inc.

Free parking will be provided.

For more information about the free prostate cancer screenings, call 956-4025.

Krabbe Leukodystrophy is a little-known illness that children inherit. Based on information from the National Organization for Rare Disorders, 1 in 40,000 newborns are missing an enzyme in their brain that causes Krabbe disease. Children with the disease generally die between the ages of 1 and 3.

Families who have dealt with this disease are dispensing the bears from Hunter's Hope Foundation at their local children's hospitals in almost every state. Durham resident Kelly Sroczyk (pictured above), whose son died from the disease in 1999, shared a smile with patient Cameron Jorgensen and his father, Eric, after giving the boy one of the bears at the Duke Children's Hospital Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Unit on August 20. Each bear comes with a personal letter from Jim Kelly and a foundation newsletter.

Kelly wanted to commemorate his recent induction into the Professional Football Hall of Fame by distributing the cuddly bears to help provide comfort to children in hospitals across the country, in honor of his son, Hunter, who has Krabbe disease.

For more information about Hunter's Hope Foundation, call 877-984-HOPE or visit www.huntershope.org.

All members of both campus communities may use the bus with a valid identification.

Buses run between Duke's West Campus bus stop at the Duke Chapel and UNC's Morehead Planetarium parking lot. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. weekdays, and noon to 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The trip takes fewer than 30 minutes.

Weekdays, a bus will leave each campus on the hour and the half hour from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Evenings and weekends, one bus will travel back and forth between the two.

For a complete bus schedule, visit http://www.robertsonscholars.org/bus.shtml.

The event will be held Monday, September 16 from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Hanes House, located on the corner of Erwin Road and Trent Drive.

Faculty members will be available to discuss the school's comprehensive graduate programs that can be scheduled with great flexibility around personal, family, and work requirements. Take advantage of exploring your admission and financial options with staff from its Office of Admissions and Student Services. Speak with current Duke students and learn about their personal experiences with graduate nursing study.

Register to attend by contacting the Nursing Office of Admissions and Student Services at 684-4248 or at Jennifer.Avery@duke.edu.

For more information about the event, visit the school's Web site at www.nursing.duke.edu.

The winners were given "on-the-spot" recognition by management in the process of demonstrating excellent service to their internal or external customers. They are:

• Costswella Bradsher, Clinic 2F/2G

• Tonga Farrow-Nickerson, PRMO Finance

• Frances White, PDC Payroll

The winners select a $25 gift certificate in recognition of their service from: the Duke Store, Pink Smock Gift Shop, Gothic Bookstore, lunch for two at The Commons, Duke Clinic garage vouchers, or Duke Clinic Valet Service vouchers.

Live for Life's Duke Run/Walk Club and 5K Training Team will meet on Wednesday, August 28 at 5:45 p.m. in front of Wallace Wade Stadium to begin training for the American Heart Walk/Run on November 3, and for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk to Cure Diabetes on September 21.

For more information, call 681-0520 or send an email to clobr001@mc.duke.edu.