Med School faculty named Local Legends

Kansas City, Kan. — Two faculty members at the Kansas University School of Medicine have been named Local Legends by the National Library of Medicine and the American Medical Women’s Assn.

Dr. Kimberly Templeton, associate professor of orthopedics, and Dr. Patricia Thomas, associate dean for cultural enhancement and diversity, and professor and chairwoman of the department of pathology and laboratory medicine, were recognized during a ceremony Friday in Washington, D.C. They also will be recognized on a Web site, www.locallegends.org.

The Local Legends program is done in cooperation with an exhibition at the National Library of Medicine, “Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America’s Women Physicians.” The exhibit currently is in Bethesda, Md., but will travel throughout the country after April.

Ceremony planned for new vice chancellor

Kansas City, Kan.– Dr. Barbara Atkinson will be installed formally as executive vice chancellor of the Kansas University Medical Center during a ceremony Wednesday in Kansas City, Kan.

Atkinson has led the Medical Center since Jan. 1, when Don Hagen, the former executive vice chancellor, retired. She formerly was executive dean of the KU School of Medicine, a position she continues to hold in addition to her new title.

The investiture ceremony is at 3 p.m. at Battenfeld Auditorium in the Med Center’s Student Center, at the corner of Rainbow and Olathe boulevards. A public reception will follow at 4 p.m.

KU makes national list for Peace Corps

More Kansas University alumni participated in the Peace Corps in 2004 than in the previous year, according to information released by the national Peace Corps office.

The 47 KU alumni working in 24 countries ranks 23rd among large colleges and universities. KU placed 25th in the 2004 rankings, with 41 alumni working through the Peace Corps.

Peace Corps volunteers complete three months of training and two years of service. They have their travel expenses paid, earn a monthly living allowance and receive $6,000 after they complete their service.

KU has had a Peace Corps office since 2001.

More information on the annual rankings can be found at www.peacecorps.gov/news/resources/stats/pdf/schools2005.pdf.

KPR plans to use digital signal

Kansas Public Radio will begin transmitting a digital signal, in addition to its existing analog signal, Dec. 1, officials announced.

The new signal will give listeners with digital receivers better reception and higher-quality sound. There will be no change in service or signal for listeners with analog receivers.

Digital radio receivers, which have been on the market about a year, also allows listeners to view data about the station on a radio screen.

The conversion is being funded through a $221,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, with an additional $138,000 being raised from private donors.

KU sets final exam

• Adam Powell, psychology, “Empathy Instrumentality and Volunteer Motivation: An Applied Examination of the Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis,” 2 p.m. today, 447 Fraser.

Dinner to benefit tsunami victims

A dinner featuring foods from around the world will raise money for victims of the Dec. 26 tsunami in southern Asia.

The dinner will be at 6 p.m. Thursday at the St. Lawrence Catholic Center, 1631 Crescent Road. Tickets are $7 for the public, $5 for Kansas University students, faculty and staff, and $3 for children under age 12.

The event is being organized by the International Student Assn., KU UNICEF and the Center for Community Outreach.

Also, the bookstores and cafeterias at the Kansas and Burge unions are donating 10 percent of sales until Friday for tsunami relief. Customers must mention the campaign for the donation to be made.