In Brief


Sharpless Honored by San Diego Press Club

Nobel laureate K. Barry Sharpless, W.M. Keck Professor of Chemistry, The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), was honored as part of the San Diego Press Club's celebration of San Diego's top newsmakers of 2001 at the twenty-ninth Annual Headliners Banquet. According to the San Diego Press Club, the banquet is "a celebration of the excellence that thrives in this region. San Diego is blessed with many natural assets along with a year-round climate that is envied worldwide. One of the region's greatest assets is the people who choose to live here."


TSRI Graphic Artist Wins Awards

Janet Hightower, senior computer graphic artist, BioMedical Graphics, received two awards from the annual BioImages competition conducted by the BioCommunications Association (BCA). Janet has received an Award of Excellence for digital images and a BCA Medical Education Award for her digital composite "The Web of Life". The image was also recently selected for the back cover of The Journal of Biocommunication (Vol. 28, No.4).


Attention Flexible Spending Account Participants

If you participated in the Healthcare Spending Account (HCSA) during the 2001 plan year, Benefits Administration would like to remind you that March 31, 2002, is the deadline for submitting reimbursement claims to EBS.

All claims for services rendered during 2001 should be sent to EBS for reimbursement. Do not send claims for 2001 to Barney & Barney, as this will delay your reimbursement. EBS claim forms are available in the Human Resources Department. You can pick up forms between 8 AM and 5 PM or request them by contacting Benefits Administration at x4-8487 or email benefits@scripps.edu.

Effective January 1, 2002, Barney & Barney is processing claims for services rendered in the 2002 plan year. Reimbursement forms for the 2002 Health Care Spending Account and Dependent Care Spending Account administered by Barney & Barney are also available in the Human Resources Department. In addition, you can download the forms from the Benefits Administration web page. Remember, Barney & Barney is only processing claims for services rendered in the 2002 plan year.


Have Fun and Learn English
A new English-as-a-second-language class will begin Tuesday, March 19. English teacher Cassandra Wadkins' class meets from 6:30 to 8:30 PM every Tuesday in the Immunology Building West Conference Room. The price for three months (12 classes) is $60.

Each intermediate-level English class is divided into speaking and listening, idioms and vocabulary, and reading and writing. If you would like to improve your English communication skills and your understanding of friends and colleagues, movies, television shows, and the news, this class is for you. The instructor uses movies, games, television shows, grammar books, songs, drawings, and novels to teach standard American English. Have fun and learn English at the same time! For more information, leave a message at x4-2176.


TB Screenings, Hepatitis B Immunizations, and Serum Draws
On Monday, March 18, Wednesday, March 20, and Friday, March 22, personnel from Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group will be on-site to conduct TB screenings, Hepatitis B immunizations, and serum draws. The clinics will be conducted at the Administrative Offices (3301 North Torrey Pines Court) on the P1 level from 11 AM to 2 PM. No appointments are necessary.

TB screening requires a 48 to 72 hour follow-up. Individuals receiving the TB screen on Monday will need to return on Wednesday; individuals screened on Wednesday will need to return on Friday. Initiation of the TB screening process will not be available on Friday, but Hepatitis B immunization and serum draws will be. To learn more about these programs, see the Environmental Health & Safety Occupational Medicine web page, which includes a map and patient information sheets.