In Brief

Benefits Summaries Now a Click Away
TSRI Benefits Administration has recently released an online version of the Summary Plan Description for the Health and Welfare Plan. The Summary Plan Description can be used as a resource tool to answer specific questions about your benefits as they arise throughout the year. For more information or to comment on the new web page, contact Benefits Administration at benefits@scripps.edu, or call (858) 784-8487.


HR Moves
TSRI Human Resources Department will be moving Wednesday, October 16 through Friday, October 18. During the move, Human Resources operations will continue, but on a limited basis. The department's new location is on the second floor of 3377. Human Resources staff ask for your patience at this time.


Workshop: "Writing Your First NIH Grant"
A workshop "Writing Your First NIH Grant: Administration, Science, and the Review Process," will be held on Thursday, October 24, from 1 to 4 PM, in the Keck Amphitheater, Beckman Building. The event, which is sponsored by the Society of Fellows and the Human Resources Department will cover:

  • Part I: Administration of Grants, with speakers including Betty Chastain, Roberta Gottlieb, Fred Heaton, Don Mosier, Luc Teyton, and Curtis Wilson.

  • Part II: Writing Grants, Review Process, with speakers including Michael McHeyzer-Williams, David Nemazee, and Luc Teyton.

  • Part III: Panel Discussion, with speakers including David Nemazee, Michael McHeyzer-Williams, Hugh Rosen, and Sandy Schmidt.

For more information, contact Luc Teyton, lteyton@scripps.edu.


National Depression Screening Day

Thursday, October 10 is National Depression Screening Day. This day is held each year during Mental Illness Awareness Week to call attention to the illnesses of depression, manic-depression, and anxiety on a national level, to educate the public about their symptoms and effective treatments, to offer individuals the opportunity to be screened for the disorders, and to connect those in need of treatment to the mental health care system. The following website has more information including screening sites: http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/depression.htm

Confidential assistance is also available from TSRI's Employee and Graduate Student Counseling Department. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Jan Hill, L.C.S.W., at x4-2950 or Jeff Jones, Ph.D., at x4-2063. For TSRI employees and their family members, 24-hour emergency psychiatric service is available through United Behavioral Health at 1 (800) 888-2998.


Free Flu Shots for TSRI Employees

TSRI will be offering free flu vaccinations to TSRI employees, research associates, and graduate students on Wednesday, October 16 from 9AM to 4PM. The clinic will be administered by HealthFax in the Administrative Building, 3301 North Torrey Pines Court, on the P1 level. Please bring a form of identification with you. A printable version of the map and directions are available on the Human Resources web site: http://www.scripps.edu/hr/jobs/HRofficemap.pdf. For more information please leave a message at x4-2176.


Lunch and Learn: "Virtual Reality and Internet Therapy for Anxiety Disorders"

Brenda Wiederhold, Ph.D., M.B.A., B.C.I.A., executive director of The Virtual Reality Medical Center, will present "Virtual Reality and Internet Therapy for Anxiety Disorders" on Wednesday, October 16, from noon to 1 PM in the W.M. Keck Amphitheater of The Beckman Center for Chemical Sciences. Topics will include:

Virtual reality therapy and physiological monitoring for specific phobias; Internet therapy for social phobia and panic with agoraphobia; Future directions for augmented reality therapy. No registration is necessary. For more information, contact Jan Hill, x4-2950.


TB Screenings, Hepatitis B Immunizations, and Serum Draws
On Monday, October 14, Wednesday, October 16, and Friday, October 18, 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 on Monday and Friday. The clinic on Wednesday will held in the P2 level conference room. 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.