The Editorial Board Wishes Our Alumni A Happy Chinese New Year!

Editor in Chief: Huang, Xupei, PH77, Madison, [email protected];

Associate Editors:

Chen, Bei, PH80, San Francisco, [email protected];
He, Zhigang, MD79, San Francisco, [email protected];

Editorial Board:

Bao, Gang, MD78, Louisville, [email protected]
Chen, Bei, PH80, San Francisco, [email protected]
Chen, Jin, PH78, Palo Alto, [email protected]
Jin, Ning, NS84, Ann Arbor, [email protected]
Liu, Guoqin, GS82, [email protected]
Liu, Qianjin, MD78, St. Louis, [email protected]
Liu, Yongjian, MD78, [email protected]
Lu, Li, MD77, Baltimore, [email protected]
Lu, Shan, MD77, Northboro, [email protected]
Shen, Benquan, PH78, San Francisco, [email protected]
Tao, Liangfeng, PH79, Chemsford, [email protected]
Wang, Fuhu, MD79, Ottawa, [email protected]
Wei, Qingyi, PH78, Houston, [email protected]
Yang, Qinghua, San Diego, [email protected]
Yang, Wei, PH79, Carson City, [email protected]
Yu, Yongjia, PH77, Boston, [email protected]

ONMUAA Newsletter is a quarterly publication of Overseas Nanjing Medical University Alumni Association (ONMUAA), a free service provided by a group of volunteers. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of ONMUAA. The Editorial Board welcomes and appreciates contributions from alumni, and encourages volunteers to join the Board or serve as one-issue editors. To publish an article or join, please contact any of the editorial board members (see the end for more information).

Inside This Issue

1. Greetings from the President;
2. News Brief -- NMU May Soon Become Part of Nanjing University;
3. Career Development -- What Makes a New Grant Proposal Fundable?
    Japan and The U.S., Which Is Better?;
4. Alumni in Science -- Special Feature;
5. Holiday Cheers -- MD77 Party in Boston;
6. Life Tips -- Answers to Immigration and Citizenship Questions;
7. Relaxants -- Excerpts of City Newspaper Classified Section.  

HAPPY CHINESE TIGER YEAR!!! It is time to say good-bye to the "OX" and with much delight to welcome the "TIGER". We sincerely appreciate your support to and participation in ONMUAA activities during the past year.

Through the questionnaire survey, we received from you a lot of invaluable suggestions and much encouragement. The alumni directory has been updated greatly due to your in-time input. We are especially indebted to donations from many warm-hearted alumni in the fund raising campaign started several months ago, which has totaled $745 so far. As you know, funding is very critical to the future of our organization. We need your support as well as other means. However, we do understand that most of our alumni came overseas not too long ago and are still facing a lot of financial difficulties in the process of establishing ourselves for a successful career. Therefore, the fund will be strictly used to maintain such basic operations as regular mailing to alumni, necessary printing and annual ONMUAA registration fee, etc. We also may need some expense for a commercial ONMUAA web site if the current ones are no longer available. So far we have been enjoying free internet services provided by Ning Jin, NS84, and Fuhu Wang, MD79.

Here as follows is a list of our alumni who made financial contributions to ONMUAA last year. Although many of them may not want to be publicized, we would still like to openly acknowledge them for their support.

Bao Gang (MD78), Cai Hong (GS90), Cao Guohua (GS84), Chen Lei (PH79), Chen Qing (MD78), Chen Xiaoyan (DS82), Deng Mei (MD77), Fan Ming (MD78), Gong Jianhua (MD78), Gu Gaoman (DS78), Gu Rende (MD77), Hang Bo (MD77), Hu Lufei (GS85), Jia Beiru (MD77), Kao Chiensong (MD66), Li Jie (MD77), Li Xiaosong (MD78), Liu Jianhong (NS84), Liu Qianjin (MD78), Liu Zijun (DS78), Lu Shan (MD77), Pao Joan (MD47), Song Chao (MD77), Song Wu (MD78), Sun Fei (PH77), Tao Liangfeng (PH79), Tseng K.W. Chang (MD47), Wan Shaowei (PH79), Wang Maomao (PH79), Wang Jinjin (MD77), Wei Qingyi (PH78), Wu Youming (MD77), Xia Yi (MD78), Xiao Liqun (MD78), Xue Yaming (PH78), Yan Jingrong (PH78), Yang Wei (PH79), Yao Fen (MD78), Ye Dingzhong (MD83), Yu Liping (PH77), Zhang Ming (MD79), Zheng Baiyu (PH78), Zhou Yiqing (MD77), Zhu Hong (SC78).

We apologize that to save the postage, we did not send you a formal acknowledgment with receipt by mail. We definitely feel much obligated to do a better job with your hard earned dollars. We look forward to your continued support in the new year and warmly welcome more suggestions. Together we will bring the association to a much brighter future. We wish our alumni and families every success in life and career on foreign lands. Thank you very much for your attention.

1) New Year Greetings from NMU (By Shen, Benquan, PH78)

In early December, Nanjing campus sent a holiday greeting letter to all overseas alumni wishing all happy holidays and a more prosperous new year. The letter has been posted in ONMUAA homepage at "http://www-personal.umich.edu/~njin/greetings.html".

According to this letter, campus now has 4 schools, 5 departments, 12 fields of specialty, 38 master's degree programs, 7 doctoral degree programs, 6 affiliated hospitals, 7 top specialties and 2 laboratories of provincial priority. It enrolled more than 1,000 new students last year. The new in- and out-patient buildings for the 1st Affiliated Hospital and Dental Medicine are now in use. Campus is working hard to build NMU into a first-class one in the country.

2) NMU May Become Medical College of Nanjing University Soon (By Wang, Shuyi, PH Faculty and Yang, Yusong, GS88) Based on internal reports from alumni in Nanjing, campus may soon become a part of Nanjing University. The possible new name could be Nanjing Medical College of Nanjing University. This may have different meanings to NMU campus and overseas alumni. However, ONMUAA has not yet received official notice from campus and is in the process of confirmation. The Editorial Board encourages free discussion through the newsletter or ONMUAA email network ([email protected]) and presentations of your perspective on this change.

3) Ni, Yicheng Nominated for Permanent Professorship in Belgium (By Jin, Ning, NS84) Based on the achievements in medical imaging research, Dr. Ni, Yicheng, MD78, has been nominated a permanent professorship in the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium since 1995. His biography has been included in the 15th Edition of Who's Who in the World (Marquis Who's Who®, New Providence, NJ 07974). Congratulations to Dr. Ni! Let's all share his honor and wish him more success. Professor Ni can be reached at: e-mail: [email protected] Home phone: 0032-16-290646 Home address: Roeselveld 29, B-3020 Herent, Belgium Work phone: 0032-16-345940 Work address: Dept. of Radiology, B-3000, Herestraat 49, University Hospitals, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium

4) Ding, Xinsheng Seeks Research Collaboration (By Editors) Ding, Xinsheng, MD77, is seeking research collaboration in neurological sciences between China and the U.S.. He has set up his own laboratories now in the First affiliated Hospital at NMU and would welcome any collaborative projects to be conducted there by overseas alumni. With alumni's help, he recently visited UCSF and currently is collaborating with He, Zhigang, MD79, for understanding the axon guidance. For more information on possible collaboration, please contact Xinsheng at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia Tel: 215-662-3637 (O) 215-662-2665 (L) 610-286-4614 (H)

5) Book Recommendation: "Raping of Nanking" (By Wang, Mingjing, MD77) A new book--Raping of Nanking--by Iris Wang is recommended to alumni. This book details the atrocities conducted by Japanese soldiers in Nanjing. It costs about $17-$25 (http://www.amazon.com, http://www.books.com, http://www.2millionbooks.com and http://www.barnesandnoble.com sell it for $17.5 plus shipping or UK 13.79 Pounds at http://www.bookshop.co.uk). "Rape of Nanking" is an opportunity for us to show our dismay on the world's ignorance of our pain. According to a latest report, it has made to the New York Times' List of Bestsellers. It also has been very well covered by the media in more than 60 newspapers, magazines and TV stations. Iris Wang herself stated that this is not only her own victory. It belongs to everyone whose outpouring support has made it a smashing success and brought the public attention to this nearly forgotten part of history.

6) Alumni on Move (By Jin, Ning, NS84 and Liu, Yongjian, MD78) Here are addresses of some new alumni or alumni on move for your information.

Wang, Mingjing, MD77 E-mail: [email protected] Home phone: 650-988-9387 Home address: 255 S Rengstorff Ave #16 Mt. View, CA 94040 Work address: Dept. Of Anesthesia Stanford Medical Center, Room 3586 Stanford, CA 94305-5115

Miao, Yi, MD73 E-mail: [email protected] Home phone: +32-16-32 98 44 Work phone: +32-16-34 59 40 Work FAX: +32-16-34 37 65 Work address: Faculty of Medicine Catholic University Leuven 3000 Leuven Belgium

Liu, Zi-Jun, DS78, PhD Work phone: 206-685-1096 Work fax: 206-685-8163 Work address: Department of Orthodontics University of Washington Box 357446 Seattle, WA 98195

Jiang, Leifu, Faculty, the First Affiliated Hospital Email address: [email protected] Work address: Dept. of Pneumology University Hospital Gasthuisberg Catholic University Leuven Belgium

Lu, Zhigang, PH78, PH Faculty E-mail address: [email protected] Work phone: 617-432-0928 Home phone: 617-321-4794 Work address: Environmental Science and Engineering Harvard School of Public Health 665 Huntington Ave Boston, MA 02115

Zhang, Hui, MD79 E-mail address: [email protected] Work phone: 404-616-6938 Work Fax: 404-616-5689 Work address: 145 Edgewood Ave. S.E. Atlanta, GA 30335 Home phone: 404-315-1389 Home Fax: 404-315-1389 Home address: 2388-K lawrenceville Hwy. Decatur, GA 30033

Dai, Yu-Tian, MD78, Surgeon in Urosurgery at Drum-Tower Hospital, NMU. Visiting Clinician, the Johns Hopkins University Will move to Georgia after three months Home phone: 410-243-6299 Office phone: 410-955-0352 Home address: 2930 Gurlford Ave. Baltimore. MD 21218

Shi, Jingda, PH78, PhD94, Nanjing Medical University E-mail: [email protected] Home phone 352-336-2161.

For those Alumni who need an E-mail address badly, or wanted to add another one, here is a wonderful offer: a free e-mail address/box you can have access to at anytime anywhere as long as you have access to the internet or any other mailbox (it forwards automatically upon your command). And some more valuable features... Now, get your free e-mail and a permanent address at http://www.amexmail.com or http://www.netaddress.com or http://www.lycosemail.com or http://www.hotmail.com

2) Job Listings (By Editors and Liu, Yongjian, MD78)

a) JOB ON-LINE AT HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/Admins/offstuds/career.html The username is: jobs The password is: jobs96

b) JOBTRAK JOBTRAK is the largest college job listing service serving over 700 college career centers and more than 290,000 employers. JOBTRAK is an on-line job search resource which allows you to search for full-time, part-time, summer and internship opportunities, free of charge. You can search by keyword, state, company name with access to their job listings, and company profile. http://www.jobtrak.com Click on "students and alumni" Highlight Harvard School of Public Health Enter the password: studentjobs

c) CAREER DAY AT HARVARD If you are in the New England area, mark your calendar for February 6 for its 10th annual Career Day, 10 am-3:30 pm in the FXB building. The purpose of Career Day is to provide career information and networking opportunities for students and alumni/ae. Career Day is designed to inform you about public health employment opportunities from a wide range of organizations including state and federal agencies, international and environmental organizations, consulting and private companies, and hospitals and HMO's. You will have an opportunity to identify employment prospects, establish preliminary contacts and submit resumes. A lunchtime program will include a panel of alumni/ae who will address the topic of "Leadership Skills for the 21st Century", 12:30-1:30 pm in FXB G-12. The speakers will describe their career development and the leadership skills necessary to manage change. Harvard School of Public Health is at 665 Huntington Ave, Boston.

d) CND JOB SERVICE WEB SITE http://www.cnd.org:8004/career-dir.html, which contains many job search tools and job sites.

e) ONLINE SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD You are invited to join a worldwide panel of scientific and medical experts which has been formed on the World Wide Web. Board members voice their opinions on a wide variety of topics related to new technologies used in research and clinical applications. Manufacturers of research products, lab equipment, medical devices and pharmaceuticals rely on the input of the Board's nearly 3000 members for insights into how their products can be better designed to meet the needs of end-users. Please visit the Board's web site at http://www.scienceboard.net/.

f) WEBSITE OF INTEREST TO CAREER SCIENTISTS The web site http://www.phds.org is an online library full of useful information for life sciences postdocs and grad students. The site is set up as a "Yahoo"-like archive of science career information and contains pointers to online articles, essays, databases, and books on finding academic employment, on sources of funding, on careers outside of the academy, on teaching, on surviving grad school, and on research for undergraduates. There is a growing collection of articles, essays, and speeches on the job market and statistics on the prospects for Ph.D.s. There is also a collection of information on the adjunctification of academia, the movement for tenure reform, and the "Myth". This is not just a pile of links -- software that will allow readers to rate links is in the works, so soon we will be able to steer visitors to the most interesting content. The site is maintained by students at Dartmouth College and is made possible by the generous support of the Alfred P.Sloan Foundation. The site is built from user-contributed links, so the more people that use it and contribute links, the more useful it will be. I hope you find it to be a useful resource, and I welcome your feedback and contributions of new links.

3) Funding Information on Line (By Editors) A good resource for fellowship information is the SPIN database (http://www.harvard.edu/office_sponsored_research/ ). SPIN is a computer database with details the up-to-the-minute information about thousands of Federal and Non-federal and International funding opportunities, like: fellowships travel research curriculum development collaborative projects sabbatical support publication support and much more! SPIN currently contains information from more than 1,200 different sponsoring agencies, which together fund over 8,000 separate funding opportunities. The funding opportunity profiles are comprehensive, providing such information as: sponsor name contact person complete address/telephone deadlines program title catalog of federal domestic assistance number (for US federal programs) a brief synopsis outlining the opportunity plus - a detailed description of the sponsor's objectives/what is funded and the program's restrictions, i.e., eligibility requirements, award amounts and duration, allowable costs, indirect cost policies, and application information.

4) What Makes A New Grant Proposal Fundable (By Wei, Qingyi, PH78)? Recently, I participated in an ad hoc NIH review panel for NIH EDC2 study section and a P01 site visit. Some experience during the review process may be shared by our alumni (particularly in the U.S.) who are preparing grant proposals or are going to do so.

a) HOW ARE THE GRANTS REVIEWED? Every grant proposal sent in on either 2/1, 6/1, or 10/1 deadlines will be reviewed by the next cycle date and to be funded by the second next cycle date, i.e., a grant proposal submitted on 2/1 deadline will be reviewed on 6/1, possibly be told funded or not on 10/1, and the actual funds come even later. This means that at best, it takes a year to get a proposal funded. The grants that have submitted will be sent to related "Study Sections", which consist of permanent or ad hoc review panels of 15-25 reviewers, depending on how many grant proposals are submitted. Each reviewer will be sent about 40 grants to read before meeting at NIH. Each grant will be assigned two primary reviewers, one secondary reviewer and possibly one (or outside) reader. Before going to the meeting at NIH to discuss each grant's merit, each reviewer is asked to single out the grant proposals as "poor ones" to be streamlined or triaged, which means these grants will not be discussed further, therefore, they will be unlikely to be funded. The percentage of triage is about 40 to 50% (will have scores more than 250 but often not given, also so-called nerved). The rest will be discussed during the meeting by the review panel through presentations of assigned reviewers and voted by the whole panel. The voting represents the panel's recommendations (merit scores 100 to 250; the lower, the better). An R01 grant proposal scored less than 170 is unlikely to be funded. The applicant will be provided with reviewers' critiques. The final decision depends on the funds available and so is the fundable scores (NCI has been funding the grant proposals with a merit scores around 160. Other NIH institutions may have funding scores higher or lower).

b) WHAT IS A GOOD GRANT PROPOSAL? Based on the reviewing process, a good grant proposal has the following features: I). Hypothesis-driven: a well-thought-out grant has a very solid theoretic thinking and therefore has plausible hypothesis. Those grant proposals labeled as "fishing" will be most likely triaged. II). Achievable specific aims: the more specific aims listed, the more likely being attacked. An ambitious applicant will have fewer chances. A rule of thumb is to have 3 to 4 specific aims clearly spelled out. III). A tract record: a tract record is reflected in your previous publications and preliminary studies. Such a record is imperative for what you have proposed because this is the testimony of your ability to accomplish what has been proposed. IV). Resources: this includes expertise, your research teams (including collaborators) and the support from your institutions. This is extremely important when you do not have sufficient tract records. Recruiting right and famous collaborators is often a matter of success or failure in your grant proposal. V). Time-table: a realistic time-table always reflects the experience of research and administrative skills of the applicant.

c) TIPS FOR BETTER CHANCES: Conceive your grant proposal as early as possible. The last minute work often signals a failure. At least give a 6-month time for polishing ideas and generating new preliminary data. Find out the right "Study Sections" to send your proposals. Some study sections are more "crowded" or "tougher" than others. Talk to your colleagues or your supervisors (Chairman) or call NIH grant officers to find it out. No matter what happened, keep writing grant proposals may be the only chance you can control. Given only about 20% of the proposals are actually funded each cycle and more and more resubmissions go in each cycle, you should expect to have one out of your five proposals to be funded, if you are lucky. Keep in mind that "practice makes perfect". Recently, NIH issued new review criteria. The reviewers will look for 1) Significance, 2) Approach, 3) Innovation, 4) Investigator, and 5) Environment, while reading the grant proposal. For those who are interested, more information about NIH grants can be found at web address: http://www.nih.gov/grants/guide/ Editors' Comment

The writer, Wei, Qingyi, PH78, PhD, (E-mail: qwei@ notes.mdacc.tmc.edu) is an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. He had his Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University in 1993. His research interest is the role of DNA repair in cancer etiology.

5) Which Is Better, Japan Or The U.S. (By Liu, Zijun, DS78) ?

As noted in last issue of ONMUAA newsletter, my family and I just moved to Seattle from Japan. As a newly-arrived stranger, I feel hard to write anything in English and to share my experiences with our alumni. However, by the kind invitation of the editor, I would like to describe my feelings about the career, life and cultural differences between Japan and the U.S.. Please note that anything I mentioned below only applies to Seattle referred as the U.S., because I have no knowledge about other places, but it would be common if referred as Japan.

First of all, I should say many big differences do exist between these two countries even if Japan had been reconstructed under the control of the U.S. After World War II. In general, if you like a relatively stable or fixed life style without high income, and the most convenient living facilities and perfect services, but without large houses, Japan might be a better choice. However, you should be prepared to work off hours every weekday without extra payment and to learn how to be very polite up to humble to others. In contrast, what do we think would be good to live in the U.S.? More opportunities? More challenges? Easier to live? I have no ready answers yet only based on my two-month experience in the U.S.. To me, as a Chinese, Japan is a country easier to approach, to familiar with, to throw into, and to like to some extent, whereas difficult to say "love" heartily (even if with no historic reasons). However, the Japanese are the people whom you feel hard to read and understand in real meanings by the general sense of Chinese.

There are just my general feelings. I could not give a definite reason. Even though Japan has become one of the most developed countries in the world, most people are full of curiosity about foreigners. In most cities and towns, each organization has its own volunteers to form various societies to promote international friendship. The administrative office of each prefecture or city has several government-budgeted one-year-term positions called "the International Exchange Coordinator" to welcome peoples from different countries. As a result, foreigners have a lot of chances to be invited to different parties, festivals, travels and homestays in Japanese families. Almost all of them are free of charge. Transportation is provided to the gathering place. Occasionally attending compensation would also be available to attendants. Furthermore, There are also many folk organizations (mainly composed of housewives) who gather used living goods, furniture and electronic equipments and provide them to foreign students without any charge. Free deliveries are arranged in most cases. All of these could make you have Japanese friends very soon even if you can not speak any Japanese at all. It gives you a nice feeling when you are a newcomer to Japan. On the other hand, it also reminds you of being an alien in that country. You can go through all procedures smoothly for beginning your university or family life even without understanding any Japanese, as some hosts are assigned to help you. This never means all at the university can speak English or other foreign languages very well, but does reflect their care about foreigners. It sounds like how we Chinese treat our guests. However, if you want to live and work there for a long time or permanently, I do not think you would wish to be a guest.

If you work for a university, you have no need to face so many choices for your benefits (medical insurance, retire plan, tax withholding claim, etc.) as most of them are identical to every employee. The department secretary would also answer and resolve all of your questions. However, when I came to the University of Washington, I got a lot of documents to read and forms to fill out with unexpected difficulties as I have no experience about them. Also, no one could give me detailed explanations on how to do them if I did not ask. Even I asked, in the most cases, I got unclear answers or was told that I must call different administrative offices for details. As you could image, my English is not good enough to make a smooth phone call. I spent a lot of time to read a huge pile of documents for new employees, and put every effort to understand choices and make decisions. Thank God, I did all these, got some exercises, and knew a lot of things about US society. What a feeling of new job!

Having read a wonderful paper by Shan Lu in last issue, I greatly admire what a boss is in the US universities. Yes, I had served for a national university in Japan as an assistant professor and my research (as PI) also had been granted by Japanese Government. But, there was absolutely no possibility for me to own a lab and act as a boss although I could have the right to purchase equipments and work in my pace. I could also have PhD students and/or other faculties join my group, but had no right to pay them from the grant. Whatever I had and did belonged to the Department. Every big decision had to be finally made by the Department Chair, who was the only boss. So, I had no pressure to find money for my projects or for my research group. What an amazing balance! As for the U.S., I still have no idea about why there are so many position titles in the university, in which one sounds better or superior to the other? Position levels in Japan universities are as simple as those in Mainland China. There are no tenure tracks for faculties, but a three-year renewing for foreign faculties is required if his/her position level is beyond or at assistant professor. Most often, nobody knows the results of a renewing in advance. Generally, there is a very small chance for foreign faculties to be promoted up to a professor position, because it is a "boss" position, i.e., academic and administrative authorities should be combined in it. In Japan, there are strict limitations for foreigners to get into the level of administration which makes decisions on personnel, budget and so on. In a word, Foreigners are welcome to work for this country without big-decision right and power although some reforms are in progress recently.

Frankly speaking, I am not satisfied with the administration structure, insurance system and other services in my current place. A lot of so-called bureaucracy and low work efficiency have already been found from my enrolling process and short-term living experience. All of these were out of my imagination about what the U.S. should be. My friends here often blame me for having too many complaints. I hope I would get used to them with time and finally like and love this continent.

Lastly, I would like to mention a completely different issue, the common topics involved in conversations when Chinese friends get together. When I was in Japan, nobody would talk about how to make their plans to own a house, to find a right way or good lawyer to get permanent residence or citizenship as I have been often asked here. The most frequent questions asked there were how long you plan to stay in Japan and what your next stop would be regardless whether you were still a PhD student or already started working for a company or university. I can not deny the big difference in immigration policy between these two countries, but there should be some reason in the deep layer. Things sound to me that if you come to the U.S., you must like or even love this continent and then put your objective on how to make the stay from as long as possible to permanently. I do not think it would be a good idea if you pay or lose too much only in order to realize this objective.

Forgive me if I am wrong or you do not agree. I am not willing to be involved in any argument concerning what I have said above.

Editors' Comment: Liu, Zijun, DS78, PhD91 (Osaka University, Japan/Fourth Military Medical University, China), is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Orthodontics at University of Washington. His research interests are craniofacial biology and oral physiology. E-mail: [email protected].

6) Job Opportunities

a) Position At The Johns Hopkins University (By Editors)

COMMUNITY RISK REDUCTION SPECIALISTS STUDY OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE IN AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILIES WITH PREMATURE CORONARY HEART DISEASE THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND Study Description: The Johns Hopkins Sibling Study is a 15-year series of projects investigating the mechanisms for coronary disease at a young age (age<60 years) and models of risk reduction in adult brothers and sisters of persons who have experienced a premature coronary disease event. This new intervention study is designed explicitly to test a model of care solely for African American families using a community based approach and lay risk reduction specialists compared with usual care by the primary care physician in a traditional clinical setting. The hypothesis is that persons without a degree in nursing or medicine with skills and interest in community health education and familiarity with the cultural norms, will provide care that is more effective than care that occurs in traditional settings. The lay risk reduction specialist will manage diet, physical activity, medications, and any other aspects of care relative to lowering cholesterol levels, reducing obesity, increasing physical activity, and achieving smoking cessation. A nurse specialist and a cardiologist will supervise the risk reduction specialist Position Description: 1. Manage a caseload of siblings to have been identified with cholesterol abnormalities, high blood pressure, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, or current smoking, 2. Using national guidelines and care pathways and algorithms provided by the study, provide treatment and monitoring on a regular basis in a community setting, including some home visits, 3. Meet regularly with the nurse and cardiologist to review progress of individuals, and to make periodic care decisions, 4. Perform measurements including blood pressure, anthropometry (body fat assessment), 10-minute walk tests for physical performance, blood rawing for cholesterol and other blood tests, and maintain careful written records of encounters and patient progress, 5. Provide families with good nutritional counseling and advice on physical activity, 6. Provide continuity of care and communication with the individuals primary care physician, and 7. Conduct in-depth interviews and focus groups. Experience: No experience is required. All training, both clinical and from a knowledge perspective will be offered. Preference will be given to individuals with knowledge of cardiovascular risk reduction, physical activity, counseling, or health education. Knowledge of African American culture and health practices is also helpful. We will provide the training and supervision. The person will perform primarily as a health educator with some ability to extend this role into management of standard medication therapy provided by the physician. Research skills are helpful but not required. The ability to work in a research environment, however, is essential. Education: M.P.H. or any Masters degree in health education, public health or related field is preferred. Baccalaureate in health education, health and society, or related areas may be considered. Duration and Hours: This is a four-year study. Hours will vary and are likely to require two Saturday mornings a month and 2-3 evenings until 8pm per week. Flexibility is important. The study will be conducted over 4 years in Baltimore City. Salary: $25,000-$30,000. Full benefits package including free tuition at The Johns Hopkins University (School of Hygiene and Public Health and others). Contact: Dr. Diane M. Becker Director, Center for Health Promotion Associate Professor, Medicine or Taryn Moy, R.D., M.S. Project Director, The Johns Hopkins Sibling Study Email: [email protected] [email protected] Address: The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Promotion The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine 1830 East Monument Street 8027 Baltimore, Maryland 21205 Tel: 410-955-7781 or 410-614-2440 Fax: For letters of inquiry and resumes, 410-955-0321 This is an excellent entry-level experience for a new health educator who wishes an intense training program in cardiovascular risk reduction, nutrition, physical activity, and smoking cessation. Considerable training and monitoring will be offered and the opportunity to learn research skills is excellent. Position starts April-June 1998.

b) Postdoc Opportunity At The UCSF (By Liu, Yongjian, MD78) A postdoctoral fellowship position opens immediately in the Division of Immunology/Allergy of Department of Medicine and Immunology/Microbiology at University of California-San Francisco (Parnassus Campus). The group is studying the newly-identified G protein-coupled receptors for the recently-recognized phospholipid growth factors, such as lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and sphingolipids. Several cDNAs for these receptors have been just cloned and identified in this lab, and studies on genetic, biochemical, pharmacological and functional characterization of these cloned receptors are being actively carried out. We seek motivated candidates with a recent Ph.D. or MD/Ph.D. degree and research experience in protein biochemistry, and basic molecular and cellular biology. Interest in various aspects of G protein-coupled receptors is desired. Stipend starts from $30,000 and depends on qualification. Send CV and names of references to Dr. Edward J. Goetzl, Department of Medicine and Immunology/Microbiology, UCSF, Box 0711, San Francisco, CA 94143-0711, or reply to the email address: Songzhu.

Yongjian Liu's name has been circulated in this network many times, but in most of those appearances he showed only his social interests and skills. However, if not more than that, at least equally impressed is his success in his scientific involvement.

In the past year or so I have been working in the Neuroscience Program in UCSF (the University of California at San Francisco) in which Yongjian is an adjunct assistant professor, and had a lot of communication with him. Here I would like to share with you my personal understanding of the significance of his scientific contribution.

When Yongjian first joined R. Edwards' lab in UCLA in 1991, Dr. Edwards had just started his tenure track position and focused his research on the molecular and cellular basis of neurodegerative diseases. Among others, Parkinson's disease is characterized with "the Shaking Palsy" symptoms, and stems primarily from destruction of certain neurons in the brain stem's substantia nigra (or black substance). The most prevailing view for such an extensive neuronal cell death holds that the neurons die, to a great extent, doomed by the excessive accumulation of highly reactive free radicals or other neurotoxins in the affected regions. Indeed the involvement of neurotoxins has been indicated from the research following up what has been called "The Case of the Frozen Addicts" (for those interested, see Longston et al., Science 219, 979, 1983).

MPTP, an impurity in heroin, was identified to be able to induce the Parkinsonism among the addicts. Since then, MPTP, and its active form MPP+, have been used as a model system for investigating Parkinson's disease. That also served as the starting point of Yongjian's research in Edwards' lab. They and others found that neuroendocrine PC12 cells, but not fibroblast CHO (Chinese Hamster Ovary) cells, show a resistance to the toxicity of high concentration of MPP+. With a very cleaver strategy Yongjian et al (PNAS 89, 9074, 1992) found that it is the then novel molecule vesicular monoamine transporter 1 (VMAT1) that accounts for the differences of cells in vulnerability to MPP (Liu et al., Cell, 70, 539, 1992). The predicted sequence of VMAT1 contains 12 transmembrane domains and shows homology to a class of bacterial drug resistance genes. It makes perfect sense as MPP+ uptaken by VMAT-1, which expresses in PC12 cells, but not CHO cells, into an intracellular compartment, sequesters the toxin away from mitochondria and so protects the cell. This discovery brought much insight into studies of Pakinson's disease. The detoxication function of VMATs also stimulated the speculation as to whether transmitters such as dopamines which are subject to be uptaken by VMATs are also participating in the development of Parkinson's disease (Liu et al., Annu Rev Neurosci. 20: 125-156, 1997). Therefore it will be interesting to see if there is any genetic link between Parkinson's families and VMAT and its related genes. I believe these and other possibilities must be under the investigation of Yongjian and his colleagues. The importance of identifying VMAT is beyond its implication in Parknison's disease. It also excites cell biologists, since the primary function of VMAT is involved in the packaging and trafficking of transmitters such as monoamines, acetylcholine (ACh), glutamate.

Since then, a family of VMATs with different substrates in different species have been identified (for an updated description, see McIntire et al., Nature, 389,870, 1997). Further studies have led to many interesting observations. For example, Yongjian found that in CHO cells, VMATs and a closely related vesicular ACh transporter (VAChT) co-localized. However, they are sorted into different compartments within PC12 cells (Liu et al, JCB 127: 1419, 1994; Liu &;Edwards., 139: 907, 1997). These intriguing results predict some unknown cellular machinery for determining and regulating the sorting and movement of these important transmitters. If you rethink about it, the whole neuronal activity is built up by the release and signaling of such transmitters. We shall see how Yongjian and his colleagues will put their story into the whole picture of neuronal activity and regulation. In the end, I apologize for those who like to know more about how Yongjian has done so much. I will leave him self to your further questions.

Editors' Comment: Over the years, our alumni either back to China or overseas have made various significant contributions to the science and technology in general and medicine in particular. Liu, Yongjian, as introduced by He, Zhigang, presents one of the good examples. Alumni in Science is a new column intended to feature those alumni and to facilitate more understanding of their work fields. We plan to continue this in series and welcome more recommendations from alumni.

1)  Happy Marriage (By Lin, Yue, MD77) Congratulations to Fang, Fang on Her Recent Wedding! Fang, Fang, MD85, currently a post-doc fellow at Stanford University, was happily married to Mr. Zhen, Junfei (currently an employee at Intel) on 12/20/97. The wedding ceremony took place at Stanford Church, and the reception at the Stanford Faculty Club. Among the alumni joining Fang were my wife, Xiaomei, MD77, and I, Wang, Mingjing, MD77, Liu, Wenhui, MD77, the families of Chen, Jin, PH78, and Jia, Hongchen, MD82.

Two wedding photos will be available later on ONMUAA homepages. Please join us to congratulate Fang on her happy marriage, and to wish her a happy, long-lasting, and prolific marriage.

2) New Generation Members (By Editors) Two new faces have joined the ONMUAA big family since the holiday season. Yang, Wei, PH79 and Xu, Puting, PH78 each had a daughter born into their families. Congratulations to Wei, Puting and their families! We share their happiness and wish their daughters all the best.

3) NMU MD-77 Christmas Party in Boston Area (By Xia, Dongxiang, MD77 and Lu, Shan, MD77) In the evening of Friday, December 26, 1997, seven MD77 graduates had a great party in Lu, Shan's home in Northboro, Massachusetts. The "old NMU MD77 Bostonians" (Chen, Yi, MD77-2, Jia, Beiru, MD77-5, Lu, Shan, MD 77-6 and Li, Jie, MD77-7) happily got together with Song, Chao (MD77-6, recently relocated to Boston from St. Louis), Huang, Zuhu (MD77-8, in his short visit from China) and Xia, Dongxiang (MD77-8, specially coming from NIH with his wife). Some of us had not seen each other for 15 years since our graduation in December, 1982 until the party. We recalled the five-year life in NMU, especially some funny events and memorable people (hey, the other MD77s around the world, did you feel someone was talking about you?). We also discussed the career development in the U.S., a topic of common interest. Lu, Shan showed a photo of re-union of some MD-77 guys in Bay area which was taken last year when he was visiting there. He let everyone try to recognize each individual on the photo. Xia, Dongxiang did the best and correctly picked out nearly all the alumni except one. Hello, guys in the photo, whom do you think he didn't recognize? Chen, Yi also showed a tiny picture of class MD77-2 taken at the graduation. The picture was so small and the viewers are now so old that it was really impossible for them, even the "younger" Dongxiang, to recognize anyone on the picture. Lu, Shan said he would find his local Chinese photographer friend and see if there is any way to enlarge the picture a little bit. Mrs. Lu was very good at cooking, we enjoyed all the dishes she made, particularly the "Nanjing Salted Water Duck". Every guest also brought some of their best dishes. Everyone stayed late over midnight even though most needed almost one-hour drive to go home. It was truly an unforgettable reunion.

1) Immigration Services a) [email protected] (By Editors) There is a highly experienced immigration lawyer who has helped many Chinese students and scholars obtain green cards, temporary visas, and J-1 waivers. He provides free assessments and consultations on any immigration matters. He can be reached by fax (815-754-9901) or e-mail ([email protected]). b) U.S. VISA AND IMMIGRATION INFORMATION (By BOA) http://www.wco.com/~netstar/uslife.html C) IFCSS IMMIGRATION SERVICES WEB SITE (By IFCSS) If you have questions on U.S. immigration and citizen matters, please send your questions to: [email protected]. Their attorneys will select the questions which are community-wide concerns and provide answers at IFCSS Professional Service's web site: http://service.ifcss.org.

2) A Recipe for Pumpkin Bread (By Jin, Ning, NS84) Ingredients: 2 and 2/3 cups sugar 2/3 cup cooking oil 4 eggs 1 and 1/2 cups cooked pumpkin 3 and 1/3 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 and 1/2 teaspoon salt (I only use 1/2 tsp.) 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup chopped nuts 2/3 cup water Procedures: Mix sugar, oil and pumpkin, add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. In separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, soda and cinnamon ( you can sift it together, I do not bother). Combine pumpkin mixture with flour mixture. Add water and mix well. Add nuts and stir again. Pour into well greased loaf pans or tin cans. Fill only 1/2 full (this is important if you do not want oven spills.). Bake at 300 degrees for one hour. Allow bread to cool, then remove from cans. This bread freeze very well. ( This recipe makes a generous amount-16 mini loafs, or 8 mini loafs and one regular loaf. 4 one-pound coffee cans, or many smaller cans. Just remember to not fill over 1/2 way in any container.)

ENJOY! AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS! ( Original recipe from Maine's Jubilee Cookbook, published from Maine's Sesquicentennial Year of 1970.)

================================================================== ========= =====

7. Relaxants ================================================================== ========= =====
1) Famous People, Famous Words (By Editors and Professor Ni, Yicheng, MD78) There are three stages in the history of every medical discovery. When it is first announced, people say that it is not true. Then, a little later, when its truth has been born in on them, so that it can no longer be denied, they say it is not important. After that, if its importance becomes sufficiently obvious, they say that anyhow it is not new. --Sir James Mackenzie If wrinkles must be written upon our brows, let them not be written upon the heart. The spirit should never grow old. --James A. Garfield Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need. --Kahlil Gibran Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem more afraid of life than death. --James F. Byrnes If you steal from one author, it's plagiarism. If you steal from two, it's research. --Wilson Mizner A pessimist is one who feels bad when he feels good for fear he'll feel worse when he feels better. --Anonymous He who has imagination without learning has wings and no feet. --Joseph Joubert He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches. --George Bernard Shaw When you meet a man, you judge him by his clothes; when you leave, you judge him by his heart. --Russian Proverb The worst-tempered people I've ever met were people who knew they were wrong. --Wilson Mizner One person with a belief is equal to a force of ninety-nine who have only interests. --John Stuart Mill

2). Excerpts from Classified Sections of City Newspapers (Originally by Richie R. @ auckland.ac.nz.and forwarded by Li, Donglin, PH83) Illiterate? Write today for free help. Auto Repair Service. Free pick-up and delivery. Try us once, you'll never go anywhere again. Our experienced Mom will care for your child. Fenced yard, meals, and smacks included. Dog for sale: eats anything and is fond of children. Man wanted to work in dynamite factory. Must be willing to travel. Stock up and save. Limit: one. Semi-Annual after-Christmas Sale. 3-year old teacher needed for pre-school. Experience preferred. Mixing bowl set designed to please a cook with round bottom for efficient beating. Girl wanted to assist magician in cutting-off-head illusion. Blue Cross and salary. Dinner Special -- Turkey $2.35; Chicken or Beef $2.25; Children $2.00 For sale: antique desk suitable for lady with thick legs and large drawers. Now is your chance to have your ears pierced and get an extra pair to take home, too. We do not tear your clothing with machinery. We do it carefully by hand. For sale. Three canaries of undermined sex. Great Dames for sale. Have several very old dresses from grandmother in beautiful condition. Vacation Special: have your home exterminated. Get rid of aunts. Zap does the job in 24 hours. Toaster: A gift that every member of the family appreciates. Automatically burns toast. For Rent: 6-room hated apartment. Man, honest. Will take anything. Used Cars: Why go elsewhere to be cheated. Come here first. Christmas tag-sale. Handmade gifts for the hard-to-find person. Wanted: Hair cutter. Excellent growth potential. Wanted. Man to take care of cow that does not smoke or rink. Our bikinis are exciting. They are simply the tops. Wanted. Widower with school age children requires person to assume general housekeeping duties. Must be capable of contributing to growth of family. And now, the Superstore-unequaled in size, unmatched in variety, unrivaled inconvenience. We will oil your sewing machine and adjust tension in your home for $1.00.

3) Test Your Mind (By Jennifer Lears, Brown Uniersity and forwarded by Editors) First, write 1-11 in a column. Then in the first and second spaces, fill any two numbers you like. Write two names of opposite sex in the 3rd and 7th spaces. Write anyone's name (like friends or family...) in the 4th, 5th, and 6th spaces. Write four song titles in 8,9,10 and 11. Finally, make a wish... And there is the key for that game, but do NOT look at them before you finish... You must tell (the number in space 2) people about this game in (the number in space 1) days in order to make your wish come true. The name in 3 is the one you love. The person in 7 is the one you like but can't work out. You care most about the person you put in 4. Fifth is the one who knows you very well. The name in 6 is your lucky star. The song in 8 is the song that matches with the person in 3. The title in 9 is the song for 7. The tenth space is the song that tells you about your mind. And 11 is the song telling what you feel for sex....... "If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried."

 "... anybody wants to do something for the ONMUAA, they now
have the chance. That is why we have the ONMUAA. What is going to be
in the Newsletter is their contributions. They may enjoy what they
submitted or suffer from what others did..."

 "... to have unspecified time frequency and let every alumnus to
have the right to do so (not just the official ones). It may flood the
e-mail, that is OK. The recipient can decide how to deal with it. The ONMUAA only provides a channel for free alumni interaction (it may be OK for some alumni to ask for eliminating their name from the 'flooding' e-mail address" ...

 "... I appreciate what you've done for all of us..."

 (more to come if you, the readers, are ready to participate in)

  **********************************************************
2. Short News (By Editors)

Zhigan He (MD79) got a message from Chen, Qi who is now Dean of Basic
Medical Science School. Dr. Chen mentioned that The University had
contacted them about the way to communicate with ONMUAA. As expected,
they are happy to know ONMUAA's actions.

 * * * * * * * *

Lead by Benquan Shen (PH78), Yongjian Liu (MD78), Zhigang He (MD79),
the PR group recently have established a channel to help Nanyi library
by donating scientific journals and books. They are also
contacting research departments in NMU to set up potential
collaboration program such as giving seminars when alumni have trip to
China. Further detail plan for the journal and book donation
will be announced.

 * * * * * * * *

Condolences :NMU Cardiac pharmacology professor, Tianbei Liu passed
away on Feb.27, 1997. To express our sorrow, on the behalf of ONMUAA,
The Executuve Committee has written a condolatory letter to Professor
Liu's family.

 A memorial web page for Prof. Liu will also be set up for this event.

 * * * * * * * *

Five alumni members (Youcheng Liu (PH78), Liangfeng Tao (PH79),
Yongjia Yu (PH77), Yi Wu (DS77), and Shan Lu (MD77) had a meeting
at Shan Lu's home on Feb. 16 to discuss the current issues of ONMUAA.
Such issues include homepages, fundraising, directories and mid-term
evaluation. During his visit to San Francisco, Shan Lu, Board Chair,
met with Benquan Shen (PH78), Yongjian Liu (MD79), Bei Chen PH80),
Zhigang He (MD79) and many other alumni activists.

 * * * * * * * *

Boston area Chinese New Year NMU alumni activities:
Liu Youcheng, PH78 joined the Boston "Yellow River Chorus" to give a
performance on Yellow River Local Symphony as well as some Peking opera
pieces on the eve of Chinese New Year. Donglin Lee, PH83 and Lei Feng
MD84 are program persons

 * * * * * * * *

Special thanks from Dept. of Fundraising to the following alumni who
have made their donations:

 Bei Chen (PH82), Youcheng Liu(PH78), Liang feng Tao (PH79) and Maomao
Wang (PH79), Ning Jin (NS84), Jie Li (MD77), Benquan Shen (PH778) and
Ming-hong Xie (MD78) Qing Tai (MD82) and Ying Zhai (MD82), Qingyi Wei
(PH78) and Jingrong Yan (PH78) Shan Lu (MD77), Yongjian Liu (MD78), Wei Yang (PH79) and Fan Zhang (PH79), Donglin Li (Ph83), Wei Yang (PH79) and Fan Zhang(PH79), Jin Chen (PH78) Jinjie Hu (PH78), Liqun Xiao (MD78).

 $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

2. Relaxants for your life

  **********************************************************
a ) For the lonely hearts, single strands, and unbound receptors in us
all Biopersonals (By Benquan Shen, PH78; Source: unknown)
**********************************************************

 I've been single-stranded too long! Lonely ATGCATG would like
to pair up with congenial TACGTAC.

 Menage a trois! Ligands seeks two receptors into binding and
mutual phosphorylation. Let's get together and transduce some
signals.

 Some dates have called me a promotor. Others have referred to
me as a real operator. Personally, I think I'm just a cute
piece of DNA who is still looking for that special transcription
factor to help me unwind.

 Highly sensitive, orally active small molecule seeks stable
well-structured receptor who knows size isn't everything.

There must be a rational way to meet a date! I'm tired of
hanging out in those molecular diversity bars, hoping to
randomly bump into the right peptide. I want a molecule that
will fit right into my active sight and really turn me on. I'll
send you my crystal structure if you send me yours!

 Gene therapy graduate. After years of producing nothing but
gibberish, I've shed my exons and am ready to express my
introns. All I need is a cute vector to introduce me to the
right host.

 My RNA, I'm sorry I misread your UAAUAAUAA and inserted three
tyrosines when you repeatedly asked me to stop. Something got
lost in the translation. Please forgive me.

Naked DNA with sticky ends seeks kanamycin-resistant plasmid.
EcoR1 sites preferred.

 Uninhibited virus seeks reason to make me shed my protein coat.

 This very selective oliogonucleotide has been probing for just
the right target for long term hybridization.

 Mature cell seeks same who still enjoys cycling and won't go
apoptotic on me. Let's fight senescence together!

I'm a prolific progenitor with great potential for growth and
self-renewal. Call me if you're a potent hematopoietic factor
who still believes in endless nights of colony stimulation.

 I don't always express myself on the surface, but I'm looking
for a signal that you appreciate my complexity. Send me the
right message that will penetrate my membranes, turn on my
protein expression and release my potential energy.

 ((((((((((((((((((((((((())))))))))))))))(((((()))))))))))))))))))
b) Have a good laughter
(By Benquan Shen, PH78; Source: unknown)
((((((((((((((((((((((((())))))))))))))))(((((()))))))))))))))))))
A fellow is going on a tour of a factory that produces various latex
products. At the first stop, he's shown the machine that
manufactures baby-bottle nipples. The machine makes a loud hiss-pop!
noise.

"The hiss is the rubber being injected into the mold," explains the
guide. "The popping sound is a needle poking a hole in the
end of the nipple."

Later, the tour reaches the part of the factory where condoms are
manufactured. The machine makes a noise: 'Hiss. Hiss. Hiss.
Hiss-pop!"

"Wait a minute!" says the man taking the tour. "I understand what the
'hiss, hiss,' is, but what's that 'pop!' every so often?"

"Oh, it's just the same as in the baby-bottle nipple machine," says the
guide. "It pokes a hole in every fourth condom."

"Well, that can't be good for the condoms!"

"Yeah, but it's great for the baby-bottle nipple business!"

&nbs; p;????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?
b) Beyong Marriage
(By Jingrong Yan, PH78; Source: WWW)
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

 A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
A successful woman is one who can find such a man.
Marriage is a three ring circus:
engagement ring
wedding ring
suffering

 Before marriage, a man yearns for the woman he loves. After
marriage, the "y" becomes silent.

 Before marriage, a man will lie awake all night thinking about
something you say. After marriage, he will fall asleep before you
finish.

 When a newly married couple smiles, everyone knows why.
When a ten-year married couple smiles, everyone wonders why.

 Married life is very frustrating. In the first year of
marriage, the man speaks and the woman listens. In the second
year, the woman speaks and the man listens. In the third year,
they both speak and the neighbors listen.

 A husband said to his wife, "No, I don't hate your relatives. In
fact, I like your mother-in-law better than I like mine."

 The honeymoon is over when the husband calls home to say he'll be
late for dinner and the answering machine says it is in the
microwave.

 Men who have pierced ears are better prepared for marriage. They've
experienced pain and bought jewelry.

 How do most men define marriage?
A very expensive way to get your laundry done free.

 A little boy asked his father, "Daddy, how much does it cost
to get married?" And the father replied, "I don't know, son, I'm
still paying for it."

 A couple was having a discussion about family finances.
Finally the husband exploded, "If it weren't for my money, the
house wouldn't be here!" The wife replied, "My dear, if it
weren't for your money, I wouldn't be here."

 A man said his credit card was stolen but he decided not to report
it because the thief was spending less than his wife did.

 Words to live by: Do not argue with a spouse who is packing your
parachute.

 Boring husband: Honey, why are you wearing your wedding ring on the wrong finger?
Bored wife: Because I married the wrong man!

 First Guy (proudly): "My wife's an angel!" Second Guy: "You're
lucky, mine's still alive."

 Marriage is grand -- and divorce is about 10 grand!

 4. Expert's Advice:
**********************************************************
a) Career-Building Skills for Job-Seekers
(By Benquan Shen, PH78; Source: Human Resources, Bristol-Myers Squibb)
**********************************************************
Part II. NEGOTIATING THE JOB OFFER

 Aundrie Botts, Associate Director
Human Resources, Bristol-Myers Squibb

Is negociating a job offer any different for people from
underrepresented backgrounds? "In fact," says Aundrie Botts, "it has
been our experience that people from certain backgrounds are not as
familiar with what you might call 'the culture of interviewing'. They're
not sure what's allowed. They may be less likely to do preparatory
research, ask questions during the interview, or call us later. Most of
all, they're less likely to be savvy about networking."

 Less networked candidates may assume that it is somehow bad form to get information about the company before the interview. "Nothing could be
further from the truth, " Botts says. "In addition to finding out
information on the company through public resources, job-seekers should
try to network. Find people currently working for the company; that's
the only way to get really good information. Ask them what it's like to
work there, what the salary structure is, and how often you get
reviewed. You'd be surprised how freely people will share this
information."

 Another myth is that the interview is your last chance to communicate
with your interviewers. On the contrary, candidates routinely make
follow-up calls to ask further questions and give further information.
"We're quite familiar and comfortable with that," Botts says. "We can
tell when a candidate has been asking insiders the right questions and
now is coming back, challenging us (politely) because they now have
inside information. Again, that's perfectly acceptable."

 Minority candidates, like everyone else, want to know: what's
appropriate? At your first (often your only) interview with human
resource officers, it is common to ask about the structure of the
department ("ask to be shown a structure chart," Botts says),the career
ladder, your place in that structure, the frequency of written reviews,
and general information about pay (does the company provide stock
options or bonuses? is the pay the same for all entry-level people at
this level, or does that vary, and if so, what are the variables?). "
Definitely ask about benefits," Botts says, "including whether there is
a waiting period before benefits kick in. Ask about relocation
reimbursements-especially if you're moving from far away."

 Job and salary offers usually arrive by telephone, followed next day by
a written offer sheet. Companies that still give a second interview use
it to make the offer. In both cases, the first question to ask is ,
"how much time do I have to think about it?" There is no industry
standard-although if you need to request more than 48 hours, you had
better have a good , concrete reason. "Also tell the employer how long
you'll need to come on board," Botts says. "Many people cannot get to a
new job in the conventional two weeks. Let the interviewer know if
that's the case."

 If you're interviewing with other companies, say so. " Then they 'll
know up front that they'll have to compete to get you," Botts says,
"which can work to your advantage." It is also appropriate to ask about
the specific team or work group you'll be working with if you don't
already know. Ask about pre-employment tests such as physical
examinations and drug screenings.

 So to the big question: Can you bargain? Many candidates do. Botts says
that the most credible negotiations are based on one of two situations:

 . you have an equal or higher offer from another company (make sure you
have a FAX or copy of the offer sheet);

 . you are moving from a low-cost-of-living area to a higher one, and
your research indicates that the offer would not be equal to your needs.

 Networking also can create negotiating opportunities, Botts says: It is
completely appropriate to ask, 'I know you've offered X dollars to a
person at the same level recently. Can you explain why I'm not getting
the same offer?'" Negotiation, even aggressive negotiation, rarely
results in offers being withdrawn. "The very worst case," Botts says,
"is that the company would come back and say, 'We're not prepared to
increase the offer.'"

 Botts returns to her first point: Create a strong network of associates,
professors, referrals, and company contracts. Don't be afraid to ask
questions or to negotiate. Become part of the culture.

 Recommended by Benquan Shen

 * CAUTION: The above article is recommented for your reference only. Do
not reproduce or transmit in any forms or by any means without written
permission. Recommender is not responsible for any legal issues if you
don't use it properly.
 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
b) Further Tips for Job Interview
(By Youcheng Liu, PH78)

 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In last issue, Benquan Shen, PH78, forwarded a very insightful article
on job interview particularly for the corporate endeavors. Here are some
more tips for job interviews in general I summarized from various sources. I wish to share it with you. Hope you are not tired of it, rather they are of reference value. May we NMU alumni always have successful interviews in our clinic, academic, corporate job huntings.

 INTERVIEWING--PREPARATION IS THE KEY

 Dress For Success

 Conservative suit or dress (well dressed)
Comfortable shoes (low heels)
Professional satchel or purse
Neat, clean and pressed
Small tasteful jewelry, if any (for ladies)

 First Impressions Count

 Smile
Direct eye contact
Greeting - "Hi, I'm ... It's a pleasure ..."
A firm but a gentle handshake
Attentiveness
Posture: relaxed, poised demeanor and good manners

 Interview Kinds

 At a job fair, career fair, engineering expo
During a society activity
Through the college placement office
Over the phone
On a plant trip/site visit

 Interview Types

 Passive Type: you do the most talking. The interviewer simply says "tell
me about yourself," Remember you know what you want to communicate about yourself

 Active Type: this types talks incessantly--you may need to gently
interrupt to register your skills

 Definite Purpose

 Company: looking at the candidate as a potential employee
Candidate: looking at the company as a potential employer

 Valued Characters

 Team attitude: ability to work well with others
Leadership ability
Organization skills, time management
Initiative
Enthusiasm, drive, energy level
Communication skills _ written, listening, articulation
Self confidence
Alertness
Humor
Maturity, integrity and articulateness

 Preparation Is the Key

 Before the Interview:
know the company as much as you can
mission or products
location
type of work

 develop an understanding of the job requirements, demands, salary
and working conditions
analyze and discuss how past and present experience relate the job
collect reference names so you have them on hand at the interview
collect examples of work to bring to the interview
hold a practice interview and videotape it
analyze your performance

 During the Interview: Market yourself
confidence
poise
expect certain questions
answer questions briefly, yet informatively
guard against saying too much or too little
positive and candid comments
alert for signs the interview is over
overstays one's welcome could create a negative impression

 Questions Frequently Asked

 What are your goals (short-term, long term)?
Why did you choose this field?
What are looking for in an employer or job?
What classes did you like best and why?
Have you participated in any projects?
What involvement have you had in this club?
What kind of job responsibilities have you had?

 After the Interview

 Make notes about what was discussed
Send an effective follow-up letter
Consider a job offer in the given time limit or in reply in two weeks
Ask for extension of the time limit if not able to decide
explain why you need the extension
All offers of employment warrant a response
You letter of acceptance

 Common Mistakes

 Expand too much on their answers
Reveal too much regarding personal matters irrelevant to the job
Not knowing about the organization
Reacting in a defensive manner
Dressing inappropriately
Displaying overconfidence/cockiness
Putting on/presenting oneself in a superficial manner
Arriving late

 Summarized by Youcheng Liu, PH78

  **********************************************************
c) A good source for new car buyers
(By Shan Lu, MD77)
**********************************************************
On recent MD77 gathering in California, several alumni asked where to
find a good information source for new cars. Luckily, one of the MD77
alumni happend to have a good internet site: "www.edmunds.com/edweb"

 This site is very comprehensive including almost any model people may
have questions. The most important part is that this site can teach you
how to calculate the real cost of dealers, not just the common invoice
price we can find in many places. There are pictures for some models,
there are nice comparisons for similar cars. If someone studies very
well, the price can be very close to the bottom line in dealers' mind.
Good luck and enjoy your new car.

5. Reflection of China

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a) Hong-Bao in China
(By Shan Lu, MD77)
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Recently, many of our overseas Chinese went back to visit our families.
One practical thing we all desparately need to know but with zero
experience is how to give a Hong-Bao (cash gift wrapped in a red paper
bag) to your little niece or nephew, or any little kids of your
relatives or good friends, when they approach you so lovely that you nervously search to find a gift for them. According to people who agreed to provide this "trade secret" on anonymity, the current practice in Nanjing is to put 200 YMB in this little red bag. You can certainly put more or less depending how rich you are or how close your relationship is with your relatives. It is also OK if you don't feel you like to give to anyone. But be aware, more likely than not, your child will receive one
if your son or daughter is going back with you!

(To be Continued)