I expect that most of you will have received this from CFA. But just in case you haven’t…

Dear Colleagues:

I know many of you are planning to participate in the March for Science on Saturday, April 22nd, in downtown LA.

http://www.calfac.org/event/march-science

The CFA is a strong advocate for government support of scientific research. As part of its commitment, the CSUN’s CFA chapter will be meeting at 9 AM on the corner of Hill Street and 5th Street in downtown LA to participate in the March for Science that will go from Pershing Square to City Hall.  The CFA will provide picket signs for you to write on and we will be carrying a CFA banner as we walk through the streets.

If you plan on participating, please pick up a picket sign at the CFA office between the hours of 10 AM and 3 PM from Monday-Thursday.  The office is located in Sequoia Hall room 283. You can reach the office at extension 5919.

Please remember to bring a hat, sun glasses, sunscreen and water.  If you have CSUN apparel or a red shirt, please wear those to represent CSUN.

Thanks, we look forward to marching with you.

Please email  cfa_no@calfac.org to let us know if you plan on marching.

Sean Murray

Professor of Biology

CSUN CFA Representative, College of Science and Math

I’m really stretching the boundaries of the purpose of the blog with this one, so my apologies to those uninterested….

One of the professional organizations I belong to (the International Association for the Study of Pain) has been choosing a theme for each of the past several years. In conjunction with that theme, they release a whole bunch of free materials which often turn out to be useful and generally accessible to non-specialists. This year, the topic is post-surgical pain. I thought some of you might be interested in the current best practices and open issues. Here’s the main website: http://www.iasp-pain.org/globalyear

You can find materials from past year’s themes at the above site. Here are the fact sheets for this year:

Fact Sheets on Pain After Surgery

Below are 14 Fact Sheets prepared by the world’s top experts on various aspects of postsurgical pain. IASP thanks the scientists and clinicians who wrote and reviewed the Fact Sheets and members of the SIG on Acute Pain for their valuable contributions. The documents, edited by task force chairs Daniel B. Carr and Bart Morlion, are free to download.

1. What the Public Should Know About Pain After Surgery
2. What Health-Care Professionals Should Know About Pain After Surgery
3. Pathophysiology of Acute Postoperative Pain
4. Chronic Postsurgical Pain: Definition and Impact
5. Management of Postsurgical Pain in Adults: Pharmacotherapy and Regional Anesthesia
6. Behavioral Techniques including Hypnosis for Pain After Surgery
7. Management of Postsurgical Pain in Children
8. Management of Postsurgical Pain in Older Adults
9. Management of Postsurgical Pain in Patients Treated Preoperatively with Opioids
10. Management of Pain Related to Surgery and Procedures in Patients with Known or Suspected Cancer
11. Pain Management in Critical Care
12. Acupuncture for Acute Pain and Nausea After Surgery
13. Management of Patients First Presenting with Chronic Pain After Surgery
14. Using Outcomes to Improve Care: Real-Time, Short-Term, and Long-Term

As Faculty President, it feels like I am on virtually every campus committee. I also spend a good amount of time at the Chancellor’s Office.

I consequently come across a lot of, well, stuff that many CSUN faculty members will be interested in. But I can’t justify sending the vast majority of it via the all faculty email list. This blog will fill the gap.

I will use it to post, inter alia:

• Campus and system-wide news and announcements.
• Written reports and presentations received by the Senate on behalf of the Faculty.
• Notices of events, grants, and other things which happen on particular future dates (beware: philosopher)

More speculatively, I might also post:

• My own explanations of weird but important CSUN minutia (e.g., The Dysfunctional Relationship of the Faculty Bylaws to Department Handbooks or the Mystery of What’s in Sections 100-500). I’ve spent a lot of time figuring some of this stuff out. I figure I might as well share it…..
• My own interpretations of state-level events, trends, strategies, or issues.
• My own views on system or university matters. (I do not intend to do much of this)

When I am doing more than just reporting, I will try to clearly demarcate when I am speculating and when I am opining. Obviously, those are blurry lines, so, as in all things, caveat lector.

Finally, the title of the blog reflects the role of its author. That said, everything I write and post here is in my capacity as an individual faculty member. I speak only for myself and not for any of the bodies I am affiliated with or serve in.

Resolutions of the Senate or Faculty are the only official voice of the Faculty. Nothing else herein should be taken as the position or as reflecting the views of the Faculty, CSUN, the ASCSU, or the CSU.