Emory Report
October 26, 2009
Volume 62, Number 8



   

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October 26, 2009
Take Note

Benefits enrollment deadline is Oct. 30
If you have not completed your benefits elections for the 2010 plan year, you have until Friday, Oct. 30 to enroll through “Employee Self Service.”

Benefits specialists will be available to provide assistance with enrollment starting Monday, Oct. 26, through Friday, Oct. 30, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 1599 Clifton Rd. in the Finance Training Room (Room 1.380).
Human Resources offers these reminders:

· If you are currently enrolled in BCBS PPO, you will need to elect a new medical plan or default into the new Aetna POS Value plan.

· If you are currently enrolled in Humana Dental Access Plan (formerly CompBenefits), you will need to elect a new dental plan or default into the Aetna Traditional Dental PPO.

· If you are currently covering or plan to select medical coverage for your spouse or same-sex domestic partner, you will need to complete the online Spouse/SSDP Medical Charge Certification through Employee Self Service.

· If you want to enroll or re-enroll in a Health Care or Dependent Care FSA, you need to make an annual election.

For the 2010 Benefits Guide or additional benefits information, see www.hr.emory/mybenefits.

Individual sessions guide users through Compass
A series of one-on-one sessions to help employees help with their Compass questions and transactions will be held in November.

Compass is Emory's new enterprise-wide financials system that replaced the University and Healthcare accounting systems (FAS and CODA) on Sept. 1, standardizing and automating the financial management process throughout Emory.

Compass users can bring individual or unit questions about transactions, “real-life” problems and other issues to five “Compass One-on-One” sessions where they will get individual assistance by project team experts.

The following sessions will be held from 9-10:30 a.m. at 1599 Clifton Rd., in Conference Room 1D:

· Friday, Nov. 6
· Wednesday, Nov. 11
· Friday, Nov. 13
· Wednesday, Nov. 18
· Friday, Nov. 20

For more information, visit compass.emory.edu.

NIH awards Emory scientists through stimulus funds
Emory scientists have earned 12 NIH Challenge Grants and Six Grand Opportunity (GO) awards from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus) funding. The two-year grants total almost $11 million in the first year of funding. The grants are among 153 grants totaling more than $53 million awarded to Emory researchers in the first year of stimulus funding.

Challenge Grants are part of a new initiative established by the National Institutes of Health to stimulate advances in high-impact areas such as genomics, regenerative medicine, health disparities and disease prevention. GO awards focus on large projects aimed at creating resources many researchers can use.

"Emory researchers' success in attracting support in these competitive areas reflects their strengths in finding innovative ways to tackle problems in biomedical research, combined with the unique resources available here," says David Stephens, vice president for research in the Woodruff Health Sciences Center.

See a listing of Challenge/GO grants awarded to Emory.

New Safe Space program launches

The Office of Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Life is rolling out its new Safe Space curriculum with two general 3.5-hour training sessions this fall. The Emory Safe Space Program provides a curriculum that raises awareness of issues; establishes a common knowledge of identity development and support resources; and supports engaged members of the Emory community in their daily work to create equity on and off campus
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To register for a session, visit www.lgbt.emory.edu. Sign up for a general session (offered on Monday, Oct. 26 from 1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. or Wednesday, Nov. 11 from 1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.) or request a training for your office, department or group.

Also visit the Office of LGBT Life to check out LGBT History Month events at Emory.