| In this issue: | April 15, 2004 |
The science of reducing health disparities |
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Stephen Thacker, MD, MSc, director of the Epidemiology Program Office at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, delivered the keynote address April 7 for the College of Public Health’s celebration of National Public Health Week. Dr. Thacker spoke on the need for evidence-based public health to help reduce disparities in health care. His talk was broadcast live by satellite to more than 105 sites across the country. The theme for this year’s Public Health Week was “Communities Moving from Statistics to Solutions.” Other activities included the presentation of the Florida Outstanding Woman in Public Health award at the college on April 2 and a free college-sponsored community health fair, with 60 vendors, April 3, at University Square Mall. Photo by Eric Younghans. Return to top |
USF report: Biosensor-regulated gene therapy reduces heart attack damage in mice |
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 Left to right: Yao Liang Tang, MD, research fellow; M. Ian Phillips, PhD, DSc; USF Vice President for Research, and Clare Zhang, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics, are investigating novel ways of treating heart disease and diabetes with gene therapy. The USF team works out of a laboratory at the St. Petersburg-based Children’s Research Institute, a joint institute with All Children’s Hospital. Photo courtesy of All Children's Hospital. |
M. Ian Phillips, PhD, DSc, and his team at the USF College of Medicine and All Children’s Hospital Research Institute designed a kind of oxygen-sensitive biosensor that turns on protective genes when signs of oxygen deprivation indicate a heart attack, and turns the genes off once blood flow restores adequate oxygen levels to the heart. Dr. Phillips, principal investigator, Yao Liang Tang, MD, lead author, and colleagues showed that this biosensor-regulated gene therapy protected heart muscle cells in mice with heart attacks from further injury. Dr. Phillips and Dr. Tang envision administering such a therapy after a first heart attack to limit initial damage and prevent future attacks. While much work remains to test and refine such a therapy, Dr. Phillips said, this new concept might eventually be an alternative to stents and bypass surgery. |
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The USF researchers designed a molecule they call a “vigilant vector” containing both a means to increase the expression of protective heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) genes and the oxygen-sensitive switch that turns these genes on and off. They injected this molecule directly into the hearts of mice one hour after the mice had heart attacks. Ten days following their heart attacks, the mice that received the biosensor-regulated gene therapy showed less heart tissue scarring and better recovery of heart pumping function than the untreated mice injected with saline only. | |
Grant writing workshop set for May 21 and 22 |
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The HSC Office of Research is sponsoring a grant writing workshop for faculty and students from the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing and Public Health. The program on May 21 will be held at the COPH Auditorium and is open to both students and faculty. The half-day program features “Grant Writing for Success” by Anthony Coelho, Review Policy Officer at the National Institutes of Health. For faculty, a day-long program at COPH on May 22 features John Sleasman, MD, chief of the USF Division of Allergy and Immunology and the Robert A. Good Professor of Pediatrics, who will present “Clinical Trials Research,” and Craig Hanis, PhD, of the Univ. of Texas-Houston School of Public Health and Human Genetics Center, who will present “Grant-Getting” Sessions. |
COM regalia is in |
| Faculty who ordered regalia for the 2004 College of Medicine Commencement Program may pick up their order at the COM Student Affairs Office. Please call 974-2068 first, so that your order can be brought to Student Affairs from storage. The graduation ceremony for the COM Class of 2004 will be at 4 p.m. on Friday, May 7 at the Carol Morsani Hall at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. Return to top |
Dr. Janine Overcash earns scholarship to improve screenings for cancer patients |
| Janine Overcash, PhD, ARNP, received a $100,000 John A. Hartford Foundation Post Doctorate Scholarship in Gerontological Nursing to improve the health of older adults with cancer through screening and nursing care management. Her application for the competitive national grant is titled “Health Screening and Intervention in the Older Cancer Patient.” Specific aims of her two-year study include defining current screening offerings for adult cancer patients, estimating their reliability, and determining the need for additional screening tests. In addition, Dr. Overcash said, the research will act as a pilot test for a care management model and the impact on patient outcomes. Founded in 1929, the John A. Hartford Foundation is a champion of health care, training, research and service system innovations that will ensure the well-being and vitality of older adults. Its overall goal is to increase the nation’s capacity to provide effective, affordable care to its rapidly increasing older population. Return to top |
In the News |
| Hana Osman, PhD, assistant professor of aging and mental health, explained a new course called Successful Aging and how younger and older students interact in the course in the April 7 Tampa Tribune. Theresa Beckie, PhD, assistant professor of nursing, was one of five women honored for their leadership at a recent USF luncheon. Tampa Tribune columnist Judy Hill wrote about the women March 30. USF Dermatologist Neil Fenske, MD, recommended protecting skin from sun damage by selecting products that block UV rays March 29 on Fox 13. The March 24 Oracle featured a story about Bruce Lindsey, PhD, chairman of physiology and biophysics, who is the first USF researcher to receive the prestigious Javits Investigator Award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Glenn Catalano, MD, associate professor of psychiatry, commented in the March 23 St. Petersburg Times about an advisory by the FDA for drug makers to put warning labels on certain antidepressants of increased risk of suicide. The March 22 Chemical and Engineering News mentioned research by Jun Tan and Doug Shytle on the benefits of nicotine’s anti-inflammatory effect on the brain. They and their study were also mentioned in the April 6 St. Petersburg Times. Arthur Andrews, MD, assistant professor of pulmonary and critical care, commented March 22 on Fox 13 on how eating can affect sleep patterns. Rob Nickeson, MD, assistant professor of pediatric rheumatology, commented on treating the condition of his specialty in the March 21 Tampa Tribune. The March 19 St. Petersburg Times and Tampa Tribune ran photos and personal stories about several members of the COM Class of 2004 as they learned where they would go for residency. Peter R. Pavan, MD, chair of ophthalmology, is the lead investigator of the USF part of a study for a drug to treat wet macular degeneration. The study was mentioned in the March 16 St. Petersburg Times, as well as on WFLA News Ch. 8 and ABC Action 28. Patricia Burns, PhD, FAAN, dean of the College of Nursing, shed light on the job outlook for nurses in the March 14 Tampa Tribune CareerSeeker. The March Florida Nurse magazine featured a full-page story about assistant professor of family medicine Jane Fanning, ARNP, PhD, and the weight management program she developed called “Choices for Change.” Return to top |