| October 28, 2004 |
USF to offer Physical Therapy doctoral degree |
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USF gained state approval Oct. 20 to offer a new clinical doctor of physical therapy (DPT) degree, the first DPT degree to be offered at a public university in the state. The School of Physical Therapy, part of USF's College of Medicine and Health Sciences Center, was founded in 1998. The school currently offers a master's degree and will now instead only offer the three-year clinical doctorate program. Sandy Quillen, PT, PhD, newly appointed director of USF's School of Physical Therapy. said the USF school is poised to become a nationally prominent program. "We have superb facilities, a strong and talented core faculty and the added strength of teaching and learning with our colleagues from Medicine, Nursing and Public Health," he said. "Students in the School of Physical Therapy also benefit from a fully integrated clinical experience across their three years of study, including experiences in the University's Physical Therapy Center which is part of the USF Physicians Group." "This is a tremendous day for the School and College of Medicine," said Stephen Klasko, MD, MBA, USF's dean of the College of Medicine and vice president for Health Sciences. "It places us in a leadership position among the public programs in the state of Florida." USF becomes the 105th accredited physical therapy education program in the United States to award the DPT, Dr. Quillen said. Three private universities in Florida offer the DPT degree. The school has launched a recruiting campaign to attract its charter class of doctoral students, who will begin their studies in late summer of 2005. The school is prepared to enroll as many as 36 students per class in the three-year professional program. Return to top |
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Med students celebrate Hispanic Heritage |
Members of the USF chapter of the Hispanic American Medical Student Association helped kick off Hispanic Heritage Month by providing health screenings and education materials to some of Tampa's Latin community. From the left is Anthony Cannella (med 3), Maria Afanador (med 4), Jasmin Koohi (med 2), Kurtis Mohr (med 2), Natalia Regales (med 2), Estrella Clemente (a physicians assistant with CHAPS), and Amy Zwettler (med 2). The group provided screenings for high blood pressure and diabetes and referred those with problems to local free clinics. In addiiton, they handed out health information on Alzheimer's disease, nutrition, and sexually transmitted diseases. This and other local events for Hispanic Heritage Month were sponsored by the local chapter of the Latin Medical Association. Photo by Vanessa Travieso. Return to top |
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Zebrafish may be a powerful new tool for studying innate immunity |
For the first time, researchers have sequenced all 36 genes of novel receptors that appear to play a critical role in the innate immune protection of zebrafish – an achievement that could lead to a better understanding of infectious diseases and certain cancers. Their paper, titled "Resolution of the novel immune-type receptor gene cluster in zebrafish," appeared online Oct. 18 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "This is the most genetically complex system of innate immune receptors thus far described," said principal investigator Gary Litman, PhD, Hines professor of pediatrics who works at the Children's Research Institute at the USF and All Children's Hospital. "They may be related to receptors in humans involved in natural killer cell function." Natural killer cells sense and kill malignant cells and cells infected with certain viruses. The zebrafish, a small species of freshwater aquarium fish, increasingly serves as an animal model for the study of genetic diseases. Like humans, it has two types of immune systems – innate and adaptive. Innate immune systems provide a first line of defense against foreign microorganisms. But, humans and other jawed vertebrates have also evolved more customized or adaptive immune systems, which use an arsenal of antibodies and T-cell receptors to fend off diverse pathogens and prevent repeat attacks. Dr. Litman and his colleagues are trying to tease out details about the evolutionary transition from innate to adaptive immunity with powerful new biotechnology techniques. They searched the genome of the zebrafish and identified a class of genes, called novel immune-type receptor (NITR) genes, which are predicted to be capable of recognizing a wide range of surface molecules. A portion of the NITR genes is very similar to variable region genes of antibodies and T-cell receptors, but the NITR genes do not undergo the complex genetic rearrangements of these adaptive receptors. "The comprehensive definition of the NITR gene cluster in zebrafish reported in this paper represents a significant step toward understanding the mechanisms underlying the transition from non-specific innate immunity to specific adaptive immunity," Dr. Litman said. The researchers also found that only one of the 36 NITR genes is involved in the activation type of innate immunity. By targeting the one gene and knocking it out, researchers may be able to eliminate innate immunity. They hope to use the zebrafish as a tool to better understand how innate immunity may ignite adaptive immune response and to investigate potential therapies for immune deficiencies in humans. The team working with Dr. Litman included researchers from Huntsman Cancer Center in Salt Lake City, Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in the UK, and the University of Florida. The zebrafish genome study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Pediatric Cancer Foundation, the National Science Foundation and the American Cancer Society. Moffitt Cancer Center, the Wellcome Trust and All Children's Hospital also supported the project. Return to top |
Dr. Ted Williams named interim associate VP for USF diversity |
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USF President Judy Genshaft has appointed Ted Williams, PhD, interim associate vice president for Diversity and Equal Opportunity (DEO). Dr. Williams has been with USF since 1978. He currently serves as associate dean for Diversity Initiatives and professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in USF's College of Medicine. Dr. Williams will serve as the president's top adviser for diversity issues. He will report directly to the president, with an indirect reporting relationship to the provost for oversight of diversity issues among academic units. "I have tremendous respect for Dr. Williams," Genshaft said. "He is widely known and respected throughout the university and the Tampa Bay community, and he has significant experience leading diversity initiatives. I am confident he will provide solid leadership during this interim period." |
| DEO coordinates all areas of the University's efforts to promote diversity and community among faculty, students and staff. The mission of the Office is fourfold: education, advocacy, support and conflict resolution. Dr. Williams has a master's degree in education administration from the University of Miami, a master's degree in biology from Atlanta University, and a doctoral degree in biochemistry from Cornell University. Return to top | |
Workshop on disasters Nov. 19 |
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The USF Center for Biological Defense, the New York University School of Medicine and the Florida Emergency Medicine Foundation, will host a free workshop Nov. 19 at the Westin Innisbrook in Palm Harbor for clinicians who provide or organize care for patients. |
In the News |
| The Caring for the Community project coordinated by USF medical students was featured the week of Sept. 19 on 89.7 WUSF-FM University Beat. Cynthia Selleck, ARNP, DSN, director of the Area Health Education Center, and medical student Arthur Parsee, a class coordinator, discussed the program in which health sciences students provide health education and faculty-supervised screenings to medically underserved residents of the University Area Community. Diane Straub, MD, director of adolescent medicine, was featured in the "real women inspirations" section of the September 2004 Lifetime Magazine. A student athlete, Dr. Straub, who lost a leg in a motorcycle accident at age 19, went on to win gold medals and set world records as a member of the Paralymic swim team. She also earned a medical degree from Johns Hopkins and a master's degree in public health from Harvard. Paul R. Sanberg, PhD, DSc, director of the Center for Aging and Brain Repair, commented in the Oct. 2 Tampa Tribune on a study published by Finnish researchers working with the Johnnie B. Byrd Sr. Alzheimer's Center and Research Institute. Dr. Sanberg was also featured in an article on promising biotechnology companies in the October 2004 Maddux Business Report. Huntington Potter, PhD, professor of biochemistry who holds the Pfeiffer Endowed Chair in Alzheimer's Disease Research, also commented on the Finnish study in the Oct. 2 issue of the St. Petersburg Times. Alan Sear, PhD, an associate professor at COPH, commented on the state's recent approval of a new open-heart surgery program at Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital, Tarpon Springs, in the Oct. 5 Tampa Tribune. John Sinnott, MD, professor and director of the Division of Infectious Diseases, discussed the flu vaccine shortage in the Oct. 6 Tampa Tribune. The USF Center for Aging and Brain Repair was tapped for its expertise on stem cell research following the death of Christopher Reeve, an advocate for stem cell research and other potential treatments for spinal cord and brain repair. Center Director Paul R. Sanberg, PhD, DSc, commented on Reeve's contributions to field in the Oct. 11 HealthDay Reporter, the Oct. 11 Fox-13 News, and the Oct. 12 Tampa Tribune. Dr. Sanberg also explained the different types of stem cell research for the Oct. 12 Fox-13 News. Jay Wolfson, DrPH, JD, professor of public health and medicine, commented on the three proposed constitutional amendments involving medical malpractice issues in the Oct. 15 Miami Herald, Mercury News and Associated Press. The amendments (3, 7 and 8) have more to do with medical and legal politics than improving patient safety, Dr. Wolfson said. Rheumatologist Joanne Valeriano-Marcet, MD, was quoted in a front-page Oct. 15 St. Petersburg Times story about the U.S. Surgeon General's latest report warning about the impending epidemic of osteoporosis. Robert McDermott, PhD, professor of community and family health, commented on the stellar ranking of the College of Public Health's doctoral program in health education for 89.7 WUSF-FM University Beat the week of Oct. 17. The USF program ranked second overall only to the University of Texas Health Science Center, and was only one of six ranked in the top 10 for both student and faculty criteria. abaier@hsc.usf.edu Return to top |
International ties bring community-based health care home |
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Terri Ashmeade, MD, (left) chief of the USF Division of Neonatology, gives visitors from Uzbekistan a tour of the neonatal intensive care unit at Tampa General Hospital. The delegation of 10 are health leaders from communities spanning the Central Asian country. They traveled to Tampa as part of the American International Health Alliance's partnership with the Open World Leadership Center at the United States Library of Congress. The USF Health Sciences Center hosted the delegation in Tampa, providing them with a week of training sessions and site visits that addressed community-based approaches to improve health services and health status of their own citizens. In addition, delegates stayed at the homes of HSC faculty and staff to experience American home life. Photo by Ellen Fiss/TGH. Return to top |
Nursing professor, child and adolescent expert partners with community to promote children's health |
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Janie Canty-Mitchell, PhD, believes in the power of positive communication between parents and children. "If parents can establish a pattern of showing love and setting limits when children are younger, it helps kids reduce risky behaviors later when they enter adolescence and face greater peer pressures and higher expectations in school," said Dr. Canty-Mitchell, who joined the USF College of Nursing as an associate professor this summer. Dr. Canty-Mitchell came to USF from Indiana University (IU) School of Nursing, where she collaborated with University of Wisconsin researchers on a study to help prevent substance abuse in children as they move from elementary to middle school. Research has shown that children are most vulnerable to drug and alcohol use during periods of transition, such as when they face the challenges of puberty in a new, larger school. |
| Coinvestigator for the three-year $1.2-million grant, funded by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Dr. Canty-Mitchell led the project in Indiana. She is bringing portions of the grant to USF to complete the data analyses and research dissemination. The project is evaluating the effectiveness of a nationally recognized program for parents and youth ages 10 to 14, which emphasizes communicating effectively, building relationships, reducing risky behaviors and managing conflicts. Dr. Canty-Mitchell and colleagues are comparing the outcomes of this 7-week Strengthening Families Program (SFP) with a control group in which participants receive newsletters on parent-youth communication but do not participate in a structured program. Previous studies in Iowa indicated youth whose families completed the program were less likely to have problems at school, such as truancy and delinquency, and less likely to use alcohol and drugs. Dr. Canty-Mitchell hopes to apply for additional funding to expand the SFP to Tampa. Her academic career has focused on working with community agencies, churches and service organizations to promote the physical and mental health of children and youth at risk. She has studied the positive effects of family love, support and involvement in helping inner-city adolescents maintain a sense of hope amid extremely difficult life circumstances. Her research has linked the importance of family caring in helping protect teens against substance abuse, severe stress and violence. A former Florida public health nurse, Dr. Canty-Mitchell said she is enthusiastic about partnering with colleagues in the USF Colleges of Medicine and Public Health on community-based education, research and service projects. Dr. Canty-Mitchell earned master's and doctoral degrees in nursing from the University of Miami and conducted a postdoctoral fellowship in adolescent health at IU's Schools of Nursing and Medicine. She was recently appointed to serve through 2008 on the Nursing Science: Children and Family Study Section of the National Institutes of Nursing Research. Return to top | |
COPH doctoral student earns national award |
| COPH doctoral student Anna Salemi received the 2004 Vivian Drenckhahn Scholarship Award by the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE). The award provides a monetary scholarship to a deserving graduate or undergraduate full-time student in health education. Her nominator wrote: "From the beginning Anna has embraced the ideals of health education. She is a young professional who understands the importance of research and recognizes the importance of incorporating these findings into practice. As a student she has been involved in several projects that have provided her with the opportunity to utilize research theories directly with communities. Through these projects Anna was able to facilitate change at individual, organizational, and community levels. She has taken on key roles in several school and community projects, including two evaluation projects and a health literacy project." Salemi will receive this award at SOPHE's 55th annual meeting Nov. 6 at the National Press Club, in Washington, DC. Return to top |
Dr. Ann DeBaldo named to Ministry of Public Health Planning Group, India |
| Ann DeBaldo, PhD, associate dean for Research and International Affairs at COPH, has been invited to participate as a member of a planning group including representation of the American Schools of Public Health (ASPH) and the Government of India. The Ministry of Health, India, is convening a National Consultation in New Delhi on Institutes of Public Health in India: Moving from Concept to Reality, to help define the mission, mandates and operational methodologies of the Institutes of Public Health in India. Dr. DeBaldo will spend six months in India, where she will work with the International Institute of Information Technology (I2IT) to implement the new USF/India joint MPH in Global Health Informatics, as well as oversee C.H.A.R.T. India HIV-AIDS initiatives and other public health development projects. Return to top |
Building online: See construction progress for three projects |
| Progress continues on the USF Research Park that will boost biotechnology research and business partnerships and link scientists with entrepreneurs. The first buildings of the park are expected to open in early 2005. To check out construction progress, go to www.research.usf.edu/webcam and see real-time images. And progress can be seen on the new USF College of Nursing. Go to www.hsc.usf.edu for a link to the Ajax Building web site, which has a string of images showing the construction. Also on the HSC web site is a link to a video for the Healthcare and Education Center Project. Return to top |