HSC News: May 6, 2004

In this issue:

May 6 , 2004

1. Community links: Nursing brings new baccalaureate program to Polk Community College.

2. Moore earns award as an advocate for accessibility.

3. Pilot study suggests antiepileptic drug may benefit patients with Parkinson's disease.

Community Links

Nursing brings new baccalaureate program to Polk Community College

By Anne DeLotto Baier For the first time, the USF College of Nursing is partnering with a community college to offer a baccalaureate degree in nursing. The joint venture with Polk Community College (PCC) was announced April 28 to an audience of more than 150 nursing students who attended to learn about the new nursing program beginning at PCC's Winter Haven campus this fall. Nursing officials from USF and PCC attended the special ceremony in PCC's Fine Arts Theatre. The program will allow students to earn both their associate and baccalaureate degrees in nursing at one campus, accommodating those with families and/or jobs. Patricia Burns, PhD, FAAN, USF's dean of nursing, said the program will help RNs who have earned PCC's Associate of Science nursing degrees more easily transition into USF's baccalaureate nursing program. It is designed to spare students the time and expense of commuting to USF's Tampa campus for upper-level courses. "We are bringing the degree to the community instead of making the community come to us," Dr. Burns said. "It makes good sense to start a 2-plus-2 program here at Polk Community College. You have the classroom space, resources and outstanding faculty with vested interest in the success of this program."
Barbara Redding (right), EdD, RN, USF nursing professor and academic advisor, reviews admission requirements with Kim Hooker, an associate degree nursing student interested in USF's new baccalaureate nursing program based at Polk Community College. The program begins this fall with 20 students. Photo by Lynda Schaak.	"This is a dream come true for the nursing community in Polk County," said Sharon Davis, PhD, director of the Department of Nursing at PCC. "It opens up so many opportunities for our nurses to continue their education and enhance their expertise. I am pleased about this effort where our community college and university are working together for the folks they serve ... I believe this joint venture will become a model for the state of Florida." The program will start this fall with two courses and 20 students. The goal is to double the enrollment of students pursuing baccalaureate degrees by next year. Dr. Burns said the positive response of PCC nursing students indicates they wanted the baccalaureate degree program.
She envisions eventually expanding the program to include a transition from baccalaureate to master's degree. The community has an acute need for nurses, including those with advanced degrees, who can serve as administrators, researchers, teachers and clinical specialists, said Dr. Davis, an alumna of USF's baccalaureate and master's nursing programs. Steve Campbell, coordinator of Nursing 1 at PCC, will chair USF's new baccalaureate program at PCC. Faculty will serve as PCC nursing instructors with adjunct appointments in the USF College of Nursing. The program can be completed with an additional 1-1/2 to 2 years of study after becoming a registered nurse. Return to top

Moore earns award as an advocate for accessibility

Jo Ann Moore, coordinator of research programs and services for the HSC Office of Research, was awarded the Outstanding Achievements Award from the USF Student Disability Services. The awards are presented annually to recognize the efforts of volunteers, USF faculty and staff. Honorees are nominated and the nominations often include examples of the person's commitment.

Moore was nominated for her leadership and involvement in the issues of advocacy and accessibility on the USF campus for all students, staff and faculty. Her involvement as a long-standing member of the Physical Accessibility Work Group has lead to marked improvements throughout the campus. Examples can be seen in the new construction, modifications to building entrances, rest room remodeling, and crosswalk signaling devices. In the HSC Office of Research, Moore offers technical assistance with grant and contract administration and works to help faculty identify research opportunities and funding sources. Moore was formerly a senior biological scientist in the USF Department of Anatomy before joining the HSC Office of Research. She worked on research projects with faculty and helped to plan, write and edit grant proposals. She was co-author on more than 20 peer-reviewed journal articles published by anatomy faculty. She holds a master's degree in zoology and an advanced graduate certificate in gerontology from USF.

Return to top

Pilot study suggest antiepileptic drug may benefit patients with Parkinson's disease

A USF study has shown that, in patients with Parkinson's disease, the antiepileptic drug levetiracetam (Keppra®) reduced involuntary movements (dyskinesia) associated with levodopa, the medication most commonly used to treat Parkinson's disease. The independent pilot study was presented as a poster at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in April and is one of the first to specifically evaluate an antiepileptic drug for the treatment of levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson's patients. Levodopa can effectively control Parkinson's disease symptoms – stiffness, slow movement and tremors – but after five to eight years, it often causes the side effect of dyskinesia, said lead investigator Theresa Zesiewicz, MD, associate professor of neurology and assistant director of the Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center at USF.

"Our study showed levetiracetam reduced dyskinesia and, importantly, did not interfere with the efficacy of levodopa in controlling Parkinson's disease symptoms," she said.

The prospective, open-label pilot study analyzed seven Parkinson's disease patients being treated with levodopa and who experienced peak-dose dyskinesia at least 25 percent of their waking hours. Ten days of treatment with levetiracetam resulted in changes suggesting improvement in levodopa-induced dyskinesia. Further analysis after 60 days showed a 42-percent increase in "on" time (when levodopa or other medications effectively treat the symptoms of Parkinson's disease) without dyskinesia or with non-troublesome dyskinesia, and no significant change in "off" time (when medications no longer control the disease symptoms, resulting in slowness, stiffness, and immobility).

Parkinson's disease is a chronic and severely debilitating neurodegenerative disorder that affects more than 2 million people worldwide, and at least 750,000 people in the United States. The disease is associated with bradykinesia (slowed movements), tremor, rigidity and postural instability.

Return to top

In the News

A new USF baccalaureate nursing program to begin this fall at Polk Community College was covered in the April 29 Winter Haven News Chief and Lakeland Ledger. Adding the program in a community college setting makes it more convenient for students without the time or means to commute to Tampa, said Patricia Burns, PhD, FAAN, dean of the USF College of Nursing.

A Spring Allergy Prevention Guide featured on the MSN.com website quoted USF allergist Richard Lockey, MD, on several topics, including allergic reactions to insect stings and simple steps to reduce allergens in the home.

The April 26 St. Petersburg Times featured a program that teaches USF third-year medical students how to deal with dying patients and teams students with staff from LifePath Hospice and Palliative Care in Tampa. Ronald Schonwetter, MD, director of geriatric medicine at USF, was quoted and the story followed the experiences of medical students T.J. Slavin and Luis Alvarado.

Lois Babione, a nutritionist at the USF Diabetes Center, was quoted in a April 24 St. Petersburg Times front-page story on the brouhaha over whether beer is a high- or low-carbohydrate drink. Babione called the argument "splitting hairs," saying what impacts weight reduction in the long run is adjusting the total calories consumed minus the calories you burn.

A front-page story in the April 24 Pasco Tribune featured EnviroVan, a mobile environmental health laboratory staffed by Heidi Kay, PhD, assistant professor of environmental and occupational health, and doctoral students at the College of Public Health. The van, supported by a $23,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is on an educational outreach tour to nine area high schools.

Richard Lockey, MD, director of the Division of Allergy and Immunology, and Shyam Mohapatra, PhD, the division's director of basic research, spoke about USF's development of a gene-therapy asthma vaccine April 19 on Fox-13 News.

A front-page story in the April 18 St. Petersburg Times on living with the diagnosis of diabetes quoted USF endocrinologist Tony Morrison, MD, co-director of the USF Diabetes Center, and John Malone, MD, director of USF's pediatric diabetes program. Dr. Morrison also commented in a sidebar article on diabetes research and answered questions about diabetes e-mailed by readers to a Times Talkback website.

USF dermatologist Neil Fenske, MD, offered tips on April 12 on Fox-13 News for protecting babies' skin from the sun's harmful rays.

USF surgeon Michel Murr, MD, who started a bariatric surgery practice at Tampa General Hospital in 1998, commented in the April 12 Tampa Tribune Baylife on the growing demand for the procedure. The story was accompanied by a front-page photo of Dr. Murr with one of his patients.

Tapan Padhya, MD, assistant professor of otolaryngology, commented April 8 on WFTS ABC Action 28 on somnoplasty, a state-of-the-art treatment for snoring, that is less invasive and painful than surgery.

— By Anne DeLotto Baier

Return to top