URMC In the News

Eric Singer explained to ABC News (Sept. 8) how, according to a new URMC study, pain relief medications may skew screening tests, effectually masking a man’s true risk of developing prostate cancer.

The New York Times (Aug. 25) included comments from William Hall, discussing Americans’ fast-growing longevity and the science of successful aging.

An AP wire story ran in news outlets nationwide – including MSNBC (Sept. 8) – sharing John Treanor’s endorsement of new government recommendations that advise flu vaccinations for children as young as 6 months. Since kids are key “spreaders,” inoculating more of them could help limit transmission.

Craig Jordan’s discovery that parthenolide, a chemical found in a medicinal plant called “feverfew,” selectively kills cancerous AML stem cells, was referenced in The Economist (Sept. 11).

Michael Maloney talked with Men’s Health (Aug. 21) about how sports competitors’ bodies may be quite deceiving – that is, an apparent physical weakness can sometimes confer competitive advantage. He also gave Men’s Health (Aug. 20) a glimpse into how age – coupled with years and years of elite competition – can take a toll on one’s body.

Marjorie Hunter spoke to Forbes (Sept. 12) about how universities, by patenting their scientific and technological breakthroughs, turn research into revenue.

In a Washington Post (Sept. 8) article, Di Chen expounded on new URMC research revealing the first direct proof of how osteoarthritis destroys cartilage. Chen said the finding could lead to preventive treatments for a disease that affects almost 21 million aging Americans.

Diane Morse discussed a URMC-study revealing that doctors rarely show empathy when their patients express existential concerns, such as fear of death or dying. Her comments were carried by media outlets nationwide, including The Washington Post (Sept. 22), CBC News (Sept. 22), The Wall Street Journal (Sept. 23), The Los Angeles Times (Sept. 22), and USA Today (Sept. 22).

Mina Chung was quoted in Forbes (Sept. 25) weighing new evidence that suggests candesartan, a blood pressure medicine, could aid diabetic patients by cutting their risk for a potentially blinding eye disease.

The Wall Street Journal (Sept. 22) cited Judith Baumhauer’s warning that patients shouldn’t be “bamboozled” by doctors who pedal expensive custom inserts, but should ask for help choosing over-the-counter insoles instead.

Susan Bukata spoke to WebMD (Sept. 18) about denosumab and odanacatib, two experimental osteoporosis drugs that represent a “new frontier” in treating the brittle-bone disease.

Pete Szilagyi told The Los Angeles Times (Sept. 29) that increasing the pool of flu vaccine recipients – coupled with pioneering more protective vaccines – could help curb outbreaks.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution (Sept. 17) included Rich Stahlhut’s recommendations that, until all the facts are known, consumers should not unnecessarily expose themselves products containing BPA, a chemical commonly found in plastics.

Reuters Health (Sept. 18) tapped Patricia Gaudieri to discuss the growing consensus that children with type 1 diabetes are at risk for slight cognitive difficulties.

Margot-Mary Proschel, Chris Proschel, and Mark Noble’s work manipulating stem cells might be a critical breakthrough that brings physicians one step closer to repairing spinal cord injuries, the London Telegraph (Sept. 19) reported.

WebMD (Sept. 29) and Toronto’s Canada Globe and Mail (Sept. 30) interviewed Stephanos Kyrkanides about a new URMC research revealing that pain is not just a hallmark symptom of osteoarthritis – it may also be a driving cause.

ABCNews (Sept. 30) highlighted John Munger’s research showing that drugs used to battle obesity might also help the body fight viral infections like flu, hepatitis, and even HIV. Anti-obesity drugs limit the production of the fatty-acids that these invaders need to build their outer coatings and penetrate cells.

Faculty Accomplishments

Maiken Nedergaard, M.D., D.M.Sc., has been elected a member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences, the premier scientific society in Denmark. The society elects only six new members worldwide every other year. Nedergaard, a professor of Neurosurgery, leads the Biomedical Imaging and Biomarkers innovative science program (ISP), a key element of the Medical Center’s strategic plan. She has been a pioneer in brain research, demonstrating that brain cells known as astrocytes play a role in epilepsy, spinal cord disease, migraine headaches, stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Diane M. Hartmann, M.D., has been named a recipient of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education’s (ACGME) Parker J. Palmer Courage to Lead Award. Hartmann, the School of Medicine and Dentistry’s senior associate dean for graduate medical education and professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is one of three officials nationwide who will receive the award. The award is given annually and acknowledges the leadership and commitment of officials who foster an excellent educational environment for resident education.

Nanotechnology experts Gunter Oberdorster, D.V.M., Ph.D., and Alison Elder, Ph.D., were selected to join the International Alliance for NanoEHS Harmonization (IANH), a team of scientists that will establish protocols for toxicological testing of nanomaterials. Oberdorster, a professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine and an expert in the study of the adverse health effects of exposure to the smallest airborne and occupational particles, is investigating the how the unique properties of engineered nanoparticles might impact health. Elder, an assistant professor of Environmental Medicine, is studying markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in tissue as a result of exposure to nanomaterials.

Hernán Escalante, a financial case manager at the Medical Center, has been recognized as one of two outstanding Volunteers of Color in Monroe County by the Volunteers in Living Color (VILC) committee. Escalante, who will act as an ambassador for the Volunteers of Color Program this year, is being recognized because of his outstanding advocacy and leadership in the community for many years. As an ambassador, Escalante will have the opportunity to represent VILC in radio commercials and TV appearances.

Ying Xue, D.N.Sc., R.N., assistant professor at the School of Nursing, is one of 15 junior faculty nationwide to receive an inaugural Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholar (NFS) award. The three-year, $350,000 grant will support Xue’s research to examine national employment patterns of supplemental nurses (SRNs) in the U.S. from 1984 to 2004, one of the keys to understanding how to address the nursing shortage. The goal of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholars program is to develop the next generation of national leaders in academic nursing through career development awards.

Louis S. Constine, M.D., professor of Radiation Oncology, was named a Fellow of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO). Members of ASTRO are only eligible to be inducted as a Fellow after having belonged to the Society for at least 20 years, serving in a leadership role for the organization, and making a significant contribution to the field of radiation oncology. Constine is one of only 28 Fellows nationwide honored by ASTRO this year

Ned Ballatori, Ph.D, professor of Environmental Medicine, has been awarded the Adolf Windaus Prize for discovering key molecules involved in the way the body processes cholesterol. The finding is sure to spur new research approaches in the quest to help people stave off obesity, heart disease and diabetes. The award, presented by the Falk Foundation of Germany and given only once every two years, is named for Adolf Otto Reinhold Windaus, the 1928 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry for his work with molecules like cholesterol.