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April 2008

Dear Colleagues

What’s on my mind this month is our community outreach mission. As the nation’s oldest public medical school, we serve communities locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. Community outreach involves the use of our expertise and resources to provide much-needed education, training and services to help our communities to improve their quality of life. Thus, one of our central missions is to respond to the public’s growing desire for accurate, up-to-date health and medical information to aid them in their decision-making abilities in an increasingly complex healthcare environment.

Since we also conduct basic and clinical research, we have an intense interest in educating the public about biomedical research and how it ultimately gets translated into therapies and interventions. Our goal is to engage them in becoming partners in this process so that our efforts will be tailored to their needs and are likely to have a significant impact. Read More

Gad Alon, PT, PhD

Gad Alon, PT, PhD, associate professor, Department of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science, published an article entitled “Stimulating Technology: Incorporating Electrotherapy in Physical Rehabilitation” in the October 2007 issue of Physical Therapy Products.

Mary Beth Bollinger, DO, and Carol J. Blaisdell, MD

Mary Beth Bollinger, DO, associate professor, and Carol J. Blaisdell, MD, clinical associate professor, both from the Department of Pediatrics, co-authored “Transition to Managed Care Impacts Asthma Health Care Utilization by Children Insured by Medicaid” in the Journal of Asthma, 2007;44:717-722.

Marcelo Cardarelli, MD, MPH

Marcelo Cardarelli, MD, MPH, assistant professor, Department of Surgery, co-published “Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation after Cardiac Arrest in Children—What Do We Know?” in the March 2008 issue of the European Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Lisa Dixon, MD

Lisa Dixon, MD, professor, Department of Psychiatry, published “The Ten Commandments of Services Research” in Psychiatric Services, 2007 Dec;58(12):1606.

Anthony DeVico, PhD,
Manhattan Charurat, PhD, MS, George K. Lewis, PhD and
Robert Gallo, MD

Anthony DeVico, PhD, professor, and Manhattan Charurat, PhD, MS, assistant professor, both from the Department of Medicine, George K. Lewis, PhD (right), professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, and Robert C. Gallo, MD, professor, Department of Medicine, and director, Institute of Human Virology, were among the co-authors of “Antibodies to CD4-induced Sites in HIV gp120 Correlate with the Control of SHIV Challenge in Macaques Vaccinated with Subunit Immunogens” in the October 2007 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The paper described recent promising findings from the institute’s research into a preventive HIV vaccine. Drs. DeVico, Lewis and Charurat are all also faculty members of the Institute of Human Virology.

Alan Shuldiner, MD and
Haiqing Shen, PhD

Alan Shuldiner, MD (left), professor, and Haiqing Shen, PhD, postdoctoral fellow, both from the Department of Medicine, worked as part of an international consortium to identify a common genetic variant that influences adult height. This work appeared online in the journal Nature Genetics.

Margaret M. McCarthy, PhD

Margaret M. McCarthy, PhD, professor, Department of Physiology, published a review entitled “Estradiol and the Developing Brain” which was featured on the cover of Physiological Reviews, Vol. 88, No. 1, January 2008 edition, pages 91-124.

William Romani, PT, PhD

William Romani, PT, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science, co-authored a research report entitled “A Wellness Service Learning Project Improves the Perception of Professional Empowerment in Physical Therapy Students” in the fall issue of the Journal of Physical Therapy Education.

Melissa Houston, MD, MPH

Melissa Houston, MD, MPH, assistant professor, Department of Pediatrics, authored a manuscript entitled “More Than Just Vaginal Intercourse” in the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, 2007 Oct; 20 (05).

Toni Antalis, PhD

Toni Antalis, PhD, professor, Department of Physiology and Center for Vascular and Inflammatory Diseases, chaired the 2008 Gordon Research Conference entitled “Plasminogen Activation and Extracellular Proteolysis.” The conference was held in February 2008 in Ventura, California.

Lisa Dixon, MD, and
Melanie Bennett, PhD

Lisa Dixon, MD (right), professor, and Melanie Bennett, PhD, clinical assistant professor, both from the Department of Psychiatry, presented at an MD-QUIT conference about the challenges and opportunities of smoking cessation among persons with psychiatric disorders at the Turf Valley Conference Center in December 2007.

Maureen Black, PhD

Maureen Black, PhD, John A. Scholl Professor of Pediatrics, organized an international conference entitled “Child Development from a Global Perspective: Lost Potential, Modifiable Risk Factors, Successful Programs & Future Goals,” which was sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation and held in Bellagio, Italy, in October 2007. The conference was attended by representatives from 11 countries and major international agencies such as the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the World Bank.

Laurel J. Kiser, PhD, and
Deborah Medoff, PhD

Laurel J. Kiser, PhD (right), associate professor, and Deborah Medoff, PhD, assistant professor, both from the Department of Psychiatry, and Maureen Black, PhD, professor, Department of Pediatrics, presented “Urban Poverty, Childhood Complex Traumatic Stress Symptoms, and Family Processes” at The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Annual Meeting in Baltimore in November 2007.

Richard L. Eckert, PhD

Richard L. Eckert, PhD, John F. B. Weaver Endowed Professor and chair, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, was the meeting organizer for the 2nd International Symposium on Translational Cancer Research held in Mumbai, India, in December 2007. In addition, Dr. Eckert gave a lecture at the symposium entitled “Making Sense of Skin—Polycomb Genes and Nutrition-Based Cancer Prevention.”

Robert Edelman, MD

Robert Edelman, MD, professor, Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics, presented an invited seminar on “Ethical Issues Surrounding Vaccine Trials in Humans” at the Pfizer 2007 Vaccinology Seminar Series, held at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo in October 2007. This lecture series provided an educational opportunity for the academic and pharmaceutical communites to interface with prominent researchers and educators in the field of vaccinology. The seminars are linked to multiple sites around the country and to Pfizer, Inc. employees globally.

Paula Richey Geigle, PT, PhD

Paula Richey Geigle, PT, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation, presented a clinical session entitled “Aquatic Physical Therapy” at the American Physical Therapy Association’s National Student Conclave, in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, in October 2007.

Joyelle Dominique, MS

Joyelle Dominique, MS, clinical care and research laboratory director, Institute of Human Virology, presented “Management of Clinical Laboratory: Key Aspects for Maintenance of Equipment” at the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization—African Regional Office meeting on clinical laboratory testing harmonization and standardization in Maputo, Mozambique, in January 2008. The presentation focused on resource-limited settings in the developing world.

Myung Park, MD

Myung Park, MD, assistant professor, Department of Medicine, presented “Clinical and Investigational Utility of MRI and Other Diagnostic Tools: New Views of the Right Heart” at the American Heart Association Meeting in Orlando, Florida, in November 2007. Additionally, Dr. Park presented “Vascular Complications of Systemic Sclerosis: Long-Term Treatment Strategy for PAH,” at the American College of Rheumatology Meeting in Boston in November 2007.

William F. Regine, MD

William F. Regine, MD, professor and chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, gave an invited lecture entitled “Malignant Gliomas, Hope & Life: Using Biology to Refine Treatment Ground Rounds” at the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center in Casper, Wyoming, and Prince William Hospital in Manassas, Virginia, in November 2007.

Wendy Sanders, MA

Wendy Sanders, MA, assistant dean for Faculty Affairs and Professional Development, conducted a Grant Writing Workshop for the faculty at Villa Julie College on January 7, 2008. This workshop was part of a National Institutes of Health grant awarded to Villa Julie College in order to stimulate interest in conducting research.

Jill Whitall, PT, PhD

Jill Whitall, PT, PhD, professor, Department of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science, co-organized the annual meeting of the Motor Development Research Consortium that was held in UMB’s Allied Health Building in November 2007. The three-day conference attracted 50 participants to hear 21 research reports and two invited scholars, Dr. Stewart Mostofsky from Johns Hopkins University and Dr. Dale Ulrich from the University of Michigan.

Maureen Black, PhD

Maureen Black, PhD, John A. Scholl Professor of Pediatrics, co-published an editorial regarding the Maryland Women, Infants, and Children’s program and its services in the December 10, 2007, issue of the Baltimore Sun.

Alessio Fasano, MD

Alessio Fasano, MD, professor, Department of Pediatrics, was featured in a December 16, 2007, front page story in the Baltimore Sun on celiac disease. Additionally, Dr. Fasano was featured in a news brief regarding his discovery of zonulin, a protein that regulates the movement of fluids and molecules in and out of the intestine, in the December 17, 2007, issue of the American Gastroenterological Association’s online newsletter.

Susan K. Fried, PhD

Susan K. Fried, PhD, professor, Department of Medicine, was interviewed by reporter Allison Aubrey of National Public Radio for a story regarding over-consumption of caloric beverages and weight gain during the holidays. The interview aired on November 22, 2007.

Todd Gould, MD

Todd Gould, MD, assistant professor, Department of Psychiatry, was featured in an article in the in-cites Scientists section of the in-cites Web site. According to a recent analysis of Thomson Scientific’s Essential Science Indicator data, Dr. Gould’s work has entered the top one percent in the field of psychiatry/psychology. His current record in this field includes five papers cited a total of 496 times. His overall citation record in the database includes 28 papers cited 1,061 times to date (as of the end of 2007), which includes highly-cited papers in the Neuroscience & Behavior and Molecular Biology & Genetics catagories. The interview can be found at http://www.incites.com/scientists/ToddGould.html.

Wendy Lane, MD, MPH

Wendy Lane, MD, MPH, assistant professor, Departments of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine and Pediatrics, contributed to an article which appeared in the September 6, 2007, issue of Military.com, an online newsletter for Americans who have military affinity. The article was about families cracking under the pressure of a spouse being deployed.

Margaret Chesney, PhD

Margaret Chesney, PhD, joined the Department of Medicine with a joint appointment in the Department of Family & Community Medicine as a professor. Additionally, Dr. Chesney will serve as the Center for Integrative Medicine’s first associate director. Prior to joining the University of Maryland, Dr. Chesney served for five years as the first deputy director of the National Institutes of Health’s Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), which is the primary federal agency supporting scientific research in this field. Prior to joining NCCAM, Dr. Chesney was professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine where she was director of the Behavioral Medicine and Epidemiology Core of the UCSF Center for AIDS Research.

School of Medicine Pre-Commencement Ceremony

School of Medicine Pre-commencement Ceremony
Friday, May 16, 2008
8:00 to 10:00 am
Joseph P. Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
Keynote Speaker: Francis Collins, MD, PhD

Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, a physician-geneticist, is noted for his landmark discoveries of disease genes, and his leadership of the Human Genome Project (HGP). He is director of the National Human Genome Research Institute.With Dr. Collins at the helm, the HGP has attained several milestones, while running ahead of schedule and under budget. A working draft of the human genome was announced in June 2000, and he was joined by President Bill Clinton and rival scientist Craig Venter, PhD, in making the announcement. An initial analysis was published in February 2001. HGP scientists continued to work toward finishing the sequence of all three billion base pairs by 2003, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Watson and Crick’s seminal publication of the structure of DNA.

For tickets call 6.7476.

14th Annual Historical Clinicopathological Conference

“Humanoid Praying Mantis”
Friday, May 16, 2008
1:30 to 3:00 pm
Davidge Hall

This annual conference is devoted to the modern medical diagnosis of disorders that affected prominent historical figures. This year’s program patient was not yet 40 years old at the time of his death, having ruled Egypt for 17 years. During his reign, the patient fomented revolution within his own kingdom, elevating Aten, the Sun-disc, above all other gods in Egypt’s pantheon, eclipsing even the all-powerful Amun, who had ruled in Thebes as king of the gods for centuries.

Free attendance; tickets not required.

Brian Berman, MD

Brian Berman, MD, professor, Department of Family & Community Medicine, and director of the Center for Integrative Medicine, re-ceived $5 million from an anonymous donor to further the center’s work to evaluate complementary and alternative therapies and develop clinical models that offer patients integrative care. The gift will allow the center to broaden its investigation of the use of traditional Chinese medicine and mind/body therapies for particularly burdensome health care problems, such as pain management in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Da-Wei Gong, MD, PhD

Da-Wei Gong, MD, PhD, associate professor, Department of Medicine, received a one-year $250,000 renewal research contract from Pfizer, Inc. for his work entitled “The Use of ALT Isoenzyme Analysis to Investigate Drug-induced Hepatoxicity.”

Anupama Kewalramani, MD

Anupama Kewalramani, MD, assistant professor, Department of Pediatrics, received a $50,000 one-year grant from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology for its 2007-2008 Young Faculty Support Award. The title of her grant is “Fresh Food Skin in Eosinophilic Esophagitis Patients.”

Department of Medicine,
Division of Rheumatology

The Department of Medicine’s Division of Rheumatology has been awarded a two-year $200,000 institutional grant entitled “Novel Molecular Mechanisms of Pulmonary Fibrosis in Rheumatic Diseases” from the Arthritis Foundation. Sergei P. Atamas, MD, PhD (above), associate professor, Department of Medicine, is the principal investigator on this study.

Robert Redfield, MD

Robert Redfield, MD, professor, Department of Medicine, and associate director, Institute of Human Virology, received an $800,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control and the government of Rwanda to enhance Rwanda’s anatomical pathology services. The one-year grant, which will be implemented by Niel Constantine, PhD, professor, Department of Pathology and Institute of Human Virology, will provide Rwanda with a state-of-the art digital pathology system, including real-time remote tissue analysis and diagnotics interpretation involving Rwandan pathologists, histotechnologists and laboratory managers and their counterparts in the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Dr. Redfield also received $950,000 from the Treatment and Research AIDS Center in Rwanda to provide a senior mentoring team to Rwandan Ministry of Health officials involved in the care and treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS. The mentoring team will consist of a senior-level infectious disease physician, a nurse educator, a continuous quality improvement advisor, an adherence and community health advisor and a tuberculosis program advisor.

Tony Passaniti, PhD

Tony Passaniti, PhD, associate professor, Department of Pathology and Program in Oncology, received a four-year $842,000 Veterans Affairs merit grant for his work entitled “Transcriptional Regulation of Tumor Growth.”

Ruixin Zhang, PhD

Ruixin Zhang, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Family & Community Medicine, received a two-year $412,500 award from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine for his project entitled “Effects of Electroacupuncture on Chemotherapy–induced Pain.” This is Dr. Zhang’s first National Institutes of Health-sponsored grant.

Rebecca L. Wald, PhD

Rebecca L. Wald, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Medicine and Institute of Human Virology, received a two-year $337,500 R21 grant from the National Institute of Nursing Research. Her project, “Cognitive Biases and Interpretive Schemas in Antiretroviral Therapy Decision-Making,” examines irrational beliefs and biased reasoning in patient decision-making about whether to accept antiretroviral therapy for HIV.

Paul A. Welling, MD

Paul A. Welling, MD, professor, Department of Physiology, received a four-year $1,275,000 competing renewal for his National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases research grant entitled “Polarized Trafficking of K+ Channels in the Kidney.”

Jian-Min Zhang, MD

Jian-Min Zhang, MD, assistant professor, Department of Psychiatry, received a Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) K-12 IV grant that provides two to three years of funding for mentored research and training related to women’s health. Dr. Zhang will study the neurobiology underlying gender differences in vulnerability to depression.

Patrick W. Reed, PhD

Patrick W. Reed, PhD, post-doctoral fellow, Department of Physiology, received an additional competing one-year $30,000 research grant from the FSH Society, Inc. (aka The Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy Society) for his work entitled “Analysis of Changes in the Proteome in Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy.”

Michael T. Shipley, PhD

Michael T. Shipley, PhD, Donald E. Wilson Distinguished Professor and chair, Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, and director, Program in Neuroscience, was elected by the Association for Anatomy, Cell Biology and Neurobiology Chairs (AACBNC) to a three-year term as representative to the Council of Academic Societies. Dr. Shipley recently completed his term as immediate past-president of AACBNC.

Thomas A. MacVittie, PhD

Thomas A. MacVittie, PhD, professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, was appointed as a voting member of the National Biodefense Science Board (NBSB). The primary goal of the NBSB is to provide expert advice and guidance to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services on scientific, technical and other matters of special interest regarding activities to prevent, prepare for and respond to adverse health effects of public health emergencies resulting from current and future chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear agents, whether naturally occurring, accidental or deliberate.

Dhan V. Kalvakolanu, PhD

Dhan V. Kalvakolanu, PhD, professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology and Program in Oncology, has been elected to the editorial board of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Amal Mattu, MD

Amal Mattu, MD, associate professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, received the 2008 National Educator of the Year Award from the American Academy of Emergency Medicine. The award was based on his educational contributions to the specialty in the areas of emergency cardiology and electrocardiography.

Ahmet Baschat, MB, BCh

Ahmet Baschat, MB, BCh, associate professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, received the Dru Carlson Memorial Award for Best Research in Ultrasound and Genetics for his work entitled “Integration of Venous Doppler and Bio-physical Profile Provides Optimal Delivery Timing in Fetal Growth Restriction” at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s President’s (SMFM) Award Ceremony. The President’s Award Ceremony was part of the SMFM Annual Meeting held in Dallas in February 2008.

Nicola Heller, PhD

Nicola Heller, PhD, post-doctoral fellow, Center for Vascular and Inflammatory Diseases, was selected as a fellow of the Strategic Training in Allergy Research Program sponsored by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI). Dr. Heller will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the AAAAI annual meeting in Philadelphia in March 2008 and will present her research, “Type I IL-4 Receptor Complex Selectively Activates the Tyrosine Phosphorylation of IRS-2.”

Jonathan Skupsky, MD/PhD Student

Jonathan Skupsky, MD/PhD student, Center for Vascular and Inflammatory Disease, was accepted into the 2008 Strategic Training in Allergy Research Program sponsored by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI). Mr. Skupsky received an all-expenses-paid trip to the AAAAI annual meeting in Philadelphia in March 2008 to present his research on hemophilia and the role of regulatory T cells in tolerance to therapy.

Paula Richey Geigle, PT, PhD

Paula Richey Geigle, PT, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science, organized physical therapy student volunteers to perform scoliosis screenings for students in the 4th through 7th grades at the Dr. Rayner Browne Academy Community School in Baltimore in December 2007.