, see what we have been up to!

WINTER 2022

Mission: To perform state-of-the-art anatomic and physiologic research

and education to enhance human health and prepare our trainees for careers in biomedical research and healthcare professions

Words from the Chair

Happy New Year from the Physiology and Anatomy (P&A) Department at the University of North Texas Health Science Center (HSC)!

I would like to thank everyone for their dedication and hard work over the past year. As you will see in this issue, we have a lot to be proud of and to look forward to. We have celebrated staff promotions, prestigious honors, publications, awards, and fellowships. We recently held a strategic planning retreat, worked to expand our community outreach, and said farewell to devoted colleagues and friends.

Congratulations to all on a productive and successful 2021. Let’s make 2022 even greater!!!

All the best,

Johnathan Tune

In This Issue

IN WITH THE NEW

Staff Promotions

Name Change

Construction Plans

HONORS

Trainee Accolades

Valubility of the Year

Student Oral Competition Winners

2021 SUCCESS STORIES

Women's Cardiovascular and Brain Health Symposium

GRANTS & PUBLICATIONS

Faculty and Trainee Accomplishments

Seed Grants Announced

2021 P&A HEADLINES

Did You Know

WE WORK TOGETHER

P&A Faculty Retreat

Journal Clubs

OUTREACH & SERVICE

Departmental Service and Outreach

BioSkills of North Texas

A CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION

Emeritus Faculty Appointments

Hello Babies!

Farewell Arthur!

Holiday Social

Staff Promotions

Dr. Gef Farmer joined P&A faculty as Research Assistant Professor in September 2021. Congratulations, Gef!

Dr. Sarika Chaudhari joined the Mathis Laboratory as Research Scientist in September 2021. Congratulations, Sarika!

What's in a Name?

With a historic move, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth will now be referred to as the School of Biomedical Sciences or SBS in order to accommodate the new undergraduate programs that are coming to HSC. This is an exciting time and important update for the growth of our institution. To learn more about our programs, click here.

Under Construction

The Department of Physiology and Anatomy is undergoing several renovation projects that will help to facilitate new goals within the department. The office suite in EAD-310 will soon include an enclosed space for trainees and private offices for our faculty. The conference room will be expanded and state-of-the-art equipment will be added to facilitate our lectures and lab and faculty meetings. Finally, a copy room has been added to provide a central location for all printing needs. We are looking forward to these convenient updates and cannot wait to share finished pictures.

Graci Finco and Alexa Kelly awarded

inaugural Dean's award

P&A student doctors Graci Finco and Alexa Kelly were amongst the first to receive the School of Biomedical Sciences Dean's Fellowship Incentive in 2021.

These incentives are given to students who apply for extramural funding, with an extra bonus to those who are successful in obtaining the grant. Congratulations Graci and Alexa!

We are all very proud of you.

Diana Nguyen awarded first ever HSC predoctoral fellowship from the National Institutes of Health

When P&A student doctor, Dianna Nguyen submitted her application for the prestigious and super competitive NIH National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute predoctoral fellowship, she had no idea she would be making HSC history if she was successful at getting the grant. Well, she did and now Dianna is the very first recipient of an NIH F30 predoctoral fellowship for dual degree students at HSC! Dianna is a senior DO/PhD student in the lab of Dr. Tom Cunningham. This grant entitled, "The Role of Estrogen Receptors and Neurohypophyseal Gene Expression in Vasopressin Release in a Model of Dilutional Hyponatremia," will provide a stipend for two years as well as project and travel support. Dianna says "it still feels like a dream" and she thanks everyone for their support and encouragement. Congratulations, Dianna! We are all super proud of you.

Dianna had a fantastic year! She has had many other achievements and honors including being featured by the American Physiological Society Central Nervous System section in late summer 2021.

Dianna plans to be a physician-scientist particularly in the areas of rehabilitation research, while focusing on areas like neuroscience, cardiovascular, and cancer. She plans to continue in academic medicine where she can incorporate teaching, mentoring and research into her future practice.

Yu Tao is awarded Sigma Xi Grant

Congratulations to P&A student doctor, Yu Tao, in Dr. Rong Ma's Lab! Yu was recently awarded a Grant in Aid from the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society. Yu feels thankful and blessed to have this award. She says that this is her first grant ever and appreciates Dr. Ma and her dissertation committee members for providing her suggestions and supporting her. She says, "it really motivates me to keep forward. I really appreciate the help from my lab members. I feel I couldn't make this step forward without all your help."

Jordan Gardner receives predoctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association

P&A student doctor, Jordan "Jennifer" Gardner (Goulopoulou lab), received a predoctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association for her dissertation studies entitled "Placental autophagy in a preeclinical model of preeclampsia with placental ischemia". This grant will provide research support for Jennifer for two years. Congratulations! We are all so proud.

Award-winning postdoc receives grant from the American Heart Association

Dr. Jessica Bradshaw (Goulopoulou lab) received the super competitive postdoctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association for her study entitled "Innate immune system-mediated endothelial dysfunction in preeclampsia". This award will fund Jessca's research and provide travel support for two years starting in January 2022. Congratulations Jessica!

Emma Handler is awarded HSC

Valubility of the Year

Dr. Emma Handler was one of the recipients of HSC's Valubility of the Year in December 2021.

The HSC created Valubility to recognize and celebrate teammates who live and display Our Values in their work and behavior. These values include Serve Others First, Integrity, Respect, Collaboration, and Be Visionary.

Emma has exhibited all of these and is so deserving of this award. Congratulations, Emma!

2021 Three Minute Thesis

Competition Winners

Seventeen trainees, including P&A and other SBS students, participated in the three minute thesis (3MT) competition as a requirement of Dr. Stella Goulopoulou's Advanced Scientific Communication Skills in Physiology course. The winners of the competition clearly presented their research in three minutes with the use of only one slide. Successful 3MT talks were given by enthusiastic presenters who engaged and inspired the audience. Congratulations to this year's winners!

1st place - Rauchelle Richey (Romero Lab)

2nd place - Ato Aikins (T. Cunningham Lab)

3rd place - Viet Dinh (Mathis Lab)

Women's Cardiovascular and Brain Health Symposium 2021

The Department of Physiology and Anatomy hosted the 3rd Annual Women's Cardiovascular and Brain Health (WCBH) Symposium on Friday, April 16, 2021. WCBH2021 was a virtual event. We had an exciting and engaging program that included five talks from external experts in the field of women’s health research, a trainee oral presentation competition, and a trainee poster session. We were also excited to host a speaker from the National Institutes of Health, Office of Research on Women's Health, and the co-founder of the non-profit organization Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD) Alliance.

The WCBH2021 agenda and a list of the poster presentations can be found here. The winners of the trainee oral and poster competitions were the following:

Best Postdoctoral Fellow Talk

Benard Ogola, PhD - Tulane University School of Medicine

Best Graduate Student Talk

John Akins - University of Texas Arlington

Best Trainee Poster

Garen Anderson - University of North Texas Health Science Center

The WCBH Symposium was established by Dr. Stella Goulopoulou in 2019 as an annual departmental event. The goals of WCBH are to a) promote research addressing women's cardiovascular and brain health, b) provide the opportunity for students and postdoctoral fellows to present their work, c) foster regional and local research collaborations, and d) raise awareness about the importance of women's health research. We are looking forward to WCBH2022 with our new conference organizers, Drs. Mark Cunningham and Paula Gregory!

Faculty

Dr. Mark Cunningham

Published manuscript: Booz GW, Kennedy D, Bowling M, Robinson T, Azubuike D, Fisher B, Brooks K, Chinthakuntla P, Hoang NH, Hosler JP, Cunningham MW Jr. Angiotensin II type 1 receptor agonistic autoantibody blockade improves postpartum hypertension and cardiac mitochondrial function in rat model of preeclampsia. Biol Sex Differ. 2021;12(1):58.

Dr. Tom Cunningham

Published manuscript: Kasanga EA, Little J, McInnis TR, Bugnariu N, Cunningham JT, Salvatore MF. Cardiovascular Metrics Associated With Prevention of Aging-Related Parkinsonian Signs Following Exercise Intervention in Sedentary Older Rats. Front Aging Neurosci. 2021;13:775355.
Published manuscript: Sumien N, Cunningham JT, Davis DL, Engelland R, Fadeyibi O, Farmer GE, Mabry S, Mensah-Kane P, Trinh OTP, Vann PH, Wilson EN, Cunningham RL.Neurodegenerative Disease: Roles for Sex, Hormones, and Oxidative Stress. Endocrinology. 2021;162(11):bqab185.
Published manuscript: Farmer GE, Little JT, Marciante AB, Cunningham JT. AT1a-dependent GABAA inhibition in the MnPO following chronic intermittent hypoxia. AJP Regulatory. 2021;321(3):469-481.
Published manuscript: Aikins AO, Nguyen DH, Paundralingga O, Farmer GE, Shimoura CG, Brock C, Cunningham JT. Role of angiotensin II in chronic intermittent hypoxia-induced hypertension and cognitive decline. Endocrinology. 2021;162(8):bqab082.

Dr. Gregory Dick

Published manuscript: Goodwill AG, Baker HE, Dick GM, McCallinhart PE, Bailey CA, Brown SM, Man JJ, Tharp DL, Clark HE, Blaettner BS, Jaffe IZ, Bowles DK, Trask AJ, Tune JD, Bender SB. Mineralocorticoid receptor blockade normalizes coronary resistance in obese swine independent of functional alterations in K v channels. Basic Res Cardiol. 2021; 116(1):35.

Dr. Gef Farmer

Published manuscript: Farmer GE, Little JT, Marciante AB, Cunningham JT. AT1a-dependent GABAA inhibition in the MnPO following chronic intermittent hypoxia. AJP Regulatory. 2021;321(3):469-481.

Dr. Rong Ma

Published manuscript: Chaudhari S, Mallet RT, Shortorbani PY, Tao Y, Ma R. Store-operated calcium entry: Pivotal roles in renal physiology and pathophysiology. Exp Biol Med. 2021;246(3):305-316.

Dr. Scott Maddux

Published manuscript: Butaric LN, Nicholas CL, Kravchuk K, Maddux SD.Ontogenetic variation in human nasal morphology. Anat Rec. 2021;doi.1002/ar.24760.
Published manuscript: Ancestry-based variation in maxillary sinus anatomy: Implications for health disparities in sinonasal disease. Anat Rec (Hoboken). 2022 Jan;305(1):18-36. doi: 10.1002/ar.24644.

Dr. Robert Mallet

Published manuscript: Chaudhari S, Mallet RT, Shortorbani PY, Tao Y, Ma R. Store-operated calcium entry: Pivotal roles in renal physiology and pathophysiology. Exp Biol Med. 2021;246(3):305-316.

Dr. Rachel Menegaz

Published manuscript: Mitchell DR, Wroe S, Ravosa MJ, Menegaz RA. More Challenging Diets Sustain Feeding Performance: Applications Toward the Captive Rearing of Wildlife. Integr Org Biol. 2021; 3(1):obab030.

Dr. Johnathan Tune

Published manuscript: Gomez AH, Joshi S, Yang Y, Tune JD, Zhao MT, Yang H. Bioengineering Systems for Modulating Notch Signaling in Cardiovascular Development, Disease, and Regeneration. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis. 2021; 8(10):125.
Published manuscript: Goodwill AG, Baker HE, Dick GM, McCallinhart PE, Bailey CA, Brown SM, Man JJ, Tharp DL, Clark HE, Blaettner BS, Jaffe IZ, Bowles DK, Trask AJ, Tune JD, Bender SB. Mineralocorticoid receptor blockade normalizes coronary resistance in obese swine independent of functional alterations in K v channels. Basic Res Cardiol. 2021; 116(1):35.

Dr. Caroline Rickards

Published manuscript: Fan JL, Nogueira RC, Brassard P, Rickards CA, Page M, Nasr N, Tzeng YC. Integrative physiological assessment of cerebral hemodynamics and metabolism in acute ischemic stroke.J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2021 Jul 26:271678X211033732.

Dr. Steven Romero

Published manuscript: Hemingway HW, Richey RE, Moore AM, Shokraeifard AM, Thomas GC, Olivencia-Yurvati AH, Romero SA. Shear Stress Induced by Acute Heat Exposure Is Not Obligatory to Protect Against Endothelial Ischemia-reperfusion Injury in Humans.J Appl Physiol. 2021 (ahead of print).
Published manuscript: Lalande S, Hemingway HW, Jarrard CP, Moore AM, Olivencia-Yurvati AH, Richey RE, Romero SA. Influence of ischemia-reperfusion injury on endothelial function in men and women with similar serum estradiol concentrations. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2021;321(2):R273-R278.

Dr. Ann Schreihofer

Published manuscript: Chaudhary P, Das-Earl P, Schreihofer AM. Preserved glycemic control and baroreflex efficacy in young adult hypertensive female obese Zucker rats. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2021;321(1):R62-R78.

Trainees

Ato Aikins (T. Cunningham lab)

Published manuscript: Aikins AO, Nguyen DH, Paundralingga O, Farmer GE, Shimoura CG, Brock C, Cunningham JT. Role of angiotensin II in chronic intermittent hypoxia-induced hypertension and cognitive decline. Endocrinology. 2021;162(8):bqab082.

Jessica Bradshaw (Goulopoulou lab)

Awarded grant: “Innate immune system-mediated endothelial dysfunction in preeclampsia”. Postdoctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association

Jordan Gardner (Goulopoulou lab)

Awarded grant: "Placental Autophagy in a Preeclinical Model of Preeclampsia with Placental Ischemia". Predoctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association

Holden Hemingway (Romero lab)

Published manuscript: Hemingway HW, Richey RE, Moore AM, Shokraeifard AM, Thomas GC, Olivencia-Yurvati AH, Romero SA. Shear Stress Induced by Acute Heat Exposure Is Not Obligatory to Protect Against Endothelial Ischemia-reperfusion Injury in Humans.J Appl Physiol. 2021 (ahead of print).
Published manuscript: Lalande S, Hemingway HW, Jarrard CP, Moore AM, Olivencia-Yurvati AH, Richey RE, Romero SA. Influence of ischemia-reperfusion injury on endothelial function in men and women with similar serum estradiol concentrations. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2021;321(2):R273-R278.

Dianna Nguyen (T. Cunningham lab)

Awarded grant: "The Role of Estrogen Receptors and Neurohypophyseal Gene Expression in Vasopressin Release in a Model of Dilutional Hyponatremia." NIH F30 from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

A complete list of articles published in 2021 by faculty in the Department of Physiology and Anatomy can be found here. For more specific detail on investigators, their labs and/or projects please visit the Physiology and Anatomy website or HSC Experts page.

Departmental seed grants awarded

The Department of Physiology and Anatomy awarded 6 new seed grants in October 2021. These awards enhance collaboration and success in acquiring extramural funding by P&A investigators through support of new research projects and methodologies. The funded proposals focus on development of new collaborations and/or purchase of equipment to promote growth and expansion of the departmental research program. Congratulations to all awardees!

Investigators

Rickards

Mathis/Cunningham

Hodge

Schreihofer

Romero

Title

Pulsatile Perfusion Therapy - A Novel Approach for Protection of Ischemic Tissues Part II

Inflammation as a predictor of second-generation preeclampsia

Define the Role of the Lymphatic System during Sepsis

Establishment of an effective treatment regimen for long-term normalization of blood glucose in obese Zucker rats

Assessment of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Human Cutaneous Biopsy Samples

Refine The Therapeutic Strategy of Reconstituted HDLs for Diabetic Kidney Disease

NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS: In October 2021, Drs. David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch. Julius, Professor and Chair of the Physiology Department at the University of California at San Francisco, "utilized capsaicin, a pungent compound from chili peppers that induces a burning sensation, to identify a sensor in the nerve endings of the skin that responds to heat." Patapoutian, Professor at Scripps Research, "used pressure-sensitive cells to discover a novel class of sensors that respond to mechanical stimuli in the skin and internal organs." Click here to read the history behind the research.

THE END OF AN ERA: The last Experimental Biology meeting is scheduled to be an in-person conference in Philadelphia in April 2022. This conference has been a part of many P&A faculty and trainees' career progression since it is where both the American Association for Anatomy (AAA) and the American Physiological Society (APS) hold their annual conferences. This will be a bittersweet ending to this phenomenal networking and research event that has been a mainstay for many. Each organization is planning to move forward with individual conferences in the future. We can't wait to see what the future holds, but in the meantime, keep your fingers cross that we can see our peers and colleagues in Philly in April!

ANATOMY COMING TO FORT WORTH: An important anatomy conference will be in our backyard this summer! The American Association of Clinical Anatomists is gearing up for their annual conference to be held at the Worthington Renaissance Hotel in Fort Worth on June 13-17, 2022. This is sure to be a rewarding and fun event for P&A faculty and trainees.

PHYSIOLOGY IN ACTION: The first successful transplant of a pig's heart into a human being has been documented. The transplant procedure took place at the University of Maryland Medical Center. The 57-year-old recipient is recovering and the heart is working normally. This is an amazing example of the benefits of research in physiology. Click here to read the story.

P&A Faculty Retreat success!

On January 10, 2022, P&A faculty meet to discuss the strategic plan of the department. We worked together to brainstorm ideas and troubleshoot potential issues that may arise in the coming year. This was a fantastic getaway for faculty to network and bond. Bring on 2022!!

Join a Journal Club!

Have you ever wanted to review papers in a group setting with other scientists with similar research interests?! Well we have just the thing for you! There are currently 2 journal clubs within the Department of Physiology and Anatomy. If you are interested in joining one of these, please reach out to Drs. Ma and Mathis or Dr. Rickards. Some of these meetings are virtual, so everyone is welcomed! Also, contact Dr. Rickards if you are interested in joining the department's Writing Accountability Group (WAG).

A department that gives back to the Dallas-Fort Worth and scientific communities

P&A faculty are a busy bunch! Faculty serve on HSC institutional committees like the President's Council, Faculty Senate, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and Institutional Review Board (IRB). Away from HSC, P&A faculty are highly active on editorial boards, NIH study section and other leadership and committee positions within professional societies like the American Physiological Society and American Heart Association.

COVID-19 has put a pause to some of the wonderful outreach efforts within the department, but we are hoping to continue lab tours and visits to K-12 classrooms around DFW for Physiology Understanding (PhUn) activities in 2022. P&A continues to be involved in outreach efforts on campus like the Summer Multicultural Advancement Research Training (SMART), Camp Cardiac and Camp Neuro, Texas Academy of Biomedical Sciences (TABS), Summer Opportunities in Anatomy Research (SOAR), and the Joint Admissions Medical Program (JAMP). Our annual Women's Cardiovascular and Brain Health Symposium is another community project that will take place later in 2022.

We are dedicated to serving our institution and the Dallas-Fort Worth community and we look forward to continuing our efforts in the years to come.

Serving others first:

One way the BioSkills of North Texas

gives back to the DFW community

In the last issue of the P&A newsletter, we highlighted the BioSkills of North Texas. There has been a remarkable makeover and the facility is now state-of-the-art, offering a variety of services. But did you know about their outreach efforts?!

The Bioskills of North Texas has provided free training for Tarrant County emergency medical personnel including firemen and EMTs for over 20 years. What an extraordinary example of serving others first. To learn more about this program, click here.

Emeritus Faculty announced!

Dr. Patricia Gwirtz retired from her roles as Professor in the Department of Physiology and Anatomy and Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in June 2020 after 38 years with HSC. To read more about Dr. Gwirtz's career, click here.

Dr. Andras Lacko retired from his role as Professor in the Department of Physiology and Anatomy in July 2021. Dr. Lacko's reviewed his research activities at HSC from 1975-2021 in a lecture with a reception that followed. To read more about Dr. Lacko's legacy, click here. Click here to watch his farewell lecture.

Both Drs. Lacko and Gwirtz were awarded the Emeritus faculty award in November 2021. We are so proud to have had these two outstanding academicians in our department and the HSC.

Welcome Baby Boys!

Dr. Caroline Lima (Mathis and T. Cunningham labs) had a sweet baby boy, William, on December 11, 2021. Isn't he perfect?! Congratulations, Carol!

On December 16, 2021, Rauchelle Richey (Romero) welcomed her adorable baby boy, Rhys Dale. What a beautiful blessing. Congratulations, Rauchelle!

Farewell to Arthur Williams

Arthur Williams retired from his staff position in the Department of Physiology and Anatomy after over 30 years of service to HSC. Arthur was a constant in the department--always accommodating and dependable and so knowledgeable about his science. We will truly miss Arthur!