DEAN'S LIST: July 31, 2023

July 31, 2023

First-year medical students receive their white coats

The 180 members of the College of Medicine’s Class of 2027 listened intently Friday morning as Soma Sengupta, MD, PhD, delivered the keynote remarks of the college’s 28th Annual White Coat Ceremony.

Sengupta, this year’s Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award faculty recipient, told the students to “think of Hippocrates, Maimonides and the ancient healers from all over the world, and as you trace their footsteps and walk in their shadows, turn on your own light, let it burn bright, a new beacon, a hopeful beacon for health care and change.”

“Medicine is a team sport and should not be for the honor and glory of the few, and above all, be transparent, like a mirror, and try to reflect all that is good,” she added.

Sengupta, an associate professor in the Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine and the Harold C. Schott Endowed Brain Tumor Molecular Therapeutics Chair in the Department of Neurosurgery, is a neuro-oncologist and active clinician-scientist. She was selected by the Class of 2023 as someone the students believe exemplifies the qualities of a caring and compassionate mentor whose personal characteristics are desirable qualities necessary to the practice of patient-centered medicine.

Wong receives 2023 Kuckein Fellowship from AOA

Medical student Eric Wong (pictured), Class of 2025, has received a 2023 Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship from Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. The fellowship will support Wong’s research during the next year. His primary mentor is Trisha Wise-Draper, MD, PhD, Class of 2010, associate professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology Oncology.

Wong’s project is “Investigating the Role of B7-H3 in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.” Using a CRISPR-Cas9 knockout model of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines, this study will test the hypothesis that inhibition of a type 1 transmembrane protein that is aberrantly overexpressed in many cancer types, known as B7-H3, will partially reverse the cancer phenotype of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells and sensitize them to radiotherapy. Wong will conduct his research in a laboratory led by Wise-Draper and Vinita Takiar, MD, PhD, associate professor, Department of Radiation Oncology.

The Kuckein Fellowship also will provide funding for travel whenever Wong presents the results of his research at a national meeting.

Wong is the fifth College of Medicine student to receive a Kuckein Fellowship in recent years. Previous recipients were Rohan Rao, Class of 2024, Scottie Emmert, Class of 2024; Taylor Brooks, MD, Class of 2018, and Justin Gibson, MD, Class of 2017.

Pritchard joins AAMC Curriculum Committee

Tracy Pritchard, PhD, Class of 2007, director of medical education, has been selected to serve on the Curriculum Committee of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Her term began July 1 and she will serve for three years.

Pritchard will work on the Mapping and Management subcommittee, which focuses on identifying the needs of the community and targeting projects to best meet the common mapping and management needs of schools. This includes creating common resources , such as instruction documents, short how-to videos, webinars and best practices.

UCMC, Children’s named among ‘great heart programs’

University of Cincinnati Medical Center and Cincinnati Children’s have both been named to Becker’s 2023 “Hospitals and health systems with great heart programs” list. The hospitals and health systems highlighted are renowned for their exemplary heart care, patient outcomes and leading technologies. Most also perform research that leads to innovative breakthroughs in the field of cardiology.

The publication cited UC Health’s Heart Care Program, which focuses on cardiovascular disease, advanced heart failure and cardiovascular surgery. The center has achieved numerous milestones, including being ranked in the top 10% nationwide for patient outcomes in adult heart transplants, pioneering the endoscopic triple valve procedure, and receiving the American Heart Association Get With the Guidelines Heart Failure Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Award.

Cincinnati Children’s Heart Institute is one of the largest pediatric cardiology programs in the nation and boasts especially favorable outcomes for even the most difficult and complex procedures, the publication notes. The institute implements a bench-to-bedside approach, which allows it to bring research results into mainstream treatment plans for its patients before they become available elsewhere.

>> See Becker’s list of 100 hospitals and health systems with great heart programs

Student scholar follows personal research dream at UC

When Timothy White (pictured, left) was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at the age of 18, he had no idea that less than a decade later, he would develop a passion for research. Thanks to a summer research program at the College of Medicine, he is able to follow that research dream.

White is one of 10 students taking part in a 10-week RISE UP program funded by a grant from the National Institutes for Health. Its goal is bringing in students who are underrepresented in the sciences for a variety of reasons, like underrepresented minority, disadvantaged or disabled students or those with a certain socioeconomic status.

“RISE UP stands for Research Innovations in NeuroScience Education for Underserved Populations,” says Teresa Reyes, PhD (pictured, right), professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, who runs the program along with Matia Solomon, PhD (pictured, center), associate professor in the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences. “The students are matched with a lab mentor before they arrive in Cincinnati, so for the entirety of the 10-week program, they are working full time doing research in the lab. We also have weekly meetings where they are exposed to other neuroscience research at UC, and we have professional development workshops, such as how to apply to graduate school.”

>> Read more

‘Next in Medicine’ from WKRC-TV, Channel 12

“Next in Medicine” is a segment by WKRC-TV, Channel 12, health reporter Liz Bonis and is part of the “Indispensable” campaign by the College of Medicine and UC Physicians demonstrating how both are indispensable to the Greater Cincinnati community. Bonis recently spoke with Richard Becker, MD, professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Health and Disease and director of the UC Heart, Lung and Vascular Institute, about a new study showing that people who use wearable devices can get much better heart data with the help of AI.

>> Watch the interview

Aug. 8 celebration for new book about Dr. Alvin Crawford

UC Libraries and the University of Cincinnati Press will host an event Tuesday, Aug. 8 celebrating the publication of “The Bone Doctor’s Concerto: Music, Surgery and the Pieces in Between” by Alvin Crawford, MD, emeritus professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

During the event, from noon until 1:30 p.m. in the Stanley J. Lucas Board Room (Medical Sciences Building

E005HA), Crawford will discuss his book and his life in medicine and music. A buffet lunch also will be included for those who register for the event.

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1939, Crawford grew up and attended medical school in a segregated world. Beginning with his early life in Orange Mound—a self-contained community for freed enslaved people established in the 1890s—Crawford’s autobiography describes his flirtation with a music degree and time spent playing in jazz bands through the segregated South. In 1960, Crawford began his medical career with his entrance into the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, becoming the school’s first African American student. After completing his medical training and traveling the world as a surgeon for the U.S. Navy, Crawford joined the College of Medicine faculty and established the Comprehensive Pediatric Orthopedic Clinic at Cincinnati Children’s, the first in the region. Crawford is a 2006 recipient of the Daniel Drake Medal.

Underlying this story are the systemic and very personal incidents of racism Crawford experienced throughout his career. His autobiography is a personal account of segregation, integration, ambition, hard work and taking risks.

>> Register for the Tuesday, Aug. 8 event

UC Center for Addiction Research Summer Speaker Series

The College of Medicine’s Center for Addiction Research holds the final presentation of its virtual Summer Speaker Series on Wednesday, Aug. 9. The series highlights UC addiction research and UC-community collaborations related to prevention and treatment. It is sponsored by the Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training and hosted by T. John Winhusen, PhD, Donald C. Harrison Endowed Chair in Medicine and director of the Center for Addiction Research.

Wednesday, Aug. 9, noon

“Examining Substance Use Around the Timing of Pregnancy From a Health Equity and Patient-centered Perspective” presented by Nichole Nidey, PhD, assistant professor, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, and Tara Cain, EMPOWER Project stakeholder.

>> Register for the presentation

African American surgeon exhibit concludes Friday, Aug. 11

“Opening Doors: Contemporary African American Academic Surgeons,” a traveling exhibition from the National Library of Medicine celebrating the achievements of African American pioneers in medicine, continues in the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library, through Friday, Aug. 11.

The exhibition highlights past and contemporary surgeons and educators who exemplify excellence in their fields and foster future excellence through the education and mentoring of young African Americans pursuing medical careers.

The exhibit is displayed in the Health Sciences Library’s E-Level Exhibit Gallery.

This week in College of Medicine history

Aug. 1, 1971: Robert Daniels, MD (pictured), assumes the chair of the Department of Psychiatry following the death in May of Maurice Levine, MD. Daniels, associate dean of social and community medicine at the University of Chicago, received his medical degree from the College of Medicine in 1951.

Aug. 6, 1926: The University of Cincinnati and Children’s Hospital of Cincinnati (Cincinnati Children’s) sign an affiliation agreement. The agreement stipulates that the College of Medicine will be responsible for all teaching and research in Children’s Hospital and the head of the Department of Pediatrics in the College of Medicine shall be chief of staff of Children’s Hospital.

UPCOMING LECTURES AND SEMINARS

Pediatric Grand Rounds, Tuesday, Aug. 1: Carole Lannon, MD, professor, department of Pediatrics; Lori Crosby, PsyD, professor, Department of Pediatrics; and Meg Didier and Robyn Kinebrew, patient partners, will present “The American Board of Pediatrics Roadmap Project: Addressing the Emotional Health for Children and Youth With Chronic Conditions and Their Families” at 8 a.m. in Cincinnati Children’s Sabin Auditorium (D1.23).

Cancer Biology Seminar, Tuesday, Aug.1: Yan-Kai Tzeng, PhD, associate scientist, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, will present “Advances in Quantum Sensing” and Charles Liao, MD, clinical assistant professor, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, will present “Point of Care PCR and Its Clinical Use” at noon in Rieveschl Auditorium, Vontz Center for Molecular Studies.

Department of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Weekly Seminar Series, Tuesday, Aug. 1: Josh Peter, doctoral student, will present “Determine the Role of PTPs in Dopaminergic Neuron Axonal Regrowth in Human Dopaminergic Neurons and an Animal PD Model” and Bryan Sanders, doctoral student, will present “Exploring the Role of Peripheral Myeloid Cells in Alzheimer’s Disease” at noon in Medical Sciences Building 3351.

Department of Internal Medicine Grand Rounds, Wednesday, Aug. 2: Amoah Yeboah-Korang, MD, assistant professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Digestive Diseases, will present “Think DILI Until Proven Otherwise” at noon in Medical Sciences Building 5051 and via Zoom.

Pediatric Grand Rounds, Tuesday, Aug. 8: Nicole Zahka, PhD, pediatric psychologist, Cincinnati Children’s Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, will present “Is It All In Our Heads? Rethinking Communication About Pediatrics Somatic Symptoms” at 8 a.m. in Cincinnati Children’s Sabin Auditorium (D1.23).

Department of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Weekly Seminar Series, Tuesday, Aug. 8: Saima Ali, doctoral student, will present “The Role of Linx in the Formation of the Internal Capsule and the Shape of the Ventral Telencephalon” and Kylie Vestal, doctoral student, will present “Activin E is a TGFβ Ligand That Signals Specifically Through ALK7” at noon in Medical Sciences Building 3351.

Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry and Microbiology Graduate Program Defense of Dissertation, Monday, Aug. 14: doctoral student Greg Lerner will present “Identification of Domains in the HIV Envelope Glycoprotein Cytoplasmic Tail Required for Particle Incorporation” at 10 a.m. in Medical Sciences Building 2351.