Akaljot “AJ” Singh, a doctoral student in the Molecular and Developmental Biology Graduate Program and the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Graduate Student Excellence for 2023.

“I am incredibly humbled and grateful to have received the Presidential Medal of Graduate Student Excellence. I am especially grateful for all of the support I received from my mentors and peers, and would like to thank everyone involved in the selection process,” says Singh, who was honored for his campus leadership, commitment to diversity and scholastic achievements.

Singh has been a Jeffrey A. Whitsett Physician Scientist Training Fellow and his research in the Cincinnati Children’s laboratory of Michael Helmrath, MD, professor in the Department of Surgery, has been highly translational and resulted in a dozen papers already published or in the process of being published. Singh will receive his doctorate this summer, after which he will return to his medical studies with plans to receive his medical degree in 2025.

In addition to Jules Madzia, PhD, another MSTP student who also received a 2023 Presidential Medal of Graduate Student Excellence, other medal recipients from the College of Medicine have been: Christin Godale, PhD, Neuroscience Graduate Program (2022), Adeboye Adejare Jr., PhD, Biomedical Informatics, and Ayad Ali, MD, PhD, Medical Scientist Training Program (2021); Courtney Giannini, MD, PhD, Medical Scientist Training Program (2019); Ryan Makinson, PhD, Neuroscience Graduate Program (2018); and Jessica Ross, PhD, Neuroscience Graduate Program (2017).

Adam Elzarka, who just received his bachelor’s degree in Medical Sciences, is one of five recipients of the 2023 Presidential Leadership Medal of Excellence. He also has received a Fulbright Study/Research grant to travel to Jordan. Last year, Elzarka was awarded a Harry S. Truman Scholarship and two years ago he was named a Boren Scholar.

Elzarka, who also majored in liberal arts with concentrations in Arabic, philosophy and psychology, has worked with immigrants throughout his undergraduate career at UC and with underserved populations as an early intervention specialist at UC Medical Center. He also has served as president of Refuge-UC, a mentorship group for refugee students in Cincinnati Public Schools. Elzarka has conducted public health research on improving refugee students’ health literacy rates and co-founded Refuge Collaborative, a nonprofit focused on empowering refugee adolescents. Elzarka has interned with USAID and has studied Arabic extensively in Oman and Morocco. He has worked on community-based projects in Thailand as part of his involvement in GlobeMed at UC, a student organization partnered with the SAW Foundation to aid Burmese migrants.

After his Fulbright work, Elzarka plans to begin a joint Doctor of Medicine and Master of Public Health program.

Established in 2002, the Presidential Leadership Medal of Excellence is a prestigious honor awarded by the University President to exceptional graduating students who best exemplify scholarship, leadership, character, service and the ideals of the University of Cincinnati.

The Presidential Leadership Medal of Excellence Award recognizes students who have made extraordinary contributions to the university’s academic traditions, innovative initiatives and continued service to the community. Past Medical Sciences student recipients of the Presidential Leadership Medal of Excellence are Shivane Chawla (2022), Chloe Elleman and Priyanka Vemuru (2021), Farhan Ilyas (2020), Andrew “Scottie” Emmert (2019) and Rahul Sandella (2019).

Lou Edje, MD, MHPE, associate dean for graduate medical education and professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, on April 27 completed her fellowship in the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM) program. ELAM is for women faculty in schools of medicine, dentistry and public health. Pictured with Andrew T. Filak Jr., MD, senior vice president for health affairs and Christian R. Holmes Professor and Dean, her project for the fellowship was “A Pragmatic Approach to Advocacy Training in Graduate Medical Education.”

Current College of Medicine faculty who also have completed the fellowship are: Maria Britto, MD, professor, Department of Pediatrics (2006); Melanie T. Cushion, PhD, professor, Department of Internal Medicine (2011); Sandra Degen, PhD, professor emerita, Department of Pediatrics (1998); Mercedes Falciglia, MD, Class of 1997, professor, Department of Internal Medicine (2013); Irene Hamrick, MD, Martha Betty Semmons Professor of Geriatrics, Department of Family and Community Medicine (2021); Christy Holland, PhD, professor, Department of Internal Medicine (2017); Gurjit Khurana Hershey, MD, PhD, professor, Department of Pediatrics (2009); Uma Kotagal, MBBS, professor emerita, Department of Pediatrics (2002); Elizabeth Leenellett, MD, W. Brian Gibler Endowed Chair for Education in Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine (2020); Kelsey Logan, MD, professor, Department of Pediatrics (2023); Mary Mahoney, MD, Class of 1983, Ben Felson Chair of Radiology, Department of Radiology (2016); Patricia Manning-Courtney, MD, Class of 1991, professor, Department of Pediatrics (2015); Tiina Reponen, PhD, professor emerita, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences (2019); Sally Santen, MD, PhD, professor, Department of Emergency Medicine (2022); Lori Stark, PhD, professor, Department of Pediatrics (2001); Achala Vagal, MD, professor, Department of Radiology (2022); and Laura Wexler, MD, professor emerita, Department of Internal Medicine (2000).

Jennifer Molano, MD, associate professor in the Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, has been accepted into the Osher Center Integrative Health Faculty Fellowship Program Class of 2024, the first inductee from UC. The goal of the fellowship is for trainees to develop a holistic and expansive view of medicine, gaining and applying this perspective in their patient interactions through a combination of intensive mentorship, rigorous instruction and immersive experiential activities.

Molano is a collaborator with the Osher Center for Integrative Health at UC, serving as a faculty member of the Mind-Body program since 2016 and as an expert speaker at numerous Osher Center events, including the 2022 Optimize Your Well-Being Community Symposium and the 2022 Virtual Lifestyle Medicine and Wellness Series: Healthy Sleep.

Her interests within neurology include the interface between sleep and cognition. She is an avid advocate for the well-being of physicians, having served on multiple wellness initiatives with the American Academy of Neurology and the Ohio State Medical Association, as the chair of the College of Medicine Faculty Wellness Advisory Council and the UC Medical Center Graduate Medical Education Resident Wellness and Wellbeing Committee, and physician lead for UC Health’s involvement with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Joy in Work Learning Network.

Sakthivel Sadayappan, PhD, Dr. James F. Heady Chair in Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Health and Disease, has received the Mario Toppo Distinguished Scientist Award from the Association of Scientists of Indian Origin in America. Sadayappan was honored April 22 during the organization’s 41st national meeting in Long Beach, California. The award recognizes an outstanding senior scientist of Indian origin for contributions to the sciences.

First-year medical students in the Physician and Society service-learning course presented their course projects April 26 in a poster session to community members, faculty and fellow students. The winning presentation selected by students and judges was by the students of LC 15: Adam Conway, Jasmine Haraburda, Carson Hartlage, Elizabeth Kelly, Harsimram Makkad, Arielle Martinez, Rahul Patel, Shalini Roy, Madeline Schumacher, Delia Sosa and Catherine Xu.

The group’s project, “Trans-Inclusive Chest Cancer Screening: Best Practices for Imaging Professionals,” was done with Equitas Health. Jonah Yokoyama with Equitas Health was the partner lead and Shanna Stryker, MD, with Equitas and assistant professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, and Jules Madzia, PhD, Medical Scientist Training Program student, providing project guidance. Equitas Health will receive a $500 donation toward their program.

This was the 12th year medical students engaged with the community through the course. In the Physician and Society course, medical student Learning Communities partner with 15 different Cincinnati community organizations to explore the determinants of health, implement projects addressing community-identified needs and explore the roles of the physician, teams and community in improving health, says Joseph Kiesler, MD, Class of 1994, service-learning director and professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. Also leading the Physician and Society course is Alicia Boards, PhD, program coordinator; Reid Hartmann, MD, associate professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, 101/102 course director; and Lisa Kelly, MD, Taylor Asbury, MD, Endowed Chair in Comprehensive Ophthalmology, Department of Ophthalmology, 201/202 course director.

At its April 25 meeting held at the College of Medicine, the UC Board of Trustees officially approved the following emeriti, endowed chair and department chair appointments in the College of Medicine:

• Brian Adams, MD, chair, Department of Dermatology, effective Sept. 1, 2024 to Aug. 31, 2028
• Mary Gaskill-Shipley, MD, Class of 1983, Robert R. Lukin, MD, Endowed Chair of Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology, effective July 1, 2023
• Michael Lamba, PhD, professor of clinical emeritus, Department of Radiation Oncology, effective April 1, 2023
• Michael Lieberman, PhD, chair, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, effective July 1, 2024 to Aug. 31, 2026
• Arnold Schwartz, PhD, distinguished university professor emeritus, Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, effective March 1, 2023

An international multicenter study that was conducted at the College of Medicine was stopped early after research demonstrated that a daily statin medication reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease among people living with HIV. 

A planned interim analysis of data from the Randomized Trial to Prevent Vascular Events in HIV (REPRIEVE) study found that participants who took pitavastatin calcium lowered their risk of major adverse cardiovascular events by 35% compared with those receiving a placebo. REPRIEVE is the first large-scale clinical study to test a primary cardiovascular prevention strategy for people living with HIV.

“It is incredibly gratifying to see these results and to know that this study has the potential to change clinical practice and thus have a meaningful impact on the experiences and health of people living with HIV,” says Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, Gregory W. Rouan, MD Professor in Internal Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, who was the vice chair of the REPRIEVE protocol serving on the core team that ran the study.

>> Read more about the REPRIEVE study

The sidewalk on the west side of Eden Avenue in front of the Eden Avenue Garage is closed to pedestrians with an anticipated completion Monday, June 19. Pedestrian access will be maintained via a detour around the construction area (see map), which is just north of the entrance and exit from the garage onto Eden Avenue. The UC bus stop on the west side of Eden Avenue will remain open during this time.

The Student Run Free Clinic (SRFC) will hold a head and neck cancer screening from 9 until 11:30 a.m., Saturday, May 6.

The event will be held at the Healing Center, 1345 Century Circle West, where the SRFC sees patients each Saturday. The screening event is open to anyone, especially those who have smoked, used tobacco products or alcohol; noticed sores or lumps in their mouth, neck or head region; have had a voice change or continued sore throat; or have a family member who has had head or neck cancer. For more information, please email the SRFC.

The SRFC provides free medical care for uninsured adult patients in Cincinnati by bringing together medical, pharmacy, nursing and undergraduate students and faculty and resident physicians. SRFC officially opened in the summer of 2019 after more than three years of planning. Physician co-directors are Joseph Kiesler, MD, Class of 1994, professor, and Megan Rich, MD, associate professor, both in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. 

The ninth annual UC Serves, a day of service and community engagement where UC staff and faculty volunteer at more than 70 sites around Cincinnati, will be held on Friday, May 19.

This annual event brings together staff and faculty from across the university to work on projects proposed by local non-profit partners. With project locations throughout the tri-state area and morning, afternoon and full-day options, UC Serves allows staff and faculty to be on the front lines of UC’s institutional commitment to service and community impact.

>> View service options and register

Faculty from the College of Medicine have been involved in a project called CARDI-OH, Ohio Cardiovascular and Diabetes Health Collaborative. The project is funded by the Ohio Department of Medicaid and is a collaboration between Ohio’s seven medical schools producing and disseminating the latest evidence-based cardiovascular and diabetes best practices.

A recent podcast, “Good Sleep is Good Medicine,” is moderated by Lauri Nandyal, MD, Class of 1989, associate professor, Department of Family Medicine, and features Jennifer Molano, MD, associate professor, Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine. The podcast is available online or on YouTube, Spotify or iTunes. Molano also will be hosting a webinar at noon, Wednesday, May 24, on “Heart Health and the Science of Sleep.” Register to participate in the program, which also offers CME credits.

Michael Holliday, MD, Class of 1997, associate professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, moderated a recent podcast on “Air Pollution Exposure and the Heart,” which can be heard online or on YouTube, Spotify or iTunes.

>> Learn more about CARDI-OH

The yearly summit of the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) will be held from noon until 4:30 p.m., Thursday, May 25 at the College of Allied Health Sciences, which is one of six hubs across the U.S. There is no cost to participate in the event and lunch will be provided. The theme for 2023 is, "Joining Forces to Build a Resilient, Collaborative and Practice-Ready Healthcare Workforce." 

The annual ASAHP Summits bring together leaders, faculty and providers in-person concurrently at member institution hubs and culminate in a virtual “harvest” session between hub participants who engage in a national-level conversation. The summit is designed to promote dialogue between academic institutions and their health care industry partners to improve collaboration and enhance health outcomes.

>> Register for the May 25 ASAHP Summit