News

The University of Kentucky College of Medicine has made incredible strides to enhance diversity and inclusivity in research and training. The college has established a new leadership position – the assistant dean for inclusive research initiatives – to build upon this progress and ensure continued advancement.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common forms of liver disease across the globe. One major risk factor of NAFLD is obesity, which approximately 36% of Kentuckians face, according to America’s Health Rankings.

When Michael Samaan, PhD, completed his postdoctoral fellowship in 2018, he was eager to find a university where he could apply his knowledge in osteoarthritis and enhance his research skills.

All the way in California, where he was living at the time, the collaborative atmosphere and health care hub at the University of Kentucky drew him in.

The UK College of Medicine and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will host a series of events for its annual Pride Week celebration. Details for those events can be found below.

Wednesday, Sept. 28
Noon-1 p.m. ET

Click here for the Zoom link.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 2, 2022) — A team of researchers at the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging (SBCoA) has been awarded a $20.5 million grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Nearly two years ago, with funding from UK HealthCare and the vice president for research, the College of Medicine launched the Alliance Research Initiative. It has a mission, Vice Dean for Research Rebecca Dutch, PhD, explained, “to help spur on transdisciplinary research by pairing clinical and basic scientists together to answer new questions in new ways.”

As an occupational therapist, Elizabeth Rhodus, PhD, has worked closely with older Kentuckians facing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). She also has witnessed firsthand how poor health, limited resources, and high poverty rates have served as barriers to proper prevention and treatment.

Heart failure is prevalent across the Commonwealth and develops when a patient’s heart cannot deliver enough oxygen. The clinical teams at UK HealthCare provide world-class care to 40,000 patients with this condition each year.

Please join us as we congratulate Beth Garvy, PhD, who recently received a leadership title change to reflect her growing responsibilities and ensure equity in her position. The new title went into effect July 1, 2022.

Andrew Krusenstjerna is a rising fourth-year PhD candidate in microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics.

Jon Vincent is not a doctor yet, but he has played one on TV.

Vincent, an MD/PhD student at the UK College of Medicine, had early experience wearing scrubs in a clinical setting when he served as an extra for a recent episode of the hit medical drama, “Grey’s Anatomy.”

The University of Kentucky College of Medicine has established a new leadership position that will help continue to advance its growing research enterprise.

By the time COVID-19 first reached the Commonwealth, UK HealthCare had already established a system for efficiently collecting lung samples to propel important research forward. That’s thanks to Jamie Sturgill, PhD.

The University of Kentucky College of Medicine is excited to announce that Sharon Walsh, PhD, tenured professor of behavioral science and director of the Center on Drug and Alcohol Research, has been selected as a UK Alumni Professor.

Fascinated by the University of Kentucky’s robust research infrastructure and its seamless integration of basic science and clinical practice, Louisville, Ky., native Charles Lucas developed a vision for helping UK advance Parkinson’s disease research and education.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 9, 2022) — Poor sleep is linked to a wide range of medical issues, including hypertension, diabetes, depression, obesity and cancer. With more than a third of U.S.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 8, 2022) — Four University of Kentucky faculty members received the 2022 Excellent Undergraduate Research Mentor Award for their exceptional leadership and support of student researchers.

PILOT PROJECT FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

THE CENTER FOR BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH EXCELLENCE ON OBESITY AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES (COCVD)

Innovative research in pediatric cancers is happening every day at the University of Kentucky.

In the United States, 80% of children are cured of their cancer, but 20% are not.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 18, 2022) — The COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the immune system, revealing there is still much about how it functions that is not well understood: Why do some people get severe disease and others don’t? And why can certain factors like age, or comorbidities like obesity, cause the immune system to go haywire?

University of Kentucky College of Medicine researcher Ilhem Messaoudi, Ph.D., has dedicated her career to answering these questions.