News

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 24, 2021) — Early in the evening of May 30, 2020, UK HealthCare trauma surgeon Dr. Zachary Warriner prepared an emergency operation to figure out the cause of a bowel obstruction. His patient, a 27-year old man, had come into the emergency department earlier that day with the vague symptoms of severe belly pain and nausea.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 21, 2021) – A new University of Kentucky College of Medicine study will examine how policies that restrict the sale of flavored tobacco products including menthol cigarettes impact health disparities among vulnerable populations. 

A five-year, $2.8 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) will support the study on how local policies impact at-risk groups – including communities of color, low-income populations and youth – that are more likely to use flavored tobacco products.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 17, 2021) ­— In January 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, declaring more than three million slaves living in the Confederate states to be free, unbeknownst to many of those enslaved. It was not until Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, more than two years later, on June 19, 1865, that the last enslaved U.S. populations were informed of the proclamation. 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 4, 2021) — University of Kentucky Department of Neuroscience Professor Greg Gerhardt, Ph.D., hypothesizes that the balance of glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) — two main neurotransmitters in the brain — contributes to Alzheimer’s disease and age-related declines in cognition and memory.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 1, 2021) — Thanks to a $5.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a University of Kentucky College of Medicine team will study the culprit behind thoracic aortic aneurysms, which could lead to a treatment for the potentially deadly disease.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 26, 2021) — University of Kentucky College of Medicine researcher Cassandra Gipson-Reichardt, Ph.D., has received the College on Problems of Drug Dependence’s (CPDD) 2021 Joseph Cochin Young Investigator Award for Excellence.

The annual award recognizes an investigator under 40 years old who has demonstrated excellence in their field of research and authored several publications. It is one of the most prestigious honors awarded by the CPDD, the longest standing group in the U.S. dedicated to addressing issues of drug dependence and abuse.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 26, 2021) – It’s no secret the sun can be damaging to the skin. About 10 years ago, Betty Graham began to learn this the hard way.

After noticing an unusual spot on her leg, a skin cancer screening found eight precancerous lesions. When caught early, these types of lesions can be removed and cured. Graham, at the time an avid tanning bed user, now regrets that behavior.

“Tanning beds are the world’s worst thing for skin cancer,” said Graham.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 25, 2021) — The University of Kentucky Advising Network has recently announced the recipients of the 2021 Ken Freedman Awards during the Ken Freedman Day of Recognition virtual awards ceremony. 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 25, 2021) – The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center announces that radiation oncologist Dr. Charles Kunos will join the center and serve as medical director of Markey’s Clinical Research Office (CRO).

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 24, 2021) — It's a question that is critical to families and communities across the Commonwealth — how do we tackle the opioid epidemic?

The University of Kentucky is helping to organize and host the second annual Edward Kremers Seminar in the History of Pharmacy & Drugs in hopes of continuing the conversation surrounding addiction and recovery.

 HAZARD, Ky. (May 21, 2021) — Researchers at the University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health (UK CERH) and the Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis at the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago have released a report detailing the findings of a study conducted to understand possible factors that contribute to Eastern Kentucky leading the nation in declining overdose mortality rates.  

MAYSVILLE, Ky. (May 20, 2021) – On May 19, Meadowview Regional Medical Center (MRMC), part of LifePoint Health, hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the expansion of its cancer treatment facilities in Maysville, Ky. and announced its formal collaboration with the University of Kentucky (UK) Markey Cancer Center as part of the UK Markey Cancer Center Affiliate Network (MCCAN). A small group of leaders from the hospital, LifePoint and MCCAN gathered to celebrate the reopening of the facility and launch of the collaboration.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 19, 2021) — The past year has been filled with new routines, new rules, and new fears for many people as the world has navigated the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. During this time staff members at UK HealthCare’s Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center (BBDC) found a unique way to ease some anxiety as young patients and their families returned to in-person clinic visits.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 19, 2021) – Jardin Dogan says her clinical practice and own life experiences have inspired her research, which is helping to eliminate mental, social and sexual health disparities for Black people.

The counseling psychology doctoral candidate in the University of Kentucky’s College of Education counsels people who are experiencing mental health issues from racial trauma, substance abuse and criminal justice involvement.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 18, 2021) – Though she grew up in California, University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center research assistant Sumati Hasani spent many summers of her childhood visiting her extended family in India. The first-generation South Asian American has many fond memories of visiting  her family overseas, whose residences spanned every corner of the country.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 14, 2021) — The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research recently awarded four faculty members for their exemplary commitment to undergraduate research mentoring.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 11, 2021) — Dr. Jay Avasarala, professor of neurology and director of the University of Kentucky’s Multiple Sclerosis Clinic, and co-authors, conducted a retrospective study in which they evaluated approximately 96.5 million enrollees in a database. More than 200,000 of the enrollees had inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The research focused on looking at the effect of TNF-alpha inhibitors, biologic agents, used in IBD treatment on the probability of developing Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 6, 2021) — A University of Kentucky College of Medicine professor has been awarded a $1.9 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant for his research on the body’s immune response to sepsis, which could potentially help to improve therapies for the common disease. 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 5, 2021) — Collaborative research between the University of Kentucky and the University of Southern California (USC) suggests that a noninvasive neuroimaging technique may index early-stage blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction associated with small vessel disease (SVD). Cerebral SVD is the most common cause of vascular cognitive impairment, with a significant proportion of cases going on to develop dementia.

Kristen Fletcher, MD, is an assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics. Her excellence in medical education was recently recognized with a Distinguished Teacher Award during the latest round of Academic Convocation Awards. In the following Q&A, she shares why she loves teaching medical students and how enriching it is to help mold future physicians.

Q: What is your role at the College of Medicine?