Research Brainson lab

Research

The department of internal medicine’s research initiatives includes multiple areas of biomedical research. We have a number of nationally and internationally recognized basic, clinical, and translational researchers who have made major contributions in all areas of internal medicine.

Divisions of Research

Please visit our divisions' research pages for further information.

Research Highlights:

one researcher looking into a microscope; a second researcher looking down at the microscope slide

SPORE Alliance Aims to Improve Prevention, Care of Deadly GI Cancers

Through SPORE, researchers from across the University are working to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of a deadly group of diseases within the Commonwealth: gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. In fact, Kentucky leads the nation in colorectal cancer diagnoses and possesses a high rate of colorectal cancer mortality compared to other U.S. states. Other GI cancers such as pancreatic cancer are also common in the region.

SPORE Alliance Internal Medicine Team Members

  • Lowell Anthony, MD, Division Chief – Department of Internal Medicine
  • Terrence A. Barrett, MD, Professor – Department of Internal Medicine
  • Aman Chauhan, MD, Assistant Professor – Department of Internal Medicine
  • Mark Dignan, PhD, MPH, Professor – Department of Internal Medicine
Dr. Alan Daughtery, Dr. Lisa Cassis, and third researcher

UK-AARC: An Alliance Reflecting the Strength of UK’s Aortic Research

Support from the Alliance Research Initiative enhances UK-AARC's research on aortic diseases by promoting two-way conversations between basic scientists and clinical researchers.

Twenty years ago, University of Kentucky researchers Alan Daugherty, PhD, DSc, and Lisa Cassis, PhD, stumbled into a research method that contributed greatly to UK’s cardiovascular research growth.

Together, they found a way to develop aortic diseases using an animal model that has now become a widely used approach to study aortic disease.

UK-AARC Alliance Internal Medicine Team Members:

  • Fred de Beer, MD, Professor – Department of Internal Medicine
  • Hong S. Lu, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor – Department of Internal Medicine
  • Preetha Shridas, PhD, Research Faculty – Department of Internal Medicine
  • Vince Sorrell, MD, Professor – Department of Internal Medicine
  • Venkat Subramanian, PhD, Assistant Professor – Department of Internal Medicine
  • Lisa Tannock, MD, Professor – Department of Internal Medicine
A woman in an orange shirt working at a computer desk.

Department of Internal Medicine Grant Writing Course: “Get yoUr Grant fUnded” (GURU)

The UK Department of Internal Medicine is offering a course for internal medicine faculty to help them write R01 NIH grants or similar grants. This course will be taught by Philip Kern, MD, with help from the UK Proposal Development Office. The department of internal medicine wishes to promote grant submissions and will provide special assistance for internal medicine faculty. This program will include a mixture of class work, tutorials, and personal assistance with the hope that the participant could submit a grant, as well as submit a revision if the first submission is not funded. There will be writing accountability milestones throughout the course to encourage progress and growth. The course is designed for in-person attendance.

“Get yoUr Grant fUnded” (GURU) Team Members:

  • Rosalind Franklin, Principle Investigator - University of Kentucky Research Foundation
  • Francis Crick, Co-Investigator - University of Cambridge
  • James Watson, Co-Investigator - Harvard University