News

Bailey, A. M., S. J. Legan, V. J. Meretsky, and G. E. Demas. "Effects of Exogenous Leptin on Seasonal Reproductive Responses to Interacting Environmental Cues in Female Siberian Hamsters." Gen Comp Endocrinol 250 (Sep 01 2017): 95-103. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2017.06.004.

On Friday, June 16th, 2017 Jenna Gollihue, mentored by Dr. Sasha Rabchevsky, successfully defended her dissertation and earned her PhD. 

Activity-Dependent Gene Expression in the Mammalian Olfactory Epithelium.
Wang Q1, Titlow WB1, McClintock DA1, Stromberg AJ2, McClintock TS1.

View the original article on UKnow here

Even when it’s your job, it’s not easy to ask people about substance use. Kalea Benner’s current research is based on this fact.

The Department of Physiology would like to congratulate Dr. Brad Taylor on his achievement.

Click here for the full article on UKnow

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 2, 2017) — The University of Kentucky Board of Trustees today approved 16 University Research Professorships for the 2017-18 year.

Dr. Ken Campbell congratulates Chase Vickery from Paul Dunbar High School on his last day of his year-long research project focusing on automating the analysis of muscle histology. Chase will be attending the University of Kentucky this fall as a freshman studying computer engineering.

Mechanosensory hair cells in the inner ear pick up the softest sounds, such as whispers and distant noises. 

Unlike other cells in the human body, these sensory cells are fragile and finite. At birth, the human ear contains approximately 15,000 of these cells. They do not regenerate or divide and, therefore are susceptible to permanent damage from exposure to loud sounds. Scientists believe understanding the molecular mechanisms that maintain the structure of these cells throughout the lifespan can provide insight into the fundamental causes of hearing loss and deafness.

The University of Kentucky was recently awarded a prestigious Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant to study the metabolism of cancer from the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health. The $11.2 million grant will fund UK's Center for Cancer and Metabolism over the next five years.

Tori Stromp, PhD, a recent graduate of the Department of Physiology and a member of the Saha Cardiovascular Research Center, recently received the prestigious Summa Cum Laude Award at the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Conference.  The award is presented to less than 1% of the abstracts submitted to the conference and is rarely awarded to graduate students.  Tori will present her work at the annual conference April 22-27, 2017 in Honolulu, HI.

On Friday, March 31, 2017 Thitinart Sithisarn, MD successfully defended her dissertation and earned her PhD. Dr. Sithisarn completed her research while simultaneously holding a faculty position in Pediatrics. 

Dissertation Committee
Dr. Sandra Legan
Department of Physiology, Mentor

Dr. Ok-Kyong Park-Sarge
Department of Physiology

Dr. Melinda Wilson
Department of Physiology

Dr. Susan Barron
Department of Psychology

Congratulations to Laura Peterson of McCarthy Lab!

Laura has been awarded a 5 year NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.

Click here to learn more about the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program

Click here to be directed to the 2017 Cardiovascular Research Day homepage

Congratulations Dr. Moylan! The Dept. of Biological Safety would like to thank the following labs for setting a shining ex-ample of lab housekeeping and maintenance. Well done! Nelson (Sanders-Brown) LOVELL (SANDERS-BRown) Perry S. (PSB) MOYLAN (MED SCI) GEDALY(MED SCI) Smalle (KTRDC)

On Tuesday, March 7th Physiology trainee Erica Weekman successfully defended her dissertation and earned her doctoral degree.

"Neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s disease and vascular cognitive impairment"

Doctoral Committee Members 
Dr. Donna Wilcock
Department of Physiology, Mentor

Dr. Steve Estus
Department of Physiology

Dr. Elizabeth Head
Department of Pharmacology & Nutritional Sciences

Dr. Joe Abisambra
Department of Physiology

Nolan, M. W., T. L. Gieger, A. A. Karakashian, M. N. Nikolova-Karakashian, L. P. Posner, D. M. Roback, J. N. Rivera, and S. Chang. "Outcomes of Spatially Fractionated Radiotherapy (Grid) for Bulky Soft Tissue Sarcomas in a Large Animal Model." Technol Cancer Res Treat (Jan 01 2017): 1533034617690980. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1533034617690980.

Jenny Lutshumba from Gong Lab successfully defended her dissertation and earned her doctoral degree Friday, February 10, 2017.

Committee Members
Dr. Ming Cui Gong
Mentor, Department of Physiology

Dr. David Randall
Department of Physiology

Dr. Zhenheng Guo
Department of Pharmacology & Nutritional Sciences

Dr. Alan Daugherty
Department of Physiology

The URM Program was designed to provide students who receive minority fellowships with a mentor. The program was launched in Fall 2016 and will continue to grow and improve. The mentees are graduate students who either receive the Lyman T. Johnson Fellowship, the Southern Regional Education Board Fellowship, or the Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering Fellowship. The mentors are professors throughout the university who willingly volunteered to participate in the program.

Testimonial from Cheavar Blair - 

Alan Daugherty, senior associate dean for research at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, was recently approved to renew his contract as editor-in-chief of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association (ATVB) for a second five-year term. ATVB is one of the five core journals of the American Heart Association. As editor of ATVB, Daugherty’s primary focus is on publishing the most important new research studies related to a spectrum of vascular diseases.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 14, 2016) —

"also.... just because

I am working out the flavor for the 

1812 Overture

I will most likely put it into a lolli 

this is an incredible challenge

as it is making me cry while I listen…"

Taria Camerino's poetic email sums up her passion for helping people explore how flavor perception is influenced by more than the tongue.  Her emotion is genuine: as a gastral synesthete, she experiences ALL senses as taste.