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A young John DeMasi foreshadowed his career at 5 years old when he chose his first Halloween costume. Wearing green scrubs from a teddy bear and a stethoscope so big it dragged as he walked, he proudly impersonated a doctor.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 2, 2021) — A recent study shows that patients with non-small cell lung cancer reviewed by the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center’s Molecular Tumor Board experience improved outcomes, even if they reside in rural Appalachian Kentucky.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 1, 2021) — When Scott Kindred felt a lump in his upper right shoulder, he knew something was wrong.

As a patient care technician at UK HealthCare, he has enough medical knowledge to know when he should listen to his body. He mentioned it to Timothy Mullett, M.D., a thoracic surgeon he worked with, who ordered a PET scan. The imaging revealed a mass on Kindred’s upper right lung

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 21, 2021) — The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center has been awarded a transportation grant from the American Cancer Society. The funds will help alleviate the financial burden of transportation costs for cancer patients in Kentucky.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 21, 2021) — A recent University of Kentucky College of Medicine study found that young adults from vulnerable communities are more likely to be exposed to tobacco marketing in their daily lives than are young adults outside these communities.

The University of Kentucky College of Medicine has received the 2021 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 6, 2021) — Recent work from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine published in Cell Press discusses an essential signaling pathway that causes metabolic dysfunction including insulin resistance and obesity.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 28, 2021) — A new study from University of Kentucky Markey Cancer researchers demonstrates a combination of two drugs may be useful to treat ovarian cancers that are resistant to paclitaxel. 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 2, 2021) — As part of National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and several of Kentucky’s female legislators joined UK HealthCare to highlight the long-running work of the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center's Ovarian Cancer Screening Program.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 17, 2021) —​ The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center launched a new initiative to create a connected, integrated statewide cancer provider network.

The innate ability of Cody Bumgardner, PhD, to work with computer systems was evident in high school. Computers were being installed in one of his school’s first computer labs, and when workers unboxed the systems and left for lunch, he snuck into the lab and installed the hardware by the time they returned.

The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center’s Department of Radiation Medicine recently completed a major renovation, including the installation of new cutting-edge technology.

The renovation includes a new Halcyon treatment system (the latest Varian linear accelerator platform), computerized tomography scanning on rails integrated into a new centrally located brachytherapy suite, expanded conference room, and an expansion/redesign of the reception area.

UK HealthCare has more than 155 physicians practicing medicine with University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital, Kentucky Children's Hospital, UK Good Samaritan Hospital who appear on the Best Doctors in America List for 2019 — more than any other hospital in Kentucky. Only four percent of doctors in America earn this prestigious honor, decided by impartial peer review. 

A new study by University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center researchers shows that chloroquine – a drug currently used to treat malaria – may be useful in treating patients with metastatic cancers. Published in Cell Reports, the study showed that chloroquine induced the secretion of the tumor suppressor protein Par-4 in both mouse models and in cancer patients in a clinical trial.

Our medical residents have had several presentations and publications in national meetings. Some of these include:

ASTRO 2015

Left to Right: Nikhil Hebbar, James Sledziona, Ping Du, Ablesh Gautam, Tripti Shrestha-Bhattarai, Hannah Latta, Vivek Rangnekar, Nathalia Vitori Araujo, Sunil Nooti, Ravshan Burikhanov.

 

A new study by University of Kentucky researchers has identified a novel molecule named Arylquin 1 as a potent inducer of Par-4 secretion from normal cells. Par-4 is a protein that acts as a tumor suppressor, killing cancer cells while leaving normal cells unharmed. Normal cells secrete small amounts of Par-4 on their own, but this amount is not enough to kill cancer cells.

 Dr.

The Radiation Medicine Department in the College of Medicine at the University of Kentucky currently offers a comprehensive program leading to the M.S. degree in Radiological Medical Physics. The program provides students a thorough didactic grounding in fundamental and specialized medical physics, with hands-on experience using state-of-the-art equipment, and is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Programs (CAMPEP).

The UK Radiological Medical Physics program: