The National Institutes of Health has renewed a 5-year, $1.2 million grant to the University of Kentucky to help prepare clinical scholars for leadership positions in cardiovascular research. The UK Training Program for Clinical Scholars in Cardiovascular Science prepares clinical and postdoctoral fellows in medicine, nursing and pharmacy to assume leadership positions directing multidisciplinary research in the field of cardiovascular medicine. "The University of Kentucky has invested substantial resources to develop a highly collaborative training environment that leverages our strength

The Barnstable Brown Kentucky Diabetes and Obesity Center hosted its fourth annual Diabetes Day on Tuesday, May 20. With a focus on current findings in obesity and diabetes research, the day's program featured presentations by nationally prominent physician-scientists as well as regional researchers chosen from abstract submissions.

Scientists at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine have gained a new understanding of an enzyme essential for breaking down plant starch, a process used in agriculture, manufacturing and biotechnology. Dr. Matthew Gentry and Dr. Craig Vander Kooi, associate professors of molecular and cellular biochemistry at the University of Kentucky, and graduate student David Meekins, have decoded the natural process plants use to break down starch.

With an anticipated 1 billion soccer fans around the world watching, a paraplegic Brazilian will signal the start of the 2014 World Cup on June 12 with a miraculous movement. Suited in a futuristic exoskeleton developed by researchers part of the Walk Again Project, the young man will send a message from his brain to a robotically controlled leg, driving the first kick of the world's most viewed sporting event.

Children who suffer from obesity carry a burden of premature death into adulthood. Obese children have more than double the risk of mortality in their 30s and 40s compared to children who begin life with a healthy body mass index (BMI). In addition to being more likely to remain obese as adults, obese children are at a higher risk of developing a number of health conditions, including stroke, diabetes, depression, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.

Charles Wright, postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, has received The Loris and David Rich Postdoctoral Scholar Award from the International Retina Research Foundation (IRRF). The Loris and David Rich Postdoctoral Scholar Award is one of three IRRF Scholar Awards that have been designated in honor of individuals who played a critical role in the development of the International Retinal Research Foundation and are meant to serve as a memorial to their efforts.

Dr. Darren L. Johnson, professor and chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and chair of Sports Medicine at the University of Kentucky, was named one of the top 28 sports knee surgeons in North America by Orthopedics This Week, the most widely read publication in the orthopedics industry. The list was compiled from the recommendations of thought leaders in the field of sports medicine.

A multidisciplinary team of doctors, researchers, and informaticists the University of Kentucky is working to improve identification of lung cancer patients who are eligible to participate in clinical trials for novel treatments. Clinical trials are critical for advancing research into new and better treatments for patients, and the need for improved treatment of lung cancer is dire: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Its burden is especially significant in the Commonwealth, where rates of lung cancer incidence and mortality are the highest in the country.

There are many families across campus, around the state and throughout the world that share deep University of Kentucky connections. 

The future looks bright for cancer research in Kentucky – on May 22, the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center held its annual Markey Cancer Center Research Day, highlighting the work of UK students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty from the past year. As the cancer center has grown, Markey’s research programs have become even more robust, helping propel the center into becoming the state’s first and only National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated cancer center. “The NCI is pretty much all about research – it’s a huge part of what they’re looking for when they award the designation,”

Mark D. Birdwhistell and Dr. Carol Steltenkamp were among the Individuals and organizations honored on May 13 at the eighth annual MediStar Awards. Held at the Hyatt Regency Louisville, the MediStar Awards are the region’s premier venue for recognizing excellence in the business of health care. IGE Media is a publishing company that serves members of the Kentuckiana business and healthcare communities and is the only publishing company in Kentuckiana that reaches both the healthcare executive and the healthcare consumer.

The University of Kentucky has been awarded a $1.5 million grant by the state of Kentucky to develop a comprehensive plan for the prevention and treatment of substance abuse by adolescents. The grant money comes from a $19 million fund administered by the Substance Abuse Treatment Advisory Committee, which was created to distribute monies garnered from settlements with two pharmaceutical companies.

The University of Kentucky Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS), in conjunction with the Appalachian Translational Research Network (ATRN), has awarded funding to two projects to develop sustainable, interdisciplinary, community engaged research in Appalachia. "Raising Awareness About Lung Cancer Screening: Kentucky Terminate Lung Cancer (TLC) Study," will partner with community-based organizations and focus groups to create an awareness campaign encouraging high risk individuals to obtain lung cancer screening.

Reo Yasuma, postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, has been named one of only four recipients worldwide to receive the annual Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology(ARVO)/Alcon Early Career Clinician-Scientist Research Award. The ARVO/Alcon Early Career Clinician-Scientist Research Awards are presented annually in recognition of significant research by clinician-scientists engaged in basic or clinical vision research.

The University of Kentucky's College of Medicine Class of 2014 Graduation Ceremony will be held at 2 p.m., May 17, in the Concert Hall of the UK Singletary Center for the Arts. Doctor of Medicine degrees will be bestowed upon 115 graduates at the ceremony. This year’s ceremony marks the 51st graduation processional. Dr. Martin Gebrow, a 1964 graduate in the College’s first graduating class will hood his goddaughter, Martha (Marti) Robinson, a 2014 graduate in the 51st graduating class. During the ceremony greetings will be presented by Dr. Frederick C.

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Growing up in the small rural town of Paintsville, Kentucky, Hilaree Frazier always loved science. She remembers that from a young age she was interested in pursing a PhD in science, but when she finished her bachelors of science at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), she was intimidated by the prospect of going straight into a doctoral program. Even though she was interested in UK's Integrated Biomedical Sciences PhD program, she didn't apply. "I think I just didn't have enough confidence," she said.

Provost Christine Riordan will honor three tenured faculty members, two lecturers and six teaching assistants today at the 2014 University of Kentucky Provost's Outstanding Teaching Awards ceremony. The ceremony will take place from 1-2:30 p.m. in the Lexmark Public Room.

The award recognizes faculty and graduate teaching assistants who demonstrate special dedication and outstanding performance in the classroom or laboratory. Recipients are selected via nomination and review by a selection committee based in the Provost's Office of Faculty Advancement.

The flight from Miami to Havana, Cuba, only lasted about 50 minutes - a short trip to a country that seemed so distant from America for a group of 16 first-year University of Kentucky College of Medicine students. During a trip to learn about Cuba's socialized health care system, a group of UK students were surprised to find that Cubans knew much more about American culture than Americans knew about Cubans. The young Cubans they met could name American historical figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and popular television shows like How I Met Your Mother. They could also discuss U.S.

Dr Alison Bailey has been named the director of Ambulatory and Preventive Cardiology for UK HealthCare. In this role, Bailey will oversee the Gill Heart Institute's outpatient practices in Lexington and continue to provide oversight of the cardiac rehabilitation program. “Unfortunately, the patients we see have more complex health issues than ever before,” said Dr. Susan Smyth, director of the Gill Heart Institute.