One doesn't expect that the chief of neurology would have a lot of downtime.  But, as Dr. Michael Dobbs explains, working as a neurologist at UK HealthCare can sometimes mean just that.

A new study by University of Kentucky researchers shows that women who never or rarely screen for breast cancer are also unlikely to receive screening for cervical cancer. The study also identified four key barriers independently associated with the lack of these cancer screenings in Appalachian women. Published in Women & Health, the study focused on six rural counties in Appalachian Kentucky. Researchers conducted in-person interviews with 222 women to assess their adherence (or lack thereof) to cancer screening guidelines.

For most of us, vacation days are used for relaxing, traveling, sight-seeing, or even just doing nothing. For some University of Kentucky employees, however, those vacation days are put to use serving those who are less fortunate and in need of good medical care. Recently, pediatric critical care physician Dr. Scottie Day led one such effort to help bring basic medical care to children in Haiti.

A new lecture series presented by mUsiKcare will highlight wellness and health care benefits of music programs like the UK piano courses for individuals 50 years of age and older. A transcript of this video can be found here. Video by Jenny Wells/UK Public Relations and Marketing.

Donna Wilcock, assistant professor in the University of Kentucky College of Medicine Department of Physiology and the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, has been invited to join the editorial board of The Journal of Neuroscience in 2014 as an associate editor in the Neurobiology of Disease section. She was been selected by the senior and reviewing editors of the journal based on her expertise and history of reviews. As an associate editor, Wilcock will provide frequent reviews as well as suggesting appropriate reviewers for manuscripts.

Ana Bastos-Carvalho, a visiting scholar in the Ambati research group in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, received the Global Ophthalmology Research Award from Bayer HealthCare for her research, "Mechanisms of geographic atrophy expansion in age-related macular degeneration." http://www.bayer-ophthalmology-awards.com/html/b-about-c.html “We are studying age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the disease responsible for most cases of legal blindness in the American elderly population”, Bastos-Carvalho said.

There's a proverb in the business world that says, "If you don’t know, hire someone who does." In the world of translational research, the saying might go like something this: "If you don't have the expertise or resources, collaborate with someone who does." The nature of translational science -- the process of turning a basic science discovery into applications for human patients -- is inherently multidimensional.

A new study led by University of Kentucky researchers suggests that activating the tumor suppressor p53 in normal cells causes them to secrete Par-4, another potent tumor suppressor protein that induces cell death in cancer cells. This finding may help researchers decipher how to inhibit the growth of tumors that have become resistant to other treatments. Loss of the tumor suppressor p53 often contributes to therapy resistance in tumors.

The University of Kentucky Area Health Education Center (AHEC) is now accepting applications for the 2014 Summer Enrichment Program (SEP) and Health Researchers Youth Academy (HRYA), two health career summer camps hosted annually each summer.

Gretchen Norling Holmes, assistant director of research at the University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health (CERH) in Hazard, has been selected by the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) as a 2014 Rural Health Fellow. Following the completion of a competitive review process, Holmes was one of 15 fellows selected from across the nation to participate in a yearlong, intensive program aimed at developing leaders who can articulate a clear and compelling vision for rural America. “We are very pleased to announce this new class of fellows as this program enters its eighth ye

Dr. Jayakrishna Ambati, professor and vice chair in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and professor in the Department of Physiology at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine,is one of 11 recipients of the 2014 Harrington Scholar-Innovator Awards given by the Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center.

In a time when competition for federal research funding  is tougher than ever before, the University of Kentucky has been awarded one of the largest health grants ever made to the institution: an $11.3 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant  supporting research focusing on issues that plague the Commonwealth - the twin scourges of obesity and cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Mark Evers, director of the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center, professor and vice-chair for research in the Department of Surgery and Markey Cancer Foundation Endowed Chair, has been elected the new president of the Southern Surgical Association. One of the nation’s leading medical groups, the association is dedicated to furthering the study and practice of surgery, especially in the Southern states.

The Health Careers Enrichment Camp offered each summer by the University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health (CERH) and the Southeast Kentucky Area Health Education Center (AHEC) has received a 2013 Innovation Award from the Appalachian Innovation Collaborative (AIC), a group whose focus is on educational excellence and economic development in Eastern Kentucky. The award was presented by former Gov.

When healthy, the heart is an organized instrument, using well-timed electrical impulses to contract muscle and send blood circulating through the arteries and veins -- a virtual "supply wagon" that delivers oxygen and nutrients to the farthest reaches of the body. Those electrical impulses occur in a specific order through specific nerve pathways in the heart muscle and within a specific time frame -- what doctors call "normal sinus rhythm." But when disease or genetic abnormalities interfere with these impulses, the heart can misfire and struggle to contract smoothly.

The University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital was among a select group of hospitals nationwide recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for reaching gold, silver, and bronze levels of outreach for organ donation and registration. UK Chandler Hospital conducted awareness and registry campaigns to educate staff, patients, visitors, and community members about the critical need for organ, eye, and tissue donors and, by doing so, increased the number of potential donors on the state’s donor registry.

The University of Kentucky's Dr. James Jagger has been named the 2014 Southeastern Conference Team Physician of the Year. Jagger is an assistant professor in the UK Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine and serves as the UK chief of athletic medicine and head team physician for all UK sports. The Team Physician of the Year award is chosen by the athletic training staffs at SEC member institutions and is given annually to recognize a team physician who has contributed greatly to both his or her school's teams and to the SEC sports community.

Everyone wants to be home for the holidays. Unfortunately, hospital patients don't have that luxury. For those who are unable to enjoy the comforts of a holiday at home, the UK Arts in Healthcare program has scheduled a series of events to help bring the holidays to the hospital. Carolers, pianists, harpists and more will bring holiday cheer to patients, visitors and staff in December. Of particular note: UK HealthCare's own Dr. Jay Zwischenberger will be performing at 1 p.m., Dec.

A new clinical trial being conducted at the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging (SBCoA) and the UK Alzheimer’s Disease Center (ADC) may signal new hope in the future for those who might be afflicted with the devastating disease. Taking laboratory research pioneered at SBCoA and the associated UK ADC into human trials, the federally-funded research project will examine the therapeutic potential of microRNAs to delay or prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

Jayakrishna Ambati, professor and vice-chair in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, professor in the Department of Physiology, and the E. Vernon and Eloise C. Smith Endowed Chair in Macular Degeneration Research, at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, recently received the 2013 William R. Willard Dean's Recognition Award.