LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 28, 2022) — When University of Kentucky alum Elle Smith was crowned Miss USA in November, her life changed in an instant.

With her name catapulted into the national spotlight, Smith quickly learned the power of the Miss USA title and platform, and the importance of capitalizing on every open door.

During her year of reign as Miss USA, Smith will work with the National Cervical Cancer Coalition to educate women about cervical cancer prevention and treatment in an effort to empower women to seek preventative care.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 27, 2022) — The Kentucky Network for Innovation and Commercialization (KYNETIC) has opened its Spring 2022 Cycle 5 round of early-stage commercialization grants. 

KYNETIC is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (REACH) and part of the national NIH Proof-of-Concept Network. 

Anna Cox was a couple of years out of college in 2018, a mathematical economics graduate from the University of Kentucky who had just landed a job as a logistics broker, when a moment of tear-inducing pain sent her to the emergency room.

UK HealthCare physicians and staff delivered her with some alarming news – her pain might be caused by cancer.

“Wait, I’m never sick,” Cox thought in disbelief. She was 23 years old without any known health issues and the whole world ahead of her. She didn’t even have a primary care physician. Quite frankly, she didn’t know what to do next.

One of the newest research teams within the University of Kentucky’s Alliance Research Initiative wants to make UK “the center of the universe” when it comes to an innovative cancer treatment.

Charles Kunos MD, PhD, director of the Markey Cancer Center Clinical Research Office, leads the Radiopharmaceutical Therapy Alliance (RPTA) with Lowell Anthony, MD, division chief of medical oncology. Alongside faculty and trainees from across the University, they are trying to improve pharmaceutical delivery for patients with cancer through radiopharmaceuticals.

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, physical distancing helped mitigate spread of the virus. But a consequence was that it eliminated opportunities for in-person team building. In a year of trials and tribulations, the restrictions made coping with distressing events more difficult.

To build community during the challenging year, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion hosted Moments of Reflection, virtual events that allowed faculty, staff, and learners to connect over Zoom and openly discuss national events that might have caused grief, sadness, anger, and fear.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 13, 2022) — The University of Kentucky is participating in a nationwide study that seeks to understand why some people have prolonged symptoms (long COVID) or develop new or returning symptoms after an acute bout of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 12, 2022) — The University of Kentucky College of Medicinehas once again teamed up with other medical schools from the state for the monthlong MedMadness Blood Donation Competition.

LEXINGTON, KY. (Jan. 11, 2022) — The world looks to The University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging for answers to the mysteries of dementia, and the elderly rely on them for help in charting their path to a healthy and vigorous senior lifestyle.

For Nicholas Annichiarico, DO, last year was one of new beginnings. After completing a physical medicine and rehabilitation residency at the UK College of Medicine, he joined the faculty as an assistant professor and physiatrist.

Just as Dr. Annichiarico’s career has soared to new heights, so has he – literally. In March of 2021, he started learning how to become a pilot. He has completed approximately one-fifth of his training in order to take the official flight test.

Anika Hartz never planned on becoming a scientist.

She’s a pharmacist by trade, who moved to the United States from her home of Germany in 2002 to begin her doctorate at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). At the time, she had no intention of going into science.

“Coming to the U.S. in 2002 changed my mind,” said Hartz.

Her time at the NIH was unique and it marked a turning point for her future.

For medical students at the University of Kentucky, the COVID-19 pandemic not only shifted their learning experiences, but also demonstrated to them how prepared they are to impact the world through their future careers in medicine.

Jarrett Grace, Class of 2024, Northern Kentucky Campus
Many of Jarrett Grace’s family members work in health care fields, so they already had witnessed the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients in their communities. But when they caught the virus, they felt the fear firsthand.

Devon Clifton was wide awake in his third-floor apartment as sirens rang and strong tornadoes ripped through western Kentucky late Friday, Dec. 10. The next morning, he saw “gut-wrenching” destruction.

Clifton and many of his fellow students at the UK College of Medicine-Bowling Green Campus can’t drive to class without passing homes and buildings that have been flattened. The tornadoes that struck towns in western Kentucky – including Dawson Springs, Mayfield, and Bowling Green – killed more than 75 people.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 21, 2021) — Cancer patients undergoing treatment sometimes travel far from home to receive the right cancer care, which can create a financial burden. That’s why the American Cancer Society has awarded a lodging grant to the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Foundation. These funds will be used to address the lodging needs of cancer patients receiving treatment in Lexington.

Martha Sim, MD, a graduate student at the College of Medicine, knew it was possible she would witness a pandemic in her lifetime, but she did not expect it to happen so early in her research career. Yet in 2020, COVID-19 spread rapidly across the globe.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 20, 2021) — For most who know her, Paris resident Elizabeth Barr goes by a simple nickname — “E.” But Frederick Ueland, MD, her oncologist at the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center, has another special nickname for her: Lazarus.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 16, 2021) — Using new methodology, University of Kentucky researchers have mapped the variations in sugar chains attached to brain proteins from deceased healthy individuals or individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.

Thus far, no effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are available. New approaches to preventing the progression of this devastating neurological disease are desperately needed.

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.

For medical students, education doesn’t end with Match Day or graduation. It’s a lifelong journey full of continuous learning, skill advancement, and personal growth.

As director of student success, Emily Scanlon, MEd, has the responsibility of making sure the UK College of Medicine is supporting students during, and after, medical school so they are well prepared for the challenges ahead in their careers.

“I often work with students in specific situations or for individual needs, but almost everything we discuss can be applied to their future,” Scanlon said.