By Vice President for Research Lisa Cassis Thursday

In May, it was my distinct pleasure to present Matthew Gentry with a University Research Professorship award. He was one of 16 faculty, selected by their own colleges, who have demonstrated excellence in scholarship and creative work that addresses scientific, social, cultural and economic challenges in our region and around the world.

Dr. Jing Li has been named associate director of the University of Kentucky Center for Health Services Research and the new director of the Office of Value and Innovation in Healthcare Delivery (OVIHD). Li graduated from Tianjin Medical University and completed residency training in anesthesiology and subsequent clinical research training at its hospital.

Owensboro Health has joined the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center Research Network (MCCRN).

With this new relationship, patients in Western Kentucky and Southern Indiana will have easier access to innovative clinical research studies. Areas of research will include epidemiology, prevention and early detection of cancer. Markey Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center, which will open up NCI-led trials in addition to MCCRN trials.

New findings from University of Kentucky faculty published in Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy demonstrate the value of physician-pharmacist teams in providing elderly care.

A peek at Matthew Gentry's professional profile reveals a long list of honors and awards.

A National Science Foundation Faculty Career Development Award.A National Institutes of Health Pathway to Independence Award.A University of Kentucky Research Professorship Award.Three U.S. Patents.A five-year, $8.5 million National Institutes of Health grant to pursue a cure for Lafora disease.

Wait. Lafora disease? From a lab that also studies biofuels?

Renay Scales, PhD, will serve as the Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion. She will begin her new position at the College of Medicine in late August. Currently the Director of Faculty Development and Associate Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Pikeville - Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Scales serves as the institutional representative for the national Empathy Project and works in tandem with leadership to develop programs and teach culturally conscious practices.

With a $4.5 million award from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, researchers in the University of Kentucky Center for Health Services Research (CHSR)  have established the Kentucky Consortium for Accountable Health Communities (KC-AHC) to address the health-related social needs of vulnerable patients across the Commonwealth.

University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto today announced that the leader of one of the country’s largest and most renowned academic physician practice plans will be UK’s new Executive Vice President for Health Affairs. He will begin his post at UK in October. Kentucky native Dr. Mark F.

UK Center on Drug and Alcohol Research director Sharon Walsh will deliver the honorary Marian W. Fischman Lectureship during the College on Drug Dependence Annual Conference, June 17-22 in Montreal, Canada. Memorializing the late research pioneer Marian Fischman, the lectureship is bestowed to a woman scientist who has created transformative change in the field of drug abuse research.

The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association recently honored UK HealthCare's Kentucky Neuroscience Institute (KNI) with the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award and the Target Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus Award. This achievement recognizes UK HealthCare’s commitment and success in adhering to the most current evidence-based stroke treatment guidelines for stroke patient care and outcomes. To receive the Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, hospitals must achieve 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke achievement i

A groundbreaking ceremony for the University of Kentucky College of Medicine-Bowling Green Campus was held Tuesday, June 6 at The Medical Center at Bowling Green.

A new book co-written by Nathan Vanderford, University of Kentucky assistant professor in the Department of Toxicology and Cancer Biology, guides STEM graduate and postdoctoral students in their career planning by evaluating goals and finding the steps to be taken to achieve them.

The Third Annual Appalachian Research Day was held May 24 in Hazard, Ky., hosted by the University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health (CERH). The event invites researchers and community members to “come sit on the porch” and share research findings with the local communities involved in the studies.  

Rural Appalachian communities experience some of the most severe health disparities in the nation, and community-based research is an effective method to identify problems and develop collaborative, effective solutions.

Katy Brewer, a doctoral student in the University of Kentucky Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, was chosen as one of 100 doctoral students in the United States and Canada to receive a $15,000 Scholar Award from the P.E.O. Sisterhood. She was sponsored by Chapter C of Lexington, Kentucky. Brewer was a National Merit Finalist and a Patterson Scholarship recipient and graduated summa cum laude from UK in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in biology. She is now pursuing a doctorate in Matthew Gentry's lab at UK.

The Barnstable Brown Kentucky Diabetes and Obesity Center hosted its seventh annual Obesity and Diabetes Research Day on Thursday, May 18 at the Lee T. Todd Biomedical Pharmaceutical Complex Building. The purpose of Research Day is to focus on current findings in diabetes and obesity related research.

The Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) presented several awards during the Association’s Awards Luncheon on May 19, at the 88th Annual KHA Convention in Lexington. KHA’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, was bestowed upon University of Kentucky’s Executive Vice President for Health Affairs Dr. Michael Karpf who has given untiring and exceptional service to their hospital, community, the state and the Association. Since coming to UK in 2003, his leadership has led to unprecedented growth and expansion.

Each day brings something different for Dr. Christian Lattermann; that’s one of the things that keeps him passionate about his job. As director of the Center for Cartilage Repair and Restoration at UK Sports Medicine, Lattermann treats patients, does community outreach, conducts research and mentors students.

Even though he’s a leader in the field, he’s not done learning; he says his patients teach him every day.

If you’ve driven along Virginia Avenue, toward main campus, you’ve seen the steel skeleton of the new research building under construction. This is Research Building 2 (RB2), a precious resource and a vehicle for the University of Kentucky to reduce the health disparities that most impact Kentucky.

The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center Research Day is an opportunity for researchers to share their work, and receive feedback from colleagues across campus. An estimated 400 people were in attendance at the event, with about 45 staff members tasked with judging posters. While many posters are presented by seasoned researchers, high school, undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students, as well as junior researchers and staff, can also submit work and have their poster presentation judged by faculty members.

 Colorectal cancer incidence rates have declined by 25 percent in Kentucky in less than 10 years. Death rates have dropped by 30 percent.

Why?

Among other reasons, screenings have increased significantly, led by University of Kentucky researchers along with changes in state policy.