In his 40 years at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Michael T. Piascik, PhD, has mentored hundreds of medical students and graduate students while bringing key funding to the college as a researcher to help produce groundbreaking discoveries in pharmacology.

After a long and distinguished career, Dr. Piascik has announced he will retire, effective July 1.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 4, 2021) — University of Kentucky Department of Neuroscience Professor Greg Gerhardt, Ph.D., hypothesizes that the balance of glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) — two main neurotransmitters in the brain — contributes to Alzheimer’s disease and age-related declines in cognition and memory.

Cheavar Blair, PhD, a 2017 graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, is now a postdoc at the University of California-Santa Barbara. 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 1, 2021) — Thanks to a $5.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a University of Kentucky College of Medicine team will study the culprit behind thoracic aortic aneurysms, which could lead to a treatment for the potentially deadly disease.

1 in 5 Americans will face a mental health condition in a given year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It's #MentalHealthAwareness month, and at the UK College of Medicine, wellness is a priority. "Physicians and physicians-in-training have higher rates of burnout, depression and even suicide than the general population," said Dr. Angela Dearinger, assistant dean for student affairs - wellness.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 26, 2021) — University of Kentucky College of Medicine researcher Cassandra Gipson-Reichardt, Ph.D., has received the College on Problems of Drug Dependence’s (CPDD) 2021 Joseph Cochin Young Investigator Award for Excellence.

The annual award recognizes an investigator under 40 years old who has demonstrated excellence in their field of research and authored several publications. It is one of the most prestigious honors awarded by the CPDD, the longest standing group in the U.S. dedicated to addressing issues of drug dependence and abuse.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 26, 2021) – It’s no secret the sun can be damaging to the skin. About 10 years ago, Betty Graham began to learn this the hard way.

After noticing an unusual spot on her leg, a skin cancer screening found eight precancerous lesions. When caught early, these types of lesions can be removed and cured. Graham, at the time an avid tanning bed user, now regrets that behavior.

“Tanning beds are the world’s worst thing for skin cancer,” said Graham.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 25, 2021) — The University of Kentucky Advising Network has recently announced the recipients of the 2021 Ken Freedman Awards during the Ken Freedman Day of Recognition virtual awards ceremony. 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 25, 2021) – The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center announces that radiation oncologist Dr. Charles Kunos will join the center and serve as medical director of Markey’s Clinical Research Office (CRO).

It is with excitement that after an extensive, nationwide search, the University of Kentucky College of Medicine will officially welcome Ilhem Messaoudi, PhD, to campus as the new chair of the department of microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics. This appointment will be effective Nov. 1. As chair Dr.

Beth Garvy, PhD, and Sidney Whiteheart, PhD, originally planned to study blood clotting in HIV-positive patients when they first approached one another to establish a unified research team. Then COVID-19 emerged, and their focus shifted on the disease that started a global pandemic.

In elementary school, Shaw Powell’s favorite subjects were art, physical education, and science, and in that order. Interestingly, the Northern Kentucky native’s career has followed this same trajectory.

First, he received his bachelor’s degree from Eastern Kentucky University in art education. Then he joined the Army National Guard and served for seven years. Lastly, in the spring of 2021, he graduated with a Master of Science in Medical Sciences (MSMS) to pursue a research career.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 24, 2021) — It's a question that is critical to families and communities across the Commonwealth — how do we tackle the opioid epidemic?

The University of Kentucky is helping to organize and host the second annual Edward Kremers Seminar in the History of Pharmacy & Drugs in hopes of continuing the conversation surrounding addiction and recovery.

 HAZARD, Ky. (May 21, 2021) — Researchers at the University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health (UK CERH) and the Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis at the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago have released a report detailing the findings of a study conducted to understand possible factors that contribute to Eastern Kentucky leading the nation in declining overdose mortality rates.  

MAYSVILLE, Ky. (May 20, 2021) – On May 19, Meadowview Regional Medical Center (MRMC), part of LifePoint Health, hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the expansion of its cancer treatment facilities in Maysville, Ky. and announced its formal collaboration with the University of Kentucky (UK) Markey Cancer Center as part of the UK Markey Cancer Center Affiliate Network (MCCAN). A small group of leaders from the hospital, LifePoint and MCCAN gathered to celebrate the reopening of the facility and launch of the collaboration.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 19, 2021) — The past year has been filled with new routines, new rules, and new fears for many people as the world has navigated the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. During this time staff members at UK HealthCare’s Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center (BBDC) found a unique way to ease some anxiety as young patients and their families returned to in-person clinic visits.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 19, 2021) – Jardin Dogan says her clinical practice and own life experiences have inspired her research, which is helping to eliminate mental, social and sexual health disparities for Black people.

The counseling psychology doctoral candidate in the University of Kentucky’s College of Education counsels people who are experiencing mental health issues from racial trauma, substance abuse and criminal justice involvement.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 18, 2021) – Though she grew up in California, University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center research assistant Sumati Hasani spent many summers of her childhood visiting her extended family in India. The first-generation South Asian American has many fond memories of visiting  her family overseas, whose residences spanned every corner of the country.

Through the course of their profession, health care workers will face a variety of direct and indirect trauma, from hearing traumatic stories or witnessing effects of trauma on others to coping with death on the job. COVID-19 has only intensified these effects.

In response to the growing needs resulting from the pandemic, a project designed by the University of Kentucky Center on Trauma and Children (UK CTAC) is providing assistance and support for individuals and organizations dealing with the toll of COVID-19 on workplace well-being.

The UK College of Medicine Class of 2021 Commencement Ceremony was held at Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, May 15, 2021. This year’s ceremony marked the 58th graduation processional for the college.

Robert S. DiPaola, MD, Dean of the UK College of Medicine delivered the commencement address and helped us celebrate our student’s success. 

The graduating class consisted of 130 students who, following the completion of intense studies and clinical rotations, assumed the title of “doctor.”