LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 14, 2021) — The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research recently awarded four faculty members for their exemplary commitment to undergraduate research mentoring.

The University of Kentucky’s Center for Health Equity Transformation (CHET) recently announced the recipients of its inaugural Equity Changemaker Award for Graduate Students, Professional Students and Postdoctoral Scholars and Undergraduate Essay Competition.

The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is causing unprecedented challenges and hardships for the 1.39 billion people in India. More than 400,000 daily cases for the first time were reported on Saturday, May 1, 2021, and a record-high number of deaths were reported May 3, 2021.

The U.S. has already started shipping valuable vaccine components, oxygen, and masks to India, and other countries are lending help as well, but in view of the magnitude of the problems, the demand for life-saving oxygen supplies by far will outstrip supply.

The University of Kentucky College of Medicine’s 58th commencement ceremony will take place at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 15, 2021.

This will be a ticketed event and has a strict capacity limit, so guests will be unable to attend in-person. However, you may view the ceremony virtually through our YouTube livestream.

Click here to watch the ceremony on the UK College of Medicine’s YouTube page.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 11, 2021) — Dr. Jay Avasarala, professor of neurology and director of the University of Kentucky’s Multiple Sclerosis Clinic, and co-authors, conducted a retrospective study in which they evaluated approximately 96.5 million enrollees in a database. More than 200,000 of the enrollees had inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The research focused on looking at the effect of TNF-alpha inhibitors, biologic agents, used in IBD treatment on the probability of developing Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

When Abi Recktenwald graduates from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, she will officially start a career she never imagined possible thanks to a combination of hard work, skill, and a strong faculty support system.

Going into her third year, Recktenwald had a wide range of interests across medicine and surgery. However, on her pediatric rotation early that year, she encountered a child who needed a complex plastic surgery procedure to cover a skin defect. It was through the experience she realized plastic surgery was her calling.

I am excited to announce that after an extensive national search by a committee of your peers and broad faculty input, Zaki-Udin Hassan, MBBS, MBA, FASA, has officially accepted the role of chair of the department of anesthesiology. This appointment will take effect July 1.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 10, 2021) — The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that 10 students and recent graduates have been selected to receive government-funded National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships. In addition, a UK doctoral student and four alumni received honorable mention recognition from the NSF. 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 10, 2021) – Early mornings. Late nights. A full-time job, full class load, and two young sons at home all day throughout the pandemic.

In Kentucky, more than 36 percent of the adult population is obese, and nearly 14 percent have been diagnosed with diabetes. Due to the complexity of both diabetes and obesity, these issues are difficult to address – and impossible to solve – when focused through only one lens.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 6, 2021) — A University of Kentucky College of Medicine professor has been awarded a $1.9 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant for his research on the body’s immune response to sepsis, which could potentially help to improve therapies for the common disease. 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 5, 2021) — Collaborative research between the University of Kentucky and the University of Southern California (USC) suggests that a noninvasive neuroimaging technique may index early-stage blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction associated with small vessel disease (SVD). Cerebral SVD is the most common cause of vascular cognitive impairment, with a significant proportion of cases going on to develop dementia.

The design phase for the construction of a new University of Kentucky College of Medicine building was approved Tuesday by the UK Board of Trustees.

As part of the college’s planned growth strategy, a new building will establish a world-class education facility that will become the hub of medical education in Kentucky and beyond, said UK College of Medicine Dean Robert DiPaola.

Kristen Fletcher, MD, is an assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics. Her excellence in medical education was recently recognized with a Distinguished Teacher Award during the latest round of Academic Convocation Awards. In the following Q&A, she shares why she loves teaching medical students and how enriching it is to help mold future physicians.

Q: What is your role at the College of Medicine?

For many years, ventricular assist devices (VADs) were considered a last resort for patients with serious heart failure. These mechanical pumps, which help maintain blood circulation, were mainly used for patients awaiting a heart transplant.

Recent studies conducted by University of Kentucky researchers suggest VADs actually could be used to recover the hearts of patients with heart failure, even those with advanced heart failure, possibly preventing their need for transplants in the future.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 29, 2021) —The 13th annual University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Mind Matters Health Fair is set to take place from 10 a.m. to noon, Monday, May 3. The format will follow last year’s move to a virtual platform to ensure the continued health and safety of both the presenters and attendees. 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 27, 2021) – A recent study by University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center researchers looked into the association of financial burden with health insurance literacy in colorectal cancer patients.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 27, 2021) — Annually, Best of Cell Press celebrates the highest-impact research published in their journals during the previous year. A paper by Barbara Nikolajczyk, Ph.D., professor of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences and associate director for Translational Research in Diabetes at the University of Kentucky, has been included in “Best of Cell Metabolism 2020.” The paper focuses on age-associated inflammation.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 27, 2021) — Dr. Peter Sawaya is the associate chief of Nephrology at the University of Kentucky, but it isn’t through his work there that he saw a great need in a certain area of health care. It instead is through his work on a much more personal level – as the primary caregiver for a family member living with dementia.

“I thought about it because I’m dealing with it. It is so hard,” he said.