LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 20, 2021) – The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center announces the appointment of Mindy Rogers as director of the Kentucky Cancer Program – East, which is housed within the Cancer Center.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 20, 2021) — More than 5.7 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s disease and that number is projected to triple by 2050. Despite that growing number, there is not yet a cure.

Researchers at the University of Kentucky have received a $100,000 grant from The Marfan Foundation to assess how patients with Marfan syndrome develop hip pain. The study will be conducted by Mary Sheppard, an assistant professor of family medicine and surgery in the UK College of Medicine, and Michael Samaan, an assistant professor of biomechanics in the UK College of Education Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion. Marfan syndrome is a genetic condition that impacts the body’s connective tissue. It most frequently affects the heart, blood vessels, eyes and bones.

Each year, the University of Kentucky rewards exceptional research faculty with the Wethington Awards, a way to acknowledge great work while incentivizing extramurally sponsored research activity.

After witnessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 award recipients from the UK College of Medicine elected to use their funds to make a difference for members of the UK campus community. They donated their monetary awards to the CRISIS fund, which helps UK faculty and staff in need.

Collectively, the Wethington Award recipients gifted more than $80,000.

The Kentucky Office of Rural Health (KORH) recently received the Excellence in Education Award, one of the annual MediStar Awards given to health care organizations and professionals in Kentucky and southern Indiana by IGE Media, publisher of the Medical News.

The award is presented to an organization that takes creative approaches to developing and implementing programs that enhance the level of knowledge, and educational and career opportunities for health care professionals.

Ten organizations were nominated for the award this year.

"How could I have missed this? She was growing, eating, drinking and playing lots of softball."

Those thoughts went rushing through Crystal and Vernon Cecil's minds in August of 2017. Their 10-year-old, Evie Cecil, came home from school with a stomach ache but no fever. After a nap, the fifth-grader grew increasingly lethargic and Crystal's motherly instincts kicked in. "Her symptoms didn't seem to fit the typical flu or stomach virus," she said.

This feature appeared in the blog of George Wright, the University of Kentucky's vice president for institutional diversity.

Recently, I was grateful to have a conversation with Dr. Stephanie White, associate dean of diversity and inclusion for the UK College of Medicine. Dr. White joined the University of Kentucky in January 2020, and she is currently a member of the DEI Leadership Team.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 15, 2020) — The COVID-19 pandemic introduced many new actions to our daily lives — wearing masks, washing hands more frequently, and watching our distance from others. Add these health behaviors on top of already existing challenges like isolation, transportation and access to health care, and creative solutions are more necessary than ever. 

As part of its commitment toward creating a more inclusive work and learning environment, the University of Kentucky College of Medicine has established additional leadership roles in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The college is pleased to announce the appointment of Kevin Pearson, PhD, to oversee progress in research as the inaugural director of inclusive research initiatives.  

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne bacterial disease in the U.S., with 200,000 new cases each year. While incidence in Kentucky typically has been relatively low, the incidence of the tick vector, lxodes scapularis, has increased over the past five years, even spreading to areas it did not previously live.

Following the excellent and long-tenure of leadership by Phillip A. Tibbs, MD, the UK College of Medicine has announced Craig G. van Horne, MD, PhD, as the new chair for the department of neurosurgery effective Dec. 1.

Marilyn Duncan, PhD, a driven researcher and well-regarded professor in the department of neuroscience, has been elected to serve on the University Senate Council, the executive body of the University Senate. 

Dr. Duncan is serving a third term on the University Senate. During her tenure she has been part of the Advisory Committee for Prior Service, the Academic Programs Committee, the Academic Area Committee for Promotion and Tenure in the Biological Sciences, and the Library Committee. 

Her term on the Senate Council will run from Jan. 1, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2023.

Daniel Lee, PhD, is an associate professor at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine Department of Neuroscience and a researcher at the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, an internationally recognized Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. He joined the UK College of Medicine in August 2019. He is also a member of the Faculty of Color Network and currently serves as co-director for the Research Education Component (REC) of the UK-ADRC.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 24, 2020) — Linda J. Van Eldik, director of the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging at the University of Kentucky, has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Election as an AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 18, 2020) — Researchers in the University of Kentucky’s College of Medicine and College of Engineering are testing a new technology to evaluate wastewater to track community presence of COVID-19.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 17, 2020) — When Lexington resident Brenda Spillman came down with pneumonia in 2016, the illness lingered in her lungs, gradually causing her to lose her breath. For three weeks, she tried over-the-counter medicines to no avail.

“Then one morning I got up, called my son, and said ‘I can’t breathe,’” Spillman said. “And he said, ‘If you don’t go to the doctor right now, I’m going to come and take you.’”

In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, the obstetric gynecology team at UK Morehead Women’s Healthcare donated blankets to D.O.V.E.S. (Domestic Violence Emergency Shelter), which provides emergency shelter to victims of domestic violence and helps them transition back into society. 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 11, 2020) – The University of Kentucky’s Nathan Vanderford received the 2020 Excellence in Science Education and Outreach Award from the Kentucky Academy of Science (KAS) last Friday.

Veterans Day is a time to recognize individuals who have made the honorable decision to protect our country's freedom through military service. Below, we are honoring four of our of our very own faculty members and learners who have served our country, are serving our country, or are committed to serving our country in the most selfless of ways - through the military and in health care. 

Nancy Schoenberg, PhD, professor of behavioral science and director of the Center for Health Equity Transformation, has been invited to present her research at the Behavioral and Social Science Research Festival. 

The festival, which will be held virtually, will take place 1-4 p.m. EST on Dec. 1-2, 2020, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of The Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research (OBSSR) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).