The University of Kentucky Chapter of the International Federation of Medical Student Associations (IFMSA) will host the 10th annual Art of Healing silent auction on Wednesday, April 2. The auction will be held in Biological and Biomedical Sciences Research Building (BBSRB) atrium from noon to 5 p.m. Winning bidders may pick up their art from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. The auction items feature the handiwork of local and international artists and current students, including pottery, paintings, wood carvings, and accessories.
University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto today announced a $7 million combined gift commitment from Lexington businesswoman and UK graduate, Joan D. Kincaid, and Central Bank for two critical campus improvement projects focused on business education and health care. The gift commitment, which was accepted by the UK Board of Trustees at its meeting today, will fund a new auditorium in the Gatton College of Business and Economics as part of its building redesign and expansion as well as a project to be determined in the A.B.

The National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) 2014 will be held on The University of Kentucky campus on April 3-5, 2014 – just a week away! Over 4000 students and mentors will be in participation. NCUR is an annual celebration of undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity in all fields of study for students across the country and beyond.  For full details, see http://www.cur.org/ncur_2014/

The University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging recently welcomed two new faculty members: Anika Hartz, Ph.D., and Ai-Ling Lin, Ph.D. “These talented individuals will contribute significantly to our knowledge of age-related disorders,” said Linda Van Eldik, director of the Sanders-Brown Center for Aging. "We are delighted to have them as part of our team." Hartz, an associate professor with a dual appointment in the College of Medicine, comes to Sanders-Brown from the University of Minnesota.
We all know that exercise is good for us — it can help us lower blood pressure and cholesterol, maintain a healthy weight, and even improve mood and sleep. But can exercise improve the brain, especially as we age? A multidisciplinary group of University of Kentucky researchers is working to answer that question.
Dr. Jacqueline (Jackie) Noonan, long-time faculty member at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and former chair of the Department of Pediatrics, has been named the "Gifted Educator" for 2014 by the American College of Cardiology. The award recognizes someone who has demonstrated innovative, outstanding teaching characteristics that contribute significantly to the field of cardiovascular medicine. "This honor is well-deserved and places Dr. Noonan in rare company.

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Inspector General has released a plan to review that grantee institutions are complying with Conflict of Interest regulations. To see the report, click here.  It is noted within the report starting on page 30. The Univeristy of Kentucky regulations on Conflict of Interest are available here.

Translational research — the process of moving a laboratory discovery into clinical applications — is a long and complex process requiring diverse expertise, ranging from basic science and regulatory affairs to participant recruitment and rclinical application. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), it can take more than a decade for a lab discovery to result in a new treatment, medical device, or prevention method.

Some University of Kentucky medical students pumped their fists while others unleashed tears of relief. Some took the opportunity to thank professors, parents, spouses and friends. A few pulled baseball caps out of bags as if they were selected in the NBA draft. And one bold student danced his way to the podium, taking a "selfie" with his camera phone upon arrival.

The Fornwalt Lab (www.fornwaltlab.com) aims to use both echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in children with heart disease to improve clinical practice. We are particularly interested in understanding normal patterns of contraction in the heart, how these patterns are different in children with heart failure, and what treatments can be provided in order to correct abnormal contraction. We are also using MRI to explore the cardiovascular effects of obesity in both animal models and children.