The University of Kentucky’s Substance Use Priority Research Area (SUPRA) is sponsoring the inaugural Rising Stars Symposium to showcase innovative research and new perspectives on addiction research.

Yekaterina Zaytseva, PhD

A recent University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center study sheds light on how the environmental pollutant perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) may affect our intestines and possibly increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer.  

chris simmons in white coat

Chris Simmons, MD, PhD, is an associate professor of internal medicine and pediatrics. He is also a co-director of our combined MD/PhD program, with a focus on career advising. As a physician-scientist at an academic medical institution, Dr.

QI students

Over the summer, a cohort of five rising second-year medical students participated in a four-week pilot exposing them to quality improvement (QI) concepts as inaugural members of the Churchill Summer QI Research Fellows program.

UKY headshots of Drs. Koffarnus and Lauckner

In Aug. 2020, the College of Medicine Office of Research launched 18 Alliance Research Initiative teams from each of the five research priority areas— substance use disorder, cardiovascular, diabetes and obesity, neuroscience, and cancer—and other important emerging areas of science.

Trends in research awards over the last three years

Alongside news of a second record-setting year of grant awards and contracts at the University of Kentucky, the UK Department of Surgery’s Research Division reported a 94.3% increase in funding from FY23 to FY24.

Brittany Levy, MD in her white coat.

A University of Kentucky surgery resident and researcher has been selected to participate in the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Regional Entrepreneurship Development

Tom Arkell and the Cannabis Center logo

The University of Kentucky Cannabis Center is sponsoring a series of seminars featuring national and international experts on cannabis science.

The ASCEND Team. Details in Image Caption.

A new project at the University of Kentucky will expand new avenues to develop community-engaged health equity research expertise among early-stage investigators. It’s called Achieving Success in Community-Engaged research to elimiNate Disparities (UK ASCEND).

Preet Patel working at a microscope in the laboratory.

Fourteen University of Kentucky students spent the summer expanding their research skills through the Commonwealth Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) Fellowship program, sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research and the Office of the V

Worsham Theater - a large auditorium with weaving, blue walls, and a presentation screen at the front.

Researchers at the University of Kentucky are hosting a watch party for a video that showcases their work to better understand the barriers to substance use disorder (SUD) program engagement in Kentucky.

Justin Ma presents his poster

At the UK College of Medicine, we embrace our responsibility to drive the change and the discovery required to improve health and wellness across the state. As a recognized leader in biomedical research, we focus on innovative, transformative, and collaborative discoveries from the bench to the bedside.

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging building

Researchers from the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging and the University of California Irvine are some of the first to show socialization and enrichment are good for aging brains. 

Patrick Sullivan, PhD standing, arms crossed, in the lab.

Patrick Sullivan, PhD, a professor in the Department of Neuroscience in the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and the Kentucky Spinal Cord and Head Injury Research Trust Endowed Chair in the Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, has been honored as a 2024-25 University Research Profes

A medical illustration of nanoparticles being released by a cell.

Researchers at the University of Kentucky have a better understanding of the regulation of extracellular vesicles by oxidative stress and how these vesicles spread oxidative stress and may damage neurons. Extracellular vesicles are nanoparticles released by all cell types that help transport information between cells.

A medical illustration of a human head, highlighting the cerebellum in the brain.

Water is crucial to human survival, composing about 60% of the body. It plays a vital role in cellular function, internal temperature regulation and organ health.

Gregory A. Jicha

Gregory A. Jicha, MD, PhD, a professor and vice chair for academic affairs in the Department of Neurology in the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, associate director of the Sanders-Brown Center on Agingand the Robert T. and Nyles Y.

IBS interns

The UK College of Medicine Integrated Biomedical Sciences (IBS) is an undifferentiated first-year core curriculum that serves as the entry point for a doctoral program in one of six basic science departments.

Katherine Hartmann, MD, PhD

The University of Kentucky’s Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) has a new director who’s looking forward to creating synergy across the campus, promoting collaborations and advancing the health of the Commonwealth.

UK Chandler Hospital - Street view from South Limestone

For the first time in University of Kentucky history, investigators received $488.4 million in extramural grants and contracts to support their research in fiscal year (FY) 2024. This is a 1.9% increase from the $479.3 million in FY23 research awards.