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Hammodah Alfar is in his second year of graduate school in the UK College of Medicine Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, with a specialized interest in platelet biology.
He has gained important research experience as a member of the Virus-Induced Thrombosis Alliance (VITAL), led by Beth Garvy, PhD, associate dean for biomedical education, and Sidney Whiteheart, PhD, professor of molecular and cellular biochemistry.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 21, 2021) – A new University of Kentucky College of Medicine study will examine how policies that restrict the sale of flavored tobacco products including menthol cigarettes impact health disparities among vulnerable populations.
A five-year, $2.8 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) will support the study on how local policies impact at-risk groups – including communities of color, low-income populations and youth – that are more likely to use flavored tobacco products.
Juneteenth is observed on June 19, 2021, to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S. On this day, enslaved African-Americans in Galveston, Texas, were notified they had actually been freed almost 2.5 years earlier.
Members of the College of Medicine were asked a series of questions on how they honor Juneteenth.
Kaylin BateyClass of 2023
Q: When did you first become aware of Juneteenth?
Memory Sunday is designated nationally as the second Sunday in June. Memory Sunday was established to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and its impact on the African American community, since their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease is two to three times higher than white Americans.
A study by several researchers at the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging (SBCoA) was recently highlighted in AlzForum. The study focuses on polyamines, the nitrogen-packed aliphatic molecules produced by our own cells and found in the foods we eat. They have been described by some as anti-aging generators.
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.
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.
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 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).
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.
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.
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.