Stem cells and other regenerative cells that have been isolated from a patient’s own fat tissue are being tested in the treatment of peripheral arterial disease, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, neurological disorders, erectile dysfunction and, most recently, Crohn’s Disease. Stuart Williams, Ph.D., director of the Bioficial Heart Program at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, pioneered the use of these cells and discussed advances in his research in a keynote address to open The 2^nd Saudi International Biotechnology Conference this morning in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Fat-derived cells also are being tested at UofL for the ability to reduce the need for anti-rejection drugs in patients receiving transplanted organs, and pre-clinical studies are evaluating the use of the cells to improve the outcome of islet cell transplantation. UofL physicians are already performing pancreatic islet transplantation for the treatment of pancreatitis.

In today’s address, Williams also discussed the emerging use of additive manufacturing (3D printing) for the manufacture of medical devices and tissue implants. The program has made strides toward its 10-year goal of bioprinting a human heart from a patient’s own cells.

The conference, held in the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, is designed to build bridges of communication between scientists and specialists in Saudi Arabia and research and technical pioneers from institutions around the world.

“The Saudi Arabian government has made a major commitment to research, development and translation of regenerative medicine,” Williams said. “We have begun discussions regarding how investigators at UofL and in Saudi Arabia can create a strategic alliance to foster joint research and education in regenerative medicine.”

Williams’ research is supported in part by the Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence and conducted at the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute, a collaboration between the University of Louisville and Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s Health Care.

February 23, 2016

As American Heart Month 2016 begins its final week, the arts will meet hearts as two University of Louisville institutes team up to highlight the work of both.

The Cardiovascular Innovation Institute (CII) and the Department of Fine Arts/Hite Art Institute will host “The heART Show,” featuring displays on research from the CII and art from the Hite institute. The event will be held 5:30-8:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 24, at the CII, 302 E. Muhammad Ali Blvd. Admission and valet parking are free.

Featured art will be provided by UofL faculty and students who are enrolled in the Department of Fine Arts. Associate Professor of Art Scott Massey, head of both the Studio Programs and Sculpture Programs, organized the art display

“Both the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute and the Hite Institute want to engage people outside of our usual audiences to encourage awareness of our respective programs,” Massey said.

Among the artists displaying their work are Nicholas Cook, showing a digital color print; Jackson Taylor with a silkscreen print; and Jenee Sue Rastry, showing a black and white photo superimposed with a digital design.

The heART Show is supported by Lenihan-Sotheby’s International Reality. For additional information, contact Danielle Jostes, 502-852-7448.

About the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute

Since opening its doors in 2007, the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute has focused on the discovery, development and implementation of innovative treatments for cardiovascular disease. The CII’s main goal is to foster a world-class collaborative, integrated, multi-disciplinary enterprise encompassing basic, translational, clinical and population research in cardiovascular disease, affecting individuals throughout their entire lifespan, from prenatal life to death. The CII is a partnership effort of the University of Louisville and the Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence.

About the Hite Art Institute, Department of Fine Arts

Established in 1937 at the University of Louisville Department of Fine Arts and endowed as the Hite Art Institute in 1946, the institute is the most comprehensive fine arts program in Kentucky. Twenty-four full-time faculty members guide 400 undergraduate and graduate majors in the combined studio, art history and critical and curatorial studies areas. The institute offers a wide array of study specialty areas, including art history, ceramics, drawing, fiber, glass, graphic design, interior design, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and critical and curatorial studies. The institute was endowed in recognition of the bequest of Allen R. and Marcia S. Hite of Louisville.

A University of Louisville study published Feb. 17 in Health Affairs found low-income Kentuckians without health insurance declined by 68 percent - from 35 percent uninsured at the end of 2013 to 11 percent in late 2014. Completed prior to Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin’s announcement to dismantle the state’s health exchange, kynect, the data supports trends of similar studies published nationally showing a drop in the number of uninsured Americans. Study findings also revealed declines in the number of people lacking a regular source of health care and those with unmet medical needs.

At the time of the study, Kentucky was one of two southern states to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The expansion raised Medicaid eligibility up to 138 percent of the poverty level as a means to make coverage more accessible and affordable for those likely to experience financial barriers to medical care.

The study was conducted by University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences Department of Health Management and Systems Sciences faculty Joseph Benitez, Ph.D., Liza Creel, Ph.D., M.P.H., and J’Aime Jennings, Ph.D. – all affiliates of the school’s Commonwealth Institute of Kentucky, a transdisciplinary collaborative for population health improvement and health policy analysis.

Using data from the 2006-14 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, an annual survey of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they focused on adults between the ages of 25 and 64 who reported an annual household income below $25,000, allowing them to capture a large segment of the population that could benefit from the expansion. Data from residents of Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia - three neighboring states that did not expand Medicaid eligibility - served as study controls.

“We found that low-income Kentuckians largely benefitted from the state’s decision to expand Medicaid relative to its neighbors in three measurable areas of access to health care,” Benitez said.  “Our findings may shed light on advantages other states may realize under the ACA-related expansions in public insurance coverage eligibility and decisions to expand Medicaid.”

In a study of patients entering the hospital for acute stroke, researchers have increased their understanding of an association between certain types of stroke and the presence of the oral bacteria (cnm-positive Streptococcus mutans). Robert P. Friedland, M.D., the Mason C. and Mary D. Rudd Endowed Chair and Professor in Neurology at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, was a co-author of the study, published online this month in Scientific Reports, a journal of the Nature Publishing Group.

In the single hospital study, researchers at the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center in Osaka, Japan, observed stroke patients to gain a better understanding of the relationship between hemorrhagic stroke and oral bacteria. Among the patients who experienced intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), 26 percent were found to have a specific bacterium in their saliva, cnm-positive S. mutans. Among patients with other types of stroke, only 6 percent tested positive for the bacterium.

Strokes are characterized as either ischemic strokes, which involve a blockage of one or more blood vessels supplying the brain, or hemorrhagic strokes, in which blood vessels in the brain rupture, causing bleeding.

The researchers also evaluated MRIs of study subjects for the presence of cerebral microbleeds (CMB), small brain hemorrhages which may cause dementia and also often underlie ICH. They found that the number of CMBs was significantly higher in subjects with cnm-positive S. mutans than in those without.

The authors hypothesize that the S. mutans bacteria may bind to blood vessels weakened by age and high blood pressure, causing arterial ruptures in the brain, leading to small or large hemorrhages.

“This study shows that oral health is important for brain health. People need to take care of their teeth because it is good for their brain and their heart as well as their teeth,” Friedland said. “The study and related work in our labs have shown that oral bacteria are involved in several kinds of stroke, including brain hemorrhages and strokes that lead to dementia.”

Multiple research studies have shown a close association between the presence of gum disease and heart disease, and a 2013 publication by Jan Potempa, Ph.D., D.Sc., of the UofL School of Dentistry, revealed how the bacterium responsible for gum disease worsens rheumatoid arthritis.

The cnm-negative S. mutans bacteria is found in approximately 10 percent of the general population, Friedland says, and is known to cause dental cavities (tooth decay). Friedland also is researching the role of oral bacteria in other diseases affecting the brain.

“We are investigating the role of oral and gut bacteria in the initiation of pathology in the neurodegenerative disorders Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s with collaborators in the United Kingdom and Japan.”

Feburary 16, 2016

Final results for the Sunbelt Melanoma Trial, published online this month in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, show that thanks to current diagnostic techniques, most stage III melanoma patients do not benefit from treatment with interferon. Kelly McMasters, M.D., Ph.D., the Ben A. Reid, Sr., M.D. Professor and Chair of the Hiram C. Polk, Jr., M.D. Department of Surgery at the University of Louisville, was the principal investigator and initiated the trial.

The first of more than 3600 trial participants were enrolled in 1997. Patients with small amounts of melanoma detected in a single lymph node were either treated with high-dose interferon therapy or simply observed. The patients, representing 79 institutions across North America, were followed for up to 10 years to determine long-term outcomes in terms of disease-free survival and overall survival.

Interferon was approved by the FDA in 1995 as a therapy for melanoma based on a study of patients with multiple large, palpable lymph nodes involved with cancer. However, the development of sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy in the 1990s made it possible for physicians to detect microscopic amounts of cancer in lymph nodes that could not be detected by hand.

Patients in the Sunbelt Trial were those with melanoma detected in a single lymph node by SLN biopsy. They were considered stage III because of the presence of melanoma in the lymph nodes, but the smaller amounts of cancer detected meant they had lower risk of cancer recurrence than previous stage III patients. McMasters, director of the Multidisciplinary Melanoma Clinic and associate director of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center at UofL, said the trial also studied patients with an even smaller amount of cancer in the lymph nodes, detected only at the molecular level using polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

“We started the Sunbelt Melanoma Trial to determine whether interferon therapy was warranted in this relatively lower risk group of stage III patients,” McMasters said. “What we found was that there was no evidence that interferon was necessary or helpful for this substantial group of melanoma patients. That saves many patients the toxicity and expense of interferon therapy, which is like having the flu, only worse, for a whole year. While the study did not quite meet its accrual goals and was underpowered to detect very small differences in survival, there was not even a trend for improvement in survival with interferon. Based on these findings, it would be hard to recommend interferon therapy for patients with minimal cancer in just one lymph node.”

McMasters said that in practice today, most patients have the smaller level of cancer detected in the lymph nodes.

While interferon is still one of the two FDA-approved drugs for adjuvant therapy for high-risk melanoma, McMasters believes options now in the pipeline and further research into the molecular behavior of cancer cells will reveal more advantageous treatments for those with limited lymph node metastases.

“Newer studies of melanoma adjuvant therapy using immune checkpoint agents, such as PD-1 inhibitors, show much promise,” McMasters said. “I think more work needs to be performed to understand the significance of molecular detection of melanoma cells in the lymph nodes and in the circulating bloodstream. We now suspect that melanoma, as with other cancers, routinely sheds cancer cells into the lymphatic system and bloodstream, and that a small minority of these cells that have the ability to evade the immune system, attach, invade, develop their own blood supply and grow, will become metastatic tumors.”

The Sunbelt Melanoma Trial was funded by Schering Oncology Biotech. The sponsor had no involvement in the design, conduct, analysis or publication of the work

February 15, 2016

While e-cigarette use is increasing worldwide, little is known about the health effects e-cigarettes pose for users. A University of Louisville researcher is working to change that status.

Daniel J. Conklin, Ph.D., professor of medicine in UofL’s Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, will discuss his early research identifying potentially harmful effects of e-cigarettes at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting.

Conklin will be among a three-member panel discussing “New and Emerging Tobacco Products: Biomarkers of Exposure and Injury,” Friday, Feb. 12, from 8-9:30 a.m. at the Marshall Ballroom East of the Marriott Wardman Park, 2660 Woodley Rd. Northwest, Washington.

Conklin will share new data showing that e-cigarettes have been shown to speed up atherosclerosis – the plaque-causing disease that leads to heart attack, stroke and peripheral arterial disease. When atherosclerosis affects the arteries of the heart, it is known as coronary artery disease, a condition that affects more than 15 million Americans and causes 500,000 deaths annually.

“Currently, we do not know whether e-cigarettes are harmful,” Conklin said. “They do not generate smoke as do conventional cigarettes but they do generate an aerosol – the vapor – that alters indoor air quality and contains toxic aldehydes. We investigated the direct effects of these toxins on cardiovascular disease in the laboratory.”

Conklin and his team exposed one set of mice to varying levels of e-cigarette aerosol, tobacco smoke, smokeless tobacco or to an aldehyde produced by tobacco, acrolein, which is thought to pose 80-85 percent of the non-cancer health risk of tobacco smoke. Another set of mice was exposed to nicotine alone to understand whether nicotine by itself had any effect.

Not surprisingly and consistent with previous studies, exposure to tobacco smoke increased the amount of atherosclerosis in mice. At the same time, the research team found that either e-cigarette aerosol or smokeless tobacco exposure alone also increased atherosclerosis.

Conklin was particularly intrigued by the results seen with exposure to acrolein or nicotine alone. “Somewhat surprising was the finding that either nicotine alone or acrolein alone at levels equivalent to those present in smokeless tobacco or mainstream smoke also increased atherosclerosis in mice.

“These findings indicate that multiple tobacco-derived constituents have cardiovascular disease-causing potential."

Nearly one in every 100 babies is born with some type of heart defect, making congenital heart disease the most common birth defect. But thanks to advances in medical care, more than 90 percent of these children now survive well into adulthood.

Because of this, there are now more adults living with adult congenital heart disease than there are children, according to the Adult Congenital Heart Association. In all, there are more than 2 million people of all ages with congenital heart disease in the United States alone. Hundreds are in Kentucky, not knowing they may need specialized care. But a new program of University of Louisville Physicians and Kosair Children’s Hospital fills the gap in care with a statewide network of specialized services.

Congenital heart disease is a lifelong problem - even if a defect is successfully repaired during childhood. Those who have the condition may experience long-term problems, such as difficulty with exercise, disturbances in heart rhythm, infections and heart failure, and will benefit from lifelong medical management. There is also the potential need for additional surgery

Patients can be at high risk for sudden cardiac arrest, stroke and premature death, and their rates of emergency room visits and hospitalizations are higher than the general population. Many have cardiac issues that arise during pregnancy. All of these require monitoring by a specialist who understands the unique needs of an adult with congenital heart disease.

“This is a new and growing population of adult patients, and there have historically been few physicians in the U.S. specializing in congenital heart disease in adults,” said Dr. Craig Alexander, an adult congenital heart specialist for University of Louisville Physicians and Kosair Children’s Hospital who is the first physician in Kentucky and among the first in the nation to be fellowship-trained in adult congenital heart disease (ACHD).

“These patients often have a hard time finding doctors who understand their conditions and can care for their unique medical needs.”

With Alexander and a team of dedicated specialists, UofL Physicians and Kosair Children’s Hospital provide the care and resources in Kentucky and Southern Indiana for adult congenital heart care, helping patients live longer, healthier lives. The team works with the patient’s regular cardiologist to provide both clinical and procedural care for adults, including advanced diagnostic testing and cardiac imaging, interventional catheterizations, including advanced device implantation and complex arrhythmia therapies, as well as complex surgical procedures.

For patients, the program can mean living healthier, longer lives.

“I was diagnosed as having a bicuspid aortic valve stenosis when I was 5,” Hannah Reed said. “After I turned 16 and everything was fine; I stopped seeing a cardiologist.”

Bicuspid aortic valve stenosis means the aortic valve of the heart only has 2 leaflets instead of 3. The aortic valve regulates blood flow from the heart into the aorta, the major blood vessel that brings blood to the body. With only 2 leaflets, the abnormal valve can leak or become narrow, causing the heart to pump harder requiring medications, cardiac catheterization and/or other minimally invasive or surgical procedures.

Reed is an example of the kinds of patients now finding their way to Dr. Alexander.

“When I became pregnant, several referrals brought me to Dr. Alexander, who has helped me through my baby’s birth. If I want to have more children, I’ll need closer monitoring and possibly even a procedure to open the valve.”

The UofL Physicians adult congenital heart program is co-directed by Alexander and Dr. Walter Sobczyk, who has been treating ACHD patients for more than 25 years. Alexander recently joined the UofL Physicians staff from Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston.

In addition to Louisville, pediatric cardiologists with UofL Physicians travel to eight rotating sites across the state to see patients who cannot easily make the trip.

To refer a patient to the UofL Physicians adult congenital heart program, call 502-585-4802. To connect with the Kosair Children’s Hospital Heart Center, call 502-629-6000.

For more information on the program and adult congenital heart disease, visit the UofL Physicians web page at www.uoflphysicians.com/adult-congenital-heart-disease. For more information on the Kosair Children’s Hospital Heart Center, visit https://kosairchildrenshospital.com/Pages/congenitalheartservicesforadultpatients.aspx.

About University of Louisville Physicians

University of Louisville Physiciansisthe largest multispecialty physician practice in the Louisville region, with nearly 600 primary care and specialty physicians in more than 78 specialties and subspecialties. Our doctors are the professors and researchers of the University of Louisville School of Medicine, teaching tomorrow’s physicians and leading research into medical advancements.

About Kosair Children’s Hospital

As Kentucky and Southern Indiana’s only full-service, free-standing pediatric hospital, Kosair Children’s Hospital, along with its predecessor hospitals, have cared for children for more than a century without regard to their families’ ability to pay. The hospital also is an advocate for the health and well-being of all children. The 267-bed hospital is the region’s only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center and serves as the primary pediatric teaching facility for the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Specialists offer comprehensive pediatric care including a full range of services for congenital and acquired heart disease, cancer care, neurosciences, spine and orthopaedic care, and neonatal care. In 2007 and 2012, Kosair Children’s Hospital received the prestigious Magnet designation recognizing excellence in nursing from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. More information is available at KosairChildrensHospital.com.

A nationally and internationally recognized expert in complex congenital heart disease has joined the faculty of the University of Louisville School of Medicine Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery. Frank A. Pigula, M.D., comes to Louisville from Boston where he was the clinical director of the pediatric cardiac surgery program at the Children’s Hospital of Boston, rated number one in cardiology and heart surgery by U.S. News & World Report. Pigula also was an associate professor of surgery at Harvard University School of Medicine.

Pigula will perform both clinical and laboratory research at UofL. He has ongoing clinical studies to document neurodevelopmental outcomes in neonates using a technique he developed in Boston to reduce circulatory arrest times in an effort to reduce bypass-related neurologic injury. He also is conducting laboratory research on protecting the brain from bypass‑related brain injury during surgery.

“We are extremely pleased to bring a world-class clinician and researcher such as Dr. Pigula to UofL. He will be a tremendous asset in training the next generation of physicians in cutting edge cardiovascular and thoracic surgery,” said Mark S. Slaughter, M.D., chair of UofL’s Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery.

Pigula also will practice with University of Louisville Physicians and will serve as chief of the Division of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery at Kosair Children’s Hospital. He is expected to begin seeing patients next month. He joins Erle H. Austin, III, M.D., who has been chief of cardiovascular surgery at the hospital for 26 years and will now focus on direct patient care, and Deborah J. Kozik, D.O.; both practice with ULP-Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery. Pigula and Christopher Johnsrude, M.D., chief of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology at UofL, will serve as co-directors of the Kosair Children’s Hospital Heart Center.

“Kosair Children’s Hospital is dedicated to ensuring children needing complex care for heart issues do not need to leave Kentucky,” said Thomas D. Kmetz, Norton Healthcare division president, Women’s and Children’s Services and Kosair Children’s Hospital. “With Dr. Pigula’s leadership, we expect to see the care we can provide to children with heart issues continue to grow.”

Pigula earned his medical degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine and completed his residency in general surgery and surgery research fellowship at Medical Center Hospital, College of Vermont and UVM College of Medicine. He completed a residency in cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh and a fellowship in congenital cardiovascular surgery at the Children’s Hospital of Boston.

At the Children’s Hospital of Boston, Pigula served as the clinical director of the pediatric cardiac surgery program since 2004, the director of the neonatal surgical program since 2010, and surgical director of the pediatric cardiac neurodevelopmental program since 2007 before moving to Louisville. He is a member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery Scholarship Committee and Education Committee.

Pigula is widely published and is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in complex congenital heart disease. He is on the editorial board of Pediatric Cardiology, Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, and Case Reports in Medicine, and is an ad hoc reviewer of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Pediatrics, The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, Circulation and Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Posted Feb. 8, 2016

Microorganisms in the gut could play a role in reducing the severity of malaria, according to a new study co-authored by researchers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and the University of Louisville.

Steven Wilhelm, the Kenneth and Blaire Mossman Professor in UT's Department of Microbiology, and Shawn Campagna, associate professor of chemistry at UT, partnered with Nathan Schmidt, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at U of L, to examine the gut microbiomes of mice. They discovered that the severity of malaria is not only a function of the parasite or the host but also is influenced by the microbes in the infected organism.

The research could one day help scientists develop new treatments for malaria in humans.

The findings will be published Feb. 8, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Unfortunately, we are still years away from an effective and easily administered malaria vaccine, and drug resistance is a growing concern," Schmidt said.

Wilhelm added, "The research provides a potential new avenue to investigate factors that control the severity of malaria. With 1 million people dying each year, many of whom are young children, any approach that may save even a few lives is worth following up on."

Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease, and those with the illness often experience fever, chills and flu-like symptoms. It may be fatal if left untreated. Malaria transmissions typically occur in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

During the study, the research team found that genetically similar mice acquired from different vendors showed significant differences in pathology after infection with malaria. The researchers measured the mice gut microbiomes—via DNA sequencing of the bacteria in the digestive tract—and noted significant differences within the different populations. Schmidt directly transferred the gut microbiomes to other mice and was able to show that the differences in disease severity were transferred.

The researchers observed an increased abundance of bacteria common in yogurt in the mice that exhibited reduced malaria pathology. When mice were fed a yogurt containing these bacteria the researchers discovered that the severity of malaria decreased.

"These results demonstrate the possibility of modifying the gut microbiome to prevent severe malaria," Schmidt said.

Wilhelm noted that while the research interventions lessened the severity of malaria in mice, it did not prevent or cure it.

The researchers are a long way from perfecting similar treatments in humans but are working on understanding the mechanism.

"A way to help people who are infected—and especially a simple and cheap way, as much of the infection occurs in the developing world—would be a great service to society," Wilhelm said.

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society and Wilhelm's Mossman Professorship.

University of Louisville’s Rowntree Professor and Endowed Chair of Family and Geriatric Medicine, Diane Medved Harper, M.D., has beenappointed to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an appointed panel that issues evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive services such as screenings, counseling services, and preventive medications.

Harper is one of four new members to the 16-member task force. Other new members are: John W. Epling, Jr., M.D., State University of New York Upstate Medical University.; C. Seth. Landefeld, M.D., University of Alabama at Birmingham; and Carol M. Mangione, M.D., University of California, Los Angeles.

The task force is an independent, volunteer panel of national experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine. Members come from throughout health-related fields, including internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, behavioral health, obstetrics/gynecology and nursing. Members are appointed to serve four-year terms by the director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“The University of Louisville is proud to congratulate Dr. Harper on this prestigious new appointment,” Toni Ganzel, M.D., dean of the UofL School of Medicine, said. “We are confident that her experience in family medicine and obstetrics and gynecology and her dedication to prevention and evidence-based medicine will serve the task force, health care professionals, patients and the nation well.”

In addition to holding an endowed professorship and chair, Harper also serves as a professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health; a professor of bioengineering at the Speed School of Engineering; and a professor of epidemiology and population health and of health promotion and behavioral health sciences in the School of Public Health and Information Sciences. Her expertise and primary research focus is prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases related to human papillomavirus.

“On behalf of my fellow Task Force members, I am pleased to welcome Dr. Harper to the Task Force,” said Task Force Chair Albert Siu, M.D., of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital. “Her expertise in the areas of medical education, preventive medicine and obstetrics and gynecology will be an important addition to the Task Force.”

“We congratulate Dr. Harper on her appointment to the Task Force,” said Ruth W. Brinkley, president and CEO of KentuckyOne Health, the largest health system in Kentucky and partner in care with the UofL School of Medicine. “It’s an honor for the Commonwealth of Kentucky to be represented on the national level by Dr. Harper. We know her experience will bring significant value to shape health and wellness across the United States.”

At the next edition of Beer with a Scientist, Steven Koenig, Ph.D., a professor and endowed chair in the Departments of Bioengineering and Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at the University of Louisville, and Mark Slaughter, M.D., chair of the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, will share the latest developments in artificial heart technology.

Over the past 20 years, Koenig and Slaughter have been instrumental in partnering with industry to develop medical devices that have restored the lives of patients suffering from advanced heart failure. At the next Beer with a Scientist event on Feb. 10, they will discuss the latest developments in medical devices used in patients suffering from heart failure and describe the engineering, research, testing and implementation that goes into getting FDA approval for the use of medical devices.

The program begins at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 10 at Against the Grain Brewery, 401 E. Main St. A 30-minute presentation will be followed by an informal Q&A session.

The Beer with a Scientist program began in 2014 and is the brainchild of UofL cancer researcher Levi Beverly, Ph.D. Once a month, the public is invited to enjoy exactly what the title promises:  beer and science.

Admission is free. Purchase of beer, other beverages or menu items is not required but is encouraged.

Organizers add that they also encourage Beer with a Scientist patrons to drink responsibly.

For more information and to suggest future Beer with a Scientist topics, follow Louisville Underground Science on Facebook.

Feb. 3, 2016

Lt. Col. J. Patrick Staley, right, presents a U.S. Army Medical Recruiting Brigade certificate of Appreciation to Toni Ganzel, M.D., dean of the University of Louisville School of Medicine, Thursday (Jan. 28) at the University Club on the UofL campus. The recognition was granted for the support shown by Ganzel and the medical school across a variety of activities, including partnership with UofL’s Paris Simulation Center with the brigade for education and training; the provision by UofL of discounted training supplies and training to uniformed personnel; access to medical school grounds for Brigade-sponsored Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelter or “DRASH” exercises showing field medical operations; interaction between Brigade personnel and UofL students and residents; and more. Ganzel also received a battalion coin in recognition of the relationship that continues through the UofL Office of Military Initiatives and Partnerships and the Patriot Partnership Program. “We thank Dean Ganzel and the School of Medicine for their support of the Army Medical Recruiting Brigade and seek to further our partnership in the future,” Staley said.

Mariusz Z. Ratajczak, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sci., was presented with a Gold Cross of Merit by the president of Poland, Andrzej Duda, on January 22 in Warsaw. Ratajczak, a professor in the University of Louisville Department of Medicine, was recognized for his work in stem cell research and transplantation.

Ratajczak, a native of Poland, received the award at a ceremony marking the opening of National Transplantation Congress in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the first kidney transplant in Poland and the 30th anniversary of the country’s first bone marrow transplant. The Cross of Merit is a civil state award presented by the government of Poland to citizens who have gone beyond the call of duty in their work for the country and society as a whole. The award was established in 1923 to recognize services to the state and has three grades:  gold, silver and bronze.

Ratajczak is an internationally known specialist in the field of adult stem cell biology and is director of the Stem Cell Program at UofL’s James Graham Brown Cancer Center, a part of KentuckyOne Health. His 2005 discovery of embryonic-like stem cells in adult bone marrow tissues has the potential to revolutionize the field of regenerative medicine. These very small embryonic-like cells (VSELs) may lead to new treatments for cancer, heart disease, eye disease, diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders.

“My work would not be possible without the longstanding support of Donald Miller, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Brown Cancer Center, to my program,” Ratajczak said. “I also consider the award as recognition to my team of collaborators:  Magda Kucia, Ph.D., D.Sci., Janina Ratajczak, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sci., Malwina Suszynska, Ph.D., and Gabriela Schneider, Ph.D., who are working with me to employ VSELs in regenerative medicine.”

Recently, Ratajczak’s research team has developed a promising strategy to expand VSELs, opening a door for using the cells in regenerative medicine as a promising alternative to other stem cells.

Ratajczak also is known for his work on novel mechanisms of mobilization and homing of stem cells, the biological role of extracellular microvesicles and molecular mechanisms of cancer metastasis. His work is supported by two R01 grants. He holds the Stella and Henry Hoenig Endowed Chair in Cancer Biology.

Jan. 28, 2016

Early-stage breast cancer patients now have a new one-day breast cancer treatment option at the University of Louisville’s James Graham Brown Cancer Center, a part of KentuckyOne Health. The cancer center is the first in Kentucky to offer this new technology.

Patients who meet specific selection criteria are able to be treated with intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT), a one-day breast cancer treatment option that offers multiple patient benefits, including added convenience, fewer treatments and reduced costs.

IORT allows radiation oncologists and breast cancer surgeons to work together to deliver a full, concentrated dose of radiation in one day at the time of lumpectomy, targeting cancer cells and sparing healthy tissue, such as the heart, lungs and ribs. This compares to traditional breast cancer treatment, which involves daily radiation five days per week, for six to eight weeks. With IORT, radiation is delivered from inside the breast rather than externally, as is done during external beam radiation therapy (EBRT).

“As one of America’s finest cancer treatment and research institutions, our goal is not just to fight cancer, but to win,” said Donald Miller, M.D., Ph.D., director of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center. “The more advanced technology and research available to our multidisciplinary care teams, the more tools we have at our disposal to save lives. IORT is an exciting advancement in breast cancer care.”

“Two major studies have shown IORT is effective, but with fewer side effects than traditional radiation, making it a viable treatment option for appropriate patients,” said Anthony Dragan, M.D., radiation oncologist with UofL Physicians and the James Graham Brown Cancer Center. “In addition to fewer side effects, IORT can also help improve access to care. Some women, such as those who live in more rural areas, women who are in the workforce and women who are caretakers for their families, find it difficult to finish a course of traditional treatment that requires multiple visits.

“Since IORT requires only one dose of radiation, patients are able to return to their normal life within days rather than weeks, a huge improvement over traditional radiation treatment.”

The technology used is the Xoft^® Axxent^® Electronic Brachytherapy (eBx^®) System^®, which is FDA cleared for the treatment of cancer anywhere in the body, including early-stage breast cancer, gynecological cancers and non-melanoma skin cancer.

The Xoft System uses a proprietary miniaturized x-ray source, which is inserted into a flexible balloon-shaped applicator, then temporarily placed inside the lumpectomy cavity. A full course of radiation is then administered in a single dose, lasting as little as eight minutes, which directly targets cancer cells.

“IORT gives patients with early stage breast cancer an integrated surgical and radiotherapy option, in just one treatment, with the hope for the same outcomes (resulting from treatments currently in use),” said Nicolas Ajkay, M.D., surgical oncologist with UofL Physicians and the James Graham Brown Cancer Center. “Our multidisciplinary team approach leads to constant collaboration among physicians to find the right treatment plan for each patient. IORT furthers our ability to do so in new and exciting ways.”

A growing body of favorable clinical data supports the use of IORT in candidates meeting specific selection criteria. iCAD, the maker of Xoft, is currently conducting one of the largest IORT clinical studies to date using the Xoft System, which compares Xoft IORT to traditional external beam radiation therapy. To date, more than 2,000 patients have been treated with Xoft IORT.

For more information about IORT at the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, visit http://www.kentuckyonehealth.org/IORT or call 502-562-HOPE(4673).

The Institute for Sustainable Health & Optimal Aging at the University of Louisville will host its inaugural Optimal Aging Conference June 12-14 in Louisville. The conference will be held at the Brown Hotel, 335 W. Broadway.

The Optimal Aging Conference brings together academics, professionals and older adults across a variety of disciplines who are united by a view that aging is an opportunity, not a disease, said Institute Executive Director Anna Faul, D.Litt. “This conference supports the dissemination of biopsychosocial aging research, age-friendly product innovation, and evidence-based practice and education models, with participation and input from older adults,” Faul said.

The conference will feature presentations on the latest in aging research, community based programs and services, evidence-based interventions, innovative opportunities, and community engagement for older adults.The deadline for abstract submissions is March 18.

Registration will open April 1. The registration fee for students, residents, and senior citizens age 65 and older is $100; $240 for KAG Members; and $260 for all other academics and professionals.

The conference also will feature exhibits from a variety of businesses and organizations involved in the aging profession. Deadline for exhibitors and sponsorships is April 30.

The conference is sponsored jointly by the UofL Institute for Sustainable Health & Optimal Aging and the Kentucky Association for Gerontology. For information about the conference, visit www.OptimalAgingInstitute.org or call 502-852-5629.

The Institute for Sustainable Health & Optimal Aging at the University of Louisville, now in just its 15^th month of operation, has garnered a major grant to further efforts to bring health care to rural and medically underserved Kentuckians.

The Health Resources and Services Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services has awarded $2.55 million to institute researchers to create the Kentucky Rural & Underserved Geriatric Interprofessional Education Program (KRUGIEP).

This three-year initiative will be headed by Dr. Anna Faul, executive director of the Institute for Sustainable Health & Optimal Aging at UofL, and will include a group of transdisciplinary faculty at UofL along with partnering organizations from six rural counties in Kentucky: Hart, Metcalfe, Barren, Bullitt, Henry and Shelby.

In the six counties, KRUGIEP addresses the following needs:

1. The shortage of the geriatric and primary care work force
2. The need to train health care providers that can deliver culturally appropriate services to Kentucky’s growing Hispanic population
3. The need to decrease the chronic disease burden in rural Kentucky
4. The lack of supportive environments to promote health, specifically for older rural populations
5. The need for supportive education and resources in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD)

With the grant funding, KRUGIEP will develop an interprofessional education center for geriatric education at UofL for students and professionals in medicine, nursing, social work, dentistry, pharmacy, community health and law; help primary care sites deliver integrated patient-centered geriatric primary care; and provide training and community engagement resources to create ADRD-friendly communities in the six-county region.

“This project is unique in its integration of community health teams and mental health specialists within geriatric primary care delivery systems,” said Institute Executive Director Anna Faul, D.Litt., who is principal investigator on the grant. “We are going to use a systemic approach of collaborative care and develop an inter-agency consortium that strengthen the links among related services for older adults.”

Within UofL, the grant will initially draw upon resources and faculty from the Brandeis School of Law, Kent School of Social Work, School of Dentistry, School of Medicine and School of Nursing. Partner sites in the first year of the grant will be Glasgow Family Medicine Clinic serving Barren, Hart and Metcalfe counties; Shelby Family Medicine and Mercy Medical in Shelby County; Kentucky River Medical Partners in Henry County and UofL Geriatrics Home Care Practice in Bullitt County. Additionally, partnering organizations are KIPDA in Louisville and the Barren River Area Agencies on Aging and Independent Living.

Although three of the six counties – Henry, Shelby and Bullitt – are classified within the Louisville Metro region, large percentages of the population are seen as rural, based on population density, count and size thresholds. The total population of the six counties is just 202,726, with 13 percent age 65 and older.

Crucially, the projected population growth of those 65 and older in the six counties is projected to be 149 percent by the year 2050 – 35 percent greater than both the projected growth rates of 114 percent for the same group in Kentucky and the United States.

Growth in the Hispanic population in the six counties also is above the state and national average. From 2000 to 2010, the Hispanic population change was 144 percent as compared to 122 percent in Kentucky and 43 percent in the United States during the same time frame.

“This grant represents exactly why the Institute for Sustainable Health & Optimal Aging was created,” said Terry Singer, Ph.D., dean of the Kent School who is involved with work funded by the grant. “The need for transdisciplinary approaches to examine issues that our aging population faces is significant because no issue stands on its own; all are inter-related from a health, social science, legal and policy perspective.”

The University of Louisville Institute for Sustainable Health & Optimal Aging seeks to transform the aging process at the local, national and international levels. In partnership with the university and community partners, the institute works to empower older adults to flourish by engaging in biopsychosocial transdisciplinary research, innovation leading to age-friendly product commercialization, evidence-based practice models of care and creative didactic and experiential education. For more information, visit www.OptimalAgingInstitute.org or on Facebook, Facebook/OptimalAgingInstitute.

University of Louisville medical students in the Distinction in Global Health (DIGH) track are putting their passion to work for refugees resettling in Kentucky and they are inviting the community to join their effort.

Third-year UofL medical students Allison Lyle and MeNore Lake are spearheading the My New Kentucky Home: Donation Drive to collect clothing and household items for refugees arriving in Kentucky. The donations will be distributed directly to individuals in need by Migration & Refugee Services, a department of Catholic Charities of Louisville, Inc., which assists refugees in the Louisville area. The Kentucky Office for Refugees, also a department of Catholic Charities, reports that about 1,250 refugees arrived in Louisville in 2015 from 23 countries, and expects that many or more in 2016.

It all started late last fall when Lyle and her husband were cleaning out their apartment. Lyle decided she would like to get the unneeded clothing and household items to someone who could use them.

“This was around the same time as the attacks in Paris and the unfortunate discourse around Syrian refugees not being wanted,” Lyle said. “I thought we could do a med-school wide outreach program to show this demographic some extra kindness.”

As a member of the Distinction in Global Health track in the UofL School of Medicine, Lyle is particularly concerned with the needs of refugees. She brainstormed with Lake, a medical school classmate and fellow DIGH track member, and they began collecting clothing and household items for donation.

“We both recognize and respect the role of Louisville as a new home to refugees. I see the My New Kentucky Home: Donation Driveas an excellent initiative for our school to recognize and show a sense of community to refugees in Louisville,” Lake said.

The Distinction in Global Health track teaches medical students with interests in global health how to approach the literature and conduct scholarly projects in this field.

“This project, which was totally student-initiated, is in addition to all the work they are doing in school and in the track. It has now turned into a project to help stock up the warehouses around Louisville so that we are more prepared, as a city, to meet the needs of the refugees we are expecting,” said Bethany Hodge, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Global Education Office of the UofL School of medicine and the DIGH program.

The group is collecting new or gently-used items including:

• Men's, women's and children's clothing
  (greatest need is for winter clothes, shoes, socks, undergarments)
• Kitchen utensils, pots, pans, dish sets
• Bedding (blankets, comforters, fleece throws and sheets) and pillows
• Bath towels, hand towels and rags

Donations may be taken to Michael Keibler in the UofL Office of Student Affairs, “A” Building, 319 Abraham Flexner Way, Suite 210 through Friday, Jan. 29.

Items also may be dropped off at Migration Refugee Services, 2220 W. Market St. from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

To have furniture or other large items picked up, contact Chris Clements, Catholic Charities Assistant Community Resource Developer at 502-636-9263, ext 125

Jan. 15, 2016

The Institute for Sustainable Health & Optimal Aging at the University of Louisville begins its spring 2016 Optimal Aging Lecture Series with “What’s Love Got to Do With It?,” Wednesday, Feb. 10. The lecture will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the University Club, 200 E. Brandeis Ave.

The Institute’s Drs. Anna Faul, executive director, and Joseph D’Ambrosio, director of health innovation and sustainability, will deliver a timely discussion about the ways to infuse love into caregiving and everyday life as you age.

Infusing love into caregiving and long-term care for older adults is a daunting experience when you are exchausted, and there are minimal resources available to support you as a caregiver. This lecture will combine Faul’s and D’Ambrosio’s expertise in the areas of love, compassion and gerontology to empower caregivers and older adults to maintain love throughout the life span.

Faul and D’Ambrosio are recognized as academic experts in compassionate love; click here to learn about their 2014 study on compassionate love in long-term relationships.

Admission is $17 per person and includes lunch. Reservations are required; for information, call 502-852-8953 or email natalie.pope@louisville.edu.

Eleven-year-old Evan Green discovered a whole new world at Asia Institute Crane House (AICH) thanks to a new art program for patients at the University of Louisville Autism Center at Kosair Charities.

“It was great! I learned how there are a lot of patterns in the artwork,” said Green, a patient at the UofL Autism Center.

In its first six-week session last fall, the New Perspectives Art Program introduced Green and 13 other students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to the patterns, shapes and themes of Asian art. Students explored the exhibit “Peacocks and Paisleys” at AICH, learning about the artistic themes and textiles of China, India, Japan and Korea. They also learned how those cultures used scrolls for communication and art. The students then created their own art using natural materials, stencils and block printing.

“It lit him up. It was a day of excitement,” said Evan’s mother, Linda.

The program, funded by a grant from The Norton Foundation, Inc., was created to encourage social interaction, positive behaviors and individual self-confidence in children on the autism spectrum. It was developed by Mike Miller, field training coordinator in the UofL College of Education and Human Development working at the Kentucky Autism Training Center, and Delaire Rowe of VSA Kentucky, an organization dedicated to providing arts education for individuals with disabilities.

“At first I wondered if it would work. A lot of the kids didn’t know each other and they had to build relationships and to share materials,” Miller said. “However, after they got in the art process they stayed so engaged. Most of the time at the clinic, they need a break after about 15 minutes. In the classes, they would work the entire hour. We asked if they needed to go walk, but they stayed right there.”

Art instructor Pat Sturtzel and Asia Institute Crane House staff members Ruchi Malhotra and Matt Nichols conducted the hour-long classes with the students, age 6 through 21. Linda Green said Evan was enthusiastic about the Saturday classes since he loves to draw, and he quickly became engaged in the activities.

“He talked to other kids and he would make sure they had things they needed. If they came in late, he would sit down next to them and try to give them instructions that he had just been given,” Linda Green said. “As soon as we got home he wanted to do the activities again. He did not ever want the class to end.”

Following the weekly sessions, the students’ scrolls were placed on exhibit in the Crane House gallery and an opening reception held Dec. 10, at which the students showed off their work for visitors. The students’ artwork will remain on display at Asia Institute Crane House, 1244 S. Third St., through Mar. 18.

Miller and Rowe are planning additional programs for students in the spring.

About the organizations:

UofL Autism Center at Kosair Charities, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, offers families and primary care providers a single source for treatment, evaluation, intervention, training and research in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Kentucky Autism Training Center (KATC) has a mission is to strengthen our state's systems of support for persons affected by autism by bridging research to practice and by providing training and resources to families and professionals. KATC is affiliated with the UofL College of Education and Human Development and has a legislative mandate to enhance outcomes for all Kentuckians with ASD. KATC bridges the research to practice gap by leveraging resources, building sustainable collaborative relationships, and uses evidence-based practices in all regions of Kentucky.

VSA Kentucky is a non-profit organization dedicated to inclusive arts education for children and adults with disabilities. In addition, VSA Kentucky works to train art instructors throughout the state. VSA Kentucky is a member of the VSA Affiliate Network, a program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Asia Institute Crane House provides educational and cultural programs and services to the public and works to increase the capacity of our local Asian communities to share and preserve their heritage.

The Norton Foundation, Inc.Since 1958, the Norton Foundation has granted millions of dollars to the Louisville community in an effort to support the educational, emotional and physical development of our community’s children.

Jan. 13, 2016

Jan. 15, 2016

An accomplished medical researcher, clinician and educator has joined the University of Louisville as chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery.

The appointment of Joseph S. Neimat, M.D., was approved by the UofL Board of Trustees at its Jan. 14 meeting.

“In Joseph Neimat, the UofL School of Medicine is getting a chair with an excellent balance of expertise in research, clinical care and medical education,” Dean Toni M. Ganzel, M.D., said. “His knowledge and skills will greatly benefit our students, residents, patients and community.”

Neimat comes to UofL from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., where he has held a variety of positions: associate professor and the director of human neurophysiological research, neurotrauma, epilepsy surgery and the functional neurosurgery fellowship in the Department of Neurosurgery; and a founding member of the Vanderbilt Initiative in Surgery and Engineering. He was medical director of inpatient neurosurgery and neurosurgery operating rooms at Vanderbilt, and served on the curriculum planning committee of Vanderbilt University Medical School.

He also was chief of neurosurgery for Tennessee Valley Health Care of the Veterans Administration and held joint appointments with Vanderbilt’s Center for Integrative & Cognitive Neuroscience, Psychiatric Neuroimaging Program and Department of Psychology.

Neimat’s current research interests include investigation of the affective and cognitive properties of the basal ganglia – structures located deep in the brain that are responsible for normal movement. His research also examines the clinical application of neural stimulation in the treatment of refractory medical disease, or disease that is resistant to current therapies. He has received funding from the National Institutes of Health as well as from industry to support his research.

He serves as an ad-hoc reviewer for the NIH Study Section on Clinical Neuroscience and Neurodegeneration. He also serves on the Boards of Directors of American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery and the World Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery. He is the lead or co-author of approximately 90 peer-reviewed articles, published abstracts and textbook chapters.

Neimat earned a bachelor’s degree at Dartmouth, double majoring in music and biochemistry, and then earned a master’s in neurobiology and a medical degree from Duke University. He completed his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and a fellowship in functional neurosurgery at the University of Toronto. He is board certified in neurological surgery.