A University of Louisville physician and researcher has helped raise the profile of a leading medical journal to an all-time high.

The journal Circulation Research, edited by UofL’s Roberto Bolli, M.D., has achieved its highest-ever “impact factor,” a measure of its importance in the medical field. Circulation Research is an official journal of the American Heart Association and is considered the world’s leading journal on basic and translational research in cardiovascular medicine. Its impact factor, calculated yearly and just announced for 2016, places it among the top 2 percent of medical journals.

Bolli, chief of Cardiovascular Medicine at the UofL School of Medicine and UofL Physicians, took over as editor of the journal in 2009, and has worked to raise the journal’s profile since. He also serves as director of UofL’s Institute of Molecular Cardiology and scientific director of the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute.

The impact factor (IF) is a measure of the frequency with which the average article in a journal has been cited in other articles and medical literature in a particular year. The more cited a journal is, the more “impact” it has on the community. The impact factor for Circulation Research is 13.96. When Bolli took over as editor-in-chief, it was 9.4. From 2015 to 2016 alone, the impact factor jumped 2 points.

“Just as a major newspaper helps shape public opinion, the journal Circulation Research has an impact on what is considered important,” Bolli said. 

Impact factors are calculated by the Institute for Scientific Information and tracked by the Journal Citation Reports for more than 12,000 journals. Factors range from 0 to more than 10; only 2 percent of journal titles have a 2016 impact factor of 10 or higher.  Approximately two-thirds have a 2016 impact factor equal to or greater than 1. Those with very high impact factors include such notables as The New England Journal of Medicine and Science.

Since becoming editor-in-chief, Bolli and the Circulation Research editorial board have made dozens of changes at the journal to help increase its quality and impact factor.

“That’s a huge jump,” he said. “Four-point-five points in seven years is unprecedented. It’s very hard, as there are an increasing number of medical journals competing for articles.”

Bolli noted that the jump is even more meaningful given that Cardiovascular Research only publishes research into the cardiovascular system, where other journals publish multiple or all areas of medical research. “Our focus is much narrower, yet despite this the impact factor has gone up,” he said.

He said the impact factor of a journal is one of the main elements authors look at when deciding where to submit their best work. A journal’s ability to receive high-quality work for publication depends on how high its impact factor is, he said.

“It is a big deal to have a paper published in Circulation Research, and it is considered a significant achievement,” Bolli said.

The journal is widely read in the field, and its website receives more than 10 million hits per year. It receives approximately 2,000 submissions of articles per year, he said.

Bolli was selected as the journal’s editor-in-chief from more than 40 candidates, all leading scientists from top medical schools around the country. He called his selection an “incredible honor.”

He said that not only was it an honor for him personally, it was notable for the University of Louisville, as having the editor of a leading medical journal housed at the School of Medicine raises its profile internationally.

“I view it as my most important contribution to science, more than anything else I’ve done,” he said. “The journal helps steer the field of cardiovascular research.”

Membership on the journal’s editorial board is also very competitive, and is reserved for the top cardiovascular researchers in the world.  “It is an honor just to be included,” Bolli said.

One of the changes he and the board made was raising the bar for article acceptance. Only 7 percent of articles submitted are now accepted, compared with 16 percent before.

“If we select an article to be published, it is truly novel, methodologically immaculate, and likely to be important for others,” Bolli said.

Another change was an acceleration of the review process, making acceptance of articles more efficient. He said the journal now has the shortest turnaround time in the field. The journal also was opened up to clinical studies involving patients, and has launched more than 20 new article categories.

For Bolli, seeing the journal rise in prominence after years of hard work is meaningful not just for himself, but for the patients that ultimately benefit from research in the field.

Researchers at the University of Louisville have discovered a way to revitalize cone receptors that have deteriorated as a result of retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Working with animal models, Henry J. Kaplan, M.D., and a group of researchers in the UofL Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences discovered that replenishing glucose under the retina and transplanting healthy rod stem cells into the retina restore function of the cones.

The research, conducted by Kaplan, chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Douglas Dean, Ph.D., and Wei Wang, Ph.D., and published in December in Cell Reports, could lead to therapies for preserving or recovering central vision in patients with RP. Kaplan will present the research findings at five conferences in the United States and abroad beginning this month.

Retinitis Pigmentosa is an inherited disease in which the photoreceptor cells in the retina – rods and cones – deteriorate over time. Photoreceptors absorb and convert light into electrical signals, which are sent through the optic nerve to the brain. Rods, located in the outer regions of the retina, allow peripheral and low-light vision. Cones, located mostly in the central part of the retina, allow perception of color and visual detail.

In RP, rods deteriorate first, causing the peripheral and low light vision loss typically associated with the disease. In later stages, the cones also deteriorate. Without cone function, RP patients lose the high-resolution daylight vision necessary for reading, facial recognition and driving. As a result, this stage of RP vision loss is more debilitating than the loss of nighttime or peripheral vision. RP affects 1 in 4,000 people globally.

Recent research has shown that as the rods deteriorate, the cones are no longer able to access glucose, which becomes trapped in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). As a result of glucose starvation, the cones go dormant and eventually die.

The UofL researchers found that the cones remain dormant for a period of time before they are completely lost, and if the glucose supply can be replenished during dormancy, the cones can be regenerated. The researchers were able to successfully restore cone access to glucose in either of two procedures. First, by transplanting rod-specific induced pluripotent stem cells beneath the retina, and second by injecting glucose directly into the subretinal space.

“Following rod stem cell transplant, we observed reassembly of the cone inner segments, regeneration of cone outer segments and increased electrophysiologic function within 1,000 microns from the transplant margin for at least three months after the transplantation in all directions,” Kaplan said. “However, the recognition that glucose starvation of cones occurred because of the trapping of glucose in the RPE provides multiple new possible treatments to restore lost central vision including drug therapy, gene editing and regenerative medicine.”

Kaplan will present these findings at the 6^th China Ocular Microcirculation Society Annual Meeting - International Ophthalmology Conference, Beijing, China, and the American Society of Retina Specialists, Boston, this month, at the Indiana Academy of Ophthalmology, Carmel, in September, the Retina Society, Boston, in October, and the5th World Integrative Medicine Congress, Guangzhou, China in December.

This research has the potential to lead to therapies that preserve or restore central vision for individuals with RP.

“If therapy can prevent or reverse the onset of cone degeneration within the macula, most patients would be immeasurably helped and able to live a normal life despite the loss of peripheral vision and decreased dark adaptation,” Kaplan said.

This research is supported by grants from the National Eye Institute (RO1 EY026158), Research to Prevent Blindness and KY Research Challenge Trust Fund.

August 15, 2017

A team of emergency nurses from University of Louisville Hospital took first place in a state competition of emergency medical skills.

UofL Hospital beat six other teams from hospitals in the region to take top honors in the “SIM WARS” emergency simulation competition. The competition took place this month at a continuing education conference held by the Kentucky State Council of the Emergency Nurses Association at The Campbell House in Lexington. 

Each team of four emergency nurses was presented with an emergency scenario in which they had to apply their skills to save a patient. The patient was a life-like mannequin programmed to talk and interact with the team, telling them what was wrong and where he was hurt. The mannequin had a heartbeat and was breathing as a person in distress would.

The team made an assessment and treated the mannequin in detail, just as they would a real patient that was brought in by EMS. The competition took place in front of a panel that was in the room, judging their skills and timing.

The team from UofL Hospital included Frankie Parra, Beth Sum, Nate Davison and Bridget Genardi, all BSN. “I have to say I am really proud of these guys,” said Patricia “Trish” Higgins, interim director of emergency services for UofL Hospital. “It meant a lot for them to win.”

The Emergency Nurses Association was formed for nurses in emergency health care to pool resources, set standards and improve emergency nursing, and currently has more than 40,000 members in more than 35 countries. Its mission is to advocate for patient safety and excellence in emergency nursing. The association has chapters in each state, and three chapters in Kentucky.

SIMS WARS was sponsored and judged by Air Evac Lifeteam, an air ambulance company.

Parra, who is the emergency nurse educator at UofL Hospital responsible for training new nurses, said he had attended the conference last year and wanted to return home this year with a win. Parra has been an emergency nurse for seven years, and at the hospital for nine. 

“It’s neat to put our name out there and what we do,” Parra said. “We focus our training on what it would be like in real life.”

He said it takes a special type of person to be an emergency nurse. “You have to be flexible, and handle whatever comes at you,” he said. “It can start as an easy day, but very quickly turn around. It’s all about being ready. You have to be prepared for the worst.”

While he trains new nurses, he said the rest of the team would have been just fine in the competition without him.

“They are very talented,” he said.

Higgins said Parra and the team are part of a younger, up-and-coming generation of emergency nurses.

“This is how we work every day,” said Higgins, who has worked in emergency medicine for 17 years. “There is a lot of teamwork in the emergency department. I’ve worked in a lot of other emergency departments, and I’ve really noticed the teamwork here. The ER nurses here are a special group.”

Sum has been an ER nurse for a year after graduating from college. Parra said that speaks to Sum’s talents. 

“To work at a Level 1 trauma center as a new graduate is quite a challenge and accomplishment,” Parra said. “Those like Beth who do really have what it takes, it’s an elite group of nurses.”

Sum said she loves her job.

“You never know what you are going to get. It’s a lot of variety, but you have to be able to handle the stress.

“It’s a great group of people to work with. Just when you think you’re flooded, there are three people behind you saying, ‘How can I help?’ That’s what makes us different.”

She and Parra said that in the end, it’s all about the patient. 

“We have to be prepared - for them,” Parra said. “They are the motivation for the good work we do here.”

Natalie Spiller, a fourth-year student at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, believes patients with mental health disorders need a physician’s empathy, compassion and best medical attention. In her experience, they do not always receive it.

Spiller’s essay on the topic won the Physician-in-Training/Student category in the eighth annual Richard Spear, M.D., Memorial Essay Contest, sponsored by the Greater Louisville Medical Society. This year’s theme was:  “What Drives you Crazy in Health Care?”

In her essay, Spiller calls attention to discrimination shown by health-care professionals toward patients with mental health disorders. Spiller opens her piece by describing a situation in which a woman arrives alone in an emergency room with incoherent speech and disheveled appearance, along with a history of drug abuse and mental illness. While the physician-narrator assumes her symptoms were due to drugs or mental illness, it turns out the woman is suffering from a stroke. The patient dies.

“While our society is making its way to de-stigmatize the diagnosis of mental health disorders, we in the medical community have a long way to go in creating comprehensive medical care for those suffering from ‘invisible illness,’” Spiller wrote.

For the winning essay, published in the July issue of Louisville Medicine, Spiller received a plaque and $750 award at the 2017 GLMS Presidents’ Celebration in May.

The awards are named for Richard Spear, a respected Louisville general surgeon who also served on the faculty of the UofL School of Medicine. When he died in 2007, Spear left GLMS a bequest to fund the annual essay contest. Spear wished to support high quality writing about the practice of medicine.

Photo courtesy GLMS.

August 11, 2017

Benefactors of a fund to support patients at the University of Louisville James Graham Brown Cancer Center are sponsoring their fifth annual sand volleyball event to raise money for the fund.

The Mary Jane Gift Quality of Life Fund was established in 2013 by Alex and Tommy Gift in honor of their late mother, who passed away from breast cancer in 2010. The fund helps patients and their families enjoy life while facing a cancer diagnosis. For the past four years, the fund has provided Thanksgiving turkeys for patients at the cancer center.

To benefit the fund, the Gifts are sponsoring the Fifth Annual Spike it to Cancer Sand Volleyball Tournament at Baxter Jack’s sand volleyball complex, 427 Baxter Ave. on Saturday, Aug. 12. Player or spectator admission is $20 per person. The Open Pro division (co-ed quads) play starts at 8 a.m. (check in at 7:30 a.m.). The Fun division (co-ed sixes) play will start at about 2 p.m. (check in at 1:30 p.m.).  

To register a team, purchase admission or make a donation, go to the event’s online link. All registration fees go directly to the fund. Last year’s event raised $13,466 for the fund.

Additionally, Ward 426 on Baxter Ave., directly across the street from Baxter Jack’s, has once again agreed to donate a portion of all food and beverage sales throughout the day to the fund.

“Mary Jane taught us countless lessons throughout the course of her life. Stay Positive. Be thankful. Step away from it all,” Alex Gift said. “The fund can help do this by providing simple gifts to patients that could help improve their quality of life, even if it’s for a short period of time.”

The event has brought in more than $45,000 over five years.

For additional details, contact Lisa Ward at 502-852-2794.

With all the research and effort that has gone into it, why does it seem we still are so far from finding a cure for cancer?

Levi Beverly, Ph.D., a cancer researcher with the UofL James Graham Brown Cancer Center, will attempt to answer that question at the next Beer with a Scientist, August 9.

Beverly will provide a brief history of cancer and cancer research and discuss recent breakthroughs in our understanding of cancer research. He also will answer the questions he is asked most frequently about cancer:  "What exactly is cancer?" "Is cancer a ‘new’ disease?" "Why can't we cure cancer?" "Do other animals get cancer?" "Is there a cure for cancer that the government doesn't want us to have?"  "Why do some cancers have such high death rates?"

Beverly, an associate professor at UofL in the Department of Medicine, studies lung cancer and leukemia. He talked on this topic at the first Beer with a Scientist event in 2014. This month’s edition will include a look at the progress cancer researchers have made in the past three years. The talk begins at 8 p.m. on  Wednesday, August 9, at Against the Grain Brewery, 401 E. Main St. in Louisville. A 30-minute presentation will be followed by an informal Q&A session.

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.

In 2014, Beverly created the Beer with a Scientist program as a way to bring science to the public in an informal setting. Once a month, the public is invited to enjoy exactly what the title promises:  beer and science. For more information and to suggest future Beer with a Scientist topics, follow Louisville Underground Science on Facebook or email Beverly.

Next Beer with a Scientist:  Sept. 13

August 3, 2017

It may be tempting to take a peek at the August 21 eclipse without eye protection. After all, we are told it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event. However, a University of Louisville ophthalmologist says that peek could leave you with a not-so-pleasant, permanent reminder of the event.

“You may have heard that you can do a lot of damage to your eyes when viewing an eclipse, and it’s true,” said Mark Mugavin, M.D., M.P.H., of the UofL Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. “During an eclipse, our normal reflexes that protect us from sun damage, such as blinking and pupil constriction, are more relaxed because the sun’s light intensity is significantly reduced.”

During the August 21 total eclipse, the moon will directly block all or part of the sun for up to three hours and will be visible across the United States. The “Path of Totality,” in which the entire sun will be covered, cuts across the southwest corner of Kentucky, but does not include the Louisville area.

"At no point should solar filter glasses be removed when you are looking at the eclipse in Louisville,” said Patrick A. Scott O.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the UofL Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences. “Although the sun may appear completely blocked, observers in Louisville will still be exposed to the sun's harmful rays, which can cause damage to the eyelids, ocular surface and internal structures of the eye."

Looking directly into the sun causes a condition known as “solar retinopathy.” The increased UV light exposure creates toxic free radicals that damage the photoreceptors and specialized pigment of the eye. This damage can leave a person with a mild to moderate reduction in vision, as well as central blind spots. Those most at risk for solar retinopathy are younger people, those with an intraocular lens implanted after cataract surgery and patients who are on photosensitive drugs such as tetracycline and amiodarone. Even though the Louisville area will see approximately 96 percent of the sun blocked, the remaining 4 percent can cause damage.

“The UofL Department of Ophthalmology sees approximately 10 cases a year of patients with solar retinopathy from high intensity laser pointers or high intensity sunlight exposure, such as viewing an eclipse,” Mugavin said, adding that he expects more cases this summer from people viewing the eclipse without proper eye protection.

There is no treatment available for solar retinopathy so the best strategy is to avoid it.

To safely view the eclipse, use glasses with special purpose solar filters. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) website reviews the various “eclipse glasses” that are available. Approved glasses should meet the ISO 12312-2 international standard and be manufactured by a U.S. manufacturer.

August 2, 2017

Shayna Hale set her sights on becoming a doctor at age 15, when her father passed away suddenly. However, life threw some obstacles in her path.

Working to support herself, the first-generation graduate didn’t start college until she was 20. Being a single mother to three children added challenges – but also motivation.

“I was uneducated in the resources available to me, and I underestimated my ability to manage studies and work simultaneously,” Hale said. “After succeeding for a year as a single mom working full time, I gained the confidence to pursue my goal once again. I realized that if I kept waiting for the right time, that time would never come. I decided the best thing for me to do for myself and my family was apply for medical school.”

Evan Meiman took a detour on his road to a career in medicine to spend time helping people in need. After graduating from college in 2015, he joined AmeriCorps VISTA, serving at the Rhode Island Free Clinic in Providence as a volunteer coordinator for a full service medical home for uninsured patients.

“When you work for a not-for-profit you wear many hats. I was in charge of the volunteer staff – doctors, interpreters, medical recorders, assistants, nurses,” Meiman said. “I coordinated medical recorders, Spanish interpreters and the medical assistants. It was close to 300 people.”

After a year with AmeriCorps, Meiman worked enrolling patients for clinical trials and research studies at Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital, where he learned valuable lessons about working with people in stressful situations.

“Some would laugh at you and kick you out. Others would sit and talk with you all day long. It was great interacting with people seeing a different side of medicine,” he said. “The two years I was out in the communities with sick and healthy people confirmed it’s exactly what I want to do. It showed me that people aren’t just cells that process sugars, they are human beings that have stories and lives.”

This Sunday, Meiman, Hale and 159 other students will be welcomed as first-year students in the University of Louisville School of Medicine at the school’s White Coat Ceremony.

UofL School of Medicine White Coat Ceremony
Sunday, July 30, 3-5 p.m.
Crowne Plaza
830 Phillips Lane, Louisville, KY 40209

In the ceremony, members of the class of 2021 receive a white coat, a gift of the Greater Louisville Medical Society, and a stethoscope, provided by an alumnus of the school through Stethoscopes for Students. The future physicians then recite the Declaration of Geneva, promising to serve humanity and honor the traditions of the medical profession.

“It’s one thing to say you want to go to medical school, but to be given the tools to do it, I am honored. And it is exciting to be on the brink of it,” Meiman said.

Becoming a physician is a long process. Four years of medical school are followed by three or more years of residency training in a medical specialty. Meiman and Hale both have experience in planning for the long run. In his spare time, Meiman is a marathon runner.

“What I like about marathons is it’s so much more about what you put into it before the race. And it’s a great meditation and stress reliever.”

Hale hopes to have a positive impact on as many lives as possible.

“While we all hope to change the world, I will be fulfilled in the ability to change individual lives for the better, giving families more time together and providing a better quality of life.”

The internet has had a significant impact on medical research and practice, allowing researchers to collect data on a much larger scale and conveniently provide certain types of health care. This week, audiologists, specialists in hearing disorders, from around the world will meet in Louisville to discuss benefits and pitfalls of using the internet for research and hearing health care (telehealth) for individuals with hearing impairment.

Jill Preminger, Ph.D., director of the Program in Audiology at UofL, is co-chair of the Third International Meeting on Internet & Audiology, July 27-28 on UofL’s Health Sciences Center campus. It will be the first such meeting outside Europe.

The first two meetings were organized by Swedish researchers, Gerhard Andersson, Ph.D., and Thomas Lunner, Ph.D., in 2014 at Linköping University in Sweden and in 2015 in Denmark. Preminger presented talks at both conferences and was asked to co-chair the first one to be held in the United States. Ariane Laplante-Lévesque, Ph.D., of Eriksholm Research Centre in Denmark and Linköping University in Sweden also is an event co-chair.

“I attended the first meeting because I was beginning to conduct research in which I hoped to develop an internet-based rehabilitation program for adults with hearing loss,” Preminger said. “At the second meeting, Dr. Lunner asked if I would be interested in hosting the next meeting.  They wanted to bring the meeting to the United States in order to open it up to a new audience.”

Research audiologists and engineers, as well as clinical audiologists and student researchers are expected at this year’s event from the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, Africa and Asia. Consistent with the event’s focus, five presentations and more than half of the 84 attendees will participate from remote locations via internet connections.

Conference sessions will address four themes:  Barriers and facilitators to telepractice, ethical issues related to internet-based research and services, big data, and methods for research and service delivery.

Elizabeth Buchanan, Ph.D., director of the Center for Applied Ethics at the University of Wisconsin - Stout, will give a keynote address on “Ethical Issues related to internet-based research and service delivery.” Internet-based programs to collect data and to provide clinical service can reach many more individuals, but new programs must consider the ethical issues that may arise. Buchanan will discuss whether it truly is possible to get informed consent for internet-based research or clinical service, and how to protect the privacy of participants and patients in online discussions.

Harvey Dillon, Ph.D., director of the National Acoustics Laboratory in Australia, will deliver a keynote via remote broadcast on the “Potential of Large Scale Data in Hearing Rehabilitation.” With the internet it now is possible to collect “Big Data,” from participants across a country or around the world. Dillon will address concerns about ethical and legal issues related to collecting data across countries as well as exciting possibilities for very large datasets that will allow for better decisions about the effectiveness of treatments across diverse populations.

The conference is sponsored by the Oticon Foundation and through a NIH (NIDCD) Conference Grant. Oticon, Inc. creates hearing aids, cochlear implants, other implantable hearing devices and diagnostic equipment related to audiology.

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About the Audiology program at the University of Louisville

The University of Louisville developed and implemented one of the first Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) degree programs in the nation. The program has received national attention because of its early inception as well as the medical and business model used as the basis for instruction. Clinically, the program continues to set the community standard in the provision of hearing and balance care services, particularly in the areas of new technologies and pediatric services. The inclusion of the doctoral students in the clinical environment is an integral part of the program. Faculty members continue to be leaders on a national level in the development of the effective classroom and clinical teaching models through involvement in national committees and programs.

Sen. John McCain’s glioblastoma diagnosis is bleak, but not hopeless, said Eyas Hattab, M.D., chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the A.J. Miller Endowed Chair in Pathology at the University of Louisville, because of a recent development known as personalized medicine.

Hattab – who also is the current chair of the College of American Pathologists’ Neuropathology Committee – said  personalized medicine holds the key to the tests that pathologists will be conducting this week and beyond. While glioblastoma tumors appear identical under the microscope, genetics determine a patient’s course of treatment. 

“Personalized medicine today allows for the classification of glioblastomas into two main categories based on their genetic makeup,” Hattab said. “About 90 percent of glioblastomas are ‘bad actors,’ usually with survival periods under one year while the remainder of patients may live for about five years or longer.

Glioblastoma is a tumor that starts in the brain. It affects glial cells, which are glue-like cells that surround neurons. Glioblastoma tumors are especially hard to treat because they aren't contained in a defined mass with clear borders. Instead, the tumor includes thread-like tendrils that extend into nearby areas of the brain, rendering the task of complete surgical resection virtually impossible. Chemo- and radiation therapies present the patient with additional treatment options. 

That is why personalized medicine, with its emphasis on the patient’s tumor genetic makeup and practiced by a pathologist, is important in treating glioblastoma tumors, Hattab said.

“In addition to rendering the diagnosis of glioblastoma, the role of the pathologist is to determine to which genetic group a patient belongs,” he said. “While these tumors appear identical under the microscope, a tumor’s response to therapy and subsequently its clinical behavior differs from one patient to another depending on certain molecular characteristics.

“Through molecular testing, the laboratory is able to predict which tumors will respond better to certain chemotherapeutic and radiation therapies.”

The first cohort of the University of Louisville Health and Social Justice Scholars (HSJS) is ready to begin implementing strategies to improve health equity in the Louisville community.

The four Health Sciences Center students, who began the program last summer, presented project plans to a group of faculty members, program directors and future scholars that include research and action aimed at improving the health of Louisvillians. Each of the students worked with a faculty or community mentor to develop a plan for a project to be completed over the next two years. Their projects focus on improvements in access to fresh food, community trust in health-care providers, dental care for HIV patients and diversity in the health-care work force.

“The diversity of the projects speaks volumes. Although they receive guidance from mentors, this is truly their work, based on their vision for a more equitable Louisville. I can only imagine where these initiatives will lead,” said Katie Leslie, Ph.D., program director in the UofL HSC Office of Diversity and Inclusion and director of the Health and Social Justice Scholars program.

The HSJS cohort includes one doctoral student from each of the four schools on the UofL HSC campus:  School of Dentistry, School of Medicine, School of Nursing and School of Public Health and Information Sciences. The students are selected based on their commitment to social justice and health equity to engage in a three-year program designed to help them learn techniques for working interprofessionally and with community members to improve the overall health of local residents. Their projects are to include community-based research conducted along with a faculty mentor and a report prepared for scholarly publication. In addition, they participate in community service projects and attend monthly discussions.

Ashton Green – School of Dentistry                               

Mentor:  Karen Krigger, M.D.

“Improving Access to Dental Care and Resources for Individuals Living with HIV”

Oral signs are often the first indication of larger health problems, and related oral conditions occur in 30 to 80 percent of HIV-infected individuals. Green hopes to improve dental care compliance in this population by developing and testing educational materials that will reinforce the importance of oral health and encourage them to seek and continue dental health care.

Diana Kuo – School of Public Health and Information Sciences

Mentor:  Brandy Kelly Pryor, Ph.D.

“Examining and Addressing the Effects of Food Systems on Health Outcomes in Louisville”

Neighborhoods with limited access to healthy food, known as food deserts, are associated with reduced health among residents. A number of areas in central Louisville have been identified as food deserts. Kuo plans to evaluate whether neighborhood international markets are good sources of fresh food for the community.

Jade Montanez – School of Nursing

Mentor:  Vicki Hines-Martin, Ph.D.

“Confronting Health Disparities Through Post-Secondary Health Sciences Degree Attainment”

Montanez hopes to support an increase in the number of underrepresented minorities in nursing by strengthening a program that prepares junior high and high school students for post-secondary education. She anticipates that a more diverse health-care workforce will benefit not only the students themselves, but also the community through reduced health disparities.

Mallika Sabharwal – School of Medicine

Mentor:  Theo Edmonds, J.D., M.H.A., M.F.A.

“Understanding Medical Mistrust in Smoketown”

Mistrust of the medical community can prevent individuals from receiving care and cloud interactions with health-care providers. Sabharwal plans to survey residents of Smoketown and UofL students and providers to assess mistrust of health professionals. She then will develop tools to improve cultural competency among providers and improve communication between providers and Smoketown residents. She hopes to include a focus group for creative expression by Smoketown residents, providers and students, possibly resulting in a creative project.

In developing the HSJS program, V. Faye Jones, M.D., Ph.D., M.S.P.H., associate vice president for health affairs – diversity initiatives at UofL, hoped to tap into the students’ interests and aptitudes while instructing them in techniques for addressing community issues.

“Our original vision for the program was to educate our students of the complexity of the problems facing our communities,” Jones said. “Each one has found a unique avenue for integrating their passion into a community project to address health disparities. Although each project has a connecting theme of social justice and health equity, the diversity in the approaches ignites excitement for the program.”

New scholars announced

The second cohort of Health and Social Justice Scholars has been selected and will begin matching with mentors and developing their projects this summer.

• Morgan Pearson – School of Dentistry
• Devin McBride – School of Medicine
• Charles (John) Luttrell – School of Nursing
• Tasha Golden – School of Public Health and Information Sciences

Take adorable, furry creatures involved in revolutionary scientific research, add soviet-era politics and intrigue, set them in the often brutal -35° winters of Siberia and you have the makings of an incredible story.

Lyudmila Trut has spent nearly 60 years domesticating silver foxes at her research location in Siberia where she and Dmitri Belyaev set out to recreate the evolution of wolves into dogs in real time. Starting with essentially wild foxes, they selectively bred the animals, which developed dog-like physical characteristics and gentle temperaments in only a decade.

Lee Dugatkin, Ph.D., professor of biology at the University of Louisville, spent time with Trut and the foxes in the dead of winter in 2012 and 2014, gathering information for his new book with Trut, “How to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog).” He will tell their story at the next Beer with a Scientist event July 12. A science historian in addition to biologist, Dugatkin will describe how Trut and her mentor risked not just their careers, but to an extent their lives, to achieve scientific history, developing a loving bond with their animal subjects along the way.

“It's one of the most important experiments ever undertaken, and layer on to that the political intrigue and human-animal love stories and how could I not fall in love with this project?” Dugatkin said.

Dugatkin’s talk begins at 8 p.m. onWednesday, July 12, at Against the Grain Brewery, 401 E. Main St. in Louisville. A 30-minute presentation will be followed by an informal Q&A session.

Although Dugatkin does not have one of Trut’s domesticated foxes on hand, he will have plenty of photos and intriguing details.

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.

UofL cancer researcher Levi Beverly, Ph.D., created the Beer with a Scientist program in 2014 as a way to bring science to the public in an informal setting. Once a month, the public is invited to enjoy exactly what the title promises:  beer and science. For more information and to suggest future Beer with a Scientist topics, follow Louisville Underground Science on Facebook.

Upcoming Beer with a Scientist dates: 

• Aug. 9
• Sept. 13

Don’t let July 4^th celebrations end in eye injury

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Fireworks can be a fun way to celebrate Independence Day, but too often celebrations end with injuries or a trip to the emergency room. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that nearly 12,000 people were treated in emergency rooms for fireworks-related injuries in the United States in 2015, and about 2,000 of those were eye injuries. Fireworks can cause eye damage through chemical or thermal burns and injuries to the eyeball, resulting in permanent vision loss.

Sidharth Puri, M.D., a resident physician with the University of Louisville Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, was alarmed by the number of fireworks-related injuries he witnessed during his first weekend in the emergency room. He hopes to prevent injuries this year by making Louisville residents aware of the dangers posed by fireworks.

“These are not benign, safe, colorful toys. They are miniaturized explosions and they have to be treated with care. These injuries are preventable,” Puri said. “If we can reach one child or one family member and prevent a firework from going off too near their face and blinding them, that is our goal – to save at least one person’s vision.”

Puri offers the following safety tips:

• Do NOT let young children play with fireworks of any type, even sparklers.
• Always wear protective eyewear when handling fireworks and ensure that all bystanders are also wearing eye protection.
• Leave the lighting of professional-grade fireworks to trained pyrotechnicians

If an eye injury from fireworks occurs:

• Seek medical attention immediately!
• Do not rub your eyes
• Do not rinse your eyes
• Do not apply pressure
• Do not remove any objects that are stuck in the eye
• Do not apply ointments or take any blood-thinning pain medications such as aspirin or ibuprofen

Download a printable PDF file of the eye safety guide here.

June 15, 2017

Nearly one-fourth of people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in the United States are women, with 86 percent of these diagnoses attributable to heterosexual activity. For transgender women in the South, 43 percent received a diagnosis of HIV from 2009-2014.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), safer sex, protective devices and preventive treatments can reduce the spread of HIV. PrEP involves a daily pill, Truvada, which, when combined with safer sex techniques, can reduce the risk of HIV transmission up to 92 percent.

The University of Louisville and Project Compassion are hosting the free Women’s PrEP Summit, June 27, 2017, 5:15 p.m. - 8 p.m. at Redeemer Lutheran Church. The goal of the event is to educate women about their risk of HIV and empower them with the knowledge to prevent infection.

“Even one woman contracting HIV in our community is one too many,” said Karen Krigger, M.D., director of health equity in the UofL Health Sciences Center Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Those at the event will receive information on PrEP, including how to get it and how to pay for it, as well as safer sex instructions and tips for using both female and male condoms. HIV testing and treatment information also will be available. June 27 is designated National HIV Testing Day.

Also available will be education about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and information on post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which can help prevent infection up to 72 hours after HIV exposure through sexual contact. IV drug users and their partners can obtain information about needle exchange and reducing risks from sharing needles.

Individuals at risk of getting HIV include:

• Anyone who does not know if their partner has HIV or is being faithful
• Anyone who has a partner with HIV
• Anyone who uses IV drugs or their partner uses IV drugs
• Anyone with multiple sexual partners

Women’s PrEP Summit:

June 27, 2017, 5:15 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3640 River Park Dr., Louisville, KY 40211

The FREE event includes dinner and childcare with registration. Transportation may be available with early registration. All participants will be eligible for door prizes and giveaways.

Space is limited. Register at UofL.me/womenprep or call 502-852-7181.

This event is sponsored by Project Compassion, Redeemer Lutheran Church, University of Louisville Health Sciences Center Office of Diversity and Inclusion, UofL HSC students, Volunteers of America, Kentucky AIDS Alliance, Louisville Metro Department of Health and Wellness, UofL LGBT Center, UofL School of Nursing and School of Public Health and Information Sciences, and other supporters. 

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More about HIV prevention

The United States is making headway in the fight against HIV infection and AIDS. The number of annual diagnoses declined 19 percent from 2005-2014, but more than 1.2 million people in the nation are living with HIV. Individuals should be aware of steps they can take to protect themselves and others from infection.

• Get tested for HIV as recommended by the U.S. Preventative Task Force.
• Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) involves a daily pill, Truvada, which, when combined with “safer sex” techniques, can reduce the risk of HIV transmission up to 92 percent.
• Condoms are highly effective in preventing HIV when used consistently and correctly.
• Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) may be an option within 72 hours of exposure to HIV during sex.
• Antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces the likelihood that a person infected with HIV will transmit it to someone else.

Wouldn’t life be great if we could just play all the time?

Of course, few of us can simply abandon our work, but there are ways to take the drudgery out of day-to-day life and bring our focus on the brighter side. At this month’s Beer with a Scientist, Jacquelyn Graven, Psy.D., of Graven and Assoc., along with two of her colleagues, Aaron Levinsky, Psy.D., and David Charles, Ph.D., will offer research-based tips for keeping life under control, reducing stress and allowing for a more relaxed day.

Graven and Associates is a private group practice that provides psychological and neuropsychological testing, therapy and treatment of psychological issues for people of all ages. The trio of licensed psychologists say it is possible to keep the play in your life through time management, prioritizing, balance and self care.

“A lot of people today work so darn much and they don’t take breaks. They don’t stop and manage their time very well,” Graven said. “That leads to burnout, depression and anxiety. Our talk is about managing your schedule and learning what to let go of. Research shows that reducing stress leads to greater efficiency, productivity, overall health and life happiness.”

Graven says one way to start is by controlling stress in your morning.

“Don’t just hit the floor and start running or your whole day will be pressure, pressure, pressure,” she said. “Give yourself time, whether you go to the gym or read a book or sit on your deck with a cup of coffee. Setting that pace in the morning will determine how you handle your day.”

Graven, Levinsky and Charles will elaborate on these and other ways to turn work into play beginning at 8 p.m. onWednesday, June 14, at Against the Grain Brewery, 401 E. Main St. in Louisville. A 30-minute presentation will be followed by an informal Q&A session.

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.

UofL cancer researcher Levi Beverly, Ph.D., created the Beer with a Scientist program in 2014 as a way to bring science to the public in an informal setting. Once a month, the public is invited to enjoy exactly what the title promises:  beer and science. For more information and to suggest future Beer with a Scientist topics, follow Louisville Underground Science on Facebook. Upcoming dates: 

• July 12 – Lee Dugatkin of UofL – How to tame a fox and build a dog

Jason Chesney, M.D., Ph.D., acting director of the University of Louisville James Graham Brown Cancer Center, was study investigator on the Phase 2 ‘264 study that demonstrated Imlygic^® (talimogene laherparepvec) in combination with the immune checkpoint inhibitor Yervoy^® (ipilimumab) more than doubled objective response rate, defined as the proportion of patients with tumor size reduction, compared to Yervoy alone in patients with unresectable stage IIIB-IV melanoma. The results were presented at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology on June 3.

The analysis showed that 38.8 percent of patients treated with Imlygic plus Yervoy achieved an objective response versus 18 percent of patients treated with Yervoy alone. Patients in the combination arm also experienced nearly double the complete response rate compared to Yervoy alone (13.3 percent versus 7 percent).  It was the first randomized study to evaluate the combination of Imlygic, an oncolytic viral therapy, with a checkpoint inhibitor.

“The results from this study demonstrate the potential of combining the complementary mechanisms of action of an oncolytic viral immunotherapy and a checkpoint inhibitor to enhance anti-tumor effect in patients with advanced melanoma,” one of the most difficult-to-treat types of cancer, said Chesney, who also serves as chief of the Division of Medical Oncology in UofL’s Department of Medicine.

Responses in the study were not limited to injected lesions. Among patients with visceral disease treated with IMLYGIC plus YERVOY, 35 percent had a reduction in size of visceral lesions by at least 50 percent. The rate was 14 percent in patients in the YERVOY arm.

The ‘264 study is a Phase 1b/2, multicenter, open-label trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of IMLYGIC in combination with YERVOY compared to YERVOY alone in patients with unresectable stage IIIB-IV melanoma. The primary endpoint of the Phase 2 portion of study is ORR. Secondary endpoints include duration of response, disease control rate, PFS, OS and safety. The study randomized 198 patients, 98 in the IMLYGIC plus YERVOY arm and 100 in the YERVOY arm.

Patients in the IMLYGIC plus YERVOY arm experienced a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 8.2 months (median follow-up at 68 weeks) versus 6.4 months in the YERVOY arm. While the effect was not statistically significant, the PFS analysis was not event-driven and is still ongoing, with only approximately 50 percent of PFS events reported at this time.

IMLYGIC is designed to rupture cancer cells causing the release of tumor-derived antigens, which along with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), may help to initiate an anti-tumor immune response. However, the exact mechanism of action is unknown. This may be complementary to YERVOY’s mechanism of action, as the blockade of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 has been shown to augment activation and proliferation of tumor infiltrating T-effector cells.

For more details, including safety information,  visit the Imlygic website.

University of Louisville Hospital has earned the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to providing the most appropriate stroke treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.

Hospitals must achieve 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month periods and achieve 75 percent or higher compliance with five of eight Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality measures to receive the Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.

To qualify for the Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite or Elite Plus, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke. If given intravenously in the first three hours after the start of stroke symptoms, tPA has been shown to significantly reduce the effects of stroke and lessen the chance of permanent disability.

These quality measures are designed to help hospital teams follow the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients.

“University of Louisville Hospital has been recognized with the Stroke Elite Plus award again as we continue to strive for excellence in the acute treatment of stroke patients,” said Kerri Remmel, M.D., Ph.D., chair of UofL’s Department of Neurology and director of the UofL Hospital Stroke Center. “This recognition further reinforces the UofL stroke team’s hard work and commitment to caring for patients with stroke.”

UofL Hospital now has received the Get with the Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus Award for the past 12 years. In 2004, UofL Hospital became Kentucky’s first Joint Commission-certified Primary Stroke Center and in 2012, the hospital became Kentucky’s first Joint Commission-certified Comprehensive Stroke Center, the 20th in the nation.

“Stroke is 80 percent preventable. High blood pressure, diabetes, cigarette smoking, high cholesterol, atrial fibrillation and sedentary lifestyle are treatable and modifiable risk factors. If we could give the community one message for the prevention of stroke, it would be to know your own risk factors and be aggressive about controlling them,” Remmel said.

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds, someone dies of a stroke every four minutes, and nearly 800,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.  

About Get With The Guidelines®
Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with tools and resources to increase adherence to the latest research-based guidelines in stroke, heart failure, resuscitation and atrial fibrillation. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 6 million patients since 2001.

Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping hospital care teams ensure the care provided to patients experiencing stroke is aligned with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal to save lives and improve recovery time, Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke has had an impact on more than three million patients since 2003. For more information, visit heart.org.

Updated: 8/24/2020

Rasheda Ali has made it her mission to help people better understand and manage Parkinson’s disease, a condition her father, Muhammad Ali, battled for more than 30 years. Rasheda Ali will be the featured speaker at Knock Out Parkinson’s Disease, a special event at the Muhammad Ali Center, Friday, June 9, organized to raise awareness of the disease and the most advanced treatments available.

The event begins at 5 p.m. Following Rasheda Ali’s talk and a buffet dinner, medical experts in Parkinson’s disease from University of Louisville Physicians will discuss the treatment and management of Parkinson’s disease.

“We want to make sure everyone with Parkinson’s disease has access to the best treatments available,” said Kathrin LaFaver, M.D., director of the UofL Physicians Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center and Raymond Lee Lebby Chair for Parkinson’s Disease Research in the UofL School of Medicine. “We are dedicated to helping each Parkinson’s patient achieve the best quality of life regardless of race or socioeconomic status.”

There is no cost to attend Knock Out Parkinson’s Disease, but reservations are required. Register and learn more at http://bit.ly/2oHCvfT or call 502-582-7654.

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative condition that causes tremor, slowed movements and other physical and cognitive problems. Parkinson’s affects about 1 million Americans and 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the United States. It is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease and is the 14th leading cause of death in the U.S.

Knock Out Parkinson’s Disease is a kickoff event for Louisville’s first Moving Day® Walk for Parkinson’s disease, to take place on Saturday, June 10 at Waterfront Park. Moving Dayis sponsored by the National Parkinson Foundation to engage the community in the fight against Parkinson’s disease. It will feature a family friendly walk course, a kids’ area, a caregivers’ relaxation tent and a Movement Pavilion featuring yoga, dance, Tai Chi, Pilates, and other activities, all proven to help manage the symptoms of PD.

Knock Out Parkinson’s Disease 2017 also is part of the I Am Ali Festival, a six-week series of events commemorating Muhammad Ali’s six core principles. I Am Ali runs June 3 – July 15, 2017.

To learn more about UofL Physicians Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center, visit http://www.uoflphysicians.com/parkinsons-disease-and-movement-disorders or call 502-582-7654.

A Kentucky native who won the Nobel Prize for research that advanced the understanding of gene structure, Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D., will visit UofL on May 25. His presentation is titled, “40 years from split genes to convergence of life sciences with engineering and physical sciences.”

Sharp shared the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Richard Roberts, Ph.D., for 1977 research that revealed the first indications of “discontinuous genes” in mammalian cells. The discovery fundamentally changed scientists’ understanding of gene structure.

Sharp is an institute professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Department of Biology. His research centers on the molecular biology of gene expression relevant to cancer and the mechanisms of RNA splicing. The author of more than 400 publications, Sharp is a member of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society and the Royal Society, United Kingdom. The Kentucky native earned his B.A. in chemistry and mathematics from Union College in Barbourville, Ky.

The lecture begins at noon, Thursday, May 25, at the Kosair Charities Clinical and Translational Research Building, room 101-102. The event, hosted by the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics of the UofL School of Medicine, is part of the Austin and Mary Frances Bloch Lecture Series, established in 1999 in honor of Austin Bloch and his wife, Mary Frances Bloch. Austin Bloch practiced medicine in Louisville for many years and served as an adjunct clinical instructor for the UofL School of Medicine. 

Sharp also will present a research seminar on Friday, May 26 in room 102 of the UofL School of Medicine instructional building on the topic, “Super-enhancer-associated microRNAs and phase transitions.”

Sharp is the second Nobel laureate to visit UofL this month. Peter Agre, M.D., spoke on Belknap Campus on May 8. Agre shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 2003, with Roderick MacKinnon for his work in the discovery of water channels in cell membranes. 

Kosair Charities Clinical and Translational Research Building is located at 505 S. Hancock St., Louisville, Ky. 40202.

Photo © Peter Badge / Typos1 in coop. Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings—all rights reserved, 2016

May 17, 2017

Faculty members at the University of Louisville School of Medicine have begun developing a national training program to instruct educators at universities across the United States in teaching interprofessional palliative care to those who care for cancer patients. A team of interdisciplinary faculty members will incorporate expertise gained in the development of an interprofessional education program for UofL health professional students in oncology palliative care.

The National Cancer Institute recommends that patients diagnosed with cancer receive palliative care from the time they receive the diagnosis to improve the quality of life for both the patient and the family through relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness. It requires patient-centered care from physicians, nurses, social workers and others to meet the complex needs of cancer patients. However, many institutions instruct health professional students in palliative care within each discipline, known as silos, rather than as an interprofessional team.

Funded by a $1.4 million award over five years from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the UofL training curriculum will build on a successful interprofessional program in education for palliative care in cancer already in place at UofL. The Interdisciplinary Curriculum in Oncology Palliative Care Education (iCOPE) was developed at UofL beginning in 2010 with support from a grant from the NCI. More than 1,500 students in social work, medicine, nursing and chaplaincy at UofL have completed the training, which remains a required curricular component.

“This is a first-of-its-kind program and we are fortunate to have an experienced team here as well as the continued support of the National Cancer Institute,” said Mark Pfeifer, M.D., the V.V. Cooke Chair and professor in the UofL Department of Medicine. “People diagnosed with cancer are best served by teams of professionals working together to provide patient-centered care.”

Through webinars, on-line training modules, a workshop, and mentoring through video conferences and one-on-one contact, the UofL faculty will instruct 160 health educators from 35-50 other institutions over a period of 10 months in developing curricula to teach oncology palliative care and teamwork to students across health disciplines. The program will include four-months of work at the home institution and a 2 ½-day face-to-face workshop, followed by six months of mentoring. Recruitment for learners in the program is expected to begin in early fall.

Faculty trained in this program will be able to overcome the effects of training in silos – within each discipline – and reinforce their students’ interprofessional skills by helping them understand the strengths, capabilities, skills, roles and cultures of the other professionals and instruct them in communication and collaboration among the team members.

“The new project includes evaluation of the home institution’s strengths and weaknesses to take on interprofessional education in oncology and faculty development, which will enable them to overcome barriers and successfully implement programs designed for their institutions,” said Barbara Head, Ph.D., associate professor in the UofL Department of Medicine.

UofL’s experienced interdisciplinary faculty, under the leadership of Pfeifer and Head, will serve as the core instructional team, guided by a committee of national experts and internal advisors. The iCOPE curriculum will be available to the trainees for use or modification as one approach to developing their own programs.

At the completion of the project, participating educators and others will be invited to a national summit on interdisciplinary palliative oncology education where they will share their experiences and present their own initiatives.