ULSOM SNMA supports White Coats for Black Lives

Over the summer, the ULSOM Student National Medical Association (SNMA) partnered with local activist groups to help address the injustices affecting Black and Brown citizens. It started with a public statement written by SNMA and signed by various medical student organizations to show solidarity for the current protests for racial equality.

SNMA helped to organize a White Coats for Black Lives demonstration on June 5, collaborated with the Class of 2023 leadership to create a list of anti-racism resources and worked with HSC Pride to create a video showing the intersectionality with Black Lives Matter (BLM) and LGBTQIA+ movements. The UofL chapter also partnered with the local nonprofit organization Change Today, Change Tomorrow (CTCT) to support their #FeedTheWest initiative. More than 50 students volunteered their time to package and deliver donated bags of groceries and support administrative tasks remotely. The remote volunteers have created three educational guides (COVID-19, Heart Health and Nutrition) which were included in the groceries delivered to West Louisville residents. UofL SNMA is working to create long-term support for CTCT with the development of a permanent grocery store in West Louisville.

See photos from #WhiteCoatsForBlackLives.

Six predoctoral students receive third-party research funding

Two doctoral students in the Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, Zach Whiddon and Kyle Whyland, received F31 grants from the National Institutes of Health for their research.

Whiddon, mentored by Robin Krimm, PhD, is using specialized techniques to capture images of nerve cells within taste buds to document how they change over time. Whyland’s research is focused on describing poorly understood brain circuits related to vision. He is working under direction from Martha Bickford, PhD.

Four graduate students in the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology received individual predoctoral fellowships. 

Mengwei Jiang received an F31 award from the NIH for his research under the direction of Wenke Feng, PhD, entitled, “Probiotic and intestinal miR194 regulation of bile acid metabolism in alcoholic liver disease.”

Sophia Sears received an F31 award from the NIH for her research, “Role of macrophages in cisplatin-induced kidney injury and progression to chronic kidney disease.” Mentored by Leah Siskind, PhD, Sears is working to characterize the immune response in the kidney following repeated low dose cisplatin treatment. 

Sarah Shrader was awarded a fellowship from Autism Speaks for her project mentored by Zhao-hui Song, PhD, and Gregory Barnes, MD, PhD. Shrader will study the effects of phytocannabinoids on two different behaviors in mice and change in anti-inflammatory compounds in mice and human immune cells.

Jeffrey Warner’s NIH F31 predoctoral fellowship is entitled, “sEH Inhibition in Alcoholic Liver Disease: A Novel Therapeutic Strategy.” His mentor is Irina Kirpich, PhD, MPH.

UofL medical student leads effort for medical education to prevent firearm-related injury

Rachel Safeek, a second-year medical student at the University of Louisville, is calling for medical schools to train future physicians in techniques to help prevent injuries and death caused by firearms. Her work has led to UofL being one of the first medical schools to incorporate this training for all students.

LIAM program introduces fourth cohort

UofL’s Leadership and Innovation in Academic Medicine (LIAM) program introduced its fourth cohort of 40 members, the largest in the program’s history, including 11 members from Belknap Campus and 9 from HSC schools other than Medicine. In addition, the Class of 2019-2020 completed its 11-month course by presenting projects for improving functions at UofL. The HSC Office of Faculty Development offers LIAM to cultivate the university’s next generation of leaders.