“There may not be helicopters flying out here every day to deliver us patients in critical need, but the care that is being delivered in rural areas all around Kentucky is as important as the care found in a tertiary hospital,” shared Brent Wright, associate dean for rural health innovation.

The University of Louisville School of Medicine is affiliated with a number of excellent, newsworthy hospitals that provide high-quality, sub-specialized care to patients dealing with elevated, difficult-to-treat illnesses, injuries and conditions. What many don’t realize, though, is that ULSOM is also connected to a number of rural hospitals and family medicine practices around the state—and those teams are delivering care that is equally impactful.

Wright is an advocate for these rural care teams, especially the teams tied to the Family Medicine Residency Programs in Glasgow and Owensboro. As both an administrator and a practicing family medicine physician in Glasgow, Wright sees firsthand the impact that family medicine and rural care teams have on communities across the state, whether they are filled with dirt roads or have only the basic signs of rurality.

While specialists in major cities perform organ transplants and conduct complex surgeries, Wright is called daily to serve in rural settings. His commitment extends beyond his own practice – he is dedicated to training the next generation of physicians to choose this path, too.

“We are on the frontlines of health care, keeping blood pressures low, managing medications and educating patients about the importance of regular screenings,” explained Wright. “We are giving our patients an extra twenty years at home with their families as we work diligently to prevent serious illnesses and catch conditions before they do require trips to bigger cities with larger hospitals.”

The numbers speak for themselves. The Glasgow and Owensboro Family Medicine Residency Programs together graduate 10 residents each year. In their first year of independent practice, each graduate will see approximately 5,000 patient visits. That’s 50,000 patient appointments in just one year, impacting lives across Kentucky before these physicians even reach their second year in practice.

As more family medicine physicians spread throughout the state, more prevention, education and impact will happen in every corner of Kentucky. These efforts, driven by the School of Medicine’s training programs and outreach initiatives are creating healthier communities with each new day, all thanks to an esteemed team of service-driven physicians.

Though the University of Louisville’s campus sits in the heart of the city, its influence reaches far beyond Metro Louisville. Faculty like Wright ensure that Kentuckians receive high-quality care, whether they live in Louisville, in the hills of Eastern Kentucky or between the lakes in Western Kentucky.

On behalf of the School of Medicine, we extend our gratitude to the rural physicians who keep patients healthy, close to home and surrounded by the people they love.

In their 2025 edition of Best Graduate Schools, U.S. News & World Report recognized the University of Louisville School of Medicine (ULSOM) for its lasting impact on communities that need it most. ULSOM ranked among the top schools in the country for graduates entering primary care (52^nd), practicing in rural areas (52^nd) and serving health professional shortage areas (57^th).

These rankings affirm ULSOM’s deeply rooted mission of training compassionate, skilled physicians committed to serving where the need is greatest.

“We’re not just educating physicians. We’re shaping a workforce that understands the needs of every community, from the largest cities to the most rural towns,” said Kelli Bullard Dunn, vice dean of community engagement. “Our programs are designed to instill not only clinical excellence, but also a deep-rooted commitment to service, particularly in areas that have faced physician shortages.”

INVESTING IN A HEALTHIER KENTUCKY

More than 85% of Kentucky’s counties are currently designated as full or partial health professional shortage areas. In some communities, one family medicine physician may care for more than 5,000 patients each year. ULSOM has taken bold steps to reverse this trend by expanding pathways into primary care and rural health careers – and by removing barriers for students who want to serve in these regions.

Programs like the Kentucky Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Network, supported by HRSA and KY CHFS grants, give students first-hand exposure to life and practice in rural communities. All third-year medical students participate in a four-week AHEC rotation, living and working in medically underserved communities and learning from a dedicated volunteer family medicine physician.

“These experiences inspire many of our students to pursue careers in primary care in rural or underserved regions,” explained Bullard Dunn. “Some students come to us with a vision of returning home to serve, but many discover this passion through the AHEC rotation. It’s a transformative experience.”

Additional funding from the HRSA Medical Student Education Training Program grant has enabled the creation of new programs such as a new summer primary care externship for first-year students and a new Distinction in Urban Primary Care track, as well as increased the Trover Rural Track class size and expanded primary care electives. This grant also helps defray some of the overwhelming cost of medical training for those entering primary care fields.

RURAL TRAINING, REAL IMPACT

ULSOM is not just preparing students to serve rural areas; it’s putting them there. The Trover Rural Track, located in Madisonville, Kentucky allows third- and fourth-year medical students to complete their clinical rotations in a rural environment. And it works: nearly 48% of Trover graduates go on to rural practice — a stark and impressive difference from the nation’s 2%.

“It’s not just big cities that need physicians; it is every town, every city, and every neighborhood,” reflected William Crump, associate dean of the Trover Campus. “Bringing medical students back to their roots and showing them the life-saving power they can have in their hometowns is a transformative experience that directs them right back to their rural roots to serve.”

The commitment extends beyond medical school. Residents also have the unique opportunity to complete their training serving rural regions in Kentucky through the Glasgow Family Medicine Residency Program and Owensboro Family Medicine Residency Program, where residents receive personalized instruction taking care of patients from rural communities. These physicians often become anchors in their communities, providing continuity of care and generating millions in economic impact.

“Family medicine physicians are saving lives in their own ways,” explained Brent Wright, associate dean for rural health innovation “Family medicine physicians are actively working with and educating patients to prevent strokes, heart attacks, and other major issues from happening in the first place. What would we do without them?”

A VISION FOR THE FUTURE

ULSOM’s approach is working, but the work is far from over. With a persistent shortage of physicians across most of Kentucky’s 120 counties, the need for thoughtful, mission-driven training has never been more urgent.

“Access to health care shouldn’t depend on your zip code,” said Bullard Dunn. “We are training the next generation of physicians to go where they’re needed the most: to return to their hometowns, or discover new ones, and make a real difference.”

ULSOM’s recognition by U.S. News & World Report is more than just a national ranking; it’s a reflection of a promise kept: to train physicians not just to be excellent, but to make a difference where it matters most.

Have you ever wondered why some people who drink alcohol develop serious liver problems while others don't? A study from University of Louisville researchers published last month in Toxicological Sciences suggests that the answer might be hidden in everyday sources such as drinking water, food packaging or even non-stick cookware.

Scientists at UofL, along with colleagues from Boston University and the University of Massachusetts Lowell, have identified perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) as a potential environmental factor that worsens alcohol-associated liver disease.

PFOS is a man-made chemical belonging to the group known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often referred to as "forever chemicals" because they do not readily break down in the environment or the human body. These substances have been used for decades in products such as non-stick cookware, water-resistant clothing, fast-food packaging, stain-resistant carpets and upholstery, and firefighting foams. Their extensive use has led to widespread contamination in the environment. Recent data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey show that PFAS can be detected in approximately 95% of Americans, sparking increasing concern about their long-term health effects.

At the same time, alcohol consumption remains a significant global health issue. According to the World Health Organization, alcohol contributes to nearly 3 million deaths worldwide each year, and its consumption continues to rise globally. In the U.S. alone, excessive alcohol use is responsible for approximately 95,000 deaths annually, making it one of the leading causes of preventable death and a major contributor to liver disease.

“Given the increasing prevalence of alcohol consumption and the widespread presence of PFAS in the environment, many individuals who drink alcohol may be inevitably exposed to these persistent pollutants. This makes it critically important to study how combined exposures to alcohol and environmental chemicals like PFOS might influence liver health,” said Matthew Cave, UofL professor of medicine and publication co-author.

Although it is well known that both alcohol and PFOS cause liver damage individually, little has been understood about their combined effects until now. Recent studies have shown that only about 35% of heavy drinkers develop severe forms of liver disease, indicating that additional factors such as genetics, sex, microbiome and environmental exposures may contribute to individual susceptibility.

"This work helps explain why two people with similar alcohol consumption may experience very different liver outcomes," said Frederick Ekuban, assistant professor of medicine at UofL and first author of the study. "Environmental exposures like PFOS may be the missing link."

Using animal models, the researchers simulated real-world exposures to both alcohol and PFOS. The study showed that co-exposure to alcohol and PFOS significantly increased fat accumulation and markers of liver damage, as well as clear signs of disrupted metabolism and activation of genes and pathways predicted to be associated with oxidative stress and cancer development.

In short, the study demonstrates that PFOS exposure can significantly worsen liver damage when combined with alcohol consumption. While this research used high levels of alcohol to understand the underlying mechanisms, the findings reveal important biological pathways that warrant further investigation across different drinking patterns.

The research team also found that PFOS interferes with the liver's ability to manage fats, disrupts its natural protective and repair systems and activates pathways that promote liver injury.

“While the liver typically has a remarkable capacity to recover from alcohol-induced stress, PFOS appears to push that resilience beyond its limits, resulting in compounded and more severe damage,” said Jennifer Schlezinger professor of environmental health at Boston University and co-author of the publication.

Perhaps most concerning, the team discovered that 60% of all PFOS exposure ended up concentrated in the liver, exactly where alcohol damage occurs.

Ongoing research at UofL is examining how other PFAS compounds may interact with alcohol, whether males and females respond differently to these exposures and what the long-term consequences of combined exposures might be. The team is also exploring whether targeted therapies can be developed to prevent or mitigate this type of liver damage.

Although more studies are needed, people can take practical steps now to limit their exposure to PFAS. These include:

• Choose stainless steel or cast-iron cookware instead of non-stick pans
• Use water filters, especially in areas near industrial zones
• Avoid stain-resistant treatments on furniture and carpets
• Reduce consumption of packaged fast foods and microwave popcorn.
• Select household products with PFAS-free labels

Given that liver disease affects millions of Americans and is becoming more prevalent worldwide, the findings of this research support growing calls for stronger regulation and oversight of persistent chemical contaminants. By better understanding the hidden interactions between environmental toxicants and lifestyle behaviors, scientists and policymakers may be better equipped to prevent and treat liver disease.

Twenty budding scientists from local high schools were selected from more than one hundred applicants to learn what it takes to become cancer researchers through a summer program with the UofL School of Medicine faculty and UofL Health – Brown Cancer Center (BCC).

This year, students from Atherton, Butler, Christian Academy of Louisville, Collegiate, Fern Creek, Jeffersontown, Kentucky Country Day, Male, Martha Layne Collins (Shelbyville), Manual, New Albany, (IN), Sacred Heart, Seneca and Waggener are taking part in the summer experience.

With support from the Humana Foundation and the Regional Cancer Center Corporation, for the first time in its 23-year history, the eight-week program was able to offer students an increased stipend of $4,000 to participate and gain valuable experience in medical research. Students interested in science but who may have needed to work summer jobs, now have the opportunity to follow their interests.

UofL News spoke with the BCC High School Summer Research Program Director, Robert Mitchell, professor in the Department of Surgery, UofL School of Medicine, and deputy director of basic and translational research at UofL Health – Brown Cancer Center.

We also caught up with Erin Brock, Seneca High School science teacher and program coordinator, and participating Fern Creek High School student, Aliete Yanes-Medina.

UofL News: What is the main goal of the summer cancer research program?

Robert Mitchell: We want to give students who are passionate about science an opportunity to experience – firsthand – how a cancer research lab operates and how important it is for developing new and improved cancer therapies. I’ve heard of three or four students from this summer’s program who are now considering going into a graduate research program after finishing college. For us, that’s a huge victory.

UofL News: Each student has their own mentor and research project. How has that helped them develop as students and scientists?

Mitchell: Each student has the opportunity to present their own project at the end of the summer in poster form – a project that they were forced to learn, understand and, most importantly, put into words how scientific problems are approached and completed. It’s a powerful thing to see a young student’s pride in describing something that they’ve accomplished on their own at the end of the summer.

One of the most popular things that was added this year is the weekly rotations through five different core laboratories that make up our Drug Discovery Platform (DDP). These rotations expose students to each step of the process involved in discovering new anti-cancer drugs. I’ve witnessed kids who are painfully shy or introverted become extremely animated and excited while they were doing their own enzyme inhibition experiment during one of the DDP rotations.

UofL News: Erin, this is your first year working with this summer program. How do you see this experience helping students define their future career goals?

Erin Brock: Our model is helping kids make connections to the community, and UofL has been a huge partner. When I was in high school, I knew I loved science, so I assumed I needed to be a medical doctor – but there are so many alternatives I wasn’t aware of, just like for these students. One of the best parts of this program is getting them exposed to scientific research and helping them to discover their own passion. I think they all got something meaningful out of it.

Aliete Yanes-Medina displays her project at the poster presentation

UofL News: Aliete, what has this summer’s research experience meant to you? What has been your biggest takeaway?

Aliete Yanes-Medina: I always wanted to get into medicine, and I thought I would be going straight into patient care, but when I saw this opportunity, I realized this was something I wanted to explore. Also, personally, a lot of people in my family have had cancer, so I was emotionally connected.

My takeaway has been the fact that I’ve been learning so much and how everybody in the lab is supportive. They’ve said, ‘Hey I found this article that you may like’ and then they send it to me, or ‘Hey, I found this resource that may help you to understand the articles’ and they send it to me. It has definitely opened my mind, and my plan now is to do research in the future. I was thinking about going to college out of state, maybe doing biology, but it has completely changed what I want to do now. I’m staying at UofL.

Mitchell: It’s so amazing seeing a student light up and become inspired by cancer research. Just reaching one student like this is reward enough.

A new online tool developed by researchers at the University of Louisville promises to speed up the discovery of treatments for brain and nerve tumors, especially rare ones that have had limited research attention.

A team led by Akshitkumar Mistry, a neurosurgeon and scientist at UofL and UofL Health, has created the Atlas of Nervous System Tumors. It is the largest publicly available dataset of its kind and includes more than 7,000 tumor samples from the brain, spinal cord and nerves, which were drawn from biorepositories around the world. For each sample, the atlas combines gene activity data with clinical information such as patient age, tumor location and survival outcomes.

“Brain and nervous system tumors are incredibly diverse,” Mistry said. “This tool helps researchers quickly understand how these tumors behave at the genomic level, which can point the way to new or repurposed treatments that might be tested in clinical trials.”

The team built the atlas by applying advanced machine learning techniques to tumor genomic data. It includes many extremely rare tumor types for which data have previously been sparse or unavailable.

Kentucky ranks among the highest in the nation for new cancer cases and cancer-related death. Although brain cancers are rare, they are especially devastating and can affect people at any age. They are more common in children under 15 and adults over 64, and their causes remain poorly understood, leaving few options for prevention.

The atlas project was supported by the Kentucky Pediatric Cancer Research Trust Fund and the Kentucky Department for Public Health. Mistry’s work also is supported by the Louisville Clinical and Translational Research Center at UofL and by a UofL Presidential Scholars award.

A new tool to identify therapies

While the atlas is not meant to provide direct treatment recommendations, Mistry emphasized that it will enable researchers to classify tumors and identify therapies based on how their genes behave, going beyond traditional DNA mutations or histology. This deeper classification can reveal biological similarities to other cancers that already have approved therapies.

In his article about the atlas, published in the journal Neuro-Oncology, Mistry and colleagues showed how the atlas identified new subtypes of pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma, rare tumors of the nervous system. These subtypes expressed certain genes, such as GHR and SST, at high levels. Drugs that target these genes already exist for other cancers and these subtypes can be easily identified by genetic analysis. Without examining the gene activity, clinicians would have no reason to test these drugs in patients with these rare tumors. Yet this valuable information is available in the atlas.

“These are therapies that are already out there, but no one had thought to try them in these tumors,” Mistry said. “Now by using the atlas, we have the data to support testing them in clinical trials.”

Eyas Hattab, chair of UofL’s Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and co-author of the article on the atlas, said it supports the development of personalized and targeted therapies for neurological cancers.

“Over the past two decades, brain tumor diagnostics have undergone transformative advances, driven by the integration of cutting-edge molecular and genetic technologies,” Hattab said. “The work by Dr. Mistry and colleagues builds on this progress by mapping RNA transcripts across a spectrum of CNS tumors, significantly enhancing diagnostic precision.”

UofL Health – Brown Cancer Center recently became the first facility in the U.S. to offer its patients access to an FDA-approved assay for solid tumor testing. The Illumina TruSight™ Oncology (TSO) Comprehensive test essentially scans a patient’s tumor sample for cancer mutations, evaluating both the DNA and RNA of a patient’s tumor to ensure they are matched with the most effective therapies or available clinical trials.

“The new atlas complements technologies such as the TSO Comprehensive by providing a broader view of how tumors function at the RNA level — essentially, what the tumor is doing rather than just what it is,” Mistry said.

Adding to the impact of their work, the methodology that Mistry and the research team used to build the atlas can also be applied to other rare diseases, giving researchers a powerful new framework to reuse and harmonize public data for maximum impact.

The UofL Health Board has named Jason Smith, M.D., Ph.D., UofL Health chief medical officer (CMO), as interim CEO.

“Dr. Smith is a distinguished physician and leader, uniquely positioned to continue the momentum of UofL Health,” Gerry Bradley, University of Louisville president, said. “His combination of clinical experience, innovative leadership and consensus building is well known among our team and colleagues across the nation. I look forward to the impact he will have on the health of our community and commonwealth.”

Smith has served as CMO for UofL Health since its inception in November 2019 and served as CMO for UofL Health – UofL Hospital from 2017 to 2019. He has been a member of the University of Louisville School of Medicine faculty since 2008.

“I strongly believe in the mission of UofL Health,” Smith shared. “Being able to serve our organization in this role is exciting and I look forward to continuing to work alongside our team to provide quality, patient-centered care to our community. I want to thank former CEO, Tom Miller, for his leadership and the UofL Health Board for this opportunity.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Smith led the health system’s response and served as an expert voice throughout Kentuckiana and the commonwealth.

Last year, he was awarded the Paragon Award from the Greater Louisville Medical Society for his outstanding contributions to health care leadership, advocacy for gun violence victims and his commitment to the education of future physicians.

Smith earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry from Wright State University before completing his medical degree at The Ohio State University. He completed his residency in surgery at The Ohio State University before joining the University of Louisville. Smith earned his Ph.D. in physiology and biophysics from UofL in 2012. He received a master of business administration from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University in 2019. He is board-certified in general surgery and critical care by the American Board of Surgery.

For more information on the UofL Health, visit: UofLHealth.org.

About UofL Health

UofL Health is a not-for-profit (501(c)(3)) fully integrated regional academic health system with nine hospitals, four medical centers, Brown Cancer Center, Eye Institute, more than 250 physician practice locations, and more than 1,200 providers in Louisville and the surrounding counties, including southern Indiana. Additional access to UofL Health is provided through a partnership with Carroll County Memorial Hospital.

 Affiliated with the University of Louisville School of Medicine, UofL Health is committed to providing patients with access to the most advanced care available. This includes clinical trials, collaboration on research and the development of new technologies to both save and improve lives. With more than 14,000 team members – physicians, surgeons, nurses, pharmacists and other highly-skilled healthcare professionals, UofL Health is focused on one mission: to transform the health of communities we serve through compassionate, innovative, patient-centered care. For more information on UofL Health, go to www.UofLHealth.org.

A Visionary Leader in Neurology and Stroke Care

The University of Louisville School of Medicine and UofL Health mourn the loss of one of our most cherished leaders, Dr. Kerri Simpson Remmel who passed away peacefully on June 20, 2025, at the age of 71. A nationally respected neurologist, educator and advocate for health equity, Dr. Remmel’s legacy lives on in every life she touched through her care, mentorship and leadership.

Dr. Remmel’s path to medicine began not in a lab or hospital, but in language. Born in Corpus Christi, TX, and raised in Louisiana, she earned a Ph.D. in Communication Disorders and Linguistics from Louisiana State University and worked early in her career as a speech-language pathologist. It was during this time that she developed a deep empathy for patients recovering from a stroke – an experience that sparked her desire to understand the neurological root of recovery and ultimately led her to pursue a medical degree. That decision would define the next chapter of her life and launch a legacy that forever changed stroke care in the Commonwealth and beyond.

At the University of Louisville, Dr. Remmel served as chair of the Department of Neurology in the School of Medicine and director of the UofL Hospital Stroke Center. Under her leadership, UofL Hospital achieved the state's first Joint Commission-certified Comprehensive Stroke Center in Kentucky, a milestone that would go on to save countless lives. She brought vision, precision and heart to every aspect of her work, transforming not only how patients were treated, but how care teams collaborated across institutions.

“Kerri was an exemplary leader, neurologist, and friend to many at the UofL School of Medicine, and she will be greatly missed. Her impact on stroke care and patient outcomes in Louisville and beyond is immeasurable,” said Jeffrey Bumpous, executive vice president for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine.

Dr. Remmel’s impact reached far beyond the clinical setting. As a Joy McCann Scholar for Outstanding Mentors in Science and Medicine, she mentored generations of medical students and residents, always holding them to the highest standards while nurturing their growth with compassion. Her students remember her not only for her brilliance, but for her humanity — her ability to see their potential and inspire them to reach it.

Outside of the university and hospital walls, Dr. Remmel played a critical role in shaping public health. As co-chair of Kentucky’s Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force, she championed policies and systems that improved stroke prevention, acute care and rehabilitation across the Commonwealth. Even in retirement, she remained steadfast in this mission; she continued to serve patients in rural and underserved areas through her work at the Regional Brain Institute, ensuring that specialized neurological care was available to those who needed it most.

To those who worked alongside her, Dr. Remmel was a rare blend of intellect, empathy and unrelenting drive. She brought clarity to difficult decisions, energy to every room she entered and a sense of purpose to every challenge. She was a gifted clinician, a trusted colleague and a beloved friend.

“It was an honor to work alongside Dr. Remmel.  She left a positive mark on her profession and because of her dedication to her patients, especially stroke patients, we are all reaping the rewards of her passion. She was an unwavering advocate for improving the care for all stroke and neurology patients across the country. We can view her life as an example of what selfless service looks like and how the consistent actions of one person can create a long-lasting positive impact,” said Ken Marshall, UofL Health chief operating officer.

Beyond her professional roles, she was a devoted mother to JB and Chris. She loved LSU football, enjoyed traveling and found strength in the relationships she built with family and friends. She had a spirited sense of humor and a heart that remained fully engaged in life, both in and out of the clinic.

A celebration of her life will be held Thursday, June 26 at Shannon Funeral Home in Shelbyville, KY.

As we remember and honor Dr. Remmel, we do so with deep gratitude for her decades of service, her unwavering compassion and her relentless pursuit of better outcomes for patients and communities alike. She leaves behind a legacy that is impossible to measure; a legacy carried forward by the thousands she mentored, treated and inspired. She will be deeply missed.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Niekro Foundation for the newly formed Kerri Simpson Remmel and Niekro Foundation Neurovascular Team Excellence Lectureship at the Association of Neurovascular Clinicians annual meeting. Checks can be mailed to:
The Joe Niekro Foundation
Attention: Elizabeth Hamburg, Executive Director
2401 Fountain View Dr, Ste 312
Houston, TX 77057

It is an undeniable fact that ULSOM has some outstanding staff, and Cheri Bingham is no exception. As the residency and fellowship program administrator within the department of Radiology, Cheri plays a pivotal role in the academic leadership team.  Her expertise spans managing training programs, overseeing daily operations, and ensuring compliance with accreditation standards. She is deeply committed to advancing educational initiatives and achieving departmental goals and objectives.

Residency and fellowship program administrators like Cheri undertake unique responsibilities, including recruitment, credentialing, web content management, mentorship, event planning, and process enhancement at ULSOM. Cheri has admirably fulfilled these roles for 19 years, consistently bringing enthusiasm and expertise to her work.

Reflecting on her role, Cheri shared, “I find immense fulfillment in contributing to the education and development of our future physicians. Working alongside our outstanding staff makes me feel like I’m making a difference.”

Cheri also expressed admiration for ULSOM’s faculty, recognizing their dedication to academic responsibilities while serving as attending physicians.

Outside of her role as program administrator, Cheri is an active member of the School of Medicine Advancement, Retention and Training (S.M.A.R.T.) Advisory Council, advocating for resources that benefit her colleagues. Her involvement allows her to stay up-to-date with new, trending, and relevant topics within the medical education community.

Recently, more than 300 community members gathered at the annual S.M.A.R.T. Staff SummerFest, where attendees explored campus resources and enjoyed engaging conversations. The event fostered a sense of community and included free ice cream – a nice bonus!

“We were thrilled with the turnout at this year’s SummerFest,” said Dr. Glenn Gittings, chief of staff for the ULSOM Dean’s Office. “This event is a great example of how our S.M.A.R.T. Advisory Council continues to prioritize staff engagement and wellness. It’s rewarding to see so many colleagues connect with the resources and people that make ULSOM a special place to work.”

The S.M.A.R.T. Advisory Council remains committed to promoting holistic health and wellness among the ULSOM staff, planning additional events such as the HSC Fitness Center Open House, virtual coffee breaks, Speed Networking, and so much more. Stay tuned for more exciting initiatives aimed at supporting our dedicated staff.

In its 2025 edition of Best Graduate Schools, U.S. News & World Report ranks UofL’s School of Medicine among the best in the nation. Its impact is evident in key areas: it ranks No. 57 for graduates practicing in health professional shortage areas, No. 52 for those entering primary care and No. 52 for graduates serving rural communities.

UofL has a long history of preparing physicians for practice in rural and smaller communities through the UofL School of Medicine Trover Campus, which began in 1998 with the goal of increasing the number of physicians practicing in rural areas, and in existing UofL family medicine residencies in Glasgow and Owensboro.

Supporting this mission, UofL was awarded a $16 million Health Resources and Services Administration grant in 2023 to expand the training of primary care physicians and encourage their practice in underserved areas. 

UofL is also a part of the Kentucky Area Health Education Centers (AHEC), a collaborative effort of the UofL Health Sciences Center, the University of Kentucky Medical Center and eight regional centers. The AHECs work to improve the recruitment, distribution and retention of health care professionals in medically under-served areas throughout the state commonwealth. 

“These national rankings affirm the University of Louisville School of Medicine’s deep commitment to improving access to care in communities that need it most,” said Kelli Bullard Dunn, MD, vice dean for community engagement. “Our longstanding efforts, alongside new investments like the HRSA grant and ongoing support from the Kentucky General Assembly, are strengthening the pipeline of primary care providers and creating real change for families across Kentucky and beyond.”

Other key highlights in the U.S. News & World Report graduate and professional schools ranking include: 

• No. 29 in criminology 
• No. 36 in audiology 
• No. 43 in social work 
• No. 46 in healthcare management

Graduate education at UofL provides over 130 graduate programs to approximately 5,800 graduate students. Learn more on the UofL Graduate School webpage.

Previously, U.S. News & World Report had ranked the university in the top 100 public universities in the nation. Additionally, UofL Online Learning received a five-star rating and came in it at No. 53 in America’s Top Online Colleges 2025 listing.

You know the feeling all too well— throbbing head pain, sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, visual disturbances... it seems to never end. Migraine attacks, a form of moderate to severe headaches with crippling side effects that worsen with movement, are far too common, but there is hope.

Migraines are present in approximately 16% of adults in the United States, and yet migraine attacks are rarely talked about. Those who have never had a migraine often misunderstand the severity, and many who suffer from migraines are under the impression that migraines are not treatable. Despite these misconceptions, migraines can cause severe pain and other side effects, but there are treatments that can reduce, mitigate, and diminish the impacts.

Luckily, there are a wide range of options for treatment. In the past decade alone, there have been more than 10 new medications approved by the FDA for acute and preventative treatment of migraines. These new medications have provided additional options for patients who have not found success with traditional medications.

Beyond medications, lifestyle adjustments can also reduce migraine and headache frequency. Getting adequate hours of uninterrupted sleep, managing stress, eating heart-healthy foods, staying hydrated, and exercising daily can reduce the frequency and severity of migraines.

Migraines are serious, but when does a headache call for a trip to the doctor’s office? Headaches that are made worse by coughing, sneezing, or straining; occur with nighttime awakening; or are progressively worsening may be a cause for concern. A provider who specializes in headaches can best assess these symptoms to determine if a potentially dangerous cause is present.

“We understand that migraines can be miserable hindrances to daily activities, and for many, they are far from rare occurrences,” explained Michael Sowell, M.D., professor of Neurology and director of the University of Louisville Comprehensive Headache Program. “At the University of Louisville School of Medicine, a plethora of resources are available for those suffering from migraines, including neuroimaging techniques and coordination of care with other health care providers, when necessary.”

Although there is a higher prevalence in women as opposed to men (an approximate 3:1 ratio), migraines can affect anyone. Underlying medical conditions, tobacco use, high levels of stress, and family genetics may put some individuals at a higher risk of developing migraines.

Increasing awareness of the condition can lead to improved recognition and treatment, thus resulting in increased work productivity, decreased disability, and improved quality of life for the millions of individuals who experience migraines.

Whether you experience migraines occasionally or frequently, you deserve to feel better. Join us at the University of Louisville School of Medicine as we continue to advance research, refine treatment, and raise awareness for those living with migraine. Learn more about the Comprehensive Headache Program through the Department of Neurology here at the University of Louisville.

Loneliness is increasingly recognized as a serious risk to the health and well-being of older adults, linked to heightened risks of depression, cognitive decline, chronic illness and even early mortality. A new research project launching this year will tackle this pressing public health challenge, “Universal belonging: A place-based intervention to reduce loneliness.”

Led by researchers at the Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute at the University of Louisville, this five-year project seeks to identify and reduce loneliness among seniors aged 65 and older by combining neighborhood-level data, community engagement and targeted, place-based interventions.

“We are deeply grateful to the Humana Foundation for supporting this effort to find new ways to help seniors live healthier lives in Louisville and across Kentucky” said Ted Smith, Ph.D, co-director of the Humana Center for Community Health Research at UofL.

This initiative builds on the work of the Universal Basic Neighborhood (UBN) project, a framework developed to discover and promote the core resources neighborhoods offer that have been shown to support good health. Through the UBN project, researchers identified social connection as a key ingredient in healthy communities, and loneliness, especially among seniors, as a critical risk factor for poor health outcomes. The new project applies UBN’s data-driven approach to address this challenge, using demographic, clinical and environmental data.

“This project represents a direct application of this place-based framework to a real and growing need in our community,” said Lauren Anderson, a UofL researcher who developed that place-based data model for this work as part of her dissertation research.

The project continues a collaboration with Nancy Seay, Ph.D., with The Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. Center for Racial Justice and the Department of Sociology at Simmons College of Kentucky, who will lead the asset mapping and community-based research components of the study. Their work will focus on identifying both social needs and existing assets within the neighborhoods selected for intervention, helping to ground the study in the lived experience and local context of older adults.

Over the course of the study, researchers will work with community partners to test a variety of neighborhood-based strategies aimed at fostering social connection. The project will also gather new insights on how local infrastructure and community design influence emotional well-being in aging populations. While target neighborhoods are still being identified, the project team is also actively seeking organizations that serve seniors to join as collaborators and subject matter experts. Interested partners are encouraged to visit the project website to learn more about how to get involved.

Funding for this work is provided by the Humana Foundation, whose commitment to community health and equitable aging has made this study possible.

How to participate:

• For seniors: Enroll in the study by taking the Baseline Loneliness Survey *Coming in July 2025*
• For partners: If you serve the senior population, contact Cayley.Crum@louisville.edu
• For volunteers: To help with outreach, survey collection or event support, contact Cayley.Crum@louisville.edu