Jeff Walz, head coach of the University of Louisville women’s basketball team, will walk the red carpet at The Julep Ball.

The premier Derby Eve Party with a Purpose, The Julep Ball is held annually on the evening before the Kentucky Derby and supports the work of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center at the University of Louisville. The event on May 2 at the KFC Yum! Center kicks off with a 6:30 p.m. cocktail reception, followed by dinner and a live auction at 8 p.m.

An Official Event of the 140^th Kentucky Derby®, The Julep Ball provides a celebrity-studded night to remember with a multi-course seated dinner, a knock-your-socks-off auction, multiple open specialty bars, complimentary valet parking, and dancing until the wee hours of Derby morning. Tickets to The Julep Ball sell out early each year. The full evening’s entertainment is $600 per person, $5,000 for a table of 10, and $100 per person for dance-only tickets. For further information and to buy tickets, go to The Julep Ball website, julepball.org.

About Jeff Walz

Considered by many to be the best young coach in women's basketball, Jeff Walz has made a career out of building successful programs. Walz has lived up to that reputation since taking over the helm at Louisville, taking the program to new heights. In his first six seasons, he has guided the Cardinals to two Final Four appearances and National Runner-up finishes in 2009 and 2013 along with four Sweet 16 appearances.

Walz's success can be traced back to recruiting. He is known as a tireless recruiter and has not let up since becoming a head coach. In just his first season, Walz and his staff brought in the highest ranked recruiting class in Cardinal history. He has since followed it up with three consecutive Top 10 classes, with the 2010 class ranked fifth in the nation. The 2011 class made school history with two McDonald's All-Americans.

He was named the sixth head coach at the University Louisville on March 27, 2007. Walz, a Kentucky native, returned to the bluegrass state after serving as an associate head coach at Maryland.

In the 2012-2013 season, Walz led the Cardinals to the biggest upset in women's basketball history by defeating the No. 1 overall seed Baylor in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals went on to defeat the No. 2 seeded Tennessee Lady Vols in the Elite Eight to reach their second Final Four appearance in four years.

Louisville went on to defeat No. 2 seed California in the national semifinal, advancing to the National Championship for the second time in Walz's career as a head coach. Entering the NCAA Tournament the Cardinals were ranked No. 16 but finished the year ranked third with a 29-9 overall record and another miraculous run in the NCAA Tournament.

During the 2012 season Walz had his most talented team in four seasons but lost two of his top three scorers early in the season. Despite the adversity, Walz led the team to a 23-10 record. The Cardinals advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and ended the season with a final ranking of 16th in the nation.

Walz began his coaching career at the middle and high school levels in 1992 and was an AAU coach in 1995-96. During his career, he has guided such players as 1996 National High School Player of the Year Jaime Walz, his sister, who now coaches the girls' high school team at their alma mater, Highlands High School. He also coached 1999 NCAA champion and WNBA standout Ukari Figgs, the University of Tennessee's Kyra Elzy, and Ohio State standout Louisville native, Marita Porter.

He attended Northern Kentucky University on a basketball scholarship, graduating with a bachelor of science in secondary education in May 1995. Walz earned his master's in education in August of 1997 from Western Kentucky.

Walz has three children, daughter Kaeley, son Jacob, and daughter Lola. He married to the former Lauren Lueders and the couple reside in Louisville.

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About the James Graham Brown Cancer Center:

The James Graham Brown Cancer Center is a key component of the University of Louisville Health Sciences Center. As part of the region's leading academic, research and teaching health center, the cancer center provides the latest medical advances to patients, often long before they become available in non-teaching settings. The JGBCC is a part of KentuckyOne Health and is affiliated with the Kentucky Cancer Program. It is the only cancer center in the region to use a unified approach to cancer care, with multidisciplinary teams of physicians working together to guide patients through diagnosis, treatment and recovery. For more information, visit our web site, www.browncancercenter.org.

The Julep Ball is sponsored in part by Advanced Cancer Therapeutics, Ashton Advertising, Bob Montgomery Dixie Honda, Boutique Serendipity, The Dahlem Company, Dillards, Enterprise, Headz Salon, Heaven Hill, Hubbuch & Co., InGrid Design, Jaust Consulting Partners, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, KentuckyOne Health, Kroger, Louisville Magazine, Maker’s Mark, Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, Morgan Stanley, MPI Printing, Nfocus, Old 502 Winery, Power Creative, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, WAKY and WHAS11.

Four of the NFL’s finest will join University of Louisville Head Football Coach Bobby Petrinoon the red carpet at The Julep Ball.

The premier Derby Eve Party with a Purpose, The Julep Ball is held annually on the evening before the Kentucky Derby and supports the work of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center at the University of Louisville. The event on May 2 at the KFC Yum! Center kicks off with a 6:30 p.m. cocktail reception, followed by dinner and a live auction at 8 p.m.

An Official Event of the 140^th Kentucky Derby®, The Julep Ball provides a celebrity-studded night to remember with a multi-course seated dinner, a knock-your-socks-off auction, multiple open specialty bars, complimentary valet parking, and dancing until the wee hours of Derby morning. Tickets to The Julep Ball sell out early each year. The full evening’s entertainment is $600 per person, $5,000 for a table of 10, and $100 per person for dance-only tickets. For further information and to buy tickets, go to The Julep Ball website, julepball.org.

Two former UofL Cardinals now in the NFL – Eric Wood and Joe Johnson – will join EJ Manuel and Kyle Rudolph at The Julep Ball:

Joe Johnson

Joe Johnson attended the University of Louisville for four years where he was a full time starter for three years and was honored as a first team “All American” in his last year as a Cardinal.  He chose to forgo his senior year in college and was drafted 13^th overall in the 1994 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints. Joe received a number of honors during his 10-year NFL career, including: Pro Bowl (1998 and 2000), All Madden Team (1998 and 2000), Comeback Player of the Year (2000) and All Rookie Team (1994). He was named to the New Orleans Saints Hall Of Fame in 2007.

EJ Manuel

EJ Manuel is the starting quarterback for the Buffalo Bills. He was the 16^th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft out of Florida State University, where he led the Seminoles to their first 12-win season since the 1990’s.  He was named the MVP of the Gator Bowl in 2009 and the MVP of the Senior Bowl in 2013. Off the field, EJ is National Ambassador for Camp Kesem, an organization dedicated to helping children whose parents suffer from cancer and is an advocate for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research in honor of his mother who is a breast cancer survivor

Kyle Rudolph

Kyle Rudolph is a tight end in his fourth season with the Minnesota Vikings. A graduate of Notre Dame and the first tight end to start every game as a freshman, Kyle was the first tight end drafted in the 2011 rookie class. After his breakout year in 2012, earning Pro Bowl MVP honors, he is now regarded as one of the league’s best. Kyle joined his teammates in community outreach activities as a rookie, planting trees as part of Planet Purple Week and visiting University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital when the Vikings were part of the Adopt-A-Room program.

Eric Wood

Eric Wood is a University of Louisville alumnus who played for Coach Bobby Petrino at UofL and is the starting center and team captain for the Buffalo Bills. He was the team's second pick in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft (28th overall). As a Cardinal, he earned Freshman All-American honors, All-Big East honors and Academic All-Big East accolades. Eric finished his collegiate career with 49 consecutive starts at center, the second-longest streak in school history behind Travis Leffew. Today, he is one of the five highest-paid centers in the NFL.

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About the James Graham Brown Cancer Center:

The James Graham Brown Cancer Center is a key component of the University of Louisville Health Sciences Center. As part of the region's leading academic, research and teaching health center, the cancer center provides the latest medical advances to patients, often long before they become available in non-teaching settings. The JGBCC is a part of KentuckyOne Health and is affiliated with the Kentucky Cancer Program. It is the only cancer center in the region to use a unified approach to cancer care, with multidisciplinary teams of physicians working together to guide patients through diagnosis, treatment and recovery. For more information, visit our web site, www.browncancercenter.org.

The Julep Ball is sponsored in part by Advanced Cancer Therapeutics, Ashton Advertising, Bob Montgomery Dixie Honda, Boutique Serendipity, The Dahlem Company, Dillards, Enterprise, Headz Salon, Heaven Hill, Hubbuch & Co., InGrid Design, Jaust Consulting Partners, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, KentuckyOne Health, Kroger, Louisville Magazine, Maker’s Mark, Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, Morgan Stanley, MPI Printing, Nfocus, Old 502 Winery, Power Creative, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, WAKY and WHAS11.

Some of America’s most popular reality stars will join bright talents from the world of music, television and film at the 2014 Julep Ball.

The premier Derby Eve Party with a Purpose, The Julep Ball is held annually on the evening before the Kentucky Derby and supports the work of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center at the University of Louisville. The event on May 2 at the KFC Yum! Center kicks off with a 6:30 p.m. cocktail reception, followed by dinner and a live auction at 8 p.m.

An Official Event of the 140^th Kentucky Derby®, The Julep Ball provides a celebrity-studded night to remember with a multi-course seated dinner, a knock-your-socks-off auction, multiple open specialty bars, complimentary valet parking, and dancing until the wee hours of Derby morning. Tickets to The Julep Ball sell out early each year. The full evening’s entertainment is $600 per person, $5,000 for a table of 10, and $100 per person for dance-only tickets. For further information and to buy tickets, go to The Julep Ball website, julepball.org.

This year’s celebrity guests from the world of entertainment include:

DANIELLE GREGORIO: STAR OF 'THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ORANGE COUNTY’

Danielle Gregorio is a wife and mother to three beautiful children, residing in Villa Park, Calif. She is the co-owner and principal designer of Danielle Kaye Design Studio, a boutique interior design firm located in Orange County, California. Interior design has always been a passion for Gregorio, so she is now able to re-create her visions in both residential and commercial design projects, living her dream of owning her own business and doing what she loves.  Gregorio also has always had a special talent and vision for planning and hosting the most amazing events. When partnering with Jimmy Choo in May 2012 to support and raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society® Man of the Year, the event was such a success that she was asked to host a yearly event. When she accepted this task, she knew it was a perfect fit to become a founding member of Heels2Heal Orange County. Most recently, Gregorio joined the seasoned cast of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Orange County. Though new to the reality TV world, she was excited to show the world that a full-time mom, businesswoman and philanthropist can have it all.

MARK AND MATTHEW HARRIS: TASTEMAKERS ON ‘STORAGE WARS’

Mark and Matthew Harris are nationally known as starring in A&E’s hit series Storage Wars, where they are the newest bidders on the show viewed by 5 million viewers weekly.  In addition to being radio personalities in Los Angeles hosting their weekly radio show, The Tastemakers, the Harris brothers are regular judges at Miss USA pageants, including Miss California USA, Miss Illinois USA, Miss Nevada USA, Miss New Jersey USA and Miss Maryland USA. The Harris brothers are also known as “The Kings of Swag” as they own and operate the biggest celebrity marketing agency in Hollywood, WOW! CREATIONS, providing celebrity gift bags and hosting celebrity gift lounges around the world from the Cannes Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and many more events. The Harris brothers are also luxury life style consultants who have a daily blog and can be seen in upcoming Independent feature films playing wealthy investors and are currently shopping their new reality show, The Kings of Swag.

KYM JOHNSON: WINNING ‘DANCING WITH THE STARS’ FANS FROM AUSTRALIA TO THE U.S.

Aussie native Kym Johnson has made the transition from ballroom to judging panel and is currently one of four judges on Dancing with the Stars, Australia. Johnson holds three mirror-ball trophies (two in the United States and one in Australia) and she is the only professional dancer in the world to hold trophies on two different continents. In 2006, she arrived in the United States when she was asked to join the U.S. version of DWTS. Her first partner was talk show host Jerry Springer during season three, where she won the hearts of Americans. Her other partners have included some of the most popular celebrities on the show: David Hasselhoff, Joey Fatone, Jaleel White, Mark Cuban, Penn Jillette, Warren Sapp, Ingo Radamacher and David Arquette.  Johnson has been runner-up twice on the American syndicated DWTS. In November 2009, Johnson won the prestigious mirror-ball trophy with entertainer Donny Osmond, and followed up the win with another first place in 2011 with Pittsburgh Steeler Hines Ward. Johnson has been involved in 13 seasons of DWTS U.S.A.

CARSON KRESSLEY: EMMY WINNER, STYLE MAKER, FAN FAVORITE

Carson Kressley was most recently a “fan-favorite” on ABC’s world-wide hit, Dancing With The Stars and recently headlined as the host of Dancing With The Stars Live in Las Vegas. In 2011, Kressley starred in Carson-Nation, a one-hour reality show that premiered on OWN, The Oprah Winfrey Network. In Carson-Nation, he travelled to small towns throughout the United States, transforming lives one person at a time with his signature heart, humor and style. Previously, Kressley helmed Lifetime's critically acclaimed show How To Look Good Naked and earned a primetime Emmy for his role on Bravo's breakout hit series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. He was a frequent style contributor on The Oprah Winfrey Show where millions of viewers accessed his expertise, style, and wit. He can also be seen as a style contributor on ABC’s Good Morning America,Live With Kelly and Michael!, The Queen Latifah Show, Bethenny and The Wendy Williams Show. Kressley recently debuted his signature line of women’s sportswear and accessories, "Love, Carson," which is known for its easy, instant, affordable glamour and is available exclusively at ShopHQ.

KEITH ROBINSON: KENTUCKY BRED, OSCAR NOMINATED

Before he made his way to Tinseltown, the Kentucky native set his sights on music and attended the University of Georgia. Shortly after traveling to Los Angeles and upon a chance meeting with a film and television manager, Robinson jump-started his career performing in more than 50 television and film projects and still counting while still pursuing his music career. Robinson is best known for his role as C.C. White in the Academy Award-winning film Dreamgirls, which earned him an Oscar nomination for best song that he performed at the Academy Awards. He can also be seen in such films as Dear John, Fat Albert, 35 & Ticking, This Christmas, CRU (August 2014) and the soon-to-be released James Brown biopic, Get on Up due out Aug. 1. `Robinson also is slated to release brand-new music later this year.

ELIZABETH (LIZZIE) ROVSEK: KENTUCKIAN STAR OF ‘REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ORANGE COUNTY’

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Rovsek is a swimsuit designer and stay-at-home mother of two. Lizzie is the newest Housewife on Bravo's The Real Housewives of Orange County and joined the cast in its ninth season. Elizabeth hails from the Bluegrass state, is a former Miss Kentucky USA, and is now owner and designer of her own swimsuit company, Sun Kitten Swimwear. She’s married to Christian, CEO of Service First Restoration, an emergency service construction company handling properties damaged by flood, fire, mold and more, and they have two children, 3-year-old Preston and 2-year-old Kingston. They live in Orange County, California, and plan on growing their family in 2015.

JON SEDA: CURRENTLY HEATING UP  ‘CHICAGO PD’

His television credits include series regular roles on Kevin Hill and Close to Home and recurring roles in Ghost Whisperer and Oz. Seda also guest starred on Hawaii Five-0, The Closer, Burn Notice, House, M.D, CSI: Miami, NYPD Blue, Las Vegas and Law and Order, among many others. In 2010, Seda was seen in the award-winning HBO World War II miniseries The Pacific, playing the starring role of legendary marine Jon Basilone, and joined the cast of the acclaimed HBO series Treme as a series regular. Seda can currently be seen starring as Detective Antonio Dawson on Chicago PD. The show, created by Emmy Award-winning executive producer Dick Wolf, is a spin-off of Chicago Fire and airs on NBC.

MISS AMERICA 2014 NINA DAVULURI: WORKING FOR SCIENCE, MEDICINE, ENGINEERING, TECHNOLOGY

In 2013, Nina Davuluri became the first contestant of Indian descent to win the Miss America competition. The Syracuse, N.Y., native was educated at the University of Michigan and plans to attend medical school. During her year as Miss America, Davuluri will serve as spokesperson for increasing enrollment in the STEM fields – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics – working with the U.S. Department of Education. Along with the coveted title of Miss America 2014, the 24-year-old won a $50,000 scholarship provided in part by Joseph Ribkoff Inc. and the Miss America Organization to continue her education. For the talent portion of the competition, Davuluri returned to her roots and performed a Classical Bollywood Fusion dance.

2014 JULEP BALL ENTERTAINMENT

BOB HARDWICK: BRINGING HIS SOUND HOME TO LOUISVILLE

Growing up in a banking family in Louisville, Hardwick started to play the piano and compose at age four with the gift of perfect pitch. He went on to win numerous national talent competitions including the Coca-Cola Talent Contest and was accepted for private study by the University of Louisville School of Music at age 12. After earning a BA in business from Centre College and completing graduate music studies at the University of North Texas (classical and jazz), he studied composition with Hall Overton at the Juilliard School of Music. He also received a DownBeat magazine award scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston. "The Bob Hardwick Sound" is now one of the leading dance orchestras in the country, with an average of over 200 engagements per year in the United States, in addition to England, France, Italy, Ireland and Bermuda and the Caribbean. With Bob's dazzling piano artistry, the orchestra's irresistible beat, and a repertoire that delights all ages, Hardwick's music makes every party a success, including Presidential inaugurals, private parties, benefit galas, corporate events, debutante balls and weddings of all sizes. Recently, Hardwick played for his fifth Inaugural Ball and seventh U.S. president by performing at the prestigious Illinois Presidential Inaugural Ball in Washington, D.C., for President Barack Obama.

J.D. SHELBURNE: KENTUCKY NATIVE WITH HITS ‘FARMBOY’ AND ‘GRANDMA & GARTH’

Country artist J.D. Shelburne grew up on a tobacco farm in Taylorsville, Ky., a tiny town southeast of the Ohio River near Louisville. At age 19, he found a guitar after the death of his grandmother and began learning to play and sing on his own. By his sophomore year of college, he had found a few gigs at some local bars in the Louisville and Lexington areas and developed a fan base that eventually landed him on some of the biggest stages in the business, opening for some of the nation's hottest stars. Eventually, Shelburne was adding original songs into the set mix, in addition to producing songs of his own material. Twelve years later he is soaking up country music, touring cities, building a fan base and celebrating a decade of success playing venues all across the southeast trying to get his big break. Today he’s among the most hardworking and relevant country singers in the business, with the hits “Farmboy” and “Grandma & Garth.” They say Nashville doesn’t work that way anymore – that talented musicians with very few connections don’t stand a chance, but J.D. Shelburne proved that Music City’s engine still runs off talent and persistence. Critics find him credible. Fans pack his shows. Venues strive to book him. There are very few new artists recording songs today about whom that can be said.

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About the James Graham Brown Cancer Center:

The James Graham Brown Cancer Center is a key component of the University of Louisville Health Sciences Center. As part of the region's leading academic, research and teaching health center, the cancer center provides the latest medical advances to patients, often long before they become available in non-teaching settings. The JGBCC is a part of KentuckyOne Health and is affiliated with the Kentucky Cancer Program. It is the only cancer center in the region to use a unified approach to cancer care, with multidisciplinary teams of physicians working together to guide patients through diagnosis, treatment and recovery. For more information, visit our web site, www.browncancercenter.org.

The Julep Ball is sponsored in part by Advanced Cancer Therapeutics, Ashton Advertising, Bob Montgomery Dixie Honda, Boutique Serendipity, The Dahlem Company, Dillards, Enterprise, Headz Salon, Heaven Hill, Hubbuch & Co., InGrid Design, Jaust Consulting Partners, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, KentuckyOne Health, Kroger, Louisville Magazine, Maker’s Mark, Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, Morgan Stanley, MPI Printing, Nfocus, Old 502 Winery, Power Creative, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, WAKY and WHAS11.

Gregory Barnes, M.D., Ph.D., is the inaugural permanent director of the University of Louisville Autism Center. Barnes comes to UofL from Vanderbilt University. Barnes also will hold the Spafford Ackerly Chair for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and faculty positions in the departments of Neurology and Pediatrics.

“Dr. Barnes is a national leader in providing care for people who are affected by autism,” said David L. Dunn, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president for health affairs at UofL. “His emphasis on evidence-based treatment, teamed with his research into potential genetic influences into the development of the disorder, as well as the potential influence in epilepsy, make him a perfect fit for our program.”

In 2008, Barnes was appointed national neurology co-leader for the Autism Treatment Network. In 2012 he was appointed to the external scientific advisory committee for the Preclinical Autism Consortium for Therapeutics (PACT). He also has served as a reviewer for the Autism Speaks special grant program for preclinical translational research and the Autism Speaks translational postdoctoral fellowship grant program.

Barnes, who will hold the academic title of associate professor of neurology and pediatrics, has held academic appointments at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Harvard Medical School, Duke University Medical School, the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and Vanderbilt School of Medicine.

He earned his bachelor of science degree in molecular biology from Vanderbilt University before earning his doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Kentucky. He also earned his medical degree from UK. He served his pediatric residency at St. Louis Children’s Hospital in affiliation with Washington University School of Medicine. He served as a clinical fellow in pediatrics, neurology and epilepsy at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He completed an epilepsy research fellowship from the Duke University Center for the Advanced Study of Epilepsy.

The UofL Autism Center at Kosair Charities, located at 1405 Burnett Ave., offers children, parents and community partners a single source for expert treatment, referral and information. It is a joint effort by the UofL departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Pediatrics and the College of Education and Human Development that will eventually incorporate resources from other university programs. The university-based partnership serves as the focus for collaboration with other community-based autism services and advocacy groups.

Movie and television actress Josie Davis joins “Voice of the Cards” Sean Moth and WHAS11 morning anchor Brooke Katz in emceeing The Julep Ball.

Katz will interview celebrities as they make their red carpet entrances, while Davis and Moth will keep the evening moving as emcees.

The premier Derby Eve Party with a Purpose, The Julep Ball is held annually on the evening before the Kentucky Derby and supports the work of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center at the University of Louisville. The event on May 2 at the KFC Yum! Center kicks off with a 6:30 p.m. cocktail reception, followed by dinner and a live auction at 8 p.m.

An Official Event of the 140^th Kentucky Derby®, The Julep Ball provides a celebrity-studded night to remember with a multi-course seated dinner, a knock-your-socks-off auction, multiple open specialty bars, complimentary valet parking, and dancing until the wee hours of Derby morning. Tickets to The Julep Ball sell out early each year. The full evening’s entertainment is $600 per person, $5,000 for a table of 10, and $100 per person for dance-only tickets. For further information and to buy tickets, go to The Julep Ball website, julepball.org.

About Josie Davis

Josie Davis is best remembered as a series regular on the hit television series Charles in Charge opposite Scott Baio, which she began when she was 12 years old. After the show wrapped, Josie transitioned into series regular roles on Beverly Hills 90210 and then the television series Titans with Victoria Principal.

Davis’ feature film credits include a lead role in Nicholas Cage’s directorial debut Sonny, opposite James Franco and Scott Caan. She also starred in Carolina Moon, opposite Claire Forlani and Oliver Hudson, The Perfect Assistant, Seduced by Lies, and The Perfect Student, Blind Injustice, Past Obsessions, and Dirty Teacher, all for Lifetime.

Davis next can be seen in the indie film Mantervention, coming to theatres in Summer 2014, and also in Stealing Roses opposite John Heard and Wizardream opposite Malcolm McDowell.

Her television credits include a recurring role on CSI: NY and guest starring roles on Two and a Half Men, The Mentalist, Chuck, Bones, Rules of Engagement, Navy NCIS, Burn Notice,Breakout Kings and many more. Josie is a lifetime member of The Actors Studio being run by Martin Landau and Mark Rydell. For more information, visit: www.JosieDavis.com.

About Brooke Katz

Brooke Katz came to WHAS11 and Louisville from her hometown of Charleston, S.C. She anchors the 4:30 a.m. edition of Good Morning Kentuckiana as well as the noon newscast. She also does traffic reports for the 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. shows.

Brooke started her career in journalism at Charleston’s WCBD-TV in 2008, working as a reporter and a producer. On the streets, she covered a wide range of stories from hard news to special health and fitness segments. Since coming to Louisville, Brooke has worked as a multimedia journalist, a general assignments reporter and a feature reporter.

In her spare time, Brooke is an exercise enthusiast. She’s been teaching aerobics classes since her senior year in high school. Brooke received her degree in journalism and media studies and a certificate in criminology from Rutgers University in New Jersey.

About Sean Moth

Enjoying his 15th season at the University of Louisville, Moth has been the “Voice of the Cardinals Athletic Department” during that span as the arena and stadium announcer for the football, volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball teams. In addition, he has been the radio voice of the Louisville Cardinals baseball team for the past 12 seasons.

As associate director of creative services, he works with video and social media and has emceed banquets and events at UofL and around the City of Louisville. The teams he works with have carried him on their coattails to 12 bowl games, five Final Fours and two College World Series.

Moth lives in Louisville with his wife of 20 years, Angie and their 16-year-old son Erik who attends Youth Performing Arts School. When Moth “used to have spare time,” as he phrases it, he enjoyed cooking, good music, fly-fishing and photography.

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About the James Graham Brown Cancer Center:

The James Graham Brown Cancer Center is a key component of the University of Louisville Health Sciences Center. As part of the region's leading academic, research and teaching health center, the cancer center provides the latest medical advances to patients, often long before they become available in non-teaching settings. The JGBCC is a part of KentuckyOne Health and is affiliated with the Kentucky Cancer Program. It is the only cancer center in the region to use a unified approach to cancer care, with multidisciplinary teams of physicians working together to guide patients through diagnosis, treatment and recovery. For more information, visit our web site, www.browncancercenter.org.

The Julep Ball is sponsored in part by Advanced Cancer Therapeutics, Ashton Advertising, Bob Montgomery Dixie Honda, Boutique Serendipity, The Dahlem Company, Dillards, Enterprise, Headz Salon, Heaven Hill, Hubbuch & Co., InGrid Design, Jaust Consulting Partners, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, KentuckyOne Health, Kroger, Louisville Magazine, Maker’s Mark, Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, Morgan Stanley, MPI Printing, Nfocus, Old 502 Winery, Power Creative, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, WAKY and WHAS11.

Most often seen walking the sidelines, University of Louisville Head Football Coach Bobby Petrino will be walking the red carpet instead on May 2.

Petrino and wife Becky will be celebrity guests at The Julep Ball, the premier Derby Eve Party with a Purpose. Held annually on the evening before the Kentucky Derby, The Julep Ball supports the work of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center at the University of Louisville. The event on May 2 at the KFC Yum! Center kicks off with a 6:30 p.m. cocktail reception, followed by dinner and a live auction at 8 p.m.

An Official Event of the 140^th Kentucky Derby®, The Julep Ball provides a celebrity-studded night to remember with a multi-course seated dinner, a knock-your-socks-off auction, multiple open specialty bars, complimentary valet parking, and dancing until the wee hours of Derby morning. Tickets to The Julep Ball sell out in advance each year. The full evening’s entertainment is $600 per person, $5,000 for a table of 10, and $100 per person for dance-only tickets. For further information and to buy tickets, go to The Julep Ball website, julepball.org.

About Bobby Petrino

One of the nation's best offensive minds returned home to Louisville in January when UofL Vice President/Director of Athletics Tom Jurich announced Petrino as the Cardinals' football coach. The Cardinals’ head coach from 2003-06, Petrino led UofL to an unprecedented 41-9 record in four seasons on the sidelines and currently boasts an 83-30 record at the collegiate level.

During his time at Louisville, Petrino directed the program to a bowl game each year, but more significantly, guided the school to its first BCS victory – a 24-13 win over Wake Forest in the FedEx Orange Bowl. The 41 wins over that four-year span are the most in school history and featured an average margin of victory of 26.0.

He also showed the ability to develop players, as Petrino had 14 selected in the NFL Draft, including Amobi Okoye, who was the 10th overall selection in 2007 by the Houston Texans. Eric Wood, who was recruited by Petrino, was the 28th selection by the Buffalo Bills in 2009. Michael Bush, a fourth-round pick by the Oakland Raiders, amassed 2,514 rushing yards in three-plus seasons with the Cardinals.

Coupling his success at Louisville and Arkansas, Petrino has led his teams to seven bowl games in nine years, including both Louisville’s and Arkansas’ first BCS bowl games. His programs have achieved four 10-win seasons along with top-10 finishes nationally three times. His 2006 Louisville squad and 2011 Arkansas team concluded with No. 5 rankings in the Associated Press polls.

During Petrino’s time at Louisville, he coached the Bronko Nagurski and Ted Hendricks Award winner Elvis Dumervil, who led the nation in sacks (20) and forced fumbles (10) on his way to earning All-America honors in 2006. During that same season, Bush scored 24 touchdowns and became the school's first 1,000-yard rusher since 1999.

While the head coach of three different programs, Petrino’s offenses have compiled a 100-yard rusher on 99 occasions and a 300-yard passer 66 times over the last 15 seasons.

Prior to returning to Louisville, Petrino spent one season as head coach at Western Kentucky, where he helped WKU finish the regular season with an FBS school record eight wins while closing the season on a four-game winning streak. The team also set a new school record for total offense (5,502 yards) and passing first downs (141) in a season.

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About the James Graham Brown Cancer Center:

The James Graham Brown Cancer Center is a key component of the University of Louisville Health Sciences Center. As part of the region's leading academic, research and teaching health center, the cancer center provides the latest medical advances to patients, often long before they become available in non-teaching settings. The JGBCC is a part of KentuckyOne Health and is affiliated with the Kentucky Cancer Program. It is the only cancer center in the region to use a unified approach to cancer care, with multidisciplinary teams of physicians working together to guide patients through diagnosis, treatment and recovery. For more information, visit our web site, www.browncancercenter.org.

The Julep Ball is sponsored in part by Advanced Cancer Therapeutics, Ashton Advertising, Bob Montgomery Dixie Honda, Boutique Serendipity, The Dahlem Company, Dillards, Enterprise, Headz Salon, Heaven Hill, Hubbuch & Co., InGrid Design, Jaust Consulting Partners, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, KentuckyOne Health, Kroger, Louisville Magazine, Maker’s Mark, Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, Morgan Stanley, MPI Printing, Nfocus, Old 502 Winery, Power Creative, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, WAKY and WHAS11.

See video interviews with the faculty who made it happen here.

A 14-month-old boy in need of life-saving heart surgery is the beneficiary of a collaboration among University of Louisville engineers, physicians and Kosair Children’s Hospital.

Roland Lian Cung Bawi of Owensboro was born with four congenital heart defects and his doctors were looking for greater insights into his condition prior to a Feb. 10 operation.

Dr. Philip Dydynski, chief of radiology at Kosair Children’s Hospital, recently had toured the Rapid Prototyping Center at the University of Louisville’s J.B. Speed School of Engineering and became impressed with the 3D printing capabilities available there.

He asked the center’s operations manager, Tim Gornet, if a 3D model of the child’s heart could be constructed using a template created by images from a CT scan to allow doctors to better plan and prepare for his surgery. No problem, Gornet said.

The result of the Rapid Prototyping Center’s work was a model heart 1.5 times the size of the child’s. It was built in three pieces using a flexible filament and required about 20 machine hours – and only about $600 -- to make, Gornet said.

Once the model was built, Dr. Erle Austin III, cardiothoracic surgeon with University of Louisville Physicians, was able to develop a surgical plan and complete the heart repair with only one operation.

“I found the model to be a game changer in planning to do surgery on a complex congenital heart defect,” he said.

Roland was released from Kosair Children’s Hospital Feb. 14 and returned Feb. 21 for checkups with his doctors. His prognosis is good.

That’s good news for Gornet, whose work at the Rapid Prototyping Center routinely benefits manufacturers and heavy industry. Helping surgeons save a life was new territory for him.

“Knowing we can make somebody’s life better is exciting,” he said.

Patrick J. Murphy Jr., M.D., director of the University of Louisville Home Call Program and professor of geriatrics in the Department of Family and Geriatric Medicine, has been named one of six finalists for a national award recognizing leadership in long-term care.

Murphy has been nominated for the 2014 Medical Director of the Year award, presented by AMDA-Dedicated to Long Term Care. Formerly called the American Medical Directors Association, AMDA is a professional association of medical directors, attending physicians and other professionals practicing in long-term care and provides education, advocacy, information and professional development to promote the delivery of quality long-term care medicine.

The award will be presented Feb. 28 at the AMDA annual meeting in Nashville, Tenn.

Murphy is the only award nominee who is board-certified as a fellow of the American Academy of Family Practice and the only nominee on the faculty of an academic health center. He also has earned certification from AMDA as a medical director.

Murphy founded the UofL Home Care Program, which allows elderly patients to have better accessibility to and coordination of their health care. He also instituted the Palliative Care Committee and the Behavioral Committee at area nursing homes to improve coordination of palliative care, behavioral management and overall quality of care.

As a member of the Greater Louisville Medical Society’s Transitions of Care Committee, Murphy worked with local emergency department physicians to improve the documentation of patient transfers and led an effort to implement a standardized form for nursing home care transfers.

He has instituted changes in medical student and resident training as well to better prepare future physicians in caring for geriatric patients. He regularly brings medical students with him on home care visits to augment their learning. He also began a program at UofL where medical residents follow three nursing home patients for two years and conduct monthly rounds with him.

Murphy practices with University of Louisville Physicians-Geriatrics.

The remaining five nominees for the award are David Barthold, M.D., Bessemer, Ala.; Gregory James, D.O., Oldsmar, Fla.; David LeVine, M.D., St. Petersburg, Fla.; S. Liliana Oakes, M.D., San Antonio; and Neelofer Sohall, M.D., Lancaster, Penn.

It seems logical now but it was quite the novel idea back in 1974: Provide funding to bring health care education services, providers and students to rural and other medically underserved areas of the Commonwealth. The program would give people of those areas access to health care they might otherwise not have, while students would receive medical training they might otherwise not receive.

These principles have been the foundation of the Kentucky Area Health Education Centers program since its predecessor program began in 1974. As the program reaches its 40^th anniversary, KY AHEC, as it is known, continues to serve a vital role in all corners of the state.

“AHEC has impacted many lives and will continue to do so for many more years,” said former state AHEC director and now UofL Assistant Vice President for Health Affairs V. Faye Jones, M.D., Ph.D. “The need is there for AHEC. Kentucky communities know AHECs provide vital health education and clinical services.”

UofL Senior Associate Dean for State Initiatives and Outreach Kelli Dunn, M.D., was named KY AHEC director this month. She stresses the role AHEC plays in access to health training and health care delivery across the commonwealth. “In addition to training medical students” Dunn said, “our AHEC sites train a variety of other health care professionals, including nursing and nurse practitioner students as well as emergency medical technicians and others. The AHECs also provide critical educational services and outreach within our communities.”

Program began nationwide in 1971, in Kentucky in 1974

KY AHEC is part of a national AHEC program. Funded by the Kentucky Legislature, along with foundations and other sources, KY AHEC is jointly administered by the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky.

The national AHEC program began in 1971. Kentucky did not qualify for the initial program, but in 1974, the state formed the Kentucky Area Health Education System (AHES) to support health-student rotations throughout the state.

Severe challenges to the state budget in the late 1970s forced the closure of many AHES centers, however. The uncertainty of the AHES program led UofL and UK to partner on a new federal AHEC grant application, originally awarded in 1985 to the state with funding distributed to the two universities to administer the program.

The funding has continued uninterrupted since that time, providing continuity of community education, training and care through eight AHEC regions in Kentucky. UofL oversees the four AHEC regions in the western half of the state while UK oversees the other four regions in the eastern half.

KY AHEC fulfills triple mission

KY AHEC focuses on three goals. First, its mission is to help train health professions students in underserved health care settings. Second, AHEC partners with communities statewide to provide health care and career education. Third, and perhaps most importantly, AHEC encourages medical, dental, nursing, allied health and other health professions students to practice in underserved areas in Kentucky after graduation.

Judging by the UofL School of Medicine Class of 2013, the program is working: 31 percent of class members said they plan to practice in an underserved area, and 83 percent will volunteer in free clinics for the underserved.

The program also reaches out to the future health professions workforce. In the Purchase Area AHEC alone, for example, almost 2,700 middle and high school students received hands-on health careers programming in their schools. And in the West AHEC region, Outbreak Camp is a week-long program for middle and high school students, taught by area math and science teachers to connect their students to future health careers.

Community education also is a cornerstone of KY AHEC. The Northwest AHEC region provides the GRACE Project, a training program for faith communities to become well-informed lay health workers for their congregations, as well as the Veterans Behavioral/Mental Health for Veterans/Service Members and Families Project to educate civilian health care providers on issues affecting veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The South Central AHEC provides Child Passenger Safety Technician Training, a 30-hour program from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to train people in the community how to travel safely with everyone properly buckled up.

The economic impact of the UofL AHEC program also shows the program’s impact: Faculty, students and residents in the four AHEC regions served by UofL provided almost $3.48 million in donated health care services last year.

Physicians, patients show program’s effect

Amelia Kiser, M.D., was a member of UofL’s medical class of 1996 who was born and raised in the Glasgow, Ky., area and credits her AHEC rotation as one reason she returned to southern Kentucky to practice. Today, she sees patients and mentors trainees and AHEC students at UofL’s Glasgow/Barren County Family Medicine Residency program

“The AHEC rotations were the best, because if you’re in the city, it’s a completely different atmosphere,” Kiser said. “You don’t approach things in the city the way you do here. I could be in an urban setting; I just choose to be in a rural setting.”

Kiser contends that practicing in an underserved area actually furthers a physician’s career. “Regardless (of where you train), you understand and can solve medical issues, but here, you are friend and counselor also,” she said. “Your job does not stop when you leave here. You run into people at Walmart, at the ball game, at church. And they will pull you aside and say, ‘Dr. Kiser, I just need to ask you one thing… .’ But, I love it, I wouldn’t practice anywhere else.”

Another UofL alumnus, R. Brent Wright, M.D., had his pick of metropolitan locations to establish his medical career. The 1998 School of Medicine graduate was his high school’s valedictorian and a top medical school student at UofL. But, instead of heading toward large hospital environments or bustling cities, he chose Glasgow.

Wright, the current Glasgow/Barren County Family Medicine Residency Director and UofL associate dean for Rural Health Innovation, came to Glasgow as part of the first class of residents there in 1998. He was recruited to stay on as an educator and fell in love with the area.

As a student, Wright’s AHEC rotation was in Munfordville, Ky. “(I was) with the quintessential, colorful, old country doctor,” Wright said. “Every day with that practice was just fun. I saw myself being in a similar community. I knew I’d return to a smaller city to practice medicine.”

Years later, the student has become the professor. Wright’s energy is focused now not only on his patients, but also on his residents and AHEC students. “You see young students come in and how they progress over three years is amazing,” he said. “It’s a great deal of pride for me, because you become so close to the residents and see how much they contribute to these patients.”

Two of those patients are Ray and Joyce Pennington. They drive more than an hour from their home in Summershade, Ky., to the Glasgow clinic. “We’ve been coming here 13 years, and it’s worth the drive to get here,” the elderly Pennington said. “We’re real thankful to have doctors who we know care about us personally. We’re older and need someone to watch out for us. These folks are like a part of our family.”

Continuing the program for all Kentuckians

Kelli Dunn and Faye Jones know that it is people such as the Penningtons that need AHEC to continue for the next 40 years – and beyond. “The funding for KY AHEC connects us with our communities,” Dunn said. “Without the funding, the program, education and activities tailored to these communities simply would not exist.”

“AHEC has served and continues to serve such a vital need,” added Jones. “The communities rely on AHEC for their community health education needs. As a university, we rely on the AHEC to provide the educational experiences for our professional students. It’s so simple and so important to continue the work and grow it.

“Our focus is on the reality that drives us every day: We are here to improve the health care status of Kentucky.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. –The University of Louisville and Kosair Charities have entered a new partnership, opening general pediatrics and pediatric dentistry practices at the Sam Swope Kosair Charities Centre, where children with disabilities and chronic health conditions and children from the community can get expert care from UofL pediatricians and pediatric dentists.

“In 2011 we opened the UofL Autism Center here on the Kosair Charities campus. Now their clients will have easy access to pediatricians and pediatric dentists practicing in offices designed for children with sensory problems and physical challenges,” said James Ramsey, president of the University of Louisville. “We are so grateful to Kosair Charities for helping us create a medical/dental home that is welcoming to all children—from the toddler whose autism makes dental care a challenge, to the teen who needs a sports physical to play volleyball at a neighborhood school.”

Kosair Charities has donated the rent amount over a five-year period, providing a combined 12,500 square feet of renovated space in the Kosair Charities headquarters building for the two clinics: University of Louisville Department of Pediatrics at Kosair Charities and University of Louisville School of Dentistry at Kosair Charities. The university may opt to renew the lease for two additional five-year terms, bringing the estimated value of this agreement to $3.7 million over 15 years.

“This year Kosair Charities celebrates 90 years of caring for children. Since 1923, the University of Louisville has been a primary partner in meeting the health and wellness needs of Kosair Kids®. This new collaborative project builds on 90 years of working together and positions UofL and Kosair Charities for decades of service to future generations of Kosair Kids®,” said Jerry Ward, chairman of the board for Kosair Charities.

The patient mix for both practices will include children receiving services elsewhere on the Kosair Charities campus, children from surrounding neighborhoods, children whose families participate in the Family Scholar House program and children who are uninsured or under-insured.

The UofL Department of Pediatrics at Kosair Charities office has nine exam rooms, a laboratory and separate sick- and well-child reception areas. Pediatrician Erica Labar, MD, began seeing patients in the Eastern Parkway office on July 1. A second physician will join Labar in 2014. Medical students and pediatric residents will also rotate through the clinic.

“What could be more fitting than to provide a medical/dental home on the grounds of the former Kosair Crippled Children Hospital, where thousands of children were once treated for disabling diseases such as polio and smallpox,” said Gerard Rabalais, MD, MHA, chairman, UofL Department of Pediatrics. “I’m confident that Dr. Labar and her team will continue the tradition of compassion and excellence long associated with this historic location.”

The UofL School of Dentistry at Kosair Charities pediatric office will open in the fall, under the leadership of Ann Greenwell, DMD, MSD. The clinical space will be outfitted with six dental chairs and equipped to meet the special needs of autistic and physically-challenged children.

“We know good oral health is integral to overall health and wellness. Coordination of care is the future of health care in this country, and we are removing many of the logistical barriers for the children of the community,” said John Sauk, DDS, MS, dean of the UofL School of Dentistry.

The dental clinic will provide comprehensive dental care– including routine exams, fillings, treatment for trauma, mouth guards for athletes and orthodontic care.

About Kosair Charities:

Since 1923 Kosair Charities has had one primary mission – helping children in need.Kosair Charities knows that the quality of a child’s tomorrow depends largely on the quality of health, medical treatment, and support a child receives today.That’s why over the years Kosair Charities has given more than $335 million to serve thousands of children and provide them a second chance at life. Kosair Charities is also the largest private benefactor to Kosair Children's Hospital.For more information please visit http://kosair.org or call 502.637.7696.

Primping for a date with that special someone on Valentine’s Day usually doesn’t include choosing to go bald.

Yet that is what 13 University of Louisville School of Medicine students will do the day before, on Feb. 13, to show their support for kids with cancer and raise funds for pediatric cancer research.

The students will hold a St. Baldrick’s head-shaving event Thursday, Feb. 13, at noon in the Health Sciences Center Auditorium, located on Preston Street between East Chestnut Street and East Muhammad Ali Boulevard. This is the third year that UofL medical students have hosted a St. Baldrick’s event.

In exchange for donations, the students will have their heads shaved completely or will cut their ponytails to donate hair to make wigs for children who have lost their hair as a result of cancer treatment. The foundation has matched each participant with a child battling cancer to honor at the event.

The students hope to raise at least $10,000 and are currently taking donations for the event on their website, http://www.stbaldricks.org/events/ULSOM2014.

Other giveaways are planned as well. The students are raffling off gift cards and other prizes donated by area merchants. Drawings for each prize will be held at the Feb. 13^th event and winners do not need to be present to win.

Donating items to the raffle are A Reader's Corner, Bardstown Road Bicycle Co., Baxter's 942 Bar and Grill, Belle of Louisville, Bluegrass Burgers, Buffalo Wild Wings, Carrabba's, Day's Espresso & Coffee, Gordon Biersch, Guestroom Records, Hard Rock Café, Highland Cleaners, Jack Fry's, LIFEbar, Molly Malone's-Baxter Avenue, Molly Malone's-Shelbyville Road, Palermo Viejo, Parkside Bikes, Potbelly Sandwich Shop, Salsarita's, Seviche, Sol Azteca's Grill & Cantina, The Sport and Social Club, Tin Roof, Vic's Classic Bikes, Vincenzo's, Wild and Woolly Video and Za's Pizza Pub.

“We are grateful to our raffle sponsors for their support,” said Tony Simms, assistant director for medical student affairs at UofL who is assisting the students in holding the St. Baldrick’s event. “Our students are passionate about the cause and want to make a difference, and with everyone’s help, we will do just that.”

The effort is organized nationally each year by the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, founded by three reinsurance industry executives, Tim Kenny, John Bender and Enda McDonnell, in New York. The first St. Baldrick’s event in a Manhattan pub was timed with St. Patrick’s Day 2000 and generated $104,000 in donations.

Today, St. Baldrick’s is believed to be the largest volunteer fundraiser for childhood cancer research and second only to the federal government in the amount of funding provided to pediatric cancer researchers. Since 2005, St. Baldrick’s donors and volunteers have enabled the foundation to provide more than $127 million to grant recipients.

Grapefruits have long been known for their health benefits, and the subtropical fruit may revolutionize how medical therapies like anti-cancer drugs are delivered to specific tumor cells.

University of Louisville researchers have uncovered how to create nanoparticles using natural lipids derived from grapefruit, and have discovered how to use them as drug delivery vehicles. UofL scientists Huang-Ge Zhang, D.V.M., Ph.D., Qilong Wang, Ph.D., and their team today (May 21, 2013), published their findings in Nature Communications.

“These nanoparticles, which we’ve named grapefruit-derived nanovectors (GNVs), are derived from an edible plant, and we believe they are less toxic for patients, result in less biohazardous waste for the environment, and are much cheaper to produce at large scale than nanoparticles made from synthetic materials,” Zhang said.

The researchers demonstrated that GNVs can transport various therapeutic agents, including anti-cancer drugs, DNA/RNA and proteins such as antibodies. Treatment of animals with GNVs seemed to cause less adverse effects than treatment with drugs encapsulated in synthetic lipids.

“Our GNVs can be modified to target specific cells – we can use them like missiles to carry a variety of therapeutic agents for the purpose of destroying diseased cells,” he said. “Furthermore, we can do this at an affordable price.”

The therapeutic potential of grapefruit derived nanoparticles was further validated through a Phase 1 clinical trial for treatment of colon cancer patients. So far, researchers have observed no toxicity in the patients who orally took the anti-inflammatory agent curcumin encapsulated in grapefruit nanoparticles.

The UofL scientists also plan to test whether this technology can be applied in the treatment of inflammation related autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.

A Common Sense Approach
Zhang said he began this research by considering how our ancestors selected food to eat.

“The fruits and vegetables we buy from the grocery today were passed down from generation to generation as favorable and nutritious for the human body. On the flip side, outcomes were not favorable for our ancestors who ate poisonous mushrooms, for example,” he said. “It made sense for us to consider eatable plants as a mechanism to create medical nanoparticles as a potential non-toxic therapeutic delivery vehicle.”

In addition to grapefruit, Zhang and his team analyzed the nanoparticles from tomatoes and grapes. Grapefruits were chosen for further exploration because a larger quantity of lipids can be derived from this fruit.

Don’t have enough University of Louisville Cardinal NCAA National Championship memorabilia yet? Here’s your chance for more. A basketball signed by the players of the NCAA National Champion Cardinals will be among the items auctioned this Friday at Bluegrass Brewing Company East in St. Matthews, 3929 Shelbyville Rd.

Proceeds will help fund medical mission trips this summer to Kenya and Ecuador by medical students of the University of Louisville School of Medicine. The live and silent auction events get underway at 6 p.m., and first-year medical student Ahmed Farag said a variety of items will be available to bidders. “We’ll auction off tickets for several individual Cardinal football games next season, gift baskets from a number of area vendors, gift cards from companies such as Best Buy and more, and a lot of other items,” Farag said.

“We worked to get as much variety as possible in the auction items so we could appeal to all tastes. “But, speaking as both a current student and UofL alum” – Farag earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from UofL – “I believe the autographed basketball will be the top draw of the auction.” Funds raised by the auction will help pay for medications and supplies that UofL students will need to treat patients while on mission trips to Kenya and Ecuador in the summer.

Each year, UofL medical students volunteer their time – and pay their own way – to medically underserved nations to provide care under the supervision of a volunteer physician and other professionals. No tax dollars are utilized for these trips; all other expenses associated with the trips are covered by the organizations that sponsor them along with donations and gifts. During the trips, the students will see upwards of 1,000 patients, many of whom travel a great distance to receive the care they provide.

Most of the diseases and conditions they encounter are easily preventable in the United States, but because of poverty and lack of access to medical care, many people in these regions die from diarrhea, malaria, untreated wounds, upper respiratory tract infections and more. In many cases, the care provided by the UofL medical student team is the only health care patients receive, making it crucial for those who receive it. In return, students say they get valuable clinical experience and a new perspective on and compassion for patients. “I know I will have a chance to get first-hand experience in treating conditions there that I won’t see here (in Louisville),” Farag said.

Tickets to the family-friendly event are $5 in advance and $6 at the door. Live music and food and drink specials also will be featured. Auction items and cash donations are still being accepted, Farag said; to donate items, contact Shannon Hallinan at 937-609-4542 or schall05@louisville.edu; to donate cash to the mission trip effort, visit the group’s PayPal link at https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=MPC77Z3SD4DA4.

Sony Music Nashville recording artist and songwriter Angie Johnson will bring her powerful voice and country sounds to Louisville's Derby Eve Party with a Purpose, The Julep Ball, Friday, May 3, at the KFC Yum! Center.

The evening kicks off with a 6:30 p.m. cocktail reception, followed by dinner and a live auction at 8 p.m. Johnson will then open the evening's entertainment at 9 p.m., followed by the World's Greatest Party Band, the B-52s. Dancing to deejay music follows.

The event supports the work of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center at the University of Louisville.

A Missouri native who performed at the Kentucky Derby in 2012, Johnson has ties to Kentucky, describing herself as "‘Kentuckanese' – my father's from Kentucky and met my mother while stationed in Okinawa, Japan," she said. She's no stranger to active military service herself, having served as an intelligence analyst and Air Force Band vocalist with the U.S. Air Force in Afghanistan. She continues that service today, serving one weekend each month with the Air National Guard.

A YouTube video of Johnson singing Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" during a performance for active-duty troops launched her civilian singing career. Now viewed more than 3 million times, the video was seen by the host of NBC-TV's "The Voice," Carson Daly. He Tweeted Johnson, encouraging her to audition for "The Voice" while she was still stationed in the Middle East.

"When I first read Carson Daly's Tweet inviting me to audition for ‘The Voice,' I instantly felt like there was some huge shift in the cosmos," she said. "There I was, sitting in a tent in Afghanistan, and I was communicating with Carson Daly on the other side of the planet…THE Carson Daly. I couldn't wrap my head around it for days."

Johnson was chosen by then-judge CeeLo Green for his team on "The Voice," and his guidance has proven invaluable, she said. "The most important thing I learned from CeeLo is to know who you are and be confident in that. Another great thing I learned from him is to always keep educating yourself about music. (And) he taught me that you really have to love what you do. The moment you stop loving it, or stop being passionate about it, is the moment your creativity starts to die. I never want to be like that."

Since her stint on "The Voice," Johnson has toured throughout the country and signed with Sony Music Nashville. "I'm working on a recording project. I want to write, write, write until my fingers fall off. I'm performing all over the country, (and) I plan on continuing my service in the Air National Guard as long as I can."

Most tickets for The Julep Ball's full evening of entertainment are now sold out, but some are still available as are plenty of dance-only tickets. The full evening's entertainment is $500 per person while dance-only tickets are $150 per person. For further information and to buy tickets, go to The Julep Ball website, julepball.org.

At The Julep Ball, party-goers can mingle with local and national business leaders, horse industry professionals and celebrities from sports, music, cinema and television while enjoying the entertainment provided by Johnson and the B-52s. A celebrity emcee for the evening will be CBS Sports Radio broadcaster and former NFL great Tiki Barber. The crowd can watch celebrities make their entrance on the red carpet and dance until the wee hours of Saturday morning. Special moments of The Julep Ball again will come when Brown Cancer Center scientists, physicians and patients are honored and saluted for their efforts.

The Julep Ball is sponsored in part by Brown-Forman, Republic National Distribution Company of Kentucky, Power Creative, Kroger, LG&E, The Event Company, Ingrid Design, Raymond E. and Eleanor H. Loyd, Blue Grass Motorsport, Hilliard Lyons, KentuckyOne Health, Tafel Motors, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Advanced Electrical Systems, Montgomery Chevrolet, AT&T Kentucky, BKD, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Republic Bank, Stites & Harbison, Heuser Clinic and Publishers Printing. Media partners are Louisville Magazine, NFocus, the Voice-Tribune, WHAS11 and 102.3 The Max.

The University of Louisville's Autism Center at Kosair Charities will kick off a statewide program April 1 to help parents, teachers and caregivers recognize the early signs of autism.

The ongoing campaign, "Learn the Signs. Act Early In Kentucky," steps up outreach efforts during April's National Autism Awareness Month with free, public workshops, webinars and print materials that can be downloaded from a website.

"We want our message to reach anyone and everyone who spends time with children," said Scott Tomchek, co-clinical director for UofL's autism center and Kentucky ambassador for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Act Early program.

Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person's ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is what is known as a "spectrum disorder," meaning that it affects individuals differently and to varying degrees.

According to the Autism Society, 1 percent of all children in the United States ages 3-17 have an autism spectrum disorder. It is estimated that 1 of every 88 babies born will develop an autism spectrum disorder, and that up to 1.5 million Americans are currently living with the condition.

The campaign is a partnership that includes the autism center, University of Kentucky Human Development Institute, the Kentucky Department of Education, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services and autism support groups.

Harold Kleinert, executive director of UK's Human Development Institute, said the statewide push to increase the public's understanding of autism and related disorders can have a big impact.

"Doctors rely, in part, on a parent's observations when it comes to assessing a child's developmental progress," Kleinert said. "So educating the public helps the doctor who, in turn, can find ways to help children who aren't reaching developmental milestones when they should."

To learn more about the campaign or download materials, see louisville.edu/education/kyautismtraining/actearly or contact Rebecca Grau, assistant director of UofL's Autism Center at Kosair Charities, at 502-852-7799.

Improving oral health literacy is one goal of a University of Louisville health fair aimed at serving residents of Bullitt, Henry and Shelby Counties who are at-risk for diabetes or have been diagnosed with the disease.

The oral health fair will be held Tuesday, March 19, from 10 a.m.-noon at the UofL School of Dentistry, 501 S. Preston St. University of Louisville dental and nursing school faculty and students will provide oral exams, blood pressure screenings, diabetes risk assessments and oral health education.

Dental care is one of the most unmet health needs in the United States. Oral disease can affect general health, and it can be easy to overlook the implications of poor oral health. Diabetes, for example, can increase the incidence and progression of gum disease; likewise gum disease can affect glucose control in people with diabestes.

UofL is a partner of the Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency (KIPDA) Diabetes Coalition, which serves residents of Bullitt, Henry and Shelby Counties who are over age 50 and at-risk for Type 2 diabetes.

The tri-county region has been identified as having high incidence of diabetes. The coalition effort is aimed at reducing diabetes-related inequalities in vulnerable populations such as older adults, minorities and low-income residents.

In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded KIPDA and UofL a five-year grant to help reduce the prevalence of the disease within the three counties.

Two exclusive auction packages guaranteed to appeal to the connoisseur of fine spirits will be offered this year at The Julep Ball, set for Derby Eve, May 3, at the KFC Yum! Center.

Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select bourbon and Jack Daniel's Single Barrel whiskey are each providing a barrel of their product in personalized, individually labeled bottles bearing the winning bidder's name. The winning bidder also receives a personalized barrel head, distillery tour and other exclusive benefits.

"We are excited to offer these two auction packages exclusively to our guests as part of the full evening of entertainment at The Julep Ball. Both are designed for the person who understands and appreciates the nuances of small-batch distilling and wants a unique experience," said Michael Neumann, director of The Julep Ball and major gifts officer at the University of Louisville. The Julep Ball supports the James Graham Brown Cancer Center at UofL.

Woodford Reserve, billed as the Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby(R), is offering the "Personal Selection Experience." The package provides 180 one-liter bottles of Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select bourbon in bottles labeled with the winning bidder's name. The winning bidder will consult with Woodford Reserve craftsmen to select his or her own barrels. Also included are a personalized barrel head; one used Woodford Reserve barrel; a private tour of the Woodford Reserve distillery in Versailles, Ky.; lunch for up to six people in the tasting group; and the winning bidder's name engraved on a permanent plaque at the distillery.

Jack Daniel's wants bidders to know, "Your barrel is waiting." This package offers 42 cases or 252 bottles of Jack Daniel's Single Barrel whiskey and personalized medallions, barrel head, nameplate and brick with the winning bidder's name on display in the Single Barrel Society Room at the Jack Daniel's Distillery. The package includes whiskey selection at the distillery in Lynchburg, Tenn., two coach air tickets and two nights' hotel accommodation in Nashville, transportation to and from the distillery and lunch for two at Miss Mary Bobo's in Lynchburg.

Three-quarters of the available tickets for the full evening's entertainment, which includes the opportunity to bid on these exclusive auction packages, are now sold out, but plenty of dance-only tickets are still available. The full evening's entertainment is $500 per person while dance-only tickets are $150 per person. For further information and to buy tickets, go to The Julep Ball website, julepball.org.

At The Julep Ball, party-goers can mingle with local and national business leaders, horse industry professionals and celebrities from sports, music, cinema and television and enjoy entertainment provided by the World's Greatest Party Band, the B-52s. A celebrity emcee for the evening will be CBS Sports Radio broadcaster and former NFL great Tiki Barber. The crowd can watch celebrities make their entrance on the red carpet entrance and dance until the wee hours of Saturday morning following the B-52s concert. Special moments of The Julep Ball again will come when the scientists, physicians and patients at the forefront of cancer treatment and delivery are honored and saluted for their efforts.

The Julep Ball is a 21-and-older event, and the winning bidders and their guests taking part in the small-batch packages' activities must be age 21 or older as well. Woodford Reserve and Jack Daniel's join with The Julep Ball in advocating for responsible drinking.

The Julep Ball is sponsored in part by Brown-Forman, Republic National Distribution Company of Kentucky, Power Creative, Kroger, LG&E, The Event Company, Ingrid Design, Raymond E. and Eleanor H. Loyd, Hilliard Lyons, KentuckyOne Health, Tafel Motors, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Advanced Electrical Systems, Montgomery Chevrolet, AT&T Kentucky, BKD, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Republic Bank, Stites & Harbison, Heuser Clinic and Publishers Printing. Media partners are Louisville Magazine, NFocus, the Voice-Tribune, WHAS11 and 102.3 The Max.

One day each year, Cardinal fans can shed their red for a worthy cause.

On Friday, March 1, the Kentucky Cancer Program at the University of Louisville will again sponsor Dress In Blue Day for colon cancer screening awareness.

This year's celebration, dubbed "Blue of L Day," will feature UofL basketball legend Darrell Griffith along with Madeline Abramson, honorary chair of Dress in Blue Day for Kentucky and wife of Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson. The event will be held at the Kentucky Science Center, 727 W. Main St., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A highlight of the day's activities will be Abramson and Griffith's appearance from noon to 1 p.m. They will meet participants and discuss the importance of colon cancer screening.

Participants also will see the "Incredible Colon," a 20-foot long, 10-foot tall, walk-through replica of the human colon that provides images to educate the public about colorectal cancer. The first 200 participants wearing blue who tour the Incredible Colon between noon and 1 p.m. will receive free Dress in Blue t-shirts.

Also on display at the Kentucky Science Center is the Body Worlds Vital exhibit that includes whole-body plastinates, a large arrangement of individual organs, organ and arterial configurations and translucent slices that give a complete picture of how the human body works. The exhibit shows how to best fight, manage and prevent life-threatening diseases – such as cancer, diabetes, and heart ailments – through healthy choices and life style changes.

Early diagnosis and treatment is the goal of Dress in Blue Day, said Dr. Donald Miller, director of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center at UofL. "Colon cancer screening can save lives. Most colon cancers can be prevented or cured if detected early," he said.

"I've been screened for colon cancer twice," UofL President James R. Ramsey said, "and I join Dr. Miller in encouraging everyone age 50 and over to schedule a screening appointment – and to go blue for colon cancer on March 1."

The Kentucky Capitol Dome in Frankfort will be lit in blue for colon cancer awareness beginning March 1 through March 10, also. The Kentucky Cancer Program will sponsor a colon cancer display in the Capital Annex Hall March 4-8 for legislators and visitors to learn about the importance of colon cancer screening.

Admission to the event varies with several options for the Body Worlds Vital exhibition available; for details, visit the Kentucky Science Center web site at kysciencecenter.org. The first 100 UofL employees attending the event can receive a $5 discount with their UofL ID.

For decades the University of Louisville and Kosair Charities have partnered to help meet the health care needs of children throughout the state. What may surprise some people is that these efforts go beyond the delivery of care and research of new treatments to include advocacy efforts for children.

For more than five years, Kosair Charities has helped support the UofL Department of Pediatrics' child abuse pediatricians. In recognition of that support and the ongoing commitment to ensure that children are free of abuse and neglect, the child abuse prevention program now will be known as the Kosair Charities Division of Pediatric Forensic Medicine.

"The professionals in this program fight every day to end child abuse and neglect," said Gerard Rabalais, M.D., chair of the UofL Department of Pediatrics. "Through partnerships with community organizations, law enforcement agencies, health care providers, Child Protective Services and the Department of Justice, suspected cases of abuse and/or neglect are aggressively investigated so that the tragedy of child abuse is eliminated from Kentucky."

"More than five years ago, Dr. Rabalais brought forward the idea of a partnership with Kosair Charities to create a program designed to eliminate child abuse and neglect," said Jerry Ward, chairman of the board of Kosair Charities. "With a mission of protecting the health and well-being of children in Kentucky and Southern Indiana, we immediately agreed. The importance of this program cannot be understated and all of us at Kosair Charities are honored that the University of Louisville would recognize our contribution to the cause in such a significant manner."

The Kosair Charities Division of Pediatric Forensic Medicine is the state's only physical abuse and neglect assessment program. The formal consultation service provides medical expertise on the diagnosis, documentation and follow-up of suspected cases of child physical abuse and neglect.

The division director, Melissa Currie, M.D., is nationally recognized for her expertise in the field. She serves on Gov. Steve Beshear's review panel that investigates fatalities and near-fatalities found to be the result of abuse or neglect. Currie was among the first group of pediatricians nationwide to be board-certified in child abuse pediatrics and Kentucky's first board-certified child abuse pediatrician.

"Without understanding the underlying signs that point toward abuse or neglect, there are cases that can go undetected," Currie said. "Our partnership with Kosair Charities allows us to have the resources we need to see that doesn't happen. It is such an honor to be affiliated with a group with such a strong commitment to the well-being of children.

"In addition to their support for our program and many others, Kosair Charities has recently assembled a coalition of community leaders who are working on a multi-faceted, comprehensive effort to address child abuse. Their vision is that by 2023 all children in Kentucky will be free from abuse and neglect. Great things happen when we all work together, and particularly when we have the unwavering support of a Kosair Charities—a fixture in Louisville for 90 years."

"Our combined efforts to fight child abuse and neglect again demonstrate the strength of the alliance between Kosair Charities and the University of Louisville as we work to enhance the health and well-being of children," said David L. Dunn, M.D., Ph.D., UofL executive vice president for health affairs.

NFL great Tiki Barber has been selected as an Official Celebrity Emcee of the 2013 Julep Ball, set for Derby Eve, May 3, at the KFC Yum! Center.

Barber co-hosts the daily national morning show "TBD In The AM" on the CBS Sports Radio network. He spent a decade with the New York Football Giants and holds almost every Giants' rushing record – first in total yards, rushing yards and rushing attempts and second in rushing touchdowns.

"I am thrilled to be part of The Julep Ball and lend my support to the fight against cancer being waged in Kentucky at the James Graham Brown Cancer Center," Barber said. "I am looking forward to a great ‘party with a purpose' as The Julep Ball is known."

Fulfilling that purpose is carried out every day at the Brown Cancer Center at the University of Louisville. The mission of the cancer center is to generate new knowledge relating to the nature of cancer, and to create new and more effective approaches to prevention, diagnosis and therapy, while delivering medical advances with compassion and respect to cancer patients throughout the state and region.

In addition to participating with The Julep Ball, Barber also is scheduled to attend the Kentucky Oaks Pink Friday on Friday, May 3 and the 139th Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 4.

At The Julep Ball, Barber will join other local and national business leaders, horse industry professionals and celebrities from sports, music, cinema and television. Entertainment will be provided by the World's Greatest Party Band, the B-52s. The celebrity red carpet entrance will return, as will dancing until the wee hours of Saturday morning following the B-52s concert. Special moments of The Julep Ball again will come when the scientists and patients at the forefront of cancer treatment and delivery are honored and saluted for their efforts.

The event is already more than halfway sold out so party-goers should get their tickets now. The full evening's entertainment is $500 per person while dance-only tickets are $150 per person. For further information and to buy tickets, go to The Julep Ball website, julepball.org.

The Julep Ball is sponsored in part by Brown-Forman, Republic National Distribution Company of Kentucky, Power Creative, Kroger, LG&E, Ingrid Design, Raymond E. and Eleanor H. Loyd, Hilliard Lyons, KentuckyOne Health, Tafel Motors, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Advanced Electrical Systems, Montgomery Chevrolet, AT&T Kentucky, BKD, Republic Bank, Stites & Harbison, Heuser Clinic and Publishers Printing. Media partners are Louisville Magazine, NFocus, the Voice-Tribune, WHAS11 and 102.3 The Max.

About Tiki Barber

Barber joins Marshall Faulk and Marcus Allen as the only players in NFL history with at least 10,000 yards rushing and 5,000 yards receiving in a career. He retired ranking third all-time in yards per carry with 4.7 and 10th all-time in total yards from scrimmage with 15,632.

Prior to being drafted by the Giants in 1997, Barber excelled both academically and athletically at the University of Virginia. He graduated in from UVa's McIntire School of Commerce with a concentration in management information systems and was named to the Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society. On the football field, Barber left the Cavaliers as their all-time leading rusher. UVa retired his jersey, No. 21, in 2007.

Barber has been active in media and journalism for most of his professional life. In 1999, he began his broadcasting career working for WFAN radio, which led to stints at WCBS-TV, Sirius Satellite Radio, the YES Network, Fox News, NBC News and Sports and MSNBC. In January 2013, he began his latest media endeavor as co-host of CBS Sports Radio's new national morning show, "TBD In The AM," available on more than 250 stations across the country with in excess of 10 million listeners.

Barber is also an entrepreneur, co-founding Thuzio.com, an e-commerce marketplace that facilitates transactions between local athletes, and other public individuals, with consumers looking to book various experiences.

Active in the community, Barber is a board member of the Fresh Air Fund, the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation, the Advisory Board for the Hospital for Special Surgery and the Board of Managers of the University of Virginia Alumni Association. He also is a member of the Leadership Council for the Robin Hood Foundation.

Barber has long been an advocate for the underserved and is a staunch supporter of literacy campaigns. He released his memoir, "Tiki: My Life in the Game and Beyond," in September 2007. He also has co-authored, with his twin brother, Ronde, three successful children's books and six young-adult novels.

About the James Graham Brown Cancer Center:

The James Graham Brown Cancer Center is a key component of the University of Louisville Health Sciences Center. As part of the region's leading academic, research and teaching health center, the cancer center provides the latest medical advances to patients, often long before they become available in non-teaching settings. The JGBCC is affiliated with the Kentucky Cancer Program and the University of Louisville Hospital. It is the only cancer center in the region to use a unified approach to cancer care, with multidisciplinary teams of physicians working together to guide patients through diagnosis, treatment and recovery. For more information, visit our web site, www.browncancercenter.org.