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The artificial sweetener aspartame is associated with learning and memory deficits that can be passed on to the next generation, scientists in the Bhide Lab at FSU's College of Medicine have discovered.

These effects were seen after consuming as little as 10% of the Food and Drug Administration's daily recommendations.

A popular sugar-alternative has been linked to cognitive issues in a new study.

Researchers from Florida State University, in Tallahassee, found that mice who consumed a fraction of the recommended amount of aspartame had differences in their cognitive performance when compared to those who just drank water.

More worrying is that the rodents appeared to pass on the cognitive deficits to their pups. 

A person’s sense of purpose declines leading up to and following a diagnosis of dementia or cognitive decline, according to a new study.

“Purpose in life is the feeling that one’s life is goal-oriented and has direction. It is an important component of well-being,” said Dr. Angelina Sutin, lead author of the
study published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Network Open.

Researchers now know a sense of purpose is an important factor of good health across adulthood, added Sutin, professor of behavioral sciences and social medicine at the Florida State University College of Medicine in Tallahassee.

Florida State University broke ground on a new academic health center Thursday as it moves one step closer to establishing the state-of-the-art facility, which is slated to open in late 2026.

The Florida Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis granted FSU $125 million two years ago toward building the health center, which will be a five-story building of up to 130,000 square feet with about 350 parking spaces, according to a draft report.

Updated recommendations by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) giving an “A” rating to three available PrEP medications could further reduce the risk of acquiring HIV, providing challenges to access are improved.

“These recommendations are very important, as access to PrEP has been disappointing and uptake overall has been very low, particularly in communities most affected by HIV,” said Jonathan Appelbaum, chair of the Department of Clinical Sciences at Florida State University College of Medicine. 

Appelbaum went on to stress the importance of outreach and education for frontline health-care providers, many of whom “still don’t feel at ease prescribing PrEP.”

Despite the recommendations, access and insurance coverage for PrEP is also threatened by litigation.

“USPSTF’s new recommendation, if it is allowed to prevail in governing insurance coverage, will minimize cost barriers,” said Appelbaum, “but we will still have issues of access and stigma to deal with.”
 

Through FSU PrimaryHealth, the Florida State University College of Medicine is one of four core partners serving Sabal Palm Elementary School. It is the only community partnership school in Leon County and draws from 32304 zip code in southwest Tallahassee, an area plagued by poverty. 

Nearly one person every day died from a drug overdose in Volusia County in 2022. More than 1,000 overdose deaths have occurred since 2020.

Dr. Stephen Viel and Jamie Ponti, an advanced practice registered nurse, have seen the ravages of drugs up close after working for years in Halifax Health emergency rooms.

On Wednesday, they opened the doors of Shoreline Medical Addiction Treatment, a clinic specializing in pharmacotherapy, the use of medications to treat addiction to opioids, alcohol, and other substances.
 

Three Florida State University College of Medicine faculty collaborators were recognized by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) and the U.S. Public Health Commissioned Officers Foundation for the Advancement of Public Health (COF) at a recent awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Benjamin J. Smith, Niharika Suchak and Debra A. Danforth were selected for honorable mention recognition under the category of Health Communications and Health Technology, which was titled: Using Simulation for Skill Building in Teams: Modified Use of Simulation in Teams for Students in Training (MUST-SIT) Together.

Amy Wetherby, distinguished research professor in the College of Medicine's Department of Clinical Sciences and director of the university’s Autism Institute, is profiled in Spectrum, the leading source of news and expert opinion on autism research.

Florida is the fastest growing state in the nation, according to new Census Bureau data, with approximately 900 people per day arriving to live here in recent years - which is making an existing shortage of doctors worse.

To combat the shortage, Florida State University College of Medicine operates six regional campuses around the state - including one in Fort Pierce that has already supplied the Vero Beach area with several physicians.

John Weng (M.D. Class of '24) shares how a patient-encounter during his psychiatry rotation has positively impacted his approach to medicine as a future physician.

"I am forever grateful for this powerful experience and the opportunity to witness the power of empathy and understanding in patient care," Weng wrote.

The international publication Food Ingredients First discusses the impact of the recent World Health Organization evaluations of aspartame on companies, the public scrutiny of the artificial sweetener and a possible International Agency for Research on Cancer (IACR) reassessment with scientists and industry experts.

Pradeep Bhide, professor at Florida State University College of Medicine, was among those interviewed by the publication.

With Independence Day just around the corner, plans for outdoor fun are underway, but state and local officials warn Florida residents to be leery of a certain pesky intruder: mosquitoes.

Accounting for the recent resurgence of malaria in the state, Leon County is working with the Florida Department of Health to educate the community with best practices for the summer nights ahead.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a warning that malaria could be spreading in the United States for the first time in 20 years, following the confirmation of four domestic-borne cases in Sarasota County, Florida. Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite and is primarily spread to humans bitten by infected Anopheles mosquitoes, which can be found across the U.S.

Symptoms can include headaches, fever, nausea and muscle aches.

"You always want to protect yourself from mosquitoes in Florida," said FSU College of Medicine professor Dr. George Rust, Director of the Center for Medicine and Public Health. The CDC recommends wearing long-sleeved shirts and using a bug repellent with DEET.  

"There are a lot of things that are more common [that can cause illness]," Rust said, adding that it's too early to panic. "[Malaria] is very low on a scale of things that can kill you."

FAFP Past President ('96), Daniel (Dan) James Van Durme, M.D., age 61, passes away on May 30, 2023, in Tallahassee, FL. He was born on September 25, 1961, in Dansville, NY. Dan is survived by his wife of 42 years, Patricia, his children Felicia, Stephanie (Shawn), and Luke, his grandchildren Bella and Killian, and his siblings Norah, Jean, Michael, Claire, Tommy, Mar, Matthew, Rachel, and Patrick. He was a gifted teacher who won numerous awards and mentored hundreds of doctors worldwide. At USF, he was one of the family doctors for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Bay Mutiny, and USF Athletics. While at FSU, he was instrumental in forming the Family Medicine Scholars and the Chapman Chapter of the Gold Humanism Society. Under his direction, FSU Primary Health was conceived and implemented, maintaining the mission of the school to provide doctors to underserved, rural, minority, and elderly populations.

Partnering with the Kearney Center, the FSU College of Medicine School of Physician Assistant Practice's HOME Street Medicine outreach program, is providing medical support and essential items to the unsheltered in Tallahassee.

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The Florida State University medical community is mourning the loss of its Chief Medical Officer Dr. Daniel Van Durme.

Known for his leadership, friendship and larger-than-life personality, his presence and influence on FSU and the community will live on for many years, Dr. Alma Littles, the FSU College of Medicine's interim dean, said in a statement

Neuroscientist Lataisia Jones, the first Black woman to earn a biomedical sciences Ph.D. from the Florida State University College of Medicine in 2017, was among 120 women working in STEM fields represented with a bright-orange sculpture displayed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. earlier this spring. The #IfThenSheCan exhibit, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institute and the If/Then initiative that connects girls with female leaders in science and technology, was recently featured in Washingtonian magazine.

FSU SeniorHealth providers place a high priority on improving the self-management skills of older patients. They work in conjunction with primary care providers to provide comprehensive evaluations and develop integrated care plans for seniors diagnosed with a wide range of health issues.

Second-year College of Medicine medical student Alex Tolbert, participating in the AMA Medical Student Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C., offered some real-life perspective on how the shortage of federally-funded graduate medical education (GME) positions is a stressor on aspiring physicians.

Florida State University College of Medicine student Alex Tolbert outlines some of the benefits for those look to build their leadership experience through organized medicine. 

As Gov. Ron DeSantis recently announced his $114.8 billion proposed state budget, it includes millions of dollars that would go toward Florida State and Florida A&M universities as well as Tallahassee Community College.

While FSU would be getting an $88.5 million in specific funding this year under DeSantis’s “Framework for Freedom” proposal for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, FAMU would receive $33.4 million and TCC would get $6.7 million.

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The rising cost of health care has had a dramatic impact on vulnerable communities like historic Newtown, within Sarasota’s city limits.

Sarasota Regional Campus students, faculty and community board members took part, along with physicians with the FSU College of Medicine Internal Medical Residency Program at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. 

Dr. Vida Farhangi, Newtown Internal Medicine Clinic director, helped lead the project and oversaw residents like David Jerez (seen in photo). Drs. Karen Hamad, Cynthia Samra and Washington Hill joined the residents and medical students at the fair.

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It was the first day of my inpatient internal medicine rotation and I felt as excited as ever to bein the hospital, participating in rounds. “How’s your day going?” I asked automatically in a cheery tone as I entered my first patient’s room.

“How do you think it’s going? I’m in the hospital,” the patient snarled dismissively. I stood there, a deer in the headlights, completely caught off guard.

A tractor-loader-backhoe, bulldozer and skid steer are parked next to a large sign that has been erected on a sprawling, dusty, brown parcel of property just north of Panama City Beach, Fla., along State 79 near Philip Griffitts Sr. Parkway.

On the sign is the colorful rendering of a new health care campus.

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare is expanding its footprint west of the capital city with a new medical campus in partnership with Florida State University and The St. Joe. Company.

A groundbreaking ceremony took place last week for the FSU Health-Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Medical Campus in Panama City Beach.

Florida State University’s College of Medicine dean position is no longer vacant as the university’s very own Dr. Alma Littles, senior associate dean for Medical Education and Academic Affairs, is appointed as the interim dean.
 

PANAMA CITY BEACH − The Beach celebrated a long-awaited milestone on Tuesday that will benefit local residents and tourists.

With about 200 people in attendance, local officials held a construction celebration for the FSU Health-Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Medical Campus, which is being built through a partnership between the St. Joe Company, Florida State University and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare.

Florida State University and Tallahassee Memorial Hospital have moved forward in a big way by breaking ground on their shared medical campus in Panama City Beach. The project is part of FSU’s long-term goal of climbing higher in national rankings and will also serve a massive retirement community that just completed its 1,000th home.

Paul Casto recalled the days, well within his lifetime, when Panama City Beach was without an ambulance.

“If there was an emergency, they had to send one from the old Bay Medical,” said the Ward 1 representative on the PCB City Council. “We’ve been talking  about the need for a hospital on this beach for 40 years.”

COVID-19 activity is picking up as a new subtype of the omicron variant - XBB.1.5 - makes its way across the United States.

Florida State University College of Medicine's Daniel Van Durme, M.D., said the new subvariant seems to bypass previous immunity and resist treatments such a monoclonal antibodies, though there has not been enough research to determine whether XBB.1.5 will be more severe than its predecessors.

"Get the newest booster," Van Durme said. "It can keep you out of the hospital and can literally save your life."

The FSU College of Medicine's Department of Geriatrics, through a federal training grant, partnered with Tallahassee Police and Leon County Emergency Management Services, to create training video that show how to better respond to emergency situations involving persons with dementia.

Meaghan Kane, a second-year student at the Florida State University College of Medicine, participated in Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation's 2021 Summer Institute for Medical Students program. Kane shares how her week shadowing clinicians and patients at Hazelden Betty Ford in Newberg, Oregon, deepened her understanding of how she can best help future patients and their families.

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A new study led by FSU College of Medicine Professor Antonio Terracciano, Ph.D. and published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, sheds light on the connection between neuroticism and the risk of mortality from a variety of causes. Data collected from nearly a half million participants in the UK Biobank was used to provide a more detailed understanding of the link by examining specific causes of death.
 

Loneliness raises a person’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease within 15 years, a long-term study of nearly half a million U.K. residents found, supporting calls into the therapeutic benefits of personally significant social bonds.

This work adds to evidence “that loneliness is a substantial psychosocial determinant of health,” the researchers wrote in the study “Loneliness and Risk of Parkinson Disease,” published in JAMA Neurology
.