Print

Jul 20, 2023
Food Ingredients First
PRESS RELEASE

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.

 

News of the Week

Thirteen selected for FSU Chapman Chapter of GHHS

Thirteen students in the M.D. Class of 2024 are the newest members of the FSU Chapman Chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society.

The Arnold P. Gold Foundation of Humanism in Medicine defines humanism as the link between compassionate and scientific competence. Humanism in medicine fosters relationships with patients and other caregivers that are compassionate and empathetic. It describes attitudes and behaviors that are sensitive to the values, autonomy, cultural and ethnic backgrounds of others.

Students selected for the Class of 2024 are listed alphabetically and include their respective regional campuses. They will be formally inducted Aug. 4 in conjunction with the M.D. Class of 2027 White Coat Ceremony at Ruby Diamond Concert Hall.

•    Morgan Bradley (Sarasota)
•    Rachel Carr (Sarasota)
•    Sheena Chege (Sarasota)
•    Bailey Creighton (Pensacola)
•    Emily Gansert (Daytona Beach)
•    Amelia Hartje (Daytona Beach)
•    Sarah Hicks (Orlando)
•    Khari King (Daytona Beach)
•    Jeremy Kuder (Pensacola)
•    Barbara Pierre Louis (Fort Pierce)
•    Kayla Schusterman (Tallahassee)
•    Nicholas Thomas (Daytona Beach)
•    Jemma Thompson (Tallahassee)

“It was encouraging to see so many of our students recognized by faculty and staff from across all four years of the curriculum, and their classmates,” FSU Chapman Chapter faculty advisor Casey Rust wrote in an email announcing the selections. “These students rose to the top as true exemplars of humanism by receiving multiple nominations from faculty, staff and peers in every category, demonstrating clinical excellence, service to others, patient-centered approach to care and compassion.”

The Arnold P. Gold Foundation defines the humanistic doctor as one who demonstrates the following attributes (I.E., C.A.R.E.S.)
•    Integrity: the congruence between expressed values and behavior.
•    Excellence: clinical expertise.
•    Compassion: the awareness and acknowledgement of the suffering of another and the desire to relieve it.
•    Altruism: the capacity to put the needs and interests of another before your own.
•    Respect: the regard for autonomy and values of another person.
•    Empathy: the ability to put oneself in another’s situation, e.g., physician as patient.
•    Service: the sharing on one’s talent, time and resources with those in need; giving beyond what is required.
 

News of the Week

Bhide featured in LiveNOW interview regarding WHO Aspartame report

The World Health Organization said Friday that the sweetener Aspartame could possibly cause cancer. Pradeep Bhide at Florida State University joined LiveNOW from FOX's Josh Breslow to discuss the findings.

WATCH NOW

Pradeep Bhide on LiveNOW from FOX

News of the Week

FSU professor weighs in on Aspartame in wake of WHO report

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - It’s found in thousands of foods and drinks across the globe. Aspartame has been a staple in the American diet since the 1980s and has been the subject of scientific study for just as long.

On Thursday, the World Health Organization made waves after a committee declared aspartame as “possibly carcinogenic,” citing several studies showing the sweetener could be linked to cancer.

Pradeep Bhide, director of the Center for Brain Repair at Florida State’s College of Medicine, said the WHO’s announcement was not shocking to him.

“I was not at all surprised,” he said.

READ MORE | WATCH

News of the Week

Sutin quoted in article about mortality and loneliness

Angelina Sutin, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine, was interviewed for an article titled "Loneliness can kill you" that recently was published in The Independent. It details a Ugandan study that confirmed an association among social isolation, loneliness and mortality.

She was not involved in the research; the results were published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.

Sutin's research addresses how personality traits are associated with physical and mental health..Read the article, including her comments, in The Independent.

 

News of the Week

Faculty, staff and students collaborate to publish article

A Florida State University College of Medicine faculty member, two third-year medical students and a medical school librarian recently published an article in Sleep Health: Journal of the National Sleep Foundation.

Shermeeka Hogans-Mathews, M.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health, medical school librarian Roxann Mouratidis and students DanTasia Welch and A. Lisa Kurian (both M.D. 2025) built upon a previously published article that discussed the correlations between poor sleep and the two-dimensional perfectionism model of perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns.

“Perfectionism has been shown to manifest in medical students and medical educators, as the medical field recruits and rewards high achievers,” they wrote. “Maladaptive perfectionism cultivates a cycle of dysfunctional thoughts, negative feelings, and emotional distress.”

Their cross-sectional study of first- and second-year medical students showed elevated levels of stress were associated significantly with poor sleep quality. Further, a cross-sectional study of practicing physicians showed two types of burnout were predicted by high levels of self-perfectionism.

For more on their findings, their conclusions and recommendations, read their article at Elsevier’s ClinicalKey.

News of the Week

ACP recognizes College of Medicine graduates, residents in newsletter

Florida State University College of Medicine graduates, residents and one current medical student, were recognized for their accomplishments in the summer issue of the American College of Physicians (ACP) Florida Chapter Governor’s Newsletter. The organization is dedicated to internal medicine physicians and students.

Murali Iyyani (M.D. Class of 2021), a resident at Orlando Health, was acknowledged for winning the spring poster competition in the Resident Clinical Vignette category. His poster detailed the first reported case of disseminated Histoplasmosis Mitral Valve Endocarditis in Florida.

Iyyani was also selected Resident of the Year at Orlando Health, where he is one of the chief residents.

Zeina Kayali, MBBS, a resident in the FSU-Sarasota Memorial Hospital internal medicine program, won the Resident Clinical Research poster competition for characterizing embolism risk across vascular sites for index SARS-CoV-2 hospitalizations.

Sean Wimberley (M.D. Class of 2025) won the Medical Student Basic Research poster division for his work on factors contributing to missed appointments in an underserved primary-care setting and mitigation opportunities.

Jimmy Brown (M.D. Class of 2021) was a member of the FSU-Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare internal medicine residency team selected as finalists in the Doctors’ Dilemma Competition.

Ian Motie (M.D. Class of 2021), a resident the FSU-Sarasota Memorial program, was elected to the national position of chair-elect of the ACP Council of Residents and Fellows.

The ACP Florida Chapter recognized Ray Sadeq (M.D. Class of 2023) as the recipient of the College of Medicine’s Internal Medicine Award.

Also selected for Resident of the Year honors were Dr. Ryan Thompson (FSU-Sarasota Memorial) and Dr. Muhammad Yasir Baloch (FSU-Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare).
 

Print

Jun 30, 2023
Tallahassee Democrat
PRESS RELEASE

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.

Press Release

FSU College of Medicine leading program to assist kids, families in crisis

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – With psychological distress among children and adolescents rising, and options for treatment unable to keep up, the Florida State University College of Medicine is working directly with local pediatricians to seek ways of helping.

 

Heather Flynn, chair of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine, is leading a $2.6 million project to integrate best-practice behavioral health care with pediatric office visits. The goal of the Florida Department of Health (FDOH)-funded study is to improve screening, treatment and management of mental health disorders and substance use in pediatric patients.

 

“The pediatrician’s office is a first line of defense in detecting where children need help with mental health risk, but pediatricians need support and resources to treat and refer families at this crisis point,” said Flynn, director of the FSU Center for Behavioral Health Integration. “We are looking to increase awareness among these physicians in recognizing red flags indicating there are mental health issues under the surface that otherwise might not come to light.”

 

FSU, working with Whole Child Leon, is one of five behavioral health hubs in Florida to participate in the effort, which comes at a critical juncture. While rates of depression and anxiety in children were already rising before the COVID-19 pandemic, they have more than doubled over the last three years according to some studies.

 

Prior to COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that one in five children had a mental health disorder, but only about 20% received care from a mental health provider. The CDC also reported that emergency room visits by children and adolescents related to mental health issues showed dramatic increases during the pandemic. 

 

Flynn and her team at the College of Medicine have been working with the FDOH for the past few years to develop capacity to partner with several pediatric practices in the Tallahassee area to understand the needs for better screening, treatment and management of mental health and substance use. 

 

Whole Child Leon, a local non-profit, runs a pediatric Behavioral Health Navigation (BHN) program for local pediatricians.  The FDOH funding will help to support both the integration of treatment within the practices, and the ability of the BHN to connect families with the right behavioral health treatment.

 

“Unfortunately, most kids at risk for anxiety, depression, substance use and other behavioral health issues such as ADHD do not get connected with timely and effective care,” Flynn said. “Given the shortage of child psychiatrists and pediatric mental health specialists, it is important for pediatricians to integrate good care for these issues within the context of pediatric care visits.

 

“This program will provide training and technical assistance to pediatricians to improve their knowledge and skills around behavioral health detection and treatment, as well as how to effectively refer kids to community behavioral health clinicians.”

 

Flynn’s team works closely with pediatricians and with the BHN program, which is staffed by licensed social workers, who conduct assessments with families and connect them with the right clinicians in the community, then follow up to ensure that they get the help they need. 

 

Cori McGooden, a College of Medicine faculty member and licensed clinical social worker, is the Whole Child Leon program supervisor. Nearly all pediatric practices in Tallahassee refer kids to the BHN program. 

 

“The ultimate goal of this new Florida Department of Health funding is to drastically improve the capacity of pediatricians to care for a larger number and array of behavioral health issues in their patients, and to make effective referrals to specialists when needed,” Flynn said.

Subscribe to