Dr. Kendall Campbell, fellow at the National Academy of Medicine and co-director of the Center for Underrepresented Minorities in Academic Medicine, recently published, “Informing Social Security’s process for financial capability determination,” in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Visit http://www.nap.edu/read/21922/chapter/1 (doi: 10.17226/21922) to learn more. 

Biomedical Sciences researcher Diego Zorio received $100,000 from Genentech to study advanced neurogenerative disease. His project title is "Role of FMRP on Brain Development."

Associate Professor Heather Flynn received $99,086 from the Florida Institute for Child Welfare in collaboration with the College of Social Work. The Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine professor will study "Enhancing Parental Behavioral Health Services Integration in Child Welfare" for a year.

Biomedical Sciences Professor Yuan Wang received $135,000 from the Binational Science Foundation to study a mental retardation protein in the brain called FMRP. Loss of FMRP is the leading heritable cause of autism. The goal of the research is to understand brain development and how abnormal FMRP leads to brain pathology. 

In June a team of students from the College of Medicine and the College of Nursing, as well as undergraduate students and faculty members, spent eight days in Nicaragua. Their goal was to provide health care to the underserved people of Los Cedros and Montefresco. The trip was part of a continuing effort that began in 2010. SIGH (Students Interested in Global Health) and the College of Medicine set up clinics in churches and made house calls to patients who could not travel.

Together the team saw 455 patients. For second-year medical student Ashley Kreher, it was a return visit.

“When I first traveled to Nicaragua two years ago as an undergraduate, I fell in love not only with what I was doing but also with the people and the communities,” she said. “When I returned to the same communities as a medical student, my passion grew even stronger.”

During three days of clinic work – two in Los Cedros and one in Montefresco – students provided care alongside attending physicians. They treated and dispensed medications to patients with both chronic and acute conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes and ear infections.

Regular College of Medicine visits to Nicaragua began after a partnership with the people of Los Cedros was created six years ago. Teams of faculty members, medical students and medical resident alumni return to the same site every three to four months to provide care to residents who have difficulty accessing it. This is often due to their distance from the capital, their lack of transportation and the cost of prescription medications.

Students work together throughout the year to finance the trips. SIGH organizes an annual talent show and other fundraisers. Students also raise money for the trip independently to pay for housing, food, transportation and clinic medications.

The summer 2016 team consisted of:

• Faculty members Jonathan Appelbaum, M.D. (pictured above), Suzanne Harrison, M.D., Diane Pappachristou, M.D., and Theresa Winton, D.N.P.
• College of Medicine students Alan Chan (pictured above), Heather Cross, Ashley Kreher, Kevin List and Tiffany Smith-Sutton.
• Nurse practitioner students Sabrina Baker, Christina Jones, Brittany Tenorio and Claire Parsons Winfree.
• Premedical students Elizabeth Hull, Ishani Patel and James Perrigan.
• High school student Garret Winton.

Biomedical Sciences Researcher Jose Pinto and his lab recently gained two publications. Pinto and undergraduate student Shelby Straight published "Troponins, intrinsic disorder and cardiomyopathy" in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Pinto also published "Enhanced troponin I binding explain the functional changes produced by the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy mutation A8V of cardiac troponin C" in the Journal Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics with Clara A. Michell and Maicon Landim-Vieira.

The summer edition of Annals of Health Law has published a paper by Marshall Kapp, J.D., MPH, director of FSU's Center for Innovation Collaboration in Medicine and Law. The title is "Speculating About the Impact of Healthcare Industry Consolidation  on Long-Term Services and Supports," in Vol. 25, No. 2, Pages 1-33.

July 12, 2016

Seventeen students in the Class of 2017 have been chosen as the newest members of the FSU Chapman Chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society. In alphabetical order, they are:

• Jesse “Blake” Bauer (Tallahassee campus).
• Staci Biegner (Daytona Beach campus).
• Nicole Brunner (Sarasota campus).
• Allison Ellis (Daytona Beach).
• Ariel Hoffman (Daytona Beach).
• Emily Kaltz (Pensacola campus).
• Joelle Kane (Daytona Beach).
• Ilisa Lee (Tallahassee campus).
• Juan Lopez (Tallahassee/Thomasville campus).
• Rodolfo Loureiro (Orlando campus).
• Angelina Malamo (Daytona Beach).
• Tamara Marryshow Granados (Fort Pierce campus).
• Stacy Ranson (Daytona Beach).
• Jarrod Robertson (Tallahassee).
• Carlos Rubiano (Orlando).
• Tyler Wellman (Sarasota).
• Susanna Zorn (Pensacola).

Six are from the Daytona Beach campus; four from Tallahassee/Thomasville; two each from Orlando, Pensacola and Sarasota; and one from Fort Pierce.

Eleven of the 17, nearly two-thirds, are women.

The Gold Humanism Honor Society honors doctors, medical students and residents who demonstrate excellence in clinical care, leadership, compassion and dedication to service, placing high value on the interpersonal skills and attitudes essential for excellent patient care.

The announcement was made by email July 11 by Daniel Van Durme, M.D., faculty advisor and Gold Humanism member.

“The Gold Humanism Honor Society Selection Committee carefully reviewed the nominations from MANY of you,” he wrote. “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. These students rose to the top as true exemplars of humanism by receiving multiple nominations from faculty, staff and peers in categories demonstrating clinical excellence, service to others, patient-centered approach to care and compassion.”

Biomedical Sciences Researcher Branko Stefanovic received $53,000 from Thrivant to study "Development of Biosensor for High throughput Phenotypic Screening of Antifibrotic Compounds."

Michael Muszynski, Orlando Regional Campus Dean, was praised for his work as Commissioner for the Orange County Youth Mental Health Commission when the county received the National Association of Counties' 2016 Achievement Award in the category of Children and Youth. The award recognizes the work of the Youth Mental Health Commission where Muszynski serves.

"I know that the YMHC spent countless hours developing recommendations for our community in pursuit of the goal of having a positive impact on the lives of children and families in our community who are struggling with mental illness," said Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs in a letter to Muszynski. "You were selected to be a part of the commission because of your leadership and expertise, and because of your heart and compassion. Orange County is fortunate to have citizens like you."