Irina Bruck, a researcher in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, has received a $437,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health for her project, "Function and mechanism of the essential, Pol12 subunit of the eukaryotic Pol alpha-primase."

The three-year (R15) grant focuses on how errors in DNA replication can lead to cancer.

From her project summary:

" Human cells divide in order for the body to grow, and new cells are also generated to replenish dying cells. When cells divide, a copy of the genomic DNA is faithfully copied for each of the daughter cells, since genomic DNA is the blueprint for the function of the cell. Errors in DNA replication can sometimes lead to cancer. The protein that copies the DNA is called a polymerase, and humans utilize three different polymerases to copy genomic DNA. One of the polymerases, the first one to act, is called DNA polymerase alpha-primase. We are studying how DNA polymerase alpha-primase functions in the cell to copy DNA. This research has important implications for cancer research, and it also provides an excellent training opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students."

April 2017

Andrée Aubrey, MSW, has been named Social Worker of the Year by the Florida Big Bend Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. The award recognizes exceptional professionalism, commitment to the NASW Code of Ethics, dedication to the profession and service to the community. Aubrey, in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine, is director of the College of Medicine’s Area Health Education Program (AHEC).

May 1, 2017

A husband-wife team of Biomedical Sciences researchers is having a remarkable spring. 

Karissa Dieseldorff-Jones, a doctoral student in the lab of Jose Pinto, received a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award from the National Institutes of Health. It's designed to enhance the diversity of the health-related research workforce. Promising predoctoral students obtain individualized, mentored research training while conducting well-defined research projects in scientific health-related fields.

(Watch for more information about Dieseldorff-Jones' award.)

Her husband, Zach Jones, a doctoral student in the lab of Yi Ren, was among eight Florida State University scholars who were recently awarded competitive graduate research fellowships from the National Science Foundation. He is working on neuroinflammation associated with spinal cord injury.

The NSF received 13,000 applications and selected 2,000 recipients.

“Throughout the years, Florida State has been lucky to have wonderful, dedicated graduate students looking to further their academic careers and transform the STEM fields through research, teaching and service,” said Adrienne Stephenson, director of FSU’s Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards. “This award by the National Science Foundation for eight of our students is a testament to their hard work and commitment to furthering their education.”

The NSF fellowships are granted to students who are entering research master’s or doctoral degree programs in science, technology, engineering and math. They include an annual stipend of $34,000 over three years, in addition to a $12,000 allowance for tuition and fees, international research and professional development.

 Florida State University presented Maribel Amwake, academic mapping coordinator for the Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences program, with an Exemplary Service Award at the recent employee recognition ceremony.

The awards are based on achievements and resulting impacts to a department, college, division, or the university as a whole. Amwake was recognized in the category of student services.

From the nomination letter written about Amwake:

“Starting a completely new degree program in a college with no other undergraduate degree, we needed everything—especially staff who were intimately familiar with university policies and what students needed. Maribel’s knowledge and eagerness to support this has been key to the development of program policies that align with the university.

“Everything she does targets student needs. Within only a month on-board, her supervisor said that she has proven to be a valuable asset, a team player, a knowledgeable advisor and coordinator, and a pleasure to work with. Her skills and application of those skills are truly exemplary. She is a pleasure to work with and we would be lost without her.”

Added Senior Associate Dean for Interdisciplinary Medicine Sciences Myra Hurt: “She has been invaluable in building our new program due to her knowledge but also her can-do spirit.”

KynderMed has earned a technology commercialization grant worth $15,000 from the Leon County Research and Development Authority for James Olcese’s sleep mask technology designed to help prevent pre-term labor.

Olcese, a biomedical sciences professor in the College of Medicine, founded KynderMed along with Don Rosenkoetter, a Florida State Research Foundation Grant Committee member, to market his technology.

The light-emitting sleep mask works to reduce pregnant women’s levels of melatonin, a hormone that has been shown to cause contractions overnight and may lead to premature birth.

The grant was awarded at Innovation Park of Tallahassee’s annual TechGrant Elevator Pitch Night on May 17.

KynderMed was one of five local companies competing for the opportunity to win one of two grants. Its top prize of $15,000 will aid KynderMed as its technology undergoes further U.S. Food and Drug Administration testing and clinical trials.

Olcese and KynderMed previously received a $300,000 investment from the Florida Institute for Commercialization of Public Research and a $50,000 Cade Museum Prize for Innovation.

Karissa Dieseldorff-Jones, a doctoral student in the lab of Biomedical Sciences Assistant Professor Jose Pinto, has received a $106,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health for her project, “Reversal of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy via Conditional Ablation of Cardiac Myosin Light Chain Kinase.”

Professor Marshall Kapp, J.D., MPH, director of FSU's Center for Innovative Collaboration in Medicine and Law, published “Defensive Medicine: No Wonder Policymakers are Confused,” on pages 213-219 in Volume 28 of the International Journal of Risk & Safety in Medicine.

Marshall Kapp, director of FSU's Center for Innovative Collaboration in Medicine and Law, has been appointed the academic advisor to the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys. The board is accredited by the American Bar Association to identify and board-certify attorneys in the areas of medical malpractice and legal malpractice.

Joedrecka Brown Speights, associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health, is the lead author of an article published in the Journal of Family Practice. Its title is "Engaging African-American Women in Research: An Approach to Eliminate Health Disparities in the African-American Community." Her co-authors were Alexandra C.H. Nowakowski, Jessica DeLeon, M. Miaisha Mitchell and Ivana Simpson. 

The June 2017 special issue of the journal focuses on patient- and community-engaged research. "The entire special issue is very relevant to the FSU College of Medicine and our development of a mission-centric research portfolio," said Professor George Rust, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine.

July 11, 2017

At the Faculty Council meeting, after awards were handed out, these people were recognized for 15 years of service to the College of Medicine:
• Cathy Bell
• Nancy Clark
• Mohamed Kabbaj
• Alma Littles
• Paul McLeod
• Karen Myers
• Graham Patrick
• Heather Rodriguez-Raymond

These people were recognized for 10 years of service:
• Andrée Aubrey
• Gail Bellamy
• Rob Campbell
• Luckey Dunn
• Bijan Fallahi
• Joseph Gabriel
• Urszula Knight
• Sanjay Kumar
• Andrea Leech
• Margie LeHeup
• Jonquil Livingston
• Michele Lusquinos
• Vickie McDowell
• Tiffany McNabb
• Kathleen Mattis
• Carol Painter
• Charles Saunders
• Michael Smith
• Beth Strack
• Carman Sualdea
• Dana Urrutia
• Yi Zhou