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Aug 31, 2024

Florida Trend

Wetherby: Early intervention is key treating children with autism

More children in Florida are being diagnosed with autism than ever before. Fortunately, two professors at Florida State University are researching how to diagnose it earlier, and how to teach autistic children once they’re in school.

“We know that early detection of autism is crucial for improving treatment for children,” says Amy Wetherby, who is a distinguished research professor in FSU’s College of Medicine and the director of FSU’s Autism Institute. “By identifying autism early, intervention can take advantage of the plasticity of the brain in the first three years of life. With early diagnosis and intervention, children with autism are more likely able to be included in regular classrooms from preschool to kindergarten and beyond.”

Programs focused on nutrition education can impact brain health, according to FSU professor’s research

Aug 02, 2024

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Sep 13, 2023

Tallahassee Democrat

FSU, TMH break ground on academic health center

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.

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Sep 16, 2024

Heart.org

Like the heart, FSU doctoral student Nieto-Morales is 'always working' in pursuit of a pediatric cardiology career

Paula Nieto-Morales, in pursuit of a doctorate in biomedical sciences at the Florida State University College of Medicine and a career as a pediatric cardiologist, is 'always working.'

"I have always been fascinated by the heart and the fact that it never stops," she said.

Neither does Nieto-Morales, an avid runner who loves to travel and has insatiable appetite for knowledge.

"She's the type of student who thrives on challenges and constantly seeks new opportunities to learn and grow," said College of Medicine biomedical sciences professor, Jose R. Pinto, Ph.D., one of her mentors. "You have to keep providing her with tasks and projects because she's always eager to take on more and push her limits."

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Sep 10, 2024

MedPage Today

Bowers, second-year med student, joins childhood food insecurity fight

FSU College of Medicine second-year medical student, Jade Bowers, RN, is one of six co-authors of an article addressing The Invisible Epidemic of Childhood Food Insecurity.

Bowers, a pediatric nurse in Tallahassee, has encountered numerous examples of children receiving inadequate nutrition. She and her co-author peers have outlined necessary steps to help combat food insecurity and its connection to poor health outcomes among children.

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Sep 05, 2024

Business Wire

Family Medicine Residency program taps into technology in fight against skin cancer

The FSU Family Medicine Residency Program at BayCare Health System in Winter Haven is the first program in the country to integrate the use a non-invasive devise for evaluating suspicious skin lesions into its education program.

Nate Falk, M.D., assistant dean and graduate medical education director of the program, said the use of the DermaSensor devise aims to "empower its future physicians with enhanced skin cancer detection skills and the ability to provide the best possible care to their patients."

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Aug 31, 2024

Florida Trend

Anderson's "calling in life" spurs IPRD's effort to deliver 'Little Miracles'

Andrew Anderson was a perfectly normal newborn, his parents thought, just like his two older sisters.

It wasn’t until he was 6 months old that they sensed something was wrong with their only son, who wasn’t hitting his milestones. After a year of misdiagnoses and genetic testing, they uncovered the cause: Andrew had Tay-Sachs disease, a rare inherited disorder that damages nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It has no cure. When he was 4 years old, Andrew passed away. The end of his life marked the start of a legacy — one furthering research into rare pediatric diseases in Florida.

“It led us where we are,” says state Rep. Adam Anderson, Andrew’s father. “There’s no way I’d be working on this stuff if I hadn’t lived that experience. It’s not only become a passion; it’s literally my calling in life.” Last year, Anderson, a Republican from Palm Harbor, successfully pushed for $1million in state funding to launch the Florida State University Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases. The institute, which opened earlier this year and is the first of its kind in the state, is dedicated to researching and treating rare childhood diseases.