2007  

December

12/14 - VCU Across the Spectrum Launches in December - Research in biology, chemistry and medicine intersects with the arts, business and world studies in the premiere issue of Across the Spectrum, www.spectrum.vcu.edu, a new online magazine showcasing the scope of Virginia Commonwealth University's nearly $230 million research program across both of its campuses. Read more.

12/13 - HHS Secretary Appoints Retchin to Council on Graduate Medical Education - The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Michael Leavitt, has appointed Dr. Sheldon M. Retchin, chief executive officer of the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, to the Council on Graduate Medical Education. COGME has 17 members and was authorized by Congress in 1986 to provide an ongoing assessment of physician workforce trends, training issues and financing policies, and to recommend appropriate federal and private sector efforts to address graduate medical education issues. Read more.

12/10 - Two Alums Turned Faculty Receive National Honors - Ellen M. Palen, M.D., and Mark H. Ryan, M.D., are among a select group of physicians honored by the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation for their commitment to education in the field of family medicine. Both physicians received their medical degrees and completed residencies with the School of Medicine and are now family medicine preceptors with the school. The awards program annually recognizes 15 outstanding community-based family physicians who combine clinical practice with part-time teaching of family medicine. This is the first time the award has gone to two recipients from the same institution.  Read more about Dr. Ellen Palen and Dr. Mark Ryan.

12/7 - Infectious Diseases Expert to Lead Grant Supporting Women Health Care Professionals from Developing Countries - Richard Wenzel, M.D., chair of internal medicine at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and president of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, is the principal investigator of a new project grant to support women health care workers from Africa, Asia and the Asian sub-continent. Through the grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to the ISID, approximately 70 women with careers in medicine, nursing, public health and infectious diseases will attend the 13th International Congress on Infectious Diseases.  Read more.

12/4 - NCI Renewal Grant to Develop New Cancer Therapies - A Massey Cancer Center research team has received a renewal grant totaling nearly $1.3 million from the National Cancer Institute to improve the activity of a novel class of agents, known as histone deacetylase inhibitors, in the treatment of leukemia and other blood malignancies. "Our goal is to exploit recent insights into the mode of action of these agents to make them even more effective in various hematologic malignancies by rationally combining them with other molecularly targeted agents," said Steven Grant, M.D., Massey's associate director for translational research. Read more.

12/4 - Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation receives gift from spinal cord injury foundation - The Virginia Commonwealth University Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation and Research Center has received a $20,000 gift from the Gerry Bertier #42 Foundation. “This gift is further validation of the importance of our work in an overall effort to maximize hope, function and quality of life for these individuals who have sustained catastrophic injuries and face significant challenges,” said William McKinley, M.D., professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Read more.

November

11/30 - John M. Kellum, M.D., professor, Department of Surgery, Division of General Surgery,
will present a paper about laparoscopic gastric bypass at the Southern Surgical Association’s annual meeting in December at the Homestead resort in Hot Springs, Va. Kellum and research co-director James W. Maher, M.D., chairman of the Division of General Surgery, found that the operation could lead to a significant reduction in hospital stay.

11/30 - Steven Woolf, M.D., M.P.H., professor, Department of Family Medicine, published the second edition of his book, “Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Clinical Practice,” which gives clinicians a complete overview on helping patients adopt health behaviors and how to deliver recommended screening tests and immunizations. The book offers practical guidance on how to counsel patients on topics such as exercise, nutrition, substance abuse and sexually transmitted infections. This new edition features a chapter about using electronic medical records and insight from new authors with expertise in areas discussed in the book.

11/29 - Trauma Study Reports Results with “Blood Substitute” PolyHeme - An experimental blood substitute called PolyHeme may improve survival of critically injured and bleeding patients when blood is needed but not available.  The results of the study, which involved 32 Level-1 trauma centers across the U.S., were presented at the American College of Surgeons meeting earlier this month.  Read more.

11/28 - Teenage alcohol use may be influenced by both gender and friendship - When it comes to alcohol, smoking and drug use, teens tend to be influenced by friends who engage in the same behaviors, according to new findings from an international team of researchers. Danielle M. Dick, Ph.D., conducted the research while on faculty at Washington University in St. Louis. Read more.

11/14 - VCU Massey Cancer researcher receives $700,000 in research funding to target new cancer treatments - The V Foundation for Cancer Research and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation are supporting the work of Steven Grant, M.D., to develop new antileukemic/anti-cancer strategies and to create novel treatment approaches for multiple myeloma and related blood cancers. Read more.

11/12 - VCU Tech Transfer’s second annual reception celebrates ‘Invented at VCU’ - The Second Annual Reception celebrating “Invented at VCU" brought together members of the university community and representatives from businesses affiliated with the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park.  During the event, Billy R. Martin, Ph.D., chairman of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology was awarded the first-ever VCU Distinguished Inventor Award for 2007. Read more.

11/12 - VCU Medical Center selected to join federally funded clinical trials network to investigate neurological emergencies - The National Institutes of Health-funded clinical trial network is a groundbreaking, multi-centered research endeavor designed to shorten the number of years needed for researchers to complete a study. Through the network we have the opportunity to collaborate with other institutions across the country to advance the standard of therapy – identifying new drugs or using existing drugs to serve a new purpose and developing technologies," said Joseph Ornato, M.D., professor and chairman of emergency medicine at the VCU Medical Center, and the principal investigator at VCU. Read more.

11/12 - Sun Named Chair of Biostatistics - Shumei S. Sun, Ph.D., brings extensive research experience in designing and analyzing longitudinal studies and randomized, controlled clinical trials. "Her current research on obesity and body composition in children and risk of metabolic and cardiac disease spans two of the core research themes in our strategic plan: metabolism and aging and maternal and child health," said Jerome F. Strauss III, M.D., dean of the VCU School of Medicine. Read more.

11/12 - Stem Cell Public Symposium - The schools of Engineering and Medicine and the Office of the Vice President for Research are sponsoring a public symposium on "Stem Cells: The Search for Cures, Challenges and Public Policy" on Monday, Nov. 19, at 4 p.m. in the School of Engineering auditorium. Free and open to the public. Speakers include Bernard Siegel and Eve Herold from the Genetics Policy Institute, Don Gehring from VCU and Josh Basile from Determined2heal Foundation. Refreshments will be provided after the symposium. For more information, visit http://www.engineering.vcu.edu/vcu-hest2007/symposium.html.

11/8 - Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine Recognizes November as Family Health History Month - In observance of Family Health History Month, Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine and VCU are encouraging Virginians to learn more about their medical histories. VCU's genetics clinics offer lifespan services in genetics from preconception screening and prenatal diagnosis to collaboration in newborn screening follow-up, birth defects, child and adult genetic issues and familial cancer. Read more.

11/5 - Physician Training Key in Reducing Health Disparities - "Well trained physicians can play a key role in eliminating health disparities, but most doctors have received little or no training on these issues," said Wally R. Smith, M.D., professor of medicine and medical director of VCU's Center on Health Disparities in a report published today in the "Annals of Internal Medicine." Read more.

11/5 - VCU Physician to Receive American Heart Association Lifetime Achievement Award - The American Heart Association has selected Joseph Ornato, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine, as recipient of the 2007 Resuscitation Science Symposium Lifetime Achievement Award for Cardiac Resuscitation Science. Read more.

11/5 - Genes Play Important Role in Risk for Dependence on Illicit and Licit Drugs -

The genes that play a role in illegal drug abuse are not entirely the same as those involved in dependence on legal substances like alcohol and nicotine, and caffeine addiction appears to be genetically independent of all the others, according to a study led by Virginia Commonwealth University researchers. Read more.

11/1 - MCV Alumni Association names 2007 Outstanding Medical Alumnus - A highly respected researcher whose specialties include geographic medicine and vaccine development, 1967 graduate, Myron M. Levine, M.D., who traces the interests he pursues today to his clinical training here.  “It was at MCV that I developed an interest in pediatrics and pediatric infectious diseases,” Levine said. “I had also always had a fascination with tropical medicine, and MCV encouraged and supported that interest of mine, which at that time was a bit unusual.” Read more.

11/1 - John M. Kellum, M.D., professor, Department of Surgery, will present a paper about laparoscopic gastric bypass at the Southern Surgical Association’s annual meeting in December at the Homestead resort in Hot Springs, Va. Kellum and research co-director James W. Maher, M.D., chairman of the Division of General Surgery, found that the operation could lead to a significant reduction in hospital stay. 

11/1 - Steven Woolf, M.D., M.P.H., professor, Department of Family Medicine, published the second edition of his book, “Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Clinical Practice,” which gives clinicians a complete overview on helping patients adopt health behaviors and how to deliver recommended screening tests and immunizations. The book offers practical guidance on how to counsel patients on topics such as exercise, nutrition, substance abuse and sexually transmitted infections. This new edition features a chapter about using electronic medical records and insight from new authors with expertise in areas discussed in the book.

11/1 - Potential New Therapeutic Molecular Target to Fight Cancer - In the Nov. 1 issue of the journal Cancer Research, researchers examined human colon and breast cancer cells and established a role of sphingosine kinase 2 (SphK2), an enzyme that forms the potent lipid mediator sphingosine-1-phosphate in the death of cancer cells mediated by the chemotherapeutic drug, doxorubicin.   The study's lead author is Sarah Spiegel, Ph.D., chair and professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and co-leader of the Massey Cancer Center's cancer cell biology program. Read more.

11/1 - VCU Health System CEO Testifies Before Congressional Committee About Proposed Medicaid Regulatory Changes - A proposal to eliminate Medicaid graduate medical education funding would endanger the ability of teaching hospitals to maintain their mission of training physicians as well as reduce the access of millions of Americans to healthcare, Sheldon Retchin, M.D., told a congressional panel on Thursday. Read more.

October

10/30 - CDC Grant to Improve Prenatal Awareness and Reduce Infant Mortality Among African American Women in Richmond - VCU's nearly $2 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention represents the first successful research collaboration between the VCU Institute for Women's Health and Center on Health Disparities.   VCU's proposal is based on a model developed by the Promoting Healthy Pregnancies Coalition, a group of community care providers that has focused on infant mortality for more than 15 years. Read more.

10/30 - Some Clinicians Recommend Repeat Colonoscopies Too Soon - While colonoscopies are important screening tools to detect colon cancer, the review of Alex Krist, M.D., assistant professor in the department of family medicine, found that in only 39 percent of cases were endoscopists' suggestions correct as to when retesting should occur, according to American Cancer Society and American Gastroenterological Association guidelines. Read more.

10/24 - Arterial Plaques May Be Reduced By Increasing the Amount of a Key Enzyme in Cells Storing Cholesterol - L ed by Shobha Ghosh, Ph.D., the team examined how cells in the artery wall make cholesterol available for removal by HDL. "Currently the emphasis for managing heart disease is on reducing the "bad" cholesterol or LDL in the circulation. Our study demonstrates that if you can increase the removal of cholesterol from the plaques, even without changing the LDL levels, there is still a significant reduction in the plaques," said Ghosh. Read more.

10/23 - $1.2 Million Grant to Study Whether Linking Patient Health Information to Physician Electronic Records will Improve Outcomes - A three-year grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality will support the investigation of Alex Krist, M.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine, into whether an interactive preventive health record called "My Preventive Care" will result in more patients receiving preventive health care interventions and referrals. Read more.

10/22 - Declining Household Income Could Have Impact on Health - In the Oct. 24 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, Steven H. Woolf, M.D., M.P.H., wrote that although poverty in the United States declined in the 1990s, it resurged after 2000, increasing from 11.7 percent to 12.6 percent between 2000 and 2005. "Efforts to improve education and income, seemingly unrelated to medicine, have the potential to accomplish more to reduce the severity and costs of major diseases than traditional medical advances." Read more.

10/22 - Pediatric Surgeon Races in Memory of Former Cancer Patient - Competing in the recent 2007 Walt Disney World Triathlon in Florida was about more than crossing the finish line for Charles Bagwell, M.D., who raced in the event to memorialize Whitney Farrell, one of his former patients. “All of our patients are memorable – every one of them – but there are very few patients because of the uniqueness of the clinical situation that have affected me as much as Whitney. She was really a memorable character.” While preparing for the triathlon, Bagwell also raised funds in Farrell’s name that will go to Children’s Medical Services International. Read more.

10/18 - VCUMC Earns Health and Human Services Medal of Honor for Organ Donation Efforts - The Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, in collaboration with LifeNet Health, has earned the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' prestigious Medal of Honor for organ donation. The medal is awarded to hospitals that have achieved at least a 75 percent organ donor conversion rate for a sustained 12-month period. Read more.

10/16 - Study Shows Reducing Class Size May Be More Cost-Effective than Most Medical Interventions - Class-size reductions would generate more quality-adjusted life-year gains per dollar invested than the majority of medical interventions, according to findings that will be published in the November issue of the American Journal of Public Health. Steven H. Woolf, M.D., M.P.H., professor in VCU's Department of Family Medicine, was a co-author on the study that was led by a researcher at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Read more.

10/11 - NIH Grant to Improve Pregnancy Outcomes for African Americans - A grant totaling nearly $6.4 million will support basic and clinical research to examine adverse pregnancy outcomes in African Americans and potential interventions to prevent them. "In developing new ways to ensure healthy pregnancies with healthy outcomes, we will have a major impact on the cost of health care, and in the long term, reduce the burden of chronic diseases that have their roots in pregnancy complications," said Dean of Medicine Jerome F. Strauss III, primary investigator for the project. Read more.

10/11 - NIH Grant to Expand Research Training in Women’s Health - The School of Medicine one of 15 new and continuing programs nationwide to receive the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health, or BIRCWH, funding from the NIH.  Through the nearly $2.5 million grant, principal investigator and Dean of Medicine Jerome F. Strauss III, M.D., Ph.D., will focus efforts on junior faculty members who are conducting basic, clinical, translational, behavioral or health services research in women's health, with an emphasis on sex and gender factors. Read more.

10/10 - VCURES researchers target the immune system to improve survival of victims who have suffered severe traumatic shock - Researchers hope to improve the survival of severely injured soldiers and civilians with the discovery that a naturally occurring hormonal agent known as androstenetriol has a very powerful effect on the immune system. “Immune disruption is a major component of the shock response in trauma and hemorrhage. Restoring the balance of the immune response early after injury greatly reduces the damage and injury caused by shock trauma and hemorrhage and leads to improved survival,” said Roger Loria, Ph.D., a professor of microbiology, immunology, pathology and emergency medicine. Read more.

10/9 - The Annual Faculty Excellence Awards Represent the Highest Recognition for Teachers - The ninth annual ceremony honored Leslie S. Satin, Ph.D., Stephanie A. Call, M.D., James M. Messmer, M.D., Leanne M. Yanni, M.D., Gita V. Massey, M.D., Aradhana Bela A. Sood, M.D., Sarah Spiegel, Ph.D., and Julia A. R. Nunley, M.D. Read more.

10/8 - VCU Institute for Women’s Health Receives Jenkins Foundation Award - A Jenkins Foundation Award for $65,000 will help the Institute for Women's Health continue its shelter-based health services project. Read more.

10/1 - State Conference to Focus on Polytrauma and Combat Stress Injuries in Returning Armed Forces - The Mid-Atlantic Addiction Technology Transfer Center at Virginia Commonwealth University is co-sponsoring a conference with the Virginia Department of Veterans Services to raise awareness of the difficulties military personnel face when they return home from combat. The goal of the conference is to develop a plan and make resources available to ensure that returning veterans and their families can reintegrate successfully into their communities. Read more.

10/1 - School of Medicine Welcomes New Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs -

PonJola Coney, M.D., a leader in reproductive medicine, has joined the School of Medicine.  In her newly created senior associate dean of faculty affairs, Coney will be responsible for activities related to faculty recruitment, orientation and development, diversity, retention and governance.  Meanwhile, she will continue her clinical and research interests in reproductive medicine in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Read more.

September

9/27 - VCU Raises Record $410.3 Million - VCU celebrated the conclusion of its largest capital campaign in history with the announcement that a record $410,341,216 was raised, exceeding the original $330.5 million goal by more than 24 percent, or nearly $80 million. The medical school raised $114.2 million, exceeding our campaign goal by 31%.  Read more.

927 - VCU Health System hosts wound care educational conference - “Stepping Stones to Excellence in Wound Care” was designed to provide nurses, nurse practitioners, physical therapists and other health care providers the opportunity to learn about advances in wound care and to discuss the treatment of acute and chronic wounds. Read more.

9/25- Health System Recognized by Working Mother Magazine - Working Mother magazine today named the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System one of the nation's 100 best companies of 2007 for working mothers, marking the third time the health system has received the honor. Read more.

9/21 - Outstanding Professors Set for Honors at VCU Faculty Convocation - Two medical school faculty members are among four who will be honored on Sept. 25 during Virginia Commonwealth University's 25th Opening Faculty Address and Convocation. Aradhana A. Sood, M.D., FAACAP, will receive the University Distinguished Service Award; and Sarah Spiegel, Ph.D., will receive the University Distinguished Scholarship Award. Read more.

9/21 - Susan Williams White, Ph.D., with the Virginia Treatment Center for Children, and an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry's Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, has received nearly $635,000 in grant funding from the National Institute of Mental Health to develop a targeted behavioral therapy for treating children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder, ASD. The goal of this work is to help ASD children overcome anxiety and improve their social skill development. Children with autism spectrum disorders, which include autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder and pervasive developmental disorder — not otherwise specified, frequently struggle with debilitating anxiety in addition to core social skill deficits.

9/21 - Evans-Haynes Burn Center receives gift from steel company - Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center’s Evans-Haynes Burn Unit has received a gift of nearly $14,000 from Gerdau Ameristeel.  Terry Holder and Kim Edwards, representatives of Gerdau Ameristeel, presented a check to the burn unit this week. The money, $13,941, was raised in June during a golf tournament that benefited the burn center. Read more.

9/17 - Filmmakers explore local breast cancer survivors’ stories for 'Richmond Diaries' documentary - As the award-winning 2006 documentary “The Cancer Diaries” travels the film festival circuit around the world, its director, Linda Pattillo, and the subject of the documentary, Ann Murray Paige, continue to capture the stories of other breast cancer survivors. Their connections to Richmond recently brought them to the Massey Cancer Center to film their interactions with 15 breast cancer survivors for their latest project, “The Richmond Diaries.” The 10-minute short, along with “The Cancer Diaries,” will make its Richmond premiere Friday, Oct. 12, at the Science Museum of Virginia. Read more.

9/11 - FDA Approves Use of Compound that Can Stop Severe Bleeding in Minutes - A lightweight, granular, dressing compound that quickly stems high-pressure bleeding in moderate to severe wounds has received FDA approval and will soon be used in combat. The patent-pending technology behind WoundStat is the result of more than three years of study and development by VCURES researchers. Read more and watch video clips.

9/11 - NIH Grant to Shed Light on Standards of Scientific Conduct - VCU is part of a research team that received an NIH grant to explore common practices of scientists when conducting research, their views of ideal standards and how they may vary among different research disciplines.  The University of California, San Diego will lead the study, whose findings will help improve the curriculum taught to university researchers and students about the standards of responsible conduct in research. co-investigator, Francis Macrina, Ph.D., VCU’s vice president for research, whose textbook Scientific Integrity is one of the most widely used in the country.  Read more.

9/11 - Anthem Gurney Tourney Returns to the Heart of Downtown Richmond - Teams of costumed individuals navigating hospital gurneys through a creative and challenging obstacle course will once again take to the streets of downtown Richmond this weekend for the 9th annual Anthem Gurney Tourney.   To take place Saturday, Sept. 15, the race will benefit the Hospital Hospitality House and the Pediatric Cancer fund at the Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center. Read more.

August

8/24 - Federal Grant to Help Health Professionals and Families Understand Evidence-Based Research - A $90,000 federal grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration will promote participation in research studies for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorders and genetic conditions. “VCU is launching major translational research initiatives and this grant will help clinicians, educators and students improve their skills in talking with families about research,” said Joann Bodurtha, M.D., professor of Human Genetics.  Read more.

8/21 - The Journey Begins - The White Coat Ceremony and Project HEART emphasize professionalism and humanism in first-year medical students. Read more.

8/21 - Theater Training Helps Doctors Improve Clinical Empathy Skills - Doctors taught empathy techniques by theater professors show improved bedside manner, according to a pilot study published in the August issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine. Faculty from the Departments of Theatre and Internal Medicine translated the skills of the stage to fit the doctor-patient dynamic, emphasizing the importance of both verbal and nonverbal cues, resulting in improvement in the clinical empathy skills of internal medicine residents following six hours of instruction.   While patients often identify empathy skills, such as understanding, listening and honesty, as important traits in their primary care physicians no previous study has examined the efficacy of clinical empathy training. Read more and watch video clips.

8/13 - Department of Family Medicine Receives Awards from the Virginia Academy of Family Physicians - Steven N. Spence M.D., received the Family Physician of the Year award; Steven S. Leblang M.D., received the James P. Charlton, M.D., Teacher of the Year award; and Mark H. Ryan M.D., received the Volunteer of the Year award.  The three are all alumni as well as having served as faculty in the Department. Read more.

8/6 - Genetic Factors Strongly Shape How Peers Are Chosen - As we develop, the company we keep may be increasingly influenced by our genes, according to a new study. "As we grow and move out of our own home environment, our genetically influenced temperament becomes more and more important in influencing the kinds of friends we like to hang out with,” said Kenneth S. Kendler, M.D., lead author on the study. Read more.

8/6 - IUDs Safe and Effective in High-Risk Patients - Researchers have found that intrauterine devices are safe and effective in a population of women previously not considered as good candidates for this method of birth control. "Young, unmarried, sexually active women can now be considered good candidates for this contraceptive option, which doesn't require taking a pill, patch, or injection," said Catherine A. Matthews, M.D., who led the study.  Read more, watch video clips and listen to audio clips.

8/6 - Teamwork between Two Key Proteins Necessary for normal development and regulation of blood cells - Researchers studying hemoglobin genes have identified two proteins that are responsible for regulating overlapping groups of genes during the development of red blood cells. The findings may point researchers to future gene therapies for patients with sickle cell anemia and beta-thalassemia. Joyce Lloyd, Ph.D., is the corresponding author in the article that was pre-published online Aug. 3 as a First Edition Paper in the journal Blood. Read more.

July

7/31 - VCU Collaboration Across Countries - VCU hosted a week-long training session for a delegation of psychiatrists from China involved in a research study on the molecular genetics of depression. “As one of the world’s largest studies of depression, we expect the results to have implications for our understanding of the causes and treatment of this common and disabling condition,” said Kenneth S. Kendler, M.D., a professor of psychiatry and human genetics and one of the investigators. The focus of the pilot project is to gather 1,000 women with cases of recurrent major depression and 1,000 women without the condition to be used as controls. Read more.

7/27 - Physician-Scientist Joins VCU Massey Cancer Center - Andrew Larner, M.D., Ph.D., has joined the Massey Cancer Center as co-leader of its Immune Mechanisms research program. Most recently with the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Larner's research is devoted to studying the immune system's natural defenses and how they might be meaningful in fighting cancer. Read more.

7/20 - MCV Alumni Association Elects New President - Mary S. Shall, who earned her Ph.D. degree in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology in 1991, has been elected president of the MCV Alumni Association of VCU. “As a faculty member within one of the School of Allied Health Professions’ departments, I feel as though I am uniquely representing two schools in this leadership position.”  Read more.

7/13 - VCU Health System ranks among “America’s Best Hospitals” - The VCU Health System is one of 173 medical centers nationwide -- and the only in Central Virginia -- to be named in U.S. News & World Report's 2007 rankings of America's Best Hospitals.  In addition, the health system was noted for excellence treating patients in kidney disease, ranking 42nd in the country. Read more.

7/2 - Graduate Student to Attend International Meeting of Nobel Laureates - Jennifer Patterson, a graduate assistant in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, has been appointed by the National Science Foundation to a U.S. delegation traveling to the 57th Nobel Laureate Meeting in Lindau, Germany. Since 1951, Nobel Prize winners in chemistry, physics and medicine have met with students from various countries annually to discuss their research and issues of importance in their fields. This year 20 Nobel laureates will meet with 500 young scientists from across the globe. Read more.

7/2 - Adam P. Klausner, M.D., assistant professor and director of neuro-urology, received the Dennis W. Jahnigen Career Development Scholars Award, totaling $200,000, to investigate urinary incontinence in elderly patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). The award is given by the American Geriatrics Society.  The two-year grant will allow Klausner and his colleagues to predict which patients with urinary incontinence can benefit most from shunting surgery. Shunting surgery is the recommended treatment for patients with NPH, a neurological disorder caused by an overflow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain’s ventricles. Shunting surgery relieves the brain by relocating the fluid to the abdomen.
The bladder is among the areas affected by NPH. Additionally, NPH affects the ability to walk. It also affects memory and cognition. This award helps promising academic specialists start and sustain careers in both education and research that are focused on aging issues.

June

6/26 - VCU Human Research Protection Program Earns Full Accreditation - The Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, Inc., has announced full accreditation for VCU's Human Research Protection Program. The designation makes VCU the first and only university in Virginia fully accredited by AAHRPP. Last year, VCU received more than $211 million in sponsored research funding.  Read more.

6/25 - Intensive-care patients with alcohol-use disorders are more likely to require costly mechanical ventilation - "Excessive alcohol consumption not only causes serious adverse events such as alcohol intoxication and accidents, but also increases the chances of developing life-threatening medical illnesses such as pneumonia, asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease, infections and respiratory failure."  Marjolein de Wit, M.D., corresponding author for the study, recommended that clinicians screen all medical intensive-care patients for the presence of alcohol-use disorders. Read more.

6/21 - $750,000 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Grant will advance science and math literacy for pre-college students in VCU community outreach - VCU is one of 31 U.S. biomedical research institutions to receive a grant from the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute to advance understanding and access to science for pre-college students and teachers in the Richmond community and nationwide. Just last year, VCU received a $1.5 million HHMI grant to keep up with the rapid evolution of biology and its increasing interaction with other disciplines. Read more.

6/26 - M. Ross Bullock, M.D., Ph.D., Reynolds professor in the Department, has been selected to receive the Herbert Olivecrona Award for 2007 – neurosurgery’s highest honor. This award has been given annually since 1976 to an internationally recognized neurosurgeon who has made significant contributions to the field of neurosurgery. Bullock was selected based on his contributions to neurotrauma research and neurotrauma clinical care. He has authored more than 230 papers, books and chapters and four sets of practice guidelines regarding the clinical and surgical management of severe head injury patients. He also recently edited the second edition of a major textbook in the field titled “Head Injury: Pathophysiology and Management.” Bullock will accept the award in September during a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden.

6/20 - Researchers Develop Buckyballs to Fight Allergy - A research team has identified a new biological function for a soccer ball-shaped nanoparticle called a buckyball – the ability to block allergic response, setting the stage for the development of new therapies for allergy. Essentially, the buckyballs are able to prevent mast cells from releasing histamine. Chris Kepley, Ph.D., is the principal author of the paper that was published in the July 1 issue of the Journal of Immunology. Read more and watch video clips of Dr. Kepley describing the study.

6/14 - Rural Hospitals Show Improvement in Patient Safety Systems - A new study examining patient safety systems in rural hospitals, such as automated alert systems and medication administration procedures, shows that these hospitals are making changes to address the problem more rapidly than urban hospitals, and the gap between urban and rural quality measures is narrowing. Daniel Longo, M.D., director of research in the Department of Family Medicine is the study author on the report that was published in the Summer 2007 issue of Journal of Rural Health. Read more.

6/11 - Researchers Shed Light on Mechanism of Action Used by Anti-Cancer Drug - Researchers published online a new mechanism of action for the anti-cancer drug sorafenib in the journal Molecular and Cellular Biology on June 4 . "The notion that sorafenib acts by inhibiting protein synthesis and reducing expression of Mcl-1 suggests that this agent might be logically combined with other targeted agents whose antitumor activity is limited by Mcl-1 expression," said Grant, the Shirley Carter and Sture Gordon Olsson Professor of oncology . Several such targeted agents are currently undergoing clinical evaluation in patients with various malignancies. Read more.

6/8 - Dinner with Indy - The Medical College of Virginia Hospital Auxiliary and the Hospital Hospitality House are hosting a fund-raiser, Dinner with Indy, on Thursday, June 28, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Torque Club at Richmond International Raceway. Participants will have the opportunity to meet Marco Andretti, mingle with the IRL community, bid on Indy racing-related items and feast on a barbecue dinner. Tickets are $50 per person. For more information, contact Rebekah M. Stewart, rstewart2@mcvh-vcu.edu.

May

5/25 - Alum Recounts Experiences in Iraq - U.S. Army Capt. David Steinbruner, an emergency medicine physician and a 2001 graduate of the School of Medicine, treated and saved the lives of many military personnel and numerous patients during his time in Baghdad. He returned to campus this week to recount some of those experiences during the Department of Emergency Medicine’s grand rounds. Read more.

5/25 - VCU Medical Center Opens International Adoption Medical Clinic - The clinic serves the initial and ongoing medical, developmental and emotional needs of parents and their children adopted from around the world. “Depending on what country they are originally from, children adopted internationally have variable amounts of social and emotional deprivation and potentially physical and medical deprivation,” said Suzanne Lavoie, M.D., professor and chair of pediatric infectious diseases and medical director of the clinic, who is also an adoptive mother of three from Eastern Europe. Read more.

5/25 - VCU Council for Community Engagement Awards Grants to Support Community Needs - Nine university-community programs received one-year grants totaling $100,000.  The programs included the Cosby High School/VCU Partnership, a collaboration between University College, the School of Medicine, the Center for Health Disparities, Cosby High School Health Sciences Specialty Center and the Virginia Mentoring Partnership to bring about a health careers exploration course, introducing Cosby students to health careers through expert presentations, service activities, lab experiences and mentorships with current VCU pre-health students.

5/21 - Cure for Hepatitis C - Nearly all -- 99 percent – of patients with hepatitis C who were treated successfully with peginterferon alone, or in combination with ribavirin, had no detectable virus up to seven years later. "We at VCU are encouraged by this data because it is rare in the treatment of life-threatening viral diseases that we can tell patients they may be cured," said Mitchell Shiffman, M.D., chief of hepatology and medical director of the Liver Transplant Program.  "In hepatitis C today, we are able to help some patients achieve an outcome that effectively enables them to put their disease behind them." Dr. Shiffman is one of the lead investigators in the study that was presented at the 38th annual Digestive Disease Week conference in Washington, D.C. VCU was among about 40 sites worldwide studying pegylated interferon alfa-2a, manufactured by Roche Inc. Read more and hear Dr. Shiffman comment on the study.

5/21 - Dennis E. Ohman, Ph.D., professor and chair in the department of microbiology and immunology, has been named a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (AAM), a professional organization dedicated entirely to microbiologists and the science of microbiology. Ohman’s research has focused on determining the various pathogenic properties of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacterium responsible for causing life-threatening infections in those with immuno-compromised conditions. Ohman and his group were the first to determine the function of many of its genes, and the basis for their regulation. AAM Fellows are elected annually, through a highly selective, peer-reviewed process based on their records of scientific achievement and original contributions that have advanced microbiology. There are now more than 2,500 fellows representing all subspecialties of microbiology, including basic and applied research, teaching, public health, industry, and government service. 

5/16 - Blood Conservation Guidelines Developed for Cardiac Procedures - A team of medical experts led by a VCU anesthesiologist and a thoracic surgeon from the University of Kentucky has established a set of clinical guidelines to help physicians decrease the need for blood transfusions in high-risk patients during cardiac operations.  "If these guidelines are adopted by a majority of cardiovascular centers in the world, we can decrease the amount of blood transfusions, blood usage and cost and blood shortages would be less frequent and not occur to such a degree," said Bruce Spiess, M.D., professor in the Department of Anesthesiology. Read more and hear Dr. Spiess comment on the guidelines.

5/5 - Lou Harris 80th Birthday Scientific Symposium - A symposium to bring together the world's leading scientists in fields of pain relief and drug abuse to celebrate the contributions of one of their own, Dr. Louis S. Harris, will be held this week on the MCV Campus. Session 1 is on Wednesday, May 16, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Session 2 is on Thursday, May 17, from 9 a.m. to noon. Both sessions take place in Room 103 of the Smith Building. To learn more about participating speakers, who represent some of the greatest minds and the most important contributions to these fields in the last half of the 20th century, call 827-0375.

5/9 - Assistant Professor Wins International Young Investigator Award - The International Liver Transplantation Society has named Valeria Mas, Ph.D., assistant professor of surgery, one of six winners of its Young Investigator award. The award will be presented during the society’s 13th Annual International Congress in June in Brazil. Read more.

5/9 - John Kellum, M.D., professor, Department of Surgery, worked with colleagues to write two chapters in the recently-published, sixth edition of Shakelford's “Surgery of the Alimentary Tract,” a textbook dealing with the anatomy, physiology and biology of abdominal surgery. Kellum and his two surgical research fellows, Roberto Iglesias, M.D., and Jarrod Day, M.D., wrote the chapter on “Anatomy and Physiology of the Duodenum.” Kellum collaborated with former VCU Surgical Chief Resident Michael Stoner, M.D., who is now an assistant professor in the Division of Vascular Surgery at East Carolina School of Medicine, to publish the chapter on “Small Intestinal Diverticula.” 

5/9 - Dina Soliman, M.D., assistant professor, Department of Anesthesiology, has joined the School of Medicine as assistant professor. She previously was an assistant professor in the Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, Division of Cardiothoracic Anesthesia – Transesophageal Echocardiography, at the George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Her specialty interest is in Transesophageal Echocardiography. 

5/9 - Antonio Abbate, M.D., assistant professor, Department of Internal Medicine, has joined the School of Medicine as an assistant professor. His research interests involve the pathophysiology of post-infarction remodeling and heart failure. A member of the European Society of Cardiology since 2005, Abbate received his medical degree from the University Campus Bio-Medico in Rome, and completed an internship and cardiovascular medicine specialty training at the Catholic University in Rome in 2004.

5/9 - David Cifu, M.D, chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, has been asked to chair the Veterans Health Systems Brain Injury Screening Committee, a nationwide initiative to screen all returning Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom soldiers for evidence of mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Concussive Syndrome.

5/9 - Janet Niemeier, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, was elected for a three-year term as secretary of the American Board of Rehabilitation Psychology.

5/9 - Joy L. Ware, Ph.D., professor of pathology, was appointed as the first director of the VCU Conservation Medicine Program in a collaboration between the School of Medicine and the VCU Rice Center.

5/4 - Study Finds Correlation Between Bile Duct Obstruction and Ductal Cancer- Alphonse E. Sirica, Ph.D., M.S., chair of the Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathogenesis in the Department of Pathology, recently presented findings that show a correlation between bile duct obstruction and ductal cancer. These new findings are also significant because they establish a unique preclinical model of how bile duct cancer progresses that can be used to rapidly test and evaluate novel molecular treatment strategies. Read more.

5/4 - Women in Science Host Girl Scouts Science Fun Day -Approximately 60 Girl Scouts from 12 troops around the Richmond area toured the MCV Campus in April, making stops in basic science labs and a crime scene setup.  Jamie Sturgill, a graduate student in Microbiology and Immunology, helped organize the event to foster an interest in science and to inform the 7th- to 12th-graders of the many careers available in science. Read more.

5/2 - VCU Health System named Greater Richmond Area Employer of Choice - For the second consecutive year, the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System has been named the Greater Richmond Area Employer of Choice. The VCU Health System also received the national Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility. Read more.

April

4/27 - Medical Alumnus Announces Gifts at VCU School of Nursing Dedication - Dr. Michelle Romano, M'84, and her husband, Don Romano, an alumnus of the School of Allied Health, each have pledged $500,000 to the VCU School of Nursing. In addition, Dr. Romano, a member of VCU's Board of Visitors, has pledged $1 million for a chair in Family Medicine and $400,000 for endowed scholarships in the School of Medicine. Don Romano has pledged a $1 million chair in the Department of Health Administration, School of Allied Health and $350,000 for endowed scholarships in the Department of Health Administration. Read more.

4/24 - A Closer Look - Armed with the latest microscope technology, researchers are revealing secrets of sub-cellular worlds.  The Microscopy Facility of the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology is amongst the most comprehensive in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Read more.

4/16 - Combination of Agents Induce Cell Death in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia - Massey Cancer Center researchers presented preclinical research at the American Association of Cancer Research's annual meeting suggesting the potential of a new combination treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Read more.

4/12 - VCU Board Sets Tuition and Fees - Tuition and fees for entering Virginia medical students will increase 6.5 percent, from $25,633 to $27,305.  Tuition and fees for entering out-of-state medical students will increase 4.4 percent, from $39,237 to $40,975. Read more.

4/12 - Two VCU professors selected Harris Manchester Summer Research Institute Visiting Fellows - Robin Matsuyama, Ph.D., an instructor in the VCU School of Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine, will study health literacy in relation to the informed consent process in research involving human subjects. Daniel Riddle, P.T., Ph.D., the Otto D. Payton Professor of Physical Therapy and adjunct professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, will explore a collaborative research plan to examine unicompartmental knee arthroplasty. Read more.

4/12 - Medical Students Hosts Girl Scouts - The Women in Science student organization hosted a local Girl Scout council for the first science career day at the MCV Campus. More than 100 14- and 15-year-old Girl Scouts went on an interactive tour of the MCV campus, including simulation labs in the VCU School of Nursing and the School of Dentistry. The girls had the opportunity to learn about careers in the health sciences from graduate students and faculty. Read more.

4/11 - Institute for Women’s Health Awards $86,000 in Community-Based Research Grants to Improve Health of Women and Girls - Eight seed research grants and one demonstration project grant were awarded to faculty and students who will partner with community organizations to address community needs like teen pregnancy prevention, loss and depression intervention, prenatal care access, substance abuse treatment and overall healthy living for women and girls. Read more.

4/10 - State of the Art Equipment Move VCU to Forefront of Genomic Research - Two pieces of equipment will reduce the amount of time it takes to sequence a genome from years to weeks, and in some cases, days. "We spent four years and more than $2 million on our recent sequence of the 10-megabase Cryptosporidium hominis genome," said Microbiology & Immunology's Gregory Buck, Ph.D., who directs VCU's Center for the Study of Biological Complexity. "With the new instrumentation, we could reproduce that effort in two weeks for a cost well south of $100,000." Read more.

4/9 -VCU Institute for Women's Health to hold 3rd Annual Women's Health Research Day - The networking opportunity celebrates and promotes excellence in interdisciplinary women’s health research.  The event will take place Wednesday, April 11, from 12:30 pm to 5 p.m., in the Hermes A. Kontos Medical Sciences Building. Read more.

4/5 - Scientists Decode Genome of Oral Pathogen - Researchers have decoded the genome of a bacteria normally present in the healthy human mouth that can cause a deadly heart infection if it enters the bloodstream.  The research team includes School of Medicine faculty from the Microbiology &Immunology and the Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics departments.  Read more.

4/2 - Helping Teens with Substance Use and Mental Health Problems - The VTCC recently launched the Youth Co-Occurring Disorders Clinic for the assessment and treatment of teens who have a substance abuse and mental health disorder at the same time. "Generally speaking, most people are unaware of the significant overlap between substance abuse and mental health problems in our youth population," said Brian L. Meyer, Ph.D., a child psychologist and executive director of the Virginia Treatment Center for Children. Read more.

March

3/27 - Men Armed with Knowledge of Prostate Cancer Prior to Exams Less Likely to Choose Screening - "Whether to be screened for prostate cancer is a difficult decision for patients." said Alex Krist, M.D., an assistant professor of family medicine and lead author of the study, published in the March-April issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.  "Given that informed patients are less likely to opt for screening, clinicians clearly need to provide patients information about the risks and benefits of screening prior to testing. Ultimately, this will allow each patient's values to be incorporated into their screening decision." Read more.

3/26 - National Center for Disaster Preparedness Director Kicks Off National Public Health Week Seminar Series - Dr. Irwin Redlener, associate dean of Clinical Public Health at Columbia University, will speak at noon, Monday, April 2 in 4-016 Sanger Hall. The director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Redlener speaks and writes extensively on national disaster preparedness policies, pandemic influenza, the threat of terrorism in the United States and the impact and consequences of major natural disasters and related issues. Read more.

3/20 - VCUMC Named to 5th Annual Honor Roll of Companies that Care - The Center for Companies that Care has named the VCU Health System to its Honor Roll for the second consecutive year.  The Health System is one of 35 companies nationwide selected for their commitment to elevating the quality of the work environment for employees and the quality of life for the people in the community. Read more.

3/17 - Two Medical Faculty Honored with Achievement Awards - Three Virginia Commonwealth University faculty members have received the Women in Science, Dentistry and Medicine (WISDM) Professional Achievement Award for their special contributions, dedication, leadership, mentorship and accomplishments in the schools of Medicine and Dentistry.  This year's honorees include Aradhana Bela Sood, M.D., and Sarah Spiegel, Ph.D. who are strong role models and mentors for the professional development of women faculty. Read more.

3/14 - Fourth-Year VCU Medical Students to Learn Their Fates On National Match Day - When the clock strikes noon on Thursday, March 15, fourth-year medical students from Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Medicine will gather for the tradition of National Match Day to learn where they will spend the next several years of their lives. Read more.

3/13 - Researchers Work Toward Creating a Tailored Breast Cancer Vaccine - Researchers at VCU's Massey Cancer Center studying the interaction between the immune system and cancer cells have identified interferon gamma as one of the signaling proteins involved with tumor relapse. "By understanding the molecular mechanisms involved with tumor relapse, we can create tailored vaccines that can induce specific types of immune responses in patients, rather than inducing a broad range of immune responses - some of which may be detrimental or may induce tumor relapse," said lead investigator, Masoud H. Manjili, D.V.M., Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Read more.

3/13 - VCU Researcher Awarded NIH Grant for Study of Mast Cells - School of Medicine faculty members will collaborate with a VCU biology professor who has received a $1.5 million National Institutes of Health grant to study the production and survival of mast cells, which are known to play a central role in asthma and allergy. Read more.

3/13 - Topping Out Marks Milestone in Critical Care Hospital Construction - The Critical Care Hospital at the VCU Medical Center officially became part of the Richmond skyline with the topping out today of the final steel beam, completing the structural frame of the $192 million building now under construction. Read more.

3/12 - Critical Care Hospital Topping Out Celebration - VCU and VCU Health System employees are invited to join the VCU Health System Board of Directors in a Topping Out event Tuesday, March 13, at 12:20 p.m., when the final steel beam will be added to the top section of the Critical Care Hospital now under construction at the VCU Medical Center. The celebration will take place on the top level of the D-Deck parking garage located on 13th St., east of the construction site. Those attending will have the opportunity to inscribe a message and sign their name on the final beam, and then watch as it is hoisted to the top level of the new hospital where it will be secured into place. This event marks an important milestone toward the completion of the Critical Care Hospital.  Read more.

3/12 - SOM Faculty Member Chosen as one of YWCA of Richmond 's Outstanding Women - Dr. Michelle Whitehurst-Cook, a 1979 alumna of the medical school and now associate dean for admissions and associate professor of family medicine, received her award in the health and science category. Read more.

3/7 - VCU Health System Named A Top Company By The National Association for Female Executives - NAFE's annual Top Companies for Female Executives initiative names those in the vanguard of changing the face of executive suites and boardrooms across the country and this year has named the VCU Health System one of five top non profits in the country. Read more.

3/2 - Erectile Dysfunction drugs May Trump Nitroglycerine in Heart Protection - Rakesh C. Kukreja, Ph.D., professor of medicine and Eric Lipman Chair of Cardiology, compared nitroglycerin with two erectile dysfunction drugs -- Viagra® and Levitra® -- to determine the effectiveness of each for heart protection following a heart attack. His research team reported that in an animal model, the ED drugs reduce damage in the heart muscle when given after a severe heart attack. Read more.

February

2/28 - Improving Education and Other Social Conditions Would Save More LIves Than Medical Advances - While medical advances prevented approximately 175,000 deaths in the U.S. between 1996 and 2002, eight times as many lives could have been saved by eliminating the higher death rates experienced by Americans with inadequate education, according to a study by Steven H. Woolf, M.D., M.P.H., professor in VCU's Department of Family Medicine and a member of the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine. In the April issue of the American Journal of Public Health, Woolf and his colleagues write that social change could trump medical advances in saving lives, because social conditions hold great influence over health status. Read more.

2/26 - Jerome F. Strauss III, M.D., Ph.D., Dean, VCU School of Medicine, together with former colleagues, was recently highlighted in the February 2007 issue of Endocrine News, the official newsletter of the Endocrine Society, for their work revealing how polycystic ovary syndrome harms oocyte competency. Oocytes are female germ cells that are involved in reproduction. The findings suggest that pharmacological or lifestyle interventions, including drugs that lower insulin and male sex hormone levels and weight loss, may correct the molecular defects in the PCOS oocyte and improve pregnancy outcome. Read more.

2/7 - Physician's Commentary Published in JAMA - The U.S. invests medical attention and resources in disproportion to the ability of the interventions to do good, leading to greater disease and deaths, wrote Steven H. Woolf, M.D., professor and director of research in VCU’s Department of Family Medicine, in today’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Dr. Woolf wrote that the most effective interventions to help patients live longer in good health do not always receive commensurate priority in practice. For example, he writes, regularly offering counseling to help patients quit smoking cigarettes would save society an estimated 1.3 million “quality-adjusted life years,” whereas improved breast cancer screening would save an estimated 91,000  QALYs.   Read more.

2/1 - Article Reviews Sphingosine Kinase Research - Sarah Spiegel, professor and chair of the Department of Biochemistry, published an article in the Jan. 26 issue of The Journal of Biological Chemistry that reviews her research of the biochemical properties of sphingosine kinases and some related lipid kinases, which all have important links to cancer cell biology. Read more.

January

1/ 30 - Physician Scientist is Among Three Recognized by Gov. Kaine - Gov. Timothy Kaine has named Steven Grant, M.D., associate director for translational research at the VCU Massey Cancer Center, and co-director of the cancer cell biology program, as one of the state’s Outstanding Scientists of 2007. Dr. Grant is widely recognized for his research in developing new strategies to combat leukemia and other hematologic malignancies. Read more.

1/26 - VCUMC AMong Nation's Most Active Kidney-Transplant Hospitals - VCU Medical Center was the 40th most active kidney-transplant center in the United States in 2005, according to Nephrology News and Issues. VCU’s Hume-Lee Transplant program performed 116 kidney transplants in 2005, the most recent year for which figures are available, and is the only renal transplant program in the state of Virginia to make the list. There are 250 kidney transplant centers in the United States. Read more.

1/25 - Hunton Student Center Grand Reopening -- Students now have the opportunity to enjoy one of the most modern facilities of its kind, in one of the most historic places of its kind. A $6 million renovation project turned the 166-year-old former Baptist church into a refurbished, three-story center that serves as the first student commons for the MCV Campus. The MCV Foundation and the MCV Alumni Association, which contributed $750,000 and $250,000, respectively, led the project that includes a permanent exhibition of six large panels denoting the rich heritage of the MCV Campus. Read more.

1/17- Researchers Develop New Strategy for Treatment of CML - Massey Cancer Center researchers have identified an approach to enhance the activity of a new anti-cancer agent that has already shown impressive efficacy in the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia. To address the problem of cancers that become resistant to effective therapies, Grant and colleagues examined the effects of combining two inhibitors, resulting in increased effectiveness against cancer cells that had become resistant to Gleevec.  Read more.

School of Medicine News 2006

School of Medicine News 2005

School of Medicine News 2004

School of Medicine News 2003

School of Medicine News 2002