2008  

May

5/8 - VCU hosts ‘On the Road to NIH Funding’ - VCU recently hosted a workshop designed for faculty investigators to network with officials from the National Institutes of Health and to learn about available research resources and funding priorities in health disparities research. Read more.

5/8 - VCU Institute for Women’s Health hosts 4th Annual Women’s Health Research Day - Celebrating and promoting excellence in interdisciplinary women’s health research, this year’s event was attended by approximately 175 VCU faculty, staff and students, representing more than 30 departments.  F eaturing experts who discussed the physical, mental and general welfare of women, the event also included a display of 55 research posters by VCU students that covered a wide range of women’s health topics. More than two thirds of the posters were eligible for the Elizabeth Fries Young Investigator Award. Read more.

5/8 - VCU Health System Named Greater Richmond Area Employer of Choice for Third Consecutive Year - The VCU Health System also received the national Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility. The award presentations were made Wednesday at the annual All Star Awards presented by the Richmond Human Resources Management Association and the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce. Read more.

5/2 - ACORN-Research in the here and now - Fifty medical practices throughout the state participate in VCU’s Ambulatory Care Outcomes Research Network, or ACORN. Led by the Department of Family Medicine's Stephen Rothemich, M.D., and Daniel Longo, Sc.D., ACORN is part of a nationwide group of “PBRNs,” or practice-based research networks that serve as real-time research laboratories for studying how to better provide primary care. Read more.

April

4/22 - MCV Campus SGA Hosts Richmond Community Health Fair - Nearly 250 volunteers were on hand to offer services to the hundreds of community members who attended.  See pictures from the event.

4/17 - Susan G. Kornstein, M.D., executive director of the Institute for Women's Health, is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Women's Health, which has been named the official journal of the American Medical Women's Association. The AMWA is devoted to the advancement of women in medicine and the improvement of women's health.  The Journal of Women's Health is a core multidisciplinary journal dedicated to the diseases and conditions that are prevalent among women, as well as diseases that present differently in women than in men.

4/10 - Top Docs in Richmond Magazine Survey - Physicians from the VCU Medical Center achieved high marks from their peers in Richmond Magazine’s latest Top Docs survey.  In the April issue of Richmond Magazine, 99 full-time VCU Medical Center physicians – the most of any hospital or medical facility in the region appeared on the list.   In addition, a number of VCU Medical Center physicians also were recognized as Best Doctors in America. Read more.

4/7 - Genetic factors may influence common fears - As we move from childhood to young adulthood, the genes that influence our common fears of rats, the dark, or flying change considerably over time rather than staying static. "The genome is a dynamic place," said Kenneth S. Kendler, M.D., professor of psychiatry and human genetics. "Evolution has likely shaped our genomes to adapt to changing developmental situations. For example, what an 8-year-old child should be afraid of is not the same as that of a 20-year-old young adult. Our genome reflects that difference." Read more about the research, published in the April 7 issue of the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.

4/2 - Fourth-Year Students Endure Mixed Emotions on Match Day - Fourth-year students entered the luau-themed auditorium of the Bolling-Haxall House filled with feelings of anticipation and excitement on National Match Day. Read more.

4/2 - VCU Professor Featured as Leader in New Public Health Policy and Practice - Steven H. Woolf, M.D., M.P.H, professor in the department of family medicine, helped to launch the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force two decades ago in an effort to examine evidence for the effectiveness and necessity of preventive services. Now, Woolf and his colleague, J. Michael McGinnis, M.D., cofounder of the task force, are featured in the book, “Moments in Leadership: Case Studies in Public Health Policy and Practice.” Read more.

4/2 - WISDM Recognizes Recipients of Professional Achievement Awards - Ellen Brock, M.D., associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the School of Medicine, was honored with the Women in Science, Dentistry and Medicine Professional Achievement Award at the 16th Annual Pathways to Leadership conference. PonJola Coney, M.D., senior associate dean for faculty affairs and professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the School of Medicine, was the conference’s keynote speaker. Read more.

March

3/25 - VCU Massey Cancer Center to Partner with Israeli Biotech Firm on $1M Pancreatic Cancer Clinical Research Study - The Phase I pancreatic cancer study will mark the first time cancer researchers at VCU have partnered with their counterparts in Israel. Supported by a grant from the U.S.-Israel Bi-National Industrial Research and Development Foundation, the clinical trial was designed by Massey principal investigator Ray Lee, M.D., Ph.D., and involves a novel targeted therapeutic agent developed by BioCancell of Jerusalem. Read more.

3/25 - Researchers Identify How Herpes Virus Infects Host Cells - Anthony V. Nicola, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the VCU School of Medicine, and Mark G. Delboy, a predoctoral candidate in Nicola's laboratory who led the study, report that HSV takes complete control of normal cell function, or parasitizes, to infect host cells. The findings are published in the April issue of the Journal of Virology. Additionally, the research paper is featured by the editors of the journal in the Spotlight column as an article of significant interest. Read more.

3/24 - PET scans found to significantly impact treatment decisions made by clinicians - PET is a critically important diagnostic technology that has a major impact on management of care in cancer patients, according to findings published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. A study led by Bruce Hillner, M.D., professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, found that clinicians changed their intended treatment decision in 36.5 percent of cases and avoided biopsy in approximately 70 percent of cases that were scheduled to undergo biopsy prior to PET.  Read more about the study that collected data from referring physicians on approximately 23,000 patients at 1,178 medical centers across the United States.

3/20 - Richard Wenzel, M.D., named Laureate of Virginia ACP chapter - The Virginia chapter of the American College of Physicians has bestowed the Laureate Award to Richard Wenzel, M.D., chair of internal medicine at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. The Laureate Award honors fellows and masters of the college who have rendered distinguished service to their chapters and community and have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in medical care, education, or research and service to their community.  Read more.

3/17 - Minimally Invasive Technique May Offer Quick and Safe Pain Relief in Osteoporosis Patients with Low Back Pain - An X-ray guided injection of synthetic bone cement into fractured pelvic bones may provide rapid and safe pain relief to osteoporosis patients with low back pain, according to a new multi-center pilot study. The multi-center research team's evaluation of the efficacy and safety of a technique called sacroplasty was published in the March-April issue of The Spine Journal.  With 52 patients the study represents the largest prospective trial of sacroplasty for osteoporosis sacral insufficiency fractures.  The VCU team was led by Michael DePalma, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Read more.

3/11 - Critical Injury and Illness Research Group Lands $3.5 Million In Grants For Research Using Blood Substitute - The Office of Naval Research awarded $3.5 million in four grants to the VCU Reanimation Engineering Shock Center, VCURES, for research using the blood substitute Oxycyte in studies of decompression sickness, embolisms, traumatic brain injury and blast injuries. VCURES has generated approximately $35 million in research funding over an eight-year period in work that has a myriad of applications in areas as diverse as the military, homeland security, emergency medicine and traumatic brain injury. Read more.

3/7 - State legislature honors programs - VCU's Institute for Women's Health and the VCU Health System's nursing program have been recognized for excellence by the 2008 General Assembly. The General Assembly passed House Joint Resolution No. 78 commending the Women’s Health Institute as a National Center of Excellence. There are only 21 Centers of Excellence nationwide. Delegate John M. O’Bannon III, MD'73, introduced House Joint Resolution No. 478, which honors the state’s nine Magnet Healthcare Organizations, including the VCU Health System’s nursing program. Read more.

February

2/27 - Gene with possible link to schizophrenia identified - A gene associated with schizophrenia could provide further insight about the functional changes that occur on the molecular level in individuals who suffer from it. "It provides evidence that a gene directly involved in apoptosis, or cell death, is associated with schizophrenia. Apoptosis has long been speculated to be involved in schizophrenia, but no gene directly involved in this process was found to be associated with the disease," said Xiangning Chen, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and human genetics, who led the study that was reported in the March 1 issue of the journal Biological Psychiatry. Read more.

2/19 - Lower survival rate found for in-hospital cardiac arrests at night, on weekends - Patients who have an in-hospital cardiac arrest at night or on the weekend have a substantially lower rate of survival to discharge than hospitalized patients who experience a cardiac arrest during the day or on weekdays, according to a nationwide study of more than 500 hospitals. The study, published in the Feb. 20 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, indicates that the detection and treatment of cardiac arrests may be less effective at night because of patient, hospital, staffing and response factors, according to lead author Mary Ann Peberdy, M.D., associate professor in the cardiology division of the Department of Internal Medicine. Read more and find a link to the study.

2/19 - University and health system employees give hope to statewide charities - VCU and VCU Health System employees contributed more than $550,000 to their combined Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign for 2007, exceeding the previous year’s campaign by almost $24,000. Of this year's participating charities, 10 were affiliated with VCU, including the Hospital Hospitality House, the Loftis Bereavement Fund, the VCU Massey Cancer Center, the Center for Human-Animal Interaction, and Pediatric Palliative Care. Read more.

2/14 - Study Reports Patterns of Use, Beliefs and Attitudes of Waterpipe Smokers - Smoking tobacco through a waterpipe, also called a hookah, is popular among young, educated Americans, who in addition to using the waterpipe, also use cigarettes and alcohol, according to a new study led by Thomas Eissenberg, Ph.D., associate professor in the VCU Department of Psychology and a researcher with the Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies. "Relative to a single cigarette, consumed in five minutes, a 45-minute waterpipe smoking episode is associated with as much as 100 times the smoke and up to 50 times the toxins," said Eissenberg. Read more.

2/8 - Vetrovec Writes Editorial in New England Journal of Medicine - George W. Vetrovec, M.D., the nationally known cardiology chair, reviewed a new technique for treating blocked coronary arteries called a thrombectomy.  In his editorial, Vetrovec comments on both the pros and cons of the new technique.  Read more.

2/5 - Lynn Goodloe, R.N., nurse manager in the Harold F. Young Neurosurgical Center at the VCU Health System, was named a 2008 Nurse Manager Fellow by The American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE). The AONE Nurse Manager Fellowship program focuses on the practice needs of nurse managers while preparing them for the next generation of executive level nurse leaders. Goodloe will develop a project using video monitoring to promote patient safety in the high fall risk population. 

2/4 - Parents’ Drinking Patterns and Parenting Practices May Influence Teens’ Drinking Behavior- When it comes to alcohol use, teens tend to be influenced by their parents' drinking behavior, both directly and indirectly, via influences on how their parents monitor and discipline them, according to new findings from an international team of researchers. Corresponding author on the study is Shawn J. Latendresse, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics at VCU. Read more.

2/4 - Participants Recruited for Study on Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder - The VCU Mood Disorders Institute is participating in a national study of a new treatment method for the severe and debilitating form of premenstrual syndrome. PMDD affects between 3 percent and 8 percent of women and has been treated with antidepressants prescribed for use every day or for half of the menstrual cycle. The current study is applying this use of antidepressants for only the days that women are experiencing symptoms. Read more.

2/1 - Gov. Timothy Kaine Recognizes VCU Researcher as One of Virginia’s Outstanding Scientists for 2008 - Sarah Spiegel, Ph.D., internationally renowned researcher and professor and chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, was recognized for her discovery of a potent lipid mediator, which she demonstrated to have important roles in cancer, inflammation and allergy. Her contributions have opened new avenues for drug development to fight these diseases. Read more.

January

1/24 - Mini-Maze Heart Surgery Broadcast to Largest Meeting of Electrophysiologists - Cameras follow the action as VCU Medical Center’s cardiac surgery team led by Dr. Vigneswar Karisajan perform a procedure to treat atrial fibrillation. The live teaching broadcast was beamed to physicians attending the 13th Annual International Boston Atrial Fibrillation Symposium in January. Dr. Kenneth Ellenbogen, director of VCU’s cardiac electrophysiology lab, narrated during the procedure to stop irregular heart rhythm. Read more.

1//17 - Medical Faculty Appointed as First Incumbents in Endowed Positions - The VCU Board of Visitors recently appointed six distinguished VCU School of Medicine faculty members to newly created chairs and professorships. Read more.

1/14 - Sickle Cell Pain Far More Common and Severe than Previously Thought - In addition, most patients manage even severe sickle cell pain at home rather than go to an emergency room or hospital, according to a VCU study published in the Jan. 15 edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine. "We were surprised that a third of the patients said they were in pain nearly every day.  We didn't expect to find that," said lead author Wally R. Smith, M.D., professor of medicine . He said the report will lead to changes in the measurement and management of pain in patients with sickle cell disease. Read more.

1/14 - Asking About Smoking Status when Checking Vitals Increases Advice to Quit, but not Help with How - However, even offering simple advice to quit could result in more patients kicking the habit, according to Family Medicine's Stephen Rothemich, M.D. "Our findings add weight to arguments that increasing the delivery of this more effective counseling requires redesigning medical practices and health systems, including strategies like linking practices with telephone quit lines," he said.  The VCU study findings were published in the January/February issue of the Annals of Family Medicine. Read more.

1/10 - VCU Medical Center Selected as Clinical Research Study Site for Investigational Obesity Therapy - The national pivotal clinical study, EMPOWER, will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of an investigational device providing VBLOC™ Therapy, for the treatment of obesity. "Obesity is now a global medical concern and is considered to be one of the leading causes of preventable death, second only to smoking," said James Maher, M.D., chair, Division of General Surgery and lead investigator at the VCU Surgical Weight Loss Center.  Read more.

1/2 - NEW REVIEW: Metformin for the Treatment of PCOS - A review published in Thursday's issue of The New England Journal of Medicine offers physicians improved treatment guidelines for women with polycystic ovary syndrome, the leading cause of infertility in American women. "Over the past 10 years, the long-term treatment of PCOS has changed considerably with appreciation of the disorder's association with insulin resistance and substantial long-term metabolic risks," said John Nestler, M.D., chair of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism and one of the first scientists to suggest that insulin was an important reproductive hormone. Read more.

1/2 - Improving Pregnancy Outcomes in African-American Women - Medical school researchers are working toward changing some alarming statistics. Nearly $10 million in recently awarded federal grants are being applied toward eliminating health disparities among racial and ethnic populations through research in the field of maternal, infant and child health.  Despite improvements to the nation's general health, African-Americans experience adverse pregnancy outcomes much more frequently than whites, resulting in infant death rates that are more than twice those of the white population. Read more.

School of Medicine News 2007

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