Tampa, FL (Dec. 5, 2012) – Douglas A. Holt, MD, FACP, the Andor Szentivanyi Professor of Medicine, has been named director of  the Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine.  His appointment began Dec. 1.

Dr. Holt, who joined the USF medical faculty in 1989, has been the associate director of the Division he will now lead since 2006.   He succeeds John T. Sinnott, MD, as Division Director.  Dr. Sinnott stepped up to become the new chair of USF’s Department of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Holt will continue to serve as director of the Hillsborough County Department of Health, responsible for assessing, maintaining and improving health and safety within Florida’s fourth most populous county. 

He is also vice chief of internal medicine and hospital epidemiologist at Tampa General Hospital, a major teaching affiliate of USF Health.

Dr. Douglas Holt

“We are lucky to have a leader like Dr. Holt,” said Dr. Sinnott, the James P. Cullison Professor of Medicine and chair of the Department of Internal Medicine.  “He is a thoughtful, effective and learned physician who inspires all of us to excel.”

“I have been blessed with a career that I love, and am fortunate to be part of an academic community with enthusiasm for learning and an appreciation for meaningful growth,” Dr. Holt said. “As Division Director, I am committed to inspiring and supporting every member of the team as we seize the opportunities that lie ahead.”

Dr. Holt earned his medical degree from the University of South Alabama in 1984. After completing a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in infectious diseases and tropical medicine at USF, he joined the faculty of the USF College of Medicine as an assistant professor.

He was a member of the inaugural class of the USF Leadership Institute and served as secretary of the College of Medicine Faculty Council and the college’s Financial Oversight Committee.

Dr. Holt twice served as the acting deputy state health officer, from Sept. 2001 to Feb. 2002, and again from May to Sept. 2011.  This fall his outstanding record of public service and leadership was recognized by Gov. Rick Scott with a Distinguished Service to the State of Florida award.

Long recognized for his teaching excellence by students, residents and fellows, Dr. Holt has been the principal or co-principal investigator for more than 60 clinical research studies and authored 21 peer-reviewed publications and several textbook chapters.

A fellow of the American College of Physicians, he is an active member of many state and local organizations.  These include the Hillsborough County Medical Association, American Medical Association, Florida Public Health Association (past president), Public Health Leadership Society, Florida Medical Association, School Readiness Coalition, Hillsborough Community College Foundation Board of Directors, National Association of County & City Health Officials, Children’s Board Advocacy Committee, and the Healthy Start Coalition Board of Directors.

Dr. Holt led an initiative throughout the Hillsborough County Health Department to incorporate quality management and a co-creating philosophy that encourages more active involvement of the department’s customers in the development and improvement of its services. He recently chaired a statewide effort to redesign Florida’s system of care for tuberculosis.

 -USF Health-

USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; and the USF Physician’s Group. The University of South Florida is a global research university ranked 50^th in the nation by the National Science Foundation for both federal and total research expenditures among all U.S. universities.

Media contact:
Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications
(813) 974-3303 or abaier@health.usf.edu

Project PrEPare will enroll participants at 14 sites across the country,  including USF Health’s Ybor Youth Clinic

Tampa, FL (Dec. 10, 2012) – The University of South Florida is one of 14 clinical sites across the country participating in a follow-up study of the first medication approved to help prevent sexually-acquired HIV infection in people at high risk for the disease.

Project PrEPare is a research study that will target young men who have sex with men (YMSM) – a high-risk group with the largest proportion of new HIV infections in the United States.  USF will conduct the only study in the Tampa Bay area to reach this particular population as part of its membership in the national Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (ATN).

The study will gather additional data on the safety, acceptability and feasibility of the FDA-approved drug known as Truvada ® – a once-daily pill containing tenofovir and emtricitabine, two antiretroviral medications usually used to treat HIV.  Researchers want to determine if this pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP for short, could become part of a comprehensive HIV prevention package for YMSM in the real world.  

Nationwide, Project PrEPare will follow about 200 HIV-negative YMSM, ages 18 to 22.  USF Health plans to begin enrolling 25 study participants in January at its Ybor Youth Clinic, a new facility for underserved and at-risk youth.  
 
Along with a daily dose of Truvada, study participants will receive a full range of HIV preventive services – including a proven behavioral HIV prevention intervention, monthly HIV testing, free condoms, counseling, diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, and medical follow-up.  Each person will be followed for at least 48 weeks, and some could be monitored for more than 2 years.

“While many treatment options are available for HIV-infected youth, we have very little to offer in the way of medications or other biomedical interventions for prevention,” said Dr. Diane Straub, local principal investigator for Project PrEPare and chief of the USF Health Division of Adolescent Medicine.

“It is vitally important to develop practical ways for young people to protect themselves to stem the tide of the HIV epidemic.  This study will specifically focus on young adults, and is the first to do so.”

In July, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Truvada for the indication of preventing HIV infections in people having sex with infected individuals.. The approval was based upon several large clinical trials showing that this PrEP significantly reduced the risk of contracting HIV, particularly when individuals adhered to the daily drug regimen. This means that one does not need to be part of the research study in order to receive the drug. He/she may obtain the drug by speaking with their primary care doctor. 

USF’s Dr. Diane Straub is the local principal investigator for Project PrEPare, which will investigate whether combination anti-HIV therapy may be feasible as part of a comprehensive prevention package.

Despite Truvada’s established track record for safety and effectiveness among HIV-infected and unaffected adult populations, few enrolled in U.S. clinical studies of  PrEP have been younger men, defined as those between ages 18 and 24.

Project PrEPare will target this high-risk group to gain a better understanding of the young men’s unique behavioral and biological considerations.  For example, researchers want to know whether younger men will stick closely to taking PrEP and how adherence may affect the medication’s effectiveness. They will evaluate if being in the study leads to any changes in a participant’s sexual risk behavior.

ATN, the national research network overseeing Project PrEPare, is primarily supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, with additional funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute of Mental Health.

For more information on Project PrEPare, visit http://health.usf.edu/nocms/publicaffairs/now/pdfs/Project PrEPare press materials.pdf.

To learn how to get involved with the Tampa study site, please contact USF Health outreach coordinators Jeremiah Kerr, jkerr1@health.usf.edu or Jadawn Wright, jwright@health.usf.edu, or call (813) 396-9137

Project PrEPare was reviewed and approved by the University of South Florida Institutional Review Board (IRB).  The study number is: Pro00010056. 

-USF Health-

USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; and the USF Physician’s Group. The University of South Florida is a global research university ranked 50^th in the nation by the National Science Foundation for both federal and total research expenditures among all U.S. universities.

Media contact:
Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications
(813) 974-3303 or abaier@health.usf.edu

The USF Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center’s multidisciplinary team is led by USF Health neurologist Dr. Robert Hauser (center).

The USF Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center, established in 1986, treats patients with Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, including tremor, dystonia, chorea and restless legs syndrome.  The center’s multidisciplinary team, led by Dr. Robert A. Hauser, is nationally recognized for its longstanding clinical research to enhance treatment of Parkinson’s disease and its strong commitment to community outreach.

Here are some highlights of the center’s research, patient care and outreach:

- One of only 43 institutions worldwide to be designated a National Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence, a prestigious, highly competitive recognition recently renewed for five years. USF is also one of 20 NPF centers participating in the Quality Improvement Initiative, a landmark study measuring and tracking treatments and patient outcomes over time in order to determine best clinical practices in real world settings.

- Serves more than 5,000 patients across West Central Florida.  The center has partnered with hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and other health care facilities throughout its service area to bring therapy and supportive care closer to patients.

- The center’s multidisciplinary team includes two neurologists specializing in movement disorders, a physician’s assistant, a clinical research administrator, clinical coordinators and a social worker.  The center works with USF neuropsychologists, a neurosurgery team with expertise in procedures to treat Parkinson’s, and researchers at the USF Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair investigating cell-based therapies for the disease.

- More than 30 active clinical trials are supported by a wide range of sponsors, including the National Institutes of Health, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the U.S. Department of Defense, and major pharmaceutical companies.

- The center’s clinical research funding exceeded $4.3 million over the last five years.

- A top priority is conducting innovative research critical for the development of new and improved treatments for Parkinson disease.  Current studies include an NIH-sponsored trial to determine whether the nutritional supplement creatine can slow the development of Parkinson’s disease, and the Michael J. Fox Foundation-sponsored Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative, a landmark observational study to identify biomarkers of Parkinson’s disease progression.

- The center offers a comprehensive package of education and support services for patients and caregivers.  Free weekly exercise classes to improve flexibility and balance — including Tai Chi – are provided at 11 sites in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk and Sarasota counties. Other services include support groups facilitated by the center’s outreach coordinator, lectures about treatments, disease management and a mentor program matching newly diagnosed patients with those who have had Parkinson’s for several years.

Eden Feldman, MSW, (right) director of outreach for the USF Parkinson’s Disease & Movement Disorders Center, chats with a patient.

For more information about the center and its services, please call (813) 396-0751.

Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlHqxOhau78

Earlier this year, the USF Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center moved from Harbourside Medical Tower on the Tampa General Hospital campus into its new home on the sixth floor of the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute.

The relocation nearly doubled the center’s space to nearly 5,700 square feet — adding a larger waiting area, extra exam rooms, and a comfortable infusion room where clinical trial patients receiving intravenous medications can be monitored.

“It’s given us much-needed room to provide care for more patients and expand our research efforts,” said Center Director Robert A. Hauser, MD, MBA, USF Health professor of neurology and molecular pharmacology and physiology, who has led the center since 1994.

There are two other centers where leading USF Health neurologists see patients with Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, and offer clinical research opportunities.  Theresa  Zesiewicz, MD, FAAN, directs the USF Parkinson’s Disease and Balance Center at the Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare and oversees the Frances J. Zesiewicz Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease.  Juan Sanchez-Ramos, MD, PhD, is medical director of the Parkinson Research Foundation Center of Excellence at USF and sees patients at both the Morsani Center and at Parkinson Place in Sarasota.

Dr. Robert Hauser, director of the USF Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center, with some of the center’s staff, outside their new space on the sixth floor of the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute.

Both Dr. Hauser and David Morgan, PhD, CEO of the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute, agree that co-locating scientists and clinicians specializing in Parkinson’s disease with specialists in Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia is beneficial from both a research and clinical perspective.

Though both are progressive diseases of the nervous system, at first glance Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s may not appear to have much in common.

The symptoms of Parkinson’s – a movement disorder characterized by tremors, muscle rigidity and slowness —  seem to concentrate more on physical disability, while Alzheimer’s afflicts memory and other mental abilities. Yet, about half of all people with Parkinson’s develop some form of dementia in the later stages of the disease.  And, the motor and physical skills of patients with Alzheimer’s disease often deteriorate as the disease advances.

Dr. Hauser checks the reflexes of patient Betsy Barber.

“It’s a very natural fit to bring experts in these two neurodegenerative diseases together under one roof,” Dr. Morgan said. “The underlying processes leading to Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease – the accumulation of abnormal proteins in the brain resulting in the death of nerve cells — may be more alike than different.”

“There is a fair amount of overlap,” Dr. Hauser said. “If we can figure out how to attack and slow the progression of one disease, I think it could tell us a lot about how we might attack and slow the progression of the other.”

“In addition, we want to collaborate with investigators here at the Byrd Institute to try to improve our understanding of dementia in Parkinson’s disease and develop better therapies for patients with thinking and memory problems.”

The PET/CT scanner used for clinical research and assistance in diagnosing dementia at the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute is one of the many resources available to patients of the Parkinson’s Disease Center.

In addition to more opportunities for research collaboration in the laboratory and the clinic, other advantages of the co-location were noted:

• Adding physician expertise – Since some patients with Alzheimer’s disease may eventually develop motor symptoms and those with Parkinson’s may eventually experience cognitive decline, it is convenient for patients and their families to have clinicians trained in each specialty at the same site.
• Expanded access to clinical trials – The USF Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center has established a comprehensive, nationally-recognized clinical trials program, and the Byrd Institute’s clinical trials program continues to strengthen.  In addition to leveraging patient-oriented research that may help in understanding and managing both diseases, clinicians have access to more trials for which their interested patients may be eligible.
• Leveraging shared resources – These include a PET/CT scanner used for clinical research and assistance in diagnosing dementia in the Byrd Institute’s Center for Memory C.A.R.E.  There are opportunities for expanded use of this equipment with the development of new imaging techniques incorporating radiopharmaceutical agents to help diagnose Parkinson’s disease and related movement disorders.  Other resources like the Byrd Institute’s driving simulator, mini-apartment to test ability of patients to live on their own, and caregiver library and information center will also be available to patients of the Parkinson’s Center.

Barber, diagnosed with Parkinson’s 11 years ago, has participated in several clinical trials offered by the USF center.

More than the spacious, visually appealing surroundings at the new venue, patients appreciate the medical and support staff’s expertise at the USF Parkinson’s Disease Center, which is designated one of only 43 National Parkinson’s Foundation Centers of Excellence worldwide.

“USF is on the forefront of all the new knowledge and treatments for Parkinson’s disease,” said Betsy Barber, 68, a retired nurse who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 11 years ago. “I want those latest research advances available to me as a patient.”

Barber says she is doing well on an extended-release medication that helps ameliorate a deficiency of dopamine, the brain chemical depleted as Parkinson’s slowly destroys the nerve cells producing it. She started on the investigational drug while participating in a clinical trial at USF several years ago, and it has since been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is commercially available.

“It takes 10 to 15 years to bring a new drug to market,” Barber said. “If you’re enrolled in a study here you get it right away, plus you receive an incredible work-up and a lot of ongoing support from Dr. Hauser and his entire staff.”

Tom Curran, a local Fox-13 news anchor, says the center’s multidisciplinary team works with him to fine-tune a medication regimen that helps him remain active.

Tom Curran, a local Fox-13 News anchor, has been a patient of the USF Parkinson’s Center for more than five years.  For Curran, Parkinson’s started as an index finger twitch as he rested his hand on the steering wheel – a movement so subtle that his wife pointed it out during a car ride.

At USF, he found a multidisciplinary team that worked with him to identify and fine-tune a successful treatment regimen. It’s helped him maintain a demanding work schedule, which requires rising several hours before he begins anchoring the weekday morning news at 5 a.m.

“Dr. Hauser’s team has done a tremendous job of prescribing the right medicine in the right amount for me,” Curran said. “They always seem ready for the next challenge here.  If something wears off, they find something else to put into the mix.”

The medication Curran takes – Stalevo – is just one of several newer anti-Parkinson’s drugs that were tested at USF.  In fact, Dr. Hauser led an international study of patients with early Parkinson’s disease that demonstrated Stalevo provided better symptom control and more improvements in activities of daily living than Sinemet (carbidopa/levadopa), the most widely used treatment for patients.

A third of scientists at the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute, including Kevin Nash, PhD, (pictured) are working on research related to Parkinson’s disease as well as Alzheimer’s.

 The Center has also been at the forefront of evaluating a new extended-release version of carbidopa/levadopa, known as Rytary (IPX066), that alleviates motor symptoms quickly and appears to last longer than other levodopa medications currently available. The drug is expected to be approved by the FDA next year.

“USF has been involved in investigating almost every new therapeutic for Parkinson’s disease that’s come to market in the last 20 years,” Dr. Hauser said.

The Center’s clinical research encompasses not only drug studies, but new surgeries and innovative cell-based therapies that may offer hope for patients who no longer benefit from drug therapy.  USF was one of first institutions to participate in trials of deep brain stimulation surgery for the treatment of Parkinson’s and essential tremor.

In recent years, USF researchers have turned their attention to trying to improve the non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s, such as fatigue and apathy, cognitive dysfunction, anxiety, falls and sleep disorders.  Studies have shown these non-motor symptoms contribute to disability and can impair a patient’s quality of life as much, or more than, motor symptoms.

They are also looking for ways to identify those at high risk for Parkinson’s as early as possible so that the degenerative brain disorder can ultimately be stopped or slowed.

For example, research has shown that loss of smell and rapid eye movement (REM) behavior disorder,  a sleep disorder characterized by acting out dreams with punching, grabbing, kicking or other jerky movements, may be early indicators of Parkinson’s, emerging well before motor symptoms become apparent.

“We’re placing increasing emphasis on finding people with a decreased sense of smell or who are hitting and kicking in their sleep, because they may already have early Parkinson’s disease and will develop slowness, stiffness and tremor in the future,” Dr. Hauser said. “They are the ones we want to bring into clinical trials to try new medications that may slow the disease and prevent motor symptoms before they begin.”

Click here for some highlights of the center’s research, patient care and outreach.

Photos by Eric Younghans and video by Danielle Barta, USF Health Communications  

This year, more USF Health physicians than ever are transforming the health care of residents throughout the Tampa Bay area, as the 2012 Best Doctors in America®  list clearly shows.

Thirty-six percent of the local physicians who made the latest Best Doctors in America®  list work at USF Health.

Add to that the volunteer and affiliate faculty (those who teach medical students and residents several times each year) and the Morsani College of Medicine alumni in private practice locally, and the percent skyrockets to 69 percent, more than two-thirds of the of entire local list.

The annual list for Best Doctors in America is compiled from surveys of physicians asking them who they would go to for treatment in their specialty. The result is a national listing of 45,000 physicians in more than 40 specialties.

Locally, the USF totals went up in all three areas: on-staff faculty, volunteer faculty, and alumni (MD degree program, as well as graduates from USF resident physician and fellowship programs).

This year, the list included 594 physicians from the Tampa Bay area. Of that, 212 are full-time, courtesy, or adjunct physicians for USF. The list also included 102 physicians who are volunteer and affiliate faculty members for USF, and 132 alumni of the USF Morsani College of Medicine (many alumni are also faculty – those numbers are not double counted in the overall total), bringing the total to 407 physicians (69 percent) who have a connection with USF Health.

“Clearly, USF is a force in local health care,” said Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, dean of the USF College of Medicine and CEO of USF Health.

“As USF Health transforms health care in this region, it’s because of the quality of our faculty and our alumni. These totals say a lot about the caliber of expertise found at USF Health, this region’s only academic medical center. The totals also show how so many of the USF’s medical alumni are still in the local area, reconfirming the fact that physicians tend to remain in the areas where they are trained.”

The following is a list of physicians included in the 2012 Best Doctors in America® who have a connection to USF Health. Some physicians earned spots in more than one specialty, so are listed multiple times.

Allergy and Immunology
Morna Jean Dorsey
Roger Williams Fox
Mark Christian Glaum
Alan Barton Halsey
Craig Andrew Kalik
Dennis K. Ledford
Richard F. Lockey
Daniel A. Reichmuth
Mitchel Seleznick
Mandel Reid Sher

Anesthesiology
Alan David Almengual
Benjamin Contreras
Sarat B. Lingam
Devanand Mangar
Rafael Miguel
Jacinto Moya
Emery Navori
David Jeffrey Samuels
Brooke Williams

Cardiovascular Disease
Fadi A. Matar
Debbie Rinde-Hoffman
Dany Edward Sayad
John Thompson Sullebarger

Colon and Rectal Surgery
Jorge E. Marcet

Critical Care Medicine
W. McDowell Anderson
Attila Becsey
Jonathan B. Cohen
Theron Arthur Ebel
Allan L. Goldman
Albert S.M. Kabemba
Marian Menezes
Ralph E. Robertson
Mark Rumbak
Daniel Jacob Schwartz
John (Hans) Schweiger
David Allan Solomon
Frank W. Walsh

Dermatology
Teresa Pullara Brandt
Basil S. Cherpelis
James B. Connors
Peter A. Donelan
Lowella E. Esperanza
Neil Alan Fenske
John Robert Hamill, Jr.
Timothy Francis Kelly
Kathleen Leber
Nancy Ling
Christopher G. Nelson
Stacy Perez
Philip D. Shenefelt

Family Medicine
Colin S. Beach
Harrison James Brownlee, Jr.
Adam A. Brunson
Sean T. Bryan
Eric Emmanuel Coris
Thomas E. Esposito
Eduardo C. Gonzalez
Richard J. Ina
Paul Lewis
Candice C. Linton
Dolores K. Lowe
John V. Murray, Jr.
Michele D. Pescasio
Joel S. Prawer
Cheryl Reed
Richard G. Roetzheim
Robert B. Rosequist
Joseph P. Springle
Frank Allan Thompson
Ronald Vicencio
Laurie J. Woodard
Kira Katherine Zwygart

Gastroenterology
Patrick G. Brady
Joseph S. Caradonna
Jay J. Mamel
Haim Pinkas
Joel E. Richter

Geriatric Medicine
Claudia Beghé-Balducci
June Y. Leland
Hae Kyoung Park

Geriatric Medicine/Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Jonathan Taylor Stewart

Hand Surgery
Robert John Belsole
John M. Rayhack
Jeffrey D. Stone

Infectious Disease
Lindell A. Busciglio
Margarita Rosa Cancio
Beata C. Casanas
Sandra Gompf
John N. Greene
Douglas Allen Holt
Cynthia Mayer
Jose Montero
Richard Oehler
Jose R. Prieto
John Thomas Sinnott
Charurut Somboonwit
John Toney
Todd S. Wills

Internal Medicine
Erika Abel
Bryan Bognar
Kent R. Corral
Mark Allen Davis
Angela L. Denietolis
Denise K. Edwards
Geoffrey S. Greene
Kathleen Moss Grizzard
Carol A. Hodges
Jeffrey A. Kooper
Hugo J. Narvarte
Kevin O’Brien
Lucila Ramiro
Mayra Rivera
Elizabeth A. Warner
David Weiland
Susan M. Zimmer

Internal Medicine/Hospital Medicine
Michael T. Flannery
Deborah A. Humphrey
Jose (Joe) L. Lezama, Jr.
Cuc Thi Mai
Alexander Reiss

Medical Oncology and Hematology
Khaldoun Almhanna
Melissa Alsina
Claudio Anasetti
Lodovico Balducci
William S. Dalton
Ronald C. DeConti
Martine Extermann
Hugo F. Fernandez
Hyo (Heather) S. Han
Eric B. Haura
Julie A. Kish
Larry K. Kvols
Alan F. List
Susan Minton
Javier Pinilla-Ibarz
Lubomir Sokol
Daniel M. Sullivan
Jeffrey S. Weber
Kenneth S. Zuckerman

Nephrology
Denise Y. Alveranga

Neurological Surgery
Siviero Agazzi
Thomas B. Freeman
Mark Greenberg
Donald A. Smith
Fernando L. Vale
Harry R. Van Loveren

Neurology
Selim Ramin Benbadis
Steven R. Cohen
Robert A. Hauser
Juan R. Sanchez-Ramos
Stephen M. Sergay
Paul R. Winters

Nuclear Medicine
Dwight Achong
Claudia G. Berman

Obstetrics and Gynecology
Jeffrey L. Angel
Ignacio Armas
Madelyn Butler
Sheila Connery
Steven D. Gitomer
Steven L. Greenberg
Mitchel S. Hoffman
Suzanne T. Icely
Michael W. Jaeger
Galen Bruce Jones
Mary Lee Josey
Patricia L. Judson
Craig S. Kalter
Kathleen Kilbride
Johnathan Lancaster
Judette Marie Louis
Catherine M. Lynch
James C. Mayer
Joan McCarthy
Valerie C. Mechanik
Anthony M. Messina
Anna Kristina Parsons
Michael Thomas Parsons
Shayne M. Plosker
Bruce D. Shephard
Barry Stephen Verkauf
James C. Von Thron
W. Gregory Wilkerson
J. Kell Williams
Jerome (Jerry) Yankowitz

Ophthalmology
Craig Berger
Leonard Edward Cortelli, Jr.
Mitchell D. Drucker
Lewis Groden
Scott E. Pautler
Peter Reed Pavan
Thomas J. Pusateri
David W. Richards
Charles B. Slonim
Ivan J. Suner

Orthopaedic Surgery
Richard V. Abdo
Thomas L. Bernasek
Brett R. Bolhofner
William G. Carson, Jr.
Antonio E. Castellvi
Mark A. Frankle
Seth I. Gasser
Thomas L. Greene
Kenneth A. Gustke
Dolfi Herscovici, Jr.
Anthony F. Infante, Jr.
George Douglas Letson
Mark A. Mighell
Heidi Multhopp Stephens
Glenn R. Rechtine II
Henry Claude Sagi
Roy W. Sanders
Michael J. Shereff
Arthur K. Walling
Marc A. Weinstein

Otolaryngology
Loren J. Bartels
Kestutis Paul Boyev
Christopher J. Danner
James N. Endicott
Joseph B. Farrior III
Douglas W. Klotch
Judith Czaja McCaffrey
Thomas Vincent McCaffrey
Tapan Ashvin Padhya
Mark Tabor
Daniel Vincent

Pathology
L. Frank Glass
Jane Messina
Michael Morgan*
Santo V. Nicosia

Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
Alan Barton Halsey
Craig Andrew Kalik
Mandel Reid Sher
John W. Sleasman

Pediatric Anesthesiology
George Garcia Alvarez
Glenn C. Vaughn

Pediatric Cardiology
Alfred Asante-Korang
Michael L. Epstein
Jorge Manuel Giroud
James Gifford Henry
Richard Manuel Martinez
Jorge McCormack

Pediatric Critical Care
David Seth Cooper
Perry Boyd Everett
John C. Haffner
David Pettigrew
Daniel J. Plasencia
Dan Riggs
Albert Saltiel
Richard E. Weibley

Pediatric Developmental and Behavioral Problems
Carol Lilly

Pediatric Endocrinology
Terry J. DeClue
E. Verena Jorgensen
Henry Rodriguez
Dorothy I. Shulman

Pediatric Gastroenterology
Daniel T. McClenathan
Michele P. Winesett

Pediatric Hematology-Oncology
Jerry L. Barbosa
Gregory A. Hale
Michael L. Nieder

Pediatric Infectious Disease
David Michael Berman
Juan Dumois
Jorge Lujan-Zilbermann

Pediatric Nephrology
Alfonso Campos
Valerie M. Panzarino
Sharon A. Perlman

Pediatric Neurological Surgery
Sarah J. Gaskill
Arthur E. Marlin

Pediatric Ophthalmology
Derek B. Hess

Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery
Scott Warren Beck
Alfred V. Hess
Jeffrey B. Neustadt

Pediatric Otolaryngology
Thomas M. Andrews
Wade Russell Cressman
Karin S. Hotchkiss
Peter W. Orobello, Jr.

Pediatric Plastic Surgery
Ernesto Ruas

Pediatric Pulmonology
Tony Kriseman

Pediatric Rheumatology
Mandel Reid Sher
John W. Sleasman

Pediatric Specialist/Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Jeffrey L. Alvaro
Michael Bengtson
Glenn Catalano
Mark A. Cavitt
Steven Noah Kanfer
Tanya K. Murphy
Kailie R. Shaw
Saundra Stock

Pediatric Specialist/Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Anthony E. Napolitano, Jr.
Lewis P. Rubin
Roberto A. Sosa

Pediatric Specialist/Neurology, General
Maria A. Gieron-Korthals
J. Richard Gunderman
Steven Parrish Winesett

Pediatric Surgery
Charles Paidas

Pediatric Urology
Yves L. Homsy
E. Michael Reisman

Pediatrics/General
Melody M. Baade
Lori A. Bowers
Christina J. Canody
Jose E. Colon
Sharon M. Dabrow
Gabriele Hosemann
Gerard R. Hough
Patricia L. Jeansonne
Karalee Kulek-Luzey
Mudra K. Kumar
Katherine Lewis
Carol Lilly
Fred I. Lipschutz
Hugo J. Narvarte
Pamela M. Patranella
Emily T. Perkins
Lorinda J. Price
Domenick P. Reina
Christopher D. Reiner
Jennifer Cohen Takagishi
Ignatius I. Tan
Christopher L. Tappan
Margarita P. Torres

Pediatrics/Hospital Medicine
Dipti Patel Amin
Antoinette C. Spoto-Cannons

Plastic Surgery
Edward H. Farrior
Ernesto Ruas
Karen E. Wells

Psychiatry
Jeffrey L. Alvaro
Glenn Catalano
Maria C. Catalano
Mark A. Cavitt
Francisco Fernandez
Laura Grimsich
Jaffrey Hashimie
Steven Noah Kanfer
Patrick Marsh
Tanya K. Murphy
Pauline S. Powers
Sarah Reading
Deborah C. Roth
Orlando Ruano
Deborah Sanchez
Amanda Grant Smith
Jonathan Taylor Stewart

Pulmonary Medicine
W. Michael Alberts
W. McDowell Anderson
Allan L. Goldman
Daniel Lorch
Marian Menezes
Richard S. Powell
Mark Rumbak
Daniel Jacob Schwartz
David Allan Solomon
Frank W. Walsh

Radiation Oncology
Harvey M. Greenberg
Sarah Hoffe
James L. Pearlman
Andrea (Andy) Trotti III

Radiology
John A. Arrington
Gregg A. Baran
Junsung Choi
Lynn Coppage
Robert (Bob) Jay Entel
Carlos R. Martinez
Frederick Reed Murtagh
Bruce R. Zwiebel

Rheumatology
John D. Carter
Laura Cruse
Dennis K. Ledford
Anthony Sebba
Mitchel Seleznick
Kimberly M. Smith
Joanne Valeriano-Marcet

Sleep Medicine
W. McDowell Anderson*
Daniel Lorch
Richard S. Powell
Daniel Jacob Schwartz

Surgery
Michael H. Albrink
Angel E. Alsina
Sylvia Deal Campbell
Charles E. Cox
Steven B. Goldin
James M. Hurst
Richard Clemens Karl
Christine Laronga
John Leone
Michel Murr
Ernest C. Rehnke
Terry E. Wright

Surgical Oncology
W. Bradford Carter
Charles E. Cox
C. Wayne Cruse
Richard Clemens Karl
Mokenge P. Malafa
Douglas S. Reintgen
David Shibata
Vernon K. Sondak
Jonathan Scott Zager

Thoracic Surgery
Keith Eric Sommers

Urology
Rafael Carrion
Mohamed A. Helal
Jorge L. Lockhart
Frank D. Mastandrea
Julio M. Pow-Sang

Vascular Surgery
Martin R. Back
John L. Driscoll
Brad Larvin Johnson
John Leone
Ernest C. Rehnke
Murray L. Shames

By Kathleen Armstrong, PhD, NCSP

Most of us are in a state of disbelief because of the recent horrific events at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. We not only morn the senseless loss of innocent lives, but as parents and providers we also wonder what we can do to help our children. Below are some ideas that you can use to help children cope: 

- Try to keep routines as normal as possible. Children gain security from the predictability of daily routines, including attending school and other activities.

- Limit children’s exposure to media including television and radio, so that they do not re-experience the tragedy over and over.

- Listen to children’s fears and concerns, encourage them to share their feelings, and provide as much information as they are developmentally able to handle.

• Preschool children need brief, simple information, and reassurance
• School-age children may have more questions about their own safety and what is being done to protect children.
• Older children and adolescents may want to talk about their own ideas for making things safer.

- Tell your children that you love them, give them plenty of hugs and reassure them that they will be okay.

- Consider praying or thinking hopeful thoughts for the victims and their families, and help children express their feelings by drawing a picture, writing a poem or saying a prayer.

- Be observant for changes in your child’s behavior, appetite, or sleep patterns, which can be an indicator their grief response. Some children may need the extra support from a mental health professional or clergy.

You can find more information about helping children cope with crisis at the National Association of School Psychologist website www.nasponline.org/resources 

Dr. Armstrong is professor and director of Pediatric Psychology in the USF Health Department of Pediatrics.

Lynette Menezes, PhD, was recently named  new assistant dean for international affairs in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, as well as assistant vice president for international affairs for USF Health.

As assistant vice president, Dr. Menezes will be the entry point for institutions seeking affiliations with USF Health – ensuring that  international efforts are relevant, meaningful and optimized across USF Health. She will oversee affiliations and direct  international programs through a strategic plan.

Lynette Menezes, PhD

USF Health’s collaborative agreements with international medical schools now stretch across the globe – from Panama to China to Thailand and beyond.  To maximize  global impact, Dr. Menezes will represent USF Health with USF World, encourage multi-disciplinary collaborations across all of the USF Health colleges, and help ensure that cross-college programs are functional and collaborative.

Dozens of USF Health students travel internationally each year.  Dr. Menezes will help set guidelines and policies to ensure that students are safe and working in a positive, productive learning environment. 

As assistant dean, Dr. Menezes will direct international efforts with the Morsani College of Medicine and guarantee quality and effectiveness in the college’s international programs.

Dr. Menezes graduated from the USF College of Public Health in 2003 and has been a faculty member of the Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine since 2004. As the director of USF Medicine International, Dr. Menezes brings many years of international experience, as well as creating opportunities for research and training programs. She is an expert in the diplomatic skills needed for negotiating relationships with colleagues and institutions from other countries.

Dr. Mack Reavis has been named president of Lakeland Regional Medical Center, the hospital that is becoming the first member of the newly created USF Health System.

In his new role, Dr. Reavis will retain his duties of chief medical officer and assume responsibility and accountability for the overall strategic and operational planning of LRMC. He will report directly to Elaine C. Thompson, PhD, FACHE as she continues in her role as chief executive officer of Lakeland Regional Health Systems, Inc. and simultaneously moves into the new role of chief executive officer of the USF Health System.

Elaine Thompson, PhD, with Dr. Mack Reavis

“The principle behind the promotion of Dr. Reavis is vision driven – namely LRMC is becoming part of a clinician-led health system committed to raising the quality of healthcare while lowering the cost, and in so doing, improving the health of the broad communities we serve,” said Dr. Thompson. “As president, Dr. Reavis will ensure that patients come first, and that our physicians and clinical teams will be supported in order to accomplish that goal. More importantly, Dr. Reavis will guarantee that LRMC continues to have a clinically-centered operating and reporting platform that delivers consistent and efficient outcomes by utilizing evidence based practices and improved standardization of care.”

Dr. Reavis, a pathologist, has more than 35 years of experience as a physician with LRMC, including leadership positions within his private practice, on the hospital medical staff and with the Lakeland board. Since joining Lakeland Regional in September 2011 as the executive vice president of clinical integration and chief medical officer, Dr. Reavis has helped transform the medical center. His key accomplishments include directing quality initiatives that have led to a 4 percent reduction in risk adjusted inpatient mortality; an 8.5 percent reduction in 30 day readmissions for patients with heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia; a 24% decrease in risk adjusted patient safety indicators; a 41.5 percent decrease in surgical site infections; and an 80 percent decrease in ventilator-associated pneumonias.

“We are blessed to have the clinical leadership of Dr. Reavis,” said Bill Mutz, chairman of the Board of Directors for Lakeland Regional Health Systems, Inc. “His 35 years as a practicing physician provides incredible insightfulness when it comes to fostering innovative and transformative partnerships that are preparing us for the daunting challenges of tomorrow.”

The Lakeland Regional Board of Directors approved Dr. Reavis’ new role at a meeting this week.

The list for high-demand jobs nearly always includes careers in health care. And among those, you’ll likely see health informatics, a field that is consistently in the top 10 growth areas for employment.

To help meet the ever growing demand for health informatics professionals, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine has begun offering a master’s degree that is completely online and has the unique advantage of being housed a medical school.

“USF Health has long been known for developing novel and innovative programs,” said Michael Barber, PhD, associate dean for USF Health’s Graduate and Postdoctoral program. “That same innovative quality is behind our new Master of Science Health Informatics program, the first in Florida – and maybe even the first in the country – that is associated with a medical school,” Dr. Barber said.

Michael Barber, PhD

With the aim of providing technological innovation to improve patient care, manage costs and comply with federal and state healthcare regulations, health informatics focuses on the use of information and information technology to support clinical care, health services, administration, research and education. It emphasizes the acquisition, storage, retrieval and utilization of clinical, administrative and financial information in healthcare.

The USF program is a new approach to helping meet the workforce needs, Dr. Barber said.

“Information is not shrinking but expanding, and at a rapid pace,” Dr. Barber said. “This kind of program helps keep up.”

What differentiates the USF medical informatics program is that it is based within a college of medicine, while most other programs are based in business or computer sciences schools, Dr. Barber said.

“This aspect alone gives our graduates a decided advantage when they into their careers,” he said.

The USF Health program is scheduled to begin in summer 2013 and aims to admit 50 students.

Students will have up to five years to complete the courses requirements, but they could complete it within as little as 18 months, if they’re schedule allows for the accelerated pace.

Ideal students are those already in the healthcare environment, Dr. Barber said.

“We are taking a holistic view of applicants and looking at the student’s overall credentials, such as if they are already in a STEM (science, technology, engineering or math) field, not just scores on the GRE exam or MCAT exam,” he said.

The degree will be from the USF Morsani College of Medicine and most of the faculty teachers are medical faculty. In addition, as part of the USF curriculum students have access to campus libraries and are welcome to attend graduation, Dr. Barber said.

“Even though this program is 100 percent online, students are more than welcome to walk at graduation.”

Visit their introductory web site for more information about the program.

For USF Health, 2012 was a fast-paced year in which the foundations laid for transforming health continue to gain momentum. 

As we look ahead to an even more successful New Year, we strengthen our commitment to work with our partners in building an optimistic future for health care.  We also take some time to celebrate our amazing progress over the last year, including the following accomplishments.

The USF Health System was established this fall, with the announcement of its first hospital partner Lakeland Regional Medical Center.  The partnership is expected to create 200 to 250 new residency slots in West Central Florida, making USF’s residency program the largest in the state.  The USF Health System will seek alliances with other hospitals and medical practices committed to the values of academic medicine, while continuing to strengthen collaborations with Tampa General Hospital and other longstanding partners to improve the health and well-being of the Tampa Bay region.

The $38-million USF Health Center for Advanced Medical Simulation and Learning (CAMLS), which opened March 2012, is the largest facility for the assessment of healthcare professionals’ technical and teamwork competence in the world.  

The USF College of Nursing ranked a record 24^th nationally in National Institutes of Health funding to schools of nursing in 2012 – making USF the top NIH-funded nursing school in Florida, public or private. Interdisciplinary centers of research excellence in symptom management, oncology/end-of-life care, women’s health, psychoneuroimmunology and veterans’ health have helped fuel the rise. See Schools of Nursing table on the BRIMR website.

The USF College of Public Health completed a survey in The Villages returned by more than 33,000 individuals – the largest-ever single health survey of older Americans. The study will be used to help understand optimum ways to improve and maintain senior health.  USF Health is partnering with The Villages to create a “healthier home town.”

The USF Heart Institute was awarded $8.98 million in state and county funding.  The institute focuses on regenerative medicine for cardiovascular disease, using the latest in gene and stem cell therapy, as well as personalized medicine based on an individual patient’s DNA.   

The new USF College of Pharmacy was funded and continues on track with a second entering class larger than the first and an innovative curriculum built around the idea that pharmacists will be the hub of the future healthcare team. The College took a big leap forward this summer when it was granted candidate accreditation status by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, a designation that gives USF pharmacy students the same status as graduates of fully accredited programs.

The SELECT program with Lehigh Valley Health Network was successfully implemented.  USF Health has completed one full year of a program that chooses medical students based on emotional intelligence and proves that a medical school-hospital combination spanning 1,100 miles is a successful model for the future.

The USF School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences  opened its Center for Neuromusculoskeletal Research, with $500,000 of yearly recurring state funding. Housed in the school’s groundbreaking Human Functional Performance Laboratory, the center supports a comprehensive range of research to transform the care of neuromusculoskeletal disorders and to optimize prosthetics and orthotics.

USF Health established the framework for a partnership with Allscripts and American Well to offer “Healthcare in the Cloud” by 2013 — a first-of-its-kind in Florida opportunity for patients throughout the state to access USF physicians across the internet.

The USF-HCA statewide trauma network marked its first anniversary with more than 5,000 patients seen at five hospitals and the creation of a trauma research center to develop evidence-based research into the causes of trauma and the best ways to treat it.

PaperFree Florida was recently named the #6 healthcare information technology Regional Extension Center grantee in the nation (up from #57) by the federal government. USF Health leads the PaperFree initiative, working with area partners to assist clinicians in the adoption and meaningful use of electronic health records. 

 USF Health partnered with Bisk Education, one of nation’s premier providers of distance education programs for professionals, to offer a new online master’s degree in Health Informatics uniquely housed within a medical school.  The project responds to the growing need for technology experts as the healthcare industry adopts electronic records.

A new USF College of Public Health brand launched this fall will guide the school’s actions and bold strategic goals over the next decade. 

The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and the College of Nursing were both recognized as part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Joining Forces initiative. They are among the nation’s select medical and nursing schools mobilizing education and research efforts to train clinicians to meet the unique health care needs of veterans and their families, including post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.  

The Klasko Institute for an Optimistic Future in Healthcare teamed with the USF Contemporary Art Museum to launch its first new project: The Art of Attending.  The series of experimental workshops, continuing in 2013, are based on research that shows teaching clinicians high-level art skills improves their “visual literacy” and translates into more observations when diagnosing patients.

Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications. Photo of Dr. Stephen Klasko and Elaine Thompson, PhD, courtesy of Lakeland Regional Medical Center

For his years of service and devotion to USF and to the entire Tampa Bay region, John Curran, MD, was presented with USF’s Distinguished Service Award.

Dr. Curran, who is professor of pediatrics, associate vice president for Faculty and Academic Affairs at USF Health, and senior executive associate dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, is a charter member of the College of Medicine faculty (1972) and the founding neonatologist at Tampa General Hospital.

Dr. Curran was nominated by Patty Emmanuel, MD, professor and chair of the USF Department of Pediatrics and received the award in November.

The USF Distinguished Service Award is one of the university’s highest honors given in recognition of many years of outstanding service to USF. The award is conferred by USF on faculty who have distinguished themselves through services they have provided without personal gain on behalf of the University, and that have contributed significantly to the welfare of their profession, USF or the community.

In her nomination letter for Dr. Curran, Dr. Emmanuel wrote:

“During this exemplary career Dr. Curran expanded his service beyond the university to include local, regional and national service.  Indeed, his activities as an advocate for child health care have had a significant and direct impact on the care of children.  But his service to the Tampa Bay community has served more than just children, he has always been a staunch advocate for the un- and underinsured of our region.  He was instrumental in implementing the Hillsborough County half cents sales tax and the development of a County Health Care Board which provides primary and specialty care to hundreds perhaps thousands  of working poor each year. This is probably one of his most enduring legacies.”

Dr. Curran has taken active and leadership roles in countless organizations including the Society of Air Force Flight Surgeons (he is a Member Emeritus), Florida Medical Association, American Medical Association, Florida Society of Neonatal-Perinatologists, Hillsborough County Healthy Start, Inc., American Lung Association of Gulf Coast Florida, President, American Lung Association of Florida, the Tri Agency Council (American Heart Association of Florida, American Lung Association of Florida, and American Cancer Society, Florida Affiliate), March of Dimes, and Florida Department of Health.

Dr. Curran’s leadership has been recognized with the Abraham Jacobi Award of the American Medical Association, a Lifetime Healthcare Hero Award in the Tampa Bay Region, and the March of Dimes Lawton Chiles Perinatal Award, among many other awards.

He is medical director for regional Children’s Medical Services programs for children with special health care needs. He is chair of the District X American Academy of Pediatrics, an organization of 60,000 pediatricians representing Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Puerto Rico.

Click here for more detail on his astounding career.

Watch BANDaids for BRIDGE talent show promo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKnu1EHsNHM

Are you ready for USF Health’s take on American Idol, the Voice and the X-Factor?

You can be entertained and help raise funds for great cause at the BANDaids for BRIDGE Talent Show 6 to 10 p.m. this Friday, Jan. 11, at the T. Pepin Hospitality Centre, 4121 N. 50^th St., Tampa, FL 33610.  

All proceeds and donations will go to the BRIDGE Healthcare clinic, USF Health’s free student-run health clinic for the University community.

The fun kicks off at 6 p.m. with a paparazzi-style,  red-carpet entrance, cocktail hour, silent auction, cash bar, and hors d’oeuvres.

Students, faculty and staff from across all USF Health colleges will perform a variety of singing, dancing, dramatic arts, comedy and musical acts. Categories of talent will be rated by a panel of special guest judges.

The public event is open to anyone interested in attending. You can sign up and buy tickets through this website: www.usf.edu/ua/md/BRIDGE.   Tickets will also be available at the door.

A map and directions to the T. Pepin Hospitality Centre is available at the BANDaids for BRIDGE Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/304690662965944/319365084831835/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity

Click here to view BANDaids for BRIDGE Photo Gallery.

Students, faculty and staff entertainers featured in Friday night’s BANDaids for BRIDGE talent show performed before a packed house at the T. Pepin Hospitality Centre. The event’s  sold out with 450 ticket sales. 

Proceeds and donations raised a record amount for BRIDGE Healthcare clinic, USF Health’s free student-run health clinic for the University community.  A tally of the funds raised will be reported in this story once the total is final. 

The evening’s 30 acts featured music, dance, singing, dramatic arts and comedy.  Winners were: 

- First place: Madeline Synder and Omar Qazi, Open Arms  (singing)
- Second place: Adam Schwartz, The Prayer (piano)
- Third place: Candace Hddox, Gene Peir and Dan Restrepo, The Orginal Rage n’ Dan (band)
- Fourth place (tie): John Pham and Michelle Rosario, If You Want Me to Stay (dancing), and Dr. Stephen Klasko and Joel Momberg, The Blues Brothers… Bulls Style (singing and dancing)

Serving as the American Idol-style judges were  Cynthia Stevens Grimes, director of Entertainment Revue; Rhea Law, CEO and chair of board at Fowler, White, Boggs, P.A.; Brendan McLaughlin, ABC Action News anchor; Pam Muma, community volunteer; and Steven Oscher. 

Masters of ceremonies  for the evening were Dr. Stephen Klasko, CEO of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine, and Madeline Snyder, second-year medical student.

BandAIDS for BRIDGE Masters of Ceremonies Dr. Stephen Klasko, CEO of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine, and Madeline Snyder, USF second-year medical student, are interviewed on the pre-event red carpet by Mark Schreiner, producer and host of WUSF’s University Beat.

Mile Kracevski of Moffitt Cancer Center played the guitar.

Tara Zimmerman, on the staff of Morsani College of Medicine’s Center for Advanced Clinical Learning, performed a comedy stand-up act.

Dr. Stephen Klasko (left), CEO of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine, and Joel Momberg, CEO of the USF Foundation, performed a “Blues Brothers” act including Gangham Style lyrics with a USF Bulls twist.

Guests browse the silent auction featuring than 50 goods and services, including A Day at Sea with Dr. John Sinnott and Dinner with Dr. Klasko.

The panel of judges commented on each category of acts.

At bouquet was presented to USF medical student Madeline Synder, who headed the BANDaids for BRIDGE Planning Committee.

 Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications 

USF Health’s footprint as a leader the world of online learning continues to grow.

The University of South Florida made its first appearance in the Guide to Online Schools, which uses data compiled by the National Center for Education Statistics to rank colleges with the best quality and most affordable online programs. The NCES is the federal government’s primary entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education.

USF came in at number 25 – the only Florida public university on the guide’s 2013 rankings for  “best overall” online colleges.  The university’s 22 online degree offerings cited included six graduate programs from USF Health.

Three of the USF College of Public Health’s online master’s degree (MPH) programs — in Public Health Administration, Disaster Management, and Public Health Practice – were noted in the Guide to Online Schools annual index.   The USF College of Nursing’s master’s (MS) degree in Nursing Education and its Nurse Practitioner graduate program (which offers some components of the program in an online format) were cited, as was the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine’s online master’s (MS) degree in Medical Sciences (with a Health Sciences concentration).

U.S. News & World Report, meanwhile, has ranked USF’s online graduate education programs 47^th — among the top in the nation.

The Guide to Online Schools listing does not encompass all USF Health’s online offerings.  For instance, USF Health just launched an all-online Master of Science in Health Informatics program uniquely housed within the medical school, which is scheduled to begin this summer. 

The USF College of Public Health recently added an online format for the MPH degree in epidemiology, scheduled to begin in May.   The school was among those featured in a recent Nation’s Health article on the growing popularity of online public health education – particularly among working health professionals and those with geographical constraints.

“We were the first school of public health in the nation to offer a distance-based master’s degree in public health, before online-teaching technology was even available and definitely before it was a cool thing to do,” said Donna Petersen, ScD, dean of the USF College of Public Health.

“Today, we have several full degrees on line and many graduate certificates.  Nearly two-thirds of our courses are fully on-line or blended – involving on-line components in order to maximize face-to-face teaching time.”

For more information, go to http://news.usf.edu/article/templates/?a=5093&z=210

The collaboration will help meet a state-identified need for more physical therapists

Tampa, FL  (Jan. 23, 2013)  – The University of South Florida (USF) and the University of West Florida (UWF) will be able to move forward to create a pilot program offering a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree in Pensacola.  The partnership program was approved last week by the Florida Board of Governors, which serves as a key step in advancing its implementation.

The Board’s approval follows the Florida Legislature’s appropriation last year of $1 million to help fund the USF-UWF Doctor of Physical Therapy education partnership program.

The collaborative program will expand access to UWF students interested in pursuing a DPT and help meet a state-identified need for more physical therapists in a largely rural region of the state.

“This is an exciting educational partnership for health care in Florida,” said Stephen K. Klasko, MD, CEO of USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.  “We are grateful that state lawmakers, the Florida Board of Governors, UWF President Judy Bense, and USF President Judy Genshaft have all recognized the critical need for more physical therapists to meet the future healthcare needs of Floridians.”

If other requirements by accreditation organizations are met as expected, students will begin applying for the program in July 2013 and start their studies in summer 2014.

The partnership will allow the USF Health School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences to expand enrollment in its nationally-ranked, three-year DPT degree program by as many as 12 additional students a year.  The newly created slots will be competitively available to UWF graduates who meet USF’s DPT admissions requirements.  When fully implemented, up to 36 qualified UWF graduates could be enrolled in the program.

Students would spend their first year of physical therapy studies at the USF Health campus in Tampa. The final two years of the three-year program would be spent in classrooms at UWF’s Pensacola campus and clinical internships conducted at hospitals and outpatient sites across the state’s Panhandle.

William S. Quillen, DPT, PhD, leads the nationally-ranked USF Health School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences.

“Together USF, with our cutting-edge physical therapy education program emphasizing inter-professional collaboration, and UWF, which provides impressive pre-professional health sciences education, will help meet this rapidly growing demand for physical therapy services.” said William S. Quillen, DPT, PhD, director of the USF School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences and associate dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

“This partnership will provide a valuable opportunity for UWF students to participate in USF’s nationally recognized Doctor of Physical Therapy program,” said Martha Saunders, PhD, UWF Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs. “Partnerships like this are important because they maximize the state’s resources, build on successful programming and provide needed support to our community. We appreciate the support of both institutions’ Board of Trustees as well as the Florida Board of Governors, and I am looking forward to more collaborations in the future.”

The University of West Florida in Pensacola serves a largely rural region of the state in need of more physical therapists.

The Board of Governors conducted a statewide analysis regarding the physical therapist workforce demand. Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (FDEO) data and online tools indicate that the Pensacola area is a remote pocket of high-demand in the state for physical therapists, with more than 160 openings advertised in Fall 2012.

Florida public and independent universities awarded an estimated 392 professional DPT degrees during 2011-2012. The FDEO projected workforce demand for physical therapists is 492 annually to the year 2020.

“Northwest Florida is home to healthcare organizations, such as Andrews Institute, that are known throughout the United States for their quality physical therapy programs,” said George Stewart, PhD, Director of the UWF School of Allied Health and Life Sciences. “This program will produce qualified professionals who are prepared to enter this competitive workforce. The regional healthcare community has been extremely supportive of this endeavor, and we will use their expertise and facilities for internships, clinical rounds and more. We look forward to meeting their need for trained physical therapists.”

-USF Health-

USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; and the USF Physician’s Group. The University of South Florida is a global research university ranked 50^th in the nation by the National Science Foundation for both federal and total research expenditures among all U.S. universities.

                    - University of West Florida-

With campuses in Pensacola and along the Emerald Coast, the University of West Florida serves a student population of more than 12,500. UWF’s mission is to provide students with access to high-quality, relevant and affordable undergraduate and graduate learning experiences; to transmit, apply and discover knowledge through teaching, scholarship, research and public service; and to engage in community partnerships that respond to mutual concerns and opportunities and that advance the economy and quality of life in the region. It was named one of “America’s Top Colleges” by Forbes Magazine in 2011 and 2012. Small class sizes and personalized attention from dedicated faculty are what make UWF “different by design.” 

Media Contacts:
Megan Prawdzik, University of West Florida
(850) 474-2658, or mprawdzik@uwf.edu

Anne DeLotto Baier, University of South Florida (USF Health)
(813) 974-3303, or abaier@health.usf.edu

Even the routine tasks for people with diabetes can be a challenge – as medical students in the SELECT program at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine are now learning.

SELECT students agreed Thursday to take the “Bringing Science Home Diabetes Challenge.” They’ll carry a blood sugar monitor with them for the next 24 hours, check their blood sugar every few hours, respond to text messages about their diabetes and keep a journal on their experience.

SELECT student Emma Qureshey gets some help testing her blood sugar.

Students soon realized that even the basic step of sticking a finger and collecting enough blood to test their glucose level is harder than it looks. Several students needed help to set up the monitors and advice on how to squeeze out more blood.

“We all thought it would be kind of easy,” said Jennifer Chevinsky. “And now we’ve already spent 10 minutes trying to figure out how to check our blood. So I think we’ll gain a good amount of perspective by the end.”

The challenge is sponsored by Bringing Science Home, the USF Health program established to help people with chronic diseases live more optimistic lives. SELECT (Scholarly Excellence, Leadership Experiences, Collaborative Training) is a two-year old partnership with the Lehigh Valley Health Network that emphasizes developing emotional intelligence skills and leadership abilities for tomorrow’s physician leaders.

Nicole Johnson, executive director of Bringing Science Home, and high school student Emma Donahue talk with SELECT students.

SELECT program students sat down Thursday to hear from Nicole Johnson, executive director of Bringing Science Home, and several students and family members associated with the program.

“My mom said right from the get-go I have to check my blood sugar before I get in the car,” high school student Emma Donahue, who has diabetes, told the group. She knows that if her blood sugar drops, it may impair her driving ability.

Donahue always keeps her car stocked with snacks and extra testing supplies, just in case.  She also told the group about the challenges of controlling her blood sugar and participating on her high school swim team – an issue that struck close to home for some of the SELECT students.

“I was a swimmer in high school, and swimmers get light-headed,” said SELECT student Emma Qureshey. “We used to eat Jell-O packs between races – and that’s with normal blood sugar.”

That kind of understanding is exactly what Johnson is aiming for. USF graduate psychology students are also participating, and Johnson plans to sign up other student groups for the “Diabetes Challenge” as well.

Emma Donahue talks about living with diabetes.

Johnson told the SELECT students Thursday that she knows three separate instances of high school teachers mistaking an insulin pump for a cell phone and trying to confiscate it – pulling the pump right out of the student’s body.

There are scarier possibilities as well. People with diabetes – and their family members – worry especially night time lows, which can be deadly if they don’t wake up. They are especially dangerous for young adults, who may not live with someone who can check on them.

“You’ll be getting one day in our shoes,” she told the group.

Learn more about Bringing Science Home at www.bringingsciencehome.com

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WASHINGTON (Feb. 8, 2012) — The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine is partnering with the American College of Cardiology’s CardioSmart initiative, a program that encourages patients to play an active role in their own heart health, to offer free cardiovascular health screenings on Thursday, Feb. 14, as part of a National Heart Health Awareness Day taking place at major health care institutions across the country.

 Members of the community will have access to body mass index measurements, glucose (non-fasting) testing, cholesterol tests, blood pressure tests and waist circumference measurements. Cardiologists and cardiology nurses will be on hand to answer questions, and patients will have access to CardioSmart educational materials that offer tips for living a heart healthy lifestyle.

The free screenings will be offered at the following two USF Health locations.  (A minimal parking fee may be required):

-          USF Health Morsani Center for Advanced Health Care, 13330 USF Laurel Drive, Tampa FL 33612

-          USF Health South Tampa Center for Advance Health Care, 2 Tampa General Circle,  Tampa, FL 33606

“Health screenings are important in helping identify people with cardiovascular disease who may not notice any symptoms yet.  Many people are not even aware of the risk factors, which include diabetes, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol,” said Arthur Labovitz, MD, FACC, chair of the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. “USF Health is committed to reaching out to the community to offer a full spectrum of services, including prevention and early detection.”

Major healthcare institutions and academic medical centers nationwide will offer similar screenings in mid-February as part of CardioSmart’s American Heart Month initiative to raise awareness of preventative measures that can be taken to reduce the risk of heart disease — the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States.

“To reduce their risk of heart disease, people need to learn what the risk factors are, know their individual numbers associated with those risks and know how to improve those numbers if needed,” said CardioSmart Chief Medical Expert JoAnne M. Foody, MD, FACC. “Lifestyle changes that are implemented today, like eating healthy and being active, can make a measurable difference in a person’s risk for heart disease in the future.”

For more information on the cardiovascular screenings at USF Health, contact Bonnie Kirby at bkirby@health.usf.edu or (813) 259-8543.

USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; and the USF Physician’s Group. The University of South Florida is a global research university ranked 50^th in the nation by the National Science Foundation for both federal and total research expenditures among all U.S. universities. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu

 The mission of the American College of Cardiology is to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health. The College is a 40,000-member medical society comprised of physicians, surgeons, nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists and practice managers. The College is a leader in the formulation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The ACC provides professional education, operates national registries to measure and improve quality of care, disseminates cardiovascular research, and bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet stringent qualifications. For more information, visit www.cardiosource.org/ACC.

Media Contacts:
Nicole Napoli, American College of Cardiology, nnapoli@acc.org, (202) 375-6523
Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications, abaier@health.usf.edu, (813) 974-3303

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Deanna Wathington, MD, MPH, associate dean for academic and student affairs at the USF College of Public Health, shared her passion for public health with students at the Girls Preparatory Academy Ferrell Middle School.

USF Health faculty shared the successes and challenges of the career paths they’ve traveled with students at two same-gender magnet middle schools in Hillsborough County earlier this month.

For the second year, Catherine Lynch, MD, associate vice president of women’s health, associate dean of faculty development, and professor of  obstetrics and gynecology at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, chaired the career day at the Girls Preparatory Academy Ferrell Middle School.  Modeled after the program Dr. Lynch spearheaded at Ferrell last year, Erich Wyckoff, MD, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at USF Health, launched an inaugural career day at the Boys Preparatory Academy Franklin Middle School on Feb. 1.

“Our role is helping empower these girls and boys to realize their full potential,” Dr. Lynch said. “We say education is your ticket to do what you want to do.  Here are some different, rewarding careers that you may not have considered yet, and here’s what it takes to succeed in them.”

Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor looks over her certificate of appreciation for participating in the career day at Ferrell, which was spearheaded by USF Health’s Dr. Catherine Lynch (right).

Over the two career days, more than 20 faculty members representing the USF Health colleges of medicine, nursing, public health and pharmacy joined other speakers from the community who have forged successful careers in health, law, education, finance and public service.

Both Ferrell and Franklin are sibling middle schools with a college-preparatory culture that nurtures character development, academic rigor and student achievement, said Carla Sparks, supervisor of Choice & Magnet Programs for Hillsborough County Public Schools.

Barbara Morris, DHSc, ATC, director of the USF Sports Medicine and Athletic Related Trauma Institute, spoke to students in the band room.

Students June Orand (left) and Emily Campos listen to a career day speaker.

Angela Massey-Hill, PharmD (far right), chair of Pharmacotherapeutics and Clinical Research, with other members of the USF College of Pharmacy faculty, shared career stories.

Dr. Lynch and Carla Sparks, supervisor of Choice and Magnet Programs for Hillsborough County Public Schools, chat with students and teachers in Ferrell’s Media Center.

Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

The emerging science represented at this year’s USF Health Research Day is astounding.

But only by attending yourself will you see array of science and fully appreciate the strength of research taking place at USF Health.

Here are the details:

• Keynote speaker Howard McLeod at 1 p.m. will be Live Streamed via USF Health Facebook page.

• Nearly 340 presenters are slated to present their work this year at the Marshall Center.

• Second year for presentations from the new College of Pharmacy students.

• Charter school students from The Villages are returning for a second year to showcase their own award-winning posters.

About the 23nd Annual USF Health Research Day:
USF Health Research Day is an annual event that showcases the work of graduate and postgraduate students and residents from throughout USF Health, as well as across campus. Judges make their rounds to each poster presentation, asking the lead researchers to further explain their methods, results and conclusions before deciding on the award-worthy entrants. In addition, a leading national researcher provides the Roy H. Behnke, MD, Distinguished Lectureship.

The day-long event is a prime opportunity for collaboration, since it bridges several colleges, schools and disciplines, and acts as a perfect “practice run” for many of the presenters whose work may garner spots at national research meetings.

Location:
Researchers participating this year will display their work in the second-floor ballroom of the Marshall Center and the annual keynote address will take place in the Marshall Center’s Oval Theatre.

Getting there:
You can ride to the Marshall Center on regularly scheduled USF Bull Runner shuttle buses (free with a USF ID). Shuttle B’s route picks up in front of the College of Public Health and near the loading dock area of USF Health. Shuttle D’s route picks up near the crosswalk on Holly Drive at USF Health.

Keynote Speaker: 17th Annual Roy H. Behnke, MD, Distinguished Lectureship
Presented at 1:00 pm in the Marshall Center’s Oval Theatre.
Howard McLeod, PharmD
Professor of pharmacogenomics and director of the Institute for Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Title of talk: “Using the Genome to Guide Therapy”

Dr. Howard McLeod is the principal investigator for the CREATE Pharmacogenetics Research Network, a member of the NIH funded Pharmacogenetics Research Network, and is a member of the FDA Committee on Clinical Pharmacology. He directs the Pharmacogenetics for Every Nation Initiative that aims to help developing countries use genetic information to improve National Drug Formulary decisions.

With more than has published more than 350 peer-reviewed papers on pharmacogenomics, applied therapeutics, or clinical pharmacology, much of Dr. McLeod’s aims to integrate genetics principles into clinical practice to advance individualized medicine.

Dr. McLeod is the Fred Eshelman Distinguished Professor of Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the director of the UNC Institute for Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy. He holds additional appointments in the UNC School of Medicine and the Lineberger Cancer Center.
Need more info?
About USF Health Research Day: www.health.usf.edu/research
About the USF Bull Runner shuttle service: www.usf.edu/parking_services

The first of its kind, an investigational drug, may enhance the body’s stem cell response at the site of cardiovascular injury  

TAMPA, Florida (Feb. 20, 2013) – Cardiovascular disease specialists at Florida Hospital Pepin Heart Institute and Dr. Kiran C. Patel Research Institute affiliated with the University of South Florida announced today they have enrolled their first two patients into the clinical trial of a novel gene therapy for the treatment of heart failure after ischemic injury.  The therapy may promote regeneration of  heart tissue by encouraging the body to deploy more stem cells to the injury site in patients who are suffering from heart failure.

Dr. Charles Lambert, Medical Director of Florida Hospital Pepin Heart Institute and Dr. Leslie Miller, Director of the USF Heart Institute, are leading the way for the randomized, placebo-controlled trial, which spans 10 sites across the United States. The study, called the STOP-HF, will enroll 90 patients nationwide.

Dr. Leslie Miller, director of the USF Heart Institute, confirms the exact location of the catheter tip as an injection map is drawn precisely detailing gene therapy delivery sites in the heart.

Heart failure (HF) happens when the muscles of the heart becomes weakened and cannot pump blood sufficiently throughout the body.  The injury is most often caused by inadequate blood flow to the heart resulting from chronic or acute cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks.   Considerable scientific evidence has emerged over the past decade demonstrating the high therapeutic potential of stem cell-based regenerative medicine for a host of diseases.  Heart failure is a leading cause of death, disability and hospitalization.

Dr. Charles Lambert is performing the gene therapy by direct injection into the heart using an investigational system in the catheterization laboratories at Florida Hospital Pepin Heart Institute.

“Pepin Heart and Dr. Kiran C. Patel Research Institute and USF are exploring and conducting leading-edge research to develop break-through treatments long before they are even available in other facilities,” said Dr. Lambert.  ”Stem cells have the unique ability to develop into many different cell types, and in many tissues they serve as an internal repair system, dividing essentially without limit to replenish other cells. This trial is unique in that it uses gene therapy to turn on a process leading to cell regeneration rather than simply administering stem cells directly.”

Dr. Miller (right), national principal investigator for the STOP-HF trial, is collaborating with Dr. Charles Lambert, medical director of Pepin Heart Institute Florida Hospital, on the local gene therapy study. This is the first of several regenerative medicine trials that will team USF Health and Florida Hospital.

“This is the beginning of a new era in cardiovascular therapies,” said Dr. Leslie Miller, national principal investigator for the trial and professor of cardiovascular sciences at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. “Targeted gene and cell therapies delivered directly into the heart hold promise for helping to regenerate tissue, reduce injury and restore heart function.  USF Health, working with our partners, will find new ways to diagnose and treat patients, with the aim of reducing and ultimately harnessing the global impact of heart disease.”

Dr. Lambert injects one of multiple doses of medication containing the gene into a catheter inserted into the heart wall. With the assistance of contrast imaging, the gene therapy is carefully targeted to sites in the heart tissue with the potential for rejuvenation.

The trial, sponsored by Juventas Therapeutics,  a double-blinded Phase II study evaluating the safety and effectiveness of the drug JVS-100 in patients with ischemic heart failure.  JVS-100 is the name of the gene therapy that directs the heart muscle to produce Stromal cell-Derived Factor 1 (SDF-1), a protein that has been shown to repair damaged tissue in the body through the recruitment of circulating stem cells to the site of injury, prevention of ongoing cell death and restoration of blood flow.

Earlier this year, Juventas reported results from its Phase I study in Class III ischemic heart failure patients.  In addition to meeting the primary safety endpoint, patients in the study who received the drug demonstrated clinically significant improvements in exercise levels at the 12-month mark.   Other prominent institutions participating in the trial include Columbia University Medical Center, the University of Utah, the Lindner Center for Research at the Christ Hospital, and the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation.

Dr. Lambert, foreground, and Dr. Miller, back, watch the monitor displaying images of the patient’s heart.

Jadie Heberlein, clinical research nurse coordinator for the USF Heart Institute, monitors the gene therapy injections of patients enrolled in the STOP-HF case from the cardiac catheter laboratory control room at Florida Hospital Pepin Heart Institute.

Photos by Daniel W. Baker, Florida Hospital Tampa

About Florida Hospital Pepin Heart Institute and Dr. Kiran C. Patel Research Institute

Florida Hospital Pepin Heart Institute is a free-standing cardiovascular institute providing comprehensive cardiovascular care with over 76,000 angioplasty procedures and 11,000 open-heart surgeries in the Tampa Bay region.  Leading the way with the first accredited chest pain emergency room in Tampa Bay, the institute is among an elite few in the state of Florida chosen to perform the ground breaking Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) procedure. It is also a HeartCaring designated provider and a Larry King Cardiac Foundation Hospital. Florida Hospital Pepin Heart Institute and the Dr. Kiran C. Patel Research Institute, affiliated with the University of South Florida (USF), are exploring and conducting leading-edge research to develop break-through treatments long before they are available in most other hospitals. To learn more, visit www.FHPepin.org

About USF Health

USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; and the USF Physician’s Group. The University of South Florida is a global research university ranked 50^th in the nation by the National Science Foundation for both federal and total research expenditures among all U.S. universities. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu

About Juventas Therapeutics

Juventas Therapeutics, headquartered in Cleveland, OH, is a privately held clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a pipeline of regenerative therapies to treat life–threatening diseases. Founded in 2007 with an exclusive license from Cleveland Clinic, Juventas has transitioned its therapeutic platform from concept to initiation of mid-stage clinical trials for treatment of heart failure and critical limb ischemia. Investors include New Science Ventures, Takeda Ventures, Triathlon Medical Venture Partners, Venture Investors, Early Stage Partners, Fletcher Spaght Ventures, Reservoir Venture Partners, Glengary, The Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center, Tri-State Growth Fund, North Coast Angel Fund, X Gen Ltd., JumpStart Inc., and Blue Chip Venture Co. The company has received non-dilutive grant support through the Ohio Third Frontier-funded Cleveland Clinic Ohio BioValidation Fund, Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center and Center for Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine.

Media contacts:  
Jennifer McVan, Media Relations Manager
Florida Hospital, Tampa Bay Division
(813) 615-7395 (direct)  or (813) 373-9505 (cell)
Jennifer.Mcvan@ahss.org

Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications
University of South Florida
(813) 974-3303 or abaier@health.usf.edu