The neglected parasitic infection that USF Health microbiologist Michael White, PhD, has spent the last 20 years studying causes few, if any, symptoms in healthy people.  But the disease caused by the malaria-related parasite T. gondii, known as toxoplasmosis, can cause life-threatening illness  in people with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV/AIDS, the elderly and babies born to women infected during pregnancy.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-w7xFDdO7c

“Toxoplasma can be a dangerous infection that’s easy to overlook, because it’s not filling our emergency rooms,” said Dr. White a professor of molecular medicine and global health and one of the world’s leading experts on the malaria-related parasite. “But it’s a potential time bomb.”

Michael White, PhD, is one of the world’s leading experts on the malaria-related parasites T. gondii.

 Listen to Dr. White talk about how the process of science is like a puzzle.

People can acquire toxoplasmosis several ways — usually by direct exposure to the feces of cats or by eating undercooked meat of an infected animal, or drinking water contaminated with the organism.  Up to 15 percent of the world’s population is estimated to be infected with T. gondii, and in some parts of the world where sanitation is poor and eating raw or undercooked meat is customary, nearly all people carry the parasite, Dr. White said. In Brazil, particularly virulent strains of the parasite cause a high-incidence of vision-threatening eye disease.

Because the organism is common, relatively easy to disseminate and not easily killed with standard disinfection measures, the National Institutes of Health cites the toxoplasma parasite as a potential threat to national security and public health.

Dr. White is deputy director of the Florida Center of Excellence in Drug Discovery and Innovation at USF.  His research team combines genetic, biochemical and cell biology approaches to understand how the parasite replicates, establishes chronic infection and interacts with host cells. Their goal is to find new ways to combat the pervasive parasite, which has both rapidly dividing acute stage destructive to healthy tissue and a chronic stage where egg-like cysts remain invisible to the immune system, basically hiding out in brain or muscle tissues to avoid attack.

No drugs or vaccines currently exist to treat or prevent the chronic, or dormant, stage of the disease.

Dr. White with his research team at the USF-based Florida Center of Excellence in Drug Discovery and Innovation. From left: Jeanine Yacoub, graduate student in the Department of Chemistry; Dong-Pyo Hong, PhD, assistant professor; Elena Suvorova, PhD; assistant professor; Carmelo Alvarez, MS, research technician; and Anatoli Naumov, PhD, assistant professor.

“A major clinical challenge with toxoplasmosis is that the T. gondii cysts can quietly slip into into your brain or muscle cells, where they can settle without growing” until weakened immunity reactivates the disease, Dr. White said.  “The drugs used to treat toxoplasma infections only attack growth, so they do not cure the lifelong infection. They help reduce the danger of acute infection for AIDS patients or others with compromised immune systems.”

In the past several years Dr. White’s laboratory, working with partners at the University of Georgia, made several intriguing discoveries about the growth and development of the malaria-related parasite. Their work with T. gondii may also lead to new therapies to combat drug-resistant strains of malaria, a mosquito-borne tropical disease threatening to resurge as a public health crisis in certain parts of the world.

To understand the Toxoplasma research, it helps to know that ages ago the ancestors of malaria parasites genetically merged with an ancestor of plants, and the primitive plant donated proteins known as AP2 factors to the future malaria family. Also, unlike plant and animal species – where chromosomes get one shot at replication or else the cell dies or turns into cancer – these malaria-related parasites manage to multiply exponentially while avoiding cell death.

Dr. White, with colleague Dr. Elena Suvorova, conducts NIH-funded research investigating molecular mechanisms underlying the growth and development of T. gondii with the aim of eradicating the pervasive malaria-related parasite.

 Dr. White comments on the role of failure in science.

In a 2013 study appearing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. White’s team demonstrated that AP2 factors are instrumental in flipping a developmental “switch” that transitions T. gondii from its acute to dormant stage.  The USF study showed that, like the AP2 factors that help a plant survive in stressful environments including poor water or soil conditions, the AP2 factors of T gondii help regulate when the time is right to grow or when to form tissue cysts that may lie dormant in people for many years before the host immune system detects their presence.

Dr. White and colleagues were also the first to uncover part of the mysterious process by which T. gondii spreads at explosive and potentially deadly rates inside humans and other animals. In a study published this spring in the high-impact journal PLOS Biology, the researchers discovered how these ancient parasites pull off replicating their chromosomes hundreds or even thousands of times before spinning off into daughter cells with perfect similitude.

The explanation: Toxoplasma parasites have a modified “control room,” called the centrosome, which imposes order on the replication chaos, Dr. White said. “Unlike the comparatively simple centrosome present in human cells, the parasite ‘control room’ has two distinct operating machines: one machine controls chromosome copying, while the other machine regulates when to form daughter cell bodies. Working together, but with independent responsibilities, parasite centrosome machines can dictate the scale and timing of pathogen replication.”

Exposure by cleaning the litter box of an infected cat is one way in which the Toxoplasma parasite can be transmitted to humans. The tiny organism is transmitted to cats by rodents, and the parasite thrives in the cat’s gut, producing countless egg-like cells that are passed along in the feces.

Dr. White’s team found that the operation of the centrosome requires kinases, the same enzymes most effectively attacked by certain cancer drugs.  So far, they’ve identified within both centrosome machines six kinases that could be potential drug targets.

This new knowledge and the groundbreaking understanding of the centrosome’s function suggests that the system’s highly-efficient cell proliferation can be disrupted to kill the malaria-related parasites.

“These stealthy parasites evolved a more complex mechanism to control cell division, because they wanted to avoid the immune system — but they created a vulnerability in doing that,” Dr. White said.  “They are like Humpty Dumpty. When we hit one of the kinases, the parasite breaks apart and can’t be put back together… And if we can develop drugs to inhibit two or more of these critical kinases, then we could potentially overcome the problem of drug-resistant strains.”

The researchers have already begun screening small molecules to identify the best potential inhibitors of the centrosome kinases they’ve identified.

Dr. White in the High Throughput Screening Core at CDDI, where USF researchers screen small molecules to help identify the best inhibitors of the T. gondii centrosome kinases (potential drug targets) they’ve identified.

Dr. White’s laboratory has also discovered proteins that control expression of the chronic, or dormant, phase of toxoplasmosis. In animal model experiments, the researchers were able to alter parasite genes active in the acute phase of the disease to eliminate the “silent” stage of the disease, perhaps by “teaching” the immune system to combat the dormant stage, Dr. White said.

The work may lead to a vaccination to prevent the chronic stage of the disease in animals, which is one of the sources of infection for humans, he added.  “If we could eradicate the toxoplasma from poultry, pigs and other livestock, we could help break the cycle of transmission from the food supply (to humans).”

Dr. White joined USF in 2009 from Montana State University where he was a professor of veterinary molecular biology. He received his PhD in microbiology from Oregon University in 1983, and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Washington focusing on how to attack the growth of cancer cells. In the early 1990s, under the mentorship of electron microscopist C.A. Speer at Montana State, his research emphasis shifted to eukaryotic pathogens, parasites that can lead to a variety of diseases in humans, animals and plants.

Since 1996, he has investigated molecular mechanisms underlying the growth and development of T gondii with the aim of eradicating the malaria-related parasite using a two-pronged approach: reducing its proliferative capacity and breaking the cycle of transmission between animal and human. Across his career, Dr. White’s research has been continuously funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and, since 1988, by grants from the National Institutes of Health. He is the principal investigator for two active NIH R01 grants totaling more than $4.8 million, with a third $2.6-million grant pending.

Image of Toxoplasma gondii parasites dividing provided by Ke Hu and John Murray (DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.0020020.g001). Dr. White and colleagues were the first to uncover part of the mysterious process by which T. gondii spreads at explosive and potentially deadly rates inside humans and other animals.

Dr. White chairs the NIH Pathogenic Eukaryotes Study Section and is a member of the Genome Consortium for Toxoplasma gondii. He serves as an ad-hoc reviewer for several journals, including PLoS Pathogens, Molecular Microbiology, and Eukaryotic Cell.

His laboratory, based in the USF Research Park, collaborates with USF medicinal chemist Jim Leahy, PhD, and he supports postdoctoral fellows at the University of Georgia and Indiana University School of Medicine.

Something you might not know about Dr. White:  As a teen growing up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, he raised Blue Dutch rabbits.  He also collected rattlesnakes, tarantulas and blue racers from the mesa bordering his home. “It was the only field biology I ever did,” he said.

Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications & Marketing

Tampa Magazine surveyed nearly 9,000 physicians across the Tampa Bay area, asking them to nominate peers they consider the best in their specialty.

The final 2016 Top Doctors list of 331 includes 36 USF Health physicians in a diverse range of specialties, including 12 voted #1 by peers. They are:

Siviero Agazzi, MD: Runner-up for Neurosurgery

Michael Albrink, MD: Voted #1 for General Surgery

William Anderson, MD: Runner-up for Sleep Medicine

Lawrence Berk, MD: Runner-up for Radiation Oncology

Basil Cherpelis, MD: Runner-up for Dermatology

Charles E. Cox, MD: Runner-up for Breast Cancer Surgery

Mitchell Drucker, MD: Runner-up for Ophthalmology

Patricia Emmanuel, MD: Runner-up for Pediatrics

Maria Gieron, MD: Voted #1 for Pediatric Neurology

Harvey Greenberg, MD: Voted #1 for Radiation Oncology

Bengt Herweg, MD: Runner -up for Cardiac Electrophysiology

Ernesto Jimenez, MD: Runner -up for Cardiovascular Surgery

Vinita Kiluk, MD: Runner-up for Pediatrics

Dennis Ledford, MD: Voted #1 (tied) for Allergy and Immunology

Carol Lilly, MD: Vote #1 (tied) for Developmental Pediatrics

Richard Lockey, MD: Voted #1 (tied) for Allergy and Immunology

Jorge Lockhart, MD: Runner-up for Urology

Catherine Lynch, MD: Runner-up for Obstetrics and Gynecology

Jorge Marcet, MD: Voted #1 for Colon/Rectal Surgery

John McCormick, MD: Voted #1 (tied) for Internal Medicine

Anthony Morrison, MD: Runner-up for Endocrinology

Tanya Murphy, MD: Runner -up for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Michel Murr, MD: Voted #1 for Bariatrics

Ryan Murtagh, MD: Voted #1 for Radiology

Kevin O’Brien, MD: Runner-up for Internal Medicine

Shayne Plosker, MD: Runner-up for Fertility

Mark Rumbak, MD: Runner-up for Pulmonary Disease

Jaime Sanchez, MD: Runner-up for Colon/Rectal Surgery

Murray Shames, MD: Voted #1 for Vascular Surgery

Mandel R. Sher, MD: Runner-up for Allergy and Immunology

John Sinnott, MD: Runner-up for Infectious Disease

Paul Smith, MD: Runner-up for Plastic Surgery (Body)

Saundra Stock, MD: Runner-up for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Joanne Valeriano-Marcet, MD: Runner-up for Rheumatology

Harry van Loveren, MD: Voted #1 for Neurosurgery

Kira Zwygart, MD: Runner-up for Family Practice

With sun shining on her red curls, Annie called to her cat Meow from atop the perch of her backyard play set. Her mother Lindsay Baker stands next to her, holding her hand and guiding her as she climbs up the play set. Her grandmother Donna Sheppard looks on.

The scene is sweet, and hardly conveys the reality this family lives strictly monitoring Annie’s diet and policing her interaction with other people to reduce her risk of getting sick.

Annie gives Meow a quick pet before heading out to the yard.

Annie is 3 years old and has glutaric acidemia type I (GA-I), an inherited metabolic disorder that won’t allow her body to process certain proteins properly. She has inadequate levels of an enzyme that helps break down the amino acids lysine, hydroxylysine, and tryptophan, which are the building blocks of protein. Excessive levels of these amino acids and the byproducts they produce can accumulate and cause damage to her brain, particularly the region that helps control movement.

The severity of GA-I varies from mild to severe. In most cases, signs and symptoms first occur in infancy or early childhood, but can first appear in adolescence or adulthood. While some babies are born with some of the more common signs of GA-I (unusually large head, difficulty moving, spasms, jerking, rigidity, decreased muscle tone), some do not yet show signs of trouble.

For Annie, there were no apparent signs of a problem when she was born. The only indication was found in her newborn screening. Annie, like all newborns, underwent screening for genetic metabolic disorders – with one pin prick, babies are screened for 36 genetic disorders, giving advanced notice to many families of conditions that might not appear obvious in the early days, or even years, after birth but will appear at some point and affect these children for the rest of their lives.

Although interaction with lots of other children is limited, Annie plays hard like any other toddler.

Annie’s test came back indicating GA-I.

“At first, we weren’t sure what they meant,” Baker said. “She looked fine. But then we got a phone call telling us it was confirmed, we dove into researching GA-I and asking doctors tons of questions. We realized how thankful we are that nothing happened to Annie during childbirth or prior to her diagnosis. We never realized the risk and we are thankful everything went well for her.”

“It’s a day we’ll never forget,” Sheppard said, speaking of the day Annie’s diagnosis was confirmed.

But it was early screening that helped the Bakers know how important it was, and still is, to limit Annie’s protein. Not knowing would have been disastrous.

“GA-I can have significant neurologic implications, even life-threatening,” said Amarilis Sanchez-Valle, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and the only board-certified medical biochemical geneticist in the region.

“Finding out early is the key to reducing complications later. Annie has avoided complications because we caught it early. Because of screening, her family knew to take careful steps in monitoring her protein consumption and to keep her well to avoid a life-threatening crisis.”

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How much more vulnerable is Annie with infections?

“Even a fever could cause a stroke in patients with GA-I,” Dr. Sanchez-Valle said.

When people get sick, Dr. Sanchez-Valle explained, their bodies release amino acids, the same three that Annie can’t break down. For Annie, getting sick means she must get to the hospital quickly to begin intravenous fluids, which helps her overcome the metabolic decompensation.

Needing that proximity to expert care is why the Bakers moved from their home in the middle of the state to one near downtown Tampa, the home of the USF Health South Tampa Center for Advanced Healthcare and Tampa General Hospital.

“We really needed to be closer to the USF team and Tampa General,” Baker said. “There is a strict protocol for when Annie gets sick and we have to act fast. If we hadn’t moved closer, we would have been an hour away. And that’s not ok.”

Naming animals with Mom.

From the beginning, the Bakers have worked closely with the team in the USF Health Metabolic Genetics Clinic, including Donna O’Steen, MS, RD, CSP, CNSC, a metabolic dietitian, who offered the Bakers day-to-day advice on Annie’s diet and still helps the family as they make adjustments as Annie grows.

“They followed the guidelines completely and were able to get on track early for Annie,” O’Steen said. “Babies live much better lives in that first year if families are adamant about monitoring protein consumption.”

The effort continues for the Bakers. Even at age 3, Annie takes a specialized formula, one that requires careful measurement to ensure she gets the correct amount of amino acids. The daily measuring of powdered formula and mixing it with distilled water is part of the family routine.

Exact measurements are required to make sure Annie gets the right amount of amino acids.

***

The other half of the equation is keeping Annie well. The entire family knows of her condition, even her six young boy cousins, Baker said.

“They’re always watching out for her and they know to ask if she can have certain foods before letting her have anything,” Baker said.

Beyond family, there is limited interaction with other children for Annie. There is no day care. But she’s not locked in a bubble either, like some parents might do as they panic about exposing a child to germs. Annie plays in the yard, pets her cat and hugs on her generous and loving family.  Annie is now in dance classes.

“We stay in a lot more because sickness is so serious for her,” Baker said. “It’s hard, very hard. We have a really good support system, and my husband is great about letting me take time for myself. That’s my advice to other families, have a support system to give you strength.”

***

As Annie grows, she will learn why her diet is so rigidly monitored. She will learn to do her own measuring of foods. And she will learn to take seemingly extreme measures to avoid getting sick. As she ages, her risk of having a crisis goes down a bit but she will always need to protect her brain through life-long monitoring.

In her three years, she has met all her milestones, starting physical therapy and speech therapy. She has improved greatly and doesn’t really know any different. She is a happy, funny 3-year-old.

Annie keeps her mom and grandmother laughing.

Baker is emphatic in her thanks for USF Health.

“I’ve never had a relationship with doctors like we have with Dr. Sanchez-Valle and Donna,” she said.

“They have helped us so much. And by being so careful now, she has a greater chance of living a normal childhood and life later. That’s our goal – that’s what we want for her.”

Photos by Rebecca Hagen.

The University of South Florida continues to rise in the national rankings for research, now ranked 25th among all public research universities nationwide in total research spending, according to the latest data released by the National Science Foundation (NSF).  The university ranked 27th last year.

In the category of medical sciences, USF topped the list in funds spent on research and development among all Florida public universities ranked by NSF — with $96.6 million in expenditures by USF Health and affiliate Moffitt Cancer Center.  Only the University of Miami, a private institution, ranked higher in medical research expenditures.

In the rankings for all universities, both public and private, USF moved to No. 41 nationally for total research expenditures, up two places from No. 43, where the university was ranked the previous two years, and is ranked No. 2 in Florida.

Read more…

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=9egMmvVnUh4

Under a clear blue Florida sky, with the sunlit Tampa skyline behind them, friends and supporters gathered in downtown Tampa the morning of Dec. 8 to celebrate a key milestone for the University of South Florida – the site dedication for the future home of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and its Heart Institute.

University and community leaders gathered for the new Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute site dedication in downtown Tampa.

With their shovels full of white sand that surrounded a sand-sculptured USF Health logo, community leaders, legislators, USF leaders and USF Health medical students made the symbolic turn of earth. It marked the first official celebration for building the new academic facility that will propel medical education and heart research.

Setting a tone of celebration, USF System President Judy Genshaft called the event the first of many that will create a vibrant center of learning and research to transform the Tampa Bay region.

USF System President Judy Genshaft

“Today, we come together with a new chapter for downtown Tampa and the incredible partnerships that are helping this city and community reach its fullest potential,” President Genshaft said. “Our destiny is to be a city like no other – to put our heads and hearts together to create a happier and vibrant future for all of the Tampa Bay area. We are so appreciative to all who have played important roles and we look forward to taking the next steps together to make something quite amazing.”

Amid a standing ovation, Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik stood at the podium. Following a light quip that the standing ovation was because “we’ve built a tent” on the site, he turned his heartfelt thanks to the group in front of him.

Jeff Vinik, Tampa Bay Lightning owner and principal of Strategic Property Partners

“Because of Judy Genshaft, our Mayor and all the legislators in this area, that standing ovation is for every person I’m looking at right now,” Vinik said. “To get the USF medical school and heart institute where we are standing, it takes everybody under this tent and in this community. We’re all in this together. I couldn’t be more proud to have USF as the first anchor of this (development) district.”

The transformative initiative for USF will be a key anchor in a thriving downtown redevelopment project and will strengthen the university’s presence in downtown’s business district, as well as allow USF Health to expand essential educational and research programs at its main campus location.

The downtown site will position the medical school in close proximity to USF Health’s primary teaching and clinical affiliate, Tampa General Hospital, as well as its world-class simulation center, the USF Health Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) and other surrounding facilities.

And locating the Morsani College of Medicine in this downtown district will have a positive impact on recruiting top-tier students, Charles J. Lockwood, MD, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine, pointed out.  At the dedication he reported that the College had already received more than 6,100 applications for the 2015-16 admissions cycle, all vying for 170 available positions.

Dr. Charles Lockwood, senior vice president of USF Health and dean, Morsani College of Medicine

“We are one of the most competitive medical schools in the country,” Dr. Lockwood told the guests, who followed with cheers and applause. “This downtown location is precisely where millennial medical students and young faculty want to be.”

Co-locating the USF Health Heart Institute with the new MCOM building downtown will also enhance recruitment of top cardiovascular researchers, support clinical and translational research opportunities to advance public health, increase MCOM’s National Institutes of Health funding levels and improve the rankings of MCOM and our partner, TGH.

In June, the Florida Legislature and Gov. Rick Scott supported plans for the new co-located facility by including $17 million in the annual state budget.  The new MCOM and Heart Institute, which will be built with a combination of state and private dollars, have received a total of about $57 million in state funding and $18 million in private donations to this point. The total cost of the project is $153 million.

Located at the corner of South Meridian Avenue and Channelside Drive, the new facility is part of a $2 billion real estate development led by Jeff Vinik. The group is developing 40 acres in downtown Tampa into a multi-use, urban waterfront district that will promote a walkable, sustainable, healthy environment for downtown Tampa residents, workers, students and visitors.

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With a 360-degree view of the hustle and bustle of downtown Tampa, speakers at the dedication captured the enthusiasm echoed across the region for this move downtown for the Morsani College of Medicine and the USF Health Heart Institute.

Site Dedication Speakers:  More of what they said

“The USF Morsani College of Medicine and the USF Health Heart Institute will rise here as one of the anchors of the development being planned by Strategic Property Partners, the joint venture between Mr. Jeff Vinik and Cascade Investments. By working together on every level of state and local government, and across both public and private sectors, we are creating a vibrant center of learning and research that will eventually touch the lives of everyone in the Tampa Bay region.”
USF System President Judy Genshaft

“Please allow me to… peer ahead to the year 2020. We would be standing on the first floor of the brand new medical school for USF and heart health institute, there would be a companion office building, and also one and two 600,000-square-foot office buildings.  You would be seeing bike paths, you would see diversity and inclusion from all kinds of people, you would see a 500-room hotel, 1,000 residential units, retail, restaurants, entertainment, vibrancy, water features, public art — all of which are require to turn an area into a district. A place where people live, work and play.”
Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

“This is an important day for this region. This is the beginning of Tampa taking that next step. This is where we join together as a community, driven by the belief that we are better together, that we are stronger together, that we are more competitive together, driven by Jeff Vinik’s vision. The willingness of USF to believe in what a downtown university could do for this community. The recognition that these resident (physicians) right here, that this is the intellectual capital that will drive the community for decades to come. Our ability to attract them to come to a great university but, most importantly, to stay in this city depends on an urban environment that works, an urban environment that’s alive 18 hours a day. That will drive our economy.”
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn

Florida Senator Tom Lee.

“The university system throughout our nation is one of the great economic engines in this country. I truly believe, having spent 35 years in the home building development business and off and on about 20 years in the Florida Legislature, having worked with many of the men and women in this room, I really believe that the University of South Florida anchoring downtown (Tampa) is going to create wonderful synergies, clusters of opportunity for further economic activity and truly create this mixed-used opportunities that our community is looking for to revitalize and fully develop the downtown area.”
Florida Senator Tom Lee

Florida Board of Governors Chair Mori Hosseini

“It has long been a priority of the Board of Governors to support higher education programs and facilities that provide the most return on investment for the state’s economy, especially those in STEM and health care. The newest USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and the USF Health Heart Institute exemplify that mission. President Genshaft, the USF Board and all of the partners across the Tampa Bay community have made it easy for the Board of Governors to lend its support… Congratulations to USF and, indeed, all of Tampa Bay on this historic milestone.”
Florida Board of Governors Chair Mori Hosseini

“We are another step closer toward the creation of a new kind of medical school and research program, both of which together will have a transformative effect on medical education and research, as well as the health of our Tampa Bay region and its economy. Together, we are building a medical school of the future, one that will allow us to educate future doctors in an era when medical student knowledge doubles every 73 days, that will pioneer new discoveries and personalized therapies to allow people live better and healthier lives, and that will set new standards of health care quality and outcomes while reducing health care costs. But the greatest impact of this project will be on the lives of our students, current and future physicians, researchers, and other health care professionals.”
Charles Lockwood, MD
Senior Vice President for USF Health
Dean, Morsani College of Medicine

Co-Director of USF Health’s Heart Institute Dr. Arthur Labovitz.

“This integrated facility will help recruit top cardiovascular researchers and clinicians and support translational and clinical research in order to advance public health and increase NIH funding levels. It will elevate the level of cardiovascular care throughout the Tampa Bay region — providing a world-class program that leads to new and more effective treatments for heart disease for generations to come.”
Arthur Labovitz, MD
Chair of Cardiovascular Sciences for MCOM
Co-director, USF Health Heart Institute

USF friends and steadfast supporters Frank and Carol Morsani with Jeff Vinik.

USF Health medical students turn shovels with USF President Judy Genshaft, Dr. Charles Lockwood and USF mascot Rocky D. Bull. Photo by Aimee Blodgett, USF Photographer.

Video by Sandra C. Roa, photos by Eric Younghans, and graphic by Mark Leaning, USF Health Office of Communications

“Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world…”

These are the first words to the preamble for the Declaration of Human Rights as created by the United Nations. The document was inspired by Eleanor Roosevelt, who called the Declaration “the international Magna Carta for all mankind.” It was adopted by the United Nations on Dec. 10, 1948.

Central to what is taught and practiced at USF Health is the concept of human dignity and everyone’s “right to life, liberty and security of person, as Article 3 states in the Declaration.”

Faculty across USF Health incorporate content into their curricula that touches on human rights concepts and countless USF Health staff and students offer their time and expertise to community initiatives and agencies that target violators and help victims.

In honor of Human Rights Day, we’ve compiled a small sampling of how people at USF Health are working to improve the human condition for many, finding ways to open eyes for the many and varied needs that are so basic to being human.

College of Public Health: Service learning: Undergraduate public health students are guided to find their passion and dive in, both with volunteer efforts and with research in mind so they can help improve programs. Elizabeth A. Dunn, MPH, CPH, leads the class called Community Participation and Homeland Security, which has service learning as its foundation.

“The projects these students take on help put into context everything that has an impact on our personal home security, be it access to health care, education, shelter, safety,” Dunn said.

Students connect with resources throughout the region. Examples include: working with victims of human trafficking, teaching them life skills, from cooking to preparing for college; working with the Tampa Bay Refugee Task Force to organize a USF event for local refugees and helping them find local support programs, understand public transportation in this area, shop at our well-stocked grocery stores; working with the Red Cross and a disaster action team.

Morsani College of Medicine: Street Medicine: Students from the Morsani College of Medicine are passionate about bringing health care services to Tampa’s less fortunate street community. Two years ago, inspired by programs in other cities, a group of students began their street rounds downtown.

“We just filled our backpacks with medical supplies and started going out,” said Eric Monaco, a fourth-year medical student.

The Street Medicine Project is well received by the street community. “They do great work, I really appreciate it,” shared Mr. Roberts, a community member who has been seen multiple times by the student group for ailments related to high blood pressure and diabetes.

Aside from their street runs, the students also hold a monthly medical clinical at a grassroots community center called the Well. Student volunteers convert the second floor of the Well into a mini medical clinic with stocked with over-the-counter medication and first aid.

College of Nursing: Intimate Partner Violence: Anthonia Imudia, DNP, is training USF College of Nursing students how to recognize signs and symptoms that could indicate a patient is a victim of intimate partner violence or human trafficking. The content is part of a master’s level course called Child and Family and aims to help tomorrow nurses identify risk factors and signs of abuse.

“Many of these women have chronic health problems and key symptoms that are clues that they are victims of intimate partner violence or human trafficking,” Dr. Imudia said.

Among the lessons she teaches her students is that they, as front-line health care providers, have the opportunity to develop trust with their patients. Pregnancy, especially, is a window of opportunity for helping these victims because the women may be more motivated to find help as they look to become good parents and are thinking more about their futures. Knowing the signs of abuse could help these nurses guide these women to resources and agencies that will help, Dr. Imudia said.

Need help? Call 800-799-SAFE.

College of Pharmacy: Protection under the law: USF pharmacy students gain valuable information on how the U.S. Constitution will impact decisions they make in clinical and research settings.

Sarah Steinhardt, PharmD, JD, teaches pharmacy students Jurisprudence Pharmacy Law, spotlighting the five freedoms guaranteed under the First Amendment, in addition to government structure, civics, and the policy process as a background for how our laws are created and the standards our country is built upon.

“There are several areas where health care and law intersect, such as access to birth control and conscience clause issues and petitioning the government/advocating to Congress for action on health care issues, so these freedoms are critical knowledge for educated, responsible health care professionals and citizens of this country to understand and utilize when making informed clinical and ethical decisions,” Dr. Steinhardt said.

For the community, COP’s Thomas Towers, PharmD, coordinates a Drug Take Back Program with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to give patients a safe location to dispose of their unused prescription medications, which reduces dangerous, unwanted access to prescription drugs. The next event is scheduled for May.

USF Health Service Corps: Volunteering: The hub of community service and outreach for students across USF Health, the USF Health Service Corps connects students to hundreds of volunteer activities across the region. Last year, students provided more than 29,645 hours of community service that provided free services to 23,957 area residents.,

“It is a pleasure and a privilege to be able to volunteer with our enthusiastic and caring USF Health students in our USF Health Service Corps program,” said Corps Coordinator Ellen Kent, MPH. “The program is designed to provide all of our students with a wide variety of fun and meaningful service learning experiences for underserved members of our community.”

On Dec. 16 at noon, there is a special orientation session for students who wish to contribute to a new health education and mentoring program for refugees and students. Email ekent@health.usf.edu if interested and to get location information.

USF Health Deans: Voices for Human Rights: Watch these video shorts to hear Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, Dr. Donna Petersen, Dr. Dianne Morrison Beedy, Dr. Kevin Sneed and Dr. William Quillen talk about their own colleges.

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Video/multimedia graphics by Sandra C. Roa, USF Health Office of Communications

USF Health’s Dominic D’Agostino conducts the Office of Naval Research-sponsored study using specialized hyperbaric chambers simulating underwater conditions

For the first time, ketone esters — oral supplements useful in epilepsy treatment — are being studied to fight seizures caused by hyperbaric oxygen toxicity, a life-threatening byproduct of breathing too much oxygen that impacts deep-water divers.

Dominic D’Agostino, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, is conducting this research supported by the Office of Naval Research.

Dominic D’Agostino, PhD, in the University of South Florida Hyperbaric Biomedical Research Laboratory. With support from the Office of Naval Research, D’Agostino is studying ketone esters-oral supplements useful in epilepsy treatment-to fight seizures caused by hyperbaric oxygen toxicity, a life-threatening byproduct of breathing too much oxygen that impacts deep-water divers.

“This work represents a renaissance in how therapies are repurposed for other applications,” said Dr. William D’Angelo, a program manager in ONR’s Undersea Medicine Program. “Traditionally, certain therapies were only used to treat specific conditions. There’s now a movement to explore how drugs and other therapies already approved by the Food and Drug Administration for one type of treatment could treat more than one ailment.”

In a cruel twist of irony, oxygen toxicity stems from a Navy diver’s most precious commodity-oxygen itself. While divers need oxygen to breathe underwater, that ratio can become hazardous the deeper they plunge. Basically, the deeper the dive, the greater the danger.

Special Operations divers such as Navy SEALs are especially at risk. Divers can encounter dangerous levels of nitrogen and carbon dioxide gasses when breathing underwater, requiring a rebreather to mitigate the toxicity. But Special Operations divers use a closed-circuit rebreather that filters out the gasses in such a way that bubbles don’t appear on the water’s surface—useful when trying to avoid detection by enemy combatants.

However, this additional stealth increases how much oxygen the divers breathe and, combined with mission stress and physical exertion, can lead to seizures, convulsions, nausea, dizziness and even coma or death—all symptoms of oxygen toxicity.

Read full story…

Doctors, students and clerical staff from across the Tampa Bay area volunteer to run the nonprofit clinic.

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Nestled in on a shady corner near the bay, just north of downtown, the Clearwater Free Clinic finds a way to piece together the health care puzzle for those in the community in dire need.

“We try to find the best fit, we do not compete, we do not duplicate services,” said Jan Humphreys, a nurse practitioner who leads care at the clinic. Humphreys, a small clinical staff and a host of volunteers, including USF College of Nursing students, manage to maintain and orchestrate health care for many patients in North Pinellas County suffering from chronic diseases.

Doctors and nurses, including faculty from USF Health, health care professionals, and students from all across the Tampa Bay area lend a hand at the clinic, helping people who fall into the range of not qualifying for Medicare but not being able to afford health care coverage.

Jan Humphreys is an ARNP who oversees the clinic.

Humphreys explains that by the time most patients find the clinic, they may be well into a serious disease, such as diabetes or cancer. “They’ve got multiple issues that are out of control, and we just work with them to address each issue one step at a time,” Humphreys said . “We try to right the ship and get them on an even path.”

The 38-year old clinic has been a pillar in the neighborhood, caring for community members who work, but have to make difficult decisions for their budget, often times neglecting their health issues.

“They have rent to pay, food to buy, gas, insurance that they have to have for their car, and health care is one of the last things that they can afford,” Jeannie Shapiro said. Shapiro has been executive director at the clinic for over 15 years and is in charge of finding creative ways to bridge the gap of providing health care at no cost.

“We try to capture our population. We reach out to our neighborhood, our citizens in North Pinellas County,” Humphreys said. “Our goal is to keep people out of the hospital, out of the emergency room, those expensive care locations. We try to keep them stable and as optimally functional as possible, so they can continue to work.”

Students from USF Health College of Nursing volunteer at the clinic. Photo by Meg Lokey

A staff and volunteers with a range of qualifications run the clinic Monday through Thursday.

The Clearwater Free Clinic operates solely on donations and the generosity of specialists and surgeons from across the Tampa Bay region. USF Health surgeon David Shapiro, MD, has been performing surgeries at the clinic since 1978 and continues to give back after his retirement as clinical professor of surgery at USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

“I have always believed that when I was first given the privilege to sign my name with MD that I had an obligation to care for patients who needed my services regardless of any personal financial considerations,” Dr. Shapiro said.

David Shapiro, MD, second from left, USF Health surgeon and faculty member pictured at an annual golf tournament fundraiser for the clinic, volunteers his surgical skills to the clinic. Photo by Meg Lokey

The Clearwater Free Clinic focuses on education as one of the most important aspects of what they can provide to patients, locating resources to encourage participation and awareness about the often times chronic diseases.

“Knowledge is power, so I feel if we can introduce to them what they have, their medical problem, in the most simplistic terms, then they are able to contribute and be part of (taking care of) it,” explained Jeannie Shapiro.

Along with educating patients about treating their illness, the clinic works to educate the community about the nature of the services they provide and issues encountered when trying to accomplish all that they do with limited funds and space.

The clinic has been operating in North Pinellas County since 1977.

“We do run into barriers that we work hard to get around,” Humphreys said.  The clinic is looking to expand their connection with USF Health’s academic medical center to explore tough to diagnose cases as well as provide educational opportunities for medical residents.

“We would love to build on that connection, and have USF Health’s internal medicine residents here; hopefully some of them live in Pinellas County and would like to visit us,” Humphreys said. “We would like to have the resources at USF to turn to when a patient is so complex or when we have patients who we can’t figure out what’s wrong, even after we’ve done a pretty good work-up.”

Strengthening connections across the bridge and building on a dedicated commitment to community medicine will be an ongoing project impacting the future of the clinic.

“For me it is a phenomenal job here,” Humphreys said. “With the help of all these volunteers and specialists, it’s a low-budget operation — but we get the job done.”

Video, photos and article by Katy Hennig, USF Health Communications and Marketing

As 2015 comes to a close and we look ahead to new opportunities in 2016, let’s reflect on some of USF Health’s highlights and accomplishments over the past year:

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THE YEAR’S TOP STORY:  USF gets green light to build new USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Health Heart Institute under one roof in downtown Tampa

The unprecedented opportunity became a reality in 2015, propelled by the alignment of a series of events — including a generous donation by steadfast USF supporters Carol and Frank Morsani, Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik’s visionary plan to develop a waterfront district in downtown Tampa, former Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford’s championing of the Heart Institute’s funding, and a new spirit of collaboration between USF and Tampa General Hospital.  A site dedication for the future home of the USF Health medical school and heart institute was held Dec. 8.

At the Dec. 8 site dedication for the future home of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute in downtown Tampa, USF Health medical students pose with USF President Judy Genshaft (left) and Dr. Charles Lockwood, senior vice president for USF Health and dean, Morsani College of Medicine (next to USF mascot Rocky D. Bull). Photo by Aimee Blodgett, USF Photographer.

The proposal to make this academic facility integrating superior medical education, translational research and clinical care a key anchor of Mr. Vinik’s downtown development project was quickly endorsed by city and county officials and virtually every segment of the Tampa Bay region.  After careful review, the USF Board of Trustees, Florida Board of Governors, state legislators and the Governor recognized the value of the project, both to advance USF’s academic and research missions and to drive innovation and economic development.

– USF dedicates downtown Tampa site of new Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute
– Governor approves funding for Morsani College of Medicine move downtown
– USF medical school on the move

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKLUYEERoJU

College of Nursing graduates first group of veterans to BSN students

The College of Nursing’s first cohort of students in the Veterans to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (VBSN) program students graduated Dec. 11 at the USF fall commencement. Bolstered by a $1.25-million Department of Health and Human Services grant, USF offers veterans and service members the opportunity to earn a bachelor of science degree in nursing through an innovative, rigorous program that builds upon their military health care training and experience.

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Think team: Interprofessional health training for disasters

USF Health students from nursing, medicine, public health, pharmacy and physical therapy gathered for the first critical incident and emergency preparedness simulation training Nov. 10.

Donna Petersen, ScD, dean of the USF College of Public Health, is administered a flu vaccination by a nursing student at the college’s free flu shot drive. Deans from all four USF Health colleges turned out to show their support for the community service event.

Rolling up our sleeves to protect against flu

The USF College of Public Health sponsored its 19th yearly free flu vaccination drive, in collaboration with the Hillsborough County Health Department. An interdisciplinary team of faculty and residents supervised USF nursing and medical students who administered shots Nov. 13  to adults from the university and surrounding community.

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USF Health celebrates “10 Together as One” 

USF Health faculty, staff and students gathered beneath the oaks near Lake Behnke in October to celebrate the 10^th Anniversary of USF Health. A decade ago, USF Health was created around a mission of envisioning and implementing the future of health.  A commitment, which continues today, was made to improve the full spectrum of health, from the environment, to the community, to the individual.

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Physical Therapy Class of 2018 takes an oath of commitment to professionalism

The achievements of USF Health’s relatively young School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences were highlighted at this year’s Commitment to Professionalism ceremony in October.  Among them were welcoming the school’s most selective Doctoral of Physical Therapy (DPT) class ever, with 47 Class of 2018 students chosen from among 1,299 applicants.  Additionally, this year the school admitted its first student to the new PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences degree program, and USF accepted its first resident into the Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Residency program.

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USF Health, TGH open storefront health care experience at Muma JA BizTown

Can a fifth grader be a surgeon, a nurse, a pharmacist, a hospital CEO? At the Muma Junior Achievement BizTown in September, cosponsors USF Health and Tampa General Hospital celebrated the opening of a storefront “hospital” where Hillsborough County fifth graders can take on roles in various health care careers for a day.

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USF Health physicians earn top spots as 2015-16 Best Doctors in America

The number of USF Health physicians making the biennial Best Doctors in America® list continues to grow. This year, the local list included 129 USF Health doctors who care for patients and families throughout the Tampa Bay region. More than two-thirds of the Best Doctors at our primary teaching hospital, Tampa General Hospital, are USF Health physicians.

Navigator Philip Conti of the Hillsborough County Division of Health Care Services speaks with Jodi Ray, principal investigator of the USF Navigator grant; Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn; and Michael Smith, special assistant to the President.

USF once again wins country’s largest Navigator grant

This September, for the second consecutive year, Jodi Ray’s team at the Florida Covering Kids & Families program, USF College of Public Health, was awarded the largest Navigator grant in the country — $5.9 million. Over the last three years, USF has been awarded more than $14.5 million in federal Navigator grants to help eligible uninsured Floridians get health care coverage.  The team’s success working with consortium partners across the state on education and outreach has garnered national media attention. This year’s enrollment event at the Marshall Student Center on Nov. 1 was visited by a White House official and Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

USF Health’s Dr. Charles Lockwood with Kathryn J. Gillette, Bayfront Health Market President and CEO.

Bayfront Health St. Petersburg becomes newest affiliate in Pinellas County

Bayfront Health St. Petersburg signed an affiliation agreement this fall with USF Health to help expand and strengthen the health care provided to patients in key medical and surgical specialties. Bayfront Health initially contracted with USF Health physicians who practice in the specialty areas of general and interventional cardiology and colorectal surgery.

The USF Health transitioned to the Epic electronic health records system in seven months; the typical changeover takes more than 18 months.

Epic electronic health records system launched

USF Health converted to Epic electronic health records (EHR) system at all its clinical sites Aug. 1, launching a new era of efficiency, improved patient care and safety, and a more cohesive system with Tampa General Hospital, its primary teaching hospital. Hundreds of people from various departments have participated in the process.

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USF Public Health first in state to launch new master’s curriculum

The USF College of Public Health became the first in Florida to update the curriculum for its master’s degree program, a step in tandem with a national effort to better train the public health workforce and improve population health. The changes reflect the national push to provide today’s public health professionals with real-world concepts that meet today’s public health needs. 

Kevin Sneed, PharmD, dean of the USF College of Pharmacy, presents the good news about accreditation to his faculty.

Pharmacy earns its first full accreditation

In July, the USF College of Pharmacy earned its first full accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), marking a huge milestone for the young school and validating the innovative education experience offered to its students.

Charles Paidas, MD, (far left) professor of surgery and vice dean for Clinical Affairs and Graduate Medical Education at USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, chats with otolaryngology intern Lindsey Ryan, MD, (right) as a group follows him for grand rounds at Tampa General Hospital during the first day for new residents.

First Day: USF physician residents embrace their specialty training

On July 1, the national start to residency training programs, new-to-USF residents were deployed to many clinical facilities and hospitals across the Tampa Bay area affiliated with the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.  This year’s residents and fellows totaled 238 — with about 45 percent starting at Tampa General Hospital, 25 percent at James A. Haley VA Hospital, 15 percent at Moffitt Cancer Center, and the remaining at various other sites.

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First USF Health Commencement marks milestone for 600 graduates

The first-ever USF Health commencement ceremony May 1 brought together all the undergraduate and graduate candidates from the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health and Pharmacy, as well as the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences.  The ceremony in USF’s Sundome marked the graduation of the College of Pharmacy’s inaugural class and recognized the 30^th anniversary of the USF College of Public Health, the state’s first accredited school of public health.

Christiano Caldeira, MD, president and CEO of Florida Advanced Cardiothoracic Surgery, in one of the cardiac operating rooms at Tampa General Hospital, where FACT surgery performs most of their more than 600 heart and lung surgeries a year.

USF Health, Florida Advanced Cardiothoracic Surgery team up to expand education and research

The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine launched an academic partnership with one of the top heart and lung transplant surgery groups in the country to expand the university’s education and research opportunities in advanced cardiovascular care. The partnership opens the door for USF to work closely with Florida Advanced Cardiothoracic Surgery, based at Tampa General Hospital, to create accredited fellowships in cardiothoracic surgery and subspecialties such as heart and lung transplantation and heart surgery.

This year, Military Times reported USF as the #2 Best For Vets university in the country, a ranking likely influenced by #1 rankings for both the College of Nursing and the College of Public Health as “Top Veteran-Friendly Schools.”

USF Nursing and Public Health each named No. 1 in Top 10 veteran-friendly schools rankings

In May College Factual ranked the USF College of Nursing the #1 veteran-friendly school in the nation for a bachelor’s degree in nursing.  That was followed in June by a first-place ranking for USF College of Public Health’s undergraduate program in College Factual’s “Top 10 Veteran-Friendly Public Health Schools” list.  Both top spots were reported in Military Times magazine.

– College Factual names USF #1 in top 10 ranking of veteran-friendly nursing schools
– USF undergraduate public health program ranked No. 1 among nation’s best for veterans

Leadership of USF Health and Florida Hospital Tampa, as well as medical faculty and student volunteers, pose for a photo at the soft opening of the BRIDGE Clinic at Florida Hospital.

USF Health and Florida Hospital Tampa partner to expand BRIDGE clinic

Further strengthening ties between the two institutions, Florida Hospital Tampa this April committed $1.2 million in donated goods and services to the University of South Florida to help expand community-centered medical care through the USF Health BRIDGE Clinic. The partnership will increase access to specialty care for uninsured residents served by the USF Health student-run program and significantly increase the number of patients seen.

Dr. Kevin Sneed, dean of the USF College of Pharmacy, meets “Fill” (short for Refill), the small humanoid robot who made his debut at the Pharmacy Plus open house.

Pharmacy Plus Open House introduces robotic “greeter”

Faculty, staff, students and patients got a close-up look at USF Health’s “Pharmacy of the Future” when Pharmacy Plus held an open house April 22 to inform the USF community of its full range of services, including making onsite pharmacists an integral part of the entire health care team.

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USF med students find their residencies with Match Madness

The largest Match Day class in the history of USF’s medical school — 128 students, including the charter group of SELECT students — moved their 2015 Match Day celebration from Skipper’s Smokehouse to a more spacious venue at Ulele restaurant, along the banks of the Hillsborough River and Tampa’s Riverwalk.  The new spot is closer to downtown Tampa, the future home of the Morsani College of Medicine.  March 20, 2015 was also the first time that the USF College of Pharmacy celebrated its own Match Day.

– Morsani College of Medicine graduates 128 new physicians
– Students anticipate USF’s first Pharmacy Match Day

Dr. Charles Lockwood, senior vice president for USF Health and medical school dean, with FOI President Dr. Roy Sanders.

USF Health and Florida Orthopaedic Institute sign new academic affiliation agreement

USF Health and Florida Orthopaedic Institute (FOI), Florida’s largest private orthopaedic group, forged a new academic affiliation in March, aimed at creating a pre-eminent department of orthopaedic surgery at the University of South Florida over the next decade. FOI President Dr. Roy Sanders was named chair of the USF Orthopaedics Department as part of this stronger partnership to advance clinical training and research.

USF was ranked as Florida’s top graduate nursing program by U.S. News & World Report, surpassing such schools as the University of Florida, Florida State University and the University of Miami.

U.S. News ranks USF Nursing and Public Health graduate programs among nation’s best

Graduate programs at the University of South Florida’s College of Nursing and College of Public Health ranked among the nation’s best in the latest U.S. News & World Report “America’s Best Graduate Schools” edition, appearing online in March. Last ranked by U.S. News in 2011, the College of Nursing’s graduate program ranking jumped substantially from number 64 to number 38. The College of Public Health ranked 16 — up from 21 when the school was last ranked three years ago.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sKdDU_-t_k

25th USF Health Research Day: A celebration of research and collaboration

This year’s Research Day (Feb. 20)  marked the 25th time USF Health’s emerging scientists came together to present their projects.  Inside the Marshall Center Ballroom was a celebratory buzz of activity, with rows and rows of bulletin boards holding the work of students, residents, fellows and post-doctoral researchers from across USF Health, including some collaborations with main campus researchers.

The interdisciplinary team includes, standing from left, USF Health’s Dr. Arthur Labovitz, Dr. Michael Alberts, Dr. Michael Fradley, Bernadette Shields, RN, cardio-oncology nurse coordinator at Moffitt, Dr. Roohi Ismail-Khan, and Larry Roy, administrator for the new Cardio-Oncology program.

USF Health, Moffitt Cancer Center Launch Florida’s First Cardio-Oncology Program

In January, USF Health and Moffitt Cancer Center started Florida’s first comprehensive academic Cardio-Oncology Program to reduce the risk of cardiovascular complications caused by cancer treatment. The joint effort combines the expertise of cardiologists and oncologists to provide better care for cancer patients who have a history of cardiovascular disease or have developed cardiotoxic side effects from chemotherapy.

Commanding the stage with her powerful peformance of “Someone Like You,” USF pharmacy student Bionqua Lynch was the 2015 winner of the BANDaids for BRIDGE talent show.

BANDaids for BRIDGE showcases talent for a cause

The 4th Annual BandAIDS for BRIDGE Talent show packed the hall at the Pepin Hospitality Centre on Jan. 9 — entertaining students, faculty, staff and friends of USF Health with energetic acts ranging from heartfelt singing and dancing to musical arrangements and comedy. Beyond showcasing student talent, the event benefits the USF BRIDGE Healthcare Clinic, a nationally recognized initiative of students from several colleges and schools that provides free health care to underserved residents of the University Area Community.

RELATED ARTICLE:  Top 10 most popular USF Health stories

Videos by Sandra C. Roa and photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications and Marketing
Nursing fall pinning ceremony video by Ryan Noone, USF College of Nursing

1. USF researchers develop novel ketone supplements to enhance non-toxic cancer therapy
2. USF physicians earn spots on 2015 Best Doctors in America list
3. New USF medical students belong to a record-setting class
4. USF med students find their residencies with Match Madness
5. In memoriam: Dr. William N. Spellacy
6. Opportunity to transform USF Health, downtown Tampa
7. Terri Ashmeade brings patient safety to the forefront of medical training…
8. Marijuana compound may offer treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, USF preclinical study finds
9. BOG approves request to build new USF medical school downtown
10. Testing a new Huntington’s disease therapy

Source:  Google Analytics provided by USF Health Information Systems. Facebook posts were ranked by the number of people who clicked through to the USF Health News site to read the article in 2015.

Dr. Rene Salazar.

Think twice as you and your family unwrap holiday gifts this year. A few simple steps can help you guide the leftover giftwrap and packaging you’ve just generated into the right avenues for recycling.

The impact would be huge if we all practiced these easy steps, says COPH’s recycling expert Rene Salazar, PhD.

“The holiday season brings with it a lot of waste,” said Dr. Salazar, assistant professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health in the USF College of Public Health. “But much of it can be recycled. If we all take these simple steps, in every household, we would affect big changes in redirecting recyclable materials away from landfills and into the recycling stream.”

 Listen to Dr. Salazar’s gift wrapping tips.

Here are a few tips we can all follow this holiday, and hopefully continue into the New Year throughout our household.

• Make your own holiday cards, using paper that can be recycled.
• Choose gifts that use less packaging or use packaging made from recycled materials.
• Don’t use typical bows and ribbons, which are made of materials that are not recyclable. Save bows and ribbons you receive for future use.
• Choose giftwrap that is recyclable, which most are but be sure to check the labels.
• Have a few large bags or boxes at the ready as your family unwraps their gifts, immediately separating paper from plastic.
• Styrofoam can be recycled, although not usually through our residential recycling programs. Publix offers bins for Styrofoam recycling.

Shipment packaging can be used to box a present.

Photos and graphics by Sandra C. Roa, USF Health Communications

In watching his father struggle with kidney stones, William Pearce was inspired to work closely with urologists, which sparked his idea for a new device that greatly reduces the need for recurrent catheterization. Now, about four years later, he is the inventor of a urethral catheter and has a patent securing his idea.

Pearce is a fourth-year medical student in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and is one of few medical students who will graduate already owning a patent. His idea was designed, nurtured, modified and perfected while he was in medical school, as part of the Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Business in Medicine section of the College’s Scholarly Concentrations Program (SCP). As an academic elective program, the SCP allows students to focus on areas of interest beyond the medical school core curriculum to enhance their overall training. More than 85 percent of USF medical students take part in one of the program’s 10 tracks.

William Pearce.

“The main goal for our Scholarly Concentrations Program is to give students an infrastructure for building unique and creative ideas that are integrated with what they are learning from the medical curriculum,” said Susan Pross, PhD, director of the SCP. “William’s project is a prime example of the success students can have with this program.”

Pearce’s patent is part of an active and successful patent program at USF through its Technology Transfer/Patents and Licensing Office. USF is ranked 10^th nationally and 13^th among universities worldwide for U.S. patents granted in 2014 by the National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association.

 Listen to William Pearce speak to the great support he had filing his patent.

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Pearce said the idea for the catheter didn’t happen instantly, but was a process over a lot of time.

“Looking back, it’s not something I could lay a road map for or define a key moment,” Pearce said. “It was a series of steps, that each alone were improbable.”

In following the care his father received for kidney stones, Pearce discovered that a patient could have as many as five attempts by health care providers for inserting a Foley catheter. The recurring insertion attempts results in trauma to the patient, and presents a higher risk for infection.

 Listen to William Pearce explain the dangers of  recurrent catheterization.

“There’s got to be a better way,” Pearce recalled thinking.

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Pearce partnered with a urologist in the Jacksonville area and, following an in-depth literature search, they decided the best approach was to integrate and elaborate on two existing designs. The combined concept resembled the advanced device used by urologists but incorporated a guide that allowed for easier insertion by frontline health care professionals – the people inserting the catheter the first time.

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Pearce filed his application December 2013; and then the waiting began. It wasn’t until mid-2015 when an email alerted Pearce that his patent had been accepted, making is catheter official. But the reality is, his work isn’t done – his next step is to seek approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) so the catheter can be tested in clinical settings.

William Pearce with his patent #8,956,340.

His advice to other students looking to bring their ideas to reality and locking in with a patent: start early and seek advice from experts.

 Listen to William Pearce’s tips for others wanting to file a patent.

“The Scholarly Concentrations Program gave me a head start, to be able to get an award to study possibilities and to do the research to see what patents already existed,” he said. “And the experts at the USF Technology Transfer/Patents and Licensing Office were key to helping me fine tune my application and get it filed. And today, I have my first patent.”

Multimedia by Sandra C. Roa, USF Health Communications

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeJ5NwJOeks

USF Health’s best friends and supporters filled the TPepin Hospitality Centre Jan. 8 for the 5^th Annual BANDaids for BRIDGE Talent Show. The evening entertained all with nine acts, opening performances, lots of banter, a silent auction of nearly two dozen offerings, and everyone in their red-carpet attire – all for the cause of raising funds and awareness of the USF Health BRIDGE Clinic.

Winning this year’s BANDaids for BRIDGE Talent Show was a trio of students who combined their talents of voice, violin, saxophone and flute, performing “Leona Lewis and Beyonce Mashup.” The three winning talents are College of Public Health graduate student Cienna Welsey on voice, fourth-year medical student Samson Lu on violin, and Latin Grammy award-nominated artist Jose Valentino Ruiz on saxophone and flute, who is pursuing his PhD in Music Education at USF.

From left, Cienna Wesley, Samson Lu, and Jose Valentino Ruiz.

Runners up include: Preethi Rajan, Tigris Haran, Joel Perez, Philip Bowers, Carly Waldman, Hillary McMullin, Aleksandra Bacewicz, Daphne Porat, Katrina Wachter, Katie Allen, Abdul Rahman Hashimie, and Amanda Brennan, as Say Ahh! Capella; Jameson Kuang, who performed “Chopin Waltz in A♭ Major” on piano; and Nupur Godbole, Om Prakash Nankissoor, Harish Shyam, and Natalie Menendez performing USF Naach.

Jameson Kuang

This year’s event drew three of the four founders of the BRIDGE Clinic: Dr. Waldo Guerrero, Dr. Sam Crane and Dr. Omar Hammad (Dr. Shelby Kent was unable to attend). The event is a wonderful way to help continue their vision of offering access to quality care to an underserved population, said co-founder Waldo Guerrero, MD, assistant professor of neurology in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

“Free clinics are one of several safety nets for those who don’t have insurance and this BRIDGE Clinic is a great way to meet their health care needs,” Dr. Guerrero said. “I still volunteer at BRIDGE as an attending physician and the experience always reminds me of why I went into medicine. The patients are so appreciative of the care they are getting from us.”

From left, BRIDGE Clinic founders Dr. Omar Hammad, Dr. Sam Crane, and Dr. Waldo Guerrero (not pictured is Dr. Shelby Kent, who was unable to attend the Talent Show).

Since opening in 2007 , the BRIDGE Clinic has moved into clinical space in the Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare on the USF main campus, and expanded into space provided by Florida Hospital, which allowed the Clinic to offer an additional night each week to help meet the demand for access to quality health care. Both sites offer MCOM students a greater education, said Bryan Bognar, MD, vice dean of the Office of Educational Affairs for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

“This talent show is one of the key fundraising events for the BRIDGE Clinic, a student-led, student-run free clinic,” Dr. Bognar said. “That Clinic represents the very best of inter-professional education and inter-professional health care delivery and so represents USF Health.”

Dr. Charles Lockwood.

Talent Show Emcees for the evening were Dr. Charles Lockwood, USF Health’s senior vice president and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine, and Michael Carr, talent show director and third-year medical student.

Third-year medical student Michael Carr.

Providing insightful feedback and humor were this year’s judges: Bryan Bognar, MD, vice dean of the Office of Educational Affairs for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine; Joel D. Momberg USF senior vice president of Advancement and Alumni Affairs and CEO of the USF Foundation; Dr. Rahul Mehra, alum of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry residency program and Chief Medical Officer of MehraVista Health; and Dr. Madeline Snyder, first-year internal medicine resident in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and creator of the BANDaids for Bridge talent show.

Judges Dr. Bryan Bognar and Dr. Rahul Mehra.

Sponsors for the evening included: USF Health as Showstopper; Pepin Distributing, Couch Family Foundation, Wesley Chapel Toyota, Florida Hospital, Jay Carlson Photography, Dr. Fred and Sheree Slone, Dr. Mariam Menezes and Dr. Lynette Menezes, Mr. Richard Stegemeier and Mrs. Roberta H. Stegemeier, Dr. Valerie Riddle and David Reader, Ricardo Rendel, Tampa Bay Sporting Clays, Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa Bay Lightning, USF Athletics Department, The Oxford Exchange, Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurants, Tampa Improv Comedy Theater and Restaurant, Carol Prokap and PRP Wine International, Yeungling Brewery, Bella Prana Yoga, The Gift Box Boutique, and The Brunchery.

Production team included: Michael Carr, Director; Vidhya Krishnan, Assistant Director; Megan, Melody Producer; Madison Collins, Assistant Producer; Nupur Godbole, Creative Director; Gautam Rao, Production Assistant; Kevin Hong, Marketing Director; and Jonathan Nilson, Technical Director.

This year’s full lineup included:

Thoracic Park: Edward Oh, Andre Lee, John Cassel, Usman Ahmad, Jameson Kuang, Scott Hoeckele

The Prayer: Elaine Tan

Say Ahh! Capella: Preethi Rajan, Tigris Haran, Joel Perez, Philip Bowers, Carly Waldman, Hillary McMullin, Aleksandra Bacewicz, Daphne Porat, Katrina Wachter, Katie Allen, Abdul Rahman Hashimie, Amanda Brennan

Leona Lewis and Beyonce Mashup: Samson Lu, Cienna Wesley, Jose Valentino Ruiz

Beauty and the Beast: Ollie Marseglia, Bionqua Lynch

Chopin Waltz in Ab Major: Jameson Kuang

Pirates of the Vitamin Sea: Caroline Bresnan, Katherine Woo, Key Yan Tsoi, Jude Nawlo

USF Naach: Nupur Godbole, Om Prakash Nankissoor, Harish Shyam, Natalie Menendez

Also performing at program interludes were: Madeline Snyder and Joel Momberg performing “White Coat Blues” and Mark Bender, Doris Deng, Abhinav Mohan, Shane Leighton, Raj Patel, Megan Melody performing “Mixomas.”

From left, Sheree Slone, Frank Morsani, Carol Morsani, and Dr. Fred Slone.

Dancing for USF Naach.

Co-director for the USF Health BRIDGE Clinic Viktor Flores.

Dr. Madeline Snyder and Joel Momberg help warm up the crowd.

This year’s winners give it their all.

Fun at the BANDaids for BRIDGE talent show.

Group shots along the red carpet.

See more photos on USF Health Flickr.

Video by Sandra C. Roa, and photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

Despite advances in drug therapies for diabetes, maintaining optimal blood sugar (glucose) levels has remained a challenge for health care practitioners and patients.

USF Health’s Emma Heart, PhD, studies how glucose communicates with the metabolic machinery of pancreatic beta cells to release appropriate amounts of insulin and how this process is altered in Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes.  But her laboratory’s research also takes into account that glucose regulation likely involves an intricate interplay of many other hormones in addition to insulin, which affect multiple target tissues such as the pancreas, liver, muscle and fat.

Emma Heart PhD, of the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, is an expert in islet physiology, in particular pancreatic beta cell metabolism. 

   Listen to Dr. Heart talk about why she joined USF Health.

“We need a holistic approach to understand how this hormonal matrix influences metabolism in order to attain the ultimate goal of preventing or more effectively treating diabetes, a metabolic disease,” said Dr. Heart, an associate professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology.

Dr. Heart’s laboratory also looks at how three other hormones fit into the mix with insulin  — glucagon, which raises the concentration of glucose in the bloodstream; leptin, which helps regulate energy balance by inhibiting hunger; and adiponectin, secreted by fat cells to help regulate the metabolism of lipids and glucose.

Blood glucose levels begin to rise after eating as digestion breaks down carbohydrates into sugar molecules, including glucose. Pancreatic beta cells respond quickly, secreting some of their stored insulin into the bloodstream where the hormone enables glucose to enter cells in the body, particularly muscle and liver cells.

Dr. Heart lifts vials out of a liquid nitrogen tank in the tissue culture laboratory.

Type 2 diabetes develops when the body does not respond properly to insulin. At first the pancreas produces extra insulin to compensate for this insulin resistance, but over time the pancreas cannot make enough insulin. With too little insulin, the body can no longer move glucose from the blood into the cells, causing blood glucose levels to increase.

“Normally, glucose is maintained in such a narrow range that even a little bit more can become a problem,” Dr. Heart said. “When glucose accumulates in the blood, eventually complications from elevated levels can damage the heart, kidneys, nerves or eyes.”

The liquid nitrogen tank, which Dr. Heart refers to as a “cell hotel,” stores a variety of pancreatic beta, liver, muscle and fat cells — all targets of hormones affecting metabolism.

Dr. Heart came to USF Health in 2015 from the Cellular Dynamics Program, Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA.  For the last few years she and long-term collaborator Joshua Gray, PhD, a toxicologist at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, have focused on plasma membrane electron transport, or PMET, an ancient system first characterized in plants that transports electrons out of the cell.  However, this system operates in all cell types, and they discovered that it is critical for pancreatic beta cell function.

They received a five-year, $1.8-million R01 grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to define the underlying mechanism and consequences of PMET in glucose metabolism, insulin secretion and the overall health of pancreatic beta cells. Dr. Heart, working closely with Dr. Gray, is also the principal investigator of a $337,000 American Diabetes Association grant investigating the role of the xenobiotic enzyme NQO1 for metabolic control in pancreatic beta cells and its effect on insulin secretion.

“Emma is an expert in islet physiology, in particular beta cell metabolism,” said Dr. Gray, who spends summers working with Dr. Heart in her laboratory.  “We have had a very productive ongoing collaboration investigating the response of beta cells to toxicants, including redox cycling chemicals, carcinogens and oxidative stress.”

Joshua Gray, PhD, a toxicologist at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT, is a long-time collaborator with Dr. Heart, investigating the response of pancreatic beta cells to environmental toxicants. – Photo provided by J. Gray

Dr. Heart and colleagues study how environmental toxicants — plasticizers such as BPA and flame retardants like polybrominated diphenyl ethers — may change metabolic balance and insulin secretion. Preliminary experiments have shown that adding very low doses of flame retardants to test media containing pancreatic beta cells stimulates the cells to secrete more insulin.

“Having too much insulin in the body can be as bad as having too little, because hyperinsulinemia can contribute to the development of obesity, insulin resistance, and eventually lead to diabetes,” Dr. Heart said. “The Goldilocks principle – not too much, not too little, just the right amount of insulin — definitely applies when it comes to the metabolic balance needed to convert glucose into energy for cell use.”

While seeking to better understand what causes energy metabolism to go awry and promote Type 2 diabetes, Dr. Heart is also looking for natural compounds to help alleviate the symptoms of diabetes without the side effects of drugs.

She has identified plant-derived quinones that may help normalize metabolism and promote pancreatic beta cell health, including a quinone (thymoquinone) found in the seeds of the spice black cumin.

 Dr. Heart comments on her research goals.

Dr. Heart, here with laboratory manager Xiaomei Liang, is testing plant-derived quinones to evaluate if the natural compounds can alleviate diabetes symptoms without the side effects of drugs.

Pancreatic beta cells chronically exposed to elevated glucose convert excess glucose into fat, which is detrimental to beta cell function, Dr. Heart said. “In the laboratory, when we apply very low levels of this quinone compound to pancreatic beta cells this conversion to fat is attenuated. The beta cells burn more glucose rather than store it as fat.”

She is currently comparing fat composition, gene expression and other metabolic factors in three groups of mice – those eating a normal diet, those fed a high-caloric diet that promotes weight gain and higher than normal blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia), and those fed the same fattening diet to which the black cumin quinone has been added. More study is needed, but preliminary results indicate that the mice fed the high-caloric diet plus the quinone compound are gaining less weight and have lower fasting blood glucose levels than the mice consuming only a high-caloric diet, Dr. Heart said.

This mouse-model study will examine quinone action on other metabolic tissues besides pancreatic beta cells, including fat and liver.  Huquan Yin, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow fellow and liver metabolism expert who recently joined Dr. Heart’s laboratory, will assist with the project.

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A native of the Czech Republic, Dr. Heart received her PhD in physiology and biophysics from the University of Southern California and completed an NIH-supported postdoctoral fellowship at Boston University, focusing on metabolism and insulin secretion. During her decade as a research scientist at MBL in Woods Hole, MA, she held faculty appointments at the University of Maryland and the University of Rhode Island.

Something you may not know about Dr. Heart:  She loves animals and volunteered for many years at a cat shelter in Falmouth, MA. After her 21-year-old cat Meow passed away, she adopted a 5-year-old black cat that she named Dracek, or “little dragon” in Czech.

Test tubes containing extracts from insulin-secreting cells are spun to prepare samples for analysis.

Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications and Marketing

Deborah DeWaay, MD, FACP, has been named associate dean of Undergraduate Medical Education in the Office of Educational Affairs of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine (MCOM).

When she begins in late March, Dr. DeWaay will oversee all components for educating MCOM medical students.  Undergraduate medical education is the overall learning experience students have while in medical school that includes the curriculum, clinical rotations, simulation exercises, and peer projects which add to the complete knowledge and skill set students will have at graduation as they transition to be physicians in training during residency.

Dr. Deborah DeWaay. Photo by Tim Roylance.

“Dr. DeWaay brings to USF Health a broad experience for developing medical curricula and her own passion for teaching will greatly impact our students,” Dr. Bognar said. “Her sense for implementing key components that better meet national trends and standards will help us strengthen our program tremendously.”

Prior to joining USF Health, Dr. DeWaay was associate professor of internal medicine, associate vice-chair for Medical Education, and director of the Internal Medicine Clerkship at the Medical University of South Carolina. She earned her medical degree with a distinction in research from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and has won numerous awards for teaching and humanism in medicine.  She is a general internist who practices as a hospitalist.

The Morsani College of Medicine is doing a fantastic job teaching future doctors, Dr. DeWaay said. In her new role, she will help guide the evolution of the medical school curriculum to prepare USF medical students for the ever-changing and rapidly evolving health care system.

“Ideally the educational system focuses on creating physicians who meet the health care system’s needs, and the health care system provides educational opportunities that promote the creation of the physicians it will need,” she said.

Central to the concept, she said, is competency.

“One of my visions is to better incorporate the AAMC’s Entrustable Professional Activities into the curriculum,” she said. “These EPAs are the 13 key skills that, upon graduation, every medical student should be able to demonstrate proficiently before starting residency. Many, if not all, of these 13 activities are likely in the MCOM curriculum already. The next step will be to make student assessment of these competencies even more explicit and to create a system that allows students and educators to glean organized data that will promote continuous improvement of the students and the curriculum.”

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In addition to being able to track competencies, Dr. DeWaay would like to build a system that will let students progress based on those competencies, in order to give added motivation beyond just meeting the competency.

“We have all of these talented students who are anxiously eager to become physicians,” she said. “I want to see our students have their talents cultivated even further prior to residency, so that when they begin their internship the learning curve is alleviated a bit.”

For example, she said, with regard to managing a stroke, if a student has demonstrated competency through simulation exercises, when they rotate with the stroke team, the attendings and residents on that team will know by that student’s presence in that select position that he or she has been trained and proven their ability. Thus, the student can have more responsibility on that team and have an improved experience.

“By increasing the opportunities students have to earn responsibility, we will build their confidence and increase their motivation to push beyond their own perceived limitations” she said.  “In addition, the health system would then provide increased opportunities for students to practice their skill. The result is learners who exceed expectations that allow medical schools to supply even more superior physicians into the health system in order to ultimately provide improved care to our community.”

Another key approach, she said, will be to build stronger clinical decision makers, which means students will have a better, more complete knowledge of the human body. Translated, that means continuing USF’s integration of the basic science and clinical science concepts across all four years. Dr. DeWaay offered this example.

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“In heart failure, for example,” she said, “we administer furosemide, but why? We know all the parameters around dosages, but what else? What is furosemide actually doing? How is our patient’s body actually responding to it? Having a greater foundation in basic science concepts while students are actually in the clinical setting, referencing them directly back to the patient in front of them, will help them be better doctors. It’s called mechanistic thinking, and incorporating it across all four years of medical school will create better clinical decision makers.”

In offering these ideas for what educational approaches make good doctors, Dr. DeWaay is quick to say that it’s a team of educators that helps build the framework.

“It’s important that there’s a unified vision for our goals and that all ideas are considered because there are always different ways to get to our destination,” she said. “The best innovations and solutions to a problem rarely come from one person.  Ideally, the culture cultivates an environment where individuals have novel ideas and the group takes the idea and makes it personalized and successful to the organization at large.”

Once settled in at MCOM, don’t be surprised to see Dr. DeWaay attending classes and clinical rotations as she gains a better sense of what USF medical students and educators are already experiencing. In addition, she will likely keep teaching.

“I can’t imagine not teaching or seeing patients,” Dr. DeWaay said. “Patients, students and residents constantly remind me why I became an academic physician and the great responsibility I have to serve both groups with enthusiasm and excellence.”

Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Office of Communications.

USF Health is adding to the extensive expertise offered by the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay with two recent additions to the Center’s administration.

Kaley Tash, MD, second-year fellow in USF Health’s Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine, was named to the Center’s Board of Directors, and Charurut Somboonwit, MD, was named the Center’s medical director.

Dr. Charurut Somboonwit (left) and Dr. Kaley Tash. Photo by Eric Younghans.

The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay offers crisis and trauma services to residents throughout Hillsborough County, responding to more than 160,000 requests for help each year. Both Dr. Tash’s and Dr. Somboonwit’s positions will benefit clients seeking services from the Crisis Center.

“USF Health, as an education and research institution, can help make significant differences to Tampa area residents connecting with the Crisis Center,” Dr. Tash said. “For many (Crisis Center) clients, health problems usually follow a crisis because they become a secondary concern. Clients may be more likely to forget to take medications, for example, or not properly manage their diabetes. This is a wonderful opportunity to have greater input on protocols and programs for those in need.”

“It’s our honor to have Dr. Kaley Tash join the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay’s board of directors,” said Gary Weisman, chair of the Board of Directors for the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay. “Our board is comprised of community leaders that bring amazing energy, resources, and a range of professional expertise to the Crisis Center. USF Health and the Crisis Center are both valuable community resources. We look forward to developing our relationship with USF Health and working together to make our great community even better.”

As medical director, Dr. Somboonwit will oversee practitioners who care for Crisis Center clients and be the liaison to USF Health and the expertise found in multi-specialty USF Physicians Group.

“The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay is here to ensure that no one in our community has to face crisis alone,” said Clara Reynolds, president and CEO of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay. “Dr. Charurut Somboonwit is an outstanding medical professional who will provide additional leadership and guidance to the Crisis Center’s client services team. The addition of Dr. Somboonwit as our medical director lays the foundation for a long-term, strategic relationship with USF Health that will help both organizations fulfill their commitment to improve the health and wellbeing of people in the Tampa Bay area.”

Among the many ways USF Health is providing expertise to the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay: Dr. Kaley Tash, through the USF Health Department of Internal Medicine and the Hillsborough County Health Department, helped coordinate the donation of a PCR machine to the Crisis Center’s ambulance service TransCare. The pilot project is placing the PCR machine in one of the Crisis Center’s ambulance so EMT first responders can diagnose influenza in patients who have flu-like symptoms ahead of taking them to the emergency room. The test not only confirms whether someone has the flu or not, but also which strain, helping health care providers know which course of treatment to provide and if the incoming patient should be isolated. Pictured here getting training on the PCR test machine are, from left, the EMT crew Mike Price and Daniel Silva for the ambulance carrying the PCR, Alere manufacturer tech consultant Edwina Szelag, Crisis Center President and CEO Clara Reynolds, and Dr. Kaley Tash. Photo by Katy Hennig.

The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, Inc. is a private nonprofit organization that provides a range of evidenced-based programs designed to meet community needs for help with devastating trauma of sexual assault or abuse, domestic violence, financial distress, substance abuse, medical emergency, suicidal thoughts, emotional or situational problems. Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, access to these services include:

• 2-1-1 Contact Center (suicide prevention, crisis counseling and over 4,600 other community resources services)
• Corbett Trauma Center (individual, family and group trauma counseling and research)
• Sexual Assault Services (forensic exams, advocacy, empowerment and prevention services)
• Family Stabilization (financial education and case management for working families)
• TransCare (9-1-1 emergency and mental health ambulance services, medical van transportation)
• Community Outreach and Training (community response and training)

Several USF Health faculty were among leading international researchers contributing to the scientific conversation at the third Vaccinology in the Tropics Conference, hosted by USF Health in Panama earlier in January.

The two-day conference offered researchers, clinicians and public health professionals the latest scientific, clinical and practical advances in vaccine research and global health.

Among those presenting, moderating and taking part in panel discussions were Donna Petersen, ScD, MHS, CPH, dean of the USF College of Public Health; Ricardo Izurieta, MD, Dr.PH, MPH, associate professor of Global Health at the USF COPH; Arlene Calvo, PhD, assistant professor of Community and Family Health at the USF COPH office in Panama City; John Adams, PhD, Distinguished USF Health Professor of Global Health at the USF COPH; Constance Visovsky, PhD, RN, ACNP-BC, associate dean in the USF College Of Nursing; and Jorge Lujan-Zilbermann, MD, associate professor of pediatrics and director of the Division of Clinical Research in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

Other researchers represented the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Johns Hopkins, among others.

As part of his remarks that opened the conference, Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, senior vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, touted the successes of USF Health Panama and shared his vision for furthering the collaborative relationship USF Health has with the City of Knowledge in Panama.

Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, senior vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, provides opening remarks at the Vaccinology Conference, hosted by USF Health Panama.

“Since its inception nearly 10 years ago, USF Health’s Panama program has been committed to educating current and future generations of health leaders and practitioners across the Americas, discovering new therapies to transform global health and most importantly, creating healthier and more sustainable communities, both locally and globally,” Dr. Lockwood said.

“Students from across a variety of disciplines gain valuable, hands-on public health experience in rural or indigenous communities throughout Panama, conduct innovative research to complete their master’s and doctoral theses, work alongside leading Panamanian physicians in public and private hospitals, and participate in internships and service missions across the Panama region.”

While in Panama, Dr. Lockwood, along with a team from USF Health in Tampa and USF Health Panama, attended a series of meetings with many of USF Health’s key partners, including Dr. Jorge Motta, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation; Dr. Enrique Mendoza, dean of the University of Panama College of Medicine; and Dr. Nestor Sosa, director general of the Gorgas Memorial Research Institute; and Jorge Arosemena, president of the City of Knowledge.

USF has a presence in Panama through the USF Health and Education International Foundation as a way to increase collaboration in education, research and patient care between USF faculty and students and Panama, and other health professionals and organizations throughout Latin America. The Foundation is located in the City of Knowledge, an international complex of organizations for education, research and innovation and host to UNICEF’s regional headquarters, the Red Cross, the United Nations Development Programme regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean, the World Food Program, and Plan International, among other regional headquarters. USF Health is the only health-focused, academic organization in the City of Knowledge.

Attending the USF Health and Education International Foundation (HEIF) annual meeting are, from left: Roberta Burford, JD, associate vice president for Strategic Health Operations for USF Health and newly installed president of HEIF; Gladys Bernett, MBA, MHA, director of program development for the USF College of Public Health and director of Business Development in Panama; Jay Evans, MBA, MPH, director of Financial Strategy for USF Information Technology, associate dean for Finance, Operations and Human Resources for the USF College of Public Health, and substitute secretary for HEIF; Cristienn Joudaane, MBA, MS, director of International Programs and Panama Initiatives for USF Health and secretary of HEIF; Dr. Charles Lockwood; Jorge Arosemena, president of the City of Knowledge in Panama; Lynette Menezes, PhD, assistant vice president for International USF Health and assistant dean for USF Medicine International; Carlos Callegari, MD, DMSC, professor of pediatrics at USF Health and CAMLS Medical Director International Affiliations; Joann Strobbe, MsEd, senior associate vice president for Administration, Finance and Technology, chief financial officer for USF Health, and vice president of HEIF; and Robert Pelaia, general counsel for USF Health. Not pictured are Aracely Quintero, program director in Panama; Greg Vannette, controller of Health Professions Conferencing Corporation (HPCC) and Treasurer of HEIF; and Constance Visovsky, associate dean for Faculty and Global Affairs for the USF College of Nursing and at-large member of HEIF Council.

The partnership offers ample opportunity for collaboration and sustainable, interdisciplinary programs. Since opening USF Health Panama in 2006, more than 975 undergraduate and graduate students and medical residents as well as more than 100 faculty members from the USF and other U.S. institutions have participated in the collaborative program. In the past year, USFH Panama faculty and alumni submitted a record 19 research grant proposals for studies in Panama, particularly focusing on HIV/AIDS, malaria, influenza, dengue, nutrition, health education and policy. In addition, the partnership has helped fund graduate academic-scholarship programs for more than a dozen Panamanian graduate students and professionals to study in the U.S. who have returned to Panama and assumed active roles to help strengthen the local capacity in health sciences, research, and business.

Here are photos from several past USF Health events and field projects taking place in Panama:

For more information on the USF Health Panama initiative and collaborative opportunities in the City of Knowledge, visit the USF Health and Education International Foundation – Panama, or contact Cristienn Joudaane, MBA, MS, director of International Programs and Panama Initiatives for USF Health, via email cjoudaan@health.usf.edu, or call 813-974-4003.

As the world hears news about the spread of the Zika virus and its link to other conditions, particularly the debilitating birth defect microcephaly, local media turn to USF Health — the region’s only academic medical center – for expert comment. USF Health faculty and researchers are stepping up to provide local reporters with on-camera interviews and in-print quotes, as well as national columns. Here is a round-up of our experts in the  news. Check back, as we continue to update this list.

Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, senior vice president of USF Health and dean, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

Contemporary OB/GYN

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Tips for prevention:
There are many ways we all can help prevent the spread of diseases carried by mosquitoes, including Zika. Donna J. Petersen, ScD, MHS, CPH, senior associate vice president for USF Health and dean of the USF College of Public Health, offers the following tips for reducing populations of mosquitoes, with thanks to Hillsborough County.
Keep in mind that, at this time, there are no cases of locally acquired Zika reported in Florida, and we have no reason to believe our local mosquito population is carrying the virus, Dr. Petersen said. The cases reported in Florida, including Hillsborough County, are all related to international travel.
“While local mosquito control agencies are spraying insecticides to kill mosquitoes in many areas, they always need the public’s help to remove breeding habitats in residential areas,” she said.
Here’s how you can help:
• Drain: Remove all standing water from garbage cans, gutters, pool covers, coolers, toys, flower pots, or any other containers where water has collected.
• Discard: Remove items that may hold water, such as old tires, drums, bottles, cans, pots and pans, broken appliances.
• Empty and Clean: Regularly change birdbaths and pets’ water bowls at least once a week.
• Protect: Cover boats and vehicles from rain with tarps to prevent water from accumulating.
• Maintain: Keep the pool chemistry of swimming pools in balance, empty plastic swimming pools when not in use, and repair broken screens on windows, doors, porches, and patios.
• Clothing: Remember to cover up: always wear socks and shoes, long pants, and long-sleeved shirts.
• Repellent: Apply mosquito repellent to bare skin and clothing. Always use repellents according to the label.
• Travelers returning from international locations are cautioned to wear mosquito repellent for two weeks after they return home.

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Douglas Holt, MD, FACP, director of the Hillsborough County Health Department, and director of the Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine, USF Health Morsani College of  Medicine.

Tribune editorial, citing Douglas Holt

Beata Casanas, DO, FACP, associate professor of infectious disease, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, and medical director, Hillsborough County Tuberculosis Clinic.

10 News

ABC Action News

Stephanie Romero, MD, assistant professor of maternal fetal medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

ABC Action News

WFLA radio

Dr. Robert Novak, PhD, professor in the Department of Global Health, USF College of Public Health.

ABC Action News

WFLA Newschannel 8

In its continued effort to make the best use of patients’ time during their visits, the USF Physicians Group is opening Patient Labs in the Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare and the South Tampa Center for Advanced Healthcare.

The two Labs will provide patients with on-site phlebotomists who will collect blood and urine samples, helping patients not only get their labs taken faster but also get their results sooner, allowing for faster decision making for treatment plans and better patient outcomes, said Jed Varanelli, JD, MBA, Laboratory Business Manager for the USF Physicians Group.

“So many of us tend to procrastinate getting that lab work done because it’s an extra errand in our already busy lives,” Varanelli said. “Now, when our health care providers prescribe lab work, our patients will only have to come the first floor of either USF Health site.”

Each Patient Lab is in newly remodeled space with components designed for comfort, as well as efficiency.

Patient Labs in the newly remodeled space in the South Tampa Center.

Initially, the Labs will provide services on a first-come, first-served basis. In certain cases, such as when it’s a hardship for a patient to get to the first-floor Lab, specimens can be collected by USFPG providers in the exam rooms or on the clinic floors. Phlebotomists will be trained across specialties, including pediatrics.

In the South Tampa Center for Advanced Healthcare, the Patient Lab is on the first floor, down the main hallway, beyond the elevators and toward the Imaging Center.

In the Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare, the Patient Lab is located on the first floor, just behind the reception desk and next to the waiting area.

The goal of the new service, Varanelli said, is to streamline and expedite laboratory processing for USFPG patients.

“It’s a one-stop-shop, one-experience approach,” he said. “And it’s another way we’re making life better for our patients.”

From left, Amber Grooms, who is based at the South Tampa Center, Marcela La Rosa , who is based at the Morsani Center and Jed Varanelli.

Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Office of Communications

As Andrea Bocelli belts out his first tune to the Tampa Bay audience at the Amalie Arena this Thursday evening, medical student Michael Manasterski will be on stage alongside the classical solo musician. Manasterski, an amateur vocal artist, was one of several singers selected through the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay to support Bocelli in a back-up chorus. Manasterski is a fourth-year medical student in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine with plans to pursue his residency in psychiatry.

Manasterski moved to Tampa in 2007 to attend the University of South Florida, and sang in the USF Honors College chorus under former Dean, Dr. Stuart Silverman. He expressed the importance of the chance to be a part of this musically talented program to balance out his intense studies.

“I was grateful for the opportunity to pursue my interest in music while undergoing rigorous preparation for medical school,” Manasterski said. He successfully completed his undergraduate coursework and graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. degree in biology, and later matriculated at USF.

During medical school, Manasterski found that despite the dramatically increased demands on his time, he felt the need to maintain strong connections to arts and culture to stay inspired. An important creative outlet was participating in the USF Health Chorus and Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Frazier Stevenson, former associate dean of undergraduate medical education.

In August 2015, Manasterski joined the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, an auditioned, highly select 150-voice volunteer chorus under the direction of Dr. James K. Bass. “I have performed in variety of concerts with them at the Tampa Theatre, the Straz Center, the Mahaffey, and Ruth Eckerd Hall,” Manasterski said.

He received the news about the Bocelli performance last month. “In January I received a forwarded email from the Straz indicating that they were seeking singers for a chorus to sing with Andrea Bocelli. I jumped at the chance and was fortunate enough to be selected.”

For Manasterski, performance is engrained in the core of his learning philosophy. “A foundation in the humanities is essential for aspiring physicians, because it helps us put our lives in the context of the vast tapestry of the human experience, and cultivates a nuanced worldview capable of engaging the ambiguities encountered in clinical practice.”

The Andre Bocelli concert will be at The Amalie Arena on Thursday, Feb. 11.

The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, including Manasterski, will be performing Brahms’ “A German Requiem” in March.