Carrie Ryan got the text message while she was in her Introduction to Clerkship class at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine: she was a potential match to someone needing a bone marrow transplant.

Ryan, a third-year medical student at USF Health, had added her profile to the National Marrow Donor Program several years prior while she worked in Washington, DC. With a simple inner-cheek swab, her genetic information was added to the national registry of millions of people willing to offer their bone marrow to others in need of life-saving stem cells.

“I had been on the registry for eight years or so,” Ryan said. “So I knew from the day I registered that I could be contacted at any given moment.”

After the text message, Ryan’s next steps were to provide a blood sample to confirm through HLA typing that she would match with the recipient, answer a detailed questionnaire about her current health status and exposure to infectious diseases such as Zika virus, among other questions, and undergo a physical examination, EKG and a chest X-ray.

During this time, Ryan also found out a little more about her recipient.

“She is 2 years old and has leukemia,” Ryan said. “Talk about an incentive to help.”

A week prior to her surgery, Ryan underwent filgastrim (Neupogen®) injections to stimulate her body into producing more bone marrow. She then flew to Washington, DC, where she underwent peripheral blood stem cell collection. The donation is through apheresis, a process similar to the donation of platelets, which took about five hours and she was able to return to Tampa the following day.

Although she hasn’t met her recipient, Ryan said she was told the toddler is doing well.

November is National Marrow Awareness Month and Ryan said she’s eager to remind others how easy it is to be included in the national registry and how impactful it can be to the thousands who are waiting for a match.

“Only about 30 percent of family members are matches so it’s important that we all add to the registry,” she said. “It’s super easy and super rewarding.”

There is a national need for bone marrow donors, especially for minority groups. You can register through a local registration drive, or you can sign up on BeTheMatch.org.

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

Photos and video by Ryan Noone, USF Health Office of Communications

USF Health Morsani College of Medicine immunologist Kenneth Ugen, PhD, participated in a new study demonstrating how a synthetic DNA vaccine approach successfully protected against infection, brain damage and death caused by the mosquito-borne Zika virus in vivo.

Dr. Ugen, a professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine, was a co-investigator for the preclinical study, recently published in the journal Nature: npj Vaccines. David B. Weiner, PhD, executive vice president and director of the Vaccine Center at The Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, was the study’s lead author.

“The paper published presents a study demonstrating the ability of a gene-based vaccine against a Zika virus protein to successfully protect mice from infection with this virus and associated damage,” Dr. Ugen said.

In this multisite study, 100 percent of the animal models were protected from Zika after vaccination followed by a challenge with the Zika virus. In addition, they were protected from degeneration in the cerebral cortex and hippocampal areas of the brain, while the other cohort showed degeneration of the brain after Zika infection.

Microscopic image of Zika virus

The research was the first of its kind to analyze a vaccine in an animal model that is susceptible to the disease, providing information regarding the protective impact of the immune response in susceptible individuals. Prior studies of the Zika virus have tested vaccines in animal models that are naturally resistant to Zika. This study extends these prior research studies in an important manner.

In this latest study, Weiner and colleagues demonstrated how a synthetic DNA vaccine expressed specific antigens for Zika in vivo. They observed that this novel vaccine generated robust antigen-specific antibody and T cell responses that neutralized the virus in preclinical animal models. Moreover, they found that the vaccine provided protection against the disease and death in animal models while also being neuroprotective, meaning that the disease was unable to spread to the brain. This is especially important given the risk that infants born with the disease have of developing microcephaly, a birth defect resulting in an abnormally small head and that may prevent the brain from developing properly.

Kenneth Ugen, PhD

One important aspect of Zika and many other mosquito-borne diseases is that not everyone infected with the virus will actually become ill as a result. With Zika, only about 20 to 25 percent of individuals with the virus are actually impacted by the disease, according to previous studies from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). However, there is no way to know for certain who will be at risk for illness due to the virus, which is why it was crucial for this study to examine how a vaccine would operate in an infected, symptomatic host.

This Zika vaccine was developed by investigators at the Wistar Institute and Inovio Pharmaceuticals, with contributions from other investigators at multiple institutions. The vaccine has been approved by the FDA for clinical evaluation in Phase I clinical trials now being conducted in several U.S. and Canadian cities as well as in Puerto Rico.

Nearly 4,000 cases of Zika infection have been reported in the United States alone, according to the CDC. While most of these are travel-associated cases, more than 100 cases of Zika infection originating within the United States have been reported. Globally, more than 60 countries have reported mosquito-borne transmission of the disease.

***

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases grant NIH R01 AI092843. Weiner received funding from Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Gene One Life Science Inc.

Dr Kapil Patel was recruited from Stanford University known for its preeminent center

Pulmonologist Kapil Patel, MD, arrived at USF Health full-time Sept. 1 with one overarching goal in mind: to help lead and strengthen the Lung Transplant Program at Tampa General Hospital while strategically working to create a Center of Excellence for Advanced Lung Disease.

He came from Stanford University Medical Center, home to one the few such specialty pulmonology centers in the United States, which is known for its exceptional patient outcomes and consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best in the nation.

Pulmonologist Dr. Kapil Patel was recruited to the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine from Stanford University Medical Center.

“Dr. Patel’s recruitment is significant for USF Internal Medicine, the patients of USF Health and Tampa General Hospital and the community at large. His move from Stanford University to head the lung transplantation program is a landmark, making this the first solid organ transplant program to be part of USF in 35 years,” said John Sinnott, MD, chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. “Dr. Patel’s vision for a center for advanced lung disease will place USF and Tampa General at the forefront of caring for patients with lung diseases in the United States.”

A center like the one at Stanford promotes continuity of care, allowing patients to be conveniently treated in one place by physicians who subspecialize in complex lung disorders, while cohesively providing the latest advances in medical and surgical care, said Dr. Patel, assistant professor of medicine in the Morsani College of Medicine’s Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine and medical director for lung transplant, interstitial lung disease and adult cystic fibrosis.

“As you bring academic research to the forefront, it also opens opportunities for patients to participate in clinical trials that can afford alternatives to treatment they may not otherwise receive elsewhere,” he said.

Dr. Patel most recently directed the Stanford’s Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) Program, one of the arms of the medical school’s Center for Advanced Lung Disease. He helped build physician referrals to Stanford’s ILD program from 100 to more than 200 in just over two years.

Providing integrated subspecialty care for complex lung diseases

Dr. Patel says he was attracted to USF Health by the opportunity to serve as medical director of an academic-affiliated lung transplant program and to build upon the solid foundation laid by Tampa General’s transplant team to create what could be Florida’s first center for advanced lung disease.

He plans to work with colleagues in USF Health Internal Medicine and Tampa General over the next several years to develop a center of excellence serving as the umbrella for four interconnected programs:

• Lung Transplantation: Tampa General already has an active program accredited by the United Network of Organ Sharing – one of five in Florida – and has performed more than 480 total adult lung transplants (single and double) since 2002. The program’s one-year patient survival rate of more than 91 percent and three-year survival rate of more than 71 percent both exceed national survival rate statistics. Dr. Patel plans to selectively grow a larger program.

“Selective is the way to go to do the right thing for patients. It is critical to identify appropriate candidates in need of transplant and to understand the limitations to transplant, so you do not push the limits too far,” he said. “We want to be confident that the surgery will go well, so the patient leaves the hospital with a new life.”

Since arriving here, Dr. Patel has worked closely with USF Health-affiliated cardiothoracic surgeon Christiano Caldeira, MD, of Florida Advanced Cardiothoracic Surgery, who serves as surgical director of the heart and lung transplant programs at TGH. They take donor calls together, jointly decide which donor organs are the healthiest for recipients, and co-manage lung transplant patients in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Dr. Patel with Nicole Davis, RN, a lung transplant coordinator at Tampa General Hospital.

• Interstitial Lung Disease, or ILD (also known as pulmonary fibrosis): This new program would manage the care of patients with a group of lung disorders causing tissue deep in the lungs to progressively stiffen and scar, which affects the ability to get enough oxygen into the bloodstream. Currently, Dr. Patel said, Florida has no ILD program certified by the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) Care Center Network. Dr. Patel will lead an initiative by USF and TGH to establish the first.

• Cystic Fibrosis: Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease that causes thick mucus to build up in the lungs, leading to repeated, serious lung infections. The Cystic Fibrosis Program at TGH is the largest adult program in the state certified and supported by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

• Pulmonary Hypertension: USF Health pulmonologist Ricardo Restrepo-Jaramillo,MD, assistant professor of medicine, specializes in pulmonary hypertension – high blood pressure that occurs in the arteries that go from the heart to the lungs and may eventually lead to heart failure. He will become director of the new USF pulmonary hypertension program at TGH, Dr. Patel said.

Lung transplants are typically performed for people likely to die from lung disease within one to two years, when other treatments like medications or breathing devices no longer work, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. ILD and cystic fibrosis are both conditions accounting for the most lung transplants nationwide, Dr. Patel said, with pulmonary hypertension affecting a smaller population of patients needing transplants.

Collaborating with community physicians

To create an integrated center, Dr. Patel plans to bring several pulmonologists with research as well as clinical expertise into the lung transplant program he directs, as well as recruit subspecialty directors for the ILD and cystic fibrosis programs. He will also add nurse practitioners to a team already supported by TGH nurse coordinators, respiratory therapists, social workers, dietitians and a pharmacist.

“When you manage patients with advanced lung disease, it takes a multidisciplinary team of professionals skilled in pre and post-transplant,” he said. “These are patients with complex conditions who need a lot of support and coordination,”

Dr. Patel sees patients at the Cardiac and Lung Transplant Clinic based at Harbourside Medical Tower.

More immediately, though, he is focusing on selectively increasing the referral base of patients by meeting with community physicians across the Tampa Bay region and seeing established pre-transplant patients in the clinic at Harbourside Medical Tower, Tampa General campus.

“I want doctors in the community to know that we are here to collaborate in the care of patients with advanced lung diseases,” Dr. Patel said. “Our availability is a priority, and ensuring the shortening of turn-around times for initial clinic visits is crucial, so that patients referred to the USF-TGH program are evaluated for medical care or transplant within weeks, not months. When someone needs a transplant, they need to be seen yesterday, and we work to intervene early.”

Advances in pulmonary transplant treatment

Over the last decade, advances in surgical techniques and significant improvements in post-operative care have contributed to improved survival of pulmonary transplant patients.

“We’ve gotten better at understanding what it takes to get these patients through transplants with fewer complications,” Dr. Patel said. “Once you get patients through the ICU following transplant, their chances of recovery and surviving a year or more out are much better.”

Medical therapy has also improved. For example, in 2014 the FDA approved the first medications (pirfenidone and nintedanib) to treat the most common type of pulmonary fibrosis, known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Until then, lung transplant was the only option for these patients, said Dr. Patel, who at Stanford led several site clinical trials testing the effectiveness of drugs for IPF.

Dr. Patel received his MD degree from the Medical University of Lublin in Poland. He completed a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Vermont and a dual heart-lung and lung fellowship at Stanford University Medical Center. He worked in private practice in Baltimore as well as holding faculty positions at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, the University of Maryland Medical Center, and Stanford.

Dr. Patel is a member of the American College of Chest Physicians and the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.

A USF-TGH Center for Advanced Lung Disease won’t happen overnight. But Dr. Patel is confident that the vision can become a reality one purposeful step at a time.

“That’s why I came here,” he said. “We have a strong foundation and the pieces to grow.”

Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications and Marketing

Friends and supporters gathered in the USF Health Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare Nov. 14 to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the opening of the USF Diabetes Center and the impact the Center has had in its short history on patients and families coping with diabetes.

The USF Diabetes Center Fifth Anniversary Celebration, held on World Diabetes Day, was attended by the center’s friends and supporters.

Surrounding the demonstration kitchen in the USF Diabetes Center, founding benefactors, current patients and their families, and supportive USF Health faculty and staff mingled and shared memories that spanned the five years. Guests then moved to the on-site classroom to hear updates on the Center’s progress. Remembering when the original space was only a shelled out, incomplete floor, Henry Rodriguez, MD, medical director and pediatric endocrinologist, recalled the excitement for designing a space with patients in mind.

“Back when this floor and the floor above us was all shelled space, when you could see from one end of the building to the other, we walked through a taped off area of the Diabetes Center,” Dr. Rodriguez said. “Since that time, we have done some pretty remarkable things. We have grown over the years and continue to expand our providers, our research team and our patient population.”

 Dr. Henry Rodriguez talks about what’s on the horizon in the next 5 years.

Dr. Rodriguez also presented statistics that mark the reality of diabetes for more than 30 million Americans, offering greater insight into the disease’s prevalence, impact, and projected increase in the number of diagnoses.

 Dr. Rodriguez comments on the USF Diabetes Center’s TrialNet Clinical Center.

Henry Rodriguez, MD, medical director of USF Diabetes Center

“I don’t need to convince anyone here of the urgency of looking at prevention to improve the lives of those affected by diabetes,” Dr. Rodriguez said. “Diabetes is expensive, because medical expenses for people with diabetes are double that of people who do not have diabetes. It’s also demanding, because it requires constant vigilance. And it’s a pain, because individuals with diabetes report a lower quality of life compared to the general population.”

 Dr. Rodriguez shares some advances in diabetes research.

The conversation turned to Jeffrey Krischer, PhD,  Distinguished University Health Professor and director of the USF Health Informatics Institute, which has an internationally renowned team of experts in Type 1 diabetes and related autoimmune disorders.  He offered details about new research that may impact current knowledge on how diabetes works and how it can be treated.

“Research is my passion and, as evidenced by the growth of our program over the last five years, my passion extends to helping children and adults who are affected by Type 1 diabetes,” Dr. Krischer said. “In the last five years, the amount of research here has grown and continues to grow. We have more to offer and more ways we can benefit our patients who come to us for care. We are a blend of both clinical care in a warm and supportive, multidisciplinary setting, and access to the latest, state-of-the-art therapies and research advancements that you can only find in this kind of setting.”

Jeffrey Krischer, PhD, Distinguished University Health Professor and director of the USF Health Informatics Institute

 Dr. Jeffrey Krischer explains the role of the USF Health Informatics Institute.

In answering a guest’s question about coordinating information among the multiple clinical centers, Dr. Krischer said, “Some 200 (clinical centers) participate with my office directly and we coordinate all of that research worldwide. So it’s done right here, on this campus, less than a tenth of a mile away from where we’re sitting right now. All of those programs look to us for these results. Research is complex these days and requires coordination, and I’m really proud of the fact that this is where it’s happening.”

 Dr. Krischer on the questions scientists seek to answer about diabetes and related autoimmune disorders.

The USF Diabetes Center opened in 2011, coinciding with World Diabetes Day, a day that marks the birthday of Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin in 1922. Today, the Center sees primarily patients with Type 1 diabetes, with about half adults and half children and adolescents.  Most patients live in the region served by USF Health, but many are from across the state.

Key milestones for the USF Diabetes Center include:

• 2011: Ribbon Cutting that opened the USF Diabetes Center at the USF Health Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare.
• 2012: The inaugural meeting of the Tampa Bay Diabetes Society, offering patients and families a resource for support and services.
• 2013: The USF Diabetes Center begins an Insulin Pump Program that provides new technology to patients and enhances patient care.
• 2014: USF named one of 19 TrialNet Clinical Centers in North America.
• 2015: USF Health consolidates the diabetes and endocrinology services to offer more streamlined care and expanded service locations.
• 2016: Sam Fuld’s Sports Camp, partnered with the USF Diabetes Center, is recognized by the Florida Sports Hall of Fame.

Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Office of Communications. 

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On Thursday Oct. 13, USF Health celebrated 10 years of presence at the City of Knowledge, Panama. The event aimed to emphasize the common vision shared by USF Health leadership and many of the academic and research partners in Panama; it also featured a keynote address by guest professor Anne Firth Murray of Stanford University, human rights advocate and Nobel Peace Prize nominee. Dr. Murray spoke eloquently about the economic impact of investing in women´s health and education across the life span.

Donna Petersen, ScD, senior associate vice president of USF Health, dean of the College of Public Health (COPH) and one of the founders of the Panama program, talked about how, through the recommendation of COPH alumna Dr. Arlene Calvo, she came to Panama and “was immediately inspired by the impact that public health had on the construction of the Panama Canal, Panama´s biodiversity, and more importantly the enthusiasm of those Panamanian visionaries, Dr. Rodrigo Tarté and Prof. Jorge Arosemena, who were starting to develop the City of Knowledge concept. That inspiration, turned into motivation to establish a USF presence with a global health focus at the City of Knowledge, the old U.S. Clayton Military Base, now transformed into a research and innovation park, a campus for foreign universities and the home of many international NGOs.

In his remarks, Charles Lockwood, MD, senior vice president of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine, mentioned the “increased collaboration in education, research and clinical care between USF faculty and students and their counterparts in Panama as well as health professional and organizations across the Americas.” He then thanked the Panamanian partners for their continued support to help provide “research opportunities for more than 1,100 undergraduate and graduate students and medical residents as well as for over 175 faculty members from the USF and other U.S. institutions.”

USF Health Panama´s research and academic initiatives have trained more than 2,000 health professionals and field workers throughout Panama and the Latin American region.

Through the USF Health Panama Program, students across a variety of disciplines gain hands-on experience in rural or indigenous communities throughout Panama and conduct innovative research to complete their master’s and doctoral theses. They work alongside Panamanian physicians and health care workers in public and private hospitals, complete field studies in cooperation with humanitarian agencies, intern with business and industry leaders, and participate in service missions across the Panama region. USF faculty, affiliate faculty and alumni in Panama engage in cutting-edge research and health education grant projects on HIV/AIDS, Zika virus, malaria, influenza, dengue, domestic violence, cervical cancer, nutrition, diabetes, data systems, and policy analysis. Dr. Lockwood thanked Dr. Nestor Sosa, director of the Gorgas Memorial Research Institute for Health Studies (ICGES), for rich discussions on topics of joint interest and mentioned his interest in working more on vaccine development and other research areas of joint interest.

During the evening reception, Dr. Anne Debaldo was recognized for her instrumental role in the development of the Health and Education International Foundation in Panama. In addition, partner institutions such as the Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health Studies (ICGES), the National Secretariat of Science Technology and Innovation (SENACYT), INDICASAT, the City of Knowledge and the University of Panamá were specially honored for their years of joint collaboration and support.

The Ministry of Health, the National Obudsman’s (Defensoría del Pueblo) office, Vital Voices, the Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean (CATHALAC), Centauri Technologies, Forest Finance, the National Association against Cancer (ANCEC), PROBISIDA Foundation, UNICEF, The Panamerican Health Organization (PAHO), as well as faculty from the Oncological Institute (Instituto Oncológico), the Children´s Hospital (Hospital del Niño), the Social Security Hospitals , the Santo Tomás Hospital and Regional Health Centers were also recognized.

The Health and Education International Foundation Board, presided by Roberta Burford, associate vice president for strategic health operations at USF Health, was also present at the event. USF Health Panama team members Lynette Menezes, PhD; Cristienn Joudaane; Arlene Calvo, PhD, MPH; Aracely Quintero; Jeanette Galvez; Gladys Bernett; and alumni Morgan Hess Holtz and Arturo Rebollón, MD, were also thanked for their dedication in advancing the USF’s mission in Panama.

Strong academic collaboration was the main highlight of the evening. There was potential and enthusiasm to keep working together on initiatives aimed at improving the health, education and quality of life of our communities, our hemisphere and the world.

Story by Gladys Bernett, video by Sandra C. Roa/ University Communications and Marketing, photos by Tarina Rodriguez

Nurse practitioners play a critical role in health care. Their life-changing work and service make a tremendous contribution to patient outcomes.

That impact is seen at USF College of Nursing and its faculty and student nurse practitioners. They continue to transform the profession in various ways, including their community involvement in Tampa Bay and beyond.

Faculty and master’s and doctor of nursing practice (DNP) students recently volunteered at the Remote Area Medical (RAM), a free and remote clinic in Bradenton. They provided primary care services to uninsured patients from medically underserved communities.

USF Health faculty and student nurse practitioners provided primary care services to uninsured patients from medically underserved communities at a remote clinic in Manatee County.

“Our team provided free care to hundreds of patients with health needs including physical checkups, flu, blood pressure, women’s health, prescriptions refills and other health issues,” said Cheryl Wilson, DNP, assistant professor and director for adult/gerontology concentration at USF Nursing. “Through this clinic, we were able to provide more than $400,000 worth of care to patients in this community, so the impact has been tremendous.”

Read more…

USF College of Nursing remembered the life and career of Former Dean Patricia A. Burns. PhD, during a special ceremony on Nov. 18.

Dr. Burns, who was also the USF Health senior associate vice president, passed away on Sept. 21. She was 77.

USF leaders, local officials, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends came together to remember Dr. Burns and her tremendous impact on College of Nursing, USF Health and USF. During the ceremony many whose lives she touched honored her career, life and legacy.

USF Nursing Interim Dean Donna Petersen highlighted Dr. Burns’ life and career during opening remarks.

“Dr. Burns was an extraordinary leader, a true friend and colleague,” said Donna Petersen, ScD, CPH, interim dean of the College of Nursing, senior associate vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF College of Public Health, during her opening remarks. “She was a champion for USF Nursing, students, faculty and staff. She was the people’s dean.”

Guest speakers joining Dr. Petersen in remembering Dr. Burns included Betty Castor, former president of the USF System; Charles Lockwood, MD, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine; U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor; and others.

Read full story with more photos…

Three of five leading University of South Florida researchers named to the new class of Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science are from USF Health.

John Adams, PhD; Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM; and  Shyam Mohapatra, PhD, MBA, have been awarded the distinction of Fellow at AAAS, the world’s largest and one of its most prestigious scientific societies.

With this year’s new Fellows class, USF again ranks fourth among all organizations worldwide, tied with University of Florida, in the designation of new AAAS Fellows, and joining Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University, Texas A&M University, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Wisconsin-Madison. USF and UF lead Florida universities in new AAAS Fellows selection.

From left: John Adams, PhD; Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM; and Shyam Mohapatra, PhD, MBA

Election as an AAAS fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.

Dr. John Adams, elected AAAS Fellow in the the association’s Biological Sciences Section, was cited for pioneering efforts and distinguished contributions in fundamental and translational malaria research, particularly discoveries to improve antimalarial drugs and vaccines.  Dr. Adams is a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, and holds joint appointments in the Department of Molecular Medicine and the Division of Infectious Disease & International Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine. He has dedicated his career to finding solutions for malaria, one of the leading causes of death and disease globally.

Dr. Charles Lockwood, elected AAAS Fellow in the Medical Sciences Section, was cited for distinguished contributions to reproductive science particularly discovery of the first biochemical marker of preterm birth, fetal fibronectin, and the molecular mechanisms underlying uterine hemostasis. Dr. Lockwood is senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine, and a professor of obstetrics and gynecology and public health at USF. An internationally recognized health care and research leader, Dr. Lockwood is the recipient of multiple research grant awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the March of Dimes and other foundations. His clinical interests include prevention of recurrent pregnancy loss, preterm delivery and maternal thrombosis, and he maintains an active laboratory at USF Health dedicated to research in these areas.

Dr. Shyam Mohapatra, elected AAAS Fellow in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Section, was cited for outstanding contributions in the field of pharmaceutical and health sciences, particularly for pioneering achievements in advancing biomedical nanotechnology for inflammatory diseases. Dr. Mohapatra is a Distinguished USF Health Professor; director of Translational Medicine; associate dean of graduate programs and professor in the College of Pharmacy; Distinguished Professor in the Institute for Advanced Discovery & Innovation; and a Department of Veteran Affairs Research Career Scientist at James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital.   He founded the USF Center for Research & Education in Nanobioengineering in 2010, and has served as center director since then. His research on the immunobiology of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), atrial natriuretic peptide signaling pathways, and nanoparticle-mediated gene/drug delivery has helped guide the fields of inflammation, immunology, infectious disease, biotherapeutics and translational medicine. He has also pioneered novel approaches for potential treatment of RSV, allergies, asthma, traumatic brain injury and cancers.

Spanning medicine, public health, and technology research, the new group of five USF Fellows are among some of the university’s most accomplished faculty members, representing decades of scientific accomplishments and more than 50 patented technologies.

Read full story…

The Suncoast Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) recently recognized the USF Health BRIDGE Clinic as its 2016 Philanthropic Service Organization of the Year. The award was presented at the AFP’s celebration of National Philanthropy Day on Nov. 15 at Lowry Park Zoo.

Staffed entirely by volunteer USF Health students and overseen by volunteer faculty advisors, the BRIDGE Clinic provides free primary medical care on Tuesday evenings at the Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare to more than 850 underserved patients each year from the University Community Area.

From left: Dr. Lucy Guerra, a BRIDGE Clinic medical director; Emily Goodwin, USF medical student; Kristin Prewitt, MD/MPH student and executive student director of BRIDGE Clinic; and Dr. Frederick Slone, a clinic medical director; recently accepted the AFP Suncoast Chapter Philanthropic Service Organization of the Year award on behalf of the USF Health BRIDGE Clinic.

What began nine years ago as the vision of four USF medical students has grown into a robust, interdisciplinary resource for both USF and the community it serves. USF Health students, social work students, and attending physicians accomplish its namesake mission of “Building Relationships and Initiatives Dedicated to Gaining Equality” by volunteering more than 13,500 hours each year at an estimated benefit of more than $1 million in health care services.

The clinic collaborates with community partners to provide routine care for non-emergency medical needs for uninsured adults who make 200 percent or less of the federal poverty guidelines. Its partnership with Florida Hospital has allowed the the clinic to operate at a nearby second location inside the Florida Hospital Pepin Heart Institute one Thursday night each month.

“We are honored and humbled to receive this award from AFP and are inspired by the efforts to better the Tampa community from the other recipients,” said Kristin Prewitt, executive student director of the BRIDGE Clinic and an MD/MPH student. “We couldn’t do this work without the countless faculty, students, and USF community members who dedicate their time to serving our patients. We owe any recognition to them and our patients.”

Two other University of South Florida benefactors, Kate Tiedemann and Ellen Cotton, were recognized as philanthropists of the year at the event. The couple’s generosity to the USF St. Petersburg campus has been recognized through the naming of the Kate Tiedemann College of Business and the Ellen Cotton Atrium.

Story and photo by Davina Gould, USF Health Development

USF Health neuroscientist Chad Dickey, PhD — a leading NIH-funded researcher in the Morsani College of Medicine who developed an international reputation seeking answers to some of the most fundamental questions about neurodegenerative disorders, particularly Alzheimer’s disease – died Nov. 25, after a courageous battle with cancer.  He was 40.

“Many of us were truly privileged to work with Dr. Dickey, who was a brilliant neuroscientist bursting with creativity and a passion for discovery and scientific collaboration,” said Charles J. Lockwood, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine. “He accomplished more in a decade than most investigators achieve in far longer tenure.

“We honor the outstanding scientific legacy Chad has left for us to build upon. He will be greatly missed, and his memory will live on in his many discoveries.”

Dr. Dickey was an associate professor of molecular medicine and psychiatry and a research scientist at James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital.

While his impact on the field of neurosciences reached worldwide, his roots were planted firmly at the University of South Florida.  A Tampa native, he obtained both his bachelor’s degree in microbiology and PhD in pharmacology and neuroscience from USF. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship in neuroscience from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, he returned to USF as a faculty member in 2006.

Dr. Dickey’s early work was as a member of a team that determined a vaccine may be a useful approach to treating Alzheimer’s disease.  He was the first to find that proteins involved in learning and memory were selectively impaired in mouse models of Alzheimer’s.

Much of his recent NIH-supported work focused on defects in the removal of damaged proteins by cells. Dr. Dickey’s promising studies of the key role “chaperone proteins” play in brain cell function were originally directed at Alzheimer’s disease, but subsequently expanded to other disorders ranging from glaucoma to depression to preterm birth. He wanted to find drugs to reverse defects leading to the buildup of harmful substances in the brain known as “tau tangles,” which are linked to the progression of Alzheimer’s disease — and he made considerable progress in that quest.

Dr. Dickey worked with Dave Morgan, PhD, for all but two of the last 17 years.

“He was a PhD student, research associate and research assistant professor in our laboratory. And for the last seven years he was a star faculty member in the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute and Department of Molecular Medicine,” said Dr. Morgan, Distinguished USF Health Professor and CEO of the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute.  “Thus, his loss is especially personal to me.”

Over his academic career, Dr. Dickey received 20 grants totaling more than $15 million from the NIH, Alzheimer’s Association and other organizations and published 65 scientific papers cited more than 4,000 times by other researchers.

“Equally important, Chad has trained an impressive group of PhD students and postdoctoral fellows, many of whom have gone on to successful biomedical research careers and will carry on his legacy,” said Robert Deschenes, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Molecular Medicine.

Many colleagues and students have expressed an outpouring of sympathy and sadness upon learning of Dr. Dickey’s passing.

Edwin Weeber, PhD, a professor of molecular pharmacology and physiology and chief scientific officer at the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute, admired his friend and colleague’s unflagging collaborative approach as a lead investigator.

“What I remember most about Chad was his constant smile, morning, noon and night. He was always in a pleasant mood, and his door was open to everyone,” Dr. Weeber said.  “Regardless of whether he was under the pressure of a grant deadline or preparing for a lecture, he always made time for you, even if it was just to chat.  Beyond his scientific acumen, he found a way to successfully balance the rigors of being a friend and colleague, a husband and father, and a scientist.”

Former doctoral student John O’Leary said Dr. Dickey helped him grow into a professional when he entered his lab at age 23 — supporting him through difficult times, and accepting his ultimate decision to leave academic science to become a jazz musician.

“He taught me how to work hard, and what it meant to have drive and passion. Once I was having a bad day and decided to escape the lab for a bit, and Chad found me eating a six pack of donuts in my black Yaris, in the parking lot of the Byrd at 11 am; I was so embarrassed. Although, he didn’t say anything, he didn’t have to. I knew his expectations for me were high,” O’Leary said.

“He pushed me to go beyond my comfort zone and continually challenged me in my learning as a scientist, a speaker, a thinker, a doer,” O’Leary said. “However, he was equally goofy as he was intense. One of my favorite memories is of him rapping Coolio’s “Gangsters Paradise” while doing bench work.”

Jose Abisambra, PhD, a former postdoctoral scholar in Dr. Dickey’s laboratory, now an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, said that as a mentor Dr. Dickey led by example.

“During late nights, we would sometimes find him in his office writing a grant. Despite being so young, Dr. Dickey offered wise advice from overcoming challenges in the lab and in life; I learned how to successfully balance a family and an exceptional career,” Dr. Abisambra said.

“After completing my postdoctoral training in his lab, I founded my own research group, and our success is based on the tenants of impeccable work ethic, creativity, collaboration, and gratefulness, which I learned from him… He profoundly impacted my life as a scientist and as a person. I am certain that all of us who were fortunate to have trained with Chad will strive to carry out his legacy both in and out of the lab.”

Visitation will take place 10 a.m., Friday, Dec. 2, followed by a memorial service at 11 am, all at Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Dickey Education Fund to aid in the future education costs of Chad and his wife Adria’s two sons. For more information, please visit: https://www.youcaring.com/adrialukeandjakedickey-701981

For the obituary and guest book, click here.

Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

Understanding the sensory nerves involved in protective behaviors may lead to new therapies for respiratory, cardiovascular diseases

Think about the last time you stubbed a toe.

The sensory nerves activated when your toe slammed against a hard object initiated a defensive reflex leading you to withdraw your toe from the source of intense pain. Tom Taylor-Clark, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, likens the pain-induced response to an early warning system that, if working properly, helps us avoid things that can cause damage.

“If you stub your toe once, sure it hurts so much,” he said, “but if you do it repeatedly, eventually you will break your toe.”

In his laboratory at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, Dr. Taylor-Clark studies the role of defensive, or nociceptive, sensory nerves in health and disease. Using a combination of electrophysiology, imaging and molecular biology techniques, he investigates how these peripheral nerves, which stimulate organs and penetrate nearly all the body’s tissues, sense their environment. That includes sensory nerve response to external stimuli, like extreme heat or cold, inhaled pollutants or a source of injury, and internal stimuli, such as inflammation, infection or organ damage.

Thomas Taylor-Clark, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, studies the role of defensive, sensory nerves in health and disease.

“We are interested in understanding the sensory nerves involved in protective behaviors, or defense, because they are the ones that go wrong in disease and injury,” Dr. Taylor-Clark said.

The protective role of airway sensory nerves in cough

His laboratory focuses primarily on the electrical excitability of sensory nerves of the airways. The researchers study the behavior of sensory nerves connecting the lungs with the brainstem, the primitive part of the brain that controls basic body functions such as breathing, swallowing and heart rate. In particular, Dr. Taylor-Clark works with colleagues to better understand the nerves involved in initiating the chronic cough associated with the asthma, a disease characterized by persistent airway inflammation.

Knowing more about how these airway sensory nerves work, including the interface between the conscious and unconscious in the brainstem networks that control cough, is important in understanding how they are disrupted by inflammatory disease. The information could help guide the design of new treatments for unresolved cough and associated symptoms, a major reason people visit primary care providers, Dr. Taylor-Clark said. In addition, better ways to treat cough are important, because for those with a variety of neuromuscular diseases impaired cough can cause an increase in pulmonary infections from aspiration.

Recently, Dr. Taylor-Clark’s team expanded their research to look into how pre-existing cardiovascular disease alters nerve-generated reflexes from the lungs to affect cardiovascular function.

Stephen Hadley, a senior biological scientist in Dr. Taylor-Clark’s laboratory.

Three research awards totaling more than $2.85 million support their work. The studies are done using cell cultures as well as with the help of transgenic mice that selectively express red fluorescent protein in defensive neurons.

With a grant from the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute, Dr. Taylor-Clark has investigated the connection between two well-known research findings to determine the downstream effects of mitochondria, the energy producers of the cell, on airway sensory nerve activation. The first finding, he said, was that airway sensory nerves respond to a type of inflammatory signaling that induces potentially damaging oxidative stress. The second was that mitochondria are located right next to signaling receptors in the sensory nerve cells.

“So, we hypothesized that perhaps mitochondria are not there just to produce energy, but to generate signaling,” Dr. Taylor-Clark said. “And we found that mitochondrial signaling activates the sensory nerves specifically by activating chili and wasabi receptors in airways.”

Hot on the trail of wasabi and chili receptors

These receptors for chili peppers (or capsaicin) and wasabi (allylisothiocyanate), officially known as TRPV1 and TRPA1 respectively, are expressed by every single defensive sensory nerve in your body, including those in your tongue, your skin – and your airways (nasal passages, bronchi, larynx). Together the TRPV1 and TRPA1 compounds contribute to involuntary cough reflex.

The USF work linking mitochondrial signaling and airway sensory nerve receptors, triggered by these TRPV1 and TRPA1 molecules that can generate pain as well as heat sensation, resulted in two major papers in the journal Molecular Pharmacology, one in 2013 and another in 2014. A supplementary biophysiological study defining how the wasabi (TRPA1) receptor works was published earlier this year in the Journal of General Physiology.

Above and below: Microscopic images from a transgenic mouse expressing the red fluorescent protein tdTomato  in defensive sensory nerve only.  This crosssection of the lung showing defensive nerve terminals (red)  innervating regions surrounding the small branches of bronchiles, or air tubes (green), within the lungs.

A slice of the brainstem showing central projections of defensive nerves (red) into the medulla, where the nerves transmit signals to brainstem networks to control various involuntary functions like breathing, cough, swallowing, heart rate and blood pressure.

Pollution-induced exacerbation of underlying cardiovascular disease

Another direction of scientific endeavor for Dr. Taylor-Clark is investigating how pre-existing cardiovascular disease may alter normal reflexes from the lungs to affect autonomic regulatory control of the heart. Seed funding from an earlier Morsani College of Medicine Research Office intramural BOOST grant helped his research group obtain a two-year American Heart Association award for this more recent area of research under the auspices of the USF Health Heart Institute.

In preliminary research presented last year at the Experimental Biology Conference, Dr. Taylor-Clark and colleagues reported that hypertensive rats exposed to wasabi, an irritant mimicking the effects of a pollutant like ozone when inhaled into the lungs, experience a much different cardiac response than healthy rats. The heart rate of healthy rats exposed to wasabi slows significantly as a protective mechanism to help slow the distribution of pollutants throughout the body. But given the same exposure, rats with chronic high blood pressure have periods of rapid heartbeats interspersed with a slow heart rate – which can evoke a potentially dangerous abnormal heart rhythm known as premature ventricular contractions.

“So you have a situation where you’ve gone from a healthy (cardiovascular) reflex to an aberrant reflex that may exacerbate pre-existing cardiovascular disease,” he said.

Working with researchers at the University of Florida, Dr. Taylor-Clark is a co-investigator for a recently awarded a three-year, $1.28M grant from the National Institutes of Health Common Fund’s Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions (SPARC) funding program. The comprehensive project aims to improve maps of the peripheral nervous system —the electrical wiring that connects the brain and spinal cord with the rest of the body – so that more selective and minimally invasive “electroceutical” treatments might be developed for conditions such as heart disease, asthma and gastrointestinal disorders.

Dr. Taylor-Clark and Stephen Hadley. Recently, Dr. Taylor-Clark’s laboratory expanded its research to look into how pre-existing cardiovascular disease alters nerve-generated reflexes from the lungs to affect cardiovascular function.

Mapping for the future of neuromodulation therapies

The UF-USF multidisciplinary team is focusing on functional mapping of peripheral and central neural circuits for airway protection and breathing.

Using cutting-edge genetic and neurophysiological approaches, they are characterizing the types of defensive airway nerves that control breathing, coughing and heart rate differently and finding where they connect into the brainstem network.

“We are trying to bridge the gap between what has been done (with nerve trafficking) in the lungs and what has been done in the brainstem, and then link them together,” Dr. Taylor-Clark said. “We have transgenic mice that make red fluorescent protein only in their defensive nerves, so now we can chart where targeted nerves are going with superior image quality.”

The team’s overall goal is to advance understanding of the neural pathways underlying respiratory control, laying the groundwork for future neuromodulation therapies to normalize lung function in people at risk.

“If we want to (preferentially) target these therapies for optimal effectiveness, we need to know where all these nerves go and what they do,” Dr. Taylor-Clark said.

Dr. Taylor Clark-received his PhD degree from University College London in 2004. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and served as a medical faculty member at Hopkins for a year before joining USF’s medical school in 2009 as an assistant professor.

Dr. Taylor-Clark is associate chair for research in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology. In 2015, he received the Award for Excellence in Teaching from USF’s Graduate PhD Program in Integrated Biological Sciences.

A combination of electrophysiology,, imaging and molecular biology techniques are used to study behavior of sensory nerves connecting the lungs with the brainstem.

Some things you might not know about Dr. Taylor-Clark:

• In the mid-1990s, for two years before entering University College London as an undergraduate, he played bass guitar in a band that recorded and performed “very loud rock and roll” as part of the London music scene. These days, with wife Luciana as the audience, Dr. Taylor-Clark jams at home in his living room with daughter Ella, 9, who plays drums.

• Taylor-Clark’s PhD thesis involved a study of how the human nose congests. He measured the internal dimensions of people’s nasal passages with a sonar device at the end of a stick, recruiting family and friends, among others, as study volunteers. He induced sneezing and other symptoms of hay fever by spraying histamine into their nostrils. The shape of the nose and the interaction between nerves and blood vessels in the nose affected air flow and severity of symptoms, he discovered. “While writing the thesis, I began to realize how little was understood about nerves in the airways.”

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 Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications

Sharon Perlman, MD, an exceptional physician, colleague, teacher and patient advocate, died Dec. 11, 2016. She was 63.

Dr. Perlman was as a faculty member in the Department of Pediatrics in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and, at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital (JHACH), was chair of the Division of Nephrology, medical director of the End Stage Renal Disease Program, medical director of the USF Specialty Clinic, and medical director of the Pediatric Nephrology Clinic. She also served as the chief of staff at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital for several years.

As a pediatric nephrologist, Dr. Perlman was a long-time advocate for providing supportive services to children with renal disease.

“Advocacy for the special needs of children with renal disease was a particular passion for Dr. Perlman and she tirelessly promoted the care for these children in the Tampa Bay region and nationwide. She was known nationally as a leader in her field and her advice was frequently sought by pediatricians across the country,” said Patrica Emmanuel, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

In recognition of her outstanding role as a clinician and child advocate, Dr. Perlman was awarded the JHACH Council C. Rudolph award in May 2016. This prestigious award honors physicians who have demonstrated excellence and compassion in caring for children in the community and region. In 2015 the Sharon Perlman Award of Excellence was established in her honor. The award is given to a resident who demonstrates excellence in patient care, strength of character and outstanding leadership.

“Her role as an outstanding teacher and mentor is one of her strongest legacies,” Dr. Emmanuel said. “During her 30 years of practice she defined the dedication and passion for education that has been our department’s legacy.”

In addition to her outstanding teaching and advocacy roles, Dr. Perlman was a dedicated and skilled clinician who was consistently named to the list of the Best Doctors in America and was very active in service to her profession at the local and national levels. She was a strong representative for USF at JHACH medical staff meetings, and served as the chief of staff at JHACH from 2007 to 2009. At the national level, she served as secretary-treasurer of the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology, and was president-elect in 2014 before she stepped down due to her illness. As a testament to her remarkable contributions to her field, Dr. Perlman was recently named a 2017 recipient of the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology’s Founders’ Award. The award, which recognizes individuals who have made a unique and lasting contribution to the field of pediatric nephrology, will be awarded posthumously at the Society’s annual meeting to be held in San Francisco in May, 2017.

Dr. Perlman joined the USF Pediatrics Division of Nephrology in 1994 after a several years in private practices in both Tampa and St. Petersburg. During her career in the Tampa Bay area she also served on the medical staff at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Tampa General Hospital, and Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.  Prior to that, she served on the faculty at the Medical College of Georgia.

Dr. Perlman attended Albert Einstein College of Medicine, completed her pediatric residency at Tufts-New England Medicine and a chief residency at Emory University, and her nephrology fellowship at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia.

Dr. Perlman is survived by her loving and adoring husband, Ron Frankel, two daughters, Jaymie (Tracy) and Meagen (Dom), two grandchildren, Jackson and Allison, her sisters, Lauren (Mike, deceased) and Robin P. (Robin W.), and their children, Mark (Danielle), Debbie (Tom), Stephen (Evonne), Eric and Michelle, as well as many nephew and nieces.

Funeral services are pending at this time, and will be announced by David C. Gross Funeral Homes. A funeral service will be held at Temple Beth El in St. Petersburg, FL, with burial at Sarasota National Cemetery, Sarasota, Florida.

NOTE:  USF Health students, faculty and staff are invited to Tampa Bay Street Medicine’s first annual ‘Tis the Season of Giving Charity Fundraiser this Friday, Dec. 16 at 8 p.m. at The Pour House, 1208 E. Kennedy, Tampa, FL 33602, to benefit the homeless in Tampa.  Enjoy homemade baked goods, live music and conversation with TBSM board members about the issues facing our homeless community members. Guests are asked to bring a monetary donation or a donation of hygiene supplies, warm clothing, or over-the-counter medications, which USF TBSM will distribute to the homeless in Tampa at our service events.

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

The group visits the homeless where they live – on the streets.  They go without white coats, carrying backpacks stocked with over-the-counter medications, first aid supplies, hygiene products and socks.  They sit next to their patients on a sidewalk or curb and make eye contact.  “How are you? Anything we can do to help you tonight?” the medical students ask.

The Tampa Bay Street Medicine Project (TBSM) was founded more than two years ago by five University of South Florida medical students with the support of a grant from Alpha Omega Alpha honor medical society.  The core group shared a common passion: providing much needed health care and advocacy for a homeless population often neglected.  Since July 2015, the project’s student volunteers have logged nearly 1,600 interactions with homeless individuals during their street runs on the outskirts of downtown Tampa and at clinics conducted at The Well drop-in center and First Presbyterian Church of Tampa.

They are supervised by volunteer faculty physicians and other health professionals, who step in when more severe problems arise.  But the dozen or so students – who gather in a vacant parking lot adjacent to a graffiti-covered wall every other Friday evening and disperse in small groups to offer care to the homeless – do much themselves. They take medical histories, do physical check-ups and hygiene education and address many common medical complaints, including musculoskeletal pain (common among those sitting and sleeping on sidewalks), headaches, coughs and congestion, itchy skin, wounds, and a lot of foot problems.

The USF project was modeled after the tenets set forth by the International Street Medicine Institute, which leads a global network of more than 80 groups practicing street medicine.

“Their motto is we go to the people,” said Eric Monaco, one of the founding members of Tampa Bay Street Medicine who last year served as a co-president for the student-run organization. “It levels the playing field and helps build trust when you meet with people where they are — whether that’s under the bridge at I-275 or at a bus station near the Salvation Army.”

Breaking down barriers

Monaco graduated in April 2016 from the Morsani College of Medicine and plans to continue street medicine in some capacity following completion of his family medicine residency at Ventura County Medical Center in Ventura, CA.  On street runs earlier this year, Monaco did not hesitate to approach a woman lying on the sidewalk to check on her or gently lean in to touch the shoulder of a man sitting beneath a street lamp with his head buried in his knees.  He often stopped to chat with those he cared for and knows by name; and, in turn, they often greeted him with a smile and occasional handshake.

The stereotypes of homelessness break down once you begin listening without judgment to stories about how people end up on the street, the students say.

Many struggle with mental illness and addiction, without family support or other safety nets to catch them when they fall, said Shawna Foley, a fourth-year medical student and president of Tampa Bay Street Medicine.

“I think there’s often an assumption that the homeless are lazy or don’t want to work, but that’s not the case for many of the people I’ve met out here,” Foley said.  “We’ve provided care to a professor and other people who were in high-powered jobs and made good money.  Something just happens — a death in the family, an illness, an injury from a car accident — which leads to a chain of events that brings them here.”

Perhaps even more valuable than the basic medical and preventive care provided, the students say, is their willingness to listen to those they meet.  To begin to see the individuals, rather than nameless and faceless people on the streets.

“I really don’t believe people choose to live on the street, but I think many choose to make the best of it,” Monaco said.  “They have really valuable perspectives, and I’ve learned a lot from the conversations we’ve shared about their experiences.”

Dr. Waldo Guerrero, an assistant professor of neurology and a street medicine faculty advisor, says every time he accompanies students on a street run it reinforces his passion for helping those who are underserved, often with the least access to care.

“I definitely think this project breaks down barriers,” Dr. Guerrero said. “I’d love more faculty to come out and be part of it. Every time I do it reminds me of why I went into medicine and just how fortunate we are, in general, as physicians.”

“We’re limited in the extent of care we can provide with the resources we have,” he added.  “But just being able to take time to have a conversation with someone, to hear them out, is something we don’t necessarily do on a daily basis when we’re seeing multiple patients in a hospital or clinic.”

First Backpack, First Encounter

The contents of the backpacks carried have evolved since the first five students embarked on their initial street run with one borrowed backpack.

“The first time… we just threw together a bag with stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs and some basic meds,” Monaco said.  “We were in a completely different environment than the hospital and clinics and so maybe that backpack was a little symbol of safety to us.”

As they returned with more and bigger backpacks, the students began asking people they saw regularly what they needed.  They sought donated items and stocked the packs with toenail clippers, feminine hygiene products, blanket and beanies, and more socks, which seemed to always run in short supply.

Foley recalls feeling a little anxious and awkward the first time she went out on a street run. She was unsure how to introduce herself or ease into the community of homeless.  But, she says, the encounters got easier the more times she went out.

“You just have to sit down in the dirt and have real conversations with people,” Foley said. “I emphasize that with a lot of the first-and second year-students who come out on the street for the first time.  Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty; you’re not wearing white coats.”

The street medicine project became her favorite part of medical school the first year, Foley added.  “I always left the street runs feeling so good about everything we were doing and so much gratitude for everything I had. And that really helped, because it was hard my first semester in medical school.” 

Expanding the Reach

In 2014, TBSM partnered with The Well, a community drop-in center on Florida Avenue offering a variety of services for the homeless, so that students could provide follow-up care for their patients from the streets in a sheltered location.

Tom Logan was among the homeless patients helped by USF medical students at The Well.  Before he ended up on the streets in downtown Tampa, Logan said he lived with his family in a two-story home he owned and was making $50,000 to $60,000 a year as a courier and a building inspector in St. Louis, Mo.  Now he falls asleep to the “sound of sirens.”

“It’s not a joke when people say you’re one paycheck away from being homeless,” Logan said. “What the students are doing is very important. They’ve helped me watch my diet, watch my weight and kept a check on my blood pressure – things I wouldn’t be able to do on my own.”

Although The Well’s daytime drop-in center on Florida Avenue closed its doors in November (the organization is transitioning to a mobile model of outreach to the homeless), TBSM continues to operate a free indoor health clinic the third Saturday of each month at First Presbyterian Church of Tampa on Zack Street.  A second monthly clinic will be added at the church beginning in February 2017.

The arrangement allows medical students supervised by licensed health care practitioners to offer more in-depth, personalized care than possible on street runs.  For instance, they can provide more extensive wound care, prescribe some basic medications and monitor those with high blood pressure and chronic conditions, such as diabetes, arthritis and heart disease to help keep them out of the emergency room.

The students are also exploring the possibility of working with residents and faculty from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences to provide some mental health services.

And, this November, Skye Schmelzer donated to TBSM $25,000 of a $50,000 Lightning Foundation grant she received when she was honored as a Tampa Bay Lightning Community Hero of Tomorrow.  Schmeltzer, who endured many nights of uncertainty as a homeless teenager in high school and is taking classes at USF to help her apply to medical school, intends for the funds be used to help USF’s TBSM establish a mobile outreach clinic to serve the homeless in the Tampa Bay area.

“I think it’s a huge advantage for these medical students, many of whom come from the suburbs, to be connected with people who live in a different world,” said Jon Dengler, executive director of The Well.  “My hope is that they remember the relationships they’ve made with our guests from the streets, so once they are practicing doctors they not only remember the poor financially but also are better equipped to treat patients from all walks of life without prejudice.”

Meanwhile the TBSM continues to seek more student and faculty volunteers.  The goal of serving more homeless, however, may require additional resources from the university or community, especially as grant funding runs out, Foley said.

For more information on the Tampa Bay Street Medicine Project, visit http://tbstreetmed.wix.com/tbsm.

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

Laura Lee (Dolly) Swisher, PT, PhD, FNAP, FAPTA, has been named interim director for the USF Health School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences by Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine.

Dr. Dolly Swisher.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2017, Dr. Swisher will act as a temporary replacement for Dr. William S. “Sandy” Quillen, DPT, PhD, FACSM, who, after a long and successful career, resigned as director earlier this month and will remain at the School as a tenured faculty member beginning Spring Semester 2017.

“Dr. Swisher is eminently qualified to assume the post of interim director, is a founding faculty member for the School, and has very sound ideas about how to keep the School moving forward,” Dr. Lockwood said. “She will continue the upward path so clearly defined by Dr. Quillen in raising the profile and standing of the School and pushing to meet the state’s demand for an increasingly sophisticated health care workforce.”

Dr. Swisher, who has been with USF since 1998, is professor and assistant dean for interprofessional education for the Morsani College of Medicine, and coordinator of professional education for the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences. Her professional experience includes clinical work in the outpatient, hand therapy, subacute, and inpatient settings.

Known for her scholarship in ethics, professionalism, and interprofessional education, Dr. Swisher is the author of journal publications, books, and book chapters about ethics, professionalism, ethics education, and interprofessional education. She has chaired the Ethics and Judicial Committee of the American Physical Therapy Association and has served as co-chair of the Task Force to Revise the Core Ethics Documents.

As a member of the editorial board and a manuscript reviewer for the Journal of Humanities in Rehabilitation, she brings a commitment to developing an awareness of the human moral foundation for care and professionalism.

She currently chairs the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education.

Dr. Swisher has won a variety of teaching awards, as well as multiple national awards for her work, most recently being named a Catherine Worthingham Fellow by the American Physical Therapy Association.

A search will begin in the New Year for the School’s permanent director.

Dr. Cindy Munro will be among the first researchers in the United States to study an audio-recording system to reduce delirium in ICU patients.

Tampa, FL (Dec. 19, 2016) – The National Institutes of Nursing Research (NINR) has awarded more than $1.9 million to the University of South Florida College of Nursing to study an audio-recording reorientation intervention to prevent delirium in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Cindy Munro, PhD, professor and associate dean of research and innovation at USF College of Nursing, will lead a team of USF Health researchers to study whether the intervention, called Family Automated Voice Reorientation (FAVoR), can help minimize delirium among patients receiving treatment in ICUs.

FAVoR uses scripted audio messages from the patient’s family, and is played to the patient in the ICU every hour during daytime. The audio recording helps inform the patient about the ICU environment in general terms –in a familiar voice. The recording calls the patients by name and explains what’s happening — telling them, “you’re not able to talk, because you are in a breathing tube,” “you’re in the hospital,” and “we will visit you soon.” 

Cindy Munro, PhD

Dr. Munro and her team will study 178 critically ill and mechanically ventilated adult patients hospitalized at Tampa General Hospital. The researchers will also follow the patients’ progress for six months after they leave the hospital.

“People with delirium have a lot more trouble with recovery,” Dr. Munro said. “Their memory and their long-term quality of life is affected even after they’re discharged from the hospital. So, by doing this alteration to the environment, we’re hoping to help reduce delirium in the ICU, and improve patients’ lives when they go home.”

According to the ICU Delirium and Cognitive Impairment Study Group, 50 percent of critically ill and 80 percent of mechanically ventilated adult patients suffer from delirium. Delirium is a serious disorder that affects one’s mental abilities, environment awareness and thinking, and causes behavioral changes and emotional disturbances.

During this four-year study, Dr. Munro will work with USF College of Nursing’s Ming Ji, PhD, professor, and Zhan Liang, MSN, assistant professor. She will also collaborate with two physicians from USF Health Morsani College of Medicine’s Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine: Karel Calero, MD, assistant professor, and W. Mcdowell Anderson, MD, professor and director of Sleep Medicine.  

“We’re happy to be the one of the first institutions in the nation to study delirium in the ICU,” said Donna Petersen, ScD, CPH, interim dean of the USF College of Nursing, senior associate vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF College of Public Health. “This research will help tackle an untapped health care issue such as delirium as well as help advance our college research mission.”      

The study is supported by NINR, part of National Institute of Health (NIH). NINR helps promote and improve the health of individuals, families and communities. NINR is part of NIH’s 27 institutes and centers that support and conduct clinical and basic science research on health and illness. For more information about NIH and NINR visit www.ninr.nih.gov.

-USF Health-

USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, the Biomedical Sciences Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs, and the USF Physicians Group. USF Health is an integral part of the University of South Florida, a high-impact, global research university dedicated to student success. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu

Tampa, FL (Dec. 20, 2016) — Samuel A. Wickline, MD, has joined the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine to lead a state-of-the-art heart institute that will integrate biomedical research with advanced clinical care to find new ways to detect, treat and prevent cardiovascular diseases and improve the heart health of the Tampa Bay community.

Dr. Wickline, a cardiologist, came to USF earlier this month from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where he was the J. Russell Hornsby Professor in Biomedical Sciences and a professor of medicine with additional appointments in biomedical engineering, physics, and cell biology and physiology.

As the first director of the USF Health Heart Institute, he will be instrumental in helping design, build, equip and staff the Heart Institute to be co-located with the new Morsani College of Medicine in downtown Tampa. Among his responsibilities will be the recruitment of a critical mass of cardiovascular scientists at the forefront of interdisciplinary biomedical research to define the root causes of heart and vascular disease leading to new diagnostics and treatments.

Samuel Wickline, MD, a cardiologist, is the USF Health Heart Institute’s first director. – Photo by Sandra C. Roa

Dr. Stephen Liggett, vice dean for research at the Morsani College of Medicine, and Dr. Arthur Labovitz, chair of the college’s Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, served as co-directors of the Heart Institute during its early planning and design phase.

“With a foundation firmly in place, we look forward to Dr. Wickline’s leadership in helping us build a world-class cardiovascular clinical and research program positioned to accelerate USF’s path to preeminence,” said Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine.

Dr. Wickline will fill the Tampa General Hospital Endowed Chair for Cardiovascular Research, which was created earlier this year with a gift from USF’s primary teaching hospital.  He also holds appointments as associate dean for cardiovascular research and a professor of cardiovascular sciences at the Morsani College of Medicine.

“Heart disease is the number one killer of people in the world and the United States, and there are still innumerable problems to solve,” said Dr. Wickline, who is in the process of setting up his own laboratory at USF. “I have been impressed by the energy and commitment here at the University of South Florida to invest substantial resources in a heart institute… And from the perspective of what is done in the laboratory, I believe we have a lot to offer in terms of bench-to-bedside research that could solve some of the major cardiovascular problems.”

An accomplished physician-scientist with expertise in translating basic science discoveries into practical applications to benefit patients, Dr. Wickline will complement USF Health’s growing cardiology service, and brings to USF a longstanding National Institutes of Health grant portfolio of more than $1 million a year.  He studies the molecular basis of inflammation, cell death and atherosclerosis that cause heart, vascular and other organ diseases.

Much of Dr. Wickline’s pioneering research explores the molecular basis of disease-causing processes using novel imaging methods to detect the genetic signature of cells and deploying nanoparticles to treat a variety of cardiovascular conditions, including targeting atherosclerotic plaques that cause heart attacks. His academic entrepreneurial work has led to the development of advanced cardiac imaging techniques, such as magnetic resonance imaging of the heart to assess coronary artery disease.

Dr. Wickline earned his MD degree from the University of Hawaii School of Medicine, and completed his residency in internal medicine and fellowship in cardiology at Washington University School of Medicine, in St Louis.

During his career at Washington University, Dr. Wickline served as chief of cardiology at Jewish Hospital and helped establish the university’s first graduate program in biomedical engineering. He led a consortium that works with academic and industry partners to develop broad-based clinical applications for nanotechnology and imaging.  He also established the Siteman Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence with National Institutes of Health funding.

Dr. Wickline has started four biotechnology companies, holds numerous patents, and has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed research papers.

-USF Health-
USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, the Biomedical Sciences Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs, and the USF Physicians Group. USF Health is an integral part of the University of South Florida, a high-impact, global research university dedicated to student success. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu

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

USF Health continues to make life better for the community in and around the University and is prepared for a creative, innovative and productive 2017. Check out some of the highlights of 2016.

 January

A Night Filled With Talent And Red-Carpet Flair, All To Help BRIDGE Clinic [Video]

USF Health’s best friends and supporters filled the Pepin Hospitality Centre Jan. 8 for the 5th Annual BANDaids for BRIDGE Talent Show. The evening entertained all with nine acts, […]

Expanding Call Center Improves Patient Experience At USF Health

The USF Physicians Group took multiple steps toward improving the patient experience. One of the primary focuses is on bolstering its Call Center with more staff, technology […]

February

New On-Site Patient Labs Mean Convenience And Faster Results For USF Health Patients

In its continued effort to make the best use of patients’ time during their visits, the USF Physicians Group opened Patient Labs in the Morsani Center for […]

USF Health, Moffitt Cancer Center Mark First Year Of Cardio-Oncology Program

Abby Jones was diagnosed with breast, kidney and lung cancers at Moffitt Cancer Center two years ago – all at age 29. “Who knew I would have to […]

Science Rules The Day At USF Health Research Day 2016 [Multimedia]

A wide range of science filled the Ballroom at the USF Marshall Student Center, showcasing the groundbreaking work of rising research stars taking part in the annual USF Health […]

Tampa General Hospital Gives $3.5 Million For Heart Institute, Neurosciences At USF Health

TAMPA, Fla. (Feb. 29, 2016) – The University of South Florida announced that it has received a $3.5 million gift from Tampa General Hospital for the USF […]

March

Rhea Chiles Tribute Celebrates USF Center’s Legacy, Looks To Its Future [Videos]

Public health scholars and community leaders gather to highlight 20 years of the Chiles Center’s statewide contributions to the health of mothers, children and families. […]

Morsani College Of Medicine And Its Departments Advance In The 2015 Blue Ridge Reports

USF Pediatrics is ranked #1 in the nation for NIH funding. USF Ob/Gyn is #10. The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine colleges and several of its departments […]

USF Health Morsani College Of Medicine Moves Up In Latest U.S. News Rankings

Push for excellence in research and education led to a 16 position rise since last year… The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine has upped its game in the […]

USF Nursing tops Florida state universities in NIH ranking [VIDEO]

The USF College of Nursing was ranked No. 1 in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding among all Florida state universities and No. 24 in the United States, based on a new Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research report. […]

Pirates Invade USF Match Day 2016, Deliver Good News To USF Medical Students Heading To Residencies [Video] 

Gasparilla’s Ye Mystic Krewe pirates and U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor cheered on senior medical students as they learned where they will conduct their medical residencies. […]

April

USF Pharmacy Students Celebrate A Successful Match For Seniors Heading To Residency Programs

Senior USF pharmacy students were surrounded by classmates as they celebrated their Match Day April 8. The special gathering was a culmination of the several weeks needed to […]

USF Physical Therapy Launches $1.3M FEMA Back Injury Prevention Study With Tampa Bay Firefighter [Video]

The 13-month trial assessing targeted exercises to reduce the risk of low back injury begins with Tampa Fire Rescue and will expand to fire departments in St. Petersburg […]

USF Health Team Wins State-Wide Sapphire Award For The Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative

The Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative (FPQC), which is based in the Chiles Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies, is part of the USF College of Public Health, […]

USF Pharmacy Students, Faculty Inducted Into Newest Chapter Of National Honor Society

The USF College of Pharmacy continued with firsts as the young school was officially accepted as a chapter of the international Rho Chi Honor Society, and 43 of […]

May

USF Health Commencement Celebrates Educational Milestones [Video]

Between the entry of the university’s mace and turning their cap tassels to the left, 532 doctoral, master’s and bachelor’s students walked across the stage of the Sun […]

Jeffrey Krischer Ranked #1 NIH-Funded Principal Investigator In The World

The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine is home to the world’s top NIH-funded principal investigator. Jeffrey Krischer, PhD, Distinguished University Health Professor and director of the Health […]

Region’s Leading Medical Groups Partner To Form Clinically Integrated Health Care Network

Tampa, FL (May 24, 2016) –  Tampa Bay Health Alliance, LLC, (TBHA) today announced its formation as a new partnership of five leading medical groups, creating a clinically […]

June

Sister Cities Agreement Unites Partners In Innovation

USF Health is playing a key role in helping advance a new Sister Cities agreement between Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and the Mayor of Lanzhou, China, Yuan Zhanting. […]

Summer Internships Give USF Student Athletes A Glimpse Into Pharmacy

As USF student athletes commit much of their summer to conditioning training, four students added internships based in the USF College of Pharmacy to their summer schedules. […]

Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute Ready To Take Clinical Trials On The Road [Video]

The USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute unveiled its mobile Memory Research Suite on June 28 – a groundbreaking traveling “clinic” designed to bring the latest clinical drug trials […]

July

USF Health Welcomes New Resident Physicians

A heartfelt welcome, some good advice for navigating USF Graduate Medical Education program, and a glimpse of the hard realities found in today’s health care system were part of […]

August

Nursing creates chronic pain training program for health care professionals

The USF College of Nursing became one of the first nursing schools in the country to offer health professionals a top-quality graduate certificate in advanced pain management. […]

USF Health Academic Partners Among Top Hospitals Nationally Ranked By U.S. News

At Tampa General Hospital, USF faculty physicians play leadership roles in the six medical specialties that made the Top 50 list.  U.S. News & World Report (U.S. News) […]

Largest And Most Competitive: Incoming Medical Class Makes History For USF Health Morsani College Of Medicine [Video]

Filing into the historical Tampa Theatre in downtown Tampa, 183 new University of South Florida medical students smiled at family and friends as they walked on to fill the […]

USF Health Experts Lead International Public Health Conversation On Zika Virus Threat [Video]

Florida became ground zero for the Zika virus – home of the first non-travel related cases of the mosquito-borne virus […]

The USF Health WELL Grand Opening Celebration

The new community space at the USF Health WELL opened for business, offering a new dining facility, The Table at Four Corners, among other beneficial additions […]

USF Health Convocation Offers Opportunity To Continue Vision For Making Life Better [Video]

Familiar faces from across USF Health gathered in the Oval Theater of the Marshall Student Center Aug. 30 to hear more about the impact each of us could […]

September

USF College Of Public Health’s Online Masters Program Ranked #2 In The Country

The USF College of Public Health is once again ranking high among U.S. programs. The College’s Master of Public Health degree program was recently ranked #2 in the […]

October

Bristol-Myers Squibb Makes Largest Single Scholarship Gift To USF College Of Pharmacy

Tampa, FL (Oct. 6, 2016) – Global biopharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb has made the largest single scholarship gift yet to the USF College of Pharmacy, funding two years […]

USF Health Physician Assistant Program Earns Provisional Accreditation, Can Begin Accepting Applications

USF Health’s Physician Assistant program has been granted provisional accreditation by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). The designation allows the PA program, […]

Crowds Gather Under The Trees At USF Health Annual Barbecue

The smell of sweet barbecue was in the air, as it attracted hundreds of students, faculty and staff to the annual USF Health gathering near Lake Behnke. Dr. […]

Florida’s First Master’s Degree Program In Genetic Counseling Earns Accreditation

Tampa, FL (Oct. 25, 2016) – The University of South Florida College of Public Health is the first in Florida to offer a graduate degree in genetic counseling. […]

Patient-Centered Care Earns Five USF Health Departments Medical Home Designations

Five USF Health clinical departments have been named Patient-Centered Medical Home sites by the National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA), a selection that demonstrates their focus on patient-doctor […]

November

USF Diabetes Center Celebrates 5 Years Of Helping Patients and Families [Video]

Friends and supporters gathered Nov. 14 to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the opening of a new facility for the USF Diabetes Center on the fifth floor of the […]

The USF Health Panama Program: 10 Years Of Building Global Partnerships To Improve Health, Education And Quality Of Life [Video]

On Thursday Oct. 13, USF Health celebrated 10 years of presence at the City of Knowledge, Panama. The event aimed to emphasize the common vision shared by USF […]

USF Health Faculty Members Named 2016 Fellows Of American Association For The Advancement Of Science

Three of five leading University of South Florida researchers named to the new class of Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science are from USF […]

USF Health BRIDGE Clinic Named Philanthropic Service Organization Of The Year

The Suncoast Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) recently recognized the USF Health BRIDGE Clinic as its 2016 Philanthropic Service Organization of the Year. The award […]

December

USF Medical Students Take To The Streets To Serve Patients Where They Live [Video]

The group visits the homeless where they live – on the streets.  They go without white coats, carrying backpacks stocked with over-the-counter medications, first aid supplies, hygiene products and socks. […]

Physician-scientist Dr. Sam Wickline Arrives To Lead USF Health Heart Institute

Tampa, FL (Dec. 20, 2016) — Samuel A. Wickline, MD, has joined the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine to lead a state-of-the-art heart institute that will integrate biomedical research with advanced clinical care to […]

Multimedia by Eric Younghans, Sandra C. Roa, Ryan Noone and Katy Hennig.

Stories contributed by Sarah Worth, Anne DeLotto Baier, Vjollca “V” Hysenlika,
Davina Gould, and Gladys Bennett.

1.       Pirates invade USF Match Day 2016, deliver good news to USF medical students heading to residencies [Video]

2.       Largest and most competitive: Incoming medical class makes history for USF Health Morsani College of Medicine [Video]

3.       Expansion of USF Health midwifery program gives women more options for delivering their babies [Video]

4.       Teen never realized how undernourished she was until USF surgeon corrects digestive blockage

5.       USF Health physician assistant program earns provisional accreditation, can begin accepting applications

6.       Region’s leading medical groups partner to form clinically integrated health care network

7.        USF Health Morsani College of Medicine moves up in latest U.S. News rankings

8.        Computerized brain training designed to improve visual attention reduces dementia risk

9.        Science rules the day at USF Health Research Day 2016 [Video]

10.     Empowered and hopeful, 172 new physicians graduate from the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine [Video]

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 2016.

The University of South Florida will collaborate on a new $10 million grant from Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study ways to help stop the Zika virus and other infectious diseases from spreading in the United States.

Led by the University of Florida, the grant teams investigators from UF, USF, the University of Miami and Florida International University to create the Southeast Regional Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Disease: The Gateway Program.

Thomas Unnasch, PhD, distinguished university health professor and chair of the Department of Global Health at USF College of Public Health, will lead the USF efforts during the project.

USF Health’s Thomas Unnasch, PhD, is a co-principal investigator for the CDC-funded Southeast Regional Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Disease: The Gateway Program.

USF researchers  are working on a way to block transmission of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEEV) by migratory birds, who winter in Florida and fly north in the spring.  These birds contract the disease from mosquitoes in certain locations and USF is working to target mosquito control in those areas to keep the migrating birds free of the disease.

“This Gateway Program will allow us to better understand and interrupt wintertime transmission of EEEV spread from infected mosquitoes  in Florida,” said Dr. Unnasch. “We’re first going to identify the habitats in Florida that support mosquito survival in winter…and then propose treatments to eliminate the small numbers of mosquitoes responsible for the winter transmission. This will allow us to implement an ‘ounce of prevention’ strategy to attack the virus during its most vulnerable period.

“Much of the research we are doing with EEEV may have implications for preventing Zika from over-wintering in Florida,” Dr. Unnasch added, “That may be critical to any effort to eliminate Zika from from the state” and prevent its spread northward, therefore protecting the rest of the country.

For more information, go to press release from UF here.

RELATED STORY: Mosquito species may be key to transmitting EEE virus in southeast U.S.