2014

Twenty-one faculty members with diverse backgrounds and expertise have joined the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences’ faculty over the past several months. 

University at Buffalo experts in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition are contributing co-authors of HCV Next, the first multidisciplinary publication focused exclusively on the hepatitis C virus.

The University at Buffalo’s Institute for Healthcare Informatics will play a key role in the new state-funded genome research center — part of a statewide public-private partnership designed to accelerate advances in genomic medicine into clinical care.

Nitesh D. Kuhadiya, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine, has received the Helmsley Charitable Trust Abstract Award from the Endocrine Society for his groundbreaking research that shows significant improvements in glucose control in patients with Type 1 diabetes.

John E. Tomaszewski, MD, chair and professor of pathology and anatomical sciences, will be honored with a Mastership Designation from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), placing him among the group’s most exceptional members.

Multidisciplinary physician-scientist Bruce R. Troen, MD, professor of medicine and chief of geriatrics and palliative medicine, has been named a fellow of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS).

Kenneth Seldeen, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Medicine, won first place for his research poster on vitamin D insufficiency and physical performance decline at the University at Buffalo's sixth annual postdoctoral research symposium.

Lee Ann Garrett-Sinha, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry, has been named an associate editor of The Journal of Immunology.

University at Buffalo researchers are part of an international team developing a novel imaging technique with nanoparticles suspended in liquid to provide an unparalleled, noninvasive, real-time view of the small intestine.

University at Buffalo scientists are preparing area high school teachers to bring cutting-edge lessons to their science classrooms by acquainting them with computer-based tools for basic genomic analysis.

Fifteen high school student-scientists showcased original bioinformatics research at a culminating event for a University at Buffalo training program designed to prepare them for careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

University at Buffalo scientists have identified SOX10 as the single transcription factor or “master switch” that initiates myelination in the brain.

Steven J. Fliesler, PhD, Meyer H. Riwchun Endowed Chair Professor of ophthalmology and professor of biochemistry, and Lawrence Wrabetz, MD, professor of neurology and biochemistry, have been named University at Buffalo Distinguished Professors, effective Sept. 1.

A recent graduate, doctoral candidates and postdoctoral scholars in the University at Buffalo’s Neuroscience Program have received Beverly Petterson Bishop and Charles W. Bishop Neuroscience Fund Awards.

Research co-authored by Andrew H. Talal, MD, shows that injection drug users who are enrolled in a treatment program want to be educated about hepatitis C virus (HCV) and are willing to be treated.

Steven J. Fliesler, PhD, Meyer H. Riwchun Endowed Chair Professor of ophthalmology; Elad I. Levy, MD, professor and chair of neurosurgery; and Alan J. Lesse, MD, associate professor of medicine, have received 2014 SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence.

Providing essential health care benefits remains a fundamental tenet of the Affordable Care Act, despite a Supreme Court ruling that some employers do not have to comply with the law’s birth control mandate, says University at Buffalo medical policy expert Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, PhD, senior associate dean for health policy.

Bioinformatics and genomics experts from the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences will contribute to a $4 million, interdisciplinary study of bacteria in the mouth and periodontal disease in postmenopausal women.

At a memorial service honoring donors to the University at Buffalo’s Anatomical Gift Program, UB medical students shared how anatomical gifts have informed and enhanced their medical education.

Steven J. Fliesler, PhD, Meyer H. Riwchun Endowed Chair Professor of ophthalmology, has been elected to the board of trustees of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).

Anthony L. Auerbach, PhD, professor of physiology and biophysics, will further develop ‘energy maps’ detailing the microscopic changes that occur as neurotransmitters activate protein receptors in a cell’s membrane.

Kim Griswold MD, MPH, has been named the primary clinician and medical director of the Western New York Center for Survivors of Refugee Trauma and Torture, an interdisciplinary program addressing the complex needs of an estimated 15,000 survivors. 

Gregory Cherr, MD, has been selected as one of 16 fellows in the Northeast to participate in an intensive development program that is enhancing his ability to lead residents and develop medical education programs.

A study led by Andrew H. Talal, MD, is the first to trace in real time how the drug telaprevir inhibits viral replication in the liver and clears hepatitis C virus (HCV) from the cells and plasma of infected patients.

High cholesterol levels may impair fertility in couples trying to achieve a pregnancy, according to a study co-authored by Richard W. Browne, PhD, associate professor of biotechnical and clinical laboratory sciences.

John A. Sellick, Jr., DO, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, says three main precautionary measures can help travelers to tropical and developing areas avoid illness: get vaccinated, keep insects away and be careful what you put in your mouth.

Award-winning participants in the Department of Medicine’s second annual Research Day are studying diverse topics, including disease processes for atrial fibrillation; treatments for leukemia, diabetes and COPD; and the need for cortisol.

Graduate-level researchers and their mentors in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology received accolades for their in-depth studies presented at the 2014 Experimental Biology meeting and related forums.

Zhen Yan, PhD, professor of physiology and biophysics, has received $1.6 million to continue her study of human dopamine D4 receptor variants — a type of neurotransmitter receptor in the brain’s prefrontal cortex.

The School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences celebrated outstanding research, service and teaching achievements during its 2014 Faculty-Staff Recognition Awards event May 29.

Noted epidemiologist Jean Wactawski-Wende, PhD, who has played a leading role in groundbreaking national women’s health research, highlighted results of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) hormone therapy clinical trials during her Stockton Kimball lecture May 29.

Stephen Rudin, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of radiology and director of radiation physics, has been honored with the 2014 Stockton Kimball Award for outstanding scientific accomplishment as well as significant service to the university.

Cevher Ozcan, MD, assistant professor of medicine, aims to reveal molecular and cellular changes associated with atrial fibrillation, the most common heart rhythm disorder.

The School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences welcomed bestselling author Abraham Verghese, MD, to Buffalo for his talks about medical humanism, a key focus for University at Buffalo medical students, trainees and faculty.

Building on a successful pilot study, Thomas J. Guttuso Jr., MD, associate professor of neurology and obstetrics and gynecology, will test the effectiveness of the anticonvulsant drug gabapentin in treating hyperemesis gravidarum, a rare but disabling condition of early pregnancy.

Margarita L. Dubocovich, PhD, professor and chair of pharmacology and toxicology, has been named a State University of New York Distinguished Professor, the highest faculty rank in the SUNY system.

The University at Buffalo graduated 214 students in diverse biomedical science fields during a May 15 commencement ceremony.

In recognition of his outstanding early-career research, Ferdinand Schweser, PhD, assistant professor of neurology, has been named a junior fellow of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM).

More than 100 health care role models — including 60 University at Buffalo medical students — engaged teens in hands-on learning during the annual Doctors Back to School event April 29.

Elad I. Levy, MD, MBA, has been named editor of the endovascular section for Neurosurgery, the official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

University at Buffalo graduate clinical trainees can simultaneously complete their residency or fellowship along with a new, specialized Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree — the first dual program of its kind in New York State and one of only a few in the nation.

Rajendram Rajnarayanan, PhD, assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology, has been honored with a 2014 President Emeritus and Mrs. Meyerson Award for Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching and Mentoring.

The School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences graduated 128 medical students in the Class of 2014 during its 168th commencement on May 2.

Outstanding members of the Class of 2014 received special recognition during the medical school’s honors program, held May 2 at Slee Concert Hall on the North Campus.

A 7-ton magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner for biomedical research has been successfully delivered to its new seventh-floor home in the University at Buffalo’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute.

Thirteen medical school teachers and four residents received Louis A. and Ruth Siegel Awards during the School of Medicine and Biomedical Science’s 2014 Teacher Appreciation Day and award reception April 16.