A Strategic Plan for Our Evolving World

The multitude of cancer research studies being conducted at the University at Buffalo was on full display at the UB Cancer Research Consortium Symposium.

Zhen Yan, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of physiology and biophysics, an acclaimed neuroscientist, has received the 2023 Stockton Kimball Award for outstanding scientific achievement and service.

“The Future of Health” — a forward-looking report jointly released today by the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo and the Jacobs Institute — heralds massive potential for improving health care in the United States.

Ekaterina “Katia” Noyes, PhD, MPH,  was honored by the Association for Clinical and Translational Science.

Joe L’Huillier, MD, a third-year trainee in the general surgery residency program, was very busy during the Department of Surgery’s 19th annual Research Day, conducted May 18 at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences building.

Margarita L. Dubocovich, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of pharmacology and toxicology, delivered the Julius Axelrod Lecture and organized the Axelrod Symposium at the 2023 annual meeting of The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET).

Gabriela K. Popescu, PhD, professor of biochemistry in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, is the first SUNY-affiliated recipient of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Research Program Award (R35).

A celebratory mood was evident as the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences community gathered April 12 to recognize the winners and honorable mentions in the 2023 Louis A. and Ruth Siegel Awards for Excellence in Teaching.

Prescribed aerobic exercise after a sport-related concussion speeds recovery, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis led by University at Buffalo researchers and published online on June 14 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

A Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences physician who specializes in caring for newborns received the Physician of the Year Award from the Western New York Perinatal Bereavement Network, Inc. (WNYPBN).

A researcher who focuses on mind-body modalities as treatments for migraine headaches was the featured speaker at the 21st annual Lawrence & Nancy Golden Memorial Lectureship on Mind-Body Medicine.  

The powerful 3T scanner will facilitate breakthroughs in understanding and treating MS, stroke, Alzheimer’s and other diseases.

The microbiology research community in Western New York and beyond gathered for the 33^rd annual Buffalo Conference on Microbial Pathogenesis, hosted by the Witebsky Center for Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology.

Brain lesions — areas of brain tissue that show damage from injury or disease — are the biomarker most widely used to determine multiple sclerosis disease progression. But an innovative new study led by the University at Buffalo strongly suggests that the volume of white matter lesions is neither proportional to, nor indicative of, the degree of severe disability in patients. 

Clinicians treating severe obesity have a new genetic tool for predicting — and ultimately improving — bariatric surgery outcomes. 

QAS.AI awarded $1 million National Science Foundation grant for clinical evaluation in Buffalo and Florida.

Researchers have discovered how an active form of a gene present in 75% of the human population works to protect the brain against neurodegeneration. 

With NIH funding, UB pediatric researchers will study an intervention they developed for children with asthma in the Buffalo Public Schools.

Yongho Bae, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and anatomical sciences, has been awarded a five-year, $2.9 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to continue his research into the effects of arterial stiffness on cardiovascular disease.

After a successful fellowship at the National Cancer Institute, Adelaiye-Ogala chose to continue her career at UB, attracted by Buffalo’s diversity and energy.

Yijun Sun, PhD, professor of microbiology and immunology, has received two large-scale R01 grants from the National Institutes of Health to study cancer evolution and progression.

The National Institutes of Health has renewed its funding of eye disease research led by Mark D. Parker, PhD, associate professor of physiology and biophysics.

The National Eye Institute has approved additional funding for research on retinal development led by Xiuqian Mu, MD, PhD, professor of ophthalmology.

Ram Samudrala, PhD, professor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics and chief of its Division of Bioinformatics, and Zackary M. Falls, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics, have been involved in research that has resulted in four recent successful funding projects — three grants and a challenge.

Angela Khidhir, DO, a trainee in the Department of Medicine’s internal medicine residency program, won first place in the 2022 Shark Tank Challenge sponsored by the New York State Chapter of the American College of Cardiology (ACC).

Paresh Dandona, MD, PhD, has been honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Androgen Society for recognition of his continuing and progressive contributions to the study of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and its treatment with testosterone, which led to several novel discoveries.

A group of researchers from the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences were part of the team that captured the grand prize in a prestigious competition that was three years in the making.

The 2023 State of the School address by Allison Brashear, MD, MBA, was titled “Shaping the Future of Health Care” and focused on how the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences continues to play a leading role in improving the health of the Western New York community and beyond.

The Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences celebrated scientific achievements and outstanding service and teaching contributions during its 2023 Faculty and Staff Recognition Awards event.

Eighteen doctoral, 70 master’s and 226 baccalaureate candidates were eligible to receive degrees in biomedical science fields during the May commencement ceremony.

From the time she heard about the inaugural Graduate Student Research Day, Taylor Wicks was thrilled with the opportunity to showcase her work.

A large crowd of inductees and their families and friends were in attendance for UB’s Richard Sarkin Medical Emeritus Faculty Chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society induction.

Nicholas J. Silvestri, MD, clinical associate professor of neurology and associate dean for student and academic affairs, paid tribute to the late Jonathan D. Daniels, MD, during the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Science’s annual Honors Convocation, which took place April 28 at UB’s Center for the Arts.

The Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences graduated 175 medical students during the 177^th commencement on April 28.

Chloe Cottone, a first-year medical student at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, had a problem that could have quickly derailed her dream of becoming a surgeon.

John “Jack” M. Sullivan, MD, PhD, professor of ophthalmology in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, has been awarded a four-year National Eye Institute RO1 grant to continue research in RNA therapeutics.

The University at Buffalo is embarking on a historic hiring initiative over the next two years and the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences — the largest school at the university — will have a large role in that growth.

Forty medical students, two residents, two faculty members and one fellow have joined the University at Buffalo’s chapter of the national honor medical society Alpha Omega Alpha.

The Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Class of 2025 was honored during the 21st annual Student Clinician Ceremony.

Buffalo native Helene Gayle, MD, MPH, an internationally-known expert on health and humanitarian issues, spoke on a wide range of topics during the 2023 Harrington Lecture June 3 at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Nancy H. Nielsen, MD ’76, PhD, was among those honored at the 2023 University at Buffalo Alumni Achievement Awards ceremony.

The UB Biophysics Research Day event provided an opportunity for the university’s biophysical research community to gather to share their work and reconnect with one another.

Allison Brashear, MD, MBA, UB’s vice president for health sciences and the dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and John C. Panepinto, PhD, senior associate dean for biomedical education, have been looking for a way to bring Jacobs School undergraduates into the fold.

The department was recognized with having the most accepted abstracts at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons’ meeting, led by chair Elad I. Levy, MD.

The Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences welcomed incoming students to its building on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus in downtown Buffalo Aug. 25 as part of Undergraduate Academics Day.

Researchers in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences figured prominently in the 2023 Art of Research competition carried out by The Graduate School at UB.

The Department of Family Medicine, with the support of its Primary Care Research Institute (PCRI) team, has obtained a multi-year federal grant to assist in the training of primary care residents.

Noted medical anthropologist Linda S. Kahn, PhD, has been named a fellow of the Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA).

Studies have shown that a specific non-drug treatment of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) developed by researchers at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences can be effective for a range of pain problems and lead to significant improvements in functioning, quality of life and symptoms resistant to medical treatments.

People who maintained their drinking habits had lower prevalence of mental health issues compared to those who abstained or whose drinking patterns changed.

The past few years have seen numerous advances in the understanding of how Type 1 diabetes develops and how to manage it, yet the global disease burden remains high.

Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences medical students who were recipients of 2022 Fellowships in Social Justice, Equity Administration and Leadership presented their research findings at a symposium April 19.

Imagine waking up one day and finding that you are suddenly having difficulty swallowing, walking and talking. You start experiencing involuntary muscle contractions called dystonias. Then imagine that these symptoms do not go away.

Springtime brings warm, sunny weather, more outdoor playtime for kids and, unfortunately, Lyme disease.

University at Buffalo researchers who study what makes people buy and eat healthy foods are teaming up with Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, to test nutrition intervention programs for families at higher risk for obesity. Their upcoming project aims to enroll 70 families, about half of whom will be low-income.

Family-based treatment for obesity conducted in the pediatrician’s office leads to improved weight-loss outcomes for the treated child and parent, and even extends to untreated siblings. 

UB is the first place in the nation to use the powerful Philips MR 7700 scanner solely for research that will prioritize underrepresented groups.

Funding from the state Department of Health is enabling the center to expand care to families experiencing dementia in all 8 WNY counties.

UB faculty member Nikhil Satchidanand’s Movers and Makers program combines exercise and art-making to encourage long-term health.

Adults experiencing long COVID may be interested in a new University at Buffalo clinical trial that is testing low-dose lithium as a potential treatment.

A study led by a University at Buffalo physician has found that people experiencing a miscarriage in states with restrictive abortion policies may be less likely to receive optimal care than those in states with supportive abortion policies.

Researchers at the University at Buffalo are hard at work studying rare diseases and caring for the many patients suffering from them. UB will hold an event recognizing rare disease patients, their clinicians and the researchers working to discover causes — and ultimately cures — for these conditions.

Treating newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes patients with semaglutide (trade names Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus) may drastically reduce or even eliminate their need for injected insulin.

Researchers have found that people using e-cigarettes before pregnancy were more likely than those using nicotine replacement therapy to abstain from smoking later in pregnancy.

Teresa Quattrin, MD, UB Distinguished Professor of pediatrics, is a co-author on a new global study that suggests a novel treatment option for children with achondroplasia — a form of severe short stature.

Children taking psychostimulant drugs prescribed for psychiatric disorders who experience a common childhood fracture take longer to heal than children who don’t take these drugs.

Funding to support interdisciplinary research into older patients’ journey throughout health care system

The kickoff event for the initiative features the acting director of the NYS Office for the Aging as the keynote speaker.

UB’s Community Health Equity Research Institute is launching its first-ever pilot funding program to address health equities and adverse social determinants of health. The institute will fund two projects with a maximum budget of $40,000 each.

UB researchers found that more than 90 % of those in the telemedicine arm at an opioid treatment program were cured of HCV infection compared to 35.2% of participants referred to an offsite specialist. 

E-cigarette use is rising among pregnant adolescents, according to a UB study published Dec. 13 in JAMA Network Open.

New research on the connection between endometrial lesions and pain in endometriosis could lead to new therapies for this chronic, painful and poorly understood condition.

UBMD Internal Medicine has opened Western New York’s first Long COVID Center. Funded by a grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation with support from the University at Buffalo, the center is accepting all patients, whether they have insurance or not.

The National Institutes of Health has continued the funding of research by Kedar Aras, PhD, assistant professor of physiology and biophysics, to study cardiac obesity.

Lead author Bianca Weinstock-Guttman, MD, notes prospects are improving for those with MS but disease management in older adults is challenging.

The study aims to curb hypertension and mental health issues in postpartum women, particularly those from marginalized populations.

A number of medical students are gaining valuable clinical research experience studying autonomic disorders under the direction of Svetlana Blitshteyn, MD, a clinical associate professor of neurology at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

The first genome-wide significant study of the epigenetics of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has yielded a trove of genetic mechanisms and pathways that are responsible for this disease.

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women in the United States. It is also the leading cause of cancer death in the nation.

The work could improve a promising type of immunotherapy treatment — chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy.

Recent lab studies have shown that aging is a reversible process, an advancement that has prompted scientists to seek ways to stop the functional decline of cells and tissues, as well as restore their regenerative capacity.

UB research has identified how a misstep in the genesis of a key component of the kidney causes infantile cystinosis, a rare disease that significantly shortens the lifespan of patients. 

UB researchers are unraveling the complex biological phenomena that drive our ability to detect heat and pain.

Rosalind Lai, MD, assistant professor of neurosurgery in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB and a neurosurgeon with UBNS, has been awarded the CNS Foundation/CV Section Young Investigator Grant for her research on cerebral aneurysms. 

University at Buffalo faculty members Stelios Andreadis, PhD, and M. Laura Feltri, MD, have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals.

The Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences’ Class of 2027 — 184 strong — celebrated entry into medical school with a traditional White Coat Ceremony Aug. 4 at Shea’s Performing Arts Center.

The medical students in the University at Buffalo’s Class of 2023 gathered at the Powerhouse in South Buffalo for Match Day, a rite of passage for the prospective physicians, as they learned where they will train in residency.

The Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo has hired more than 100 new faculty members since the beginning of 2023 — a record amount that shows the school’s commitment to contribute to UB’s long-range strategic goal of being recognized among the Top 25 public research universities in the nation.

Lindsey M. Alico, a Western New York native who, until recently, was co-director of the genetic counseling program at Sarah Lawrence College, has been hired to implement and direct the genetic counseling program at UB. 

The first Community Engagement Fair at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo was all about sharing information and making connections.

Second Look Weekend provides accepted students from groups historically underrepresented in medicine with the opportunity to learn more details about what the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and the University at Buffalo have to offer.

When the Jonathan Daniels Chapter of White Coats for Black Lives (WC4BL) at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences was planning its inaugural event, it wanted to introduce the organization, honor its namesake mentor, and provide a fun and compelling program for participants to enjoy.

During a Community Town Hall event March 1 at Hopewell Baptist Church in Buffalo, community members seized the opportunity to share their concerns about accessing quality health care.

From the moment Selma Blair walked on stage with her service dog, Scout, the audience sensed this talk was going to be like no other. Indeed, the March 15 appearance by the actress, author and disability rights advocate proved to be a riveting sharing of her deeply personal journey, one that captivated those in attendance.

Panelists at the “Racism, Racial Literacy and Mental Health” conversation tackled tough questions at an event marking the one-year anniversary of the Tops racist shooting.

On May 23, the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences held its inaugural LGBTQIA+ Education and Inclusivity in Health Care event. It had been in the planning stages since early in the semester, but gained importance, organizers say, in March, when a student club hosted an on-campus talk by a conservative pundit known for spreading anti-trans rhetoric.

The Office of Biomedical Education conducted its seventh annual white coat ceremony to recognize 23 students from the Class of 2022-2023 in the PhD Program in Biomedical Sciences (PPBS) and two students from the MD-PhD Program who are matching to their doctoral laboratories.

Keynote speaker Christopher St. Vil, PhD, advocated for CVI, which focuses on supporting the people who are at the highest risk of engaging in violence.

Inspiring gifted high school students in Buffalo public high schools to pursue careers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields — and perhaps become future surgeons — was the aim of a UB Drone STEM competition that took place at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences building.

New doctors at the University at Buffalo donned their long white coats for the first time during an early morning ceremony June 30 at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences building in downtown Buffalo.