Research Enterprise Newsletter - August 2008: Faculty News
Sawyer to serve as interim director of Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Douglas B. Sawyer, M.D., Ph.D., has been named interim director of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. Sawyer assumed the position in June after former division director, Doug Vaughan, M.D., accepted a post at Northwestern University. In his new role, Sawyer, the Jack and Betty Bailey Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, will oversee all of the Vanderbilt Heart clinical programs as well as continue to serve as the director of the Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship Program. Sawyer has been at Vanderbilt since July 2006. He earned his M.D. degree from Cornell Medical College and did his post-graduate training at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA. Sawyer is one of four physicians from Vanderbilt University Medical Center recently elected into the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) and the Association of American Physicians (AAP). Sawyer's research interests are in understanding the mechanisms of congestive heart failure and myocardial remodeling, and developing new therapeutic strategies for cardiovascular disease. His clinical interests include congestive heart failure, heart transplant and cardiovascular complications of cancer therapy.
Blakely ADHD study covered by National Public Radio
Randy Blakely, Ph.D., director of the Vanderbilt Center for Molecular Neuroscience, gave an interview on National Public Radio's "Science Friday" about his study that found that some individuals suffering from attention deficient hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have a variant gene that causes them to act as if they are continuously exposed to "speed. The study, co-written with Aurelio Galli, appeared in the July 9 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience." More on the study may be found at vanderbilt.edu. You can also download an MP3 (4.3 megs) of Dr. Blakely discussing his study finding.
Mitchell lands military grant for bone regrowth study
Erika Mitchell, M.D., assistant professor of Orthopaedic Trauma, has won a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. military to try to figure out why disorganized bone cells may grow wildly into soft tissue following a fracture or amputation, instead of knitting together neatly. The complication strikes wounded American soldiers at a rate much higher than civilians, leading to the three-year grant from the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command. Mitchell hopes that learning what causes the excess bone growth will one day mean it can be turned off - or on, in cases where such growth is needed. The condition, called heterotopic ossification, is evident on X-rays, appearing as a swirl of shadowy bone that forms around a fracture or stump within six to eight weeks. It can limit range of motion and cause problems with prosthetics.
Van Kaer to serve as deputy editor of Journal of Immunology
Luc Van Kaer, Ph.D., professor of Microbiology and Immunology, was recently named deputy editor of the Journal of Immunology. Van Kaer's five-year term as one of 10 deputy editors for the journal was effective July 1. He previously served as an associate editor for the journal from 2002 to 2006 and as a section editor since 2006.
Haas to lead multi-center study on genetic variation in HIV therapy response
David Haas, M.D., director of the Vanderbilt AIDS Clinical Trials Program, and colleagues will lead a multi-center "pharmacogenomics" project to identify human genetic variations that may affect response to HIV therapy. The project, which includes researchers from Harvard, Cornell, and the University of Western Ontario, will be supported beginning this month by a five-year, $4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The new grant "will allow investigators to more thoroughly identify genetic polymorphisms that predict efficacy and toxicity of frequently prescribed HIV medications," Haas said. "This information may ultimately be used to translate genetic testing into routine clinical care, and benefit HIV-infected patients worldwide."
PEPFAR grant takes AIDS fight to Nigeria
VUMC's Institute for Global Health has received a one-year, $3 million federal grant to provide AIDS treatment and prevention services in Nigeria. This is the second major treatment grant the institute has received under PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The institute received a $1 million pilot grant under PEPFAR in 2006 to provide AIDS treatment and other services in three rural hospitals in Mozambique. That program was expanded to about 10 clinics throughout the country last year with the help of another $4.1 million in PEPFAR funding. PEPFAR "is the best thing the Bush administration has done," said institute director Sten Vermund, M.D., Ph.D., who is principal investigator of the grants.
