What's the Buzz? June 2020

What’s on my mind…is the relativity of the School of Medicine’s mission to the unrest in our country.

At the beginning of June, I sent a special letter to the University of Maryland School of Medicine community in collective grief for the tragic death of George Floyd. I want to take this opportunity to also acknowledge the untimely deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Rayshard Brooks, and too many others before them. These lost lives reflect deep pain and misery filtered through generations of people, some of whom had little choice in the outcomes of their lives. We at the University of Maryland School of Medicine know something about pain, suffering, and fear for life. We interact with members of the Baltimore, Maryland, and extended communities who wrestle with these challenges on a daily basis. Our patients come to us seeking solutions and hope for their physical and mental battles. As the oldest public medical school in the U.S., we have learned very well how to provide some of the answers they need.

Our duty as members of this academic medical community includes healing our patients from the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, among many other conditions. Our responsibility as human beings and residents of this great nation includes healing the hearts of our friends and neighbors. To the blind eye, the condition of the anatomical heart and that of the emotional core of the individual may seem unrelated. I am confident that everyone who claims the School of Medicine as their academic or career home, knows otherwise.

The physical and emotional wellbeing of an individual are interconnected. What does that mean for us? It means that if we prescribe to the mission of improving the health of the citizens of Maryland and beyond, then we recognize the boundaries of health to be expansive, and we recognize our skillsets of healing to be malleable. Believing in our mission commits us to treating all persons fairly, regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, etc. To practice fairness, we must answer the call to learn what that looks like. We are an academic institution, after all. We represent education, growth, and the betterment of our citizens. The civil unrest in our nation is completely relevant to us as a community and institution, and we are completely equipped to participate in the solution.

Under normal circumstances, summer’s respite would provide a natural opportunity to engage in new activities. The pandemic undoubtedly brings a very different summer this year, but that should not “let us off the hook.” I encourage us to submerge ourselves in either gaining a better understanding of the complex racial issues with which we are confronted or taking steps – no matter how small – toward resolving them, or both. We are all in different places considering our levels of awareness and action. I hope that we will practice self-awareness, to be conscious of where we are, and practice some of our core values like leadership, diversity, and respect to become the best of who we are. Over this next month, please be safe, be healthy, be productive, and be informed.

With my very best wishes and highest regards to all within our greater University of Maryland School of Medicine academic community.

In the relentless pursuit of excellence, I am
Sincerely yours,

signature

E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA
Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine


New Faculty

B. Johnson

Joseph Cardoso, PT, DPT, OCS, CMTPT, and Brian Johnson, OTR/L, PhD, joined the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, as Instructors, in April 2020. Drs. Cardoso and Johnson will assist with the reinforcement of the DPT curriculum content and teach in their respective areas of content expertise.

New UMB logoHangnoh Lee, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, joined the Center for Precision Disease Modeling at UMSOM on March 1, 2020.

Recent Appointments

Maureen BlackMaureen Black, PhD, The John A. Scholl, MD and Mary Louise Scholl, MD Professor in Pediatrics, was invited to serve on a USAID Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to promote responsive care and early learning within the context of nutrition through UNICEF’s Community-Based Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Program.

Vincent Conroy, PT, DScPT, Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, was recently approved for a secondary appointment in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology.

Saurabh Dahiya, MBBS, FACP, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, has been appointed as Hematology Section Editor for the journal Critical Reviews in Oncology and Hematology.

Michael Miller, MD, FACC, FAHA, Professor, Departments of Cardiovascular Medicine, Epidemiology & Public Health, Director, Center for Preventive Cardiology, has been selected as Member, American Heart Association Leadership Council and National Chair, AHA Council on Clinical Lipidology.

Congratulations to the following who have received honors!

Omer Awan, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, was awarded the 2020 Association of University Radiologists’ (AUR) Outstanding Teacher Award. This is a national award, whereby the chief residents from all programs in the United States vote for the best radiology educator.

Erin HagerErin Hager, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, was selected by Governor Hogan to serve on the Baltimore County School Board.

Ronna HertzanoRonna Hertzano, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, received a Distinction Award in Alternative/Basic Science for her recently Accepted Triological Society Thesis “Cell Type Specific Analysis of the Inner Ear—a Technical Report.”

Elizabeth NicholsElizabeth Nichols, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, has been named Physician of the Year by the Daily Record. The recognition is part of the Daily Record’s annual Health Care Heroes Awards.

Jerimy Polf“In Vivo Range Verification in Particle Therapy,” an article on which Jerimy Polf, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, was a co- and senior author, was named as one of Medical Physics’ most downloaded articles for the period January 2018 through December 2019.

Aseem Sood, MD, Instructor, Department of Medicine, was honored in February with the 2020 Maryellen Woodward Governor’s Service Award from the American College of Physicians, presented at the 2020 Maryland Chapter Annual Scientific Meeting.

Tonya Webb, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, has accepted an invitation to serve as a member of the Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation Research Committee (AITC) Study Section, Center for Scientific Review. Members are selected based on their demonstrated competence and achievement in their scientific discipline as evidenced by the quality of research accomplishments, publications in scientific journals, and other significant scientific activities, achievements and honors.

In the Media

Jason Adler, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, was featured in a Fox News; Michele Callahan, MD, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Elizabeth Clayborne, MD, Adjunct Assistant Professor; and Tu Carol Nguyen, DO, Clinical Instructor, all from the Department of Emergency Medicine, were featured in:

  • “3 Pregnant ER Doctors Opt to Stay on Front Lines of Maryland’s Emerging Coronavirus Hot Spot,” a Good Morning America article published on April 23, 2020.
  • “Why These Three Pregnant ER Doctors Keep Working During the Coronavirus Crisis,” a Wall Street Journal article published on April 11, 2020.

Elizabeth Clayborne, MD, MA, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, was interviewed on CNN Newsroom about her work treating coronavirus patients on April 11, 2020, and on the importance of having an advance care plan in place on April 19, 2020. Dr. Clayborne, was the author of:

  • “ER Doctor: Your End-of-Life Care Plan Can Help Save Time and Lives amid Coronavirus,” a USA Today opinion published on April 9, 2020.
  • “I Am a Doctor Treating Coronavirus Patients—and Expecting a Baby,” a Baltimore Sun commentary published on April 28, 2020.

Kyle Fischer, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, and Laura Bontempo, MD, Associate Professor, both from the Department of Emergency Medicine, were featured in “A Day Fighting the Coronavirus: US Hospital Staff Share Hardest Moments on Shift,” a Reuters/ABCNews article published April 15, 2020.

Andrea MeredithAndrea Meredith, PhD, Associate Professor, and Hans Moldenhauer, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Physiology, were featured in the Journal of Neurophysiology Podcast discussing their recent study “Comparative Gain-of-Function Effects of the KCNMA1-N999S Mutation on Human BK Channel Properties,” which was published in the February 2020 issue of The Journal of Neurophysiology.

Jacques RavelJacques Ravel, PhD, Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Associate Director, Genomics, Institute for Genome Sciences, was interviewed by WTOP, The Baltimore Sun, WJLA TV & WYPR, about the new reconfiguration of the Institute of Genome Sciences (IGS) laboratory which has established  high-throughput COVID-19 testing capabilities. The Microbiome Service Laboratory (MSL) is a research service center located within IGS, and was established in collaboration with the University of Maryland Pathology Associates and the Department of Pathology.

Angela Smedley, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, and Mark Vesely, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, were featured in “Maryland Doctors Sound the Alarm after Seeing Drop in Heart Attacks and Strokes amid Coronavirus Pandemic,” a Baltimore Sun article published on April 20, 2020.

Congratulations to our very productive faculty on their recent grants and contracts!

Linda Chang, MD, MS, Professor, and Thomas Ernst, Dr rer nat, Professor, both from the Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, and PIs of UMB’s site of the landmark Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, were awarded a seven-year renewal of nearly $1.9 million.

Marianne Cloeren, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, was awarded a three-year grant for $267,950 from the Prevention and Health Promotion Administration, Environmental Health Bureau of the Maryland Department of Health for “Improving Management of and Response to Opioids in the Maryland Workplace.”

Louis DeTolla
L. DeTolla

Jonathan Morrison, PhD, FRCS, FEBVS, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Chief of Endovascular Surgery, Attending Trauma & Vascular Surgeon for the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center; Louis DeTolla, VMD, MS, PhD, DACLAM, Professor, Departments of Pathology, Medicine (Infectious Diseases), and Epidemiology & Public Health, Professor and Founding Director, Program of Comparative Medicine; and Rigoberto Sanchez, PhD, RQAP-GLP, Assistant Professor of Pathology, and Director of Pre-Clinical Research for the Comparative Medicine Program, received a $1.2 million contract from the Department of Defense, in collaboration with the University of Alabama Medical Center, for a Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) study compliant with Title 21 Part 58 of the Code of Federal Regulations, entitled “Evaluation of 17a-Ethynylestradiol-3-Sulfate in Severe Hemorrhage and Poly-Trauma.”

Emerson Wickwire, PhD, Associate Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine, received a two-year, $465,313 grant from the Merck Investigator-Initiated Studies Program for “The Impact of Insomnia on Cognitive Function and Sleep Variability among Community-Dwelling Older Adults with Insomnia: A Prospective Study Using Remote Monitoring and Ecological Momentary Assessment.”

Kudos to our colleagues who are experts in their fields and give their all to represent the School of Medicine!

Saurabh Dahiya, MBBS, FACP, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, was among the six scholars from North America selected for the “Biennial International Society for Cellular Therapy” and “American Society of Transplantation and Cell Therapy Cell Therapy Training” courses held in Philadelphia, Pa.

Roy Film, PT, MPT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT, Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, delivered a continuing education course, titled  “Changing of the Guard: Effective Pain Management Strategies to Impact Opioid Prescribing Practices,” on May 4, 2020, at the Virtual Spring Meeting of the APTA District of Columbia.

Ronna HertzanoRonna Hertzano, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, presented an invited lecture in the Collaborative Multi-Institutional Otolaryngology Residency Education Program, an on-line Otolaryngology educational program for the period of COVID-19 with over 400 participants joining daily, on the topic of ‘Otosclerosis.’

Tonya Webb, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, gave an invited presentation, titled “Immunotherapeutic Strategies Targeting Natural Killer T Cell Responses in Cancer,” for the National Cancer Institute’s Vaccine Branch on April 16, 2020.

Emerson Wickwire, PhD, Associate Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine, presented a national webinar on April 1, 2020 to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The title of his presentation was “Self-Care and Resilience for Sleep Professionals During Difficult Times.” In addition, Dr. Wickwire also presented a national webinar on March 18, 2020 to the Society for Behavioral Sleep Medicine. The title of his presentation was “Health Economics of Insomnia Treatments: The Return on Investment for a Good Night’s Sleep.”

Community Service!

Abriana Williams and Lizzy Daniel, DPT Students, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, assisted Govans Ecumenical Development Corporation’s (GEDCO) Senior Services Division by contacting GEDCO’s Stadium Place residents to assess their needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The students contacted residents by phone and inquired if they had emergent needs for food, medication, and provided information regarding COVID-19. They also provided resources for assistance in completing their 2020 Census survey. This effort was coordinated by Vincent Conroy, PT, DScPT, Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, GEDCO Senior Services Committee Advisory Board member, and Mr. Tedd Gross, GEDCO Director of Senior Services and Chief Program Officer.

Dario Rodrigues, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, was named leader of the American Society for Mechanical Engineers’ Task Group on Thermal Medicine Lexicon in May 2020.

Upcoming Events

Health Disparities Journal Club
Summer 2020
June 23, 2020 – July 28, 2020 (6 weeks)
Tuesdays, 12:00 – 1:00 pm/1:30 pm
Online Zoom Conference

Course Instructor:
Laundette Jones, PhD, MPH
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health
Associate Director, STAR-PREP (Postbaccalaureate Research and Education Program)
Deputy Director, Program in Health Equity and Population Health
Howard Hall, Room 103C
LPJones@som.umaryland.edu
410-706-7331

Description:
This course is designed to provide students with a starting foundation to understand and effectively communicate on health disparities, social determinants of health, and their varying impacts on the nation as a whole.  This six-week course is divided into two parts.  Weeks 1-2 will be interactive lectures/discussions combined with practical learning activities.  Weeks 3-6 will be a combination of student presentations on specified topics in current health disparities research followed by interactive discussions.  In addition to student presentations, there will be speakers selected from various fields to provide students with an understanding of social issues of relevance to those populations impacted by health disparities. The literature/topics covered in this course is not meant to be exhaustive; rather, it is intended to generate ideas and provide a background for further study of health disparities and health equity.  Reading material will be assigned each week and students are expected to complete all required readings before class in order to be prepared to discuss and apply concepts from the readings.

Student Presentation Structure:
In weeks 3-6, we will review and discuss current articles on topics related to health disparities, public health policies, or advocacy programs. Students can volunteer to present an article related to health disparities.  Sources of articles: Newspaper (print or online), journals, magazines.  Students will be assigned to a week to share their chosen article and lead the discussion to the group.  Students may choose to give an individual or team presentation.

The students should be prepared to share the findings of the article via ppt. or handout and should include: 

  • How did you locate the article?
  • What interests you about this article?
  • Why it was important (e.g. is the article the result of a study?  a new public policy?, etc.)
  • Do you feel that the framing of the health disparities message would influence public attitude in a positive or negative way? Or both?

Schedule:

Week 1 June 23 Introduction to Health Equity & Social Determinants of Health
Week 2 June 30 Talking about Disparities Toolkit
Week 3 July 7 Student Presentations/ Guest Lecturer
Week 4 July 14 Student Presentations/Guest Lecture
Week 5 July 21 Student Presentations/Guest Lecturer
Week 6 July 28 Student Presentations & Session Wrap up/Reflection

Hats off to those who have been published!

Zubair Ahmed, PhD, Professor, and Saima Riazuddin, PhD, MPH, MBA, Professor, both from the Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, were among the co-authors of “Molecular Characterization of SLC24A5 Variants and Evaluation of Nitisinone Treatment Efficacy in a Zebrafish Model of OCA6,” which was published in Pigment Cell Melanoma Research on April 9, 2020.

A. Modiri

Akbar Anvari, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow; Arezoo Modiri, PhD, Assistant Professor; Javed Mahmood, PhD, Assistant Professor; Amit Sawant, PhD, Associate Professor, all from the Department of Radiation Oncology, were among the co-authors of “On-Line Dose Delivery Verification in Small Animal Image-Guided Radiotherapy,” which was published in Medical Physics on February 5, 2020.

Bridget Armstrong, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow; Allison Hepworth, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, UMB School of Social Work; and Maureen Black, PhD, The John A. Scholl, MD and Mary Louise Scholl, MD Professor in Pediatrics, were among the authors of “Hunger in the Household: Food Insecurity and Associations with Maternal Eating and Toddler Feeding,” which was published in Pediatric Obesity on April 15, 2020.

Stewart Becker, PhD, Assistant Professor; Yannick Poirier, PhD, Assistant Professor; Elizabeth Nichols, MD, Associate Professor; and Byong Yong Yi, PhD, Professor, all from the Department of Radiation Oncology, were among the authors of “Dosimetry Evaluation of the GammaPod Stereotactic Radiosurgery Device Based on Established AAPM and IAEA Protocols,” which was published in Medical Physics on April 24, 2020.

Maureen BlackMaureen Black, PhD, The John A. Scholl, MD and Mary Louise Scholl, MD Professor in Pediatrics, and Angela Trude, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Pediatrics, were among the authors of “Nutrition and Child Development,” which was published in the Encyclopedia of Infant and Childhood Development.

Rong Chen, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, was last author of “Diagnostic Accuracy of Unenhanced CT Texture Analysis to Differentiate Mass-Forming Pancreatitis from Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma,” which was published in the May 2020 issue of Abdominal Radiology (New York).

David Gatz, MD, Instructor; Zachary Dezman, MD, Assistant Professor; and Laura Bontempo, MD, Associate Professor, all from the Department of Emergency Medicine, were among the authors of “55-Year-Old Male with Exertional Dyspnea,” which was published in Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine on April 23, 2020.

Carol Greene
C. Greene

Rachel Gore, ScM, CGC, Instructor, first author; Carol Greene, MD, Professor; Maria Eleni Nikita, MD, Assistant Professor; Paula Newton, MD, Assistant Professor; and Rebecca Carter, MD, Assistant Professor, all from the Department of Pediatrics, were among the co-authors of “Duplication 6q24: More than Just Diabetes,” which was published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society on April 27, 2020.

Kim Hankey, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, was among the authors of “Identifying Circulating and Lung Tissue Cytokines Associated with Thoracic Irradiation and AEOL 10150 Treatment in a Nonhuman Primate Model,” which was published in Radiation Research on April 30, 2020.

Ronna HertzanoRonna Hertzano, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, was among the co-authors of “Noise: Acoustic Trauma to the Inner Ear,” which was published in Otolaryngology Clinics of North America on April 2020.

Miroslaw Janowski, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, was last author of “Microfluidic Systems in CNS Studies,” which was published in Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology on April 14, 2020. Dr. Janowski was also last author of “Editorial: Cell-Based Therapies for Stroke: Promising Solution or Dead End?” which was published in Frontiers in Neurology on April 3, 2020.

Jean JeudyJean Jeudy, MD, Professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, was among the authors of “Chest CT and Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): A Critical Review of the Literature to Date,” which was published in the April 2020 issue of American Journal of Roentgenology.

Pratap Karki, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, and Konstantin Birukov, MD, Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, were the co-authors of “Oxidized Phospholipids in Healthy and Diseased Endothelium,” which was published in Cells on April 15, 2020.

Hua Jun Liang, MBBS, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, first author; Erin O’Connor, MD, Assistant Professor; Thomas Ernst, Dr rer nat, Professor; and Linda Chang, MD, MS, Professor (last author), all from the Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, were among the authors of “Greater Sensorimotor Deficits and Abnormally Lower Globus Pallidus Fractional Anisotropy in HIV+ Women than in HIV+ Men,” which was published in the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology on April 22, 2020. Separately, Drs. Ernst and Chang were among the authors of “Motion Correction in Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy,” which was published in Magnetic Resonance in Medicine on April 17, 2020.

Jerimy Polf
J. Polf

Paul Maggi, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, and Jerimy Polf, PhD, Associate Professor, both from the Department of Radiation Oncology, were among the authors of “Computational Model for Detector Timing Effects in Compton-Camera Based Prompt-Gamma Imaging for Proton Radiotherapy,” which was published in Physics in Medicine and Biology on April 22, 2020.

Javed Mahmood, PhD, Assistant Professor; Santanu Samanta, MD, Resident; Ali Saeed, MD, PhD, Resident; France Carrier, PhD, Professor; Hem Shukla, PhD, Assistant Professor; and Zeljko Vujaskovic, MD, PhD, Professor, all from the Department of Radiation Oncology, were among the authors of “A Combination of Radiotherapy, Hyperthermia, and Immunotherapy Inhibits Pancreatic Tumor Growth and Prolongs the Survival of Mice,” which was published in Cancers (Basel) on April 21, 2020.

Regina MacatangayRegina Macatangay, MD, Assistant Professor, and Monica McArthur, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, both from the Department of Pediatrics, were among the co-authors of “ SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Pediatric Patient with Hemoglobin SC Disease,” which was accepted for publication in Pediatric Blood & Cancer on May 2, 2020.

Toni Pollin
T. Pollin

Kristin Maloney, MS, MGC, Instructor, and Toni Pollin, MS, PhD, Associate Professor, both from the Department of Medicine, were among the co-authors of “Patient Perspectives on the Diagnostic Journey to a Monogenic Diabetes Diagnosis: Barriers and Facilitators,” which was published in the Journal of Genetic Counseling on March 12, 2020.

Robert Miller, MD, Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, was among the authors of “The Impact of COVID-19 on Radiation Oncology Clinics and Cancer Patients in the U.S.,” which was published in Advances in Radiation Oncology on March 27, 2020. Dr. Miller was also among the authors of “Physician Practice Variability in the Use of Extended-Fraction Radiation Therapy for Bone Metastases: Are We Choosing Wisely?” which was published in JCO Oncology Practice on April 13, 2020.

Elias Melhem
E. Melhem

Timothy Miller, MD, Associate Professor; Elias Melhem, MD, PhD, Professor and the Dean John M. Dennis Chairman, Department of Diagnostic Radiology & Nuclear Medicine; Jiachen Zhuo, PhD, Assistant Professor; Rao Gullapalli, PhD, MBA, Professor; and Dheeraj Gandhi, MBBS, Professor (last author), all from the Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, along with Howard Eisenberg, MD, Professor and The Raymond K. Thompson, MD Chair in Neurosurgery, were among the authors of “Predicting Final Lesion Characteristics During MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound Pallidotomy for Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease,” which was published in the Journal of Neurosurgy on April 24, 2020. Separately, Drs. Zhuo and Guallapalli, along with Su Xu, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, were among the authors of “White Matter Alterations in Fmr1 Knockout Mice during Early Postnatal Brain Development,” which was published in Developmental Neuroscience on April 29, 2020.

Pranshu Mohindra, MD, MBBS, Associate Professor, and Shifeng Chen, PhD, Associate Professor, both from the Department of Radiation Oncology, were among the authors of “Radiation Therapy Considerations during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Literature Review and Expert Opinions,” which was published in the Journal of Applied Clinical and Medical Physics on April 23, 2020.

Elizabeth Parker, PhD, RD, Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, and Erin Hager, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, and colleagues, were the co-authors of “Diet Quality of Elementary and Middle School Teachers is Associated with Healthier Nutrition-Related Classroom Practices,” which was published in Preventive Medicine Reports on April 2, 2020.

Yannick Poirier, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, was the lead author of “Transitioning from Gamma Rays to X Rays for Comparable Biomedical Research Irradiations: Energy Matters,” which was published in Radiation Research on April 21, 2020.

Toni PollinToni Pollin, MS, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, was among the co-authors of “Perspectives from Individuals with Familial Hypercholesterolemia on Direct Contact in Cascade Screening,” which was published in the Journal of Genetic Counseling on March 29, 2020.

William RegineWilliam Regine, MD, FACR, FACRO, The Isadore & Fannie Schneider Foxman Chair in Radiation Oncology, was among the authors of “Understanding High-Dose, Ultra-High Dose-Rate and Spatially Fractionated Radiotherapy,” which was published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics on April 13, 2020.

Saima Riazuddin, PhD, MPH, MBA, Professor, Departments of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Muhammad Asaad Usmani, MPhil, Research Fellow, were among the co-authors of “RSRC1 Loss-of-Function Variants Cause Mild to Moderate Autosomal Recessive Intellectual Disability,” which was published in Brain on April 1, 2020.

Alexis Salerno, MD, Assistant Professor; Brian Euerle, MD, FACEP, RDMS, Associate Professor; and Michael Witting, MD, MS, Professor, all from the Department of Emergency Medicine, were the authors of “Transesophageal Echocardiography Training of Emergency Physicians through an E-Learning System,” which was published in the Journal of Emergency Medicine on April 30, 2020.

Herve TettelinHervé Tettelin, PhD, Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute for Genome Sciences, co-edited and was among the chapter authors of the new open access book “The Pangenome: Diversity, Dynamics and Evolution of Genomes,” which was published in Springer Nature on May 4, 2020.

Vladimir Toshchakov, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Andrew Neuwald, PhD, Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, co-authored “A Survey of TIR Domain Sequence and Structure Divergence,” which was published in Immunogenetics on January 30, 2020. In addition, Dr. Toshchakov and Artur Javmen, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, also from Department of Microbiology and Immunology, co-authored “Targeting the TLR Signalosome with TIR Domain-Derived Cell-Permeable Decoy Peptides: The Current State and Perspectives,” which was published in Innate Immunity on January 19, 2020.

Maureen Black
M. Black

Angela Trude, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow; Maureen Black, PhD, The John A. Scholl, MD and Mary Louise Scholl, MD Professor in Pediatrics; and Yan Wang, BM, DrPH, Associate Professor, all from the Department of Pediatrics, were among the authors of “Maternal Anxiety and Diet Quality among Mothers and Toddlers from Low-Income Households,” which published in Maternal & Child Nutrition on March 8, 2020.

Tonya Webb, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology; Michael Lee, MSTP, Student; and Wenji Sun, MD, PhD, Research Associate, Department of Surgery, co-authored “Sphingosine Kinase Blockade Leads to Increased Natural Killer T Cell Responses to Mantle Cell Lymphoma,” which was published in Cells on April 21, 2020.

Kelly WestlakeKelly Westlake, PhD, MSc, PT, Assistant Professor, and Brian Johnson, OTR/L, PhD, Instructor, both from the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, were co-authors of “Sensorimotor Performance is Improved by Targeted Memory Reactivation During a Daytime Nap in Healthy Older Adults,” which was published in the July 2020 issue of Neuroscience Letters.

Charles WhiteCharles White, MD, Professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, was among the authors of “Management of Lung Nodules and Lung Cancer Screening During the COVID-19 Pandemic: CHEST Expert Panel Report,” which was published in Chest on April 22, 2020.

Emerson Wickwire, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, and Jennifer Albrecht, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, were among the authors of “Practice Patterns of Board-Certified Sleep Medicine Providers: A National Analysis among Older Adult Medicare Beneficiaries,” which was published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine on February 6, 2020.

Michael Winters, MD, Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, was among the discussants in the twice-monthly podcast, Critical Care Perspectives in Emergency Medicine, episode “Vasopressors & The Older Patient—The 65 Trial,” published on April 27, 2020.

Matthew Witek, MD, MS, Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, was among the authors of “Diagnosis and Management of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Unknown Primary in the Head and Neck: ASCO Guideline,” which was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology on April 23, 2020.

Weiguang Yao, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, was among the authors of “Technical Note: Design and Characterization of a Large Diameter Parallel Plate Ionization Chamber for Accurate Integral Depth Dose Measurements with Proton Beams,” which was published in Medical Physics on April 8, 2020.

Baoshe Zhang, PhD, Assistant Professor; Shifeng Chen, PhD, Associate Professor; Elizabeth Nichols, MD, Associate Professor; and Byong Yong Yi, PhD, Professor, all from the Department of Radiation Oncology, were among the authors of “A Practical Cyberattack Contingency Plan for Radiation Oncology,” which was published in the Journal of Applied Clinical and Medical Physics on April 24, 2020.