News Briefs

Students begin classes

This fall, the UI Carver College of Medicine welcomed 148 first-year medical students, an increase of six students from prior years’ classes.

The increased class size is part of a national trend to counter a potential physician work force shortage in the coming years. The Association of American Medical Colleges has called for a 30 percent increase nationally in first-year U.S. medical school enrollment by 2015.

The 148 students in the class of 2011 include 138 students in the MD program and 10 students enrolled in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), a combined MD/PhD plan of study. A total of 2,956 individuals applied for admission, including 321 Iowa residents.

Of the 138 students in the general MD program, 99 or 72 percent are Iowa residents. This figure drops to 67 percent when adding the 10 students—all non-Iowa residents—accepted into the MSTP. The class includes 66 women, which is 45 percent of the total of first-year medical students. Twenty-four students (16 percent) are from minority populations; 17 of these students are under-represented minorities.

Students who completed their undergraduate education at one of Iowa’s universities and colleges are well represented, making up 51 percent of the class.

The Graduate Program in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science enrolled 36 students in its 2007 entering class. Thirty of those students are Iowa residents. The class included 27 women and nine men. Nearly 70 percent of the students received their undergraduate degree from an Iowa university or college.

The Physician Assistant Program welcomed a class of 25 students this fall. Fourteen of the students are Iowa residents. There are 17 women and eight men. Of the 25 students, three are from minority populations.

ACCA presidency, AHA award to Abboud

François Abboud, MD (’61 R), Edith King Pearson Chair of Cardiovascular Research and an associate vice president for research at the UI Carver College of Medicine, was inducted as president of the American Clinical & Climatological Association (ACCA) during the organization’s 120th meeting. He also received a 2007 Distinguished Scientist Award from the American Heart Association (AHA).

Abboud is internationally recognized for his discovery that the heart plays a major role as a neurosensory organ, a finding that had advanced scientific understanding about autonomic control for circulation. He also is widely known for pioneering the use of multidisciplinary teams in cardiovascular research. Abboud, professor of internal medicine and molecular physiology and biophysics, directs the UI’s Cardiovascular Research Center, and served as head of internal medicine from 1976 to 2002.

He has previously served as president of four national organizations: the American Federation for Clinical Research, the Central Society for Clinical Research, the AHA and the Association of American Physicians.

Doris Duke Foundation renews clinical research program

The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has renewed its funding for clinical research fellowships at the UI Carver College of Medicine. The foundation will provide $600,000 for the program over the next three years.

The one-year Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowships give medical students the opportunity to focus exclusively on clinical investigation in close collaboration with a faculty mentor. Participants use the year away from the regular medical curriculum to explore both an area of clinical science that interests them as well as potential careers in academic medicine, according to Peg Nopoulos, MD (’85 BS, ’89 MD, ’93 R, ’94 F), professor of psychiatry and director of the Doris Duke program at the UI.

The UI was one of 10 medical schools chosen by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation when it initiated the fellowships in 2001; with the new round of funding, the program has expanded to 12 schools. The foundation’s aim in supporting the program is to encourage medical students to pursue careers in clinical research.

Huntington’s researcher honored

Jane Paulsen, PhD, professor in psychiatry and neurology, received an Excellence in Medicine Award from the Iowa chapter of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America. Approximately 4,000 Iowans are affected by the disorder.

Paulsen has studied Huntington’s for 23 years, and leads a hallmark study called PREDICT-HD that involves 32 sites around the world and almost 1,000 participants. She is a co-director of the Huntington’s Disease Center of Excellence at the UI, one of 20 such centers in the United States; a professor of psychology; and a faculty member in the UI Graduate Program in Neuroscience.

New associate dean for diversity

Benita Wolf: New Associate Dean for Diversiyt

Benita D. Wolff has been named associate dean for diversity programs of the UI Carver College of Medicine, effective March 1, 2008. She will advise the collegiate leadership and develop strategies for the recruitment and retention of a diverse medical faculty, staff and student body.

She most recently managed diversity and community outreach programs for the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to that, she served as director of graduate recruitment for the University of Arkansas Graduate School in Fayetteville and held administrative positions at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and the University of Toledo, from which she earned an MEd in higher education administration.

Lymphoma grant renewed

Leaders with Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Iowa announced the renewal of an $11.9 million Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant for lymphoma research from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The five-year grant is the first lymphoma SPORE grant ever to be renewed by the NCI. It is currently one of three lymphoma SPORE grants in the country. The SPORE is a joint effort of the UI and Mayo Clinic and is under the direction of George Weiner, MD, director of Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“The SPORE funding will provide the resources to help translate these scientific advances about the nature of lymphoma into better lymphoma treatments and allow us to continue our highly productive collaboration with the Mayo Clinic. We look forward to even more rapid progress in the years ahead,” said Weiner.

Sigmund receives AHA award

Curt D. Sigmund, PhD, professor of internal medicine and molecular physiology and biophysics in the UI Carver College of Medicine, has been named the recipient of the 2007 Arthur C. Corcoran Memorial Lecture Award from the Council for High Blood Pressure Research of the American Heart Association.

A UI faculty member in internal medicine (cardiology division) and molecular physiology and biophysics since 1991, Sigmund serves as director of the UI Transgenic Animal Facility. He also leads the Roy J. Carver Program of Research Excellence in the Functional Genomics of Cardiovascular Disease and the UI Center for Functional Genomics of Hypertension. The center recently received a five-year, $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the regulation of blood pressure in hypertension and the mechanisms causing hypertension associated with obesity.

Andreasen receives award

Nancy Andreasen, MD, PhD (’70 MD), a professor of psychiatry who holds the Andrew H. Woods Chair of Psychiatry at the UI Carver College of Medicine, received the 2007 Distinguished Investigator Award from the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD): the Mental Health Research Association.

The award supports highly significant research by scientists who have established themselves as leaders in their fields and who are on the cusp of a breakthrough. Andreasen is one of 23 outstanding scientists nationwide chosen to receive this year’s award.

Andreasen will receive a $100,000, one-year grant to advance her neural-level study of the relationship between creativity and mental illness. Her study will examine and compare the rates of mental illness in a group of highly creative artists and scientists with those of a control group of non-creative individuals. Using advanced brain imaging techniques, she will observe subjects while they are performing tasks that require making “connections,” a surrogate of creativity.

Leonard honored for efforts

Susan Leonard, residency coordinator of the Siouxland Medical Education Foundation in Sioux City, has been named the first recipient of the Community-Based Coordinator Award from the UI Carver College of Medicine.

The award honors an individual who exhibits dedication and service in support of UI community-based medical education programs. Leonard performs coordinating functions for the UI-affiliated family medicine residency program at Siouxland. She also organizes educational activities for its students.

IVF experts set pace

The in vitro fertilization program at UI Hospitals and Clinics was recently named part of the Centers of Excellence network by The United Resource Network. Now in its 20th year, the program ranks as a national leader in reducing the rate of multiple births while still achieving high pregnancy rates.

“Our delivery rate is above 52 percent for women under the age 37,” says medical director Brad Van Voorhis, MD (’84 MD). “We consistently have one of the best pregnancy rates in the country.”

Since its beginning in 1987, the Center for Advanced Reproductive Care (CARC) has assisted more than 3,100 infertile couples, resulting in the births of 3,036 babies. Recently the program adopted a single embryo transfer policy for selected couples with a high chance of pregnancy. This policy has resulted in the reduction in the rate of multiple births. The IVF program involves the collaborative efforts of specialists in obstetrics/gynecology, urology, reproductive testing and in vitro fertilization.

Distinguished Mentor Award

Gary Hunninghake, MD, the Sterba Professor of Medicine and senior associate dean for clinical and translational science, is this year’s recipient of the College’s Distinguished Mentor Award. In his honor Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), gave the Distinguished Mentor Lecture on Oct. 9.

The lecture brings to the UI world-class scientists who embody the ideals of the award and its recipient. The award and lecture were established and are supported by a gift to the UI Foundation from UI graduates Nancy Granner (’58 BS) and Daryl Granner (’58 BS, ’62 MS and MD), of North Liberty, Iowa.

Hunninghake who is also director of the Graduate Program in Translational Biomedicine and director of the Training Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Lung, will be recognized for his outstanding commitment to mentoring and substantial impact on trainees who have gone on to distinguished careers of their own.

Fauci, who presented “HIV/AIDS: in 2007: Much Accomplished, Much to Do,” has made major contributions to basic and clinical research and for the past two decades has been one of the most-cited scientists in the world. Fauci is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Institute of Medicine (Council Member), the American Philosophical Society and the Royal Danish Academy of Science and Letters.

Hunninghake, who completed his research training with Fauci at NIAID, has directed the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Occupational Medicine at the UI since 1981. Many of his trainees have become established researchers and directors of pulmonary and critical care programs and departments of medicine worldwide. He additionally directs the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science.

Daryl Granner was a UI College of Medicine faculty member from 1970 to 1984 and directed the endocrinology division from 1975 to 1984. Granner is adjunct professor of molecular physiology and biophysics and of internal medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Spector receives award

Arthur Spector, MD, the University of Iowa Foundation Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Internal Medicine in the Carver College of Medicine, has been named the recipient of the Alexander Leaf Distinguished Scientist Award from the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL).

The award was established by the Society in 2002 to honor the work of Alexander Leaf, MD, and to recognize and reward excellence in areas of research relevant to ISSFAL core interests.

Spector will deliver the featured lecture during the opening ceremonies of the ISSFAL’s 8th International Meeting. His research focuses on fatty acids in biological systems.

Schmidt in administrative role

Thomas J. Schmidt, PhD, professor of molecular physiology and biophysics in the UI Carver College of Medicine, has been named assistant dean for student affairs and curriculum.

Schmidt will help manage the Office of Student Affairs and Curriculum, which oversees all aspects of undergraduate medical education at Iowa, including curriculum development, admissions, financial aid and student advising.

A faculty member since 1983, he was named the Dr. Harold A. Myers Distinguished Professor in Medical Education, and has received numerous teaching awards. In addition to this new role as assistant dean, Schmidt will continue to serve the College and the students as co-curriculum director for the second semester.

Stone renewed by HHMI

Edwin Stone, MD, PhD (’89 R, ’90 F, ’92 F), Seamans-Hauser Chair of Molecular Ophthalmology and professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the UI Carver College of Medicine, has been renewed until 2012 as an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). First appointed in 2002, Stone is the only ophthalmologist ever appointed to the institute.

Stone directs the UI Molecular Ophthalmology Laboratory and the UI Carver Family Center for Macular Degeneration. He has led or co-led national and international research teams that have located dozens of genes responsible for inherited eye diseases and identified hundreds of specific disease-causing mutations. A current major effort, Project 3000, focuses on finding the causes and eventual cures for Leber congenital amaurosis, a rare blinding eye disease that affects individuals in childhood.

Grant funds arthritis research

A five-year, $7.5 million grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases will enable the UI to establish a Center of Research Translation for post-traumatic osteoarthritis.

A lack of understanding about the biological and mechanical processes that underlie development and progression of osteoarthritis following injury has hampered progress toward preventing post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), according to Joseph Buckwalter, MD (’69 BA, ’72 MS, ’74 MD, ’79 R), the Dr. Arthur A. Steindler Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery and professor and head of orthopaedics and rehabilitation at the UI Carver College of Medicine. Buckwalter is principal investigator of the study.

The UI researchers, led by Buckwalter and co-principal investigator Thomas Brown, PhD, the Richard and Janice Johnston Professor of Orthopaedic Biomechanics and professor and director of the UI orthopaedic biomechanics laboratory, will investigate how joint injuries propagate and develop new methods to assess joint injuries, prevent PTOA and promote joint healing. The collaborative, translational research will capitalize on UI strengths in cartilage and matrix biology, joint biomechanics, imaging and clinical studies of PTOA.

UI students top Canadian, U.S. peers on licensing exams

Recent results show UI medical students continue to outperform their U.S. and Canadian peers on the U.S. Medical Licensing Exams (USMLE).

Of the 140 members of the Class of 2007 who took the Clinical Knowledge portion of Step 2 of the exam, 98 percent—137 students—passed on their first attempt. That compares with 95 percent of medical students in the United States and Canada. The Iowa students’ mean score of 228 also topped the North American average of 225.

A detailed analysis showed Iowa students outperformed their peers in 19 of 22 subject areas on the exam.

Students at U.S. and Canadian medical schools take the Step 2 exams during their fourth year. The Clinical Knowledge portion of the test is a traditional written exam and assesses students’ knowledge and understanding of clinical science. The other portion of Step 2 is the Clinical Skills exam, which uses standardized patients to assess test takers’ ability to apply their knowledge in common clinical situations.

Preliminary results of the Clinical Skills portion showed that 138 of 139 UI senior medical students passed the exam on their first attempt. National and Canadian results were not yet available for comparison.

Scoliosis gene discovered

Two UI Carver College of Medicine researchers were among a team of scientists who recently discovered the first gene associated with idiopathic scoliosis, the most common spinal deformity in children. The gene was discovered through a collaborative study led by researchers at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas.

Idiopathic scoliosis causes abnormal curvature of the spine and affects about 3 percent of children ages 10 to 16. Although the condition has been recognized for centuries and is known to run in families, its causes have remained a mystery. “Finding this gene is a first step in deciphering the complex genetics of a complex deformity,” said Jose Morcuende, MD, PhD (’01 R), UI associate professor of orthopaedics and rehabilitation and one of the UI researchers involved in the study. “This is an exciting finding, but other genes are likely to be involved, and this gene may not be linked to scoliosis in all families.”

Although spinal asymmetry is quite common, the number of people who develop pronounced scoliosis (curves of 50 degrees) that requires surgery is much smaller: about 1 in 2,000.

The Texas research team combed the genomes of patients with scoliosis from families with at least two affected members and homed in on a region of DNA that appeared to be linked to the condition. One gene within that region was particularly interesting because it had already been linked to scoliosis. The gene, CHD7, is disrupted in a rare syndrome with many developmental abnormalities, including late-onset scoliosis.

In addition to Morcuende, Val Sheffield, MD, PhD, UI professor of pediatrics and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, also was part of the study. Most of the Iowa families studied are patients of Stuart Weinstein, MD (’72 MD, ’76 R), the Ignacio V. Ponseti Chair and professor of orthopaedic surgery and a leading scoliosis surgeon.