June 30, 2011

It is our great pleasure this month to welcome Alan S. L. Yu, MD, as the new director of the Kidney Institute and the division director of the Department of Nephrology. Dr. Yu comes to us from the renowned Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, where he was an associate professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics.

We are so thrilled that a researcher and clinician of Dr. Yu's caliber will be leading our Kidney Institute, which is an internationally recognized research center with funded investigators in six School of Medicine departments (anatomy and cell biology, biochemistry and molecular biology, internal medicine, molecular and integrative physiology, pathology and laboratory medicine, pharmacology and toxicology), and one School of Allied Health department, clinical laboratory sciences. The institute has been a major catalyst for research in the area of kidney disease and has provided a superb scientific environment that is ideal for training young investigators.

For quite some time now, KU Medical Center has been recognized as one of the leading renal research centers in the world. Our era of excellence really began when Jared J. Grantham, MD, became director of the division of nephrology in 1970. Dr. Grantham’s list of achievements is too long to include in this column, but in the last 40 years, he has earned a reputation as one of the world’s foremost nephrologists. In 1982, Dr. Grantham co-founded the Polycystic Kidney Research Foundation, headquartered in Kansas City. And this year, he will be awarded the John P. Peters Award, which is the highest honor the Nephrology Society can bestow on a physician scientist/educator.

Among the other outstanding nephrology researchers at KU Medical Center is James Calvet, PhD. This year, Dr. Calvet was the recipient of the 2011 Lillian Jean Kaplan International Prize for Advancement in the Understanding of Polycystic Kidney Disease, which recognizes scientific work and sustained clinical contributions around PKD and the development of new therapies.

With the addition of Dr. Yu, there is little doubt that the outstanding quality of the kidney research at KU Medical Center will continue on its upward trajectory. That is very promising for the 26 million Americans who suffer from chronic kidney diseases.

KU Medical Center is so proud of the longevity of its employees, which is why ceremonies are held to mark the five-year milestones of service for faculty and staff. On Wednesday, a recognition ceremony celebrated the newest group of employees who had reached those milestones. Among those honored was William McKnelly, MD, a professor of psychiatry, who came to KU Medical Center in 1961 and is marking his 50 years of service at the medical center.

In the news

The Kansas City Star last week also ran an editorial praising KU Medical Center on two fronts: for the merger between the KU Cancer Center and the Kansas City Cancer Center – and the $20 million Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) KU Medical Center received from the NIH, which was announced earlier this month. You can read the entire editorial here.

The Alzheimer and Memory Program is launching a study of a new drug for people with early Alzheimer's disease. KU researchers are collaborating with investigators at Virginia Commonwealth University to test the drug, R-pramipexole, which is related to Mirapex, a drug commonly used to treat Parkinson's disease. The study is seeking subjects age 55 and older who are experiencing mild Alzheimer’s disease-related memory loss. Information about the study is available here.

The KU School of Medicine–Wichita is seeking participants for a study that will offer cutting-edge treatment to individuals in Wichita and south central Kansas suffering from treatment-resistant major depression. Details here.

Kudos

Marc Fey, PhD, a professor of hearing and speech, has been chosen to receive the Honors of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The Honors is the ASHA's highest award and is given for sustained and outstanding contributions to research, teaching and service to the profession. The award will be presented to Dr. Fey at the ASHA annual convention in November.

Jeff Searl, PhD, an associate professor of hearing and speech, has received the Clinical Excellence Award from the International Association of Laryngectomees. This is the inaugural year for the Association, and the award was given for outstanding promise and commitment to the clinical mission of the association.

Prarthana Dalal, who just graduated from Shawnee Mission East High School, has won the International BioGENEius Challenge, a competition for high school students who demonstrate an exemplary understanding of biotechnology through science research projects. Prarthana has spent time after school and during the summer working in the lab of Ken Peterson, PhD, professor and vice-chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Sharon Kumm, RN, MN, CCRN, KU School of Nursing associate professor, was recently appointed as the School’s ambassador to the National League for Nursing. Her term will run through April 2013. Kumm has been with the KU School of Nursing since 1992. You can read more about this prestigious appointment here.