Joe took a slightly torturous path to find his home here in the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. His high school career was spent as a Thunderbird at East High School in Cheyenne, Wyoming. His love for science really blossomed in high school as he competed twice at the International Science and Engineering Fair, with his project involving anabolic steroids, weightlifting, and rats. His revolutionary :) conclusions were that steroids made rats stronger, meaner, bigger, and led to liver trouble. Joe's love for science and football led him to become a Wildcat at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas. At Baker Joe continued his passion for research, working with Dr. Michael Barbush on a project involving peroxylate esters in chemiluminensce.
Failing to be drafted in the NFL, a surprise only to Joe, Joe went on to become a Jayhawk at the University of Kansas in the department of Microbiology. It was there that Joe obtained his MA in microbiology/immunology. His project focused on B cell activation, adhesion, and transplant immunology. After working for a very short period of time, Joe applied to medical school at KU and was accepted. During the year before medical school, Joe worked with Doug Wright, PhD in the department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at KU Med on a project involving neurotrophins and peripheral nerve damage. During his second year of medical school, Joe worked on a project studying aging and the immune system in the brain, before joining the department of molecular and integrative physiology. Joe now resides in John Wood, PhD's lab and is just beginning his 5th year and just passed his comprehensive exams.
Systemic hypoxia while at high altitude can cause a serious condition called high altitude cerebral edema (HACE), which may result from microvascular injury. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) also can cause profound arterial hypoxemia leading to microvascular injury and multiple organ dysfunction, including the central nervous system. It is clear from these examples that systemic hypoxia and the resultant microvascular injury can be quite deleterious and is an important clinical problem. Research has only recently begun to determine the mechanisms leading to microvascular injury in hypoxic states. Much of the research has involved the mesentery and has implicated reactive oxygen species (ROS) as an initiating event. Surprisingly, at this time there have been few studies of the cerebral microvascular response to hypoxia. The Wood lab believes that this is a critical issue, as neuropsychological sequalae are seen following hypoxia associated with ARDS while cerebral edema is seen following altitude-induced systemic hypoxia. Joe's project will utilize intravital microscopy and molecular techniques to map out the cascade of events in the cerebral microvasculature that follow systemic hypoxia.
Joe spends most of his time outside the lab with his wife and two children. His wife, Mary, is a 1st year geriatrics fellow at the University of Kansas. His son, Will, is 4.5 years old and is currently being recruited by Notre Dame as an inside linebacker. Katie, his 2 year old daughter, has decided she doesn't like the Irish, and is seeking a football scholarship at Michigan, where she claims she will "Wup" her brother.
Although not anticipated by Joe or his family, he has taken quite an interest in medical activism and politics in the AMA. He was Chair of KU's AMA chapter during his second year of medical school. During that and the following year he co-wrote and followed a resolution asking the AMA to take a stand for domestic partner health-care benefits. This resolution was recently adopted as AMA policy and will be lobbied for by AMA lobbyists on the hill. He has also served on AMA national convention committees, won a national AMA leadership award, and served as a regional delegate to the AMA House of Delegates, with a vote equal to physician delegates. In December he was elected as Chair of the 53,000 member AMA-Medical Student Section. It is through the understanding nature of his family, mentor, and department that he is able to partake in these activities.
Joe's other interests include his dogs, his 1977 Ford Bronco, salt-water fish tanks, weightlifting, and local live music.
McDonald, J.T., Teague, R.T. Benedict, S.H., Chan, M.A. Induction of PYK-2 Phosphorylation During LFA-1/ICAM-1-Dependent Homotypic Adhesion of Fresh Human B-Cells. Immunological Investigations, 29(1), 71-80 (2000).
Potteiger, J.A., Chan, M.A., Haff, G.G., Mathew S., Schroeder C.A., Haug, M.D., Chirathaworn, C., Tibbetts, S.A., McDonald J.T., Omoike, O., Benedict, S.H. Training Status Influences T-cell Responses in Women Following Acute Resistance Exercise. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 15(2): 185-91. (2001).
Felzien, L.K., McDonald, J.T., Gleason, S.M., Berman, N.E.J., Klein, R.M. Increased Chemokine Gene Expression During Aging in the Murine Brain. Brain Research. 890. 137-146 (2001).
Wright, D.E., Williams, J.M., McDonald, J.T., Carlsten, J.A., Taylor, M.D. Muscle-Derived Neurotrophin-3 Reduces Injury-Induced Proprioceptive Degeneration in Neonatal Mice. Journal of Neurobiology. 50. 198-208 (2002)
2002
Systemic Hypoxia Induces Oxidatively Driven Responses in Cerebral Microcirculation Distinct from those Induced by Ischemia/Reperfusion. McDonald, J.T., Gonzalez, N.C., Wood, J.G. Department of Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center. Presented at FASEB, New Orleans, Louisiana. 4/02
2000
Increased Chemokine Gene Expression During Aging in the Murine Brain. McDonald, J.T., Felzien, L.K., Berman, N.E.J., Klein, R.M. Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center. Presented at the 30th Society for Neuroscience, New Orleans, Louisiana.
1999
Regulation of Injured Proprioceptive Axons and Muscle Spindles By Muscle-Derived Neurotrophin-3. McDonald, J.T., Patterson, C.L., Taylor, M.D., Wright, D.E. Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center. Presented at the 29th Society for Neuroscience, Miami Beach, Florida.
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The University of Kansas Medical Center