Department News

May 20, 2013

Dr. Anastasiia Aleksandrova receives the KU Argersinger Award for Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation

Dr. Anastasiia Aleksandrova was honored with the Argersinger Award for Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation on May 18th, 2013, at the University of Kansas Doctoral Hooding and Commencement Ceremony. Ana defended her dissertation research with the distinction of Honors in November, 2013 under the mentorship of Brenda Rongish, PhD and her collaborator, Dr. Andras Czirok. Ana’s research focused on the tissue-level mechanisms responsible for driving cardiac progenitor and extracellular matrix movements during early vertebrate heart development. Ana utilized time-lapse imaging and computational analyses to determine the mechanisms underlying the movements of cardiac progenitor cells to the embryonic midline, and confirmed her experimental findings with mathematical models and computer simulations. The Argersinger Dissertation Award is endowed by William and Marnie Argersinger through the KU Endowment Association. William J. Argersinger was the first Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Kansas.

May 10, 2013

Postdoctorate Dr. Lydia Vermeer awarded 2nd Place in Oral Presentations at the 2013 Resident, Postdoc and Fellow Research Day

Congratulations Dr. Lydia Vermeer for 2nd Place Oral Presentations in 2013 Resident, Postdoc and Fellow Research Day. The Vice Chancellor of Research and the Offices of Academic and Postdoctoral Affairs, and Graduate Medical Education (GME) are pleased to announce the winners of the 2013 Resident, Postdoc and Fellow Research Day. Please congratulate them on their hard work. View award winners from the 2013 Residents, Postdocs and Fellows Research Day.

May 2, 2013

Dr. Swenson-Fields' article selected for F1000 Prime

Dr. Swenson-Fields' paper, "Macrophages promote polycystic kidney disease progression" (http://www.nature.com/ki/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/ki2012446a.html) was selected for F1000 Prime as being of special significance in its field (http://f1000.com/prime/717980903?subscriptioncode=f37b88f8-3747-4609-b47e-710ada9f6ba8.

F1000Prime is an in-depth directory of top articles in biology and medicine, as recommended by the Faculty of over 5,000 expert scientists and clinical researchers, assisted by 5,000 associates (a quote from the F1000Prime website).

April 5, 2013

Student Research Forum Winners!

Congratulations to all of the Anatomy and Cell Biology students who did an outstanding job presenting platform talks and posters at the Student Research Forum on April 4th, 2013. We have a number of students who received prizes for their performance:

• Basic Science I, First Place - Kristin Watt
• Basic Science III, First Place - Angela Pierce
• Basic Science IV, Second Place (tie) - Shachi Bhatt
• Basic Science IV, First Place - Sally Salah
• Basic Science V, First Place - Bryce Warren
• Poster Session, First Place - Yi Zhou
• Paul B Freeburg Award - Bryce Warren
• Graduate Studies Ph.D. Research Medal - Bryce Warren

March 23, 2013

Joan S. Hunt, Ph.D. receives the “Frederick Naftolin Award for Mentorship” from the Society for Gynecological Investigation, March 22, 2013 in Orlando FL.

The Frederick Naftolin Award for Mentorship was established in 2003 to recognize the contributions of a member of the Society for Gynecological Investigation to training and career development of investigators in the field of reproductive and women's health. The award is named in honor of Dr. Naftolin, a former President of the society and past recipient of the President's Distinguished Scientist Award. Dr. Naftolin a staunch advocate for creating a mechanism for the society to celebrate outstanding service to our scientific community through excellence in mentoring. The award was endowed by generous contributions from members or the society. Dr. Naftolin's colleagues and trainees. The awardee is selected by Council in consultation with the Past President's and members of the society.

November 16, 2012

Thank you Barbara Fegley for your service and dedication to KUMC

Congratulations to Barbara Fegley for marking 35 years of service to KUMC. Barbara was recently recognized as one of the longtime employees who have devoted more than 35 years to KUMC, along with other honorees at the Employee Recognition Ceremony. A heartfelt thanks to Barbara for all of her years of hard work and dedication.

November 6, 2012

Doug Wright, Ph.D. wins 2012 Faculty Research Investigator Award

The Annual Faculty Research Investigator Awards recognize and honor significant research accomplishments by the faculty of the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Salina and Wichita. The awards are made in conjunction with Faculty Research Day, which is held each year at KUMC Kansas City. These awards are given to investigators who display evidence of significant research accomplishments and a high potential for sustained productive research in the future. Dr. Doug Wright was presented with the award on October 26th, 2012.

August 3, 2012

Glen Andrews Ph.D., Robert De Lisle Ph.D. created a genetic model to show the importance of zinc

KU Medical Center researchers have created a genetic model to show how zinc is crucial for absorbing nutrients in the intestine. Glen Andrews, University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, along with senior research associate Jim Geiser, Robert De Lisle, associate professor of anatomy and cell biology, and Koen Venken, a postdoctoral fellow at Baylor College of Medicine, recently published their findings in PLoS Genetics. read the complete article >>

May 4, 2011

Joan Hunt, Ph.D. to be Awarded Senior Award in Placentaology

Please join me in congratulating Joan Hunt, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Anatomy and Cell Biology (and University Distinguished Professor), on the recipient of the inaugural Senior Award in Placentology. She will receive the award at a meeting in Japan this September from the International Federation of Placenta Associations. Obviously, this reflects highly on Joan's long and distinguished career, but also on the many other researchers here who have made KU a foremost institution for reproductive sciences. Wonderful news, Joan!

August 4, 2011

Migraine research by Nancy Berman, Ph.D. in Kansas Medicine+Science

Dr. Nancy Berman's migraine research is highlighted as part of the efforts by the Women's Pain Division at the medical center's Institute for Neurological Disorders (IND). See the full article in the Spring Summer 2011 edition of Kansas Medicine+Science (page 7).

July 20, 2011

Slate Magazine article gives attribution to Nancy Berman, Ph.D.

Read the full article, "Why Do Women Get More Migraines Than Men?" by Brian Palmer on the Slate.com site.

June 10, 2011

Position Filled in the Office of Graduate Studies

It is with great pleasure that I announce the appointment of Dr. Michael Werle, Associate Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology as the new Associate Dean for Graduate Studies. Dr. Werle will continue his role in Directing the IGPBS program for the School of Medicine Basic Science Graduate Programs. His new responsibilities in Graduate Studies will include the oversight and coordination of the student research forum, the resident and postdoctoral research day and the School of Medicine's medical student summer research program. Dr. Werle succeeds Dr. Joe Bast who carried out these responsibilities for many years and has moved to phased retirement while assisting in the development of an MSTP grant application.

Dr. Werle obtained his undergraduate degree in 1982 from the University of Notre Dame, and his PhD in 1987 from The University of Southern California. After postdoctoral research at the Stanford University School of Medicine, he joined the faculty in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at KUMC in 1993. His principal research interest is activity dependent remodeling of neuronal synapses.

I hope you will join me in congratulating Dr. Werle and wishing him success in his new endeavors.

Allen B. Rawitch, Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Dean of Graduate Studies
Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology