Three new University Distinguished Professors embrace collaborative nature of academic medical center

A hallmark of a thriving academic medical center is collaboration that seeks to solve big problems in health care.

A trio of professors receiving one of the highest honors for faculty at the University of Kansas has done just that — making the most of connections at KU Medical Center to advance science in their respective fields.

Of five professors appointed this fall as University Distinguished Professors from across KU, three are from the medical center: Jeffrey Burns, M.D., M.S., co-director of the KU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (KU ADRC); Debra Sullivan, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition at KU School of Health Professions; and Russell Swerdlow, M.D., director of the KU ADRC.

“The achievements of Drs. Burns, Swerdlow and Sullivan are a powerful example of what’s possible when collaboration and team science are at the heart of academic medicine,” said Robert Klein, Ph.D., vice chancellor for academic and student affairs at KU Medical Center. “Their work not only elevates KU Medical Center — it inspires all of us to think bigger, work together and push the boundaries of what’s possible in health care.”

These professors have transformed their fields of study, helping shape KU Medical Center into a national leader in nutrition, brain health and aging, Klein said. All three are role models in developing translational research, the process of turning basic science discoveries into meaningful clinical applications. Their selection as University Distinguished Professors also highlights the value of team science and transdisciplinary solutions to biomedical questions and cures for complex diseases and syndromes.

“While each faculty member was selected based on individual accomplishments,” Klein said, “their close collaboration reflects the deeply rooted culture of teamwork at KU Medical Center.”

Pulling together to fight Alzheimer’s

Burns and Swerdlow met at the University of Virginia, where both completed neurology residencies and Swerdlow stayed on as faculty. Burns — a KU School of Medicine graduate — returned to join the KU Medical Center faculty in 2004, helped recruit Swerdlow in 2007 and fast-tracked efforts to establish a center seeking to unravel the mysteries of Alzheimer’s disease and discover a cure. In 2011, the duo secured a multimillion-dollar grant to establish the KU ADRC, which is among fewer than 40 centers nationally designated by the National Institute on Aging. 

The center’s mission feels increasingly urgent, its directors say. As our population continues to age, fighting Alzheimer’s has become even more critical.

The KU ADRC brings together medical doctors, neuropsychologists, students, researchers, nurses, neuroimaging technicians, statisticians, dietitians and more. The center conducts research studies and clinical trials. It partners with The University of Kansas Health System Memory Care Clinic to provide patient care. It also provides community outreach to educate the public about Alzheimer’s disease and provide support for caregivers.

Swerdlow and Burns treat patients and conduct research on different facets of Alzheimer’s. The pair have collaborated closely on dozens of papers at KU Medical Center.

To put it simply, “Russ zooms in, and I zoom out,” Burns said, referring to the perspective of each on research.

“We complement each other,” Swerdlow added.

Swerdlow is a pioneer in the area of mitochondria and metabolism in the brain. “Dr. Swerdlow’s work is central to how we understand the mitochondrial contribution to aging and Alzheimer’s,” one letter of support for the University Distinguished Professorship said. Another called Swerdlow “a visionary in translational neuroscience whose scholarship continues to influence national and international research priorities.”

Swerdlow’s Alzheimer's disease mitochondrial cascade hypothesis asserts that deficient brain energy and malfunctioning mitochondria initiate late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. The theory, which has slowly gained traction since he proposed it over 20 years ago, runs counter to the longstanding hypothesis that Alzheimer’s is caused primarily by a buildup of beta-amyloid, a protein that forms plaques in the brain, and tangles of a protein called tau, which are always present with Alzheimer’s. 

Zooming out, much of Burns’ research is at the whole-person level. He aims to assess the roles of fitness and lifestyle on brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease progression, including through exercise intervention trials. He’s also collaborated on research studies exploring how diet affects brain health.

Burns “has positioned KU as a national thought leader in cognitive aging research,” peers said. “His innovative work has not only advanced our understanding of dementia but has informed national recruitment and research participation strategies through NIH (National Institutes of Health) committees and advisory roles.”

Burns has supported the development of more than 100 clinical research protocols across nearly all departments at the medical center and has served as a primary mentor for numerous junior faculty and postdoctoral fellows. He has been continuously funded as a principal investigator by the NIH since 2005 and has received multiple awards for his work.

Being in discovery science requires fortitude. You may go years feeling like you’ve made no progress, Swerdlow said, but eventually you see that those years have contributed to a more sophisticated understanding of the problem you’re trying to solve.

The pair’s shared long-term dream remains finding a way to cure and prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

“I think we will accomplish that,” Burns said.

Studying nutrition’s intersection with disease

Sullivan has introduced nutrition and dietetics into many areas of research at KU Medical Center, even collaborating with both Swerdlow and Burns.

Peers supporting her award called Sullivan “the architect of some of the most forward-thinking nutrition education initiatives in the United States.” 

“I have an insatiable curiosity,” Sullivan said. She’s always thinking about ways she could use her expertise to help other populations.

“If I can get more researchers including nutrition in their own research programs, I think that benefits everyone because nutrition has such a powerful impact on health.”

Early in her career, Sullivan focused on pediatric obesity and how to prevent it. She expanded to obesity treatment in adults, eventually exploring how her work could apply to special populations such as people with intellectual disabilities, breast cancer survivors, people in rural areas and people at risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

She’s studied how the Mediterranean diet might affect brain health, with Burns as her co-investigator, and how following the ketogenic diet could benefit Alzheimer’s patients, a collaboration with Swerdlow. Some of her most recent studies include analyzing the effects of eating blueberries, eggs or milk on brain health. She also has multiple ongoing projects with the KU Cancer Center.

Sullivan said much of her work has been inspired by KU Medical Center’s research strengths.

“If you’ve got an expert in an area, they may not be doing nutrition but if I think they should because there’s research suggesting that it could have an impact, I approach them and say, ‘Hey, let’s collaborate,’” Sullivan said. “I’m not afraid to try new areas.”