Thursday, October 11, 2012
Contact: Leah C. Payne, Director of Public Affairs, Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy 304-691-1713

National Cancer Institute senior investigator to be guest speaker

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine biomedical sciences students, in collaboration with students from West Virginia University, the University of Kentucky and Ohio University, will host the first Appalachian Regional Cell Conference in an effort to expand the field of cell biology research in the region.

The conference is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. this Friday, Oct. 12, in Charleston at the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center at Charleston Area Medical Center, and is funded by a grant from the American Society for Cell Biology.

“The goal of this scientific meeting is to foster interactions among students at four universities within the Ohio Valley/mid-Appalachian region: West Virginia University, Marshall University, the University of Kentucky and Ohio University,” said M. Allison Wolf, one of the conference organizers and a graduate student at Marshall. “An annual, regional meeting of students from these peer institutions will generate unique benefits emerging from a larger gathering of students, including stimulating professional networking and discovering common research interests that may lead to future collaborations and sharing of resources.”

Dr. Richard Niles, senior associate dean for research and graduate education, praised the students for their efforts to coordinate the initiative.

“This is an outstanding opportunity for our graduate students to gain valuable experience in organizing and dealing with the logistics of running a scientific conference,” Niles said.  “It will also develop their peer networking skills, which will become important for whatever career path they choose.  I am very proud of Allison for taking on this organizational task despite her demanding Ph.D. research activities.”

The conference will feature keynote speaker Dr. Vinay Pathak, a senior investigator with the National Cancer Institute, whose area of study includes research on projects relating to HIV drug resistance.

For more information contact Allison Wolf at 304-696-3576.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, Oct. 8, 2012
Contact: Leah Payne, Director of Public Affairs, Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy, 304-691-1713 

Dr. Nader G. Abraham named vice dean for research at School of Medicine
International researcher brings NIH grants and team of researchers to medical school

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. –

Nader G. Abraham, Ph.D., Dr. H.C., FAHA, an internationally-recognized researcher in the field of obesity and vascular disease, has been named the inaugural vice dean for research at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, President Stephen J. Kopp and Dean Joseph I. Shapiro, M.D., announced today.  

Several members of Abraham’s research team will begin their official duties on Nov. 1, with the entire research operation in place in early 2013.

Abraham currently serves as chairman and professor of the department of physiology and pharmacology at the University of Toledo College Of Medicine. He is also affiliated with New York Medical College in Valhalla, N.Y., The Rockefeller University in New York and University of Catania in Italy.

“Dr. Abraham brings to Marshall University and the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine exceptional experience and a proven track record in advancing successful grant-funded research. Put simply, he is a research catalyst,” Kopp said. “He is especially adept in fostering clinical translational research and building successful interdisciplinary research teams, attributes that will be of great benefit to our entire university. He most certainly will complement our efforts to expand applied research activities that yield commercially-viable discoveries.”

“This is a great day for the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and Marshall University. Dr. Abraham is one of the preeminent biomedical researchers in the world, and his joining our faculty raises our profile immediately,” Shapiro said.

He continued, “Dr. Abraham has the unique and remarkable ability to energize and inspire others. This is illustrated by the group of scientists that will be coming with him. Recruiting any of these individuals on their own would be considered a terrific accomplishment for our school. I truly believe that Dr. Abraham is a key recruitment that will give Marshall University a significant leap forward toward becoming a premier biomedical research institution.”

Widely recognized for his research on vascular disease, which is a prelude to cardiovascular and metabolic diseases including hypertension, stroke, diabetes and obesity, Abraham and his team of researchers specifically study heme oxygenase, the most potent anti-oxidant gene in the human body. The team’s research also includes ways to speed up the implementation of laboratory findings into clinical therapeutic strategies for patients, i.e., translational medicine.

“I’m very excited about joining the faculty at Marshall University,” Abraham said. “I will be focusing on translational research projects in collaboration with the clinical departments, which will be an exciting experience for our medical students. I very much enjoy working with outstanding clinicians with little basic science experience and seeing them evolve into translational researchers. Truly, Marshall offers a unique opportunity to achieve these goals.”

Abraham is currently the principal investigator on two National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants focusing on stem cells-heme oxygenase, hormonal regulation of blood pressure, obesity and diabetes. Over his 30-year-plus career, Abraham has served as principal investigator or co-investigator on grants or projects totaling more than $17.3 million. As project leader for a program project in pharmacology, he has worked on five grants with total NIH funding of more than $60 million, bringing his total career grant support to more than $77 million.

Several career highlights for Abraham include the following leadership positions:

• 1996, chairman of the Society of Hematology and Stem Cells;
• 2000, chairman of the 1^st International Conference on Heme Oxygenase, New York;
• 2002, chairman of the International Conference on Heme Oxygenase, Italy;
• 2005, chairman of the International Conference on Heme Oxygenase, Japan; and
• 2007, chairman of the International Conference on Heme Oxygenase, Poland.

Over his career, Abraham has received dozens of awards including the following:

• National Institute of Health, Research Career Development Award;
• Dr. David M. Ovitz Lecturer Award, University of Calgary, Canada;
• Distinguished Professor Award, University of Saskatoon, Canada;
• Dean’s Distinguished Award for Stem Cell Research, University of Catania, Italy;
• Honorary doctoral degree in Pharmacy, University of Catania, Italy;      
• Dean’s Distinguished Award, New York Medical College, New York; and
• Honored Professorship, Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science. 

He has served as an invited lecturer internationally, including in China, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Copenhagen, Czech Republic and Poland. He is the author or co-author of more than 300 original articles and has mentored numerous postdoctoral and graduate students.  He is a Fellow of the American Heart Association.

Abraham brings to the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine a team of researchers including the following individuals: 

• G. Drummond, Ph.D., a former associate professor at Rockefeller University and an expert in heme oxygenase who pioneered the use of metalloporphyrins to inhibit bilirubin production, and has more than 20 years of clinical trial experience in preventing jaundice in newborn infants.
• D. Kim, Ph.D., a researcher in human stem cells;
• K. Sodhi, M.D., a researcher in hypertension associated with obesity and diabetes;
• S. Monu, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow who works on the expression of an endogenous antioxidant;
• M. Maheshwari, a doctoral student; and,            
• M. Choi, a lab assistant.

Abraham earned his Ph.D. in 1976 from the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He spent his postdoctoral fellowship at The Rockefeller University, where he discovered and isolated the rat and human heme oxygenase gene responsible for the over-production of bilirubin in newborn infants, which manifests as jaundice. In early 1982, he developed inhibiters of heme oxygenase for the prevention of jaundice with his mentor Dr. A. Kappas, former vice president of The Rockefeller University and physician-in-chief.

In 1977, he became an associate scientist at New York Medical College in New York. He initiated the college’s first program project on heme oxygenase in 1985. During his time there, he was promoted to the rank of professor with tenure in medicine in 1993.

Abraham was named a visiting professor of medicine at New York University in 1993, at which time he also continued his affiliation with The Rockefeller University as a visiting scientist.

In 1996, he re-joined New York Medical College as a professor in the departments of pharmacology and medicine and also served as director of the stem cell and gene therapy program.

In 2009, while maintaining affiliations with both the New York Medical College and The Rockefeller University, Abraham was named chairman and professor of the department of physiology and pharmacology at the University of Toledo College of Medicine.  During his tenure as chair of the department at Toledo, NIH and pharmaceutical support increased from $2.5 million to more than $7 million in less than four years.

This year has been an exceptional year in the BMS program for student graduates. The following students have recently successfully defended their Ph.D. dissertations:

J. Mike Brown, Ph.D. – Mike was mentored by Dr. Monica Valentovic. His dissertation is entitled: “A Mechanistic Study of S-Adenosyl-L-methionine Protection Against Acetaminophen Hepatotoxicity.” He is currently a third-year pharmacy student at the University of Charleston School of Pharmacy.

Madhukar Kolli, Ph.D., D.V.M. – Dr. Eric Blough mentored Madhukar. His dissertation title is: “The Use of Cerium Oxide and Curcumin Nanoparticles as Therapeutic Agents for the Treatment of Ventricular Hypertrophy Following Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.” He is currently working as a Veterinarian in Barboursville, W.Va.

Siva Krishna Nalabotu, Ph.D., D.V.M. – Siva was mentored by Dr. Eric Blough. His dissertation is entitled: “Evaluation of the role of oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis in the pulmonary and the hepatic toxicity induced by cerium oxide nanoparticles following intratracheal instillation in male sprague-dawley rats.” Siva will next be working as an Assistant Veterinarian at Banfield Pet Hospital in Florence, Ky. He says that he will use his research skills to educate his clients about the toxicity of different substances and the precautionary measures that can be taken to avoid toxicity in pets.

In Siva’s own words, “The experience I got from the Ph.D. program was utmost in my life. They were the best days in my life. I had excellent committee members who were very knowledgeable and highly encouraging. My advisor, Dr. Blough, was wonderful in guiding me throughout the program, and his valuable suggestions will be invaluable for my future. I also would like to thank Dr. Valentovic, who was very caring and helpful in advising me regarding the crucial decisions in my career.”

Congratulations, Mike, Madhukar, and Siva!

We have recently had several other students defend dissertations, and we will update you on them as soon as their graduation status is official.

On August 24, the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program hosted is ninth annual research retreat. Every year, faculty, staff, and research students in the program gather to share their research, enjoy a speech by an alumni guest, and present awards for research and service. The event, which was organized by Dr. Beverly Delidow, and took place at the Pullman Plaza Hotel. According to Diana R. Maue, Graduate Recruitment Coordinator for the program, “Every year at this event, we celebrate the Marshall Biomedical Sciences family and biomedical research itself.”

The event kicked off with a luncheon and poster session. This portion of the retreat gives everyone a chance to socialize and catch up on research developments in the program. After the poster session, a member of each research cluster gave a short speech. The alumni guest speaker then presented.  

The alumni guest speaker this year was Nathan Head, Ph.D. Dr. Head currently serves as a Supervisory Special Agent for the FBI Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate (WMDD). This agency was created in 2006 to coordinate federal resources with the goal of preventing attacks involving radiological, nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons. His talk was entitled: “The Road Not Taken: Leaving Academia to Explore an Alternative Career in the Sciences.” His experiences give a stunning example of the possibilities that await for graduates of our program.

 The alumni speaker was followed by the awards presentation. The following awards were presented at the retreat:

M. Allison Wolf, President of the BMS Graduate Student Organization (GSO), won the award for Best Overall Performance as a Graduate Student plaque. The award includes a plaque and paid trip to an international meeting (up to $3500). Allison is a Ph.D. Candidate working in Dr. Claudio’s lab.

Johannes Fahrmann, Vice President of the BMS GSO, received the award for Best Research Performance as a Graduate Student. Johannes received a plaque and paid trip to a national meeting (up to $2,000). He is a Ph.D. Candidate in Dr. Hardman’s lab.

Saeed Keshavarzian was honored for being the Medical Sciences student with the highest first year g.p.a.

Stephanie Van Meter was awarded for being the Ph.D. student with the highest first year g.p.a.

Steven Rogers, who is now a Ph.D. student in Dr. Blough’s lab, won the new GSO M.S. Student Scholarship.

Miranda Carper, a Ph.D. Candidate in Dr. Claudio’s lab, won the new GSO Ph.D. Student Scholarship.

Margaret McFarland and Connie Berk tied for the GSO Staff Appreciation Award.

Dr. Richard Egleton won the GSO Faculty Appreciation Award.

Congratulations to the award winners, and thank you to the participants. We look forward to seeing everyone at the next gathering.