July 26, 2007
2007 GSM Faculty Awards The fourth annual "GSM Faculty Awards" were presented at the Resident Reception held June 27, 2007, at the University Club/Visitors Center. Winners were nominated by their colleagues and include:
GSM Spirit Award John C. Neff, MD
Professor and Director of the Pathology Residency Program
The GSM Spirit Award recognizes faculty members who exemplify the spirit of UTGSM by upholding and promoting the UTGSM mission to colleagues, residents, students, staff, and the community. Dr. Neff was nominated by Dr. James Neutens, Dean, UTGSM, who said, "Dr. Neff is respected throughout the UT Health Science Center as well as within the walls of the Graduate School of Medicine, and he is recognized as a leader in Pathology at the national level."
Excellence and Leadership in Basic Science Research
Brian O'Nuallain, PhD Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Human Immunology and Cancer Program
This award is offered to recognize, reward, and reinforce outstanding investigators and to promote excellence in basic science research at UTGSM. The primary criteria are excellence and leadership in research over an extended portion of an investigative career at UTGSM. In nominating Dr. O'Nuallain, Dean Neutens described his work as "some of the best research of any young investigator in the United States."
Excellence and Leadership in Clinical Research Nikki B. Zite, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor and Associate Director, Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program
This award is offered to recognize, reward, and reinforce outstanding investigators and to promote excellence in clinical research at UTGSM. "Dr. Zite has expanded the educational experience for our residents immensely by virtue of her clinical expertise, teaching techniques and interest in clinical research," said Dr. Robert Elder in his nomination of Dr. Zite. "Through her guidance, a number of research projects have been accepted for presentation at a national level, several of them garnering recognition and awards."
Excellence in Teaching Award
Henry S. Nelson, MD
Professor and Vice Chairman, Department of Surgery
This award is offered to faculty who exhibit a strong commitment to teaching while serving as a role model to residents, students, and colleagues. In nominating Dr. Nelson, Dr. Mitchell Goldman said, "Dr. Nelson has the appreciation of the residents for his ability to find the delicate balance between autonomy and guidance and convey both his personal qualities as well as his command of the surgical literature and technique to create the all around surgeon."
Excellence in Teaching Award (Volunteer Faculty) Robert D. Thomas, MD
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Radiology
Recipients of this award volunteer time and effort to further the mission of UTGSM without compensation. This award is offered to volunteer faculty who exhibit a strong commitment to teaching while serving as a role model to residents, students, and colleagues. In nominating Dr. Thomas, Dr. Kent Hutson said, "Dr. Thomas spends three to four hours a day for several weeks to present radiology cases. Of particular importance, he covers the areas of pediatric radiology and congenital heart disease that are not covered by our core curriculum. Dr. Thomas is in a full-time private practice in Greeneville, TN, yet he drives 1.5 hours each way to present these lecture and case reviews. The residents are very appreciative of Dr. Thomas and his educational efforts."
June 18, 2007
UT Medical Researcher Determines Link between Foie Gras and Disease
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine researcher, Alan Solomon, M.D., director of the Human Immunology and Cancer/Alzheimer’s Disease and Amyloid-Related Disorders Research Program, led a team that discovered a link between foie gras prepared from goose or duck liver and the type of amyloid found in rheumatoid arthritis or tuberculosis.
Their experimental data, appearing in this week's edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has provided the first evidence that a food product can hasten amyloid development.
Amyloidosis is a disease process involving the deposit of normal or mutated proteins that have become misfolded. In this unstable state, such proteins form hair-like fibers, or fibrils, that are deposited into vital organs, like the heart, kidneys, liver, pancreas, and brain. This process leads to organ failure and, eventually, death. There are many types of amyloid-related diseases in addition to rheumatoid arthritis, such as Alzheimer’s disease, adult-onset (type-2) diabetes, and an illness related to multiple myeloma called primary or AL amyloidosis, an illness that has been a particular focus of study in the Solomon laboratory.
Foie gras is a culinary delicacy derived from massively enlarged fatty livers of ducks and geese. It is produced by gorging the fowl over several weeks. Solomon and his research team analyzed commercially sold foie gras from the U.S. and France and found that it contained a type of amyloid called AA. Amyloid deposits are commonly found in waterfowl, but this condition is noticeably increased in force-fed birds. In their study, mice prone to develop AA amyloidosis were injected or fed amyloid extracted from foie gras. Within eight weeks, a majority of the animals developed extensive amyloid deposits in the liver, spleen, intestine, and other organs.
Based on the findings of the study, Solomon and his team concluded that this and perhaps other forms of amyloidosis might be transmissible, like “mad cow” and other related diseases. Until now, no other infectious sources of food products have been found.
“It is not known if there is an increase of Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, or other amyloid-related disease in people who have eaten foie gras,” cautioned Solomon. “Our study looked at the existence of amyloid fibrils in foie gras and showed that it could accelerate the development of AA amyloidosis in susceptible mice. Perhaps people with a family history of Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, or other amyloid-associated diseases should avoid consuming foie gras and other foods that may be contaminated with fibrils.” Other investigators have reported that meat derived from sheep and seemingly healthy cattle may represent other dietary sources of this material, he said.
People develop diseases for many reasons. “Eating foie gras probably won’t cause a disease in someone who isn’t genetically predisposed to it,” Solomon explained. “More critical is determining what causes these diseases in the first place and, most important, developing new means of diagnosis and treatment designed to rid the body of harmful amyloid deposits or preventing them from occurring or progressing. Indeed, this is the very focus of the work of my team at the University of Tennessee, and we are all deeply committed to achieving this goal. I am hopeful that our research efforts and those of other scientists throughout the world will help those afflicted with these diseases, which exert such a devastating toll on patients and family members alike.”
The research study was funded through research grants from the National Institutes of Health, Aslan Foundation, Swedish Research Council and Torsten and Ragnar Soderberg’s Foundations.
Alan Solomon currently is Director, Human Immunology and Cancer/Alzheimer’s Disease and Amyloid-Related Disorders Research Program, and Professor of Medicine, University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine. He was named American Cancer Society Clinical Research Professor in 1995 and is Scientific Advisor to the International Myeloma Foundation and the Amyloidosis Research Foundation. He has devoted more than 40 years to the study, diagnosis, treatment and cure of amyloid-related diseases and has published more than 250 articles in scientific and medical journals on this and related topics. He has been the recipient of numerous research awards from federal and private agencies, and his 41-year grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute has just been extended for another five years, making it one of the longest on record.
The University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine in Knoxville is part of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, the statewide academic health system. The school is home to more than 200 teaching physicians and researchers; more than 175 medical and dental resident physicians in 12 residency and nine fellowship programs; and more than 180 volunteer faculty physicians and dentists. The school, together with clinical partner, University Health System Inc., forms the University of Tennessee Medical Center, the only academic medical center in the area.
Editor’s Note: To schedule an interview with Dr. Solomon, please contact either Amanda F. Johnson, AFJohnso@mc.utmck.edu, 865-305-6369, Lea Anne Law, LALaw@tennessee.edu, 865-305-6378, or UT Graduate School of Medicine Office of Communications and Outreach, 865-305-9190.
June 15, 2007
Graduate School of Medicine Excellence Award
THANK YOU to all for making the first employee Excellence Award program a success. The committee received a large number of nominations representing outstanding commitment and dedication to the Graduate School of Medicine. Each and every one was deserving of the award making choice of the winners a challenge.
Guidelines originally established allowed for two winners per year. Due to the overwhelming response and variety of nominations, the committee chose to select one for each category thus allowing for a total of 4 awards.
Congratulations to the 2007 winners of the Excellence Award. We recognize these recipients who go beyond the scope of their duty to provide excellence in job performance, courtesy and customer service, community service, and leadership for the Graduate School of Medicine.
Patricia Obenour, Department of Medicine
2007 Excellence in “Job Performance”
Carol Houser, GSM Dean’s Office
2007 Excellence in “Courtesy and Customer Service”
Melinda Klar, Department of Surgery
2007 Excellence in “Community Service”
Mary Ann Murphy, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
2007 Excellence in “Leadership”
Nominations received this year but not selected will be qualified for consideration of the 2008 award. Please submit your nominations for the upcoming year anytime between now and May 15, 2008.
June 6, 2007 University of Tennessee Medical Researcher Speaks at Nobel Conference
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – David Townsend, Ph.D., Director of the Molecular Imaging and Translational Research Program at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, was chosen to speak at the May 2007 Nobel Conference, “Watching Life Through Molecular Imaging,” in Stockholm, Sweden.
Dr. Townsend presented information from his research in designing and developing advanced PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scanning instrumentation, which enhances physicians’ ability to diagnose and stage cancer and potentially offers an earlier diagnosis before advanced symptoms of a disease appear. In particular, he discussed the combination of molecular imaging technology (PET) with the study of the structure of organs (Computed Tomography or CT) to gain improved results from PET scanning. He joined 30 other scientists from around the world in presenting advances in molecular imaging.
“It was an honor to be invited to speak at this Forum and to have the opportunity to present the work of our UT Program to such a distinguished scientific group,” Dr. Townsend said. “Part of the mission of the UT Molecular Imaging and Translational Research Program is to develop methodology that directly impacts patient care. Each advance in imaging technology has the potential to impact the lives of countless patients.”
In 2004, Dr. Townsend was selected as the Distinguished Clinical Scientist by The Academy of Molecular Imaging for his contributions to the development of the PET/CT scanner. Most recently, he was elected as an IEEE Fellow, one of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers’ most prestigious honors, for contributions to PET. He designed and built the first rotating partial ring PET scanner, and he was principal investigator on the first proposal to design and build a combined PET/CT scanner. The PET/CT scanner was listed in TIME Magazine as the medical invention of the year in 2000.
“Every day, patients here and around the world benefit from the advancements made by David Townsend and his group,” said James Neutens, Ph.D., Dean, UT Graduate School of Medicine. “His work is a shining example of the caliber of research being conducted at the University of Tennessee.”
Molecular imaging is a rapidly emerging biomedical research discipline that uses biomarkers—agents, such as glucose, labeled with a radioactive tracer—to image targets in the body. Biomarkers chemically interact with the target organ and then provide three-dimensional images for the physician as a consequence of that interaction. Advances in the field of molecular imaging should lead to better staging and treatment of cancer and cardiac and other diseases.
The University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine in Knoxville is part of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, the statewide academic health system. The school is home to more than 200 teaching physicians and researchers and more than 175 medical and dental resident physicians in 12 residency and nine fellowship programs. The school, together with clinical partner, University Health System Inc., forms the University of Tennessee Medical Center, the only academic medical center in the area.
Interview and photo opportunities are available.
Contact Amanda F. Johnson, AFJohnso@mc.utmck.edu, 865-305-9190
June 6, 2007
UT Researchers Demonstrate Response to Chemotherapy for Lung Cancer Can be Predicted
Knoxville, TN — Researchers at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine have identified a way to predict how well patients fighting certain lung cancers are responding to chemotherapy within a few weeks of the patients starting their treatment.
By using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to measure metabolic activity, the scientists learned that patients who respond well to chemotherapy are those whose non-small cell lung cancer becomes less active as early as three weeks into the course of their treatment as evidenced by prolonged overall survival.
“Because the number of patients in our study was small, we must be cautious with our interpretation, but these results are very exciting,” explained Claude Nahmias, Ph.D., professor of radiology and medicine at the UT Graduate School of Medicine, and co-author of the research appearing in the May 2007 issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine. “This discovery can guide physicians in determining whether to continue chemotherapy with its associated toxic side effects or if it would be more beneficial for the patient to move on to a different approach treatment, thereby offering the patients better care and greatly enhancing their quality of life as well.”
Nahmias and his fellow researchers evaluated 15 patients weekly for seven weeks as each patient started their chemotherapy regimes and discovered that PET studies done in the first and third weeks can predict success or failure of the therapy.
PET is a powerful molecular imaging procedure that noninvasively demonstrates the function of organs and other tissues. When PET is used to image cancer, glucose (sugar) labeled with a radioactive tracer is injected into the patient. This radiopharmaceutical will accumulate in tissues, including tumors, in proportion to the tissues’ metabolic activity and this distribution can then be displayed as three-dimensional images, giving physicians an unparalleled view of the affect of chemotherapy in cancer.
Non–small cell lung cancer is the most common type of lung cancer, usually growing and spreading more slowly than small cell lung cancer. Lung cancer is the second most common cancer and the most common cause of cancer-related death in both men and women in the United States. In 2007, about 213,380 new cases of lung cancer are expected in the United States, and about 160,390 people will die of the disease.
Co-investigators with Nahmias include the University of Tennessee’s Wahid T. Hanna, M.D., Misty J. Long, R.T. (R)(N), Karl F. Hubner, M.D., and David W. Townsend, Ph.D., as well as Lindi M. Wahl, Ph.D., of the University of Western Ontario.
The University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine in Knoxville is part of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, the statewide academic health system. The school is home to more than 200 teaching physicians and researchers and more than 175 medical and dental resident physicians in 12 residency and nine fellowship programs. The school, together with clinical partner, University Health System Inc., forms the University of Tennessee Medical Center, the only academic medical center in the area.
Interview and photo opportunities are available.
Contact Amanda F. Johnson, AFJohnso@mc.utmck.edu, 865-305-9190.
The University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine
GSM Spirit Award
Excellence and Leadership in Basic Science Research
Excellence and Leadership in Clinical Research 
Excellence in Teaching Award
Excellence in Teaching Award (Volunteer Faculty)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine researcher, Alan Solomon, M.D., director of the Human Immunology and Cancer/Alzheimer’s Disease and Amyloid-Related Disorders Research Program, led a team that discovered a link between foie gras prepared from goose or duck liver and the type of amyloid found in rheumatoid arthritis or tuberculosis. 
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – David Townsend, Ph.D., Director of the Molecular Imaging and Translational Research Program at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, was chosen to speak at the May 2007 Nobel Conference, “Watching Life Through Molecular Imaging,” in Stockholm, Sweden.
Knoxville, TN — Researchers at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine have identified a way to predict how well patients fighting certain lung cancers are responding to chemotherapy within a few weeks of the patients starting their treatment. 