AHC News Releases

Below are recent news releases from the Academic Health Center. Contact the Media Team
 

U of M Alzheimer's Disease Researcher Earns $800,000 Grant to Pursue Molecular Basis for Memory Loss
(September 3, 2008) – University of Minnesota Medical School neuroscience researcher Karen Hsiao Ashe, M.D., Ph.D., has been awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health’s EUREKA program.

U of M Cancer Researcher Receives Young Investigator Award
(August 27, 2008) — Scott Dehm, Ph.D., a prostate cancer researcher at the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, has received a Young Investigator Award for 2008 from the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

U of M study finds higher cancer rates among American Indians
(August 20, 2008) – The first large-scale national study of cancer rates among American Indians and Alaska Natives shows that American Indians living in Minnesota and the surrounding Northern Plains have a 39 percent higher rate of colorectal cancer than non-Hispanic whites. Related studies indicate that American Indians in this region also have a 197 percent higher rate of liver cancer, 135 percent higher rate of stomach cancer, and 148 percent higher rate of gallbladder cancer than non-Hispanic whites.

U of M Hosts White Coat Ceremony for First-Year Medical Students
The University of Minnesota Medical School will host the 2008 White Coat Ceremony to welcome first-year students into the profession of medicine, as well as share and celebrate their purpose with friends and families.

U of M Develops Experimental Therapy For Dog With Fatal Brain Cancer
Researchers with the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, Medical School, and Masonic Cancer Center have successfully performed the first step of an experimental procedure to treat a dog with brain cancer. The team’s two-fold goal: cure or extend the life of the patient and gain information that will advance scientific knowledge about brain tumors for treatment of animals and humans with this disease.

U of M School of Nursing to Sponsor First-Ever Innovative Geriatric Nursing Faculty Development Program
(Aug. 6, 2008) – The University of Minnesota School of Nursing’s Minnesota Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence (MnHCGNE) is sponsoring the first Faculty Learning About Geriatrics (FLAG) Program, Aug. 4 - 8, 2008. The program is designed to further educate nursing faculty from the Upper Midwest who do not have extensive geriatric nursing expertise in order to better prepare the nursing workforce to care for the rapidly growing elderly population.

U of M Study Shows Why Treatment Isn't Effective for HIV
(Aug. 5, 2008) – University of Minnesota researchers have answered a key question as to why antiretroviral therapy isn’t effective in restoring immunity in HIV-infected patients.

U of M Researchers Find Cerebral Malaria May Be a Major Cause of Brain Injury in African Children
MINNEAPOLIS/ST.PAUL (July 29, 2008) – Researchers at the University of Minnesota have found that cerebral malaria is related to long-term cognitive impairment in one of four child survivors. The research is published in the current issue of the journal Pediatrics.

School of Nursing Centers Receive $2 Million in Federal Grants for Graduate Education
(July 28, 2008) — The University of Minnesota School of Nursing’s Center for Adolescent Nursing and Center for Children with Special Health Care Needs each received $1 million from the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) of the Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Consortium Develops New Method to Manipulate Genetic Material
(July 24, 2008) – A multi-institutional team of researchers, including scientists at the University of Minnesota Medical School, have developed a powerful tool for genomic research and medicine. The robust method will allow researchers to generate synthetic enzymes that can target and manipulate DNA sequences for inactivation or repair.

U of M Research Finds Frequency of Family Meals Associated with Lower Odds of Substance Abuse in Adolescent Girls
(July 22, 2008) —  University of Minnesota Project Eating Among Teens II (Project EAT) researchers found that adolescent girls who frequently eat meals with their families are less likely to smoke cigarettes, consume alcohol, and use marijuana according to Marla Eisenberg, Sc.D., M.P.H., assistant professor in the Medical School and lead author of this study.

U of M professor Receives Honor from American Psychological Foundation
(July 21, 2008) – A University of Minnesota psychologist has received a top honor for his research productivity in severe mental illness and for effectively training and developing young scientists.  IrvingI. Gottesman, Ph.D., Bernstein Professor in Adult Psychiatry in the University of Minnesota Medical School and senior fellow in the department of psychology, has been chosen to receive the 2008 Alexander Gralnick Investigator Prize from the American Psychological Foundation (APF). He’ll receive $20,000 for research next month in Boston.

U of M Faculty Receives High Honor in Nursing
(July 14, 2008) — Diane Treat-Jacobson, Ph.D., School of Nursing, was awarded the Jeanne E. Doyle Excellence in Vascular Nursing award from the Society of Vascular Nursing (SVN). This is the highest award given by the SVN.

U of M Faculty Selected to Participate in Prestigious International Conference
(July 10, 2008) — University of Minnesota School of Nursing Professor Donna Bliss, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., was appointed to two committees of the Fourth International Consultation on Incontinence (ICI): the Conservative Management of Fecal Incontinence and Technical Aspects of Continence Devices.

U of M Professor David Ingbar Completes Term as American Throacic Society President
(July 9, 2008) — University of Minnesota Medical School professor, David Ingbar, M.D., completed his term as American Thoracic Society (ATS) president at the 2008 International ATS Conference in Toronto. The ATS is a leading international society that promotes research, training, and clinical care for lung, critical care, and sleep disorders.

U Professor Appointed to President's Council of Economic Advisors
(July 8, 2008) — University of Minnesota School of Public Health professor Jean Abraham, Ph.D., has been selected as one of ten senior staff economists to serve on the President’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA).

U of M College of Pharmacy Study Finds Common Epilepsy Drug Lasts Longer and May Require Fewer Doses in Elderly Patients Than Previously Assumed
(July 7, 2008) — A new University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy study found that phenytoin (PHT), an anti-seizure medication widely prescribed to treat epilepsy in elderly patients, may require fewer daily doses than previously reported.

U of M Medical Reserve Corps Helping Animals Displaced by Flooding in Iowa
(July 2, 2008) -- The University of Minnesota Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) has deployed two teams of veterinarians and students to flood-ravaged Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to help care for displaced animals. Most of animals are domestic pets, such as cats and dogs, but some are exotic animals, such as ferrets and reptiles. Most of the animals were either abandoned or in need of temporary housing until they can be cared for again.