Hearing disorders caused by prenatal drug exposure
In a series of projects funded by the National Institutes of Health, Michael Church, PhD, associate professor of ob/gyn, has determined that prenatal alcohol or cocaine exposure can result in four types of hearing disorders--all of which may adversely affect a child’s speech skills, language acquisition, cognitive abilities, intellectual maturity, and behavior.
Permanent damage may result from drug use
Dr. Donald Kuhn, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences, is examining the mechanisms of commonly abused drugs such as methamphetamines and MDMA, or ecstasy. With more than $800,000 from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Drug Abuse, Dr. Kuhn will investigate "Neurotoxic Amphetamines Radicals and 5HT Neurons."
Restoring mobility after spinal cord injuries
With one-million dollars in funding from the National Institutes of Health, Harry Goshgarian, PhD, professor of anatomy, is trying to understand the mechanisms that unmask the latent motor pathways which restore function to muscles paralyzed by spinal cord injuries. His research project entitled "Drug-Induced Motor Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury" proposes pharmacological manipulations of the respiratory system to enhance the body’s respiratory centers and restore function to respiratory muscles.
Memory decreases during pregnancy
Pamela Keenan, PhD, has shown that women in their third trimester of pregnancy experience forgetfulness approximately 15 percent more than the average person. Although there have been many anecdotal reports about forgetfulness during pregnancy, few studies have looked at the scientific basis and mechanisms responsible for this complaint. According to studies by Dr. Keenan, memory recall only decreased in the third trimester of pregnancy, when estrogen levels peaked. Furthermore, the third trimester was also characterized by greater levels of reported anxiety and depression.
Brain injury model system gets renewed support
Wayne State University’s Southeastern Michigan Traumatic Brain Injury System (SEMTBIS) has received a sizable vote of continued confidence. Established in 1987 as one of the first model systems of brain injury care, it was recently awarded a five-year $1.85 million grant to maintain and enhance its objectives and activities, including support of the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) National Data Management Center.
Phenobarbital found to be ineffective for premature infants
Contrary to popular belief, phenobarbital is not effective in preventing brain hemorrhages in premature babies. Seetha Shankaran, MD, professor of pediatrics, published these findings in the August 14 New England Journal of Medicine.
Zinc may have benefits for head/neck cancer
Low zinc levels have recently been associated with the development of esophageal and head/neck cancer.To further this research, Drs. Omer Kucuk and Ananda Prasad were recently awarded a two-year grant from the Cancer Treatment Research Foundation to study "Zinc Supplementation Trial of Patients with Head/Neck Cancer." They hypothesize that zinc supplements will improve immune functions, decrease incidence of infections, and decrease morbidity of this disease.
Addiction institute links researchers and community groups
Substance abuse is not just a medical problem, but one with societal, economic, political and numerous other ramifications. That realization underlies the creation of the faculty development program in substance abuse by the Addiction Research Institute in the School of Medicine. While it strives to institutionalize curricular innovations for medical professionals, the program also seeks to increase community-academic linkages focused on prevention of substance abuse.
48 faculty members receive teaching awards
Robert Sokol, MD, dean of the Wayne State University School of Medicine, presented 48 faculty members with College Teaching Awards in recognition of their commitment to student education. The newly established College Teaching Awards will be given annually to honor the top five percent of the medical school faculty who are considered the very best teachers, based on peer review and student/faculty assessment.
Graduate students share research
The first annual Graduate Student Research Day provided a look at the significant research contributions Wayne State University graduate students make in their fields of study. Winners were: Ming Fang, Brian Cummings, Joanne Davis, and Paul Gresch.
Medical students win research awards
The 1997 Medical Student Research Symposium held in November awarded first-place honors to Paul Steffan and an honorable mention to Joseph Roebuck for their oral research presentations.
Outstanding student achievement recognized
Congratulations to Wayne State medical students who were recognized for earning academic honors during the 1996-97 school year. Earning honors were 30 students from the Class of 2000; 37 from the Class of 1999; and 46 from the Class of 1998. Other awardees are listed.
Mentoring discussed at Dean’s Distinguished Lecture
Neurologist mentors two young students
Upcoming Symposia/Continuing Medical Education
Summaries of five endowment campaigns and four annual giving programs underway at the School of Medicine.
An overview of the upcoming Medical Alumni Reunion Day.
An endowment fund has been established as tribute to alumnus Robert J. Lucas, MD, ‘55.
Best year ever for Alumni Annual Telefund
Volunteers and generous alumni continue tradition of making School of Medicine Telefund a success.
Biographical information on alumni who have recently joined the Medical Alumni Association board.
The "who, what and where" of alumni.
The alumni office needs assistance in locating these "missing persons."
Student achievement recognized; organized medicine sees increase in student participation; undergrad award recipient will enter SOM next fall.
FRIENDS celebrate 25 years of service
From the "Did You Know?" department