Jaroslaw Zmijewski, PhD and Victor J. Thannickal, MD (Division Director) have demonstrated that IPF can be reversed with the diabetes drug Metformin.A research team led by Jaroslaw Zmijewski, PhD (Associate Professor) and Victor J. Thannickal, MD (Professor and Director) in Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, has shown for the first time that established lung fibrosis can be reversed using a diabetes drug treatment that targets cell metabolism. Experimental findings using lung tissues from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and a mouse model of lung fibroblasts have been reported in Nature Medicine in an article entitled “Metformin reverses established lung fibrosis in a bleomycin model in a bleomycin model.”
More Good News for July 4, 2018
Three Internal Medicine residents will be serving as resident representatives on Hospital committees in the upcoming academic year. Joshua Harpool, MD, will serve on the Patient Safety Committee; Zac Doegg, MD, will serve as an alternate on the Patient Safety Committee; and Steven Allon, MD, will serve on the Medical Staff Quality Council. We are proud of our residents and their leadership roles in representing their peers!
We are pleased to announce that Edwin Blalock, PhD (Professor, Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care) has been appointed Distinguished Professor in the School of Medicine in recognition of his outstanding work and years of dedication to the Division, Department and School. Congratulations, Dr. Blalock, and thank you for your service!
Fernando Ovalle, MD (Professor, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism) will serve as the Interim Director of the Division effective July 1. Stuart J. Frank, MD, who served as Division Director since 2007, will continue to serve as Executive Vice Chair in the Department of Medicine. A nationwide search for a permanent director is being conducted.
Harry Schroeder, Jr., MD, PhD (Professor, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology) has successfully renewed the NIAID T32 grant, “Immunologic Diseases and Basic Immunology” for the 8th time. The grant focuses primarily on training highly motivated pre- and post-doctoral investigators in the fields of translational and fundamental immunology.
Ricardo Franco, MD (Assistant Professor, Infectious Diseases) recently met with the U.S. House of Representatives Ways & Means Committee to discuss Infectious Diseases physician reimbursement issues. The House and Senate Appropriations Committee plan to fund ID and HIV programs with support for global and domestic research activities.
Announcements:
- The 5th Annual Heart+Sole 5K and Fun Run benefitting the Equal Access Birmingham (EAB) Clinic and sponsored by the Department of Medicine, will take place on August 18, 2018. EAB is a free clinic run by medical students which provides health care and education to Birmingham’s homeless and uninsured population. Stay tuned for more details!
- The Featured Discovery initiative recognizes the impressive science and discoveries taking place within the UAB School of Medicine every day and highlights important research published in prominent scientific journals. If you are a current SOM faculty member whose research is considered a high-impact discovery that demonstrates collaborative science, or if you know someone who fits this description, please nominate yourself or a colleague to be our next Featured Discovery recipient.
- Save the Date: UAB Medicine Pituitary and Thyroid Disease Conference will be held at Vulcan Park on Saturday, August 25, 2018. For more information, contact Kathryn Lea.
- RIME Call for Abstracts: The 8th Annual Research and Innovations in Medical Education (RIME) Week celebrating excellence in medical education will be held September 12-13, 2018. An Abstract Poster Presentation for fellows and faculty will enhance your teaching effectiveness. Call for Abstracts submission deadline is Friday August 7, 2018.
- Save the Date: The UAB Comprehensive Cardiovascular Center’s7th Annual Symposium: Focus on Heart Failure will take place September 6-7, 2018 at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel. The two-day update in cardiovascular disease will feature keynotes from Thomas J. Wang, MD, Physician-in-Chief at Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute, and Douglas L. Mann, MD, Cardiologist-in-Chief at Barnes Jewish Hospital. Submit abstracts to Megan Pickering.