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On Tuesday, the Heersink School of Medicine celebrated twenty outstanding faculty across the school at the annual Dean's Excellence Awards ceremony. Six faculty from the Department of Medicine were recognized for their exceptional achievements in teaching, research, and mentorship. Congratulations to the following recipients:

Postdoctoral researcher Megan Rhoads, Ph.D., and Assistant Professor Megan Kiedrowski, Ph.D., are the 2024 recipients of the Department of Medicine (DOM) Research Excellence Advancement and Mentorship (DREAM) Council’s "Everyone Can Dream" award. This award recognizes their efforts toward becoming independent investigators. Rhoads’ research aims to determine the interaction between the endogenous molecular clock and specific brain regions in regulating blood pressure and kidney function. Kiedrowski's research focuses on the interaction between bacteria and the host over the course of chronic respiratory infections, and how signaling from the bacterial community impacts behavior and evolution of pathogens in the airway. Congrats, to these investigators!

The Internal Medicine Residency Program selected nine of its Core Faculty Mentors to serve residents and guide them throughout their training from 2024-2027. Congratulations to the following faculty:

The United States Preventive Services Task Force recently finalized its recommendation concerning breast cancer screenings, suggesting that women begin biannual screenings at the age of 40. Erica Stringer-Reasor, M.D., Associate Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology and Director of the Breast Cancer Program at the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, shared her expertise about the update.

When it comes to diagnosing heart disease, earlier is always better. But in America, roughly 20-30% of people with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, or HFpEF, experience delays to diagnosis each year. Yulia Khodneva, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Division of Preventive Medicine, is using her K23 grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to better understand barriers to diagnosing HFpEF. She plans to survey primary care doctors and APPs to gather their input on a practical intervention to improve diagnosis and referral to heart specialists. Her study is currently recruiting primary care providers from both academic and community practice, with subsequent phases of design and implementation through 2028.

Willing to participate in the survey? Email Dr. Khodneva for details. Read more