The University of Toledo Center for Health and Successful Living will provide free clinical breast exams from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27 at the Toledo Pride Festival in downtown Toledo.

“We hope to reach women over the age of 40 who haven’t recently had an exam,” said Amy Thompson, health education professor and co-director of the Center for Health and Successful Living. “It is important that women be proactive and take the time for preventative health screenings.”

According to the National Cancer Society, breast cancers found during screening exams are more likely to be smaller and confined to the breast, and early detection is an important factor in the prognosis of someone diagnosed with the disease.

The exams are sponsored in cooperation with UT Health’s Eleanor N. Dana Cancer Center and will be given on a first come, first serve basis.

Media Coverage
WTOL 11 (August 26, 2016)

White coat ceremonies are a rite of passage for students entering the health-care profession and symbolize the beginning of a career in science and treating patients.

Twenty-eight first year students in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program in The University of Toledo’s College of Health and Human Services will receive their traditional white coats during a formal ceremony 4:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19 in Student Union Room 2582.

The keynote speaker for the ceremony is Tim Berta, former Bluffton Baseball team member and survivor of a 2007 bus accident that occurred while the team was traveling to Florida.

“Mr. Berta will share his remarkable story of recovery after the accident,” said Dr. Michelle Masterson, associate professor and director of the Physical Therapy Program. “His inspirational story helps students to not only see the huge impact that physical therapy can have on a patient’s life, but also what hard work and perseverance can accomplish.”

Physical therapists are experts in the evaluation, treatment and prevention of movement dysfunction, such as conditions arising from injury, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, arthritis or developmental disability. UT’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).

The University of Toledo Center for Health and Successful Living will hold an open house and orientation for breast cancer survivors enrolled in its new health coaching program from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 18 in the Health and Human Services Building Room 1100 on Main Campus.

The 30 breast cancer survivors enrolled in the six-month program sponsored by Susan G. Komen of Northwest Ohio will meet with credentialed health coaches once a month beginning in September and ending in March 2017.

Breast cancer survivors often struggle with long-lasting complications from treatment and find it difficult to maintain optimum health.

“The program is designed to equip survivors with the skills and resources to take control of their nutrition, fitness and mental health in order to live longer, happier lives,” said Amy Thompson, health education professor and co-director of the Center for Health and Successful Living.

Using the survivor’s life goals and priorities as a guide, the health coach and survivor will work together to identify specific health behavior changes that are needed to help her accomplish life goals and priorities.

UT’s Center for Health and Successful Living is a community hub of resources, education and supportive services for individuals living with chronic disease.

Media Coverage
13 ABC (August 19, 2016)

First professional-year learners enrolled in The University of Toledo College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences will participate in a professional advancement ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 18 in Nitschke Auditorium.

White coats will be given to 107 Doctor of Pharmacy students and 35 Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences students as a gift supported by CVS/Caremark and white coat mentors. In addition, eight pharmacy administration majors will receive embossed portfolios. One dual degree learner is among the Bachelor of Science majors.

The traditional ceremony is held at the end of orientation week and marks the student’s transition from the study of pre-clinical to clinical health sciences. It is considered a rite of passage in the journey toward a health-care career.

17“These students have laid the foundation for their future success, but the curriculum is challenging. They will be tested beyond anything they have experienced before. We encourage these students to have a sharp focus and to be ready to work hard to become leaders,” said Dr. Johnnie Early, dean of the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. “The history of the program has shown us that through dedicated effort and solid commitment the vast majority of our students will rise to the occasion and be very successful in their educational journey.”

Twenty-eight students received UT’s Pharmacy Excellence Scholarship. The award is given to academically exceptional students who meet or exceed eligibility requirements for the highly competitive contingent admission program.

Early will speak at the ceremony along with UT President Dr. Sharon L. Gaber, Provost Andrew Hsu, Dr. Dorothea Sawicki, vice provost for health science affairs and University accreditation and Joel Levitan, pharmacist with the Neighborhood Health Association.

Fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences was the first college established at UT in 1904. The college’s guiding principles are personal integrity, professionalism and respect for humanity and human diversity.

Cancer treatment can have a dramatic effect on a woman’s well-being, but it doesn’t have to rob her of the joys of an intimate relationship.

A special seminar aimed at improving the sex life of women undergoing cancer treatment will be held 6 p.m. Thursday, August 18 at UT Health’s Eleanor N. Dana Cancer Center. Registration begins at 5:30 p.m.

Cancer treatment can cause menopause-like symptoms such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness and low sex drive in some women. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, coupled with the emotional stress of battling cancer can also affect desire and sexual function, but there is help available.

“We see these difficulties particularly among breast cancer patients. Unfortunately, a lot of women just put up with it or give up,” said Dr. Terry Gibbs, OB/GYN and director of the UT Health Menopause Clinic. “Women should know there is help available, and it’s important to include sexual health as a part of their survivorship care plan.”

Hormonal and non-hormonal therapies, prescription drugs, herbal therapies and keeping communication at the forefront of the relationship can prove to be effective in improving sexual health.

“Cancer Treatment and Female Sexuality: Love in the New Normal” is presented as a part of the Eleanor N. Dana Cancer Center’s Wellness Information Series. Dr. Gibbs is certified through the North American Menopausal Society and is a regional leader in the treatment of menopause and menopausal symptoms.

Space is limited and reservations are required. Email EleanorNDanaCancer@utoledo.edu or call 419.383.5243.

In approximately 40 percent of infertile couples, the male partner is either the sole cause or a contributing cause of infertility. Of these cases, only half can be attributed to a known cause.

A University of Toledo biologist hopes to learn more about what causes infertility in men with support from a National Institutes of Health grant.

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has awarded UT Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Dr. Tomer Avidor-Reiss a two-year $147,500 grant to support his research entitled, “A Genome-wide Drosophila RNAi Screen for Regulators of Centrosome Reduction.”

The study’s outcomes are expected to advance the understanding of how and why centrosomal proteins decrease during sperm formation. Those centrosomal proteins are specialized subunits within an animal cell that serve as the main microtubule organizing center and regulate the division and duplication of DNA.

“Infertility is a problem for one in eight couples. Often we see sperm cells that look normal, but when they fertilize the egg there are abnormalities in the embryo,” Avidor-Reiss said. “This study has provided the first insight into a molecular mechanism that regulates centrosome reduction and the first direct evidence this process is essential for post-fertilization embryonic development.”

“Once again The University of Toledo is the recipient of research grants for breakthrough discoveries,” said Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur. “This time it’s for the challenge of identifying contributing factors for male infertility, early stage miscarriages and developmental diseases, and, hopefully, finding new treatments.”

Kaptur is a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, which has oversight over the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

It’s a night when UT Health physicians trade their white coats for aprons and their stethoscopes for sombreros. And instead of giving advice, they take orders from their patients.

The 6^th annual “From the Heart” Celebrity Wait Night and fundraiser dinner will be 5:30-9 p.m. Monday, Aug. 15 at Loma Linda Restaurant, 10400 Airport Hwy. in Swanton.

Dr. Thomas Schwann, UTMC chief of staff and professor and interim chair of surgery, has participated in the event from the start and is known for his creative costuming.

“The food and drinks are great, the people are great and the costumes are great,” he said. “They are a

UT Health cardiologists Dr. Mark Burket, Dr. George Moukarbel, Dr. Thomas Schwann and Dr. Samer Khouri

fun way to make the night memorable as we celebrate and raise money for a great cause.”

Al Mundt, whose family owns Loma Linda, initiated the event as a way to give back to the hospital he credits with saving his life. Mundt had a heart transplant in 1998 at the former Medical College of Ohio Hospital.

“Al has been a strong supporter of UT Heart and Vascular Center ever since,” said Dr. Samer Khouri, associate chief of cardiology. “He and his family are very grateful for the care he received and have been very generous in helping to promote cardiac health in our community.”

Funds raised by the celebrity waiter event support the Mundt Cardiology Endowment Fund at the UT College of Medicine and Life Sciences. Established in 2008, the endowment supports new and innovative programs to support advanced cardiac care at UTMC.

Dr. Khouri was the 2015 recipient of the Adela and Alfred Mundt Endowed Professorship in Transplantation Cardiology. His expertise is the diagnosis of diastolic heart failure and pulmonary hypertension and the interaction between the kidney and the heart.

“Receiving the endowment from the Mundt family and the University is a great honor,” Khouri said. “It is important to the work we are doing to provide quality medical care to cardiac patients.”

Khouri said he feels every major metro area should have a medical facility that can provide specialized cardiovascular care such as left ventricular assist devices (LVADs).

“Every year a half a million people are diagnosed with heart failure and only 3,000 transplants are performed,” he said. “The LVAD can save lives, serve as a bridge to transplant until a donor is found and improve the quality of life for heart failure patients.”

Joining Drs. Schwann and Khouri as celebrity servers will be UTMC Interim Chief Executive Officer Dan Barbee, Dean of the UT College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Dr. Christopher Cooper, Dr. Laura Murphy, professor of medicine, cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Mark Bonnell and cardiologist Dr. Mark Burket. UT Women’s and Men’s Basketball coaches, Tricia Cullop and Tod Kowalczyk, and Michael O’Brien, vice president and director of athletics, also serve patrons that evening.

“We will have a raffle with prizes ranging from suite seats at a UT Rocket football game up to $5,000 cash,” Schwann said. “With only 2,500 tickets available, the odds of winning a prize are really very good.”

Tickets are $10 each and will be available for purchase leading up to and during the event. Prize winners need not be present to win.

“Celebrity Wait Night is something that we really look forward to ever year,” Khouri said. “It’s a fun event with a lot of laughs and the patients enjoy giving their doctors orders for an evening.”

For more information about the event and to purchase raffle tickets, contact Jennifer Schaefer, major gifts officer at 419.383.5071or Jeanie Kunzer, manager of Loma Linda Restaurant at 419.865.5455.

Media Coverage
WTOL 11 (August 16, 2016)

The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences will recognize new students by presenting them with their traditional doctor’s white coats during a welcome ceremony 10 a.m. Thursday, August 4 in Nischke Auditorium.

Dr. Christopher Cooper, executive vice president of clinical affairs and dean of the College of
Medicine and Life Sciences, will officiate the ceremony in which 174 medical students will receive their white coats. More than 75 percent of the new students are Ohio residents; one third of which are from northwest Ohio.

“White Coat ceremonies mark the beginning of a medical student’s journey into the medical profession,” Cooper said. “The coat symbolizes their achievement of being selected to medical school and their commitment to professionalism, continuing education and serving others through medical care.”

The annual ceremony concludes Orientation Week for the medical students.

Researchers from The University of Toledo, in collaboration with chemists from The Scripps Research Institute, have discovered a compound that normalizes glucose levels while increasing the mass and quality of bone.

Body processes that regulate energy metabolism and bone mass are closely intertwined and numerous studies have shown individuals with Type 2 diabetes are at increased risk for bone fractures. Additionally, some current anti-diabetic drugs work well to regulate insulin levels, but can cause further bone damage.

Dr. Beata Lecka-Czernik and her lab team.

“Our data demonstrate the regulation of bone mass and energy metabolism share similar mechanisms,” said Dr. Beata Lecka-Czernik, professor in UT’s Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Physiology and Pharmacology and a member of the faculty in the Center for Diabetes and Endocrine Research. “This suggests a new pharmacologic agent could be developed to treat both diabetes and metabolic bone diseases.”

Targeting PPARγ, the protein in the body that regulates energy use and bone cell differentiation and function, Dr. Patrick Griffin and researchers from The Scripps Research Institute developed a series of new insulin sensitizers.

“Our multidisciplinary chemical biology team at Scripps Florida had spent many years developing precise structure activity relationships around many chemical scaffolds that alter the shape and behavior of PPARγ,” Griffin said. “These efforts were then combined with the bone biology expertise of Dr. Lecka-Czernik to explore whether we have compounds that maintain excellent insulin sensitization efficacy but are positive on bone health.

Lecka-Czernik and her team at UT then tested these compounds for bone safety.

“During the course of our experiments we discovered that a compound called SR10171 normalizes glucose levels in Type 2 diabetes, prevents associated weight gain and increases the mass and quality of bone,” she said. “Remarkably, this experimental drug also maintains its positive effect on bone in non-diabetic conditions and acts as insulin sensitizer only on demand when normal glucose and insulin becomes imbalanced.”

SR10171 supports bone formation by directly regulating bone cells that work together to break down, build and protect bone.

The results also suggest the bone remodeling properties of this compound also could be used to treat osteoporosis, Lecka-Czernik said.

The team’s findings, PPARG Post-Translational Modifications Regulate Bone Formation and Bone Resorption, will be published in the August issue of EBioMedicine. This team science was funded in part on a collaborative grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The full report may be read by clicking here.

Undergraduate students from across the country who spent the summer researching water health at The University of Toledo will share their findings today during a poster gala at the UT Lake Erie Center.

The students enrolled in UT’s National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) summer program “Using the Lake Erie Sensor Network to Study Land-Lake Ecological Linkages” will display their work 2-4 p.m. this afternoon (Wednesday, July 27) at the Center, located at 6200 Bayshore Rd. in Oregon.

University of Toledo Lake Erie Center

The program places undergraduate science and engineering students in UT laboratories to provide mentoring in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) research and careers. Topics explored this summer include a performance assessment of green storm water infrastructure, detection and prevention of invasive species from retail stores, using geographic information system (GIS) to characterize water usage in the Lake Erie western basin, water treatment options for the removal of cyanotoxins, VHS fish virus in the Great Lakes, analyzing historical microcystin data and improving the ELISA method for measuring microcystin concentrations.

The research projects were conducted by students from UT, Bowling Green State University, Cheyney University, Iowa State University, Pitzer University, University of South Carolina, University of Colorado, Central State and Hanover College.