USF Health’s Barbara Hansen, PhD, professor of internal medicine and pediatrics, has co-edited a new book that provides an overview of the latest research on the Metabolic Syndrome, which has emerged as a major risk factor for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The Metabolic Syndrome: Epidemiology, Clinical Treatment and Underlying Mechanisms was edited by Hansen and colleague George Bray, MD, professor of medicine at Louisiana State University Medical Center. The book combines the viewpoints of epidemiologists, physiologists, molecular biologists, chemists and clinicians to promote new thinking about the underlying mechanisms of this challenging health problem and encourage new treatments and prevention.

“The topic of metabolic syndrome and prediabetes is very hot these days — particularly in light of the efforts to halt the epidemic of obesity and diabetes,” said Dr. Hansen, who directs USF Health’s Center for Preclinical Research, which combines obesity, diabetes and aging research.

Metabolic syndrome is an age-related cluster of metabolic disorders with key features including excess weight, disturbed glucose metabolism, an unhealthy lipid profile and high blood pressure. It frequently develops before the manifestation of overt Type 2 diabetes. The book’s editors prompt researchers to investigate ways to predict and interrupt the syndrome’s trajectory – what are the early and intermediate points of metabolic syndrome and how did the patient get there?

In the book’s final chapter “Chronomics of Metabolic Syndrome,” which she writes, Dr. Hansen discusses the continuing controversy over the definition of the metabolic syndrome and compares it to the story of “Stone Soup.”

“We are in the stage of adding ingredients to the Metabolic Syndrome soup pot,” she writes, with many new factors being identified as contributors. “Perhaps a recipe will emerge that will explain the sequence and importance of each contributory factor. Delineation and specification of processes and interactions may, after all, emerge to be a catalyst in improving our understanding of what is now blurry.”

Dr. Hansen’s long-term studies with rhesus monkeys have shown that lifetime calorie restraint to prevent obesity is the most powerful way to reduce age-related health problems such as high blood pressure and high triglycerides and to prevent or delay the progression of insulin resistance toward diabetes.

- Story by Anne DeLotto Baier/USF Health Communications

- USF collaborates on study targeting immune response of amyloid plaques -

May 30, 2008 -- Interrupting a signaling pathway in certain immune system cells in mice had the opposite effect researchers expected but opened the possibility of a new approach to treating Alzheimer’s disease, according to an article appearing online May 30 in the journal Nature Medicine.

University of South Florida neuroscientist Jun Tan, MD, PhD, was a collaborator on the study, and colleague Terrence Town, PhD, a graduate of USF’s Neuroscience Concentration PhD Program who is now at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, was the study’s lead author.

The intervention targeted the sticky plaque buildup in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, using immune system cells (macrophages) from outside the brain. In the animal study, these cells were attracted to the plaque and able to cross the blood-brain barrier, a natural barrier that prevents most substances from entering the brain from the bloodstream. Plaque deposits were significantly reduced and mice performed better on behavioral tests.

“Attempts to develop therapies for Alzheimer’s disease have been difficult because most rely on getting a therapeutic molecule or antibody across the blood-brain barrier,” said Dr. Town, a research scientist in the Departments of Neurosurgery and Biomedical Sciences at Cedars-Sinai and Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute, the hospital’s neurosurgical research center. “If results from our study in mice engineered to develop Alzheimer’s-like dementia are supported by studies in humans, we may be able to develop a drug that could be introduced into the bloodstream to cause peripheral immune cells to target the amyloid plaques.”

Amyloid plaques, composed of a protein called amyloid-b peptide (Ab), are thought to damage brain nerve cells (neurons) and stimulate a response in nearby inflammatory cells called microglia. Theoretically, Alzheimer’s might be treated by somehow preventing or removing the plaque buildup and calming the inflammation.

Dr. Town’s group and others, including Dr. Jun’s team at USF, have worked at the interface of the immune system and the brain. Their research suggests that the kind of chronic, low-level inflammatory response seen in Alzheimer’s disease is damaging, and they are looking a way to turn this response into a therapy to combat Alzheimer’s.

Attempts to stimulate a beneficial immune response have been limited not only by access – the blood-brain barrier – but also by the fact that the brain is an “immune privileged” environment, not conducive to a strong immune response from microglia and other brain-resident immune cells.

Earlier studies demonstrated that an immunosuppressive molecule called transforming growth factor-b (TGF-b) is upregulated in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. This upregulation may represent the brain’s attempt to return to normalcy by quieting the immune response around the amyloid plaques. Dr. Town and his colleagues used genetically-engineered mice to study the effects in the brain of blocking the TGF-b molecule on immune cells outside the brain (peripheral macrophages).

“If these experimental animals are representative of the clinical syndrome of Alzheimer’s disease, we may have a therapeutic target that we did not have before – TGF-b on these peripheral macrophages,” said study co-author Dr. Tan, professor and Robert A. Silver chair in Developmental Neurobiology at USF.

“We’re now investigating the molecular mechanisms that allow the cells to cross the blood-brain barrier, but it appears that by blocking TGF-b, we’re able to lower their threshold for activation and empower them to enter the brain where they’re homing to the amyloid plaques.”

Originally, the researchers thought that blocking the TGF-b response in peripheral macrophages would worsen Alzheimer’s-like pathology because it would cause those cells to become hyperstimulated or hyperactivated. They would then enter the brain and likely exacerbate the brain inflammatory and immune response brought on by the amyloid plaques.

“What we found was the exact opposite – which gave us the opportunity to learn something new about the biology of Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Town said. “When we behaviorally tested the mice, we found they were doing better by some measures. And when we looked at the brains of these mice, we noticed that the amyloid plaques were strikingly reduced – as much as 90 percent by some methods.”

Further studies confirmed that macrophages from the blood were coming into the brain and – like PAC-MAN – devouring the plaque.

In addition to Cedars-Sinai and USF, researchers from Yale University, Saitama University in Japan, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Michigan were involved in the study. The work was supported by an Alzheimer’s Association Grant and a National Institutes of Health grant.

Dr. Town graduated from USF Health in 2002 with an Outstanding Student Award and completed his postdoctoral training at Yale Medical School. He has continued highly productive collaborations with Dr. Tan – the two authoring nearly 35 peer-reviewed papers together.

"Dr Town was our first PhD student when we started our Neuroscience program,” said Paul R. Sanberg, PhD, DSc, director of the USF Center for Aging and Brain Repair. “It’s a great priviledge to see him making such important discoveries and continuing research with Dr Tan and other USF scientists.”

- Story adapted from a news release by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Dr. Shaukat Chowdhari, a volunteer faculty member from 2002 - 2004 in the USF College of Medicine Anesthesiology residency program.

Shaukat Chowdhari, MD, and wife Antonina Chowdhari, MD, have made a quarter of a million dollar commitment to the USF College of Medicine's Gross Anatomy Laboratory. Signing a five-year commitment to the university, the Chowdhari family gift will help transform a critical space utilized in the medical school's student-learning environment, paving the way for renovations and technological upgrades to the Gross Anatomy Lab. Their first installment of the $250,000 total contribution was delivered earlier this month – a $50,000 check presented to members of the USF Health Office of Development & Alumni Affairs. For gross anatomy students and faculty, it is a gift 'that keeps giving'. All facilities renovation projects are eligible for a 1:1 match in funding from Florida's Courtelis Facilities Enhancement Grant.

The lab was built in the 1970s as an integral part of the USF College of Medicine- built with the look and instrumentation "standard" for that era. More than two decades later, the lab had seen few changes until now. The gift by doctors Chowdhari will allow the medical school to update the anatomy facilities with the latest in medical education technology.

"Our family's way of showing appreciation"...
"This is our family's way of showing appreciation to the University of South Florida, and in particular, the USF College of Medicine, for the training Dr. Chowdhari acquired there when he did his fellowship," said Antonina Chowdhari, referring to her husband's fellowship training in pain management at USF. Dr. Chowdhari ties to the college also go back to 2002 – 2004 when he was a volunteer faculty member in the USF College of Medicine and assisted with the anesthesiology residency program. Mrs. Chowdhari adding "We also want to set an example for our children and show them the importance of being involved and giving back to the community they live in."

The Chowdhari family decided to make the donation after touring the lab this spring with Dr. Bryan Bognar, Interim Vice-Dean for Educational Affairs.

“One of the many things that come from a gift like this is the ability to design a lab that has expansive applications in the clinical arena,” says Dr. Bognar. “This will allow us to translate the basic knowledge of anatomy into ultrasound and radiology training for our students, as well as train them in emerging imaging technologies.”

Elaborating on the positive impact to clinical care, Bognar says “If you fold into that heightened ultrasound & radiology training, procedures based anatomy, the results are amazing. You have clinicians coming in conducting dissections and surgical procedures in class – which can be video taped and possibly video-streamed ‘live’ on the web. Our students can tune in and study that again and again, anytime, anywhere. It’s hard to argue these things have no clinical relevance. It’s applied anatomy!” says Bognar, visibly excited about enhancements to the lab and grateful to the Chowdhari family for their contribution to the medical school.

Technologies being considered in lab upgrade...
Key components and technology upgrades may include:

• Fully-equipped dissection workstations
• State-of-the-art LCD high-resolution projection and screens throughout the lab
• Digital recording system and state-of-the-art sound system
• Professional grade video cameras for capturing video & possibly live-streaming lectures, presentations, lab courses,etc.
• Video-conferencing capability
• Create a wireless environment

The state-of-the-art technology enhancements will also help to introduce evolving educational technologies such as ‘virtual dissection’. “With less availability of cadaver specimens for medical students to learn from, this upgrade to the gross anatomy lab will create efficient ways of imparting the most important aspects of anatomy education,” says Bognar. “Dr. Chowdhari understands and supports the vision of what anatomy education needs to be in the 21st century and we thank him for supporting the advancement of that vision here in our medical school.”

The gross anatomy lab is located in an extremely high-traffic area and utilized by all medical students, residents, and students in the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. With a state-of-the-art gross anatomy lab, the college can also expand its Continuing Medical Education (CME) opportunities and continuing professional development for health professionals.

“Through this laboratory upgrade, USF Health will be able to deliver integrated medical education using cutting edge technologies and expand on its existing innovative teaching modules. We envision a future anatomy laboratory, through a new architectural design and multimedia capabilities, as a vibrant center for basic and continued medical education,” said Orhan E. Arslan, DVM, PhD, Associate Professor, Director of Anatomy & Director of Anatomy Educational Services at the USF College of Medicine. “It will certainly further the national exposure of our institution and attract diverse talents and innovative ideas. We are confident that this worthwhile project will have a long lasting impact on the direction of the educational program here at USF Health and will undoubtedly strengthen multidisciplinary vertical curricular integration,” added Arslan.

The Chowdhari family...
Dr. Shaukat Chowdhari is the President and Medical Director of University Pain Management Center and a former faculty member in Anesthesiology at the University of South Florida, College of Medicine.

He received his M.D. from Dow Medical College in Karachi, Pakistan in 1982. He completed his internal medicine residency at Cornell University's Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in New York. In addition, he completed his anesthesiology residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine's Long Island Jewish Medical Center, and Stony Brook University's Nassau County Medical Center New York. Dr. Chowdhari also participated in a specialized fellowship in pain management at the University of South Florida between 1995 and 1996.

Dr. Chowdhari is board certified in Pain Management and Anesthesiology by the American Board of Anesthesiology and the American Academy of Pain Management. He is a Member of the Hillsborough County Medical Association, the Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America, the Florida Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, and the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pain Management. He holds staff privileges at University Community Hospital, Tampa Bay Surgery Center, and Town & Country Hospital.

Dr. Chowdhari is married to Antonina Canlas Dijamco Chowdhari, MD, Manager and Owner of UPMC Investment Group, L.L.C. and UPMC, L.C., real estate companies with primarily commercial properties in Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco Counties.

Antonina earned her medical degree from the University of the East-Ramon Magsaysay Medical Center in Quezon City, Philippines in 1983. She is a board certified pediatrician by the American Board of Pediatrics. She completed an internship in internal medicine and her residency in pediatrics at Jersey Center Medical Center in New Jersey. She completed a fellowship in neonatal/perinatal medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine's Long Island Jewish Medical Center. Currently, she does not practice medicine, instead operating the family’s real estate businesses.

Doctors Shaukat and Antonina Chowdhari have four children. Their oldest daughter, Mariam, currently 16 years old, has an interest in pursuing medicine. Their 14 year old son, Adam, attends Saddlebrook Golf Academy and is said to be an excellent golfer. Their son Sean is 11 years old. Their youngest child is daughter, Sara Mumtaz, who is 10 years old.

Story by Mandelyn Hutcherson & Lissette Campos, USF Health

L to R: Lee Bonta, USF Health Office of Development & Alumni Affairs, Dr. Lynne Ringenberg, Medical Director of USF College of Medicine, Pediatrics Dept. Ronald McDonald Care Mobile Program, and Jeannette Fleischer, ARNP, Program Director.

On May 20, 2008 officials from the Hillsborough County School Board awarded the team in USF Health Pediatrics for its efforts with the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile. The care mobile bearing the name of the internationally recognized clown “Ronald McDonald” is used by pediatric faculty, medical students, pediatric residents, nurse practitioner students and nursing students to visit approximately 60 schools in Hillsborough and one in Pasco County. The care mobile also visits a domestic shelter and a homeless shelter on a weekly basis. The mobile health program recently marked a milestone, providing free care to over 3-thousand children and adolescents in the past 24 months. Visits by the care mobile and USF Health crew are done in Title 1 schools which are primarily located in underserved communities where a majority of the students qualify for free and reduced lunch.

The 40 foot medical and dental clinic-on-wheels has a home at USF Health Pediatrics thanks to a collaborative relationship with Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tampa Bay. This is one of only 29 care mobiles in operation worldwide. Inspired by the number of children served, the care mobile team is out in the schools five days a week providing health care to many, including some Saturday visits for various community events, like sports and back to school physicals and health fairs.

With award in hand, USF Health's Karen Van Cleaf, RN Nurse Manager of Pediatrics, celebrates with Veronica Gonner, (at right) ARNP, Vice President for Women & Children Services.

The May 20 recognition for USF Health Pediatrics was part of a school board meeting that also recognized the community efforts of Tampa General Hospital and 8 other local organizations.

“I think that we are extremely fortunate to have a mobile clinic like this in order to help innumerable families and their children,” says Jeannette Fleisher, ARNP, Ronald McDonald Care Mobile Program Director. “We’ve been able to detect many undiagnosed diseases and address untreated medical conditions during our visits with families. These are health problems that keep the children from either attending school or from fulfilling their academic potential because they can’t do well in class if they aren’t feeling well. We’re very fortunate to be able to help. We wish we were able to go to more schools.”

Background on the care mobile…
Since January 2006, the Department of Pediatrics in the University of South Florida’s College of Medicine has been home to the care mobile. Jeannette Fleischer, ARNP, is the Program Director. Dr. Lynn Ringenberg is the Medical Director. Last Summer, the team worked with the S.M.A.R.T. Institute at USF Health. By combining their medical expertise, the care mobile team provided pre-participation physical exams required for school athletic teams.

During this June 23,2007 school visit, for example, the USF Health team included experts in pediatrics and sports medicine. In all, they saw approximately 85 children in just four hours.

“The program strives to identify, treat and refer children with chronic or untreated health conditions, improve health outcomes, provide continuity of care, educated children and families, and screen and enroll eligible families in federal Medicaid or state insurance programs”, explains Dr. Ringenberg. The USF Health pediatrician estimates that more than 50 per cent of the kids they see in the Ronald McDonald 'van' are un-insured – making their visits critical for families whose only alternative to seeing a doctor may be going to a hospital emergency room.

For more information on upcoming visits by the care mobile or information on how to contribute to this program, click here
or contact (813) 259-8754.

Story by Lissette Campos

John Adams, PhD, and his team study the complex life cycle of the malaria parasite (on computer screen) to try to find ways to block transmission of the deadly infection.

Tampa, FL (May 28, 2008) -- The protein MAEBL is critical for completing the life cycle of malaria parasites in mosquitoes, allowing the insects to transmit the potentially deadly infection to humans, a University of South Florida study has shown. The research may ultimately help provide a way to better control malaria by blocking development of the malaria parasite in the mosquito.

Researchers with the USF Global Health Infectious Diseases Research team found that the transmembrane protein MAEBL is required for the infective stage of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum to invade the mosquito’s salivary glands. Their findings were published May 28 in the online journal PLoS ONE.

“The mosquito is the messenger of death,” said the study’s principal investigator John Adams, PhD, professor of global health at the USF College of Public Health. “If we could eliminate the parasite from the mosquito, people wouldn’t become infected.”

Plasmodium falciparum causes three-quarters of all malaria cases in Africa, and 95 percent of malaria deaths worldwide. It is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito, which injects the worm-like, one-celled malaria parasites from its salivary glands into the person’s bloodstream.

Dr. Adams, center, with his team including, l to r, Steven Maher, Fabian Saenz, PhD, lead author of the PLoS ONE paper, and Sandra Kennedy.

The study was done by genetically modifying the malaria parasites and feeding them in a blood meal to uninfected mosquitoes. Parasites in which MAEBL was deleted were not harbored in the salivary glands of mosquitoes, even though an earlier form of these parasites was observed in the gut of the mosquitoes. The researchers concluded that the transmembrane form of MAEBL is essential for the parasite to enter the mosquito’s salivary glands.

While more studies are needed, lead author Fabian Saenz, PhD, said the finding suggests that silencing the receptor for MAEBL in the mosquito salivary gland might block passage of the parasite through the mosquito, thereby preventing human infection through mosquito bites.

“Our study shows that MAEBL is a weak link in the parasite’s biology,” Dr. Adams said. “This could provide a potential way to block transmission in the mosquito, before the parasite ever has a chance to infect a new person. It is better to prevent the malaria infection from occurring in the first place than having to kill the parasite already inside humans with vaccines or drugs.”

The study was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Other study authors were Dr. Bharath Balu, Jonah Smith and Sarita Mendonca.

Microscopic view of an Anopeheles mosquito infected with malaria parasites.

- USF Health -

USF Health is dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health. It includes the University of South Florida’s colleges of medicine, nursing, and public health; the schools of biomedical sciences as well as physical therapy & rehabilitation sciences; and the USF Physicians Group. With $308 million in research funding last year, USF is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of Florida’s top three research universities.

This 'Reporter's Notebook' was written by Kerry Alexander, USF Health Communications Intern, Summer 2008. Honoring the wishes of Alexander's maternal grandfather, the family donated his body to science after his passing earlier this year. With that personal story in mind, Kerry attended & wrote about the May 21 Silent Teacher Ceremony. The ceremony was held by students in the USF College of Medicine as a tribute to their "silent teachers" - individuals whose bodies have been donated for medical research and study.

May 21 Outdoor Ceremony, USF College of Medicine campus, Tampa FL. Silent Teacher Ceremony & Dr. Christopher Phelps Memorial Service.

The ceremony began with music. The whispery warble of a flute solo marked the occasion as both solemn and celebratory. It was a celebration of a group of teachers that have given so much to the study of medicine, without ever uttering a word...solemn because of the circumstances in which they offer their education. Wednesday marked the day of the annual Silent Teacher Ceremony, held as a formal “thank-you” to those individuals who surrendered their bodies to the advancement of the medical sciences.

In my mind...
In my mind, thoughts of cadavers and human dissection have forever nestled themselves comfortably beside the images of Frankenstein...Black & white silent movie scenes flash forward, and the crazed scientist laughing maniacally to the moon as he rips apart the bodies he forcibly exhumed from a stormy cemetery the night before.

But on Wednesday I was experienced a very different view of human autopsy and the individuals who make it possible.

In addition, the May 21 ceremony served as a special tribute to the late Dr. Christopher Phelps, a man who offered his knowledge and his generosity to all he encountered. I learned much about the life of Dr. Phelps through spoken tributes delivered by friends, colleagues and students. One friend focused on Phelps’ interests. He had a love of fish. Whenever his gaze took to wandering, it always seemed to find itself on the outside of the glass tank, looking in. Tropical fish with unfocused stares fixated him. He equally admired the adventures of Chuck Yeager, an ordinary man who ran a race against the speed of sound, and won. These were the things that captured Chris Phelps’ attention. Phelps was also a man who, despite his professional passion for science, was a great admirer of the humanities.

Under a gazebo, a framed photograph reflected the bits of sunshine dripping through the clouds. A circular composition revealed an abstract field of golden red rectangles, like a cityscape set ablaze in the Chicago fire. According to the artist, Paul Glass, the image was actually a microscopic portrait of chemically treated nail-polish. The work was a favorite of Dr. Phelps, and it was to be donated in his name to the Lisa Muma Weitz Advanced Microscopy Cell Imaging Lab. The donation was an apt testament to Phelps’ love for both science and art and a powerful statement on the beauty of scientific discovery.

Always a passionate devotee to the English’s and Histories in school, I’ve never once felt any great piece of sentiment towards the sciences. In fact, I’d always been under the impression that science was void of all emotion, hence my prolonged disinterest in it. But I was astounded by the range of feeling expressed at this simple ceremony. Before it even began, I was struck by a new inspiration. On the programs handed out were medieval carvings detailing contemporary studies in anatomy. The engraving on the front, titled “Tabulae Anatomicae,” shows a young and muscular man, lifting his abdominal flesh to reveal his jumbled innards. The man is almost boyish in his pose, staring curiously at his exposed inside, tenderly fingering his cut skin. He is vulnerable, willingly opening himself to the possibility of misuse. The act is thus noble, the man unassuming. The image makes many statements about the nature of man as a tool for discovery. Ultimately my time spent flipping through the program and listening to the words and thoughts of others gave me a newly discovered reverence for those who give themselves for the sake of others.

This new feeling was wonderfully summarized in a moving letter by medical student, Heather Maroney. She wrote that, upon first meeting her “body,” (the human corpse assigned to her as a medical student) she promised herself she would distance herself from its identity. But over time, and after a prolonged study, she realized the generosity of her Silent Teacher and the brave decision they opted to make: to give up a comfortable eternity in a cushioned coffin in hopes their sacrifice might yield a more comfortable world for future generations. Her Silent Teacher became not only her mentor, but her friend.

My Grandfather - A Silent Teacher...
I never would have guessed that, in the shadow of my grandfather’s death, I wouldn’t be awaiting a funeral service delivered over an open plot of earth in the hushed open air. I’d imagine him, dressed in his best suit and made up like some ghoulish geisha, tucked snuggly in the plush interior of a honey brown casket. Growing up, though, an enthusiastic recipient of his loving embraces and constant good humor, I should’ve guessed he’d pick a route more appropriate for his demeanor. My grandfather recently entered the ranks as a Silent Teacher. A man so admired for his mentoring in life, is continuing his dedicated service to others in death. Attending this ceremony not only helped me put his unusual decision into perspective, but also provided me with important closure at the outset of a greatly hated loss. My childhood friend is gone, but that death could save the life of another child’s idol. The love we give to the individual is great, but the love we give to humanity as a whole is the greatest kind of love man can offer. This is the love the Silent Teachers give without hesitation.

The ceremony ended with music. A humming cello ushered the attendants to a table covered with small candles for lighting. The music was elegiac and moving and wrapped up the feeling of the afternoon into a lulling harmony. Streaming across the green, Bach’s “Sarabande” provided me with a beautiful catharsis and a perfect conclusion.

Though unfortunate, the deaths of the Silent Teachers and Dr. Christopher Phelps are in no way a limitation to their inspiration. Even in death they teach us what it means to give, to love, and to learn. And for that, I give my own unlimited thanks.

Story by Kerry Alexander, Communications Intern

-- USF only Florida university with PSM programs --

Students in the Biotechnology Master's Program, one of USF's two Professional Science Master's program, gain "real-life" experience throughout their training.

The University of South Florida is taking the lead in training more people to meet the global economy’s growing demand for a business-savvy workforce skilled in science and technology. The university’s Biotechnology Master’s Program was recently designated a Professional Science Master’s (PSM) Program by the Council of Graduate Schools. USF is currently the only Florida university to offer the PSM degree --- its Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Master’s Program earned the first PSM designation in 2002.

Only about one in four students earning only bachelor’s degrees in science or engineering end up with careers in those fields, according to the National Science Foundation. The PSM is designed to help change that. Sometimes described as the science version of the MBA degree, the PSM is being hailed as the one of the most promising innovations in graduate education in recent years.

Unlike traditional graduate training, which typically prepares students for independent research careers (often in academic settings), PSM programs offers students a way to establish rewarding science-based careers in business, government or nonprofit organizations without having to pursue a doctorate degree.

The two-year interdisciplinary programs combine rigorous science or mathematics education with sought-after business skills emphasizing leadership, communication and team building. They include an internship in a relevant “real world” setting.

“In general these programs are for students who want to work in nonacademic settings, in emerging areas of science and scientific discovery, and aspire to managerial or other professional level positions,” said Carol Lynch, PhD, Senior Scholar and Program Director of the Professional Masters Initiatives for CGS. “These are relatively new degrees responsive to 21st century workforce needs, and USF is in the vanguard by adopting the PSM and working with employers to prepare a highly skilled workforce for Florida.”

While administered by the medical school, USF’s two PSM programs emphasize an interdisciplinary curriculum taught by faculty from the Colleges of Medicine, Engineering, Public Health, Arts and Sciences and Business Administration as well as senior executives from industry and biotechnology companies.

Inge Wefes, PhD, directs the USF Biotechnology Masters Program, which expects to graduate its first students later this year. As former associate director of the Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Master’s Program, she was primary author of a $76,000 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant that brought the first PSM program to Florida. The grant also funded the successful graduate seminar series “Bioinformatics and Proteomics” which Dr. Wefes continued in 2005 with independent funding for seminars on “Functional Genomics and Genomic Medicine.” The Bioinformatics program is directed by Michael Barber, PhD.

The Sloan Foundation provided seed money for the first PSM programs in 1997 in response to industry leaders’ demands for a new approach to produce enough graduates equipped to enter the science and technology fields. USF was among the select universities participating in the Sloan PSM iniative. In 2006, the CGS assumed primary responsibility for supporting and promoting the PSM, with the goal of making the innovative degree a regular feature of U.S. graduate education.

“Both of our professional science master’s programs fill a niche for those students who may not want or be able to commit five years to obtaining a PhD degree,” said Dr. Wefes, an assistant professor of molecular medicine. “The programs give them a broad knowledge of either biotechnology or bioinformatics, which can then be refined and applied towards the specific needs of companies.”

Because of their ongoing relationships with employers, PSM programs are usually quick in adjusting to shifting workforce demands and to rapidly changing research strategies and technologies. This flexibility may help explain their growing popularity.

Since the first PSM program began in 1997, more than 120 programs have been established in more than 60 institutions across the United States. They offer applied training in biology, chemistry, genomics and proteomics, computer science, mathematics, epidemiology and other sciences for work in biotechnology, informatics, ecology, pharmaceutical discovery and development, forensics and other fields. The number of PSM programs grew 22 percent from 2004 to 2006, and student enrollment increased 54 percent in the same time span, according to a CGS survey. Three-quarters of PSM graduates in 2006 found employment in non-academic sectors, the survey found, and their salaries were generally considerably higher than for graduates with bachelor’s degrees in science or with traditional master’s degrees.

Because they have the training needed to advance in science as well as the professional skills to effectively bridge science and technology with business, companies find that PSM graduates typically require little additional time and money in professional development, Dr. Lynch said.

“The PSM training prepares graduates to hit the ground running," she said, "and that gives these students an edge in an increasingly competitive job market.”

Related Links:
• USF Biotechnology Master’s Program
• USF Bioinformatics & Computational Biology Master’s Program
• Master’s program prepares USF graduates for Florida’s growing biotech industry
• Council of Graduate Schools PSM homepage

Story by Anne DeLotto Baier/USF Health Communications
Photo by Eric Younghans/USF Health Media Center

AUDIO: Entrevista con la Dra. Ana Velez en Español. Tema: la diabetes.

La Doctora Ana Paula Vélez se siente felíz, lo mismo ante un micrófono que detrás de un microscopio. La Dra. Vélez es Profesora Asistente de Medicina de la Universidad de South Florida y forma parte de la Facultad de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Medicina Internacional. Ella se ha convertido en una ‘Oprah’ latina. Su cara se ha vuelto conocida en el programa comunitario del condado de Polk, denominado: Health Watch - Comunidad Viva. Este programa se produce en español y está dirigido a la poblacíon hispana, la cual está creciendo a diario en dicho condado de Polk. La Dra. Vélez ha sido invitada para hablar sobre las enfermedades y los peligros relacionados con la salud que son prevalentes en la comunidad hispana. Ella enfatiza que el programa le ofrece la oportunidad de educar a la comunidad sobre muchas enfermedades infecciosas.

“Lo que más me sorprende es que cuando yo digo, ‘mi especialidad es en enfermedades infecciosas’, la gente piensa en la gripe aviar, malaria, tuberculosis y en enfermedades que se encuentran en otros países. Éstas son importantes pero también tenemos otras enfermedades infecciosas muy cerca de nosotros en las cuales no pensamos, tal como el HIV,” dice la Dra. Vélez.

La Dra. Vélez dice que ella y sus colegas estudian y trabajan con una variedad de enfermedades que la gran mayoría de las personas no asocia con enfermedades infecciosas, que “son el HIV, condiciones complicadas por pneumonía; infecciones que surgen después de una cirugía; infecciones posteriores a un transplante de órgano, entre otras. Nosotros somos los que trabajamos con todo eso”, dice la Dra. Vélez. “También tratamos a pacientes que sufren de quemaduras severas. Ellos están más en riesgo de infecciones que pueden ser mortales para ellos,” según la Dra Vélez.
Su meta de hacer los programas televisivos en español, es educar a la comunidad sobre los peligros que enfrentan en la vida real con respecto a las enfermedades infecciosas. La Dra. Vélez explica en detalle lo que son dichas enfermedades; cómo la persona puede protegerse de ellas y prevenir la contaminación.

En 2005, la Dra. Vélez llegó a la Universidad de South Florida para recibir capacitación médica por dos años y, luego de terminar el programa de capacitación, se incorporó como miembro de la facultad de la Escuela de Medicina. Además, ella forma parte de la Divisíon de Enfermedades Infecciosas del Hospital de Veteranos James Haley V.A. Hospital – Tampa, y ejerce como especialista en medicina interna en el H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, situado en la universidad.
Originaria de Medellín, Colombia, y después de haber vivido varios años en Puerto Rico, la Dra. Vélez se expresa fácilmente tanto en ingles como en español, aun cuando se trate de casos médicos complejos y tratamientos a seguir. Esa facilidad ha sido la clave de su éxito cuando explica las enfermedades infecciosas en español y, también, en ingles!

Cuando se le pregunta cuáles son las enfermedades que van en aumento hoy día, rápidamente explica que son el HIV, la diabetes, tanto en niños como adultos, y la hipertensión. La Dra. Vélez está convencida de que cuando el público entienda mejor estas enfermedades, el resultado será una mejor prevención y la detección temprana en aquellos casos en los que la enfermedad ya está presente.

“La Dra. Vélez es un modelo a seguir para todos en la profesióon de la medicina … cambiando la actitud de muchos en Polk County, una población que, en muchos casos, pasa al olvido.”
Declarado por el Dr. John Sinnott, Sub Decano de Asuntos Internacionales,Salud de USF, y Director de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Medicina Internacional, Escuela de Medicina, USF.

VIDEOS: DR. ANA PAULA VÉLEZ - "COMUNIDAD VIVA" CON PRESENTADORA TERESA MARTÍNEZ.

HIV: Courtesia: PGTV "Comunidad Viva"

HIV 2nda Parte de la Entrevista. Courtesia: PGTV "Comunidad Viva"

Reportera: Lissette Campos, USF Health Communications
Fotografo: Eric Younghans, USF Health Media Center

On Friday, May 23rd, the following letter was sent by USF Health Senior Vice President Stephen Klasko to all employees of USF Health. The letter includes links to budget announcements from the offices of USF President Judy Genshaft and USF Provost Ralph Wilcox.

To: USF Health
From: Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA
Senior Vice President for USF Health
Dean of the College of Medicine

The university, including USF Health, this week released plans to cut 15% from our state-supported budgets in order to respond to the shortfall in tax revenues to the State of Florida. We've seen a cut in state funding for USF of 10.6% this fiscal year, and anticipate more cuts during the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2008.

These are substantial cuts, especially because state funding primarily supports our teaching mission. The president’s direction was very clear: To protect tenured and tenure-track faculty, to seek ways to preserve instruction, and to care about and reach out to our staff, who provide critical support for each mission.

Click here for details of USF Health's budget reduction plan.

Click here for President Judy Genshaft's presentation.

Click here for budget information from the office of Provost Ralph Wilcox.

An editorial in today’s Tampa Tribune comments on the approach the university has taken with these cuts.

The university’s Human Resources website has additional information and assistance. Please note that the president has mandated a closure of the university during the last full week of December, except for clinical care at USF Health, and research. Information on the winter break is also contained in the Human Resources site.

Although these cuts are painful, it's important to remember that this reduction plan is only the first step in the budget process. In June, we'll finalize our budgets for the fiscal year beginning July 1. These budgets will include all sources of revenue. During the budget process, all of us will be looking for ways to reinvest in the teaching mission. Each college in USF Health is working with faculty to implement our budgets for the coming year. In the College of Medicine, we'll be holding a series of departmental meetings to discuss the AIMS system for creating a "dashboard" where all faculty members can see how their compensation is aligned with the college's missions.

While we adapt to the loss of state revenue, there is much to celebrate at USF Health, and I draw your attention again to the main website, www.health.usf.edu , recognized as one of the top 100 blog websites among academic health centers.

I will continue to communicate as we move ahead. Please write me as you have ideas and thank you for your continued efforts on behalf of our missions.

Thanks, Steve

Tampa Tribune Editorial Published May 23, 2008
"USF Officials Take Prudent Course To Cut Budget, Spare Academics"
Full Text Below:

University of South Florida President Judy Genshaft has the unenviable job of cutting $35.6 million from the university's budget in what's described as the worst fiscal crisis to hit higher education in a generation.

But the president and her deputies deserve credit for wielding their budget ax more like a scalpel.

The cuts announced Wednesday spare tenured and tenure-track professors from layoffs, and shield all graduate and undergraduate programs from elimination. About 70 people will lose their jobs, a number that would have been far greater had Genshaft not frozen hundreds of vacant positions last year. Only two instructors face layoffs.

It could have been worse. Much worse.

The University of Florida, which faces a $47 million budget cut, is eliminating some degree programs and restructuring some academic departments. An estimated 18 faculty and 120 staff members will lose their jobs.

Florida State, which must cut $17.5 million, plans to shut down the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory - one of Florida's premier research centers - for two months to save $1 million on electricity.

And Florida International University, which faces a $12 million shortfall, plans to close at least six research institutes and centers, and cut funding in half for five more.

USF seemed more surgical in its cuts. It expects to reduce energy and security costs by closing some buildings at night. It also plans to schedule more classes on Friday, a day when the campus is typically quiet. Frankly, this move should have been made years ago - on every Florida campus.

Genshaft and her vice presidents also are forgoing raises, an important symbolic move.

It's distressing to see budget cuts arrive just as USF prepares to charge a higher "differential" tuition, which was approved by lawmakers to enhance undergraduate offerings at the state's three research universities. Student government leaders accepted the increase because it came with a promise of more class offerings and academic advisors. Now the prospect of providing greater access is nil.

Yet next fall, USF students in Tampa will pay tuition that is 15 percent higher - from $2,211 annually to $2,543 for a full-time student - without the benefit of a better, more efficient course of study. Instead, university officials warn that students should expect larger classes and longer delays.

The responsibility for this dire situation extends beyond the economic slowdown. The problem lies with state lawmakers who have continually shortchanged Florida's universities and refused to reform the politically popular Bright Futures program, which gives nearly free tuition to marginal students and leaves universities holding the bag.

State legislators like to pretend they're doing Florida students a favor by keeping tuition and university investment artificially low.

Once the budgetary bloodletting is done, perhaps they'll see the folly in trying to develop a world-class university system on a shoestring.

The Tampa Tribune
Published: May 23, 2008

USF Health E&G 15% Budget Reductions

For details click here.