Trainees will benefit from USF Health’s increase in nationally recognized faculty with research expertise in blood vessel inflammation linked to heart, lung and other diseases

TAMPA, Fla (Feb. 3, 2022) — The University of South Florida recently received a highly competitive National Institutes of Health (NIH) Institutional Training Grant (Award Number T32HL160529), boosting the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine’s (MCOM) capacity to prepare the next generation of scientists in an emerging area of research applicable to many major diseases.

The NIH’s National, Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute awarded MCOM total expected funds of $1.35 million over the next five years to support the comprehensive training of pre- and postdoctoral scientists focused on research in vascular inflammation and injury. Trainees will be selected from PhD candidates and graduates, as well as MD graduates in residency or fellowship programs related to cardiovascular sciences. They will receive stipends and financial support for attending scientific conferences.

The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine’s new NHLBI Institutional Training Grant for research in vascular inflammation and injury is directed by Sarah Yuan, MD, PhD (center), professor and chair of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology (MPP).  Joining Dr. Yuan are core MPP members of the T32 grant team, from left to right: Victoria Mothershed, the program’s administrative manager; Thomas Taylor-Clark, PhD, the program’s associate director; and Jerome Breslin, PhD, who designs and oversees the program’s curriculum. — Photo by Allison Long, USF Health Communications

“This is the first NIH T32 institutional training award obtained by USF’s college of medicine in the last 20 years,” said program director Sarah Yuan, MD, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology. “It represents a critical step in raising our national prominence in training the next generation of translational researchers.”

Translational research is the process of efficiently moving scientific discoveries made in the laboratory into the clinic, hospital, or community to treat patients and improve health.

“Our goal is to prepare these trainees with the strong knowledge, skills and vision for leading independent research that will decipher complex cellular and molecular mechanisms and develop new diagnostic and therapeutic targets for cardiovascular disease and other conditions affected by inflammation,” said Dr. Yuan, who holds the USF Health Deriso Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Research.

Inflammation commonly underlies the onset and progression of various diseases or injuries in multiple organs, including the heart, brain, lung, kidney, gut, and placenta. Recently, Dr. Yuan noted, this includes the discovery that vascular inflammation in response to coronavirus infection is a leading cause of severe illness and death in COVID patients.

A better understanding of the physiological processes contributing to vascular inflammation can lead to more precise and much-needed ways to diagnose, treat, and possibly prevent its harmful effects,

The new training program takes advantage of the substantial number of NIH-funded researchers recruited to MCOM under the leadership of Charles J. Lockwood, MD, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of MCOM. Many of these nationally preeminent faculty hires are experts in inflammation research and the vascular biology associated with heart, lung, neurodegenerative, or other diseases. Investment in new and renovated laboratories, and research facilities with shared, highly specialized equipment has risen along with the influx of new investigators.

Up to 25 NIH-funded faculty mentors across seven MCOM departments (Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Pathology and Medical Engineering), including those affiliated with the USF Health Heart Institute, the USF Health Neuroscience Institute, and several other research centers, will mentor top students recruited to the T32 program.

“Our commitment to building the research infrastructure, expertise and curriculum needed to attract the highest caliber of faculty and academically talented students will not waver,” Dr. Lockwood said. “This new institutional training award is a tremendous addition to our growing research portfolio, one that helps feed a pipeline of diverse young scientists driven to transform meaningful discoveries into best-practice patient care. They will be well prepared to understand and help solve complex problems beyond the scope of individual disciplines or laboratories.”

The latest scientific equipment and imaging techniques will help trainees investigating the complex cellular and molecular processes contributing to inflammatory changes in and surrounding the tiniest blood vessels.  — Photo by Allison Long, USF Health Communications

The program’s curriculum is composed of rigorous courses and workshops to build competency in critical thinking and communication, an intensive hands-on research experience, and a personalized career development plan. Trainees will have access to the latest technologies, including viable human organ models to study the effects of inflammatory disease and its treatment, and high-resolution imaging techniques to see changes in blood flow, cells, proteins, and other structures within and outside the tiniest vessels.

Program director Dr. Yuan is joined by several core members of MCOM Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, including Thomas Taylor-Clark, PhD, the program’s associate director; Jerome Breslin, PhD, who designs and oversees the program’s curriculum; and Victoria Mothershed, the program’s administrative manager.

“It took the support of leadership, dedicated teamwork, and perseverance to get here,” Dr. Yuan said. “We’re thrilled to receive this institutional award and want it to be catalyst for more such programs cultivating leaders in biomedical and translational science.”

The medical students of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Class of 2021 officially became doctors in a socially distant ceremony at the Mahaffey Theatre, St. Petersburg, Fla., May 7.

Graduation may have looked a little different this year.  But the end of the four-year medical school journey was just as gratifying for the Class of 2021 USF Health Morsani College of Medicine medical students.  As the world continues to recover from a pandemic, 173 of the country’s newest doctors graduated in a socially distanced ceremony at the Mahaffey Theatre in St. Petersburg, Fla. May 7.

The ceremony wasn’t filled with the typical pomp and circumstance and VIPS that have become synonymous with MCOM ceremonies.  And friends, families and loved ones watched the ceremony outside of the theater or via live stream through MCOM and USF Health social media channels, rather than fill theater seats for in-person views .  COVID-19 has undoubtedly changed the way of the world and emphasized the more vital role innovative doctors will play in the effort to heal the world.

Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, USF Health senior vice president and MCOM dean.

“COVID-19 has underscored that in the 21^st century, health is global not local; dynamic not static; and that medical knowledge is accelerating at an unimaginable rate. Health care will never be the same,” said USF Health senior vice president and MCOM dean, Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, during his remarks to the class. “While I do not want to dwell on the challenges presented by COVID-19, I do want to recognize your remarkable determination in overcoming those challenges. Your resilience has paid off, and I speak for all of USF Health when I say that we could not be prouder of you.”

Jasmina Ehab, MD, selected by her fellow class of 2021 graduates to deliver remarks, also acknowledged the resilience and compassion of her classmates.  She recalled when Hurricane Irma shut down the state of Florida when they were only a couple of months into their first year of medial school.  It was through those trying times the class of 2021 grew stronger together.

Jasmina Ehab, MD, was chosen by her fellow graduates to deliver a speech to her fellow classmates.

“Although we didn’t know each other well, all of us opened our homes to one another. We shared our food; we shared our resources. Many of us stayed with each other’s families in other states. Not only did we exhibit this sense of family early on, but this experience was the landscape for our relationships, moving forward. We became each other’s keepers, we relied on one another and from that point on we knew that we were always going to be there to help each other,” she said.  “I have never been prouder of us as a class than when we held each other, supported one another and cried with each other. When one of us hurts, we all hurt. That’s what makes us unique, that’s why we have this unbreakable bond, this is what makes us family.”

Steven Currall, PhD, University of South Florida System President.

The most important, and most welcomed remarks came from University of South Florida System President, Steven Currall, PhD. His words were few, but impactful ending with “I confer upon each of you the doctor of medicine degree,” officially marking the transition from student to doctor.

The impact of graduating from medical school in the wake of uncertain and trying circumstances was not lost on the class.  One graduate described his fellow graduates and their journey with one word: resilient.   The Class of 2021 will use resilience as they move on to residency this summer.

More images from the ceremony:

Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, USF Health senior Vice President and MCOM dean, presented the 2021 Dean’s Award to recently retired Tom Whalen, MD. Dr. Whalen served as executive Vice President and chief medical officer at the Lehigh Valley Health Network in Penn. He has played an instrumental role in strengthening the ties between USF Health and LVHN.

Mathia Nittmann, MD, Class of 2021 recipient of the Donn L. Smith Award.

Timothy Koo, MD, Class of 2021 recipient of the Morsani College of Medicine Dean’s Award.

Karim Hanna, MD, chosen by the class to deliver the charge to the class. Dr. Hannah is also a Class of 2014 MCOM alum.

Pre-ceremony celebration:

Post-ceremony excitement:

Photos and story by Fredrick J. Coleman.  Video by Allison Long. 

The number of faculty members serving on National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Veterans Affairs (VA) study sections continues to grow as more federally-funded investigators join USF Health – a testament to the growing strength of the only academic medical center on Florida’s West Coast.

Data from the NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR) show that, over the last three years, 130 USF Health faculty members and their USF collaborators in other colleges, such as engineering, participated in more than 580 meetings to review the scientific merit of grant and fellowship applications. (See list below.)

“This is fantastic news and speaks to our rapid evolution as a true research-based academic medical center,” said Charles J. Lockwood, MD, senior vice president of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine. “I applaud our faculty who commit their time and talent to the NIH competitive grant review process, which ultimately leads to biomedical and health breakthroughs. Doing so not only gives back to the scientific community, it offers insight into critically evaluating science that can improve your own grant writing, and provides opportunities to meet leading, funded investigators, both within and outside your field, for potential collaborations.”

The primary mission of the NIH Center for Scientific Review’s is to assure that grant proposals receive fair, independent, confidential, expert and timely peer reviews so that the NIH can fund the most promising research. The CSR oversees both NIH and VA study sections. Members selected by CSR for these diverse groups include academic and nonacademic scientists in various stages of their careers who are recognized for expertise and integrity in their respective fields.

Shortly after he joined USF Health in 2014, Dr. Lockwood prioritized recruiting NIH-funded researchers determined to bridge the gap between laboratory discoveries and new treatments.  Along with their own federally-funded research portfolios, many of these strategic hires brought a track record of service as members of NIH study section committees and panels.

From August 2017 to August 2020, the following faculty members served on a wide variety of CSR-designated study sections. Many have engaged in more than one scientific peer review group. Several have also chaired special emphasis panels in Neurobiology; Cardiovascular Sciences; the Blood-Brain Barrier, Neurovascular System and CNS Therapeutics; and Chronic Disease Disparities RFA Endocrine and GI, to name a few.

John Adams
Amy Christine Alman
Ross Andel
James E. Andrews
Wenlong Bai
Thomas Bernard
Paula Bickford
Manus R. Biswal
Laura Blair
Cesario Borlongan
Jerome Breslin
Blanca Camoretti-Mercado
Chuanhai Cao
Stephanie Carey
Charles Chalfant
Bala Chandran
Henian Chen
Yu Chen
Seong Ho Cho
Kyaien Conner
Javier Cuevas
Liwang Cui
Dominic D’Agostino
Getachew Dagne
Robert Deschenes
Julie Djeu
David Eddins
Jerri Edwards
Patricia Emmanuel
Edgar Espana
Robert Farese
Peter Alexander Forsyth
Robert Frisina
Svitlana Garbuzova-Davis
Brian Giunta
Amber Gum
Ganesh Halade
William E. Haley
Loree Heller
Richard Heller
Angela Hill
Ricardo Izurieta
Ming Ji
Huabei Jiang
Kimberly Johnson
David Kang
Kami Kim
Kevin Kip
Russell Kirby
Marian Kollarik
Narasaiah Kolliputi
Ashok Kumar
Hye-Seung Lee
Cecile A. Lengacher
Celia Lescano
Ji Li
Stephen B. Liggett
Bruce Lindsey
Jennifer Lister
Ruisheng Liu
Charles J. Lockwood
David Lominadze
Judette Louis
Ronald Magness
Matthias Majetschak
Stephanie Lynn Markefka
Oliver Massey
Thomas McDonald
Usha Menon
Shyam Mohapatra
Subhra Mohapatra
Maxim Mokin
Victor Molinari
Kathleen Moore
Viswam Nair
Kevin Nash
Sami Noujaim
Francis Ntumngia
Anthony Odibo
Siva Kumar Panguluri
Angela Parent
Christopher Passaglia
Anna Pyayt
Tara Randis
Steven Reader
Laura Redwine
Kyle Reed
Joel Richter
Timo Rieg
Khary Rigg
Henry Rodriguez
Lindsey Rodriguez
Meredeth Rowe
Vasyl Sava
Joshua Scallan
John Schinka
Julianne Serovich
Lindsey Shaw
Brent Small
Bernd Sokolowski
George Spirou
Marilyn Stern
Stanley M. Stevens
Paul Stiles
Saulius Sumanas
Xingmin Sun
Vijaykumar Sutariya
Laura Szalacha
Thomas Taylor-Clark
Michael Teng
Gopal Thinakaran
Srinivas Tipparaju
Hana Totary-Jain
Yicheng Tu
Monica Uddin
Thomas Unnasch
Vladimir Uversky
Carla Vandeweerd
Kendra Vehik
Constance Visovsky
Brendan Walker
Jolan Walter
Hsiao-Lan Wang
Lianchun Wang
Lynn Wecker
Edwin Weeber
Derek Wildman
Jerome Yankowitz
Jeffrey Yoder
Sarah Yuan
Janice Zgibor

The 30 students of the charter class of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Physician Assistant Program before their graduation banquet Wednesday evening.

On the evening before graduation, the charter class of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Physician Assistant Program gathered at the USF Research and Innovation galleria room to celebrate the two-year journey from applicant to physician assistant.

Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, USF Health Senior Vice President and Morsani College of Medicine Dean.

USF Health Senior Vice President and Morsani College of Medicine Dean Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, told the group how proud and excited he is for the graduating class.

“Tonight’s commencement dinner represents the culmination of hard work and dedication, the realization of a dream over the past two years and the beginning of a successful career,” Dr. Lockwood said. “You are pursuing one of the fastest growing careers in the medical field and you are going to play an indispensable role in delivering excellent, cost-effective care.”

Todd Wills, MD, assistant dean and program director.

Todd Wills, MD, assistant dean and program director reflected on the path these inaugural students have taken to get where they are.

“It was just two short years ago when we welcomed 30 students to the USF Health Rotunda before the start of orientation,” Dr. Wills said. “As you each begin your careers in health care over the next weeks and months, remember that the confidence our program has in you is more than justified and we can’t wait to see what comes next.”

A highlight of the evening came when select students and staff received several awards based on academic excellence, clinical performance.  Additionally, four students were inducted into MCOM’s chapter of the the Association of Physician Assistant Programs Pi Alpha National Honor Society.  Those selected showed significant academic achievement, leadership, research, community service and a high standard of character and conduct among PA students and graduates.

First student inductees:

– Kathryn Rudibaugh, MPAS

– Shannon Aurelius, MPAS

– Brittany Bianchi, MPAS

– Mollie Pleasenton, MPAS

(L-R) Shannon Aurelius, MPAS, Brittany Bianchi, MPAS, Larry Collins, MPAS, PA-C, ATC, Kathryn Rudibaugh, MPAS, Mollie Pleasenton, MPAS.

After the student inductions, Larry Collins, MPAS, PA-C, ATC, associate professor and associate program director, became the first faculty member to be inducted into the honor society.

Other award recipients:

Highest Didactic Year GPA: Brittany Bianchi, MPAS

Highest Clinical Year GPA: Shannon Aurelius, MPAS

Outstanding Pre-clinical Instructor, selected by the students as the most positive impact on their pre-clinical education: Dr. Todd Wills.

Outstanding Clinical Preceptor, selected by the students for having the most positive impact on their clinical education: Meredith Plant, MD

The PA’s PA, given to the student chosen as best exemplifying the characteristics of a PA they would choose to care for them and their family: Katie Lucas, MPAS

Katie Lucas, MPAS, center, received the PA’s PA awarded to the student chosen as best exemplifying the charastics of a PA they would choose to care for them and their family.

Following the presentations, Kevin Allison, MPAS, and Elisabeth “Libby” Kusiak, MPAS, delivered a heartfelt charge to their classmates.

Class co-presidents Elisabeth “Libby” Kusiak and Kevin Allison.

“We hope you can all reflect and think about how this program and your classmates have changed you and shaped you into the person you are today and into the provider you want to be. This is not goodbye, but hello to new beginnings,” said Kusiak. “It has been an honor to serve as your class co-president and I can honestly say I know we are all going to make outstanding providers.”

To conclude the event, Larry Collins announced the start of a scholarship foundation to help future MCOM PA students and contributed $1,000 to the foundation.

“Think about all of the future PAs and be sure to pay it forward,” he said.

The 30 charter PA students will graduate May 2 during the USF Health graduation at the Yuengling Center.

The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine class of 2019 gathered for its student clinician ceremony at USF’s Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) on June 9. The ceremony marks the students’ official transition from the classroom into clinical training, and the halfway point of their journey to become medical doctors.

Members of the USF Morsani College of Medicine’s class of 2019 have officially reached the halfway point of their medical school journey.

The students celebrated the milestone during a student clinician ceremony on Friday, June 9, at USF’s Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) in downtown Tampa.

“Today’s ceremony signifies the importance of trust, accountability, collaboration and communication in doing the job,” said Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, USF Health senior vice president and Morsani College of Medicine dean.

Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, USF Health senior vice president and Morsani College of Medicine dean, speaks during the class of 2019’s student clinician ceremony.

During the ceremony, students honored five teaching residents with Humanism and Excellence in Teaching awards. Receiving the honor were:

Tanner Wright, MD – general surgery

Adam Fusick, MD – psychiatry and neurology

James Lee, MD – maternal newborn/inpatient pediatrics

Jacqueline Young, MD – internal medicine

Bailee Oliff, MD – general surgery

At the conclusion of the ceremony, students recited the Oath of Commitment, reaffirming their vows as medical students.

To conclude the student clinician ceremony, members of the USF Morsani College of Medicine’s class of 2019 recite the Oath of Commitment, reaffirming their oath as medical students.

“It’s very exciting to know that we’ve already gone through so much and we only have a little bit more to go,” said Catherine Divingian, a third-year medical student at MCOM.  “We’re learning how to function more as physicians and learning where we fit in as working members of the medical team.  I’m excited for what the future brings.”

Photos by Ryan Noone

TAMPA, Fla. (Feb. 29, 2016) – The University of South Florida announced today that it has received a $3.5 million gift from Tampa General Hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. The gift will be used to establish an endowed faculty chair in cardiovascular sciences and to create a neurosciences research fund to examine brain and nervous system diseases through the Morsani College of Medicine and its Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute.

Tampa General Hospital is USF Health’s primary teaching hospital and primary cardiology practice site.

Tampa General Hospital has served as USF’s primary teaching hospital since the medical school first opened in 1971, and hundreds of students from USF’s medical, nursing and physical therapy programs receive clinical training at Tampa General each year.

“Over many decades, USF and TGH have been dedicated partners in medical research and education; this donation underscores how deeply committed we are to improving the health and well-being of our community,” said USF System President Judy Genshaft.

“This gift highlights the continued investment in the Morsani College of Medicine that we’ve seen from the community, state and our philanthropic partners during the USF: Unstoppable campaign,” said Joel Momberg, CEO of the USF Foundation. “There is so much promise and possibility in this transformative project that began with the generosity of Carol and Frank Morsani, and continues with the support from the health care professionals at Tampa General Hospital.”

Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine, said we are deeply grateful to Tampa General Hospital for their incredible generosity that will help fund and strengthen our key initiatives in cardiovascular sciences and neurosciences.

“By establishing an endowed chair in our Heart Institute, this gift will not only enable us to explore all aspects of cardiovascular health including sorting out the differences in heart disease between men and women, but also it will provide life-saving preventions and treatments for heart disease and other cardiovascular disorders,” Dr. Lockwood said. “We are also pleased that this gift will advance our research efforts in neurosciences at the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute.”

Tampa General Hospital has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the top-ranked cardiology and heart surgery practice in Tampa Bay, and the specialty is ranked #35 in the nation. Tampa General is USF’s primary cardiology practice site, where most of the university’s inpatient and outpatient cardiac services are provided and all inpatient cardiovascular clinical trials are conducted. The hospital is also the flagship affiliate for USF’s department of neurosurgery and brain repair.

“We’re working with the Morsani College of Medicine every day to improve the heart and brain health of patients across Florida,” said Jim Burkhart, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital. “With this gift, we want to help USF Health expand its research efforts and help ensure that our patients receive the most innovative care possible.”

The USF Health Heart Institute integrates innovative biomedical research with advanced clinical care to find new ways to prevent cardiovascular diseases, tailor personalized treatments for patients, and improve the heart health of the Tampa Bay community. The institute will be co-located in the new USF Health Morsani College of Medicine building in downtown Tampa. The Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute is another premier academic research center at USF Health, dedicated to the prevention, treatment and cure of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.

– USF Health –

USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, and the USF Physicians Group. The University of South Florida is a top 50 research university in total research expenditures among both public and private institutions nationwide, according to the National Science Foundation. For more information, visit health.usf.edu.

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The USF: Unstoppable Campaign is a comprehensive fundraising effort by the University of South Florida System to celebrate the energy, vision, and future of one of the country’s most exciting and engaged universities. Our people and programs, our ideas, our research, and our solutions comprise an ambitious plan to enhance healthcare, science, technology, education, business, the arts, and global partnerships.

Media contact:
Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications, (813) 974-3303 or abaier@health.usf.edu

Bridging laboratory and clinical sciences, the study aims to improve the health outcomes  of pregnancies complicated by poor fetal growth

Tampa, FL (Sept. 28, 2015) – The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine has received a $4-million National Institutes of Health grant that will employ new imaging technologies and test biomarkers in the blood to determine whether abnormalities in the smallest blood vessels of the placenta and negative environmental influences, particularly smoking, cause fetal growth restriction (FGR).

The ultimate goal of the four-year study is to design a reliable way to predict poor growth of the fetus earlier in pregnancy so that physicians can intervene sooner to help prevent stillbirth, Cesarean delivery, decreased oxygen levels and other adverse outcomes.

The USF research award (1U01HD087213-01) was announced today as one of 19 projects funded by the Human Placenta Project — an initiative launched by the NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Development to better understand the role of the placenta in health and disease.

Anthony Odibo, MD (left) and Umit Kayisli, PhD, of the USF Health Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, are co-principal investigators of a $4-million Human Placenta Project — one of 19 new projects awarded in the U.S. and Canada by the NIH.

“I am so proud of our team,” said Charles J. Lockwood, MD,  dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and senior vice president for USF Health. “This is an important NIH initiative which addresses the common source of most major adverse pregnancy events – abnormal placentation.”

“In the past, it has been challenging to identify which women may benefit (from early therapeutic intervention), because they are at high risk for fetal growth restriction,” said co-principal investigator Anthony Odibo, MD, professor in the USF Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.  “But powerful new imaging technology gives us the opportunity to really visualize all the blood vessels in the placenta, study the underlying problem of growth restriction, and create a highly predictive model for identifying small babies at risk of FGR.”

The USF grant, bridging laboratory and clinical sciences, will be led by Dr. Odibo and co-principal investigator Umit Kayisli, PhD, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology.  Dr. Odibo, specializing in maternal-fetal medicine, is an expert in fetal therapy and directs the USF Fetal Care Center at Tampa General Hospital.  Dr. Kayisli specializes in molecular and cellular biology in reproduction and its clinical implications.

They will work on the NIH project with USF Ob/Gyn co-investigators Charles J. Lockwood, MD, Frederick Schatz, PhD, and Ozlem Guzeloglu-Kayisli, PhD, and with Rajendra Kedar, MD, from the USF Department of Radiology.  USF colleagues at Necker Hospital in Paris and at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in Rochester, MI, will also collaborate.

Fetal growth restriction (FGR), affecting up to 10 percent of all pregnancies, is commonly defined as fetal weight below the 10^th percentile for gestational age as determined by ultrasound. The condition remains a leading contributor worldwide to the death and illness of babies before and after birth.

Placental function – the ability of the critical organ to shuttle blood, oxygen and nutrients from mother to fetus through an intricate network of blood vessels – is inadequate in pregnancies complicated by FGR.  But predicting FGR has been difficult, because until recently imaging technologies have not been sensitive nor specific enough to clearly detect the smallest blood vessels in the placenta and monitor the flow of blood through this branching microvasculature.

Dr. Odibo points to an ultrasound image of the placenta, a critical organ that shuttles blood, oxygen and nutrients from mother to fetus through an intricate network of blood vessels.

For the USF study, researchers will use two of the latest technologies – superb microvascular imaging, or SMI ultrasound, and blood oxygen level-dependent magnetic resonance imaging, or BOLD MRI.

The investigators will compare biopsies of placenta from normal and FGR-complicated pregnancies in the laboratory and correlate them with the imaging assessments of the placental microvasculature.  They will also study how smoking affects the microvasculature and the potential link with FGR.

“The results obtained from SMI ultrasound and BOLD MRI combined with changes in expression levels of several biomarkers and epigenetic modifications in response to smoking will be instrumental in developing a predictive model for pregnancies at high risk for fetal growth restriction and improving the sensitivity and specificity of a potential early diagnosis and treatment of FGR,” Dr. Kayisli said.

For a list of all new grants awarded as part of the NIH Human Placenta Project, go to http://www.nichd.nih.gov/news/releases/Pages/092815-NIH-awards-HPP.aspx.

-USF Health-

USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, and the USF Physician’s Group. The University of South Florida is a Top 50 research university in total research expenditures among both public and private institutions nationwide, according to the National Science Foundation.  For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu

Media contact:
Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications
(813) 974-3303 or abaier@health.usf.edu

Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications and Marketing