Author: awesterb@bsdad.uchicago.edu

Richard Larson, MD Receives the American Society of Hematology’s Stratton Medal


By

Richard Larson,MD , Professor of Medicine (Hematology/Oncology) and Director of the the Hematologic Malignancy Program  has been named  as the recipient of the American Society of Hematology’s (ASH)  2019 Henry M. Stratton Medal for his seminal contributions to clinical hematology research. Dr. Larson’s  career has been dedicated to the design and leadership of groundbreaking therapeutic trials for patients with leukemia, and he has made significant strides in understanding the genetic basis of leukemia and translating these insights into more effective treatments for patients. Dr. Larson led the Leukemia Committee of the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB), now called the … Read More

Charting a map to the heart: Researchers receive grant to create a cell atlas of the human heart


By

Two University of Chicago scientists are part of an international team of researchers awarded a three-year, nearly $4 million grant to define every cell type in the human heart. The grant is part of $68 million in funding from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) to support the Human Cell Atlas, an international effort by experts in biology, computation and medicine to map all of the cells in the human body. The resulting cellular and molecular map will help researchers better understand what goes wrong when disease strikes. “The idea is to build a reference atlas to learn about the normal state … Read More

Mark Siegler, MD founder of the clinical medical ethics field, will step down from the MacLean Center


By

After 35 years of creating and running the world’s leading clinical medical ethics fellowship program, Mark Siegler, MD, will step down as founding director of the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago Medicine. Siegler will assist with the transition to his successor while he continues to practice medicine as a general internist at UChicago Medicine, as he’s done for more than 50 years. He will continue to direct the Bucksbaum Institute for Clinical Excellence. “It is my hope that the MacLean Center, and the field of clinical medical ethics, both flourish going forward,” said Siegler, the recipient of many … Read More

SHARE Network gets $3.75 million to help older adults on the South Side


By

The federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will give the University of Chicago Medicine’s SHARE Network $3.75 million to continue its initiatives and partnerships that help older adults on the South Side and beyond. The financial award, through a grant known as the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP), guarantees $750,000 a year through 2024. The money will be used to continue educational and outreach efforts, such as training practitioners and caregivers about older adult health, providing free community health presentations, and linking those in need to resources on everything from dementia or delivered meals to opioid addiction. “As our … Read More

Genetic ‘shooting stars’ impact risk for disease


By

Fleeting differences in gene expression between individuals that occur at different points in time during cell development may have consequences on the ultimate risk for disease in mature tissues and cell types. In a new study published this week in Science, researchers from the University of Chicago and Johns Hopkins University analyzed RNA sequence data from 16 time points in human stem cells as they developed into cardiomyocytes, or heart muscle cells. In the process, they identified hundreds of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs), sections of DNA that are associated with differences in gene expression between individuals. These differences in … Read More

Edward Garrity Jr., MD Receives Department of Medicine Distinguished Service Award


By

Edward Garrity,Jr.,MD  has been named as the 2019 recipient of the Department of Medicine Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Garrity,Professor of Medicine in the Section of Pulmonary/Critical Care, is an accomplished academician, clinician, and educator who joined the faculty of the Department of Medicine in December 2005 to lead the Lung Transplant Program.  For the past 14 years, he has served  the Department and Medical Center in several leadership roles including: Vice Chair for Clinical Operations (2005-2010), Associate Vice Chair for EMR, UHI and Transplantation (2010-2017) and Associate Director of the Transplant Center (2008-2016), Medical Director for Transplant and Medical Specialties … Read More

2019 Department of Medicine Award Recipients


By

The Department of Medicine is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2019 faculty awards. Special Awards  Elbert Huang,MD (General Internal Medicine)- Arthur Rubenstein,MD Faculty Mentorship Award Megan Husingh Scheetz,MD (Geriatrics/Palliative Medicine)- Leif B. Sorensen Faculty Research Award Neda Laiteerapong,MD(General Internal Medicine)- Leif B. Sorensen Faculty Research Award Kamala Cotts,MD (General Internal Medicine)- Diversity Award Clinical Service  Awards: Productivity Awards: Mary Hammes,MD(Nephrology)- Procedure Activity John Purakal,MD (Emergency Medicine)- Evaluation & Management Corey Tabit,MD (Cardiology)- Patient Visits Nicole Stankus,MD (Nephrology)- Overall Clinical Activity Award Tamar Polonsky,MD (Cardiology)- Outstanding Clinical Service Award Bryan Smith,MD(Cardiology)- Overall Clinical Excellence (New Faculty) Award Sonali Smith,MD … Read More

A protein too big to be ignored as a potential drug target for reversing blood diseases


By

Previously published in At The Forefront, June 7, 2019  It all started with a simple question: “How do cells communicate with the outside world to sense their environment?” The pursuit of the answer turned out to reveal far more than what Amittha Wickrema, PhD, professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, had dreamed. Focusing on how the production of red blood cells is triggered, Wickrema and his long-time collaborators Amit Verma, MD, from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Chuan He, PhD, the John T. Wilson Distinguished Service Professor of Chemistry at UChicago, identified a key protein that could serve as … Read More