First Half of 2018 a Whirlwind of Accomplishment by DOM Faculty, Slideshow Attests

DOM Chair Dr. Monica Kraft addresses faculty at June 2018 general faculty meetingNearly 75 people attended the Quarterly General Faculty Meeting for the University of Arizona Department of Medicine, with several more logged in online and viewing via a live webcast link on June 25.

On the agenda was:

  • Introduction and Vision – Larry Goldberg, new president of Banner – University Medicine Division
  • A discussion of professionalism – Kevin Moynahan, MD, deputy dean for education, UA College of Medicine – Tucson
  • Update on faculty compensation plan and revenue cycle — Carol Karp, CFO, Banner – University Medicine Division
  • Acknowledgment of new faculty hired in first half of 2018 (see separate DOM News announcement or click on PDF below)

Video from the meeting was archived and can be viewed here: https://streaming.biocom.arizona.edu/event/?id=28282

A photo album from the event can be found here.

Click here for the PDF of the “New Hires,” “Accolades” and “Research” slideshow presented:  domfacultymtg-hiresaccoladesresearch_2018-06-25_final.pdf

ACCOLADES & AWARDS

Among the highlights for honors and recognition segment of the meeting were the following news items:

Dr. Christian BimeHealthgrades Honors

Belated congratulations to Banner – UMC Tucson Medical ICU clinical team led by Dr. Christian Bime. Due to a misclassification as Diamond Children’s, we only now found out that the team had won not one but two prestigious recognitions—the 2017 Healthgrades Critical Care Excellence Award and 2016 Healthgrades Pulmonary Excellence Award

  • Dr. Monica Kraft attends her first National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Advisory Council meeting as ad hoc participant

ACHIEVEMENTS IN RESEARCH

Among highlights for the quarter among DOM investigators were the following:

 

  • Endocrinology chief Dr. Larry Mandarino wins $3.4 million NIDDK/NIH R01 grant to study, "Molecular Regulation of Muscle Glucose Metabolism"
  • Dr. Christian Bime wins 5-year, $900K NIH K08 grant to study “SELPLG as gene candi-date in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome”
  • Dr. Rebecca Vanderpool wins 3-year, $225K Arizona Biomedical Research Commission grant to study “Diagnostic and Progressive Markers of RV Failure in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension”
  • Dr. Louise Hecker part of research team led by Dr. Ken Knox that wins 3-year, $750K Arizona Biomedical Research Commission grant for study, “A Novel Ex-Vivo Leaf-Lung Model to Study Pulmonary Disease”
  • Dr. Frank Marcus wins NIH grant for study of “Efficacy of Flecainide for Treatment of Ventricular Arrhythmias in Patients with ARVC” Dr. Diego Celdran, top center, part of team looking to improve vascular imaging in dialysis patients with BIO5 funding
  • Dr. Diego Celdran Bonafonte co-leads UA Nephrology Division, College of Engineering effort funded by BIO5 Institute to improve vascular imaging of ATFs in kidney dialysis
  • Leading the nation in recruitment of participants, the All of Us℠ Arizona Research Program wins even bigger ‘biggest’ NIH grant in state history with expansion of funding to $60 million
  • Dr. Sai Parthasarathy co-investigator on National Institute on Minority Health and Disparities $3.6M grant for Nogales Cardiometabolic Health & Sleep (NoCHeS) Study on U.S.-Mexico border
  • Dr. Pavani Chalasani co-investigator on $2.5M National Cancer Institute/NIH grant to improve interventions, quality of life for ethnically diverse cancer survivors won by UA College of Nursing
  • Drs. Charles Downs, Skip Garcia and Janet FunkDrs. Joe G.N. “Skip” Garcia, Janet Funk co-investigators on 5-year, $1.6M R01 NIH grant to examine healing potential of curcumin for acute lung injury won by UA College of Nursing’s Dr. Charles Downs
  • Dr. Craig Stump co-investigator on $1.1M NHLBI/NIH-funded study of genetic risk factors for Type 2 diabetes and heart disease won by UA College of Public Health epidemiologist
  • Dr. Raj Janardhanan chosen as principle investigator for the Lantheus DIFINITY 314 Trial – testing a new contrast agent used to enhance imaging scans of the heart
  • Dr. Bijin Thajudeen serves as PI on Regen and Ardelyx studies
  • Dr. Sasha Taleban lands three clinical studies involving efficacy and safety of Risankizumab for treatment of Crohn’s Disease patients valued at nearly $6.75M
  • Dr. Monte Shaheen wins a $2.03M clinical studies contract with Genentech a treatment study for patients with untreated advanced BRAFv600 wild-type melanoma
  • Dr. Ayako Makino—with co-investigator Dr. Jason X.-J. Yuan—wins $1.54M NIH grant to study role of HuR in coronary endothothelial cell dysfunction in diabetes
  • Dr. Hani Babiker working on $319K clinical trial to evaluate Eli Lilly treatment for first-line metastatic pancreatic cancer
  • Dr. Aaron Scott pursues $420K clinical trial to treat gastric & gastroesophageal cancer
  • Dr. Kumar Abhijeet is principal investigator on a $1.05M clinical trial to assess “Ublituximab + TGR-1202 With or Without Bendamustine and TGR-1202 Alone in Patients with Previously Treated Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (UNITY-NHL)” Dr. Clara Curiel-Lewnandrowski
  • Dr. Monte Shaheen involved in $419K clinical trial to assess “Immune Checkpoint Therapy in Patients with Advanced/ Metastatic Solid Tumors” 
  • Dr. Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski wins $261K Amgen clinical trial for treatment study on patients with cutaneous squamous cell cancer
  • Dr. Tara Carr serving as PI on separate clinical trials involving peanut allergies and asthma with a combined worth of nearly $287K
Release Date: 
06/26/2018 - 4:00pm
Media Contact: 
David Mogollon | Communications Coordinator, UA Department of Medicine