Lefeber Winter Lecture Series
The UTMB Sealy Center on Aging kicked off the 16th annual Lefeber Winter Series on Aging lectures with “Addressing health care disparities for aging low income seniors,” presented by William A. Vega, executive director and provost professor at the Edward R. Royball Institute on Aging at the University of Southern California.
His is the first in a series of six lectures to be held weekly and concluding March 1.
Visiting On Campus
Joan S. Valentine, member of the National Academy of Sciences and professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA, gave a presentation on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, sponsored by the department of biochemistry and molecular biology.
“Breast Cancer and Social Interactions: Identifying Multiple Environments that Regulate Gene Expression” was the topic of Sarah Gehlert, professor and Institute for Public Health scholar at Washington University in St. Louis and presented by the UTMB Institute for Translational Sciences.
Elodie Ghedin, associate investigator at the J. Craig Venter Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, addressed “Next-Generation Sequencing for Viral Genomics,” sponsored by the Institute for Human Infections and Immunity.
“The evolutionary epidemiology of mania and depression” was presented by Dr. Daniel R. Wilson, professor of anthropology and professor and chairman of psychiatry at Creighton University.
“Adventures in academic probe and drug discovery: New approaches to Alzheimer’s disease and infectious diseases” was the topic of a presentation by Donna Huryn, associate director of the chemistry core, Penn Center for Molecular Discovery at the University of Pennsylvania.
Presentations
“The health of old timers in rural communities of East Texas” was presented by Tony DiNuzzo, assistant professor in geriatrics, associate director of research in the Sealy Center on Aging and director of the East Texas Geriatric Education Center Consortium.
This was the fourth in a series of lectures presented by the UTMB School of Medicine for students interested in rural health care.
“Lead Poisoning in Galveston Children and Health System Results” was presented by Lexi Nolen, director of the UTMB Center to Eliminate Health Disparities.
Geriatrics and health care reform was the topic when Laura Hermer, assistant professor of bioethics and health policy in theUTMB Institute for the Medical Humanities, spoke on “Health Reform and the Elderly: The Road from Here.” She was joined by Dr. Howard Brody, director of the Institute, who presented “Ethics and the R Word: Making Sense of Health Reform’s Real Issues.”
Research volunteers needed
Researchers in the department of physical therapy at UTMB need volunteers for a new study on exercise, nutrition and muscle growth. Investigators hope the study will help explain how exercise and nutrition influence muscle growth.
To participate in this trial, you must be 18 to 35, in overall good health and not pregnant. Regular exams and reimbursements for time and travel will be provided. For information on this exercise study, or to see if you qualify, call 409-747-3559.
New Faculty
New to the UTMB School of Health Professions are Laura Lawrence, Kyle Timmerman, Timothy Reistetter and Dr. Jianzhi Zhang. The UTMB School of Nursing welcomes Ginger Davis.