Category Archives: Medical School

Led by Temple University scientists and involving a national collaboration among researchers, a new study shows how decreased hippocampus engagement is associated with the development of posttraumatic stress disorder. Sam McLean, MD, MPH, leads the NIH-funded AURORA study.

CHAPEL HILL, NC Results from the largest prospective study of its kind indicate that in the initial days and weeks after experiencing trauma, individuals facing potentially threatening situations who had less activity in their hippocampus a brain structure critical for forming memories of situations that are dangerous and that are safe developed more severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.

This association between reduced hippocampal activity and risk of PTSD was particularly strong in individuals who had greater involuntary defensive reactions to being startled.

This research, published in the journal JNeurosci, suggests that individuals with greater defensive reactions to potentially threatening events might have a harder time learning whether an event is dangerous or safe. They also are more likely to experience severe forms of PTSD, which include symptoms such as always being on guard for danger, self-destructive behavior like drinking too much or driving too fast, trouble sleeping and concentrating, irritability, angry outbursts, and nightmares.

These findings are important both to identify specific brain responses associated with vulnerability to develop PTSD, and to identify potential treatments focused on memory processes for these individuals to prevent or treat PTSD, said senior author Vishnu Murty, PhD, assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Temple University.

This research is part of the national Advancing Understanding of RecOvery afteR traumA (AURORA) Study, a multi-institution project funded by the National Institutes of Health, non-profit funding organizations such as One Mind, and partnerships with leading tech companies. The organizing principal investigator is Samuel McLean, MD, MPH, professor of psychiatry and emergency medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and director of the UNC Institute for Trauma Recovery.

AURORA allows researchers to leverage data from patient participants who enter emergency departments at hospitals across the country after experiencing trauma, such as car accidents or other serious incidents. The ultimate goal of AURORA is to spur on the development and testing of preventive and treatment interventions for individuals who have experienced traumatic events.

AURORA scientists have known that only a subset of trauma survivors develop PTSD, and that PTSD is associated with increased sensitivity to threats and decreased ability to engage neural structures retrieving emotional memories. Yet how these two processes interact to increase risk for developing PTSD is not clear. To better understand these processes, Murty and colleagues characterized brain and behavioral responses from individuals two weeks following trauma.

Using brain-imaging techniques coupled with laboratory and survey-based tests for trauma, researchers found that the individuals with less activity in their hippocampus and greatest defensive responses to startling events following trauma had the most severe symptoms.

In these individuals, greater defensive reactions to threats may bias them against learning information about what is happening so that they can discern what is safe and what is dangerous, said Bra Tanriverdi, the lead researcher on the study and graduate student at Temple. These findings highlight an important PTSD biomarker focused on how people form and retrieve memories after trauma.

These latest findings add to our list of AURORA discoveries that are helping us understand the differences between individuals who go on to develop posttraumatic stress disorder and those who do not, said McLean, an author on the paper. Studies focusing on the early aftermath of trauma are critical because we need a better understanding of how PTSD develops so we can prevent PTSD and best treat PTSD.

Since initiating our financial support of the AURORA Study in 2016, we remain steadfast in our commitment to helping AURORA investigators make important discoveries and to bridge the gaps that exist in mental health research funding and patient support, said Brandon Staglin, president of One Mind.

Check the AURORA website for Prediction tools, presentations, and publications resulting from AURORA studies.JNeurosciis the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience.

Research and clinical staff at the following institutions were critical in the care of patients and for this research study: Albert Einstein Healthcare, Baystate Medical Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Medical Center, Brigham and Womens Hospital, Cooper Health Institute, Emory University, Henry Ford Health System, Indiana University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Rhode Island Hospital, The Miriam Hospital, St. Joseph Hospital, Temple University, Thomas Jefferson University, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of Cincinnati, University of Florida College of MedicineJacksonville, University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt University, Washington University in St. Louis, Wayne State University, Ascension St. John Hospital, Wayne State University, Detroit Receiving Hospital, William Beaumont Hospital, Wayne State University, McLean Hospital, University of Missouri-St. Louis, UNC Medical Center, UNC School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, Northern California Institute for Research and Education, Harvard University Medical School, and Harvard University School of Public Health.

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Specific Brain Responses to Traumatic Stress Linked to PTSD Risk | Newsroom - UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine

The 2021 UMass Cancer Walk and Run raised more than $700,000 for cancer research and clinical trials. The fundraising goal for this years event is $850,000 and carries a superhero theme.

UMass Chan Medical School has announced Harr Toyota as the presenting sponsor of the 24th annual UMass Cancer Walk and Run to be held on Sunday, Oct. 2, at Polar Park.

Harr Toyota is honored to serve as the presenting sponsor of this critically important event in Central Massachusetts, said Mike Gross, president/general manager of Harr Toyota. Many of us have been touched by cancerperhaps through personal diagnosisor by a family member, friend or colleague diagnosed with the disease. Our donation will help reduce the suffering and deaths caused by this disease.

Each year thousands take part in the event and 100 percent of the money donated supports adult and pediatric cancer research and care, and clinical trials of potentially lifesaving therapies at UMass Chan.

Harr Toyota has been a steadfast partner of the UMass Cancer Walk and Run and we are grateful for their ongoing support, said Traci Heath, manager of the UMass Cancer Walk and community fundraising. This signature sponsorship will help us continue to conduct cutting-edge cancer research at the highest level.

The walk and run has become one of the regions signature fundraising events. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette named the walk the Best Fundraising Event in 2021 and 2020 and the Worcester Business Journal chose it as the best nonprofit fundraiser event in Central Massachusetts. The 2021 event raised more than $700,000 for cancer research and clinical trials. The fundraising goal for this years event is $850,000 and carries a superhero theme.

Throughout the course of its history, thousands upon thousands of superheroes from across the region have emerged to lace their sneakers and take part in the walk. This year we honor these superheroespatients with cancer and their family members, health care providers, researchers, volunteersand you. By raising money and taking part in the walk, you have the power to save lives, UMass Chan Medical School Chancellor Michael F. Collins said in a video earlier this year.

Visit umasscancerwalk.org to start a fundraising page, start a team or make a donation.

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Harr Toyota announced as presenting sponsor of UMass Cancer Walk and Run - UMass Medical School

$1 Million Gift will Support New State-of-the-Art Gross Anatomy Laboratory

BALTIMORE, July 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) DeanE. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, announced today that UMSOM will receive a new $1 million gift fromMaurice N. Reid, MD '99, CEO and Medical Director, ExpressCare Urgent Care Centers, bringing his total giving to nearly $2.2 million. Dr. Reid, who has been a longtime supporter the School's initiatives, is a proud School of Medicine alumnus and member of the Dean's Board of Visitors.

The gift, in support of medical education and the recently implemented Renaissance Curriculum, will be used to renovate UMSOM's gross anatomy laboratories and modernize that teaching environment for medical students.

"The School of Medicine is deeply grateful to Dr. Reid for his generosity in providing a transformational gift that will undoubtedly improve the learning environment for all of our students," said Dean Reece, who is also Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland, Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor. "This gift will help guide UMSOM into the future by providing the technologically advanced infrastructure required to equip our students with the fundamental knowledge and skills necessary to practice medicine."

Dr. Reid noted that modernized teaching facilities and new technology are essential for the implementation of innovative learning methods. "As a physician and graduate of the School of Medicine, I recognize the importance of being on the front lines of medicine and medical education," said Dr. Reid. "I am thrilled to be able to support the Renaissance Curriculum by supporting the creation of a state-of-the art anatomical learning facility that will help train future generations of physicians."

The UMSOM's commitment to providing and maintaining an appropriate educational environment that is comfortable, technologically current, and conducive to learning is a leading priority for the Office of Medical Education. Donna L. Parker, MD, FACP, Professor of Medicine and Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education, believes the anatomy lab renovations afforded by Dr. Reid's gift will benefit students for the entirety of their pre-clerkship studies. "With our Renaissance Curriculum, students no longer learn anatomy in one course at the beginning of first year," she said. "They now revisit anatomy subject matter the anatomy laboratory during different blocks over the entire pre-clerkship curriculum. This allows them to learn anatomy along with the physiology and pathophysiology of each organ system."

The current laboratory, originally built in the 1970s, will receive various "infrastructure improvements along with new equipment, such as moveable and height-adjustable operating bed stations with smart monitors and surgical drop lighting," said Dr. Parker. "We are also looking to add innovative technology to the facility. This gift from Dr. Reid will make it possible to provide our students with a wonderful and updated environment in which to learn."

Adam C. Puche, PhD, Professor and Vice Chair of the Dept of Anatomy & Neurobiology at the UMSOM, added: "As part of the Renaissance Curriculum, the teaching of anatomy was restructured with heightened clinical relevancy and tight integration into systems-based learning. During this process, we recognized the existing UMSOM gross anatomy laboratory infrastructure was inadequate to deliver modern teaching technologies to our students.The renovations possible with this gift will upgrade the UMSOM gross anatomy teaching laboratories to a state-of-the-art facility, providing our medical students a modern teaching environment for the study of anatomy."

Dr. Reid's record of philanthropic giving to UMSOM is highly notable. His most recent contributions include a donation of $500,000 given in 2019 to support The Maurice N. Reid, MD Collaborative Learning Space. In 2021, he committed to more than $300,000 to support a pilot cohort for Point of Care Ultrasound training for medical students, along with a more recent $100,000 pledge to support the Center for Advanced Research Training & Innovation (CARTI).

Dr. Reid earned his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1999, followed by a residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center. After completing his residency, he served as Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the UMSOM and later worked as Clinical Director of the Emergency department at Bon Secours Hospital in Baltimore, MD. In 2004, Dr. Reid left academia to pursue his desire to open an urgent care center in Harford County. In March of 2005, Dr. Reid founded ExpressCare Urgent Care Centers and opened its first location in Bel Air, MD. Since opening its doors, ExpressCare has grown to over 30 locations in three states and has formed a strategic partnership with LifeBridge Health, which now owns a minority share of ExpressCare.

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Now in its third century, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States.It continues today as one of the fastest growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world -- with 46 academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs, and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals, including members of the National Academy of Medicineand the National Academy of Sciences, and a distinguished two-time winner of the Albert E. Lasker Award in Medical Research. With an operating budget of more than $1.3 billion, the School of Medicine works closely in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide research-intensive, academic and clinically based care for nearly 2 million patients each year. The School of Medicine has nearly $600 million in extramural funding, with most of its academic departments highly ranked among all medical schools in the nation in research funding. As one of the seven professional schools that make up the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine has a total population of nearly 9,000 faculty and staff, including 2,500 students, trainees, residents, and fellows. The combined School of Medicine and Medical System ("University of Maryland Medicine") has an annual budget of over $6 billion and an economic impact of nearly $20 billion on the state and local community. The School of Medicine, which ranks as the 8thhighest among public medical schools in research productivity (according to the Association of American Medical Colleges profile) is an innovator in translational medicine, with 606 active patents and 52 start-up companies. In the latestU.S. News & World Reportranking of the Best Medical Schools, published in 2021, the UM School of Medicine isranked #9among the 92 public medical schoolsin the U.S., and in the top 15 percent(#27) of all 192public and private U.S. medical schools. The School of Medicine works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visitmedschool.umaryland.edu

SOURCE The University of Maryland School of Medicine

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UM School of Medicine to Expand Innovative Medical Education Spaces with Gift from Entrepreneurial Leader and Alumnus Maurice N. Reid, MD '99 - PR...

UM School of Medicine Professor of Trauma Surgery Dr. Thomas Scalea Featured on National Network News Highlighting State of the Art Care Provided atUniversity of Maryland Medical Center's R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center

BALTIMORE, July 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) faculty member was featured in a prestigious national news program over the weekend highlighting the lifesaving critical care medicine practiced at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC). In an extended segment called "One Night in America" that comprised half of the evening newscast for NBC Nightly News and additional coverage on MSNBC, a reporter was embedded at Shock Trauma for more than nine hours from Saturday evening, July 16, into Sunday morning to document emergency trauma cases caused by gun violence. Reporters were also embedded in three other major cities showing different perspectives including police response to shootings and community support from a local street pastor.

The special report aired on Sunday evening and prominently featured Thomas Scalea, MD, The Honorable Francis X. Kelly Distinguished Professor of Trauma Surgery at UMSOM and Physician-in-Chief of the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at UMMC. He also serves as Chief of Critical Care Services for the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS).

Reflecting on the death of one of his patients, Dr. Scalea said in the segment, that gunshot deaths are an unnecessary injury in a civilized society. "This is one night in one city in the richest country in the world. How can this make any sense?"

For more than 50 years, the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center has been a worldwide leader in trauma care and innovation, training some of the leading trauma physicians in the U.S. and around the globe. SOM physician-scientists have pioneered major advances in trauma care through research. Shock Trauma is the nation's first and only integrated trauma hospital and is considered a national model of excellence with a 96 percent survival rate. It is Maryland's Primary Adult Resource Center (PARC) designated to treat the most severely injured and critically ill patients. The Program in Trauma at UMSOM is the only multidisciplinary dedicated physician group practice that cares for injury in the United States.

Earlier this year, Dr. Scalea celebrated his 25thanniversary with the Shock Trauma Center. Among his many accomplishments, he cared for tens of thousands of Marylanders critically injured in motor vehicle collisions, falls and violent attacks, traveled to China and Haiti to render assistance to earthquake victims, helped train thousands of U.S. Air Force personnel and worked alongside military physicians in war-torn Afghanistan. He has steered Maryland's highest-level trauma center through two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Footage from Dr. Scalea's interviews and patient care in the Shock Trauma Center can be found in the links below.

About theUniversity of Maryland School of Medicine

Now in its third century, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States. It continues today as one of the fastest growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world -- with 46 academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs, and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals, including members of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and a distinguished two-time winner of the Albert E. Lasker Award in Medical Research. With an operating budget of more than $1.2 billion, the School of Medicine works closely in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide research-intensive, academic and clinically based care for nearly 2 million patients each year. The School of Medicine has nearly $600 million in extramural funding, with most of its academic departments highly ranked among all medical schools in the nation in research funding. As one of the seven professional schools that make up the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine has a total population of nearly 9,000 faculty and staff, including 2,500 students, trainees, residents, and fellows. The combined School of Medicine and Medical System ("University of Maryland Medicine") has an annual budget of over $6 billion and an economic impact of nearly $20 billion on the state and local community. The School of Medicine, which ranks as the 8th highest among public medical schools in research productivity (according to the Association of American Medical Colleges profile) is an innovator in translational medicine, with 606 active patents and 52 start-up companies. In the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of the Best Medical Schools, published in 2021, the UM School of Medicine is ranked #9 among the 92 public medical schools in the U.S., and in the top 15 percent(#27) of all 192 public and private U.S. medical schools. The School of Medicine works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visit medschool.umaryland.edu

About the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center

The R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, University of Maryland was the first fully integrated trauma center in the world and remains at the epicenter for trauma research, patient care and teaching, both nationally and internationally today. Shock Trauma is where the "golden hour" concept of trauma was born and where many lifesaving practices in modern trauma medicine were pioneered. Shock Trauma is also at the heart of the Maryland's unparalleled Emergency Medical Service System. Learn more about Shock Trauma.

About theUniversity of Maryland Medical Center

The University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) is comprised of two hospital campuses in Baltimore: the 800-bed flagship institution of the 13-hospital University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) -- and the 200-bed UMMC Midtown Campus, both academic medical centers training physicians and health professionals and pursuing research and innovation to improve health. UMMC's downtown campus is a national and regional referral center for trauma, cancer care, neurosciences, advanced cardiovascular care, women's and children's health, and has one of the largest solid organ transplant programs in the country. All physicians on staff at the downtown campus are clinical faculty physicians of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The UMMC Midtown Campus medical staff is predominately faculty physicians specializing in diabetes, chronic diseases, behavioral health, long-term acute care and an array of outpatient primary care and specially services. UMMC Midtown has been a teaching hospital for 140 years and is located one mile away from the downtown campus. For more information, visit http://www.umm.edu.

This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise. For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com.

SOURCE University of Maryland School of Medicine

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UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF MEDICINE FACULTY MEMBER FEATURED ON NBC NIGHTLY NEWS SPECIAL REPORT ON GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA - PR Newswire

The covid-19 pandemic has not discouraged applications to medical school. Viktorija Kaminskaite and Anna Harvey Bluemel investigate how much has changed in the application process since the start of the pandemic, and how students are adapting

Since 2010 the numbers of medical school places have risen by 31% (British Medical Association), with a corresponding increase in applications for those places. The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) reported that medical applications increased by around 20% in 2020.1 Continuing disruptions to education are likely to have a lingering effect on applications in years to comeUCAS also reported a 47% increase in reapplications to medicine in 2021, suggesting that more students than in previous years were unable to secure a place during their first round of applications.2 Prospective candidates have been forced to adapt to new application processes and navigate increased uncertainty. Alongside the problems facing all potential medical candidates, the covid-19 pandemic has threatened to widen already existing inequalities in admissions, particularly the gap in recruitment of students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.3

Medical work experience is often considered vital for prospective applicants to gain an understanding of a career in medicine, and to provide experiences that can form the basis of applications. When lockdowns were announced in March 2020, non-essential staff were pulled from clinical areas, cancelling planned work experience. As in many other areas, medical students

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Impact of the covid-19 pandemic on medical school applicants - The BMJ

Alena Analeigh made history by becoming the youngest black person to get accepted into medical school.

TEMPE, Ariz. At 13 years old, Alena Analeigh is making history as the youngest Black person to ever get accepted into a medical school in the United States.

In just one year, Alena has already finished two and a half years of college by taking a full course load at Arizona State University and Oakwood University.

I really want to leave my mark on the world. And lead a group of girls that know what they can do, Alena said.

12 News talked with Alena last year when she got accepted to ASUs engineering program at only 12 years old with dreams of one day working for NASA.

But another passion took over shortly after: biology.

It actually took one class in engineering, for me to say this is kind of not where I wanted to go, she said.I think viral immunology really came from my passion for volunteering and going out there engaging with the world."

She was inspired by a trip to Jordan and The Brown STEM Girl foundation.

What I want from healthcare, is to really show these underrepresented communities that we can help that we can find cures for these viruses, Alena said.

If everything goes as planned Alena will be 18 when she becomes a doctor.

I want to inspire the girls. I want them to see that there are no limits, she said.

Alena will attend the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine.

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'I want to leave my mark on the world': 13-year-old girl gets accepted into medical school - 12news.com KPNX