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RIA Takes the Challenge on Reducing College Student Substance Use

September 20, 2012 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Member Institution(s), News, Research, WellnessLeave a Comment

For release: September 20, 2012Contact: Sara R. Saldi, saldi@buffalo.edu
University at Buffalo
716-645-4593

RIA Takes the Challenge on Reducing College Student Substance Use

BUFFALO, N.Y. — No longer considered an innocent rite of passage, binge drinking among college students contributes to wp-contentroximately 1,800 deaths and nearly 600,000 injuries each year.

And that’s just alcohol.

The University at Buffalo’s Research Institute on Addictions (RIA), an internationally recognized leader on the subject of substance use and abuse since 1970, is tackling this problem head on.

This fall RIA will offer a three-pronged wp-contentroach to educating students, health care and mental health workers, and college administrators about the dangers, new trends and treatments for reducing substance use and excessive drinking in college kids.

RIA Director, Kenneth Leonard, PhD “Despite strong efforts, excessive alcohol and substance use among college students have not substantially diminished in the past decade. While many colleges have educational programs or referral services, many college administrators are not aware of or have not implemented services that have been shown to be the most effective.

“Therefore, there is a pressing need for a more active and ongoing dialogue among researchers, practitioners and administrators regarding the current state of knowledge about college student drinking and substance use—a dialog that will also benefit parents and their children in college.”

A photo of Leonard is available at: http://www.buffalo.edu/news/13681.

First, the RIA is releasing the fifth in its series of expert summaries, “RIA Reaching Others: College Student Drinking,” a fact sheet describing the dangers of college student drinking, especially binge drinking—the scope of the problem, specific points for parents and the value of prevention.

The fact sheet is available at: http://www.ria.buffalo.edu/ExpertSummaries/ES5.html.

Second, as part of RIA’s Fall 2012 Seminar Series, Mark Wood, PhD, a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Rhode Island (URI) and an expert on substance use among college students, will speak on “Individual and Environmental Preventive Intervention to Reduce Collegiate Alcohol Abuse: A Full-Cycle Approach.”

His presentation will be at 10 a.m. Oct. 26 in Room 132 of the RIA building, 1021 Main St. on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. It will be free and open to the public.

For more information on the Wood presentation, visit: http://www.ria.buffalo.edu/events/index.html

Third, RIA is hosting a two-day conference, titled “The Challenge of Reducing College Student Substance Use: A Conversation in the Disciplines,” to take place Nov. 8 and 9 in the Ramada Hotel and Conference Center, 2402 North Forest Road near the Audubon Parkway in Getzville, adjacent to the UB North Campus.

The two-day event will feature alcohol and substance use experts from UB and from across the state. It is sponsored by the Conversations in the Disciplines Program of the State University of New York.

The conference will bring together front-line staff from throughout the SUNY system who grwp-contentle with the real problems of college students’ alcohol and substance use and abuse, and the researchers who seek to develop and evaluate substance-use prevention and intervention strategies. It also will provide an opportunity for participants to present information about their programs and to discuss issues regarding the startup and operation of effective programs.

Even more importantly, however, the conference will explore the potential for developing a multi-campus network of researchers and practitioners across New York State to address excessive college student substance use.

“This will facilitate the development and evaluation of innovative and comprehensive wp-contentroaches to reducing substance use, and provide a communications network that will enhance the efforts of practitioners to offer the most effective strategies for their campuses,” Leonard said.

Information about the conference and how to register are available at http://www.ria.buffalo.edu/CID2012/index.htm

UB's Clinical & Translational Research Center Grand Opening

September 18, 2012 by BNMCin Member Institution(s), News, ResearchLeave a Comment

The University at Buffalo‘s (UB) Clinical and Translational Research Center (CTRC) has opened its doors to function as the premier center placing clinicians right next to clinical and translational researchers.
The University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences held the grand opening event at the UB-Kaleida Health joint facility located on Ellicott and Goodrich Streets on Thursday, September 20. The CTRC commenced the research collaborations to take place in the immediate future with a ceremony featuring physicians, UB representatives, and city and state officials. Speakers at the event included: Timothy F. Murphy, MD, director of UB’s CTRC and SUNY Distinguished Professor, UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Michael E. Cain, MD, UB vice president for health sciences and dean of the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Jeremy M. Jacobs, chairman, UB Council; Satish K. Tripathi, PhD, UB President; Sam Hoyt, Regional President, Empire State Development Corp.; Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes, NYS Assembly; Mark Grisanti, NYS Senate; and Byron W. Brown, mayor, City of Buffalo.

A walk-through of the CTRC and a keynote address by pioneering genomics scientist J. Craig Venter, who was conferred a SUNY honorary doctorate followed the ceremony.

A 170,000 sq. ft. biomedical research facility created to lessen the interval between discovery and cure, the CTRC will allow UB’s physician scientists to do their research upstairs in the CTRC and to see patients and work with clinicians downstairs in the Gates Vascular Institute (GVI).

The CTRC was designed by Cannon Design and constructed by with significant input from UB’s researchers so as to maximize this kind of collaboration in order to catalyze medical breakthroughs and innovative treatments. UB is recruiting more world-class researchers to work within the CTRC; the facility is part of UB’s medical school, which is relocating to downtown Buffalo in 2016 under the UB 2020 plan and with the support of Governor Cuomo’s NYSUNY 2020 legislation. A Biosciences Incubator within UB’s CTRC will assist UB researchers with the commercialization of new medical therapies and technologies.

“The opening of the CTRC is an important step in the relocation of UB’s medical school to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, under the UB 2020 plan and with the support of the NYSUNY 2020 legislation,” said UB President Satish K. Tripathi.

While Kaleida’s GVI occupies the first 4 floors of the facility, the CTRC is housed on floors 5 – 8 with the Jacobs Institute (which will open in October 2012) located on the 5th floor between the two. Read more about the CTRC here.

UB Awarded $1.6M Grant for Students to Study Cybersecurity

September 18, 2012 by BNMCin Member Institution(s), ResearchLeave a Comment

News Release

Cory Nealon

cmnealon@buffalo.edu

716-645-4614

Release Date: September 18, 2012

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The University at Buffalo has received a $1.6 million federal grant to teach students how to protect the United States from cyberattacks.

UB will use the grant, awarded by the National Science Foundation, to bring up to 16 students into its Center of Excellence in Information Systems, Assurance, Research and Education (CEISARE). It is one of wp-contentroximately 50 federally designated centers that supply the United States with graduates trained to protect the nation from computer-based attacks. For more information, visit: http://www.cse.buffalo.edu/caeiae.

The grant will cover the cost of student stipends ($25,000), in-state graduate tuition and fees ($12,000) and books, travel expenses and health insurance ($3,000) for two years. At roughly $80,000 per student, this equals $1.3 million. The remainder of the grant, roughly $345,000, will cover the cost of running the center for five years.

In exchange for the financial support, students must agree to work for the federal government for two years upon graduation. CEISARE Director Shambhu Upadhyaya said students can choose from numerous agencies including the National Security Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense and the FBI.

“When students graduate with a specialty in cybersecurity, they can basically go wherever they want,” said Upadhyaya, professor of computer science and engineering.

For a picture of Upadhyaya, visit: http://ubphoto.smugmug.com.

An interdisciplinary program, CEISARE includes a varied group of UB faculty. For example, the grant’s co-investigators are: Thomas Cusick, professor of mathematics; H. Raghav Rao, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor in management science and systems department; and Mark Bartholomew, associate professor of law.

The diversity reflects the nuances of computer warfare, which Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has said is the most serious economic and national security threat that the United States faces. She and other national security officials have warned that electric grids, transportation systems, banks and other industries reliant on computer systems are susceptible to cyberattacks.

Upadhyaya pointed to the 2009 hacking of sensitive information from the Pentagon’s $300 billion, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter project as an example.

The $1.6 million grant is the second multi-year award received by CEISARE. In 2008, it received $860,000 to educate 11 students, some of whom went on to work for the National Security Agency, the Federal Trade Commission and the Office of Inspector General.

Division within WCHOB Department of Pediatrics Receives $1.1 M Grant

September 17, 2012 by BNMCin Health care, Homepage, Member Institution(s), News, WellnessLeave a Comment

The Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo’s (WCHOB) Division of Neonatology received a grant for $1.1 M from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. A published SUPPORT report trial revealed that there is a lack of knowledge regarding oxygen supplementation, delivery and toxicity in newborn infants. The Optimal Oxygenation in Neonatal Lung Injury grant will be used to propel the research focusing on infant oxygen supplementation.
Neonatal resuscitation is necessary when an infant is asphyxiated. When an infant is born, its pulmonary circulation shifts in order to adjust to the environment outside of the womb. When that adjustment is not flawless and is met with immediate complications, the result can be a condition called Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN) which can be fatal.

Dr. Satyan Lakshminrusimha, the Chief of the Division of Neonatology and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University at Buffalo, is the grant’s principal investigator. His research focuses on the pathophysiology of the cardio-pulmonary transition – how fetal lungs change at birth in order to breathe air – and disorders of this transition such as birth asphyxia, PPHN, retained lung liquid and respiratory distress syndrome.

The Division’s research goals are to deliver the best critical care to infants with respiratory depression at birth and reduce oxygen toxicity; to discover the optimum management of newborns with PPHN; and to further the treatment of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a gastrointestinal disease that disproportionately affects pre-term infants.

The grant’s disbursement over a 5-year period, with $235, 523 given to the Division each year will go towards the collection of physiological data that will help to establish guidelines for optimal oxygen delivery to premature infants.

The WCHOB has the region’s only level 4 unit in its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, meaning it can provide immediate trauma care that can evaluate, diagnose, and stabilize patients, also offering a degree of surgery and critical care services. The hospital is Western New York’s center for state-of-the-art pediatric, neonatal, perinatal and obstetrical care.

Discovery of Essential Genes for Drug-Resistant Bacteria Reveals New, High-Value Drug Targets

September 14, 2012 by BNMCin Member Institution(s), News, ResearchLeave a Comment

Release Date: September 14, 2012Contact: Ellen Goldbaum, goldbaum@buffalo.edu
University at Buffalo
716-645-4605

Discovery of Essential Genes for Drug-Resistant Bacteria Reveals New, High-Value Drug Targets

By studying A. baumannii under “clinically relevant” conditions, the researchers have a more precise understanding of how the bacteria infects humans — and how best to fight it

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Biomedical scientists collaborating on translational research at two Buffalo institutions are reporting the discovery of a novel, and heretofore unrecognized, set of genes essential for the growth of potentially lethal, drug-resistant bacteria. The study not only reveals multiple, new drug targets for this human infection, it also suggests that the typical methods of studying bacteria in rich laboratory media may not be the best way to identify much-needed antimicrobial drug targets.

The paper (http://mbio.asm.org/content/3/4/e00113-12) focuses on a Gram-negative bacteria called A. baumanni. It is published in the current issue of mBio, as an ‘editor’s choice’ paper. The findings may be relevant to other Gram-negative bacteria as well. (A graphic related to the research is at http://www.buffalo.edu/news/13673.)

A. baumannii is responsible for a growing number of hospital-acquired infections around the world. It can be fatal to patients with serious illnesses, the elderly and those who have had surgeries. Infections also have been seen in soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with battlefield injuries.

“Generally, healthy people don’t get infected,” explains lead author Timothy C. Umland, PhD, research scientist at Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute (HWI) and professor of structural biology in the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. “But what’s challenging about A. baumannii is that it can survive in the hospital environment and is very hard to eradicate with common disinfectants, leading to healthcare-associated infections.”

Typically, the way that essential genes for microbial pathogens are found is by growing the bacteria under optimal conditions, says co-author Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor in the UB departments of medicine and microbiology and immunology. Genes found to be essential for growth are then entered into the Database of Essential Genes (DEG), which contains genes considered essential for the sustenance of each organism.

The researchers at HWI and UB decided to try to better understand what A. baumannii needs in order to grow when infecting patients.

“Laboratory conditions create a different type of environment from what hwp-contentens in patients,” Umland says, “where certain nutrients the bacteria need will be present in very low amounts and where the bacteria encounter immune and inflammatory responses. We were purposely trying to test for genes that are important for growth in these more realistic environments.”

The team performed a genetic screen designed to identify bacterial genes absolutely required for the growth and survival of A. baumannii in human ascites, a peritoneal fluid that accumulates under a variety of pathologic conditions.

“We found that nearly all of these 18 genes had not been identified as essential in the DEG because they weren’t necessary for growth in an ideal laboratory environment,” explains Russo. “This is a large set of genes that has been flying under the radar.”

He adds: “The biggest concern is that quite a few strains of A. baumannii are resistant to nearly all anti-microbial drugs and some strains are resistant to all of them. To make things worse, there are no new agents being tested for human use in the drug pipeline that are active against A. baumannii. This is a huge problem.”

Not only do the new genes suggest brand new, high-value drug targets for A. baumannii infections, but the genes that have been identified may be relevant to other Gram-negative infections.

“So far, our computational models show that these genes seem to be conserved across Gram-negative infections, meaning that they may lead to new drugs that would be effective for other drug-resistant infections as well,” says Umland.

The researchers who collaborated on the study are now pursuing antibacterial drug discovery efforts focused on the newly identified bacterial targets.

The research was funded by grants from the Telemedicine and Advance Technical Research Center of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, an interdisciplinary grant from UB and a VA Merit Review grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Other co-authors are: L. Wayne Schultz, PhD, of HWI and UB, and Ulrike MacDonald, Janet M. Beanan and Ruth Olson of the UB Department of Medicine, the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and UB’s Witebsky Center for Microbial Pathogenesis.

Researchers Create Approach to Analyze Genetic Disease Data More Efficiently

September 10, 2012 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Homepage, Member Institution(s), News, ResearchLeave a Comment

Collaborating with the Center for Human Genome Variation at Duke University, Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) researchers have developed a method to dexterously determine genetic factors that cause disease.
In a recent research study published in The American Journal of Human Genetics, RPCI’s Dr. Qiangian Zhu and fellow researchers have established a computational method called the “preferential linkage disequilibrium” wp-contentroach to isolate causal variants, the genetic irregularities that suggest the presence of a particular disease.

Dr. Zhu is a biostatician who is also the Assistant Member of the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics and the Director of Statistical Genetics and Genomics Resource at RPCI. Her research interests lie in developing statistically sound and computationally efficient methods to find the causal genetic variants of human diseases and traits utilizing high-throughput genetics and genomics data.

Continuing her postdoctoral research after joining RPCI, Dr. Zhu, along with her research collaborators, used variants recorded from genome-wide association studies (GWASs) that analyze people’s DNA to capture genetic variations associated with a disease. The group of researchers cross-referenced variants with a comprehensive variant catalog generated through robust “next generation” sequencing in order to identify the causal variants.

The study examined the DNA from 479 individuals of European descent. “To test our method, we ran it on five diseases for which the causal variants are known, and in every case we did identify the real causal variant,” said Zhu. The group hopes to have the method wp-contentlied to GWASs related to diseases that do not have specific causal variants, resulting in advances towards the development of targeted wp-contentroaches to treating diseases.

Fellow author of the study, David B. Goldstein, Richard and Pat Johnson Distinguished University Professor and Director of the Center for Human Genome Variation at DUMC stated that “This wp-contentroach helps to intergrade the large body of data available in GWASs with the rapidly accumulating sequence data.”

Learn more about the study: Prioritizing Genetic Variants for Causality on the Basis of Preferential Linkage Disequilibrium

National Study Recommends Smoke-Free Apartment Policies

September 10, 2012 by BNMCin Environment, Health care, Healthy Communities, Member Institution(s), News, WellnessLeave a Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESeptember 10, 2012
Contact: Annie Deck-Miller, Senior Media Relations Manager
716-845-8593; annie.deck-miller@roswellpark.org

National Study Recommends Smoke-Free Apartment Policies
Majority of those surveyed support policies prohibiting smoking anywhere in multi-tenant residential buildings

BUFFALO — A majority of Americans who live in multi-unit housing have adopted smoke-free rules in their private homes but millions remain involuntarily exposed to secondhand smoke in this environment, according to a study published in the most recent issue of the American Journal of Public Health. Researchers led by senior investigator Andrew Hyland, PhD, Chair of the Department of Health Behavior at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), recommend smoke-free building policies to protect all multiunit residents from secondhand smoke exposure in their homes.

“A vast majority of multi-unit housing residents continue to be exposed to toxic compounds found in secondhand smoke in spite of the adoption of voluntary smoke-free rules for their private homes,” said Dr. Hyland. “This study demonstrates widespread support of the adoption of smoke-free building policies.”

The national study evaluated attitudes, experiences and acceptance of smoke-free policies among residents of multi-unit housing in the United States. Approximately 80 million Americans live in multi-unit housing. Using the results of this study, the researchers estimate that 30 million multi-unit housing residents with smoke-free rules in their homes may still be exposed to tobacco smoke that enters their residence from other areas of the building.

Hyland and colleagues conducted a nationally representative survey of multi-unit housing residents who live in apartments, duplexes, double/multifamily homes, condominiums or town houses was 2010. The study sample included both landline and cell-phone-only users. Overall, 29% reported living in smoke-free buildings. Among all respondents, 56% support the implementation of policies prohibiting smoking in all areas of their building, including living units and common areas.

The study also found that 79% of multiunit housing residents have implemented voluntary smoke-free home rules. Those who have reported having these rules were more likely to be non-smokers, have higher education and live with children. Forty-four percent of those with smoke-free rules at home reported being exposed to secondhand smoke in the past year that originated from smoking in other parts of their buildings.

“Residents of multi-unit housing are particularly susceptible to secondhand smoke exposure from nearby units and shared areas such as hallways,” said lead author Andrea Licht, MS, a doctoral student with the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University at Buffalo. “These residents are trying to protect their families from the dangers of secondhand smoke by not allowing smoking in their homes and would welcome policies that support that goal.”

The publication, “Attitudes, Experiences, and Acceptance of Smoke-Free Polices Among U.S. Multi-unit Housing Residents” can be found at http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2012.300717.

The mission of Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) is to understand, prevent and cure cancer. RPCI, founded in 1898, was one of the first cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and remains the only facility with this designation in Upstate New York. The Institute is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers; maintains affiliate sites; and is a partner in national and international collaborative programs. For more information, visit RPCI’s website at http://www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724) or email askrpci@roswellpark.org.

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WTCBN Receives Funds to Help Increase Medical Device Trade Between WNY Manufacturers and China

September 6, 2012 by BNMCin Entrepreneurs, Investment Opportunities, NewsLeave a Comment

The World Trade Center of Buffalo Niagara (WTCBN), a local not-for-profit international business development organization helping to facilitate regional growth through global trade, has received nearly $682,000 to help increase medical device trade between Western New York (WNY) manufacturers and China. In that pot of money is $218,000 from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Through a program that will be administered over a three-year time period, WTCBN and partners that work with medical device companies will enhance trade relations knowledge to place devices in one of the largest populace nations in the world. Partners include the University at Buffalo’s New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, The Buffalo Niagara Partnership, MedTech, the Jacobs Institute and the Department of Commerce, in addition to others who assist and house medical device companies.

“This three-year project will serve as a template for a greater regional export strategy,” said Chris Johnston, president of WTCBN. Johnston also stated that it will be “a great opportunity for collaboration among various groups, including the federal, state and regional government, with local organizations such as the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, UB and World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara, which will maximize the benefits for Western New York companies.”

The Accelerating Upstate New York’s Competitiveness and Exports in the Global Economy program will offer training and expertise to least 40 local manufacturers, teaching them how to navigate Chinese import laws, how to effectively market their products in China and the logistics of shipping goods there. They will also provide access to export loans and credit insurance. An estimated $25 million could come from Chinese contracts over a four-year period, leading to the creation of hundreds of jobs in this area.

At a roundtable discussion moderated by Congresswoman Kathy Hochul, New York’s 26th Congressional District Representative, companies had the opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback on how to identify and capitalize on new medical device markets, and to learn more about the program. Congresswoman Hochul said the program is “a critical step toward opening new markets, fostering innovation, and expanding manufacturing right here at home. Meaningful investment in Western New York’s medical device industry and work force will help add good-paying, sustainable jobs to our local economy.” The discussion served as an indicator of the collaboration and knowledge-sharing between experts and companies that is soon to come.

Congresswoman Hochul also said “It is vital that we continue to work to ensure our local businesses have the resources necessary to expand and reach new global markets.” With over $1.9 trillion in exportation of goods and services in 2011, China is currently the largest exporting country in the world. Efforts to increase the importation of medical devices made from the U.S., more so in the WNY region to China, will undeniably generate revenue increases for many local companies.

The U.S. Commerce Secretary, Rebecca Blank, stated that “The awards given by the Commerce Department’s Market Development Cooperator Program will help us continue to make progress toward achieving the President Obama’s goal of doubling exports by the end of 2014. Higher exports lead to more jobs: in 2011, jobs supported by exports increased by 1.2 million over 2009.”

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc.’s COO, Patrick J. Whalen stated that “the Department of Commerce grant will showcase the assets in Western New York to medical device companies around the world, and we look forward to working together to help existing companies succeed and grow.”

While WNY is home to nearly 250 medical equipment manufacturers and medical research centers, WTCBN reports that an overwhelming majority of the companies export their goods to the one country it is closest to which is Canada. Past innovations from the region include the implantable pacemaker, the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test, photodynamic therapy (used to treat malignant cancers), and multiple sclerosis therapy.

The inaugural session of the 2012-13 Life Sciences Commercialization Lecture Series will present an opportunity for local companies to learn more about the program. The session will take place on Thursday, September 27 from 4-5 p.m. at the New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences located at 701 Ellicott Street. For more information and to register for the event, click here.

Class of 2016 Participates in UB's Pharmacy Practice White Coat Ceremony

September 4, 2012 by BNMCin Member Institution(s), NewsLeave a Comment

News Release

Class of 2016 Participates in UB’s Pharmacy Practice White Coat Ceremony

The PharmD class of 2016 at the White Coat Ceremony

Download JPEG

Contact

Sara Saldi

saldi@buffalo.edu

716-645-4593

Release Date: September 4, 2012

BUFFALO, N.Y. — One hundred and twenty-six students took their first, public step toward becoming pharmacists when they participated in the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Annual White Coat Ceremony 2012 in the Lippes Concert Hall on Aug. 23.

The White Coat Ceremony symbolizes passage into the initial stages of the profession of pharmacy practice and represents a contract for excellence in providing compassionate patient care.

This event also highlights the importance of scientific scholarship and emphasizes the highest principles of moral, ethical and legal conduct. UB PharmD students taking part in this tradition are welcomed to begin study among the ranks of pharmacy professionals.

During the “Calling of the Class,” each of the students in the Class of 2016 were called to the stage to be presented with their coat while their hometown was identified by Karl D. Fiebelkorn, RPh, MBA and UB associate dean for student affairs and professional relations.

Wayne K. Anderson, PhD, dean and professor of the UB’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, gave the welcome.

Keith Wagner, PharmD, ’00, MBA, ’03 and MBA director of trade and specialty accounts for Eli Lilly and Company, gave the keynote address.

Meet Rear Admiral Rebecca McCormick-Boyle During Buffalo Navy Week

September 4, 2012 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Event, Health care, Member Institution(s), WellnessLeave a Comment

Community members will get the opportunity to meet Chief of Staff, U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Rear Admiral Rebecca McCormick-Boyle on Wednesday, September 12 from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. at the Swift Auditorium at Buffalo General Medical Center. The U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery is the headquarters of Navy and Marine Corps medicine. The event is free and open to the public.
Rear Admiral McCormick-Boyle will address Navy Medicine’s humanitarian assistance/disaster relief efforts, emergency medicine, research and development, and wounded warrior care to key medical personnel of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus during a presentation in honor of Buffalo Navy Week. McCormick-Boyle will also highlight the Navy’s global mission of being forward deployed to provide a power projection and deterrence role while also being ready to respond to humanitarian assistance and disaster response requirements.

“When the world dials 911, it’s not to make an wp-contentointment,” said McCormick-Boyle. “We are a global force for good. We build our Navy for war. But we operate our Navy for peace.”

Navy Medicine consists of 63,000 personnel that provide health care support to the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, their families and veterans in high operational tempo environments, at expeditionary medical facilities, medical treatment facilities, hospitals, clinics, hospital ships and research units around the world. Navy Medicine works closely with inter-agency, non-governmental organizations and community partners during humanitarian assistance/disaster relief missions and homeland security operations around the globe.

Getting Around Brochure Highlights Amenities Near the BNMC

August 30, 2012 by BNMCin Allentown, Amenities, Attractions, Campus-wide, Community, Fruit Belt, HomepageLeave a Comment

Many visit Buffalo and experience the beauty of the city and its major attractions. The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus has published an updated Getting Around Brochure featuring four of the most lively neighborhoods in the city, along with the best places to visit within each.
An array of services are listed in the brochure with itemized categories offering business names, addresses, and phone numbers. Everything from health and wellness organizations, neighborhood associations, all the way to religious organizations and night life attractions. There is also a corresponding map making it easy to find a business using the grid-style blueprint of all of the neighborhoods. The map stretches as far north as Summer Street, as far south as Huron Street, as far east as Jefferson Avenue, and as far west as Richmond Avenue.

Known for its historic and artistic character, the Allentown Historic Preservation District is a neighborhood full of life. In 1978 the neighborhood was listed as a local preservation district. Two years later in 1980, it was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. It is home to many popular festivals, home tours, eateries, entertainment hubs and more. The spine the neighborhood has in Allen Street will be the anchor for the Western Gateway, the funneling intersection connecting the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus with Allentown through Main Street.

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus’ consortium members bring the best in clinical, research, and medical education to one place on its 120 acre campus. With more than 12,000 employees, the Medical Campus continues to add new buildings and private companies to its list of innovative organizations. Within the confines of the campus are some of the best places to grab a lunch, have a meeting behind great scenery, and stop for cocktails after business hours.

The Fruit Belt is a residential neighborhood that has a strong community infrastructure. Established in 1839, the area is named after orchards planted throughout the neighborhood by the initial residents, the Fruit Belt is an area where more residential housing and development is underway, bringing housing options to employees looking to live near their work as more jobs are created. With many of the streets paying homage to the planted fruits by name, like Cherry, Lemon, Peach, Grape, and Orange Streets, the residents proudly pass on community unity as they look to empower the local youth, revive the shopping strips, and share the benefits of city living. In the heart of the Fruit Belt are community and senior centers, and St. Johns Baptist Church.

Theaters, sports arenas, hotels, and an overabundance of restaurants and entertainment spots line the streets weaving in and out of Downtown Buffalo’s Theater District. On any given day, one can experience a great performing arts play, afterward a musical, and later have a great dinner at a nearby establishment. There are dozens of dance clubs and bars that can conclude a nice night out on the town.

Enjoy the Getting Around brochure and experience the great amenities surrounding the area. If you can’t find your business or organization in the Getting Around brochure or would like to have copies for your organization, please let us know. E-mail us at suggestions@bnmc-old.local or call 716.854.BNMC (716.854.2662).

Kaleida's WCHOB Receives $2 M Grant from The Children's Guild Foundation

August 27, 2012 by BNMCin Construction, Member Institution(s), NewsLeave a Comment

Kaleida Health‘s Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo (WCHOB) has received a $2 million grant from The Children’s Guild Foundation for the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The grant is the largest gift given by The Children’s Guild Foundation since its 102-year establishment. Having supported the WCHOB for more than a century, the non-profit foundation continues to carry out its mission to “advocate and fund rehabilitative healthcare, research, education and therapeutic recreation programs for special needs children.”
“The Children’s Guild Foundation has been an incredible advocate and supporter for the Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo and countless children with special needs for generations,” said Cheryl Klass, Senior Vice President of Operations of the Buffalo General Medical Center and President of the WCHOB. She also stated that “This enormously generous gift will now ensure that future generations of newborns and their families will have direct access to the best possible critical care available.”

The gift is the first for the WCHOB and will support the construction of a state-of-the-art unit that will serve the hospital’s premature and ill infants. Nearly 250 newborns are transferred to the WCHOB from various hospitals throughout the region. Waiting for the arrival of the infants in need of care is an on-the-ground team of neonatal nurse practitioners and respiratory therapists who receive the babies from an air transport team made up of the same medical professionals.

The Board of Directors from The Children’s Guild Foundation presented the endowment to the physician and executive leadership from Kaleida and WCHOB at the Gates Vascular Institute, with the new WCHOB site view nearby. The Foundation’s Board Chair, Wendy T. Stahlka, stated that “The funding of the Neonatal Instensive Care Unit will have a direct and positive impact on the children who start their lives with developmental and physical challenges.”

“As excitement about our physician- and family-led plans for a new Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo continues to build throughout our community, this gift gives us great momentum for the move,” said James R. Kaskie, President and Chief Executive Officer of Kaleida Health.

The new 12-story, 430, 000-square-foot hospital will be connected by bridges to an ambulatory care building that will sit behind the hospital, housing outpatient clinics and other support programs for the WCHOB. The hospital is set to open in 2016 on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

Safe Routes to School Program Launches at PS 74

August 27, 2012 by BNMCin Biking, Community, Healthy Communities, Homepage, News, Outreach, Transportation, WellnessLeave a Comment

GO Bike Buffalo has launched the Buffalo Safe Routes to School Program (SRTS) at Hamlin Park School 74 . A part of a national program promoting the benefits of walking and biking to school for students, SRTS seeks to help students become more physically active. SRTS also aims to reduce vehicle congestion around schools, resulting in safer access and lower exhaust emissions.
Through a technology class at Hamilton Park, the Recycle-A-Bicycle (RAB) program will be incorporated into the curriculum. At Hamlin Park, students will learn how to build bicycles using salvaged parts and they will be taught how to make environmentally sound transportation choices which will undoubtedly have an impact on the health of the communities they live in. As they grow in their understanding of the importance of being physically active, the SRTS program will also teach them how to ride bicycles safely.

With the support of City Hall representative, Council Member Demone Smith, the program’s success will most likely be included into additional Buffalo Public Schools as a useful educational program. Smith stated that “Instituting healthy lifestyles and behaviors early in life are essential to developing healthy young people and communities. We will continue to work with GO Bike Buffalo to make improvements in the District as well as among our youngest residents.”

At International Cardiology Meeting, UB Chair of Medicine is Honored for Her Distinguished Clinical Research

August 22, 2012 by BNMCin Member Institution(s), News, ResearchLeave a Comment

News Release

At International Cardiology Meeting, UB Chair of Medicine is Honored for Her Distinguished Clinical Research

UB’s Curtis is one of the world’s leading clinical cardiac electrophysiologists and an expert in cardiac arrhythmias.

Contact

Ellen Goldbaum

goldbaum@buffalo.edu

716-645-4605
twitter @egoldbaum

Release Date: August 22, 2012

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Anne B. Curtis, MD, Charles and Mary Bauer Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine in the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, has been awarded the Walter Bleifeld Memorial Award for Distinguished Work in Clinical Research. Bleifeld, considered one of the pioneers of modern cardiology, was a professor of medicine and cardiology at the University of Hamburg.

Curtis was presented with the award in July at the 17th World Congress on Heart Disease of the International Academy of Cardiology in Toronto.

The award recognizes Curtis’s outstanding contributions to clinical research. She is one of the world’s leading clinical cardiac electrophysiologists and an expert in cardiac arrhythmias. Her clinical research has significantly advanced knowledge of human cardiac electrophysiology and heart-rhythm abnormalities.

Curtis’s research interests include clinical trials in implantable device therapy for prevention of sudden cardiac death and management of heart failure, as well as clinical trials in atrial fibrillation. She has been principal investigator, co-investigator, sponsor or steering committee member on 85 research studies and clinical trials and has written more than 250 peer-reviewed manuscripts, book chapters, reviews and editorials. She also is author of a book on cardiac pacing.

Curtis received a 2010 Distinguished Fellowship Award from the International Academy of Cardiology.

In 2011, she was a key contributor to guidelines on atrial fibrillation that are issued periodically by the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines.

Earlier this year, she received the 2012 Distinguished Service Award from the Heart Rhythm Society.

She lives in Buffalo.

Media Alert: BNMC Hosts Summer Block Party for Employees (8-20-12)

August 20, 2012 by BNMCin Biking, Campus-wide, Community, Environment, Event, Healthy Communities, Member Institution(s), Outreach, Transportation, WellnessLeave a Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, August 20, 2012

Contact

Kari Root Bonaro, BNMC

716.218.7157, kbonaro@bnmc-old.local

MEDIA ALERT

BNMC Hosts Summer Block Party for Employees

Hundreds of Employees Expected to Attend the “GO BNMC” Transportation-Themed Event Focusing on Smarter, Greener, Healthier Ways to Get Around

WHAT: GO BNMC Summer Block Party, a free event for employees on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC)

WHEN: Thursday, August 23^rd from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. (Rain or shine –party will be under a tent)

WHERE: 941 Washington Street Lot (behind the Allen/Medical Campus NFTA Station)

This free event will highlight innovative and economical ways in which GO BNMC, a new commuting and rewards initiative, will promote healthy lifestyles and active living for employees on the Medical Campus.

Employees will learn about the different transportation options available on the BNMC that can help them save money, get fit, and create a more sustainable environment, with the overall goal to improve employee’s abilities to get around in healthier, greener, and more economical ways.

Features educational videos and materials, demonstrations, and hands-on activities, including:

– Bicycle obstacle course sponsored by GO Bike

– Pedi-cab pick-ups (at Kaminski Park & the corner of high & Ellicott)

– Buffalo CarShare and BikeShare, including a sneak peak at the new bikes

– Segway tours

– Test drive an electric vehicle

– Public safety information

– The Fender Blender from the Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo

– Lunch from Whole Hog Food Truck

This event is sponsored by NYSERDA and the NYSDOT.

ABOUT THE BNMC

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is dedicated to the cultivation of a world-class medical campus for clinical care, research, education, and entrepreneurship on 120 acres in downtown Buffalo. It is home to the region’s top clinical, research, and medical education institutions, including: the University at Buffalo, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Olmsted Center for Sight, Kaleida Health, Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, Buffalo Medical Group, Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center, Unyts, and the Center for Hospice and Palliative Care. There are over 40 public and private companies on the BNMC. More than 12,000 people come to work at the Medical Campus every day, and BNMC institutions see over one million patients and visitors annually. The Campus has an annual economic impact of $1.5 billion on the region. The Medical Campus consists of more than 6 million square feet of research, clinical, and support space. bnmc-old.local

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Medications Can Help with Smoking Cessation

August 14, 2012 by BNMCin Environment, Healthy Communities, Homepage, Member Institution(s), WellnessLeave a Comment

A new study conducted by researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) shows that FDA-wp-contentroved stop-smoking medications can help smokers who desire to quit. By using the stop-smoking medications, the chances of quitting successfully increase.
The study was published online in the British journal Addiction. Clinical trials have shown that medications such as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), bupropion and varenicline have been effective even though population-based studies have produced mixed results on effectiveness when medications are used outside the confines of a research study.

The International Tobacco Control (ITC) research collaboration has administered one of the largest real-world evaluations of medication effectiveness conducted to-date. They are also the first to comprehensively control biases in participants’ recall of quit attempts. The study tracked the smoking behaviors of more than 2,500 adult smokers in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and the United States who reported making a quit attempt between 2006 and 2009. The participants were asked how recently they had attempted to quit and whether they used any type of stop-smoking medication. Six-month continuous abstinence among those who recalled making a very recent quit attempt was assessed at the next follow-up interview. The results showed that those who used varenicline, bupropion or the nicotine patch had much higher quit success at six months compared to those who tried to quit without using medication.

“By restricting our analyses to those who made very recent quit attempts, we reduced the extent to which differences in quit-attempt recall could bias the estimates of medication effectiveness. Consistent with the strong evidence from clinical trials, our findings show that medications are indeed effective in increasing smokers’ chances of quitting when used in the real world,” said Karin Kasza, MA, statistician in the Division of Cancer Prevention & Population Sciences at RPCI and lead author of the study.

Ron Borland, PhD, Nigel Gray Distinguished Fellow in Cancer Prevention at the Cancer Council Victoria in Melbourne, Australia and a co-author of the study, added, “The major advance of this study is that we have been able to show that greater forgetting of unassisted failed attempts is the most likely reason other studies have not found a benefit for medication in population-based settings. This finding should reassure clinicians and public health workers to continue to encourage the widespread use of medications.”

“Despite the benefit of using medications, many smokers still try to quit without help. And even when medications are used, quitting smoking is hard, and relapses are common. Continued efforts are needed to develop and deliver more effective treatments to help smokers who want to quit,” said Andrew Hyland, PhD, Chair of the Department of Health Behavior at RPCI.

The study, “Effectiveness of Stop-Smoking Medications: Findings from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey,” can be accessed at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2012.04009.x/abstract

RPCI Welcomes New Vice Chair to Surgical Oncology Team

August 7, 2012 by BNMCin Homepage, Member Institution(s), NewsLeave a Comment

Steven Hochwald, MD, FACS, has joined Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) as Vice Chair, Chief of Gastrointestinal (GI) Surgery and Professor of Oncology in the Department of Surgical Oncology.
He is the former University of Florida Edward M. Copeland Professor of Surgical Oncology. He was also the Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology and Physician Leader of the GI Oncology Center at the University of Florida’s Shands Cancer Center. His research focuses on technical advances in minimally invasive esophageal and GI surgeries and developing new targets and agents for treatment of pancreatic and other GI cancers.

A graduate of John Hopkins University, Dr. Hochwald went on to receive an MD from New York University (NYU). He did his residency at the NYU Medical Center Department of Surgery, serving as Executive Chief Resident from 1996-97, and completed clinical and research fellowships in surgical oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

“There’s a well-developed infrastructure in Roswell Park’s surgical program and a collaborative atmosphere throughout the institution,” said Dr. Hochwald. “The Institute is poised to make significant advances that will benefit cancer patients, and I’m very pleased to be working alongside this outstanding team.”

He was featured on the Best Doctors, Inc.’s Best Doctors list. In 2007, Dr. Hochwald received the Cancer Liaison Physician Outstanding Performance Award from the Commission on Cancer. He is a member of many professional societies. He serves on numerous editorial boards including: Open Surgical Oncology Journal, World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology, International Journal of Surgical Oncology, World Journal of Gastroenterology, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, World Journal of Surgical Procedures and Cancer Reports. He has also served on several National Institutes of Health study sections and scientific advisory boards for the American Cancer Society.

“Dr. Hochwald has been a terrific addition to our surgical team,” said William Cance, MD, FACS, Surgeon-in-Chief and Chair of the Department of Surgical Oncology. “He brings so much as a surgeon, in his interactions with patients, as a mentor and instructor, and his research complements our program beautifully.”

Unyts Welcomes National Blood Bank to Buffalo for the 1st Time

August 2, 2012 by BNMCin Conference, Homepage, Member Institution(s)Leave a Comment

Unyts hosted the America’s Blood Centers (ABC) 50^th Interim Meeting & Medical Directors Workshop conference in Buffalo for the first time. Since becoming the newest ABC member in 2010, WNY’s leading organ, eye, and tissue donation organization has joined the list of national blood bank donation centers serving the community. Unyts’ own blood bank has successfully reached its 5-year mark, having distributed over 224,000 blood products to hospital patients throughout the region.
Based in Washington, DC ABC represents over 70 independent blood centers in the US and Canada. ABC provides blood transfusion products and services to more than 3,500 hospitals and healthcare facilities across North America.

Over 140 blood bank CEOs, medical experts and other senior officials from ABC blood banks came together for the weekend conference. The Medical Directors Workshop addressed topics relating to hospitals and community blood centers. Topics included: the effect of anemia on mortality and morbidity; transfusion triggers; the coagulation cascade during severe hemorrhage; hemorrhage management; bacterial contamination in apheresis platelets; DonorHART; hemoglobin standards; government regulations; donor center policies and more.

Featured presenters from prestigious medical institutions across the nation were: Jeffrey L. Carson, MD, Professor and Chief, Division of General Internal Medicine at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ; Jeannie L. Callum, MD, FRCPC, CTBS, Director of Transfusion Medicine at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON; Jeannie L. Callum, MD, FRCPC, CTBS, Director of Transfusion Medicine at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON; Arthur W. Bracey, MD, Associate Chief of Pathology at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, Houston, TX; Mary J. Townsend, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Blood Systems, Inc., Amarillo, TX; Orieji C. Illoh, MD, Medical Officer at the Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, MD; Paul D. Mintz, MD, Deputy Director, Division of Hematology at the Office of Blood Research and Review, FDA/CBER, Rockville, MD; Penelope Meyers, MA, MT(ASCP)SBB, Medical Technologist at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Baltimore, MD; Kevin J. Land, MD, Chief Medical Officer at United Blood Services – Texas, Scottsdale, AZ; and Gary Levy, MD, Medical Director at LifeShare Blood Centers, Shreveport, LA.

On Monday, August 6, John Bartimole, the President of WNY Healthcare Association, will talk about the Affordable Care Act Supreme Court ruling. Unyts has recognized the need to help hospitals save money, especially on the heels of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. By providing blood products to area hospitals, a strong partnership has been built and sustained, resulting in the success of the blood bank.

BNMC Summer Block Party 2012

July 31, 2012 by BNMCin Biking, Campus-wide, Community, Event, Healthy Communities, Outreach, Transportation, WellnessLeave a Comment

Hundreds of employees on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) are expected to attend this year’s BNMC Summer Block Party, a BNMC Fit spinoff themed GO BNMC: Smarter, Greener, Healthier Ways to get Around.
The event’s theme will focus on active living and alternative transportation this year to promote healthy and sustainable options that are best for individuals and the environment. The event aligns with the launching of the new BNMC transportation campaign called GO BNMC.

From 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Thursday, August 23 at the 941 Washington Street Lot, GO BNMC: Smarter, Greener, Healthier Ways to get Around will motivate, inform, and empower employees throughout the Medical Campus to enhance their quality of life by making practical commuting choices.

GO BNMC aims to create an innovative and sustainable transportation system for Medical Campus employees. The initiative is a part of the GO Buffalo campaign, a greater project exploring and promoting better ways for Buffalonians to get around, in addition to creating safe streets for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders. Through GO BNMC, employees are offered a menu of options to choose from to determine how they will get to and from work. This initiative will help expose employees on the campus to commuting alternatives available such as walking, bicycling, Metro Bus and Rail, carpooling and vanpooling.

The event will feature displays and demonstrations related to the GO BNMC campaign, including bike and pedestrian safety and education, and car-sharing demos. The new Social Bicycles called SoBi will also be unveiled and employees will be able to test drive electric vehicles. There will be transportation related raffles and giveaways, including raffles for free monthly passes.

Organizations attending the event include: GO Buffalo, NYSERDA, NYSDOT, NFTA, Buffalo CarShare, GO Bike Buffalo, the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo with the Fender Blender, R&R Pedicabs, and more. R&R Pedicabs will be giving employees free rides from Kaminski Park and a stop on the corner of High and Ellicott Streets. Information tables and booths will be set-up for employees to view the services available.

GO BNMC offers employees smarter, greener, and healthier options to get around and incentivizes these options through its member rewards program.

To become a member of GO BNMC and get rewarded for smart commuting choices, click here to create a profile.

The popular campus event, BNMC Fit, will adopt an active living and alternative transportation theme this year to promote healthy and sustainable options that are best for individuals and the environment.

Palliative Care Program at Roswell Receives Advanced Certification

July 19, 2012 by BNMCin Health care, Homepage, Member Institution(s), Research, WellnessLeave a Comment

Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RCPI) has a strong, dedicated, and experienced team within its Supportive & Palliative Care Program. Most recently, the team received Advanced Certification in Palliative Care for a two-year period from The Joint Commission, an organization that accredits and certifies more than 19,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States.
Palliative Care provides care for individuals with progressive illnesses, helping patients experience relief from symptoms such as pain and the stresses that come with a serious illness. The goal of palliative care is to improve the quality of life for both the patient and the family as well as to work with the other doctors each patient has, providing an extra layer of support. At RPCI, the Supportive & Palliative Care team works with the attending physician and can join the care process at any time, including during curative treatment.

Led by Yashodhara Satchidanand, MD, and Amy Alvarez, MD, the certification makes RPCI the nation’s only dedicated cancer center. It is now also 1 of 15 national hospitals to receive advanced certification to date. “Our team was very excited about receiving the certification. This validates our work and acknowledges that RPCI is known not only for cutting-edge research, but also for compassionate care,” said Dr. Satchidanand, a staff physician and Assistant Professor with the program.

To receive this certification from The Joint Commission, palliative care programs must meet patient-oriented eligibility requirements. The care program must be provided within an accredited hospital, offering a full range of palliative care services to hospitalized patients 24 hours per day, seven days per week. The palliative care team must be easy to contact, readily available to come to the hospital to address patient and family needs when necessary, and must be able to constantly provide the same level of palliative care services around the clock, not just during business hours. Amongst having a minimum number of patients during an initial on-site review, programs must also administer a standardized method of clinical care based on clinical practice guidelines and/or evidence-based practice. To read about more of the eligibility requirements, click here.

“This certification allows us to enhance and help change the perception of palliative care as more than end-of-life care,” notes Dr. Alvarez, a physician with the Department of Supportive & Palliative Care. “It is care for the continuum of the cancer journey, focusing on the goals of the patients and their families.”

Palliative care is wp-contentropriate at any age, at any stage in a serious illness and is designed to meet the patient and family’s psychological, emotional, and physical curative needs.

UB CAT Awards More Than $415,000 to 16 WNY Companies Developing Life Sciences Technologies

July 18, 2012 by BNMCin Life Sciences Companies, Member Institution(s), NewsLeave a Comment

News Release

UB CAT Awards More Than $415,000 to 16 WNY Companies Developing Life Sciences Technologies

Contact

Marcene Robinson

marcener@buffalo.edu

716-645-4650

Release Date: July 18, 2012

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The University at Buffalo Center for Advanced Biomedical and Bioengineering Technology (UB CAT) has awarded more than $415,000 to companies in Western New York to aid them in the development of new life sciences technologies.

The funding will support a range of projects in the 2012-13 fiscal year, from development of eye-controlled keyboards to development of a new cancer immunotherapy. Companies must work with a UB professor as principal investigator, and also get access to UB facilities and equipment.

Firms receiving an award, which typically ranges between $10,000 and $50,000, must match the funding with their own money.

The UB CAT is one of 15 centers across New York State that Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR) funds to support university-industry collaboration in research, education and technology transfer. The focus is on linking academic research with commercial interests to help New York State-based businesses gain a technological edge on their competition.

UB received its most recent re-designation by NYSTAR as a Center for Advanced Technology in 2007. The designation lasts 10 years, during which the UB CAT receives nearly $1 million annually from NYSTAR.

Since 2005, the UB CAT has supported over 75 projects leading to more than $140 million in non-job economic impact. The center has also helped Western New York’s life sciences sector create over 280 new jobs.

“The UB CAT provides companies with funding and resources during a critical stage in the development of new technologies,” said Marnie LaVigne, UB associate vice president for economic development. “The projects we have supported over the years have helped create jobs in New York State, facilitated long-term partnerships between UB and industry, and led to the commercialization of new and improved life sciences products and services.”

This year, 16 businesses were chosen from a group of 22 wp-contentlicants, all vying for aid in creating new technologies that benefit the fields of health and medicine.

One such company, IMMCO Diagnostics Inc., will use its $40,000 award to develop a more sensitive and specific test for Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease in which white blood cells attack the glands that produce tears and saliva.

The syndrome is the second most common autoimmune disease, affecting some 4 million Americans. Nine out of 10 patients are women, including tennis champion Venus Williams.

Williams was first diagnosed with this disease in 2011, but suffered with Sjogren’s for a while before doctors could determine the cause.

Current tests for Sjogren’s syndrome are not sensitive enough, missing almost two-thirds of cases. However, research by Julian Ambrus Jr., MD, rheumatologist, immunologist and an associate professor in UB’s Department of Medicine, led to the discovery of a diminished protein in those with the syndrome.

IMMCO, founded in Buffalo in 1971 by several UB professors, is one of the world’s first autoimmune disease diagnostic companies. Their lab will manufacture the new testing kits, which will detect the disease in 70 to 80 percent of patients.

“Most autoimmune diseases are difficult to diagnose, simply because we really do not know the exact causes for most of them,” said Lakshmanan Suresh, assistant vice president of lab services at IMMCO. “This collaboration between IMMCO and UB will help diagnose the disease earlier so treatment can be delivered sooner.”

He adds, “The grant also helps us get this test from the bench stage to the market quicker.”

Information regarding the UB CAT and the center’s award wp-contentlication process is available online at http://www.bioinformatics.buffalo.edu/cat.php.

UB Department of Medicine Names Head of Gastroenterology Division

July 17, 2012 by BNMCin Member Institution(s), News, ResearchLeave a Comment

News Release

UB Department of Medicine Names Head of Gastroenterology Division

Andrew H. Talal, MD, MPH, has been named chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition.Download JPEG

Contact

Sara Saldi

saldi@buffalo.edu

716-645-4593

Release Date: July 17, 2012

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Andrew H. Talal, MD, MPH, associate professor at the Weill Cornell Medical College has been named chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition in the University at Buffalo’s Department of Medicine; he also has been wp-contentointed UB professor of medicine.

The announcement was made by Anne B. Curtis, MD, Charles and Mary Bauer Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine in UB’s School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Talal will join UB in September, when Thomas Mahl, MD, clinical professor, who recently served as interim chief, steps down; previously Michael Sitrin, MD, professor, had been leading the division.

Talal has an international reputation for his clinical and translational work in hepatology, the branch of medicine that deals with the liver, gallbladder, biliary tree and pancreas, and management of these disorders. He has been recognized as an authority on viral hepatitis in HIV-infected individuals. A board-certified gastroenterologist and hepatologist, he is a physician-scientist in the Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, a consortium between Rockefeller University, Weill Cornell Medical College and New York Presbyterian Hospital.

His research interests include: the development of biomarkers of the progression and treatment outcomes in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection; the evaluation of hepatitis C virus-specific immune responses in injection drug users; treatment outcomes in special populations infected with hepatitis C virus (HIV/HCV co-infection, methadone maintenance, patients with bleeding disorders and thalassemia); and novel treatments for hepatitis C.

Talal currently is conducting research funded by such federal agencies as the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control on HCV evaluation and treatment among patients in drug treatment programs and risk factors for AIDS among IV drug users.

Talal was the recipient of a Clinton Global Initiatives award from the W.J. Clinton Foundation in 2006, which fostered the development of treatment algorithms for hepatitis viruses B and C.

Talal earned his MD from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio and received his MPH from the University of North Carolina. He completed his medical residency at the University of Iowa and research and clinical fellowships in gastroenterology at the University of North Carolina.

Before joining the Weill Cornell Medical College, he was a research associate and clinical scholar at the Rockefeller University in New York.

New Women and Children's Hospital Design Concept Submitted to City Planning Board

July 17, 2012 by BNMCin Allentown, Community, Construction, Fruit Belt, Member Institution(s)Leave a Comment

The anticipated conceptual design for the Kaleida Health affiliated Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo (WCHOB), which displays a 12-story, 430,000-square-foot facility, was presented to the City Planning Board with the hope of getting wp-contentroval to begin construction in the spring of 2013. The WCHOB looks to complete construction of its new hospital building on the corner of Ellicott and High Streets in 2016.
Teresa Quattrin, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Chair, Department of Pediatrics, University at Buffalo and Pediatrician-in-Chief, Chief, Division of Endocrinology-Diabetes, Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo expressed the benefit and outcome of moving into the new building. “[W]e have a beautiful new building to look forward to, but also and more importantly, one that will deliver the best possible care available for women and children throughout Western New York and beyond,” said Dr. Quattrin.

Shepley Bulfinch joins the group of architects designing state of the art buildings on the Medical Campus. The Physician Strategic Planning Committee comprised of nearly 50 physicians chose the firm because of Shepley Bulfinch’s experience designing clinically complex facilities focused on patient and family care, especially when it comes to children’s hospitals. In addition to the physician-led committee, there have been 150 planning meetings for the project held by 26 user groups, solely focused on producing a plan for the new hospital and ambulatory space.

The City of Buffalo Planning Board wp-contentroved the hospital’s previously submitted environmental impact statement (EIS). Back in May, the Board discussed initial building massing, floor plates and hospital access for the new building. Official site plan wp-contentroval for the inpatient tower project is the next step.

In the coming weeks, the hospital will officially submit its Certificate of Need (CON) with the New York State Department of Health. The CON process is the state regulatory process that governs among other things, construction and renovation of health care facilities; much like the plan for a new Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo Hospital.

Read updated coverage about the new plans for the WCHOB site below:

Women & Children’s Hospital Sells Adjacent Properties

Kaleida to Take Next Step on Children’s Hospital

Plans for New Women and Children’s Hospital Move Forward

Planning Board to Get Detailed Look at Hospital Proposal

Design for the Future

City Planners Get Look at New Children’s Hospital

New Designs for Women and Children’s Hospital

Designs Released for New Women and Children’s Hospital

Women and Children’s Releases Drawings of New Hospital

Conceptual Design for Women & Children’s Hospital Released

Memorial Sculpture to Honor John E. Friedlander

July 17, 2012 by BNMCin Campus-wide, Community, Health care, Homepage, Member Institution(s), VolunteersLeave a Comment

As one of the community leaders and visionaries who helped to lay the foundation for the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) in 2001, the late John E. Friedlander will be honored with an art sculpture to memorialize his leadership. The BNMC came to be after visionaries in the health care industry came together to help promote wellness and economic development in the Buffalo-Niagara region. It is now a leading biomedical, research, education, business, and clinical consortium helping to fuel economic growth in the area.
He was the first President and CEO of Kaleida Health, serving from October 1996 until June 2005. Friedlander is also the former Buffalo General Medical Center President and CEO. For more than 20 years, Friedlander contributed his skills and experience to build a strong health care delivery system in Western New York and now his former colleagues, friends and family are partnering with the BNMC to honor him.

He was a dynamic visionary and respected health care leader who was loved by the community, striving to make a difference. For members of the community who would like to support the campaign efforts to actualize the John E. Friedlander Memorial Art Sculpture and recognize his deep commitment to the health of Western New York residents, click here.