News
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ALS Research at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson Grows With ‘Seed Money’ From the Jim Himelic Foundation
Like the saying “mighty oaks from little acorns grow,” great medical discoveries can grow from a little “seed money” – funds that allow researchers to conduct the preliminary research necessary for obtaining larger government and private grants that will nurture the research as it ultimately “grows” into more effective treatments, and possibly cures, for many diseases. When amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or “Lou Gehrig’s disease”) took the life of Jim Himelic, a friend of the Tucson community and much-respected juvenile court judge, in February 2000, his family, friends and colleagues created the Jim Himelic Foundation (JHF) with the goal to raise $1 million in “seed money” to fund local research of ALS, a progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease that can strike people from all walks of life and of any age. Although significant advances have occurred in the... [read more] -
U.S. Distance Learning Association Inducts Ronald S. Weinstein, M.D. into Hall of Fame
Ronald S. Weinstein, MD, founder and director of the Arizona Telemedicine Program, has been inducted into the United States Distance Learning Association Hall of Fame.The association cited Weinstein’s success in developing the Arizona Telemedicine Program (ATP), starting in 1996, into one of the top academic telemedicine and distance learning programs in the country.
“I’m deeply honored to receive this award,” Weinstein said, after being honored at the U.S. Distance Learning Association’s national meeting in St. Louis, Mo. “Our team has worked on developing innovative programs in distance learning for a number of years and it’s a great honor to be recognized for the activities of our Arizona Telemedicine Program team.”
Through state-of-the-art video-conferencing, the Arizona Telemedicine Program connects physicians and other experts based at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson with physicians and patients in rural...
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Dr. Sean P. Elliott Honored with ‘Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine’ Award
Sean P. Elliott, MD, has received the “Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award,” presented by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation. Dr. Elliott specializes in pediatric infectious diseases and is a professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson. He provides care for hospitalized children at The University of Arizona Medical Center – Diamond Children’s and its affiliated outpatient clinics throughout Tucson. This award recognizes an outstanding faculty member who has demonstrated exemplary compassion and sensitivity in patient care. Dr. Elliott was nominated for this honor by the following criteria: · Consistently demonstrates compassion and empathy · Acts as a role model for professional behavior · Shows respect for all · Demonstrates cultural sensitivity in working with people of diverse backgrounds · Displays effective communication and listening skills With this award... [read more] -
13th Annual Himelic Memorial Dinner and Golf Classic, May 31-June 1, Raises Funds for ALS Research at UA College of Medicine – Tucson
Since it began in 2001, Tucson’s annual Himelic Memorial Dinner and Golf Classic has raised $832,000 to benefit amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson. The funds are “seed money” that allow UA researchers to conduct the preliminary research necessary for obtaining larger government and private grants to further their studies of ALS. Today, more than 70 years since baseball legend Lou Gehrig passed away from what has come to be known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease,” researchers are continuing to try to understand ALS, a progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease that can strike people from all walks of life. The 13th annual Himelic Memorial Dinner and Golf Classic will be held Friday, May 31, and Saturday, June 1, at the Westin La Paloma Resort, 3800 E. Sunrise... [read more] -
UA Steele Children’s Research Center Scientist Awarded Prestigious Grant to Study GI Diseases
An assistant research scientist at the University of Arizona Steele Children’s Research Center has received a four-year, $459,406 KO1 “Mentored Research Scientist Development” award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NDDK). Claire Larmonier, PhD, will explore the role a protein plays in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), a chronic, uncontrolled inflammation in the intestinal tract. IBD is caused by an inappropriate and persistent activation of the immune system against normal intestinal bacteria. The two most-common forms of IBD are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which affect nearly 1.5 million Americans. IBD can occur at any age, but most often is diagnosed in adolescents and young adults between the ages of 15 and 25. Each year, approximately 30,000 individuals are diagnosed with IBD in the United States. The disease is characterized by... [read more] -
Traditional Honoring Ceremony
The annual Traditional Honoring Ceremony will be held Saturday, May 11, 7 to 9 a.m. (reception follows), at the Arizona Health Sciences Center, Hippocrates courtyard (south of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson), 1501 N. Campbell Ave., Tucson. The ceremony celebrates the accomplishments of graduating American Indian and Alaska Native students from the colleges of the Arizona Health Sciences Center: the UA Colleges of Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy and UA Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. The students, their families and friends; Arizona Health Sciences Center faculty, administration and staff; American Indian Tribal representatives; and American Indian alumni partake in a traditional American Indian blessing ceremony offered by a local traditional healer to honor completion of the students’ educational pathways and mark the beginning of their journeys as health-care professionals and public health professionals. American Indian graduates who will participate in... [read more] -
UA College of Medicine – Phoenix Holds Third Graduation
Fifty University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix medical students were officially conferred with their medical degrees at ceremonies on Wednesday in the third graduation for the downtown Phoenix medical school. Led by a bagpipe and drum corps, commencement exercises began with a procession from the college on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus to the Phoenix Convention Center, where the ceremony took place. The UA College of Medicine – Phoenix has graduated 114 physicians in three years. The school opened in 2007 in what was the largest city in the nation without an allopathic (MD-granting) medical school. “Your University of Arizona education is replete with experiences that were once visible at the corner of your eye,” said President Ann Weaver Hart. “This is just the beginning.” She then quoted author and professor Mary Catherine Bateson, “’We are called to join to in a dance whose steps we must learn along the way.’ Ladies and gentlemen of the Class of 2013, the dance floor is... [read more] -
AHSC Colleges Celebrate 2013 Convocations, May 8-11
WEDNESDAY, MAY 8: UA College of Medicine – Phoenix Doctors of Medicine Wednesday, May 8 3 p.m., procession begins University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, 550 E. Van Buren 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., ceremony Phoenix Convention Center, West Building, West Ballroom, Third Floor, 100 N. Third St., Phoenix 2013 UA College of Medicine – Phoenix medical graduates include Yarden Tahan and Anna Ward. Yarden Tahan (family medicine) Yarden Tahan wasn’t the typical medical school candidate. “I’ve always had a passion to serve and to teach,” Tahan says. “Which is why I became a high school English teacher straight after college.” As an undergraduate, she studied education with an emphasis in English and political science. Her desire to become a doctor was something that flourished over time. “During my senior year of college, I became very interested in medicine and over the next... [read more] -
Diamond Children’s Pediatric Asthma Program Awarded ‘Gold Seal of Approval’ by Joint Commission—One of Only Nine in U.S
The University of Arizona Medical Center – Diamond Children’s is the first pediatric medical center in Arizona to be awarded the prestigious, Joint Commission “Gold Seal of Approval®” for its Pediatric Asthma Program. In achieving Joint Commission disease-specific certification, Diamond Children’s has demonstrated its commitment to providing the highest level of care for its patients with asthma. It is one of only nine programs in the U.S. to receive this designation. “We are committed to providing the best care possible for our children with asthma to help them get better and stay healthy,” said Deepti Deshpande, MD, assistant professor, and medical director of the pediatric asthma program. “From entering our pediatric ER, to hospitalization on the pediatric floors and pediatric intensive care unit, we strive to deliver evidence-based and optimal quality care in a family-centered environment.” The... [read more] -
Emergency Medical Services Study Awarded Society for Clinical Trials 2012 Trial of the Year
The Society for Clinical Trials has awarded the 2012 Trial of the Year to the Rapid Anticonvulsant Medication Prior to Arrival Trial, known as RAMPART, which has led to better pre-hospital treatment for people suffering prolonged seizures. The study, sponsored by the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke, was conducted with partners throughout the nation including the Glendale Fire Department in partnership with the University of Arizona’s Emergency Medicine Research Center (AEMRC). Prolonged seizures kill 55,000 Americans each year and thanks to the RAMPART Trial, a quicker and more practical way of treating life-threatening seizures before patients reach the hospital has been confirmed. The results of the study were published in the February 2012 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine where findings revealed that, for patients in prolonged seizure, the intramuscular injection of the seizure medication midazolam was found to be at... [read more]
