UConn Health Accolades – July ’14

A roundup of the latest awards and accomplishments for UConn Health employees.

UConn Health Accolades (Shutterstock image)

Congratulations (Shutterstock image)

Arciero New President of National Sports Medicine Organization

Dr. Robert Arciero
Dr. Robert Arciero

Dr. Robert Arciero, UConn Health orthopaedic surgeon, has been installed as the 43rd president of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM). Arciero specializes in sports medicine and has dedicated his 27-year career to enhancing and improving the treatment of soft tissue and joint injuries involving the shoulder and knee. His area of expertise includes reconstruction and repair of labral and instability problems in the shoulder, and multiple ligament reconstruction in the knee.

Arciero has spent the past 14 years at UConn Health as professor of orthopaedics, director of the Orthopaedic Sports Fellowship Program, and team physician to the UConn Huskies. He is also a physician consultant to the USA National Hockey Program.

The AOSSM is a world leader in sports medicine education, research, communication, and fellowship, and includes national and international orthopaedic sports medicine leaders.

Scientific Twist on ‘Tales From the Crypt’

David A. Drew
David A. Drew

A paper by a UConn Health research team led by Ph.D. candidate David Drew is the cover article in the June issue of Molecular Cancer Research. Drew, who’s been studying in the laboratory of Daniel Rosenberg, professor of medicine in UConn Health’s Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology, collaborated with Rosenberg, research assistant Nicole Horelik, Dr. Thomas Devers, gastroenterologist, and Dr. Joel Levine, founding director of UConn Health’s Colon Cancer Prevention Program, on the research. Drew’s study of early lesions in the right side of the colon known as aberrant crypt foci earned him the American Association for Cancer Research GlaxoSmithKline Outstanding Clinical Scholar award earlier this year. He is defending his thesis later this month. The abstract of “HD Chromoendoscopy Coupled with DNA Mass Spectrometry Profiling Identifies Somatic Mutations in Microdissected Human Proximal Aberrant Crypt Foci” is available at http://mcr.aacrjournals.org/content/12/6/823.abstract.

Nelson Named Woman of the Year

Genice Nelson (right)
Genice Nelson (right)

Genice Nelson, an advanced practice registered nurse in the Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been named Woman of the Year by the African-American Affairs Commission (AAAC). A candidate in the doctorate of nursing program at UConn, Nelson helps adults living with sickle cell disease to manage their treatment and all aspects of their care, which includes outpatient treatment, chronic pain management, and routine care for the debilitating and chronic illness. The mission of the AAAC is to improve and promote the economic development, education, health, and political well-being of the African-American community in Connecticut.

Gordon Conference Best Poster Award

Debayon Paul
Debayon Paul

Debayon Paul, a graduate student in Joel Pachter’s Department of Cell Biology lab, won the best poster award at the Gordon conference on Barriers of the CNS in June. The Gordon Conference is an international conference that attracts esteemed experts in the field from all over the word.

Graduate Student Research Day Award Recipients

Several honors were awarded during the 31st Annual Graduate Student Research Day held in June.

  • Oral Presentation Award: Kyle Denton (PI: Xue-Jun Li; AoC: Neuroscience)
  • 1st Place Poster Award: Leia Shuhaubar (PI: Laurinda Jaffe; AoC: Cell Biology)
  • 2nd Place Poster Award: Dhivya Kumar (PI: Betty Eipper; AoC: Molecular Biology & Biochemistry)
  • 3rd Place Poster Award: Edward Koellhoffer (PI: Dr. Louise McCullough; AoC: Neuroscience)
  • Lepow Award for Outstanding Rising 4th Year Biomedical Science Student: Kyle Denton (PI: Xue-Jun Li; AoC: Neuroscience)
  • Henderson Memorial Prize for Outstanding Ph.D. Dissertation in the Biomedical Science program: Sonali Ghosh (Dec. 2013 graduate; PI: Peter Setlow; AoC: Molecular Biology & Biochemistry)
  • Raisz Award for Excellence in Musculoskeletal Research: Abhijit Deb Roy (PI: Yi Wu; AoC: Cell Analysis and Modeling)
  • Osborn Award for Excellence in Biomedical Science Graduate Teaching: Eric Levine

Center for Advanced Reproductive Services Designated an Aetna Institute of Excellence

The Center for Advanced Reproductive Services has been designated an Aetna Institute of Excellence Infertility Clinic for Assisted Reproductive Technology services. Aetna recognizes hospitals and facilities in its network that offer specialized clinical services for certain health conditions. Facilities are selected for their specialized expertise in consistently delivering evidence-based, safe care.

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