UConn Health
Hypertension Expert Publishes First Human Study of New Blood Pressure Drug
Research led by Dr. William White, professor of medicine and chief of the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center Division of Hypertension and Clinical Pharamcology, finds the investigational drug azilsartan medoxomil to be more effective than other drugs in its class often used to treat high blood pressure. The study was the first Phase 3, double-blind clinical trial of azilsartan medoxomil in human hypertensive patients, and the first trial of its kind to use 24-hour blood pressure monitoring to measure endpoint efficacy. White and co-authors found the drug was superior to both valsartan (sold under the trade name Diovan) and […]
February 3, 2011 | Carolyn Pennington
Advanced Technology for Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center Patients
An advanced cancer treatment is now available to UConn Health Center patients, thanks to the generosity of philanthropists and longtime university supporters Carole and Ray Neag. High-dose rate brachytherapy temporarily delivers a high radiation source, or radioactive seed, to a tumor site. The speed and precision of this robotic therapy enables treatment on an outpatient basis and minimizes radiation exposure to healthy tissue. Brachytherapy is the delivery of a radiation source in direct proximity to a tumor. “The Neags’ generous gift allows us to offer the latest, most advanced version of this technology to our patients,” says Dr. Rob Dowsett, […]
February 3, 2011 | Christopher DeFrancesco '95 (CLAS)
State Grants Pay Off With Key Yale, UConn Stem Cell Finding
A key gene in the development of stem cells has been shown to enhance their growth and survival too.
February 3, 2011 | Colin Poitras
Ongoing Study Compares Treatments for PTSD – Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans Needed
A unique research study comparing two treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is ongoing and continuing to seek men who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to participate in the study. Julian Ford, Ph.D., principal investigator for the study, says,“We know that PTSD interferes with all important walks of life for returning military personnel, particularly due to problems with anger, but with timely and effective treatment these problems can be overcome.” It’s estimated that as many as 2,500 or more male Connecticut military personnel or veterans may require help with PTSD and problems with anger after returning home. “Psychotherapies that […]
February 1, 2011 | Carolyn Pennington
Gift Honors Father’s Love for UConn, Dentistry
From the January 2011 issue of Our Moment, the UConn Foundation’s e-newsletter. Alumnus Instructor Memorializes Father with Dental Fellowship Robert Kravecs, Sr. loved many things, especially his family, the dental profession and the University Connecticut. Following his death, Kravecs’s son, Robert Kravecs, Jr., D.M.D., ’77 ’81, decided to use part of his inheritance to memorialize his father and support the profession and university he had loved so dearly. The Robert A. Kravecs, C.D.T. Fellowship in Dental Medicine, established with a gift of $25,000, will provide support for meritorious students at the School of Dental Medicine. “We are extremely grateful to […]
January 31, 2011 | Jennifer Huber
February Events at the UConn Health Center
Following is a rundown of UConn Health Center events in February: Free Hospital Maternity Tours Saturday, February 5, 3:30 p.m., UConn Health Center, Main Lobby A representative will guide you through labor and delivery, postpartum, and the nursery at John Dempsey Hospital. Children and grandparents are welcome. The free tours are held every other Saturday. Call 800-535-6232 to register or for more information. Free Diabetes Support Group Thursday, February 10, 5 to 6 p.m., UConn Health Center, Friends Lecture Room (LM034) Taking care of your diabetes can be difficult. Meet and share some of your challenges and successes with other […]
January 31, 2011 | Christopher DeFrancesco '95 (CLAS)
Students Observe MLK Day by Volunteering to Help Those in Need
UConn students were among those volunteering their time for a day of service on Martin Luther King Day at South Church in Hartford. The event, organized by the Connecticut Area Health Education Center Program (AHEC) and Hands on Hartford, engaged dozens of AmeriCorps members and 100 Youth Health Service Corps (YHSC) students from across the state in volunteer service activities throughout Hartford. Gov. Dannell Malloy, Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra, and State Representative Kelvin Roldan were among those lending their support at the South Church event. The day of service marks the 25th anniversary since Martin Luther King Day became a […]
January 27, 2011 | Celia Tvrdik
Urban Service Track Update
A novel interdisciplinary program for UConn medical students and their health professions peers is offering students valuable insight into the plight of underserved patients, who often lack access to high-quality health care. Now in its fourth year, the Urban Service Track (UST) program exposes the next generation of health care providers to the unique challenges and needs of the most vulnerable patient populations, including urban elderly and youth; migrant and refugee populations; individuals living with HIV/AIDS; the incarcerated; veterans; substance abusers; and the under and uninsured. To date, 21 Urban Health Scholars have completed the program, in which dental, nursing, […]
January 26, 2011 | Kathleen Keegan
New Basic Science Researchers Join Health Center Faculty
Three highly accomplished scientists have recently joined the Health Center. “Their credentials are impressive and diverse – and we look forward to their contributions in many areas throughout the Health Center,” says Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, vice president for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine. Irina Bezsonova, M.S., Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular, Microbial and Structural Biology. Bezsonova comes from Toronto. She completed her Ph.D. studies in chemistry at the University of Toronto, and most recently has been a postdoctoral fellow at its Structural Genomics Consortium. Dmitry Korzhnev, M.S., Ph.D., is an […]
January 24, 2011 | Christopher DeFrancesco '95 (CLAS)
Training Tomorrow’s Experts in Aging
There is one patient Gail Sullivan will never forget – the elderly man through whom she unexpectedly came to realize her fascination with the field of aging. Early in her medical career, Sullivan encountered an older man in her unit who had recently been diagnosed with dementia and prescribed a tranquilizer typically used for schizophrenics. His family, meanwhile, had been advised to place him in a nursing home. Sullivan and her colleagues, however, had other suspicions and decided to dig deeper – only to find that the man had been misdiagnosed. He was not demented, but very hard of hearing, […]
January 21, 2011 | Stefanie Dion Jones