{"id":97874,"date":"2014-11-06T09:03:01","date_gmt":"2014-11-06T14:03:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=97874"},"modified":"2015-09-24T11:44:19","modified_gmt":"2015-09-24T15:44:19","slug":"pioneering-paths-to-healing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2014\/11\/pioneering-paths-to-healing\/","title":{"rendered":"Pioneering Paths to Healing"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"float: left; padding: 0 0 10px 0;\"><\/div>\n<p><em>This article was first published in the Fall 2014 print edition of\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/magazine.uconn.edu\/\">UConn Magazine<\/a><em>. To read more stories like this, visit\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/s.uconn.edu\/fall14\"><em><em><em><em><em>s.uconn.edu\/fall14<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/a> or <a href=\"http:\/\/magazine.uconn.edu\/app\/\" target=\"_blank\">download\u00a0<\/a><\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/magazine.uconn.edu\/app\/\" target=\"_blank\">UConn Magazine\u2019s<\/a><em><a href=\"http:\/\/magazine.uconn.edu\/app\/\" target=\"_blank\"> free app<\/a>\u00a0for iPads.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Medical marijuana is considered so cutting-edge it\u2019s not yet legal in 27 states. The state of Connecticut became one the first to legalize medicinal cannabis sales, passing legislation two years ago that permits its use for specific health conditions while requiring a pharmacist to dispense the drug. And that\u2019s exactly why UConn alum Nick Tamborrino \u201902 Pharm.D., \u201911 MBA wants to be at the forefront of the industry in Connecticut.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think that Connecticut is on the right track,\u201d says Tamborrino, owner of one of the state\u2019s first six licensed medical marijuana dispensaries. \u201cIf we\u2019re going to treat it like a medicine, it should be dispensed like a medicine \u2014 and that\u2019s what drew me in.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Connecticut Medical Marijuana Dispensaries: 3 Things to Know\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zTBp8gNnpjU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Tamborrino, who opened <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bluepointwellnessct.com\/\">Bluepoint Wellness of Connecticut<\/a> in Branford this past September, is one of numerous UConn alumni and faculty who today are pioneering\u00a0 innovative paths to healing across diverse areas of medicine in an effort to better the health and wellness of residents throughout the state and beyond.<\/p>\n<p>The University and UConn Health have long been committed to promoting medical advancement through breakthrough research and outstanding health care services for Connecticut\u2019s citizens. More recent initiatives, such as Bioscience Connecticut \u2014 a bold $864 million investment poised to raise the University\u2019s stature as a leader in genetics research and personalized medicine \u2014 continue to push the limits of modern medicine and support the University\u2019s ongoing dedication to improving health care.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_98009\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-98009\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/tamborino140916b143.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-98009 img-responsive lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/tamborino140916b143-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"UConn alum Nick Tamborrino \u201902 Pharm.D., \u201911 MBA opened one of Connecticut\u2019s first medical marijuana dispensaries in September. (Peter Morenus\/UConn Photo)\" width=\"640\" height=\"425\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/tamborino140916b143-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/tamborino140916b143-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/tamborino140916b143-150x100.jpg 150w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 640px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 640\/425;\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-98009\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nick Tamborrino \u201902 Pharm.D., \u201911 MBA opened one of Connecticut\u2019s first medical marijuana dispensaries, Bluepoint Wellness of Connecticut, in September. (Peter Morenus\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>\u2018At the Ground Level\u2019<\/strong><br \/>\nTamborrino, 38, has worked as a clinical consultant for a prescription management benefit company, as a training coordinator for the Yale New Haven Health System, and as a retail pharmacist. He says he\u2019s always wanted to start his own business, and when state legislators began studying medical marijuana legalization, Tamborrino started doing his own research.<\/p>\n<p>As he learned more, Tamborrino says the benefits of medical marijuana became evident. However, the drug is still illegal federally and not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Through the Connecticut Pharmacists\u2019 Association (CPA), Bluepoint Wellness will take part in an international research program run by the Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids. The study will, in part, document patients\u2019 conditions and symptoms and how well each strain of medical marijuana treats<br \/>\neach illness.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re going to pinpoint the exact strain with certain conditions,\u201d says Tamborrino, who is chairman of CPA\u2019s Academy of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries. \u201cWe\u2019re at the ground\u00a0 level.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Not only does Tamborrino hope his work will help define which types of marijuana are better for which conditions, but he also believes the way his business is run can help create a new, safer model for dispensing the drug.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m trying to create a new model,\u201d says Tamborrino, who explains that the dispensary resembles a medical clinic. \u201cIt\u2019s a hybrid, pretty much a mix of a retail pharmacy and a medical office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Patients are admitted into the secure facility and show identification and registration cards at a teller window. Once those are verified, patients are let into a waiting room where they can browse electronic menus and iPads filled with descriptions of the products.<\/p>\n<p>Patients then meet with a pharmacist to discuss their medical history and drug interactions and to determine what strain to buy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re not just looking to dispense marijuana; we\u2019re trying to create a program where we can really monitor and learn from this,\u201d says Tamborrino, who is licensed to treat patients with conditions including cancer, glaucoma, and HIV. \u201cOur goal is to find a means to track outcomes of patients taking cannabis, as well as to create a metric and convert the\u00a0 outcomes into real-world data to help define the safety and efficacy of the different products.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is the first state to require pharmacists to dispense this [drug],\u201d he says. \u201cIf we could prove that this makes sense, this could be the standard across the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Better Sleep \u2026 Through Smartphones<\/strong><br \/>\nFellow UConn grad Madhvi (Bhatt) Upender \u201990 (CLAS, SAH), meanwhile, is working to improve health care in a different way \u2014 by focusing on revolutionary technological advancements.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_98011\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-98011\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/140829_UConn_Mag_Madhvi_Upender_portrait_014.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-98011 size-large img-responsive lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/140829_UConn_Mag_Madhvi_Upender_portrait_014-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"Entrepreneur Madhvi (Bhatt) Upender \u201990 (CLAS, SAH) is developing a smartphone app that will help diagnose sleep disorders in children. (Tamzin B. Smith)\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/140829_UConn_Mag_Madhvi_Upender_portrait_014-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/140829_UConn_Mag_Madhvi_Upender_portrait_014-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/140829_UConn_Mag_Madhvi_Upender_portrait_014-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/140829_UConn_Mag_Madhvi_Upender_portrait_014-150x100.jpg 150w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 640px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 640\/426;\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-98011\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Entrepreneur Madhvi (Bhatt) Upender \u201990 (CLAS, SAH) is developing a smartphone app that will help diagnose sleep disorders in children. (Tamzin B. Smith)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A background in neuroscience and cancer genetics, coupled with a passion for entrepreneurship, guide Upender\u2019s mission to empower individuals to take control of their health. As CEO and co-founder of Maryland-based <a href=\"http:\/\/www.awarables.com\/\">Awarables Inc.<\/a>, Upender is developing hardware and software that will allow people to track the quality of their sleep. Among her teammates is another UConn alum, Raghu Upender \u201990 (CLAS), \u201995 MD, her brother-in-law and a neurologist and sleep clinician at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville.<\/p>\n<p>The first Awarables products, being developed now, will target children with sleep disorders and those with neurobehavioral disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, Upender says. One in 10 school-aged children and more than half of children with neurobehavioral conditions suffer from a sleep problem, according to Upender.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe key point for kids is that when they don\u2019t sleep well,\u201d she says, \u201ca lot of data shows it really impacts their [academic] performance.\u201d Sleep disorders can also have a negative effect on their social and psychological well-being, she says.<\/p>\n<p>Using a National Science Foundation grant, the company is creating devices that the children will wear to bed, with sensors for heart rate, sound, and other sleep quality indicators. The metrics will be accessible by parents via a smartphone app, which collects<br \/>\nthe data and tracks it over time.<\/p>\n<p>The company also plans to build a portal for physicians to access the data, allowing them to make changes to medications or treatments and to see how they affect the patients\u2019 sleep, according to Upender.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I want to be part of this wave of innovation that\u2019s happening in health care. <em>\u2014Madhvi (Bhatt) Upender \u201990 (CLAS, SAH)<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve talked to a lot of parents who have children with these conditions, [and to] doctors,\u201d Upender says. \u201cIt could be a very simple thing that they need to change that could result in a significant lifestyle improvement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Defense, which has an interest in how sleep affects military personnel, has also awarded a grant to Awarables, says Upender, who became interested in the translational aspect of science \u2014 \u201cbringing scientific discoveries to practical application\u201d \u2014 while doing postdoctoral work in cancer genetics at the National Institutes of Health.<\/p>\n<p>Upender, who later worked at the National Cancer Institute and at a startup that developed a new test to identify early-stage cervical cancer, says the entrepreneurial bug eventually bit her. In 2013, she created the business plan for Awarables, then called Naveenum, as part of a University of Maryland entrepreneurship program. After being named a semifinalist in the 10th annual StartRight! Women\u2019s Business Plan Competition with her plan for Awarables, she started working on the business full time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m very excited about all the technology advancements that are going on,\u201d she says. \u201cI want to be part of this wave of innovation that\u2019s happening in health care.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bioscience Breakthroughs on Campus<\/strong><br \/>\nOn the University\u2019s own campuses, this same wave of innovation is engaging faculty, some of whom have specifically been drawn to UConn in recent years by the expansion of UConn Health\u2019s research facilities as well as the growing cross-disciplinary opportunities to study biomedical problems that could transform medicine. For Annabelle Rodriguez-Oquendo, the state\u2019s dedication to the Bioscience Connecticut project, demonstrated by funding of billion-dollar projects like The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, solidified her own interest in UConn.<\/p>\n<p>A professor of cell biology who holds the Linda and David Roth Chair in Cardiovascular Research at UConn Health, Rodriguez-Oquendo arrived at UConn two years ago from Johns Hopkins University. There, she had been studying an enigmatic condition that she first found in a patient who had high levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol \u2014 the \u201cgood\u201d kind \u2014 but who also had many risk factors for heart disease.<\/p>\n<p>Guidelines at the time said patients with HDL levels over 60 were protected from heart disease, according to Rodriguez-Oquendo. Yet despite the patient\u2019s high levels of \u201cgood\u201d cholesterol, she had found evidence of blocked arteries.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_98171\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-98171\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Rodriguez-health-final-large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-98171 size-medium img-responsive lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Rodriguez-health-final-large-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/199;\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-98171\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Professor Annabelle Rodriguez-Oquendo is studying the genetic link between healthy HDL cholesterol, heart disease, and infertility in women. (Peter Morenus\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt was really clear that there was a paradox,\u201d Rodriguez-Oquendo says. \u201cThere had been a lot of research on the low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol and its impact on risk for heart disease,\u201d but the protein affecting the levels of HDL cholesterol in the bloodstream had been a mystery. At Hopkins, Rodriguez-Oquendo and her team became the first to identify the gene variation that puts patients at a higher risk for heart disease as well as infertility. They patented a blood test that detects the protein marker indicating this mutation.<\/p>\n<p>Since arriving at UConn Health in 2012, her lab has patented a gene that \u2014 with the genetic variation associated with high HDL cholesterol \u2014 they believe causes heart problems and infertility in 20 percent of the population.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe work we\u2019re doing is just thrilling. We\u2019re into new territory,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019ve gone from that place of when I saw that patient, saying, \u2018Huh, there is really something odd about this HDL and her blocked artery,\u2019 to looking at the genetic code, and we\u2019ve been able to distill it down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rodriguez-Oquendo hopes to bring her research full circle at UConn, developing treatments to reduce the risk of heart disease while increasing fertility in those with the defect.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re right now in that \u2018wow\u2019 moment,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s nice to know it\u2019s materializing. It\u2019s exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The innovative careers and research pursuits of faculty and alumni demonstrate how the University community is pushing the boundaries of the future of medicine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":98439,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[147,2231,2076,179,70],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[49],"class_list":["post-97874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-health-well-being","category-research","category-uconn-health","category-video"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-08 00:56:32","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97874"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97874\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104751,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97874\/revisions\/104751"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/98439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97874"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=97874"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=97874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}