IIMS named one of six dental practice-based research network sites
The Institute for Integration of Medicine & Science has been named one of six sites of the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN). The network was formed by a $66.8 million seven-year grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. The network has enrolled 1,719 practitioners in 43 states. In collaboration with the Dental PBRN academic faculties and staff, the practitioners organized and conducted 51 research studies, generating 87 journal articles on topics ranging from preventive and restorative dentistry to pain management and smoking cessation.
HSC one of seven in nation to receive presidential honor
Melanie Stone, M.P.H., M.Ed., director of community service learning for the Center for Medical Humanities & Ethics, said the dedicated efforts of students, faculty and staff to engage the community has earned the Health Science Center a place on the Honor Roll every year since 2009. The university is the only health science center in Texas to make the honor roll, and one of only seven nationwide.
Center Director Ruth E. Berggren, M.D., said she is proud of the center’s success. "At the center, we believe that community service learning forms the bridge between ethics education in the classroom and the development of empathy and humanitarian values in our future health care providers. Through these experiences, our graduates have real-world understanding of the social determinants of health and the context in which disease occurs."
School of Health Professions faculty honored by state professional organizations
Three faculty members from the School of Health Professions were honored this spring with top educator awards from their respective statewide professional associations. They are:
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Sue Cunningham, Ph.D., RD, LD, CDE Sue Cunningham, Ph.D., RD, LD, CDE, assistant professor in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies, who was presented the Outstanding Dietetic Educator Award from the Texas Dietetic Association;
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J. Glenn Forister, M.S., M.P.A.S., PA-C J. Glenn Forister, M.S., M.P.A.S., PA-C, program director, associate professor/clinical and interim chair of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies, who was presented the Texas Academy of Physician Assistants’ Outstanding Physician Assistant Educator of the Year Award; and
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- Carol A. Nguyen, M.S., RDH,
Carol A. Nguyen, M.S., RDH assistant professor in the Division of Dental Hygiene, who was presented the Teacher Excellence Award by Proctor & Gamble and the Texas Dental Hygiene Directors’ Association.
Appointments and awards
Charles P. France, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology and psychiatry, assumed duties this summer as a councilor to the American Society for Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics. The society offers publications, networking opportunities and other professional services to more than 4,500 members. Dr. France is the principal investigator on multiple research studies supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants. Three of these studies examine the behavioral pharmacology of drug dependence, the role of impulsivity in drug abuse, and dietary influences on drug abuse and dependence. He is also principal investigator of an NIH grant-funded project to train young investigators in drug abuse research.
Kaparaboyna Ashok Kumar, M.D., FRCS, FAAFP, has been appointed to serve a four-year term on the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Commission on Health of the Public and Science. Dr. Kumar is vice chair of medical student education and clerkship director in the Long School of Medicine’s Department of Family & Community Medicine. On the commission, Dr. Kumar will work with AAFP staff and other family physicians from around the country to develop and review evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, and establish recommendations for clinical preventive services, including immunizations, review policies on tobacco and exercise and obesity. He also will represent AAFP with federal, medical specialty, voluntary health and other organizations, and serve on advisory committees for academy programs.
Myles Quiben, Ph.D., D.P.T., PT, GCS, NCS, CEEAA, assistant professor, and Martha Acosta, Ph.D., PT, M.S., GCS, assistant professor, both in the Department of Physical Therapy, have been appointed to posts with the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. Dr. Quiben is one of nine members from a national pool that oversees the American Physical Therapy Association Specialist Certification Program and its processes. Dr. Acosta has been appointed to the Geriatric Specialty Council, which she will chair the final year of the appointment term.
Amelie G. Ramirez, Dr.P.H., professor of epidemiology and biostatistics and director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research, has been elected for a three-year term to the board of directors for C-Change, a national organization that aims to leverage the expertise of leaders from government, business and nonprofit sectors of society to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. She was also named to the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR) External Scientific Panel. The NCCOR aims to accelerate progress toward reducing the problem of childhood obesity in America. Dr. Ramirez holds the Dielmann Chair in Health Disparities Research & Community Outreach and the Max and Minnie Tomerlin Voelcker Endowed Chair in Cancer Health Care Disparities.
Paula Shireman, M.D., has been appointed to serve on the American Heart Association’s (AHA) National Research Committee. Dr. Shireman is a vascular surgeon who sees patients through UT Health San Antonio, the clinical practice of the Long School of Medicine. She also serves as a professor of vascular surgery in the Department of Surgery and vice dean for research in the Long School of Medicine, where she has received numerous research grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the American Heart Association and others. Dr. Shireman studies inflammatory-mediated mechanisms of angiogenesis and skeletal muscle generation in her lab. She has served as chair of the regional affiliate of the AHA Research Advisory Committee as well as on its board of directors.
Bjorn Steffensen, D.D.S., M.S., Ph.D., associate dean for research and professor of periodontics in the Dental School, and professor of biochemistry in the Long School of Medicine, has been accepted as a fellow in the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Leadership Institute. His yearlong ADEA fellowship program, which began in March, is designed to develop the nation’s most promising individuals at academic dental institutions to become leaders in dental and higher education. Dr. Steffensen was also named a recipient of the Irwin D. Mandel Distinguished Mentoring Award this past spring by the American Association of Dental Research (AADR). The national honor recognizes outstanding efforts to foster and promote research training and career development of students, trainees and junior faculty. The award is named for the late Irwin D. Mandel, D.D.S., professor emeritus of dental medicine at Columbia College of Dental Medicine, who was the ninth president of the AADR and the inaugural recipient of the award.
HSC Champions
Every donor makes a difference. The following are just a few of the many gifts that enable the university to make lives better in San Antonio, South Texas and the world.
- A gift of $270,000 from the San Antonio Livestock Exposition, Inc. (S.A.L.E.) will provide 46 scholarships for outstanding students pursuing degrees in medicine, nursing and physician assistant studies and who intend, upon graduation, to practice in rural communities in South and Central Texas. Since 2004, S.A.L.E. has awarded 390 individual scholarships totaling more than $2.4 million to students at the UT Health Science Center.
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The devoted sisters are Genevieve Wicker (seated left), Gladys Lynch (seated right) and Corinne Robichaux (standing). Three sisters, Gladys Lynch, Corinne Robichaux and Genevieve Wicker, have made giving at the UT Health Science Center a family tradition. Gladys created an endowment in honor of her late husband, Harry S. Lynch Sr. The Harry S. Lynch, Sr. Endowed Memorial Scholarship supports outstanding students in the School of Nursing. Corinne created an endowment in memory of her late husband, Milton Joseph Robichaux Sr. The Milton Joseph Robichaux, Sr. Endowed Memorial Scholarship will provide scholarships to deserving students in the Long School of Medicine who are interested in cancer care. Through a bequest from her estate, Genevieve Wicker will create an endowment in memory of her late husband, James. The James Clifford Wicker Memorial Endowment for Cancer Research will support the most immediate and critical cancer research needs at the Cancer Therapy & Research Center at the UT Health Science Center.
- The endowments pay tribute to the sisters’ loving husbands and celebrate their hard work and dedication to family and community. "The UT Health Science Center in San Antonio is the greatest asset of our community, and it’s where our families get outstanding medical care," Lynch said. "I wanted to support the university because it is where I could have the greatest impact. We want to support our community and make it a better place to live, and quality health care is a major factor."
- A $222,000 gift from the Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio will provide scholarships for exceptional students in the schools of medicine, nursing, dental, health professions and pharmacy. Since 2006, the Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio has provided more than 200 individual scholarships totaling more than $1 million to students at the UT Health Science Center.
In Memoriam: Fitzhugh Carter Pannill Jr., M.D.
Fitzhugh Carter Pannill Jr., M.D., former dean of The University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio, died June 30 in New Braunfels.
Dr. Pannill is remembered as a pioneer and champion of education. From 1965 to 1972 he served as dean of what was, at that time, the new and emerging medical school for San Antonio and South Texas. Dr. Pannill was the central figure in appointing key faculty and administrators and building valuable relationships with health care partners across the state.
His legacy thrives today through the more than 12,000 medical students who have graduated from what is now the world-renowned School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Despite his demanding schedule while dean, Dr. Pannill always made time for his greatest passions - teaching medical students and residents - and was admired as a consummate role model.
One honor he was most proud of, according to his family, was being recognized by the San Antonio medical students as "the foundation of their medical careers."
To make a donation to the Fitzhugh Carter Pannill Scholarship Fund, visit
For a video history interview with Dr. Pannill, click here.
Building bioscientists for tomorrow
Several dozen San Antonio high schoolers have traded in three years’ worth of lazy summer vacations for the opportunity to play a role in cutting-edge scientific research at the UT Health Science Center.
The teens are part of the Max and Minnie Tomerlin Voelcker Biomedical Research Academy, which seeks to develop the next generation of biomedical scientists. Voelcker scholars first spend a summer learning basic laboratory techniques. Then, paired with faculty mentors, they head into the labs to participate in actual scientific research. The inaugural Voelcker class - all rising high school juniors this year - hit the labs this summer.
The Voelcker Academy is one of a number of pipeline programs at the Health Science Center that seek out talented young people with an interest in health and science careers. Other programs include the annual Science Expo, which attracts more than 1,000 students each fall, and the Med Ed Program for high school and college students from Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley.
"I believe there is amazing student potential here in our own backyard, and sometimes we lose sight of all the wonderful students that are right here in our community," said Irene Chapa, Ph.D., director of the Office of Recruitment and Science Outreach and co-director of the Voelcker Academy. "Having a local presence in the community and opportunities for our local students is very important."
Sophia Piña, Ph.D., assistant dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and co-director of the Voelcker Academy, said Voelcker students are exposed to technology and dedicated research scientists across the Health Science Center’s five schools: "They see firsthand how together we are working to find solutions and answer tough questions through research."
Brian Herman, Ph.D., vice president for research at the Health Science Center, is principal investigator for the Voelcker Academy. David Jones, Ph.D., associate dean for admissions in the Long School of Medicine, is executive director of the university’s pipeline programs.
Proof's in the pepper
Discovery of pain-causing compounds leads to new nonaddictive painkillers
A substance similar to capsaicin, which gives chili peppers their heat, is generated at the site of pain in the human body. Scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio have discovered how to block these capsaicin-like molecules and created a new class of nonaddictive painkillers.
The senior investigator is Kenneth Hargreaves, D.D.S., Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Endodontics in the Dental School at the UT Health Science Center. Amol M. Patwardhan, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., a graduate of the Health Science Center’s Department of Pharmacology who worked under Dr. Hargreaves’ supervision, is the lead author. The findings were published April 26 in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
"Nearly everyone will experience persistent pain at some point in their lifetime," Dr. Hargreaves said. "Our findings are truly exciting because they will offer physicians, dentists and patients more options in prescription pain medications. In addition, they may help circumvent the problem of addiction and dependency to pain medications and will have the potential to benefit millions of people who suffer from chronic pain every day."
"Capsaicin is an ingredient in hot chili peppers and causes pain by activating a receptor called transient potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1). We started out seeking the answer to the question "Why is TRPV1 consistently activated in the body upon injury or painful heat? We wanted to know how skin cells talk to pain neurons," Dr. Hargreaves said. "What we found was much more surprising and exciting. We have discovered a family of endogenous capsaicin-like molecules that are naturally released during injury, and now we understand how to block these mechanisms with a new class of nonaddictive therapies."Researchers used cells from laboratory mice that were heated in a water bath at temperatures greater than 43 degrees Celsius. The degree of heat used was significant because the human body normally begins to feel discomfort and pain at 43 degrees Celsius and higher, Dr. Hargreaves noted.TRPV1 resides on the membranes of pain- and heat-sensing neurons. When a person eats a hot chili pepper, for example, he immediately feels a burning sensation because the capsaicin, the primary ingredient in the chili pepper, has activated the TRPV1 protein in the pain neurons. In high concentrations, capsaicin can also cause a burning effect on other sensitive areas of the skin.
The fluid from the heated cells was then applied to sensory neurons cultured from two sets of laboratory mice, including one set of animals in which a gene was deleted or "knocked out." Neurons from the wild type (non-altered) mice were sensitive to capsaicin, the main ingredient in chili peppers. The neurons of the knockout mice, in which the TRPV1 gene was deleted, were not sensitive to capsaicin and were used as the control.
"We found that in the cells heated at greater than 43 degrees Celsius, the pain neurons showed tremendous activity in the wild type, but not in neurons from mice that lacked TRPV1," Dr. Hargreaves said. He indicated that this novel phenomenon was taking place because the cells, in response to the heat, began to create their own natural endogenous capsaicins, which they later identified as a series of compounds or fatty acids called oxidized linoleic acid metabolites (OLAMs).
Linoleic acid is one of the most abundant fatty acids in the human body. Under conditions such as inflammation, low blood pressure and some other illnesses, linoleic acid is rapidly oxidized to form biologically active metabolites.
"This is a major breakthrough in understanding the mechanisms of pain and how to more effectively treat it," Dr. Hargreaves said. "These data demonstrate, for the first time, that OLAMs constitute a new family of naturally occurring capsaicin-like agents, and may explain the role of these substances in many pain conditions. This hypothesis suggests that agents blocking either the production or action of these substances could lead to new therapies and pharmacological interventions for various inflammatory diseases and pain disorders such as arthritis, fibromyalgia and others, including pain associated with cancer."
The research has led Dr. Hargreaves’ team to develop two new classes of analgesics using drugs that either block the synthesis of OLAMs or antibodies that inactivate them. These drugs could eventually come in the form of a topical agent, or a pill or liquid that could be ingested, or in the form of an injection. Both approaches have the potential to block pain at its source, unlike opioid narcotics that travel to the brain and affect the central nervous system.
Co-authors of the study with Drs. Hargreaves and Patwardhan from the UT Health Science Center San Antonio are: Armen N. Akopian, Ph.D., assistant professor of endodontics; Anibal Diogenes, D.D.S., Ph.D., assistant professor of endodontics; Susan Weintraub, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry; and Nikita Ruparel, D.D.S., Ph.D., a graduate student in the Department of Cellular and Structural Biology. Co-authors from the University of Colorado Health SciencesCenter are Charis Uhlson, a research associate, and Robert Murphy, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology.
Strength in neighbors
UT Health Science Center partners with community to make lives better
It’s not incidental that the UT Health Science Center is located in San Antonio. From the beginning, the Health Science Center was created to be an integral part of this Texas city, to draw strength from its community even as it gives back.
It doesn’t matter whether Health Science Center faculty members are training future health professionals, treating illness or conducting world-class research. They have a single objective: to make lives better, worldwide and especially in San Antonio and South Texas.
Along with education, clinical care and research, there is a fourth part to the Health Science Center’s mission: community service. The university is deeply committed to San Antonio, and its involvement in the community takes many shapes.
It can mean sending doctors and students into the community to provide medical care and increase health awareness, particularly among vulnerable populations, with the goal of improving the health of San Antonio as a whole. It can mean researching the specific health needs of those who live here so those needs can be better addressed in the future. Sometimes, it means reaching out to bright young San Antonians of all backgrounds to encourage them to consider careers in the health professions.
This service not only benefits the community, but it also strengthens the university. A deep understanding of the people it serves allows the Health Science Center to provide better, more culturally competent care that truly meets the needs of this community.
Through community service, the Health Science Center gets to know its neighbors.
Voelcker Fund establishes new teacher biosciences academy
Honoring, the legacy of the late Max and Minnie Tomerlin Voelcker, the Max and Minnie Tomerlin Voelcker Fund continues to support biomedical research at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio. To date, transformational gifts totaling more than $10 million have focused on programs that cultivate innovative research and education and prepare the next generation of bioscience leaders in San Antonio and South Texas.
This year, the Voelcker Fund trustees contributed $445,500 to establish the Max and Minnie Tomerlin Voelcker Biosciences Teacher Academy. By focusing on teacher professional development, the Teacher Academy provides an additional strategy for improving science education, and is synergistic with the Voelcker Biomedical Research Academy for high school students that the Voelcker Fund established at the Health Science Center in 2009.
Michael Lichtenstein, M.D., M.Sc., professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatrics, coordinates the program, which targets K-12 science, math and health teachers. A core of education development specialists serve as the program’s key support.
"We are grateful for the confidence the Voelcker Fund has placed in us through this grant. The trustees truly understand the strong link between education, opportunity and health in San Antonio," Dr. Lichtenstein said. "We must continually improve the education of our children. This is an essential step in building a better workforce, preparing the research and business leaders of the future, and discovering and testing the best means of improving the health of our region. The Voelcker Teacher Academy allows us to work toward improving student achievement through the professional development of teachers, leveraging the significant impact each teacher has on generations of students."
This summer, five teachers were selected for the Teacher Academy and took part in an intensive six-week program on the Health Science Center campus. Participants used the university’s state-of-the-art laboratories and facilities to develop math and science curricula in areas specific to health conditions that impact the San Antonio and South Texas community. They also learned new techniques to encourage and guide their students toward graduation, pursuit of advanced degrees and careers in bioscience research.