Researchers at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine were awarded $5.6 million of expected funds for a 4-year study from the U.S. Department of Defense to examine why many people with Friedreich’s Ataxia (FA) go on to also develop heart disease, a major cause of death for those with FA.

Principal investigator for the USF study is Thomas McDonald, MD, professor in the Department of Internal Medicine (Division of Cardiology) and the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. Dr. McDonald is also a researcher in the USF Health Heart Institute and director of the USF Health Cardiogenetics Clinic.

“We still don’t have a full understanding of the genetic mutation for Friedrich’s ataxia to determine why so many patients go on to get heart disease – we need to know,” Dr. McDonald said. “The physiology is not well characterized. This study will help us gain a better understanding of the basic mechanisms of the gene that carries FA, and help identify clinical predictors of the FA-associated heart disease.”

The new study dovetails with current work taking place in Dr. McDonald’s lab, including an R56 grant from the National Institutes of Health, which focuses on the fundamental mechanisms of LMNA-associated heart disease passed from one generation to the next — and what can be done to help prevent disease and its consequences.

This FA-heart disease study will follow FA patients and their parents over four years, and will involve careful clinical monitoring of heart health, examination of biomarkers, whole genome sequencing, stem cell modeling of heart tissue, and mitochondrial function studies.

From left, Dr. Kami Kim, Dr. Aarti Patel, Dr. Thomas McDonald, and Dr. Theresa Zesiewicz. Not pictured is Sami Noujaim, PhD.

Spearheading the work in the DoD study is a multidisciplinary team of USF Health experts representing cardiology, genetics, neurology, molecular pharmacology, cardiac electrophysiology and predictive modeling. The diverse expertise will help distinguish the clinical, genetic, and biological factors that contribute to cardiac disease in FA patients. Data from FA families and basic science models will be integrated with clinical data to identify unique factors in the heart that influence the cardiac phenotype and separate cardiac-specific traits from those influencing the neurological phenotype.

“Study results could lead to tools used in patient care settings to identify those FA families most at risk for cardiomyopathy and allow for potential intervention and treatment that could help delay onset of the heart disease,” Dr. McDonald said.

The USF Health interdisciplinary team for the study includes:

• Thomas McDonald, MD: clinical cardiology, molecular pharmacology and cardiogenetics (Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, MCOM)
• Aarti Patel, MD: neurocardiogenetics and cardiac imaging (Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, MCOM)
• Sami Noujaim, PhD: molecular pharmacology and cardiac electrophysiology (Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, MCOM)
• Kami Kim, MD: machine learning and clinical predictive modeling (Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, MCOM; Center for Global Health Infectious Diseases Research, COPH)
• Theresa Zesiewicz, MD, clinical neurology (Department of Neurology, MCOM)

Dr. Zesiewicz, professor in MCOM and director of the USF Health Ataxia Research Center, has specialized in clinical research and patient care for ataxias and other movement disorders’ for more than 20 years and is recognized as an international expert and leader in the field of hereditary ataxias. Her movement disorders clinic supports the evaluation of over 3,000 patients per year, likely the busiest in the world.

“Dr. Zesiewicz will play a vital role in recruiting research participant and in overseeing neurological assessments of patients as they are longitudinally followed in this study,” Dr. McDonald said.

The funding for the study came from the DoD through its Congressional Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), a section of DoD that funds novel approaches to biomedical research. Link: https://cdmrp.health.mil/

The team will begin recruiting study participants next month.

Photo by Ryan Rossy, USF Health Communications

Irene Davis, PhD, PT, FACSM, FAPTA, FASB, professor in the USF Health School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, is trying to understand the intricate relationship between lower extremity mechanics and overuse injuries in runners. With a focus on transforming the way runners experience pain and preventing injury, Dr. Davis and her team are researching gait retraining for injury prevention. 

Subject crossing the force plate at a constant velocity to test the three-dimensional components of force being produced on their joints.

At the heart of their research is a force plate used at the center of an elongated runway. This allows individuals to simulate a complete running cycle, starting from acceleration, and crossing the force plate at a consistent velocity. The force plate captures not only vertical forces but also forces in all three dimensions, offering a clearer picture of the intricate nature of the forces exerted when landing. This three-dimensional analysis provides a comprehensive understanding of how alignment and mechanics contribute to the risk of injury.

Reflective markers attached to a subject’s body which supply data with a multi-dimensional perspective on joint movement. Essential for understanding the mechanics involved in running.

To access this data, the research team attaches reflective markers to the subjects’ bodies, which are then tracked by multiple cameras. These complex algorithms decipher the markers’ movements, enabling the researchers to see the angles at the ankle, knee, and hip joints. This approach supplies a multi-dimensional perspective on joint movement, essential for understanding the mechanics involved in running.

The integration of force plate data and marker tracking empowers the team to calculate joint loads and torques, giving a complete picture of the forces experienced by various joints during a runner’s gait cycle. This holistic approach enables Dr. Davis and her team to identify problematic mechanics and design interventions that could alleviate pain and reduce the risk of injury. 

By applying their findings, her team is pioneering an innovative approach to runner rehabilitation. Through a series of sessions involving real-time feedback and targeted practice, the research team has started receiving results. A notable example is a study focused on addressing knee pain, in which participants underwent a tailored gait retraining program. Participants experienced improvements in their alignment and mechanics, easing the persistent pain that they have dealt with for years. 

This groundbreaking research challenges the traditional notion that gait patterns are fixed and unalterable. By bridging the gap between scientific understanding and medical practice, Dr. Davis and her team have proven that gait retraining is not only possible but also effective in alleviating pain and preventing future injuries. The success of their interventions underscores the transformative potential of multidimensional biomechanical analysis in sports medicine. 

The researcher is analyzing data provided by the force plate.

In a field where innovation meets application, Dr. Davis and her team are revolutionizing the way we think about running mechanics and their impact on injuries. This has not only raised awareness but also instilled hope for countless runners who want to run free of pain. Dr. Davis hopes that science and medicine can work hand in hand to reshape runners’ lives.

“We hope our clinic and our research will offer injured runners a solution so they are able to continue to run pain-free,” Dr. Davis said. “We really have pioneered this idea of retraining gait patterns.”  

Story, photos, and video by Ryan Rossy.

The USF Health School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences (SPTRS) is taking strides to expand its research efforts and contribute significantly to the improvement of patient care and the advancement in the movement sciences, particularly in physical therapy and athletic training. With a vision to make lives better, the school is focused on internal and external collaborations, securing grants, and conducting research that addresses critical questions using scientific methods. 

Guided and supported by the school’s leadership, SPTRS faculty are committed to increasing their research footprint by attracting new faculty members, obtaining additional grants, and generating research with widespread implications. They aim to create a significant impact on patients, their families, and society, said Dave Russ, PT, PhD, associate professor and assistant director of research at SPTRS.

“Our primary goal is to produce research that goes beyond mere accreditation requirements,” Dr. Russ said. “We aspire to explore real questions and apply strong scientific methods to address them.” 

USF Health’s strategic location in the growing Tampa Bay region plays a pivotal role in SPTRS research pursuits. The area’s diverse population mirrors that of the entire United States. This provides a unique opportunity to collaborate with clinical partners, local hospitals, and the community, which enables the school to produce research findings that are generalizable and applicable to the broader U.S. population. 

“Our presence in Tampa Bay allows us to work closely with our clinical partners and the community to tackle diverse research topics,” said Doug Haladay, PT, DPT, PhD, MHS, professor and director of the USF Health School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences and associate dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. “Despite the variations in subject matter, we share one common vision… to make lives better.” 

The research produced by SPTRS faculty benefits patients directly and contributes to the advancement of the physical therapy and athletic training professions. Not only does their research advance the professions, but they are able to bring that research into the classroom for their students to ensure they are being taught contemporary practices and evidence. The school prides itself on its ability to have a collaborative environment, where interdisciplinary partnerships with different departments and colleges strengthen potential research projects and grant applications. The athletic training faculty have a strong partnership with USF Health Sports Medicine and Athletics and are continually working to share research findings and collaborate on best practices to support our USF athletes and teams.

Furthermore, the school is proud of its ability to secure research funding from many sources, ranging from local foundations to nationally funded initiatives, including the prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense (DOD). This diversified funding approach enables researchers to explore a wide array of topics and pursue programmatic research that can drive significant improvements in patient outcomes.

Research milestones at USF Health School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences: 

• Growth in Peer-Reviewed Publications: Over the last three years, the USF Health School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences has experienced a substantial 76% increase in peer-reviewed publications.
   
• Engagement in Professional Presentations: The school’s faculty members actively participate in more than 32 professional presentations annually, sharing their research findings with the wider academic and healthcare communities both nationally and internationally.
   

• Surging Research Expenditures: The school has experienced an impressive 33% increase in research expenditures from 2019 to 2023.
   
• Funding from DOD and NIH: Several projects have been awarded funding from esteemed organizations such as the Department of Defense (DOD) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  

As the USF Health School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences continues to expand its research endeavors, its focus on producing impactful, evidence-based research continues to contribute to the betterment of society striving for its vision of making lives better.

Story, photos, and video by Ryan Rossy.

Give credit to your dad’s gene for keeping you safe during those long months in your mother’s womb.

Because without this genetic warrior, you might have succumbed to any number of viral infections that otherwise could be fatal to a fetus. A new paper published this week in the journal Cell Host & Microbe explains the mechanisms behind this anti-viral protection.

Hana Totary-Jain, PhD, associate professor of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology and Heart Institute at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine

“What’s unique about this gene is how it produces a form of defense for the baby in the womb,’’ said Hana Totary-Jain, PhD., associate professor of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology and Heart Institute at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and senior author of the paper.

Their research focused on viruses that affect a pregnant mother and consequently her fetus, which are highly vulnerable to infection because their immune systems are immature. Some viruses, including Zika, rubella, and other serious infections, are rarely transmitted from mother to fetus in utero and can cause devastating consequences.

But the biological processes that protect a fetus from most viral infections are less clear. In the new paper, titled “SINE RNA of the imprinted miRNA clusters mediates constitutive type III interferon expression and antiviral protection in hemochorial placentas,’’ Dr. Totary-Jain and her team describe how a certain gene in the placenta is always armed for the battle.

“The placenta, in human and in mouse, is the first organ the fetus develops, and it is constantly exposed to maternal blood. This increases the chances of transmitting viral infections from the mother to the fetus. Therefore, the placenta has evolved robust defense mechanisms to prevent this transmission. We discovered a gene in the placenta that is expressed only from the paternal allele and produces a viral mimicry response. It tricks the placenta into thinking it’s infected and induces a constant state of antiviral defense”, Dr. Totary-Jain explained.

“So when we turned on this gene in other cells, we could protect the cells from several viruses. This is evolution’s way of protecting the baby. Without it, chances are you wouldn’t have made it into childbirth.’’

Ishani Wickramage, a PhD candidate in Dr. Totary-Jain’s laboratory and a lead author of the study added: “This research fills the gap in our knowledge about how many viruses that may infect a pregnant mother, including SARS-CoV-2, only rarely affect the fetus.’’

“Learning more about how the placenta shields the fetus from viruses also has important implications beyond childbirth,” said Dr. Charles Lockwood, MD, MHCM, one of the paper’s authors, who also is dean of the Morsani College of Medicine and executive vice president of USF Health.

“This is a novel placental mechanism that protects the developing fetus from transplacental transmission of most viruses,” Dr. Lockwood said. “This is the kind of knowledge that could lead to the development of new anti-viral medications to fight viruses that can be deadly for fetuses and newborn babies.”

This work was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Totary-Jain and a team of researchers at USF spent five years investigating this intriguing phenomenon in collaboration with Dr. Thomas Tuschl’s lab at Rockefeller University, who performed the sRNAseq and bioinformatic analysis, including researcher Klaas Max and Kemel Akat; and Drs. Kimiko Inoue and Atsuo Ogura from RIKEN and University of Tsukuba, Japan, who provided the mouse model that was used to show that the mouse placenta also developed the same mechanism to protect the fetus from viral infections.

Other USF Health members of the research team are: Jeffrey VanWye; John H. Lockhart; Ismet Hortu; Ezinne F. Mong; John Canfield; Hiran M. Lamabadu Warnakulasuriya Patabendige; Ozlem Guzeloglu-Kayisli; and Umit A. Kayisli.

— Story by Kurt Loft for USF Health News

The Class of 2023 at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine had just started medical school when the pandemic changed the world. “You had front-row seats to observe that those who practice medicine are vital to preserving our society – and just how all-consuming the demands of medicine can be,” Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine, told the graduates Thursday. Here is his commencement speech. 

By Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM

Welcome, everyone. It is an honor to address you on this memorable occasion.

Let me begin by thanking our outstanding faculty, staff, donors, and alumni for their dedication to our program.

In particular, I would like to express our gratitude to Frank and Carol Morsani, who are in attendance today, for their invaluable support of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and its students.

I also would like to recognize one of our exceptional faculty leaders, Dr. John T. Sinnott, chair of the Department of Internal Medicine. Dr. Sinnott recently announced his plans to retire from this leadership role.

John, on behalf of your colleagues, your students, and the many patients you have treated, I want to thank you for your many contributions to improving the health of all Floridians. We are all deeply grateful for your extraordinary commitment to medical student teaching. John won the medical student teaching award so often that we named the prize after him!

Let me also recognize the parents, family members, friends, and loved ones of this remarkable class. You have been our students’ chief advocates and principal supporters. So, thank you for making all this possible.

But most importantly, please join me in welcoming our class of 2023. Congratulations, doctors!!

As your dean, it has been my unique privilege to watch your progression over these four years, and each of you should take great pride in reaching this milestone.

Today marks both an end and a beginning — a time to recall what first motivated you to become a physician, and what now inspires you to pursue your chosen career path.

You have arrived here today because of your sustained commitment to the noble goal of becoming a physician and your resilience has paid off.

I speak for all of USF Health when I say that we could not be prouder of you…all the more so because you have made your way through medical school during a time of unprecedented challenges to health care, to your own education and to society as a whole.

You were still in your first year of medical school when a global pandemic showed us just how demanding the profession you planned to enter could be.

You had front-row seats to observe that those who practice medicine are vital to preserving our society – and just how all-consuming the demands of medicine can be. Your own education was disrupted, access to research impaired, and, despite the demands of learning your craft, you volunteered countless hours at COVID testing sites, in clinics, and even manufacturing the viral test kits that the Morsani College of Medicine developed to help the world combat this scourge.

And yet here you are!

The great stoic philosopher and Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, wrote: “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”

Like other stoics, he believed that life’s obstacles were simply opportunities to not only learn and practice patience, humility, and courage but also resourcefulness, creativity, and deep reasoning, shorn of emotion.

And surely, there can be no better example of this philosophy in action than how you overcame the past four years’ challenges. Each of you has already faced your first great career obstacle — and you are all stronger for it.

You enter medicine with a fierce urgency and a sureness of purpose. You have succeeded by exhibiting remarkable humility, patience, innovation, logic, and grit.

And these are precisely the characteristics that you will need to be successful in the noblest of professions.

For just as the world is at an inflection point, so is medicine.

In the 21^st century, health is global, not local; dynamic, not static; and medical knowledge, as I have told you on countless occasions, is accelerating at an unimaginable rate.

To succeed in this new environment, the medical profession must continuously evolve.

In the past few months alone, we have witnessed a vast leap forward in this evolution, as Artificial Intelligence has shown us just a glimpse of a new world of possibilities.

I have no doubt that AI and other new technologies will provide great benefits to medicine. At Tampa General Hospital, AI is already alerting us to the earliest, most subtle signs of sepsis, the leading cause of hospital deaths, and assisting radiologists in evaluating mammograms and chest X-rayss.

AI will soon act as a personal scribe, freeing up time currently spent documenting electronic medical records, and provide decision support prompts to avoid errors and optimize patient management.

A new generation of surgical robots will soon aid in ever more complex and precise surgeries. New genomic and immunologically-based therapies will provide us with cures we can’t even imagine yet.

So in addition to the virtues I just mentioned, as physicians, we must also embrace a commitment to self-reflection, lifelong learning, and scientific inquiry.

Yet even as we integrate these new technologies into our practice, and embrace each successive challenge to the status quo, we must also hold fast to the empathy and humanism that make physicians more valuable than any computer program.

The Generative Pretrained Transformer (or GPT), whether version 4 or 8 or 100, will never deliver babies into this world, nor hold the hand of a dying patient to comfort them.

Caring for patients is still the heart and soul of the art of medicine.

Two weeks ago, the U.S. Surgeon General stated that we are suffering from an epidemic of loneliness in our society. He stressed the importance of caring for our patients holistically, of treating not just their symptoms but asking larger questions about the social supports and emotional bonds that help keep them healthy.

We must ask these questions of ourselves and each other as well – for the pandemic attacked not only our bodies but also the social networks that keep us whole. The past few years, we have spent too much time apart – and we need to re-dedicate ourselves to the value of connection and collaboration to our family, friends, and colleagues.

I just attended a reunion of my residency colleagues, and it reminded me of just how critical they all were in helping me get through those very challenging years of apprenticeship.

So I urge you to stay true to all the values you have acquired at the Morsani College of Medicine – and strive for excellence in all you do.

And as I tell every graduating class, live up to the ancient stoic admonition that: “True happiness lies in the full use of your powers, along lines of excellence, in a life affording scope.”

We are very excited to see all that you will accomplish in your careers. Wherever your future takes you, please know that you always have a home here at the Morsani College of Medicine. Congratulations, Class of 2023!

USF Health Distinguished Professor Remarks

And now it is my pleasure to announce the faculty member who will be the newest recipient of one of the highest academic honors that USF Health can bestow – being named a USF Health Distinguished Professor.

Established in 2007, this title is awarded to senior members of our faculty who have distinguished themselves among their peers both within and outside the university.

The title is awarded through a process of nomination and external peer review and identifies those holding it as outstanding members of their profession.

This year, the Morsani College of Medicine’s recipient of this honor exemplifies all three of our mission areas — education, patient care, and research. At a moment when science is often greeted with skepticism, it is more critical than ever that our medical school shines as a beacon, illuminating the value of scientific inquiry.

I am happy to say that under the leadership of Dr. Stephen B. Liggett, vice dean of research, we are doing exactly that. Research awards to the Morsani College of Medicine have increased from $128 million in 2014 to $305 million in 2021.

Dr Liggett leads by example as well. In his own research, which focuses on studying genomics and receptors as they relate to heart and lung disease, Dr. Liggett holds 15 patents and has over 25 years of continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health.

Please join me in congratulating our newest USF Health Distinguished Professor, Dr. Stephen B. Liggett.

 Dean’s Award Remarks

Finally, I have the privilege of announcing the recipient of this year’s Dean’s Award, presented for outstanding contributions to the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and to the public’s health.

This year’s award winner is Mayor Jane Castor, leader of our beautiful city of Tampa.

Mayor Castor has just completed a remarkable first term in office, providing innovative and courageous leadership during an incredibly challenging time. And she was sworn-in a few weeks ago for her second term after a landslide electoral victory.

When COVID-19 struck in 2020, Mayor Castor acted swiftly to protect our citizens, taking steps to reduce COVID cases in the city, organizing relief efforts and increasing access to vaccines. She was able to balance public health measures with continued economic development of the city, perhaps better than any other big city mayor in America. And she did that all with remarkable grace and humor.

We have seen her same sure and steady hand in other public health crises as well, including the city’s response to Hurricane Ian.

We at USF Health are incredibly grateful for her friendship, her continuing partnership, and her commitment to making the city of Tampa a healthier place to live and work.

Jane, I am exceptionally pleased to be recognizing you with the 2023 Morsani College of Medicine Dean’s Award. Congratulations!

Graduate programs at USF Health had promising gains in this year’s rankings from U.S. News & World Report (U.S. News), with some programs breaking into the top 50 of their rankings.

In the U.S. News 2024 Best Graduate Schools list released on April 25, USF Health’s physician assistant, nursing and public health programs ranked among the best in the country.

The rankings released April 25 did not include medical schools or law schools; those rankings were released by U.S. News May 11.

Among the notable advancements this year are the two graduate programs from the USF Health College of Nursing, each of which had major gains, and the Physician Assistant Program in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, which made the ranking list for the first time in its young history after receiving its inaugural full accreditation needed to qualify.

“Our nursing school is clearly garnering attention on the national stage as both its master’s and doctoral programs are making incredible gains in the rankings, and proving to be the best in Florida,” said Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. “And the first-time ranking for our physician assistant program marks a significant milestone. While this USF Health program is still young, its inaugural ranking is among the top third of PA programs across the country. We anticipate further rankings gains as our program continues to develop.”

According to U.S. News, its methodology uses data from expert opinions and statistical indicators when measuring a program’s ranking, examining qualities students and faculty bring to the educational experience and graduates’ achievements linked to their degrees, such as job placement and research impact.

The posted results for USF Health this year include:

• #46 in Medical Schools for Primary Care: The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine improved significantly for U.S. medical schools for primary care, going from #56 last year to #46 this year, and breaking into the top 50 for the first time.
• #50 in Medical Schools for Research: The Morsani College of Medicine continues to rank well among U.S. medical schools for research, ranking at #50 this year.
• #65 in Health Doctoral Programs – Physician Assistant: The Morsani College of Medicine’s Physician Assistant program ranked for the first time, ranked at #65 this year, placing it in the top third of the more than 200 PA programs in the rankings.
• #31 in Nursing for Master’s: The USF Health College of Nursing jumped 11 spots, going from #42 last year to #31 this year, making it the top-ranked public nursing master’s program in Florida.
• #33 in Nursing for DNP: The College of Nursing also continues to improve in its DNP program ranking and skyrocketed into the top 50 for doctoral programs in the country with its 34-spot jump from #67 last year to #33 this year, making it the top-ranked public or private DNP program in Florida.
• #22 in Public Health: The USF Health College of Public Health remains the top-ranked public health program in Florida, with its rank at #22 this year.

U.S. News does not provide new rankings for all graduate programs each year, so the USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy maintains its rank of #68, and the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences maintains its rank of #49.

More on rankings for other USF graduate programs…

Kim Orth, PhD, paused in mid-Zoom to reach for a plaque behind her that contains words to live – and practice science – by.

The distinguished biochemist and microbiologist from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center earned the award in 2003 from the Beckman Institute as a junior investigator and assistant professor. And it contains a quote from late chemist and inventor Dr. Arnold O. Beckman that she embraces to this day.

“It reads, ‘Everything in moderation, including moderation itself,’ ” said Dr. Orth, the keynote speaker Friday at USF Health Research Day. “You really need to have a balance.”

That philosophy has served the heralded professor of microbiology and biochemistry well in her career. As an Investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Orth runs the Orth Lab, is a W.W. Caruth Jr. Scholar in Biomedical Research and holds the Earl A. Forsythe Chair in Biomedical Science. Her many honors over the past 20 years include a place on the Celebrating Women Wall at the UT Southwestern Medical Center (2022), being named an American Society of Microbiology Distinguished Lecturer (2021-23), and a Merck Award in 2018. In 2020, Dr. Orth also was elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors that a scientist can receive.

But early on, Dr. Orth learned about the need for moderation, and balance, the hard way when she began graduate school at UCLA. She was equipped with a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry from Texas A&M and big dreams to chart her own path – much to the consternation of her family back home in the Lone Star State.

Unfortunately, she found herself unprepared for the culture shock of life in Los Angeles, and despite her success in labs working with fruit flies, Dr. Orth pushed herself past her limits. Wanting to enhance her graduate-student income, she took a second job working the night shift in a dorm. In short order, she found herself mentally and physically burned out – and dropping out of school altogether.

She returned home and went to work as a secretary for her father, who had not been keen on his daughter’s scientific pursuits – as she chronicled in a 2018 personal essay about her life and career challenges in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.  It is a story she tells to give inspiration – and hope – to young scientists.

“When I went to graduate school at UCLA, I didn’t have any tools,” she explained during a recent interview. “I didn’t know you were supposed to sleep so many hours a night, and nobody was telling me these kinds of things – like ‘Make sure you eat and exercise and get your sleep.’ So you go out there gung ho and don’t have any of these checks and balances in your brain. At the time, there was no Internet. And there wasn’t anybody telling me, ‘You need to be responsible and do these things.’ ”

Of course, Dr. Orth eventually found success by striking a healthy balance and not entirely allowing moderation to guide her at all times. While learning to take better her of herself, she re-set her sights and pushed hard to excel, leaving her secretary job to work as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute technician with a solid salary at the Protein Chemistry Core, UT Southwestern Medical Center.

It was the first step in what became a prestigious lab career, which saw her earn a PhD, marry a loving and supportive fellow scientist, Ron Taussig, complete four post-doctoral research projects while becoming pregnant and giving birth to the couple’s two children, and learning how to balance science and motherhood.

As she wrote in her essay, “I fortunately had the opportunity to spend time with other women scientists, some of them moms, during a once-a-month ‘ladies’ lunch. This was not only a very valuable ‘tool’ for my sanity, but I learned about many practical tools that helped to make ‘things’ work. Throughout my career, I continue to interact with other female colleagues on regular bases for many of these same practical reasons. All in all, my scientific productivity did not suffer as a working mom, but my efficiency did increase.”

There is far more to Dr. Orth’s story and fascinating research. But one example of that research offers a window onto the balance theme.

“I’m a biochemist by training and so I basically try to understand how, at the molecular level, bacterial pathogens are talking to our host cells and basically manipulating them,” she explained. “But what happened was we uncovered a new way for molecules to manipulate each other. We realized that a particular enzyme wasn’t only found in bacteria but also animals.”

Wondering what effect it had in animals, Dr. Orth and her colleagues studied the enzyme in flies. What they learned was that the cells one has for a lifetime are forced to recover after undergoing stress. “We found that if we got rid of a gene in flies, their eyes could not recover normally,” she said.

Next they experimented on mice. Removing the gene made it impossible for them to recover from stress.

“So we’ve uncovered this mechanism that’s like a rheostat,” she said. “It allows us to deal with daily stresses all the time. These cells that we use our whole live in our brain, our eyes, our heart muscles, whatever, they have to have the resilience to handle the daily stresses and then recover.

“If you don’t have this ‘rheostat’ mechanism, it appears that you can’t recover as well. What I can tell you is that when the cells in your body get hyper-stressed, they shut everything down. And to recover, they have to rebuild all of those things that were there before. This mechanism allows you to have a buffer, so everything isn’t shut down.”

That would take a toll on a body over a lifetime. It’s another reminder that moderation and balance are far preferable – even when it comes to cells.

Dr. Kim Orth, Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at UT Southwestern Medical Center, will deliver the Roy H. Behnke Keynote Address at #USFHealth Research Day on Friday, March 3 at 9:00 a.m. in the USF Marshall Student Center Student Oval Theater.

— By Dave Scheiber for USF Health News 

Leaders from USF Health and the Global Virus Network (GVN) recently gathered on the University of South Florida campus in north Tampa to sign the final documents making it official that USF Health serves as GVN’s Southeast United States Regional Headquarters.

USF Health and GVN announced nearly two years ago that USF Health earned the designation, but COVID-19 delayed the official signing until this year. The signing took place at the USF Lifsey House Feb 27, 2023, and marks the advancement of the collaborative relationship among the two organizations.

From left, Dr. Charles Lockwood, Pres. Rhea Law, Mathew Evins, and Dr. Christian Brechot.

“What we are signing together today marks a first, that USF is the first regional headquarters to be created with GVN,” said Christian Bréchot, MD, PhD, president of GVN; associate vice president for International Partnerships and Innovation at USF; director of the USF Microbiomes Institute, and professor in the Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. “This headquarters at USF will allow GVN to expand its outreach into Florida with USF’s academic, research and medical activities and expertise, including USF’s international activities. In turn, GVN will provide to USF increased visibility and critical mass across the globe in the field of virology.”

“We are so excited to be the headquarters for the Global Virus Network,” said USF President Rhea Law. “This is an initiative in which we can have enhanced collaborations that focus on huge issues affecting our world today. We can make a difference. Thank you so much for all you’ve done. We are looking forward to our collaboration and to our next steps in opportunities to change the world.”

“We are very grateful to be the Southeast Regional Headquarters and this is a significant stepping stone to where we are headed in virology,” said Charles J. Lockwood, MD, executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. “One of the key elements of putting this all together is Christian Bréchot. He has been such an incredible resource, for recruitment of virologists, addressing microbiome, and strengthening many of our programs. It has been a joy to see this collaboration develop and grow. So now, the sky is the limit with this great team in place.”

“On behalf of Bob Gallo, the Board of Directors, and the leadership of the Global Virus Network, I would like to express our most profound appreciation to the University of South Florida for its invaluable and instrumental partnership,” Mathew Evins, executive chair and treasurer of the GVN Board of Directors and chair of Evins Communications, Ltd. “I’ve been involved with GVN from the beginning and I cannot think of a situation where I have been more proud. This is a very significant step for us because the key to the successes of GVN in the future are the kind of partnerships we have with the University of South Florida. This for us is not an incremental step; it is an exponential step. I could not be more grateful for your support, your encouragement, and your partnership.”

GVN encompasses the world’s foremost virologists from 71 centers of excellence and 9 affiliates in 40 nations – all working to prevent illness and death from viral diseases posing threats to humanity. Bridging academia, government and industry, the coalition is internationally recognized as an authority and resource for identifying, investigating, interpreting, explaining, controlling, and suppressing viral diseases.

USF Health was the first regional headquarters named by GVN to provide organizational and leadership support to GVN’s Global Headquarters in Baltimore, Md. In that capacity, USF Health will help strengthen GVN’s initial research response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, and its collaborative efforts to plan for, and defend against, future epidemics and pandemics.

Since announcing USF Health’s designation as the GVN Southeast United States Regional Headquarters, the two organization have launched several programs, including the Global Health Conversation Series with USF Health International that hosted a recent webinar featuring Rachel Roper, MS, PhD, who spoke on Monkeypox virus, vaccines and virulence; Dr. Bréchot’s Health and Care Blog that provides updates on novel insights into the COVID-19 pandemic; One Health Codeathon, an effort between GVN and the USF Genomics Program that provides students the opportunity to learn how to harness data sciences against pandemics; and submission of several joint grant applications, including to the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

The GVN Southeast U.S. Regional Headquarters based at USF Health will encompass the four health sciences colleges of the university: the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, and the USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy. USF Health is an integral part of USF, a high-impact global research university dedicated to student success. Over the past 10 years, no other public university in the country has risen faster in U.S. News and World Report’s national university rankings than USF.

The appearance of COVID-19 has transformed society almost beyond recognition, with lasting implications for health care, the economy and our social and psychological well-being. Together we can, and we must, be better prepared to meet the challenges of the next emerging virus.”

In addition to their leadership roles at GVN Global Headquarters in Baltimore, Md., Dr. Bréchot and GVN Vice President Linman Li of the USF Health Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine will lead the new GVN Southeast U.S. Regional Headquarters and focus on regional efforts to expand government and other research funding, as well as research and training initiatives. The regional headquarters designation will enable USF Health scientists to partner with GVN experts worldwide to share ideas and research, to translate research into practical applications, to improve diagnostics and therapies, and to develop vaccines.

GVN members collaborate on science-driven, independent research in many areas, including immunology and vaccines, antiviral drug therapy, virus-host interaction, diagnostic virology and epidemiology, morphogenesis and structural biology, emerging and re-emerging viruses, viruses as biotechnological tools, and trending topics in virology. They also train the next generation of virologists to combat the epidemics of the future.

Video by Allison Long, photos by Freddie Coleman, USF Health Communications

Until recently, scientists knew little about how important cells called fibroblasts might help protect the brain when a life-threatening bleeding stroke occurs.

But these cells may function like a plumber making an emergency house call, said Yao Yao, PhD, associate professor in Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

The analogy may help explain the healing power of fibroblasts, a type of cell that contributes to the formation of connective tissue.

Little has been known about fibroblasts in the brain until recently. But studying how they function there – and their healing power on the protective sheath called the blood-brain barrier (BBB) – could hold an important key to mitigating damage done by hemorrhagic strokes, for which there is currently no treatment, making them the deadliest kind of strokes.

“In the small vessels or capillaries of your brain, you normally don’t have any fibroblasts there because the vessels are tight – not leaky,” Dr. Yao said. “It’s like a home where all the plumbing system works perfectly. But when there’s a neurological disorder like a stroke, these small vessels become leaky and toxic blood components enter the brain. And we have found that fibroblasts travel from the large vessels to the small vessels, and repair a BBB injury.”

That, he explained, is the equivalent to fibroblasts serving as a plumber coming to fix broken pipes, with water suddenly pouring into the house.

“What we know so far is that the fibroblasts are functioning like the plumber,” Dr. Yao said. “They come. They repair damage. And then they leave.”

(Sadly, the plumber alluded to in the headline above, who achieved cartoon fame in the children’s TV show The Electric Company by telling a parrot, “It’s the plumber – I’ve come to fix the sink,” does not manage this kind of dignified departure.)

Dr. Yao and his team recently published their findings about fibroblasts (sans parrots) in the journal Cell Reports.

Some aspects of fibroblasts have been thoroughly studied, such as how these cells contribute to connective tissue in the skin. But for many years, scientists didn’t know that fibroblasts could be found within the brain or central nervous system. They were thought to exist only on the surface of the brain, in layers of the protective membrane called the meninges.

“But in 2018, there was a breakthrough with a report that said fibroblasts did exist in the brain, not just on the surface,” Dr. Yao said. “So the big question for us then was, ‘What do they do? What is their function?’ From skin studies, we knew that fibroblasts are known to repair injuries if, for instance, we cut ourselves. So in the brain, does the fibroblast do the same thing?”

This prompted Yao and his colleagues to conduct a thorough search of the existing literature about fibroblasts, which was limited to “four or five papers over the past 100 years,” he said.

Complicating the matter was that most existing studies utilized non-specific markers to identify the fibroblasts.

“Most fibroblast markers also label other cell populations,” Dr. Yao said. “When these markers are used, it is difficult to determine if fibroblasts or other cells are involved.”

That led Dr. Yao’s group to study the 2018 paper, in which a marker unique to fibroblasts – known as collagen one-alpha-one (Col 1α1) was identified. That was the key step in starting their own work, leading in time to a significant discovery.

“We found out that fibroblasts do repair a very important structure called the blood-brain barrier – the area that separates blood from the central nervous system, the brain and spinal cord,” he said. “This is so important, because blood-brain barrier disruption is found in almost all neurological disorders – anything you can think of.”

Furthermore, they knew that after a brain injury or neurological disorder, it is critical to repair the disruption as quickly as possible. Tests were soon conducted on laboratory mice. Those mice deprived of fibroblasts experienced significant blood brain-barrier leakage and died within a week; those with fibroblasts recovered.

“So we had evidence,” he said. “The collagen one-alpha-one fibroblasts – in this population of mice – functioned to repair the BBB after hemorrhagic stroke.”

What comes next?

“Our goal is to fully understand the molecular mechanisms of fibroblast-mediated BBB repair, so that we can find a way to target fibroblasts to minimize neurological damage,” Yao said. “With this knowledge, we can signal fibroblasts to either come more quickly to repair BBB injury – mostly in the early phase of disease – or leave small vessels after the BBB is repaired to avoid fibrosis, which occurs mostly in the late phase of disease.”

Fibrosis can result when fibroblasts linger too long, causing a thickening or scarring of connective tissue. That led Dr. Yao back to his analogy.

“You wouldn’t want a plumber just to stay in your house when the job is done, either, just as you don’t want fibroblasts staying around when they complete their repair,” Dr. Yao said. He extends the comparison further. He and his team have learned that the fibroblasts accomplish their BBB repair by secreting a protein called TIMP2.

“Think of that as the plumber’s main tool for the job,” he said.

In addition to hoping to learn how to signal fibroblasts, Dr. Yao said he and his team will be looking into the future possibility of injecting TIMP2 directly to the injured brain, and circumventing the need for fibroblasts to deliver it.

Yao gives special credit to Lingling Xu, PhD, who played a leading role in the research and Cell Reports paper, and is now a post-doctoral researcher at Emory University. They worked together at the University of Georgia before Dr. Yao came to USF in 2021. “Our whole team will continue studying fibroblasts,” Dr. Xu said. “There’s still a long way to go to fully understand this cell.”

Meanwhile, they all know how high the stakes are in their research.

“When a hemorrhagic stroke happens, there’s not even one treatment for it, unlike ischemic strokes,” Dr. Yao said. “It is a leading cause of death. And hopefully our research will lead to saving many lives.”

— by Dave Scheiber for USF Health Communications

USF Health patients now have access to a specialized device meant to reduce back pain, thanks to the donation by Excite Medical.

Excite Medical donated two devices – the DRX9000 and the DRX9000C – as treatment options that may prove helpful to patients not benefiting from other standard non-surgical options for easing back pain, said Nathan Schilaty, DC, PhD, assistant professor and the Lincoln Endowed Chair in Chiropractic and Biomechanics Research in the Department of Neurosurgery in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

USF Health’s Dr. Nathan Schilaty and Saleem Musallam, president of Excite Medical.

“Thanks to our industry partner Excite Medical, we can now offer patients a highly advanced non-surgical option for spinal decompression,” said Dr. Schilaty, who also directs the Center for Neuromusculoskeletal Research.

“In addition to providing patients with this treatment as another tool in our non-surgical arsenal, we are collecting data on the use of DRX9000 through evidence-based, peer-reviewed studies, which will better inform the medical community on its true efficacy. Earlier studies on DRX9000 are promising, and this additional data could not only validate its effectiveness but also provide the empirical data needed to expand availability and help more patients suffering with back pain.”

The DRX9000 and the DRX9000C were provided to USF Health as a gift-in-kind through a grant from the Florida High-Tech Corridor to provide clinical care and research. They are non-surgical spinal decompression devices cleared by the FDA to treat patients suffering from incapacitating lower back pain, sciatica, and neck pain caused by herniated discs, degenerative discs, and posterior facet syndrome. Decompression is currently available for spinal levels C1-T1 (cervical spine) and L1-S1 (lumbar spine).

“It is an excellent first choice for those with disc lesions as it is non-invasive and requires no medications,” said Saleem Musallam, president of Excite Medical. “Many patients can experience relief and excellent outcomes without undergoing surgery, avoiding the complications of surgery, and at a fraction of the cost of a spinal surgery.”

Patients of all ages could benefit from the DRX9000 & DRX9000C, although the treating physician may determine if there are exclusionary criteria from medical history. Even those who have had prior spinal surgery may be eligible for treatment at different levels of that previously operated.

Patients typically receive 20-24 treatments over six to eight weeks with each treatment lasting less than 30 minutes. As low back pain can accompany difficulty laying down or getting up, the table is power adjustable, which enables a patient to get on the table in a standing posture and then be gently lowered to a supine position for treatment. After treatment, it will assist them back to an upright posture. While the patient is undergoing treatment, they lay supine and are gently decompressed 18 cycles during the treatment session.

“It is gentle and relaxing,” Dr. Schilaty said, “and many patients will even often fall asleep, as they experience low-back pain relief.” Both the DRX9000 and the DRX9000C are in the USF Health Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare on the USF campus in Tampa.  

While the devices are cleared by the FDA, treatment may not yet be covered by some insurance carriers.

Call 813-821-8634 to learn more or make an appointment.