USF Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences works with Tampa Fire Rescue to test an exercise routine that may protect the stressed backs of firefighters Karl and Kristopher Wolf are firefighters who’ve always enjoyed a little friendly father-son competition. Now they’re harnessing that competitive drive as participants in a University of South Florida study examining how an exercise regimen targeting the back may help Tampa firefighters. Firefighters must quickly move from relatively sedentary duties in the station to extremely demanding tasks – like strapping on 50 pounds of protective gear, hauling […]

Research at the USF College of Nursing has grown tremendously over the past decade, the most recent milestone being a jump in rank to 28th for 2010 federal research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Poised for another jump to the top 25, the College recently welcomed Cindy Munro, ANP, PhD, as associate dean for Research and Innovation. With a background steeped in research, Dr. Munro said she is eager to help advance the school to this next level, as well as guide it toward other innovative milestones. […]

The National Institute of Mental Health has awarded researchers at the University of South Florida College of Medicine $1.2 million to determine if a common antibiotic is effective in treating obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in children.   Eric Storch, PhD, associate professor of in both the USF Department of Pediatrics and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine and holder of the Guild Endowed Chair at All Children’s Hospital, was awarded the four-year federal grant to conduct a double-blind, placebo-controlled study examining the efficacy of d-cycloserine augmentation of cognitive-behavioral therapy […]

By Vickie Chachere USF News TAMPA, Fla. (July 8, 2011) – When nationally-renowned Draper Laboratory decided to open facilities in the Tampa Bay area three years ago, it was a bold move that endorsed the region’s potential to grow a high-tech, high-wage economy. As a new partner to the University of South Florida, Draper’s arrival also signaled the potential to collaborate on research with life-changing potential. Now, Draper’s Tampa Bay presence is about to get another big boost: a doubling of its research space at USF Connect and adding more […]

Members of the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute staff and board break through a wall, marking the official beginning of the second-floor renovation to create the facility’s Complete Alzheimer’s CARE Center. More than two years after the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute’s merger into USF Health, faculty are attracting significant new funding for Alzheimer’s disease research as they prepare to launch a one-of-a-kind Complete Alzheimer’s CARE (Clinical Assessment, Research & Education) Center for patients and their families early next year. At a meeting last week, members of the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s […]

USF-Moffitt study reports certain settings and racial/ethnic parity strengthen beneficial effect Tampa, FL (June 23, 2011) – Education, referrals, support and other interventions by community health workers improve rates of screening mammography in the United States – especially in medical and urban settings and among women whose race and ethnicity is similar to that of the  community health workers serving them. Researchers at the University of South Florida, Moffitt Cancer Center, and Georgia Southern University reported these findings earlier this month in an online first issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers […]

A USF study indicates an unidentified coffee component combined with caffeine increases a growth factor that counters Alzheimer’s disease pathology and improves memory in mice Tampa, FL (June 21, 2011) – A yet unidentified component of coffee interacts with the beverage’s caffeine, which could be a surprising reason why daily coffee intake protects against Alzheimer’s disease. A new Alzheimer’s mouse study by researchers at the University of South Florida found that this interaction boosts blood levels of a critical growth factor that seems to fight off the Alzheimer’s disease process. […]

Tampa, FL (June 20, 2011) – The University of South Florida Department of Pediatrics is conducting an innovative study for youth, ages 13 to 24, who may be HIV infected but are undiagnosed and not showing symptoms. Researchers will target Latino men who have sex with men and heterosexual Latina women to receive HIV testing and recruit others who are at-risk for HIV. The program is unique because it employs social networks of friends, family members, and intimate partners to recruit additional study participants and send HIV risk reduction messages. […]

Dr. Carrie Elk, assistant professor and military liaison at the USF College of Nursing, and Dr. Kevin Kip, executive director of the College of Nursing Research Center, greet U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor of Tampa. USF Health researchers recently updated U.S. Congresswoman Kathy Castor on a variety of research projects she helped get funded through Congress. Dr. Kevin Kip and Dr. Carrie Elk from the USF College of Nursing briefed Castor during her June 9 visit to campus about a study testing the effectiveness of Accelerated Resolution Therapy, or ART, among […]

Vaccine and IL-2 improve response, survival in patients with advanced melanoma Tampa, FL (June 2, 2011) — A vaccine for advanced melanoma, supplemented by the immunotherapy drug interleukin-2, has shown promise in one of the most comprehensive studies of the skin cancer vaccine’s effectiveness to date. The University of South Florida was among the 21 centers nationwide participating in the phase 3 clinical trial involving 185 patients. Results of the randomized trial, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, are reported today in the New England Journal of Medicine. USF Health […]