Tampa, FL (Jan 3, 2012) – Immune system abnormalities that mimic those seen with autism spectrum disorders have been linked to the amyloid precursor protein (APP), reports a research team from the University of South Florida’s Department of Psychiatry and the Silver Child Development Center. The study, conducted with mouse models of autism, suggests that elevated levels of an APP fragment circulating in the blood could explain the aberrations in immune cell populations and function – both observed in some autism patients. The findings were recently published online in the […]

Tampa, FL (Dec. 27, 2011) — A nationally recognized maternal and child health epidemiologist has joined USF Health as chair of the College of Public Health’s Department of Community and Family Health and director of the Lawton & Rhea Chiles Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies. William Sappenfield, MD, MPH, brings nearly 27 years experience in maternal and child health (MCH) epidemiological research and practice at the national, state and local levels. Dr. Sappenfield joins the University of South Florida from the Florida Department of Health, where for six years […]

The USF Health Orchestra and Choir filled the USF Health Rotunda with the sounds of the holiday season at noontime Dec. 12, lifing the spirits of those who came to their first concert. Led by conductor Dr. Frazier Stevenson, associate dean of Undergraduate Medical Education at the USF College of Medicine, the orchestra and choir performed such holiday favorites as Sleighride and Carol of the Bells, the traditional spiritual Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow, and pieces from The Nutcracker. The audience was invited to join in on three traditional carols […]

People like to describe USF Health as a place on the move, where its leaders and teachers and students and researchers are always rushing towards the next idea, hurrying to fix the health of a future they just can’t reach fast enough. But at noon on Thursday, the entire campus stopped and took a deep breath. And together, students and teachers and trustees and friends celebrated a historic moment and a medical school forever changed. Now the school on the move has a new name: the USF Health Morsani College […]

The University of South Florida has renamed its medical college the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine in honor of the philanthropic commitment of Frank and Carol Morsani. In total, the Morsanis have given $37 million to USF Health and a total of $43 million to the university. The Morsanis announced a new gift of $20 million to USF Health, the largest individual donation ever received by the university, to reach the total of $37 million. To read more about this historic announcement, please click here: ./?p=23303    

Frank Morsani started at the bottom of the car business, paying for college by working as a mechanic. He worked his way to the top, becoming one of the top-selling car dealers in the country and a respected national civic leader, serving as chairman of the board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce who also was appointed by Presidents Reagan and Bush to two Small Business Councils. Along the way, key values helped Morsani succeed. A laser-like focus on excellence. A zeal for innovation. A passion for change. Those same […]

TAMPA, FL (Dec. 8, 2011) — The University of South Florida has renamed its medical college the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine in honor of the philanthropic commitment of Frank and Carol Morsani. In total, the Morsanis have given $37 million to USF Health and a total of $43 million to the university. Today, the Morsanis are announcing a new gift of $20 million to USF Health, the largest individual donation ever received by the university, to reach the total of $37 million. USF President Judy Genshaft and the […]

Tampa, FL (Dec. 5, 2011) — Physician-scientist Sarah Yuan, MD, PhD, a nationally recognized leader in translational cardiovascular research, has been named chair of the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at USF Health. Dr. Yuan recently joined the University of South Florida from the University of California Davis Medical Center, where she was the Pearl Stamps Stewart Professor of Surgery and Director of Research. Known for innovative research in cardiovascular disease and health, Dr. Yuan’s work moves laboratory findings toward applications in patient care. She has an extensive track […]

The Florida Academy of Family Physicians (FAFP) has named USF’s Richard Roetzheim, MD, MSPH, the 2011 Florida Family Physician of the Year. Dr. Roetzheim, professor and director of research at USF’s Department of Family Medicine, will be presented with the award Dec. 10 at the FAFP annual conference in Amelia Island, FL. “Dr. Roetzheim’s humanity, research expertise, teaching and care to patients are all being recognized through this award,” said H. James Brownlee, Jr., MD, professor and chairman of UFS’s Department of Family Medicine. In his letter nominating Dr. Roetzheim for […]

Jackie Gorr took some of the nastier side effects of chemotherapy in stride. No hair? No problem. Some days she’d wear the wig. Other days, she would go bald. And laugh about it. But Gorr found some side effects of fighting leukemia more difficult to cope with. Barely 21, Gorr was devastated when she heard that treatment would leave her infertile. “I want kids so bad. It crushed me,” she said. “It was like a slap in the face.” Jackie Gorr’s mother, Karen Espinoza, has been by Jackie’s side during […]