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Judith Baumhauer to Serve as Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Judith Baumhauer, M.D., M.P.H., a long-time faculty leader, has been named senior associate dean for academic affairs, effective Dec. 1.

Her appointment, which followed a national search, is pending approval by the Provost's office.

"Judy's deep commitment to her colleagues, to URMC and to those we serve has long been evident, whether through her groundbreaking work with patient-reported outcomes, her leadership in clinical trials or, most recently, her service as associate dean for Academic Affairs," said SMD Dean and URMC CEO Mark Taubman, M.D. "Her experience, institutional knowledge and track record of success make her an ideal person to fill this vital position and to ensure our Academic Affairs Office thrives in the years ahead. I extend my thanks to the search committee members for the time and effort they put into the process."

In a World Full of 3D Models, Researchers Build a New One for Leukemia

Monday, August 8, 2022

A Wilmot Cancer Institute scientist published data that show a new microchip-like device that his lab developed can reliably model changes in the bone marrow as leukemia takes root and spreads.

Ben Frisch, Ph.D., assistant professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Rochester, and colleagues have been building what is known as a modular bone-marrow-on-chip to enhance the investigation of leukemia stem cells. The tiny device recapitulates the entire human bone marrow microenvironment and its complex network of cellular and molecular components involved in blood cancers.

Laura Calvi and Roman Eliseev Receive $2.3M Grant to Study Efferocytosis by Bone Marrow Stromal Cells

Thursday, June 2, 2022

CMSR and Wilmot Cancer Institute researchers, Drs. Laura Calvi and Roman Eliseev, received a 5-year multi-PI grant from the National Institute of Aging totaling $2.3M. The grant is focused on understanding how efferocytosis, i.e. phagocytosis of dead and dying cells, by bone marrow mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSC) affects bone homeostasis and bone aging. With help of co-Investigators, Drs. Hani Awad and Minsoo Kim and using molecular, cellular and mouse genetic tools, Drs. Calvi and Eliseev will test the hypothesis that phagocytosis/efferocytosis by MSCs is an important component of osteoimmunology; however when pathologically increased in aging, it causes MSC oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and senescence, thus contributing to bone loss.

U of R Orthopedics and Physical Performance Center at Former Sears Taking Shape

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

HENRIETTA, N.Y. (WHEC) — It's been quite some time now since Sears closed its doors for good at Marketplace Mall in Henrietta.

The site of the former department store is currently being transformed into the University of Rochester Orthopedics and Physical Performance Center.

News10NBC took a tour of the facility which is scheduled to open in November.

Between 150 and 200 construction workers are busy every single day turning all that former retail space into a state-of-the-art patient care facility.

"It's a concept that's spreading across the country of reusing space that is no longer being used," said Chairman of Orthopedics Dr. Paul Rubery.

Breaking Ortho's Gender Barrier, with Power Tools and Mentorship

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Only seven percent of attending orthopaedic surgeons in the U.S. are women, but female faculty in UR's Department of Orthopaedics have long been part of a nationwide effort to turn those numbers around.

For the past decade, the department has hosted The Perry Initiative–an immersive learning experience for female high school and college students aimed at inspiring more young women to pursue orthopaedics or bioengineering careers.

Named for one of the nation's first female orthopaedic surgeons, Jacquelin Perry, the program partners female orthopaedic surgeons with young women who sign up for learning events held around the country. It's offered annually at UR; COVID interrupted the event for the past two years but in-person sessions resumed March 4 and 5 at the Medical Center.

$10 Million NIH Grant Funds Research on Treatments for Autoimmune Diseases

Wednesday, March 2, 2022

The University of Rochester Medical Center was recently funded to join a prestigious network of academic and clinical researchers, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Accelerating Medicines Partnership^®: Autoimmune and Immune-Mediated Diseases (AMP AIM) program. The program is a collaborative effort between the NIH, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, pharmaceutical companies, and nonprofit organizations to study the cellular and molecular interactions that lead to inflammation and autoimmune diseases. The grant will fund research for five years, and totals $58.5 million across all institutions named to the network.

Meet Five Inspiring Women in Science

Friday, February 11, 2022

URMC Researchers Reflect on International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

Be curious and inquisitive. Cultivate relationships with mentors. Never limit yourself. Follow your heart.

These are just a few pieces of advice that women researchers from across the University of Rochester Medical Center have for young women and girls interested in science.

Despite progress in recent years, women and girls from around the world are still less likely to enter and advance in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. According to the United Nations, female researchers are typically awarded smaller research grants, are less likely to have their work published by high-profile journals, and have shorter careers than their male colleagues.

And the COVID pandemic has only exacerbated these disparities as the burden of care in the home fell disproportionately to women.

To combat these disparities, the United Nations General Assembly declared February 11 the International Day of Women and Girls in Science in 2015. Today, we celebrate the work and achievements of women in STEM and promote full and equal access to STEM for women and girls the world over.

2022 Kappa Delta Young Investigator Award presented to Alayna E. Loiselle, PhD, for significant research in tendon cell biology and tendon injury response

Monday, January 31, 2022

Alayna E. Loiselle, PhD, was awarded the 2022 Kappa Delta Young Investigator Award for her research on the cell biology of the tendon and how different cells contribute to the tendon healing process. The award recognizes outstanding clinical research related to musculoskeletal disease or injury by investigators under 40 years old. In 2015, Dr. Loiselle established the Loiselle Lab for Tendon Therapeutics in the Center for Musculoskeletal Research at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York to study tendon function and healing to identify promising therapies. Since then, Dr. Loiselle's research in the lab has focused on identifying potential therapeutics through the development of mouse models that advance the understanding of how the tendon heals.

New Year, $11M in Newly Funded Grants for CMSR

Monday, January 10, 2022

The Center for Musculoskeletal Research closed out 2021 on a very positive note by earning renewal of two of its largest and most critical NIH grants: in late fall the center’s 830-page P30 grant was renewed for $2.5M direct/$3.85M total over 5 years. In November the CMSR learned it received a perfect impact score on its 707-page P50 grant: $5M direct and $7.7M total over 5 years. Adding to the good news: CMSR investigators also earned a perfect score on R13 and K99-R00 grants this year.

“These outstanding results are thanks to the exceptional work of all our team members including PIs, Core Directors, internal advisors in other URMC Departments, an external advisory committee, and grant administrators Tiffany Totman, Kristin Smith, and Brenda Kavanaugh,” said Edward Schwarz, Ph.D., Burton Professor of Orthopaedics and director of the CMSR.

Consistently among the top NIH-funded musculoskeletal research entities in the US, CMSR’s funded projects go back decades. Its P50 grant began in 2006, with funds focused on translating researchers’ understanding of the molecular, cellular, and tissue responses involved in orthopaedic trauma, and concluded with a clinical trial of Forteo for knee cartilage regeneration. The current P50 funds support CMSR’s Center of Research Translation on the Osteoimmunology of Bone Infection (CoRTOBI) project, which explores causes of musculoskeletal infections and potential vaccines to prevent them.

The P30 grant provides shared facilities and services to established investigators addressing scientific problems in musculoskeletal biology and medicine. Importantly, the P30 also supports CMSR’s unique Enrichment Program, which aims to expand the nation’s research base through mentorship, professional development and modest funding for early-career researchers. That program has been extremely successful in building young CMSR researchers’ careers. By teaching beginner researchers how to successfully compete for federal dollars, the program has yielded a 42-fold ROI on small P30-funded seed projects. The most unique component of this mentoring program is the P30’s Dyads, in which full-time Scientists are partnered with full-time Clinicians.

Earlier in 2021, CMSR earned another perfect impact score on its NIH R13 grant, which funds the US Bone and Joint Initiative’s Young Investigator Initiative Career Mentoring Program. That program provides mentorship to young researchers on how to write research proposals and earn funding for basic, translational or clinical research. The program has supported more than 484 participants; more than half have obtained grant funding totaling over $572 million for 1,918 new musculoskeletal research studies. J. Edward Puzas, Ph.D., professor of Orthopaedics and Environmental Medicine, submitted the renewal grant application that earned the perfect 10.

“This program has facilitated 100 percent of NIH New Investigator funding rates for many years,” Schwarz said, “and we are most grateful to Ed for his past and future leadership of this valuable program in our field.”