Three teams of students in the Clinical Sciences, Basic Sciences, Health and Behavioral Sciences, and a Post Doctoral Researcher took poster honors at the 9th Annual Research Forum, Oct. 10. Sponsored by the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (EACPHS), this year's forum drew 75 student abstracts, a 21 percent increase over 2011 and the largest number since the program began in 2004.

"The forum was outstanding in the number of posters, but also in the quality of the work presented by our students," said Deepak Bhalla, associate dean for research. "The research reputation of our keynote speaker *Dr. Anthony Atala in the growing of new human cells, tissues and organs drew standing room only in our 200 capacity auditorium." This is the first time that the speaker's presentation also was live streamed for those unable to attend the forum at the college.

Two Faculty Research Recognition Awards also were presented, one in Basic Sciences to Steve Firestine, associate professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the other in Clinical Sciences to Maureen Smythe, professor-clinical in the Department of Pharmacy Practice. "The awards recognize faculty members of this college, whose work has made a significant contribution in advancing a specific area of knowledge. With this award, we recognize leaders, who have excelled in their field of research, and the impact of their work is reflected in superior publication record, strong extramural funding, invitations to participate in review panels, and organize national and international conferences," said Bhalla.

Posters taking top honors were:

Clinical Sciences - Evaluation of the mechanism of synergy between Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) and daptomycin (DAP) against methicillian- resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), authors Siddikur M. Rahman, Adam P. Szeliga. Brian J. Werth, and faculty advisor Michael J. Rybak from the Anti-Infective Research Laboratory, EACPHS.

Basic Sciences - Phosphorylation of STAT3 is associated with pAKT recovery in gefitinib treated lung cancer cells, authors Kai Wu, Yongju Lu, Qingshan Chang, Qiu Ping, Bailing Chen, and faculty advisor Fei Chen from the School of Pharmacy, EACPHS.

Health and Behavioral Sciences -- Understanding education access and referral needs of persons with dementia and their caregivers living in the metropolitan Detroit area, authors Meredith Moore, Ambily Thomas and faculty advisors Rosanne DiZazzo-Miller, and Fredrick D. Pociask from the Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy, Instructional Technology Research Laboratory, Department of Health Care Sciences, EACPHS.

Post Doctoral Research - Rab-geranylgeranyl transferase regulates glucose-stimulated insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells, authors Daleep Arora, PhD, (awarded researcher); Ismail Syed, PhD; Baker Machhadich, MD; Charles E. McKenna, PhD; and Anjaneyulu Kowluru, PhD; from the Beta-Cell Biochemistry Laboratory, John D. Dingell VA Medical Center; EACPHS Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and WSU Division of Endocrinology; Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical Schooll, Boston; and Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

*Hear Forum's keynoter speaker -- prominent surgeon/researcher Anthony Atala, MD -- on "Regenerative Medicine: Current Concepts and Changing Trends" at http://bit.ly/Si0zSG.

The Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, one of the founding colleges of Wayne State University, is committed to advancing the health and well-being of society through the preparation of highly skilled health care practitioners, and through research to improve health care practices and treatment from urban to global levels.

Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering more than 400 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 32,000 students.

October 18, 2012

Contact: Kathleen Karas
Phone: 313-577-2312
Email: kkaras@wayne.edu