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May 2003 | VOL. 5 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu

Carnegie Science Center Honors McGowan Faculty

The Carnegie Science Center has recognized the contributions of Ronald Herberman, M.D., director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) and UPMC Cancer Centers, and Alan J. Russell, Ph.D., director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The presentations were made on April 30, 2003 at the Hilton Hotel.

Dr. Herberman received the Carnegie Science Center Award for Excellence in the Biomedical Category for his outstanding achievements that have led to significant business, economic and societal benefits in the biomedical industry throughout the region. He founded UPCI in 1985 after working for 19 years as an internationally recognized cancer immunologist at the National Cancer Institute. Under his leadership, UPCI was designated by the National Cancer Institute as a Comprehensive Cancer Center in record time, and has grown into an enterprise that treats more than 25,000 new cancer patients annually through a regional network of 40 community-based UPMC Cancer Centers. UPCI is the only center of its kind in western Pennsylvania and its researchers have achieved tremendous breakthroughs in understanding how cancer begins and spreads.

Dr.Russell received the Catalyst Award recognizing his contributions to successfully gain public awareness and appreciation of science. He is the founding director of the McGowan Institute, which was established by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in July 2001. His recognition is for raising the National awareness related to the opportunities and issues surrounding the emerging technology of Tissue Engineering.

 

FacultyAwards and Recognition

McGowan Institute Faculty Honored by TRIO: The Pittsburgh Chapter of Transplant Recipients International Organization (TRIO) honored Robert Kormos, M.D. and Srinivas Murali, M.D. at the TRIO annual dinner held on April 21, 2003. Dr. Kormos is professor of surgery in the division of cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and director of Thoracic Transplantation and the Artificial Heart Program at UPMC. Dr. Murali is professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at Pitt's School of Medicine and medical director of Cardiac Transplantation at UPMC. The theme of the dinner "A Heart Full of Thanks", paid tribute to their work in heart transplantation and kicked off National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week for the Pittsburgh region.

While Dr. Kormos and Dr. Murali are internationally renowned for their clinical and research advances in the field of transplantation, they also are greatly admired by their patients. TRIO's awards were in recognition of their many professional accomplishments as well as for their dedication to patients, many of whom were in attendance.

TRIO is an organization devoted to improving the quality of lives of those touched by the miracle of transplantation through support, advocacy, education and awareness.

 

Musculoskeletal Research Center Scientists Receive Achilles Award: The Acromioclavicular Joint Team of the Shoulder Group at the Musculoskeletal Research Center has recently been awarded the Achilles Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Research Award for their manuscript entitled “Biomechanical Evaluation of Three Common Reconstruction Procedures for Complete Dislocations of the Acromioclavicular (AC) Joint”. Authors include Rajesh Jari, MD, Ryan S. Costic, BS, Mark W. Rodowsky, MD, and the project’s Principal Investigator, Richard E. Debski, PhD. Dr. Debski is a faculty member of the Musculoskeletal Research Center (MSRC), Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, where this work was performed. The MSRC is directed by Dr. Savio L-Y. Woo, the A.B. Ferguson Professor of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

The Achilles Award was presented at the 2003 ISAKOS 4th Biennial Congress in Auckland, New Zealand on March 13th. Dr. Jari and his co-authors received a $3,000 Honorarium as wells as an award certificate during the Award Presentation.

Currently, most surgical procedures for the treatment of AC joint dislocation involve the replacement of the coracoclavicular (CC) ligaments to minimize motion. These techniques allow scarring to occur, subsequently increasing the stability of the joint. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the biomechanical function of three common surgical procedures for AC joint dislocations: the CC sling, Rockwood Screw, and CA Ligament Transfer Complex. These findings may lead to the design and development of new repairs and rehabilitation procedures for AC joint dislocation.

 

Rose Award- American Physical Therapy Association: McGowan Institute faculty member Anthony DeLitto, associate professor and chair of physical therapy, with coauthors Julie Fritz, assistant professor, Department of Physical Therapy and Steven George, a graduate student in rehabilitation science, has won the Rose Award, given by the Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Section of the American Physical Therapy Association. Dr. Fritz’s paper was entitled "The Role of Fear-Avoidance Beliefs in Acute Low Back Pain: Relationships With Current and Future Disability and Work Status”.

 

Faculty Highlights

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Detection: On April 22, 2003 KDKA-TV highlighted research on tools to Detect Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm. AAAs are more common in white people over 60 years old who smoke and have family members with the disease. Based on studies, the risk for rupture increases when the aneurysm grows to be more than five centimeters wide.

When doctors find an aneurysm of this size, they may recommend surgery. The aneurysm is taken out and a synthetic aorta is put in. This can be done with the belly open; or now, it can be hooked up from inside the vessel by threading it up through the groin.

McGowan Faculty David Vorp is trying to find a better way to predict when an aneurysm will rupture. Some aneurysms grow to be much larger than five centimeters without rupturing, and some may burst even though they're smaller. "By looking at each point on the aneurysm and the ratio of wall stress to wall strength at that particular position," explained Vorp, "we can then calculate a rupture potential index." The information could help doctors decide whether to go ahead with surgery or wait.

This statistical model -- built from CT scans -- still needs more testing before it's used in the doctor's office.

 

Voice Center Celebrates World Voice Day: The University of Pittsburgh Voice Center observed the first “World Voice Day,” an international celebration of the human voice on April 16, 2003. Through this event the Center aims to educate the public about the human voice, how it can be damaged through harmful speaking techniques and alcohol and tobacco use, resulting in strained vocal cords, chronic hoarseness and in some cases deadly head and neck cancers.

Voice disorders can affect anyone, and effects can be especially devastating to professionals who require the use of their voice to perform their jobs. Common voice disorders include laryngitis, the swelling of the vocal cords due to an infection; vocal cord lesions, non-cancerous growths on the vocal cords due to overuse or misuse; gastroesophageal and laryngoesophageal reflux disease, backflow of stomach acid into the throat; poor speaking technique; vocal cord paralysis, causing a hoarse or breathy voice; and throat cancer.

Otolaryngologists at the University of Pittsburgh have been consistently using cutting-edge diagnostic tools and treatments to treat the voice disorders of well-known entertainers, teachers, clergy, salespeople, attorneys, and others who rely on their voice.

“Often people have the early signs of a voice disorder, which can include hoarseness or roughness in the voice, and they don’t consider it to be a medical problem,” said Clark Rosen, M.D., director of the University of Pittsburgh Voice Center (Pictured Right), “In reality it could be a serious medical problem that could be treated by an otolaryngologist or a voice therapist.”

Otolaryngologists and voice therapists from the University of Pittsburgh Voice Center and University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences will be performing educational seminars on voice disorders and taking care of the voice throughout the Pittsburgh area the week of World Voice Day.
World voice recognition originally began in Brazil, where ear, nose and throat specialists, prompted by a report by the World Health Organization documenting the nation’s high larynx cancer rate, established National Voice Week in 1999. Other countries have joined Brazil’s efforts to raise awareness of the voice through World Voice Day.

Sponsoring organizations include the American Academy of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, European Laryngological Society, American Broncho-Esophagological Association and Turkish Professional Voice Association.

For more information, visit the following Web sites: