Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner, left, spoke with UT President Lloyd Jacobs, Dr. Jeffrey Gold, and leaders from other Ohio medical schools during a July 19 meeting in Washington, D.C. Seated with his back to the camera is Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health.

University of Toledo leaders met July 19 with Speaker of the House John Boehner and National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins to discuss the importance of medical research to UT and other institutions across the state and the country.

President Lloyd Jacobs and Dr. Jeffrey Gold, chancellor and executive vice president for biosciences and health affairs, and dean of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences, joined several leaders of other medical schools in Ohio to talk about the economic and health-care impact clinical research funded by the NIH can have on society.

“The line item in the federal budget that funds the National Institutes of Health is responsible for so many of the scientific and medical breakthroughs that treat and cure diseases and conditions that in the past caused great pain and suffering,” Jacobs said.

“I was very grateful that Speaker Boehner and Director Collins were able to discuss the important role research plays in advancing our nation,” Jacobs said. “Given their extremely busy schedules, taking time to meet speaks volumes about their commitment to and understanding of the economic and societal impact NIH-funded research can have.”

Boehner, center right, and Collins, center left, spoke with the group about medical and scientific research and the role the NIH can play in funding those efforts.

Gold, who serves as chair of the Ohio Council of Medical School Deans, announced in late May that the state’s medical colleges and teaching hospitals had an economic impact in excess of $42 billion in 2011 alone.

“Advancing medical care through basic scientific and translational research is a defining piece of this institution’s mission,” Gold said. “The opportunity to share with top national leaders some of our NIH-funded research successes and to provide information on research partnerships like the Academic Health Center offers UT a chance to reaffirm our commitment to providing the best health care available.”

Today, ProMedica and The University of Toledo (UT) announced the opening of the Academic Health Center BioRepository (AHCBR) to help researchers find new and improved treatments for cancer and other medical conditions, including autism, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes. Human blood and tissue samples will be donated by area patients to the BioRepository for future scientific research. The BioRepository is located in the Department of Pathology at ProMedica Toledo Hospital. Governmental, health care and community leaders joined physicians, researchers and staff from both organizations for a special ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the milestone.

“This is one of the most exciting achievements, so far, for the Academic Health Center and we are very fortunate to have such an advanced program in our area,” said Randy Oostra, President and Chief Executive Officer, ProMedica. “We are committed to the expansion of medical research and look forward to witnessing some amazing scientific advancements and discoveries.”

A BioRepository is a “bank” where blood and tissue samples, called biospecimens, are stored. With patient approval, biospecimens will be collected from leftover tissue obtained during medical procedures. The stored biospecimens will help researchers learn more about specific diseases, identify how they progress and develop new treatment therapies. Initially, patients undergoing certain procedures at ProMedica Toledo Hospital will have the opportunity to participate with expansion to the University of Toledo Medical Center and other facilities expected.

“So many of the medicines and treatments that comprise modern medicine have been developed by researchers with access to a broad spectrum of tissue samples representative of the public generally,” said Dr. Jeffrey Gold, UT chancellor and executive vice president for biosciences and health affairs.

“This BioRepository is an outstanding example of the benefit to the community of the collaboration between UT and ProMedica,” said Gold, who also serves as dean of the College of Medicine. “By combining the research abilities and patient volumes of our two organizations, we may very well develop medical treatments that will be the standard of care around the world in years to come.”

“I applaud the Academic Health Center for recognizing the tremendous benefits of establishing a local BioRepository. It will lead to additional treatment options for area patients and enable clinicians to offer personalized cancer care,” said Michael McPhee, MD, ProMedica surgical oncologist. “Biomolecular technology is a growing field and this program allows area investigators the necessary tumor samples in order to carry out their research.”

Dr. James Willey, professor and director of UT’s Cancer Research Center said that while cancer research will benefit, so will research into the treatment of countless conditions and diseases.

“A key advancement in the way we treat patients is to personalize medicine where, by basing a patient’s treatment on an analysis of his or her individual genetic characteristics, we can devise and implement the most suitable individual healthcare plan, including prevention, diagnosis, and treatment,” Willey said.

“Cancer is a great example but you can take any of a broad array of diseases and conditions where the material collected at the BioRepository will be critical in identifying biomarkers. Biomarkers are substances and molecules we can use as clues to differentiate an individual’s needed cancer treatments from cancer treatments more generally,” he said.

The AHCBR is an important step in expanding research in the region and broadening the focus on biomedicine. As the BioRepository expands, it will become a valuable resource for researchers and open the door to future collaborations with leading national institutions.

Hussain, UT trustee and professor emeritus of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, was recognized by the Khyber Medical College in Peshawar, Pakistan, in January when the school named its new $1.5 million S. Amjad Hussain Clinical Skills Laboratory. It is the first center at the college to be named after anyone.

“I felt overwhelmed and humbled by this honor. I firmly believe that I did not do anything for the college out of the ordinary,” Hussain said. “I have always maintained close links with the college and have from time to time helped out, albeit in very small and miniscule ways. I did not expect anything of this nature, particularly of this magnitude.”

Hussain graduated from Khyber Medical

Hussain

College in 1962 and after completing his medical training in the United States, returned to Khyber for four years. Later when he moved back to the United States, Hussain continued yearly visits to Pakistan, where he taught classes in surgery at Khyber Medical College. He also performed surgeries at the university hospital until his retirement in 2004.

“I made a commitment to myself that I would go back every year to teach,” Hussain said. “I received an almost free education and that education helped get me to somewhere. I feel an obligation to pay back the moral debt I owe to the college and to the people of Pakistan.”

Hussain also endowed a visiting professorship between his alma mater and the UT College of Medicine and Life Sciences, enabling young Khyber faculty members to travel to Toledo to learn new teaching and research techniques. Nine people have benefited from that program. He also has sponsored research projects at Khyber Medical College as well as the University of Peshawar.

Hussain, whose accomplishments and philanthropy long have been recognized by Pakistan, also had been offered university presidency positions at two institutions near his hometown, but circumstances did not allow him to accept.

The theme of the meeting is “Launching New Frontiers in Medicine,” and programming will be focused on the future of the medical field. More than 170 medical students from Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Indiana and West Virginia are expected to attend the event.

In addition to the association business that will be carried out at the meeting, students will participate in activities focused on the future of medicine; these will include developing clinical skills in the Interprofessional Immersive Simulation Center and learning about residency options.

Keynote speakers will include Dr. Baretta Casey, a professor in the University of Kentucky colleges of Public Health and Medicine, and Dr. Carl Sirio, UT vice president for medical affairs and associate dean for clinical affairs.

Casey, who also is a member of the AMA Council on Medical Education, will give a lecture on “Medicine’s Social Contract: Caring for Our Patients in the Next Decade.”

Sirio, a member of the AMA Board of Trustees, will give a talk titled “Health System Reform – What It All Means, Separating Fact and Fiction.”

Other speakers will include Dr. Jeffrey P. Gold, UT chancellor, executive vice president for biosciences and health affairs, and dean of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences; T.R. Eckler, chair of the AMA Medical Student Section; and Jordan VanLare, member of the AMA Board of Trustees.

An artist's rendering of the Interprofessional Immersive Simulation Center

ProMedica and The University of Toledo will commit to the development of a new $36 million Interprofessional Immersive Simulation Center™(IISC) that will enable students and clinicians to use cutting edge technology to enable teams to learn, enhance outcomes, and improve patient safety in a simulated, low-risk environment.

Working with the University’s economic development arm, Innovation Enterprises, UT and ProMedica have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the IISC. The IISC will be housed in a new 3-story facility slated to open in 2012 next to UT’s Center for Creative Education (CCE) Building on the Health Science Campus.

The Center will be among the first health science campuses in the nation to incorporate I-Space ™ – a four sided virtual immersive room, and 3-D CAD Walls. This cutting edge technology can create unlimited virtual images that allow learners to travel through the heart of a human body or experience being inside a human blood cell.

The IISC will be unique in that it will be comprised of three integrated simulation centers: a progressive anatomy and surgical skills center; and advanced simulation center; and the virtual immersive reality center. Typically, academic health centers only offer one type of simulation center.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2XQIpHtzjY

“The IISC is a giant leap forward in our effort to set the national bar for clinical education and research,” said Dr. Jeffrey Gold, UT chancellor and executive vice president for biosciences and health affairs.

“Looking forward, health care will increasingly rely on teams of clinicians from different disciplines working together to achieve the best patient outcomes. This center will enable learners to use the most advanced technology available to practice working in teams at the same time they are advancing their clinical skills,” said Gold, who also serves as dean of UT’s College of Medicine and Life Sciences.

Randy Oostra, president and CEO for ProMedica, said the partnership would help ensure better patient outcomes as doctors, nurses, therapists and all health care providers will be better prepared as they enter the workforce.

“These advanced simulation technologies make it possible to create virtual clinical environments for health professionals to practice individually and in teams using realistic human patient simulation models and immersive virtual three-dimensional environments,” Oostra said. “The result will be reduced errors, increased safety, improved outcomes, enhanced efficiencies and an overall reduction of health care costs.”

Additionally, Gold and Oostra said the IISC will serve as a venue where health care professionals will establish collaborative relationships to foster innovation in research and develop new and existing products and services that help improve the human condition, prevent diseases and enhance healing.

Dr. Pamela Boyers, senior advisor to the chancellor for the advancement of interprofessional education and executive director for simulation, has spent the last 18 months at UT building up the University’s simulation technology and now has a fully operational pilot version of the IISC up and running where the learners, technicians and faculty will train in preparation for the grand opening of the UT/ProMedica joint venture in 2012.

“This virtual immersive reality technology enables students, practitioners and researchers to gain a better understanding of organs, diseases and treatment processes, including the potential of seeing real patient information such as MRI’s and CAT scans in 3-D space,” Boyers said. “It will more effectively tie an understanding of human anatomy and physiology to patient care and offer unprecedented opportunities for innovation in learning, teaching, research and clinical practice.”

“This was a national opportunity to convey our successes and our challenges. UT and ProMedica have positioned ourselves in a leadership role as academic health systems across the nation search for new and more sustainable care delivery models,” said Gold, chancellor, executive vice president for biosciences and health affairs, and dean of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences.

The presentation came following a request to UT and ProMedica leaders at the association’s meeting last year to return and give an update on how the clinical education and research alignment between a University and an integrated health delivery system was progressing.

“It was a great conversation and the questions came from some of the best minds in academic health care,” Gold said. “Like ourselves in northwest Ohio, I think many of the executives and physicians in the audience were surprised at how far we have advanced in just over a year.

“But at the same time, this is a very sophisticated audience that understands the magnitude of where we still need to go,” he said.

“In the year since we established the academic health center, this relationship has exceeded expectations,” said Randy Oostra, president and CEO of ProMedica. “Having said that, we are focused on creating and further enhancing relationships within education and research that will continue to strengthen both organizations.”

Gold said he was pleased by the detailed, challenging questions asked following the presentation because it showed how engaged these national health-care leaders were in the possibilities the UT-ProMedica model represented.

“We still need to work to increase residencies and fellowships, we still need to increase clinical research and clinical trials, and perhaps most importantly, we still need to work on creating a new culture that ingrains these goals for the future in our daily activities.

“When you are living this every day, it can be difficult to stand back and take an objective look at what has been accomplished and what needs to be prioritized moving forward,” Gold said. “This conference helped provide some clarity about where we should focus our efforts, but it also showed that the hundreds and hundreds of people working on this relationship have really created something to be proud of. Everyone I spoke to was impressed by what UT and ProMedica employees have been able to accomplish.”

Gold said that several academic health center leaders approached him following the presentation hoping to visit northwest Ohio in the future and witness firsthand the results of the UT-ProMedica Academic Health Center.

The relationship between the two organizations continues to strengthen. In fact, The University of Toledo and ProMedica have extended the contractual relationship. After completion of the original agreement in 2016, the agreement automatically will renew for successive three-year terms.

“Extending the contract so that it will automatically renew is an indication of the level of commitment ProMedica and UT have to the success of the Academic Health Center,” said Olivia Summons, chair of the Academic Health Center Corp. Board of Trustees. “It speaks volumes as to how far the relationship between ProMedica and The University of Toledo College of Medicine has come in just the last year.”

To further emphasize the focus on keeping talented caregivers in the community, ProMedica and The University of Toledo have established the Better Together Scholarship Fund.

The purpose of this fund is to promote and improve retention and recruitment of health-care providers in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan by providing financial assistance to physicians of demonstrated ability who desire to further their education and training at The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences.

ProMedica will create this fund with an initial $500,000 gift, with a goal by the two organizations to raise an additional $4.5 million.

Two scholarships will be awarded each year, increasing to eight scholarships over time.

“This relationship, though very positive for each organization individually and collectively, is truly all about putting the needs of the community first,” said Randy Oostra, president and chief executive officer of ProMedica. “The Better Together Scholarship Fund represents a very real investment in this community by both organizations to recruit and retain the best and brightest individuals who are preparing for a career in health care.”

The Academic Health Center has made significant progress in its first year.

“ProMedica and The University of Toledo have been focused on creating and enhancing relationships within education and research that will strengthen both organizations,” said Dr. Jeffrey P. Gold, UT chancellor, executive vice president for biosciences and health affairs, and dean of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences. “These efforts are leading the development of a richer, more vibrant and robust health-care community that will result in increased clinical excellence throughout the region.”

A few major highlights from the first year of the Academic Health Center include:

• By 2016, there will be a total of 63 residency rotations by UT learners at ProMedica, with the addition of 29 new residency rotations and 26 expanded rotations. The number grew from 17 rotations last year to 31 in the current academic year.

• UT learners are significantly expanding their educational experience at ProMedica facilities. New rotations have been developed and implemented in anesthesiology, emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, medical oncology, and ear, nose and throat. In addition, the Academic Health Center is evaluating opportunities in vascular, cardiovascular, pulmonary/critical care, and pharmacy, among others.

• Relationships are expanding in all areas managed by the Academic Health Center; these include undergraduate medical education, nursing, allied health, pharmacy, library and information technology.

• In clinical research, since July 2010, 60 new clinical trial agreements were signed involving hundreds of patients. Twenty-six of these are cross-institutional, cooperative trials.

• In addition, 14 qualified letters of intent were received for Translational Research Stimulation Awards. Six were selected for full proposals, all of which are collaborative projects involving UT and ProMedica investigators and will be funded as collaborative research studies in clinical care.

“We’re doing more experiential education with our students. We used to provide clinical rotations only for seniors, but now our students get experiential education across all four years,” said Dr. Steve Martin, professor and Chair of Pharmacy Practice. “The partnership has helped us place more students across all years.”

Clinical rotations and other professional experiences get students directly involved in the practice of pharmacy, which helps them relate their classwork to practical application in a professional setting.

Professional experiences are mandatory for the accreditation of the PharmD program. Experience before senior year became mandatory in 2007, Martin said.

The University has worked with ProMedica for about 25 years, but the relationship changed when UT and the former Medical University of Ohio merged in 2006 and strengthened even more when the organizations committed to a relationship in May, 2010 to advance health education and research in the Toledo area.

Students are placed in about 10 ProMedica facilities in the northwest Ohio area, including Toledo Hospital and Flower Hospital in Sylvania.

“The partnership allows students a chance to interact with and learn through the ProMedica and it can serve as on-the-job training for ProMedica when pharmacist jobs are open,” Martin said. “We are preparing a ready workforce.”

Martin said most of the ProMedica staff members he knows are UT graduates.

The Pharmacy Counter, a pharmacy with three northwest Ohio locations, is also part of the ProMedica system, and Martin said the addition of the pharmacy has added new opportunities for PharmD students to gain professional experiences.

The College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is adjusting some class schedules to help students be available for professional experiences during the day at facilities including those in the ProMedica system.

“They have, right from the get-go, been a great help training PharmD students,” he said. “Especially for the experiences occurring before senior year, ProMedica has been a good partner.”

Murad later will receive an honorary doctor of science degree at 5 p.m. in the Toledo Hilton.

Both events are free and open to the public.

Dr. Jeffrey Gold, chancellor, executive vice president for biosciences and health affairs, and dean of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences, said Murad’s research into nitric oxide and its effect on blood vessels led to countless new therapies and diagnostic tools. Nitric oxide now is known to play a key role in many biological functions, including inflammation, blood flow regulation, cell growth, smooth muscle relaxation and preserving memory.

“We’re proud to honor one of the world’s foremost medical researchers,” Gold said. “We are honored by his attendance and excited to hear more about his research.”

Murad earned his MD and PhD from Western Reserve University in 1965. Following his clinical training, he served in academic, research and administrative roles at the University of Virginia, Stanford University, Northwestern University and the University of Texas. He also worked in the pharmaceutical industry, both at Abbott Laboratories and as president and CEO of Molecular Geriatrics Corp.

Murad’s work with nitric oxide began in graduate school and has continued throughout his career, earning him the Lasker Award in 1996 and the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1998. Murad recently joined the faculty at George Washington University and established a laboratory to continue his research.

“Every UT researcher and student will have a great example from the research of Dr. Ferid Murad. Dr. Murad was interested in blood vessels and vasodilatation in the 1990s while other scientists were interested in muscle phosphorylation,” said Dr. Nader Abraham, professor and chair of the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, who invited Murad to speak at UT.

“While others said blood vessel dilation wasn’t worth researching, Dr. Murad unlocked the secrets of nitric oxide that are now used in asthma and cardiovascular disease treatments as well as to halt heart attacks. Dr. Murad’s vision contributed to the understanding of the significance and the impact of basic science research on translational research as his work in the laboratory led directly to clinical treatments.”

Coincidently, Murad’s research into nitric oxide could have been used by Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist who founded the Nobel Prize, who suffered from angina, a tightening of the chest experienced due to a drop in blood supply to part of the heart.

Abraham said that even more odd was the fact that Nobel made his fortune using nitroglycerin to invent dynamite. At the time, nitroglycerin also was prescribed to alleviate angina, although Nobel couldn’t take it; it gave him headaches.

Murad also will speak to physicians, residents and students during a grand rounds lecture Thursday, April 28, at noon in Health Education Building Room 105.

Six UT researchers will give presentations on their work, and more than 70 posters outlining ongoing basic, translational and clinical research will be on display. The highlight of the event will be a keynote speech at 1 p.m. by 1998 Nobel Prize winner in medicine Dr. Ferid Murad.

“We’re no longer just researching how to treat cancer or migraines. We’re researching how to treat individual patient migraines, which may well be a little different for every patient,” said Dr. Jeffrey Gold, chancellor and executive vice president for biosciences and health affairs and dean of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences.

Following opening remarks at 8 a.m. by Dr. Debra Gmerek, associate dean of research in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences, the schedule will be:

• 8:15 a.m. — “Biomarkers: Blood-Based Strategies to Monitor Metabolic Syndrome, CVD and the Promise of Clinical Application” by Dr. Nader Abraham, professor and chair of the Physiology and Pharmacology Department in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences;

• 8:40 a.m. — “2-Deoxyribose Fragments as Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress” by Dr. Amanda Bryant-Fredrich, associate professor of medicinal and biological chemistry in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences;

• 9:05 a.m. — “Factors Differentiating Wanderers and Non-Wanderers Among Nursing Home Residents With Dementia” by Dr. Donna L. Algase, associate dean of research and evaluation in the College of Nursing;

• 9:45 a.m. — “Migraine and Biomarkers of Endothelial Activation” by Dr. Gretchen Tietjen, professor and chair of the Department of Neurology in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences;

• 10:10 a.m. — “Mechanistic Insights Into Cytoskeletal Dynamics During Cancer Cell Motility” by Dr. Kathryn Eisenmann, assistant professor of biochemistry and cancer biology in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences;

• 10:35 a.m. — “Prospective Multi-Site Clinical Validation Trial of a Long Cancer Risk Test” by Dr. James Willey, professor of medicine in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences;

• 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Poster viewing and lunch; and

• 1 p.m. — “Nitric Oxide and Cyclic GMP in Cancer and Stem Cells Revisited” by Dr. Ferid Murad.

Physicians will be able to earn continuing medical education credit of up to 3.5 hours for $35. Registration will be offered at the event.

The Health Sciences Research Day is sponsored by the UT Physiology and Pharmacology Department and the Jacobson Center for Clinical & Translational Research with support from UT Innovation Enterprises, Mettler Toledo and Rainin Instrument Co. It was organized by Gmerek and Dr. Bryan Yamamoto, professor and chair of the Department of Neurosciences.