GCHE continues to support the existing efforts in the study of health disparities and inspire more students to study health disparities. We do this by providing tuition and stipends to students at CAU and MSM, and release time to junior faculty at MSM.
CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY TRAINING
Six Clark Atlanta graduate students were identified for support by the GCHE.
Four CAU Ph.D. Social Work students are working with doctors from Winship Cancer Institute. This presents a tremendous opportunity for these young students to develop social research skills.
In the area of biology, two CAU PhD students are working in the laboratory of Dr. Ananaba, CAU and Dr. Kahan, CAU.
Featured Graduate Student partially supported by the GCHE:
CAU student Trainee Erica Barr, a student supported by the P60, has had a featured abstract for Press Release "The Effect of Estrogen on Chemokine Expression during Chlamydia Infection" 105th American Society for Microbiology's General Meeting, Atlanta, GA (2005), received a Minority Research Trainee Forum at the National Institutes of Health (Recipient of Acres of Diamond Award for outstanding abstract and oral presentation) (March 2005). She has also first authored an article entitled, "Host Inflammatory Response and Development of Complications of Chlamydia trachomatis Genital Infection in CCR5 Deficient Mice and Subfertile Women with the CCR5delta32 gene deletion, "published in Journal of Microbiology, Immunology and Infection. 2005; 38(4): 244-254.
MOREHOUSE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE TRAINING:
Featured Graduate Student supported by the GCHE:
Morehouse School of Medicine Graduate Trainee Teri Lynnea Larkins, BS, PhD (2006), Department of Immunology and Microbiology at MSM.
ABSTRACTS
T. L. Larkins, M. Nowell, S. Singh, J. W. Lillard and G. L. Sanford COX-2 Potentiates Breast Cancer Cell Motility and Invasion in a MMP- and FAK-Dependent Fashion. AACR Advances in Breast Cancer Research: Genetics, Biology, and Clinical Applications. LaJolla, CA, Sept. 2005.
G. L. Sanford, T. L. Larkins, B. Brandon, T. Wallace, D. Ellerson and G.M. Sanford Both cyclooxygenase-2 and nitric oxide-dependent mechanisms may be critical for breast cancer progression to metastasis. 97th Annual American Association for Cancer Research Meeting. Washington, D.C., April 2006.
Additionally, the partial salaries of junior faculty members at Morehouse School of Medicine are being funded as we plan to incorporate the Cancer Center into their curriculum.
Junior Faculty Member: Xiaoqing Guo, MD, Department of Medicine at MSM
In the area of diabetes, Dr. Guo is the Co-PI for the ISHIB/ATPM Grant entitled Translating diabetes Research Into Practice: Comprehensive Training Intervention for Diabetes (CTSI-D), and has presented at the Primary Care Conference, titled "The Challenges of Implementing Electronic Medical Records in A Primary Care Setting." His goals are to improve clinical decision-making of IM residents at the site of practices by giving them comprehensive training and support (I.I. using EMR, educational seminar, and educational cards, etc.) in the care of diabetes patients; to provide new and better ways of ambulatory training for primary care residents, and to improve the care and outcome in patients with diabetes and CHF.
Junior Faculty Member: Yasuo Fujimara, PhD, Department of OB/GHN
Dr. Fujumura studies Ewing sarcoma, in which the EWS gene and the ETS gene are fused by aberrant chromosomal translocation, showing anti-apoptotic activity against several inducers.
Junior Faculty Member: Shailesh Singh, PhD, Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry & Immunology
In studying prostate cancer, Dr. Singh has collaborated with Drs. Datta and Chung of Emory University School of Medicine, has shown that CXCR5, CCR9, and their ligans are elevated in both tissue and serum of prostate cancer patients. Furthermore, their research demonstrated that CXCR4, CCR9, and CXCR5 are also higher and differentially expressed prostate cancer cell lines, as compared to normal prostatic epithelial cells. Their studies also showed that these chemokine interactions differentially express MMPs and play a significant role in prostate cancer cell migration and invasion. Most importantly, they demonstrated that CXCL 13 (ligand for CXCR5) blockade prevents bone metastasis in a mouse model of prostate cancer.
These studies demonstrated that chemokines CCL25 and CXCL13 levels are elevated in prostate cancer patients with metastatic disease compare to benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and normal healthy patients.
Junior Faculty Preceptor: Sherry Crump, PhD
Dr. Sherry Crump has a pivotal role in the mentoring of several Preventative Medicine/Public Health residents: Drs. Laurence Cohen, Feremusu Kamara, Mae Morgan, Kendra Richardson, Edlyn Jones, and Valerie Grant. In March, 2005, Dr. Crump continued to discuss cancer project ideas with them, with an emphasis in health disparities. As a result, the residents have a heightened awareness of potential research and programmatic needs relating to health disparities in cancer. The residents can now incorporate these methods into their practice.
