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Mary C. Mahoney, MD, recently retired as the Benjamin Felson Endowed Chair and Professor of Radiology at the
University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine, Chief of Imaging for UC Health, and a member of the UC Health Board of Directors. Over her distinguished career, she also served as Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Radiology, Director of Breast Imaging at the UC Cancer Center, and Fellowship Director for Breast Imaging.
Dr. Mahoney has held numerous national leadership roles, including Chair of the Board of Directors and President of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), Trustee and Governor of the American Board of Radiology, and member of the Board of Chancellors of the American College of Radiology (ACR). She has been actively involved with many other professional organizations, including the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, the Association of Academic Radiology, and the American Roentgen Ray Society. Internationally, she is an invited member of the International Society for Strategic Studies in Radiology and holds honorary
membership in several radiology societies worldwide. Dr. Mahoney is a Fellow of both the ACR and the Society of Breast Imaging and is a member of the Society of Chairs of Academic Radiology Departments.
She is also a graduate of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program.
A magna cum laude graduate of Brown University, Dr. Mahoney earned her medical degree from the University of Cincinnati, where she was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. She completed her diagnostic radiology residency at UC, serving as chief resident, followed by a fellowship in breast imaging.
Widely recognized as a leader in breast imaging, Dr. Mahoney has been at the forefront of developing innovative interventional techniques and advancing imaging technologies. She has authored numerous publications, delivered hundreds of invited lectures around the world, and served as principal investigator for many research initiatives within the College of Medicine. She played a key role in establishing the multidisciplinary breast center at the UC Cancer Institute, the Advanced Imaging Core Laboratory, and the UC/GE Advanced Science Laboratory Research Center of Excellence—one of only five such centers worldwide.
Throughout her career, Dr. Mahoney has been a strong advocate for patient-centered radiology. Through her work with RSNA, ACR, and other organizations, she has championed initiatives that promote meaningful engagement between radiologists and patients, helping to shape the future of imaging care.
Francis Xavier McCormack, Jr., MD, is the Gordon and Helen Hughes Taylor Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at the University of Cincinnati College
of Medicine. A nationally recognized Clinician-Scientist, Dr. McCormack is widely regarded for his pioneering
research in rare lung diseases and for advancing understanding of pulmonary innate immunity, pulmonary fibrosis, and lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM).
After earning his bachelor’s degree in chemistry, magna cum laude, from the University of California San Diego, Dr. McCormack received his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch, where he was inducted into the Mu Delta Honor Society. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan, where
he served as Chief Resident and received the Galen Society Resident Teaching Award for two consecutive years. He went on to complete his fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Colorado, conducting postdoctoral research in the laboratories of Dr. Robert Mason and Dennis Voelker at National Jewish Hospital, a global leader in pulmonary medicine.
Dr. McCormack joined the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 1994 and has served as Division Director since 2003. Under his visionary leadership, the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine has transformed into a nationally recognized program known for its excellence in Clinical Care, Research, and Education. The division has grown from a small faculty group into a vibrant enterprise of more than 45 faculty members, 10 research laboratories, and 3 fellowship programs, supported by over $15 million in research funding and $23 million in annual revenue.
A Career Investigator with the American Lung Association and an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and Association of American Physicians, Dr. McCormack has dedicated his career to bridging the bench and bedside. His laboratory focuses on mechanisms of lung injury and remodeling in rare, monogenic
lung diseases. As founding scientific director of The LAM Foundation, he helped build a global research network and led the landmark MILES trial that established sirolimus as the first effective therapy for LAM, a breakthrough that transformed care for patients with this devastating rare lung disease. His resolve in securing FDA approval
led to subsequent approvals by dozens of other governmental agencies, providing access to the therapy for LAM patients around the world.
Dr. McCormack’s scholarly impact is reflected in more than 200 peer-reviewed publications in high caliber journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Communications and Science Translational Medicine, to name a few. His work has been cited thousands of times and has advanced modern understanding of pulmonary biology, innate immunity, and rare lung disease. He has mentored dozens of trainees, several of whom have gone on to develop their own federally funded research programs, and assumed leadership positions at top tier institutions and the FDA. He holds two Investigational New Drug applications and four patents awarded or pending, and he continues to lead NIH- and VA-funded research seeking answers to clinically-relevant questions that have the potential to favorably impact human health.
Among his many honors, Dr. McCormack has received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the American Thoracic Society, the George Rieveschl Jr. Award for Distinguished Scientific Research and the Provost Faculty Excellence Award from the University of Cincinnati, the Top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Award from the Clinical Research Forum, and the Partners in Progress Award from the National Organization for Rare Disorders. He has been recognized annually among America’s Best Doctors since 2006.
Through visionary leadership, scientific innovation, and enduring dedication to mentorship, Dr. McCormack has profoundly shaped the field of pulmonary medicine and elevated the University of Cincinnati’s national reputation in respiratory research and clinical excellence.
Anil G. Menon, PhD, is an emeritus professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He formerly served as associate dean for undergraduate education, UC Distinguished Teaching Professor, founder and director of the Medical Sciences Baccalaureate Program, and facilitator for the multi-college Public Health Baccalaureate Program—roles in which he shaped the academic foundation for countless future physicians, scientists and health care professionals. Over a distinguished 45-year career at Harvard University & the University of Cincinnati, Dr. Menon has made significant and lasting contributions in three interconnected areas—scientific discovery, education and mentorship, and institution building.
A pioneering biomedical researcher, Dr. Menon’s work has focused on understanding the genetic and environmental determinants of human health and disease. He was part of the team that co-discovered the NF1
gene linked to Neurofibromatosis Type I, with findings published in Science alongside colleagues including Dr. Francis Collins, who later served as director of the National Institutes of Health. His early research on the p53 tumor suppressor gene, published as first author in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, helped define its
central role in progression of cancer malignancy.
Dr. Menon also identified and cloned multiple aquaporin water channels, advancing our understanding of water handling in the body, contributions recognized by Dr. Peter Agre, the 2003 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry. His translational studies in the genetics of high blood pressure (hypertension) resulted in the identification of key DNA
polymorphisms that influence sodium transport and blood pressure regulation. This work provided important molecular understanding that eventually led to the NIH-funded DASH clinical trial and represents one of the first examples of modern pharmacogenomic approaches to the “precision drug treatment” of patients with hypertension. His team further discovered novel human membrane transporters, including AE3 and NHE5, which are now novel drug targets for human diseases.
Beyond his laboratory achievements, Dr. Menon has been deeply committed to education, mentorship, and program development. At the University of Cincinnati, he founded the Medical Sciences Baccalaureate Program and served as the facilitator to bring together ten different UC colleges to establish the Public Health Baccalaureate Program. He also helped develop baccalaureate certificate programs in Integrative Health and Wellness, Medical Informatics, and Clinical and Translational Research. Across these initiatives, Dr. Menon has mentored nearly 50 faculty and staff and helped develop more than 40 new undergraduate courses, including experiential learning opportunities such as
Biomedical Laboratory Techniques and Health Care Exploration. His leadership has inspired a generation of students and faculty, fostering innovation and excellence in biomedical education.
Dr. Menon has also played an instrumental role in strengthening UC’s and Cincinnati Children’s research enterprise. He has served as principal or co-investigator on major NIH grants and created revenue generating programs that brought in approximately $50 million to UC and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. He helped establish and served as a member of the NIH funded Center for Environmental Genetics, the NIH funded Center for Molecular Epidemiology of Children’s Health, and the NIH funded Program of Excellence in Molecular Biology of the Heart and Lung. He contributed to the development of advanced research facilities such as the Cardiovascular Center and the NMR Center for Protein Structure and served on numerous recruitment and retention committees to help attract and support outstanding faculty and investigators to these centers. At Cincinnati Children’s, Dr. Menon
helped secure a Lucille Markey Foundation Award to strengthen and expand the Division of Human Genetics, supported multi-investigator program development, and served on the Executive and Curriculum Committees of the Genetic Counseling Program for more than a decade, helping it earn top national rankings. In 2023, he was awarded the University of Cincinnati Faculty Career Award for long term achievements and contributions to UC’s success.
Through his groundbreaking research, visionary program development, and decades of institutional leadership, Dr. Menon has profoundly shaped the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s. His legacy is defined by scientific innovation, educational excellence, and an enduring commitment to advancing human health.
Dr. Molkentin was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he also graduated with his PhD from the Medical College
of Wisconsin in 1994. He performed a postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Eric Olson in Texas at UT Southwestern
Medical Center from 1994–1997, followed by his first faculty appointment in 1997 at the Cincinnati Children’s
Hospital Medical Center of the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Molkentin was a Pew Scholar early in his faculty appointment, and he was promoted to full Professor in 2006. From 2008–2021 he was an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Molkentin has been a faculty member at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital of the University of Cincinnati for greater than 28 years, where today he is division director of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology and co-Director of the Heart Institute at Cincinnati Children’s.
Dr. Molkentin has published over 450 original articles with a Scopus h-index of 133 and a Google Scholar h-index of 161. His publications span many high impact journals such as Cell, Science, Nature, and Nature Medicine. He has won awards from the American Heart Association (AHA) such as the Louis N. and Arnold M. Katz award to young investigators in 1999, the Basic Research Prize in 2012, the Thomas W. Smith Memorial Lecture in 2008, the George E. Brown Memorial lecture in 2024 and the Distinguished Scientist in 2020. From the International Society of Heart-failure Research (ISHR) he gave the Presidents lecture in 2018, won the Outstanding Investigator Award
in 2010, and won the Eric N. Olson mentorship award in 2020. Dr. Molkentin also won the Lucian Award from McGill University, which is a prize for cardiovascular research excellence.
Dr. Molkentin has placed approximately 40 of his past trainees into academics as laboratory principal investigators and he continues today as a dedicated training mentor for the next generation of cardiovascular researchers in the field. Several of his past trainees have won the prestigious Louis N. and Arnold M. Katz Award or the Markus
Award to young investigators from the AHA, as well as winning the ISHR young investigator competition. With respect to funding, Dr. Molkentin has held over 6 NIH grants as PI or Project Director for more than 20 years, as well as the Co-PI of a T32 training grant in cardiovascular biology here at the UC Medical Center for the past 10
years (in collaboration with Dr. Litsa Kranias).
Dr. Molkentin’s research program continues to focus on cardiovascular and skeletal muscle disease through examination of basic signaling mechanisms. His larger projects include defining the molecular mechanisms that underlie cell death, with a special interest in mitochondrial-dependent mechanisms of non-apoptotic death, and
how mitochondrial calcium enters and exits and how this can directly affect metabolism. The laboratory also characterizes the intracellular signaling pathways that control cellular growth, differentiation, and proliferation in cardiac and skeletal muscle. His laboratory is also actively engaged in studying cardiac and skeletal muscle fibroblasts
and how they function during disease to alter the extracellular matrix, which impacts tissue remodeling and signaling. The laboratory also investigates the cellular mechanisms underlying cardiac repair, either by regulating cell cycle in cardiomyocytes or rejuvenation by selective modulation of the innate immune response, especially defining the role of tissue resident macrophages and their ability to control fibroblasts and inflammation.
Gail E. Besner, MD, is a member of the UC College of Medicine Class of 1982 and is currently the H. William Clatworthy Jr. Professor of Surgery and chief of the Department of Pediatric Surgery at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus. She also is chief of the Division of Pediatric Surgery at the Ohio State University College of Medicine.
An outstanding pediatric surgeon and scientist, Dr. Besner is an expert in necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a deadly inflammatory and infectious disease of the intestine of neonates, with a mortality rate of up to 50%. During the last 30 years, she has deciphered the pathophysiology of NEC, potential ways to protect neonates from the disease and therapeutic interventions to treat and prevent NEC without surgical intervention. She and colleagues have developed a novel delivery system in which the probiotic Limosilactobacillus reuteri (Lr) is administered in its biofilm state, which has been shown to protect the intestines and brain from NEC. An FDA-approved phase 1 clinical trial of the probiotic in adults with autism spectrum disorder has been completed, demonstrating its safety and showing significant improvements in the participants’ autism scores. She is a scientific co-founder of Scioto Biosciences, Inc, which is bringing this treatment to patients.
Dr. Besner has been instrumental in graduate medical education, serving as the director of the Pediatric Surgery Training Program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital from 2009 to 2014, and as associate director from 2014 to the present. Additionally, Dr. Besner annually trains aspiring pediatric surgeons from all over the country and abroad, as well as medical students, college students and even high school students, in her laboratory.
She has served as chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Surgery and the Surgical Research Committee of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), and has served on the Board of Governors of the American Pediatric Surgical Association. In 2021, Dr. Besner received the Sheen Award from the ACS, awarded to those on the frontier of medical science doing work with great promise. She was recently chosen as the 2024 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Allen Distinguished Scholar in Pediatric Research, awarded for scientific innovation and achievement in the prevention of childhood disease.
After graduating from the College of Medicine, Dr. Besner completed her general surgery residency at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and then spent two years as a research fellow in the Boston Children’s Hospital laboratory of Judah Folkman, MD, the founder of the field of angiogenesis. It was during that time that she discovered a new growth factor known as heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor.
Dr. Besner completed her pediatric surgery fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Buffalo before joining Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the faculty at Ohio State in 1991
James P. Herman, PhD, is the Flor van Maanen Professor of Pharmacology and Therapeutics and, since 2018, the chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology at the UC College of Medicine.
An internationally recognized expert in stress neurobiology, Dr. Herman is one of the most influential researchers in the field. His research has been responsible for uncovering the molecular basis of how the brain responds to stress and how a person’s response to stress can contribute to a variety of neurological diseases. He is most well-known for discovering the neuro-anatomical pathways that process stressful information and lead to adaptive or maladaptive physiological and behavioral responses.
Dr. Herman’s work has provided pivotal insight into how brain regions, such as the hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex and hypothalamus, work together to guide stress physiology. This landmark research established an understanding of the brain’s neurocircuit mechanisms and has been instrumental in the design of contemporary human neuroimaging approaches.
Additionally, studies in his laboratory showed the important involvement of the glucocorticoid receptor in chronic and acute stress as well as aging. This work proved the importance of the forebrain glucocorticoid receptor for stress inhibition and that it is required for anticipatory, but not reactive, responses. More recently, they demonstrated that the glucocorticoid receptor in the infralimbic cortex is required for inhibition of responses to anticipatory stimuli, and is critical for constraint of stress reactivity following chronic stress in a sex-specific manner. Collectively, this underscores the importance of glucocorticoid receptor signaling to stress reactivity in a neurocircuit context.
His work in the area of stress has led to Dr. Herman being asked by organizations, such as the National Academy of Sciences, American Physiological Society, Society for Biological Psychiatry and Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research, to provide expert opinions on the care and use of animals in research, culminating in the generation of the National Research Council’s guide on the recognition and alleviation of stress in lab animals.
Dr. Herman is the co-editor of the influential 2007 book “Sex Differences in the Brain” and has served as editor-in-chief of the scientific journal Stress since 2012. He is a founding organizer of the international conference Stress Neurobiology Workshop.
His more than three decades of innovative research led to him receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020 from the International Society for Psychoneuroendocrinology. In 2016, Dr. Herman was named a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Cincinnati.
Dr. Herman received his doctorate in neurobiology and anatomy from the University of Rochester and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan Mental Health
Research Institute. He joined the faculty of the University of Kentucky School of Medicine in 1991 and, since 2000, has been a faculty member at the UC College of Medicine.
Brett M. Kissela, MD, MS, is executive vice dean and senior associate dean for clinical research at the UC College of Medicine and chief of research services at UC Health. He also is the Albert Barnes Voorheis Professor of Neurology and chair of the college’s Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine.
Dr. Kissela is a national leader in stroke epidemiology, stroke recovery and the impact of diabetes on stroke. For nearly 20 years, he has been the principal investigator of a population-based study in Greater Cincinnati that has established much of the epidemiology of stroke in the U.S., including the estimated number of strokes in the country, the risk factors for stroke and the evolution of how stroke is treated and managed. He also has provided key leadership in a decade-long study that has provided critical data regarding the geographic and racial differences in stroke and stroke risk factors in the United States.
Within the Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, Dr. Kissela has served as assistant director of medical education, director of the residency program and co-director of the Vascular Neurology Fellowship Program. He served as vice chair of education and clinical services prior to being appointed department chair in 2014. As chair of the Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, he built a robust stroke recovery program at UC, establishing the Stroke Recovery Center at the Drake Center, where specialized therapies and an interdisciplinary team approach to recovery resulted in dramatic improvements for patients, even years after their stroke.
Through his role as senior associate dean for clinical research, the College of Medicine’s National Institutes of Health (NIH) and industry-sponsored research, including funding for clinical trials, has grown significantly.
From 2005 until 2023, Dr. Kissela was one of the co-principal investigators of the University of Cincinnati Clinical and Translational Science Award from the NIH.
Dr. Kissela currently serves as the secretary/treasurer of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Institute and as a member of the AAN Board of Directors. He has chaired several important AAN committees and task forces, including the AAN Consortium of Neurology Program Directors. Additionally, he has served as president of the local American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Board of Directors.
In 2005, Dr. Kissela received the Michael S. Pessin Stroke Leadership Prize from the American Academy of Neurology for his work in post-stroke outcomes. He also has received the American Heart Association 2018-2019 Gold Standard Board Award.
Dr. Kissela received his medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He completed his neurology residency at the University of Michigan, where he also served as chief resident, and a fellowship in cerebrovascular disease at UC. He also has earned a master’s degree in epidemiology from UC.
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Linda S. Book, MD
Linda Book, MD, a 1971 graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, is currently professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Utah School of Medicine. She is the emerita chief of the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology at the University of Utah and emerita director and co-founder of the Pediatric Liver Transplant Program and Liver Center at Primary Children’s Medical Center.
After receiving her medical degree, Dr. Book completed a pediatrics internship at Cincinnati Children’s and a pediatrics residency at the University of Utah. She then received fellowship training in pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition and cystic fibrosis at the University of Utah. Dr. Book has been a member of the University of Utah faculty in the Department of Pediatrics since 1976, rising to professor in 2001.
A pioneer in pediatric gastroenterology and hepatology, Dr. Book has an extensive clinical practice at Primary Children’s Medical Center, where she cares for infants, children and adolescents with liver disease as well as those needing care before and after liver transplant.
Her research accomplishments include describing the endemic nature of necrotizing enterocolitis in premature infants, the utility of pH probe testing in pediatric gastroesophageal reflux, genetic and clinical associations in celiac disease and multicenter studies on cholestatic liver disorders. Her research in celiac disease resulted in her reporting on the high incidence of the disease in children with Down Syndrome. She also has researched breast milk nutritional composition, the epidemiology of biliary atresia and Clostridium difficile diarrhea in children.
Dr. Book received the American Academy of Pediatrics Utah Chapter Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020 and the chapter’s Marty Palmer Service to Children Award in 2008. She was named to the Cincinnati Children’s Hall of Honor in 2012 and, in 2009, was honored with the Murray Davidson Award, which recognizes clinical, teaching and research excellence in pediatric gastroenterology, by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Dr. Book has held numerous national leadership positions in pediatric gastroenterology with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Society of Pediatric Liver Transplantation and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN). Among these were chair of NASPGHAN Women’s and Professional Development committees, council member for the Society for Liver Transplantation, president of the Utah Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) Pediatric Committee representative co-lead to improve care and allocation in liver transplantation, UNOS regional representative, and AAP Gastroenterology Section membership chair. She is currently active in global outreach efforts to Mongolia and Mexico to provide education and care to children with liver disease.
Henry A. Nasrallah, MD
Henry A. Nasrallah, MD, is an emeritus professor of psychiatry, neurology and neuroscience and vice chair for faculty development in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at the UC College of Medicine. An internationally recognized psychiatrist, educator and researcher, Dr. Nasrallah’s expertise is in schizophrenia and his research focuses on the neurobiology and psychopharmacology of schizophrenia and psychotic mood disorders.
Dr. Nasrallah received his undergraduate and medical degrees from
the American University of Beirut. Following his psychiatric residency at the University of Rochester and neuroscience fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, he served as an assistant professor at the University of California, San Diego. He then became an associate professor and chief of psychiatry at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center at the University of Iowa. At age 38, he became chair of the Department of Psychiatry at The Ohio State University.
After serving as chair at Ohio State for 12 years, Dr. Nasrallah joined the faculty at the University of Mississippi. Four years later, he was recruited to the UC College of Medicine as associate dean for faculty mentorship. In 2013, Dr. Nasrallah became chair of the Department of Neurology and Psychiatry at the St. Louis University School of Medicine and held the Sydney Souers Endowed Chair. Dr. Nasrallah returned to the UC College of Medicine in 2019.
During his lengthy career, Dr. Nasrallah has published 460 scientific articles, 630 abstracts, 185 editorials and 13 books and currently is editor-in-chief of three peer-review journals. He is the founder of the Schizophrenia International Research Society, which holds an annual conference alternating between Europe and North America attended by more than 1,800 international researchers. He also established the CURESZ Foundation, which provides educational and advocacy services to families with a child suffering from schizophrenia.
Dr. Nasrallah and his wife, Amelia, an emerita faculty member at the UC College of Medicine, have established a dozen endowed lectureships and research and teaching awards for faculty, residents and medical students since 1998. Three of these support research and education at the UC Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience.
Earlier this year Dr. Nasrallah received the 2023 Stanley Dean Research Award from the American College of Psychiatrists for major contributions to the treatment of schizophrenia. He also has received the Golden Apple Teaching Award at four different medical schools, twice received the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) National Exemplary Psychiatrist Award and was recognized as the U.S. Teacher of the Year by The Psychiatric Times.
Daniel Woo, MD
Daniel Woo, MD, is a leader in stroke research with significant contributions to the understanding of the epidemiology of stroke, particularly intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). A professor and vice chair of clinical research in the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, he has been during the last decade one of the highest funded researchers by the National Institute of Neurological Diseases. Among his important contributions was to establish that the impact of hypertension on ICH, which occurs in the cerebral lobes, was much less than previously thought and that risk factors for cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) accounted for a much greater risk in lobar regions of the brain. CAA was once considered a rare cause of ICH, but Dr. Woo’s research showed that up to a third of all lobar ICHs may be caused by CAA, establishing it as a major mechanism of ICH. Through his research, Dr. Woo led the first large-scale genomewide association study for ICH. His research also has had a specific focus for the disproportionate risk among African Americans and Hispanics, including identifying variation in the strength of traditional risk factors by race/ethnicity as well as by sex. This identification then replicated in multiple cerebral small vessel disease phenotypes and Dr. Woo’s research then performed deep sequencing, RNA sequencing and direct protein measurements to identify a potential novel risk factor for ICH as well as cerebral small vessel disease. In addition, Dr. Woo has been evaluating stroke recovery with a particular focus on ICH. His research has demonstrated that a chronic inflammatory state may exist after ICH which can last for years after the stroke. If so, he hopes to identify a treatment that may reduce the inflammation and the long-term cognitive deficits associated with it. In addition to these additions to the ICH literature, Dr. Woo is leading a study on how advanced neuroimaging techniques may be able to predict recovery after ICH. By better defining the prediction of outcomes, patient selection for treatment studies, as well as identifying novel molecular targets for intervention, may be discovered. Dr. Woo received his medical degree in 1994 and a master’s degree in molecular genetics in 2004 from the UC College of Medicine. He completed his residency in neurology at the Cleveland Clinic and then returned to the UC College of Medicine for a fellowship in cerebrovascular disorders. Dr. Woo joined the College of Medicine faculty in 1999. Since 2014, he has served as associate director of clinical research for the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute and, from 2009 until 2019, he was the associate director of the UC Center for Environmental Genetics. Dr. Woo has received numerous UC honors, including the Faculty Excellence Award (2020), Excellence Award for Faculty-to-Faculty Research Mentoring (2018) and the College of Medicine Research Service Award (2016). In 2004 he received the Robert G. Siekert American Heart Association New Investigator in Stroke Award.
Melanie T. Cushion, PhD
Melanie T. Cushion, PhD, is senior associate dean for research and professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, at the College of Medicine, and one of 50 Veterans Affairs (VA) senior research career scientists in the country. She is an internationally recognized expert in the field of fungi, having researched fungal pathogens for more than 30 years. Early in her career, Dr. Cushion began working with organisms referred to as Pneumocystis, the leading killer of patients with advanced HIV infection in the early years of the AIDS epidemic. At that time, these microbes were thought to be protozoans, but her work with others in the college led to the discovery that they were actually fungal pathogens. She later initiated the Pneumocystis Genome Project, which helped to understand the metabolism and genetics of the fungus, and her laboratory was the first to report Pneumocystis carinii possesses a linear mitochondrial genome. Further work in her lab also showed that Pneumocystis were highly efficient in transmission of infection. Recent research by Dr. Cushion led to the identification of Pneumocystis sexual reproduction as a new drug target. Inhibition of this mode of reproduction by the anti-fungal echinocandins resulted in prevention and eradication of Pneumocystis pneumonia, an entirely new paradigm. Dr. Cushion's research program has been funded since 1987 through more than $30 million in grants from the VA, National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. She is a member of the Joint Program Committee-2 (JPC-2), the advisory body to the JPC-2 Chair for the Defense Health Program Military Infectious Diseases Research Program, and is a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and of the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM) Program. As senior associate dean since 2013, Dr. Cushion has established several internal grant programs, grant pre-review workshops and training sessions, symposia and recognition awards for College of Medicine research faculty and staff. She has mentored and trained numerous graduate students, junior faculty, postdoctoral and infectious diseases fellows. In 2017, she was honored with the Antimicrobial Research Award from the American Society for Microbiology.
Michael K. Farrell, MD
Michael K. Farrell, MD, professor in the College of Medicine's Department of Pediatrics, received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. He came to Cincinnati Children's as a resident in 1974 and then completed fellowships in ambulatory and emergency pediatrics and pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition. Dr. Farrell joined the College of Medicine faculty in 1979 and has held numerous leadership positions at Cincinnati Children's, including Pediatric Residency Program director (1979 to 2001), medical director of home health care (1988 to 2017), chief of staff (1993 to 2015) and associate chair of clinical affairs for the Department of Pediatrics (1993 to 2015). He has specialized in treating gastrointestinal and nutritional diseases of children with special needs. His research has focused on parenteral and enteral nutrition and he was among the first to study the relationship between infantile apnea and gastroesophageal reflux. He also helped define the hepatobiliary complications associated with parenteral nutrition and participated in important studies defining vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus requirements in infant parenteral nutrition solutions. Dr. Farrell, a highly admired and inspirational mentor and teacher, has impacted hundreds of young physicians in training. He developed many combined residency programs at Cincinnati Children's and the College of Medicine, including medicine and pediatrics, pediatrics and physical medicine and rehabilitation, pediatrics and genetics, and a triple-board-certified program in pediatrics, psychiatry and child psychiatry. Dr. Farrell has impacted medical education nationwide through his leadership roles in several national organizations. More than 30 years ago, Dr. Farrell and colleagues engaged Cincinnati pediatricians as teachers and developed office-based rotations in the community for additional learning opportunities for young physicians in training. Dr. Farrell's lengthy career and interest in medical history led him to serve as chair of the History Committee of Cincinnati Children's and also as a member of the UC Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions Advisory Board.
Bruce F. Giffin, PhD
Bruce F. Giffin, PhD, associate dean for medical education and professor and vice chair in the Department of Medical Education at the College of Medicine, has been a faculty member since 1994. After beginning his career as a college music instructor and high school chemistry and music teacher, Dr. Giffin became a student at the College of Medicine, receiving his doctorate in neuroanatomy and cell biology in 1985. He then served on the faculty of the University of Dayton for five years before returning to the College of Medicine as a perinatal biology fellow and postdoctoral assistant. Dr. Giffin has taught gross anatomy to medical students in addition to numerous other courses. A beloved and appreciated teacher, he continues to direct several courses in the medical school curriculum and has received, to date, nearly 40 teaching awards from medical students. In 2012, Dr. Giffin received the prestigious Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teaching Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges, a national award honoring the best medical school teachers in North America. He also received the 2005 A.B. Dolly Cohen Award for Excellence in Teaching from the University of Cincinnati. Since 2014, Dr. Giffin has served as associate dean for medical education. He has taught more than 4,000 medical students during his career and has been an influential force in the evolution of the medical school curriculum, both as an educational leader and from the many innovations he has brought to his courses. Dr. Giffin also has taught numerous unique courses in the college, including The Neuroscience of Creativity, The Neuroscience of Music, and Art and Medicine, and has been a cooking instructor for the college's Clinical Nutrition elective. Dr. Giffin's musical skills also have supported his work since 2003 as director of the College of Medicine's Men's and Women's Choruses.
William Barrett, MD
William Barrett, MD, holds the Charles M. Barrett, MD, Endowed Chair in Radiation Oncology and is professor and chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology. He also is the co-director of the UC Cancer Center. Dr. Barrett has led the Department of Radiation Oncology since its founding in 2008 and was director of the UC Cancer Institute from 2014 until 2020. Barrett has been praised for his absolute commitment and loyalty to his colleagues, to the College of Medicine, and his compassionate approach to his patients. He is known as the consummate physician, and an inspiring educator and role model whose dedication, integrity and compassion makes him an example of excellence. Dr. Barrett’s work with the community in promoting cancer care and prevention has earned him enormous respect and trust, and his efforts have raised the organizational structure and quality of UC cancer programs. Dr. Barrett received his medical degree from the College of Medicine in 1987. He completed postgraduate training at UC and a brachytherapy fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center followed by his appointment to the UC faculty in 1992. Dr. Barrett and his father, Charles Barrett, MD, are the first father and son to both receive Drake Medals.
W. Brian Gibler, MD
W. Brian Gibler, MD, has been a Department of Emergency Medicine faculty member since 1989, serving as chair from 1995 until 2010. His research in the early diagnosis and treatment of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) has been internationally recognized and changed emergency practice. Through groundbreaking funded research on the utilization of cardiac serum biomarkers, cardiac imaging studies, and graded exercise testing in short stay Emergency Department protocols, the evaluation, and treatment of emergency patients with chest pain and ACS have evolved and improved significantly. Dr. Gibler’s research has led to more rapid identification, early treatment, and improved outcomes for emergency patients across the world. While on faculty at Vanderbilt University, he founded in 1989 and serves as the chair of the Emergency Medicine Cardiac Research and Education Group (EMCREG) – International. In recognition of his research in emergency cardiac care, Dr. Gibler was elected a fellow of the American College of Cardiology in 2010, the first emergency physician so recognized. He received the Chest Pain Society Ray Bahr Leadership Award (2008) and the Outstanding Contribution to Research Award from the American College of Emergency Physicians (1995). Dr. Gibler received his medical degree in 1981 from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and completed his emergency medicine residency at UC in 1986, serving as chief resident. Dr. Gibler served as president and CEO of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center from 2010 through 2013.
Peter Stern, MD
Peter Stern, MD, is an internationally distinguished clinician-teacher who has dedicated himself to the field of hand surgery. He has earned a reputation as an authority on fractures of the wrist and hand, infections, tendon and nerve injuries, and complications of surgery of the upper extremity. Dr. Stern created the highly regarded Mary S. Stern Hand Fellowship and has trained more than 70 hand surgeons and 175 residents. Currently holding the Norman S. and Elizabeth C.A. Hill Professorship of Orthopaedic Surgery, he became chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in 1992 and led the department until 2013. Dr. Stern has served as president of each of the major hand surgery and orthopaedic associations, including the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, American Orthopaedic Association and the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. He has received numerous honours, including the Distinguished Contributions to Orthopaedic Surgery award (2019) from the American Orthopaedic Association, the most prestigious award in the field of orthopaedic surgery. Dr. Stern and his parents also have established four endowed chairs in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. A graduate of Williams College and the Washington University School of Medicine, he completed his orthopaedic residency at Harvard University.
Alan Jobe, MD, PhD
Alan Jobe, MD, PhD, has been a thought leader in neonatology survival and quality of life for preterm infants worldwide through his research on pulmonary maturation, the physiology and biochemistry of surfactant, and the hormones and infectious diseases that influence pulmonary maturation in preterm infants. He was among the first to define the biochemical, molecular and physiologic mechanisms of surfactant in the developing lung which led to the application of surfactant as a therapy for preterm infants. Dr. Jobe also developed the novel concepts underlying the pathogenesis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, a chronic lung disease of prematurity and his pulmonary research led to the safe use of antenatal glucocorticoids for the prevention of respiratory distress syndrome. Dr. Jobe received his medical and doctorate degrees in 1973 from the University of California, San Diego. He served on the faculty of the University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine from 1977 until 1997. He has been a member of the UC College of Medicine faculty since in 1997. Dr. Jobe also consults for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for maternal-fetal mortality.
Laura Wexler, MD
Laura Wexler, MD, served from 2001 until 2011 as Senior Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Admissions at the UC College of Medicine, making numerous significant changes to student services and the admissions process. She instituted a new and innovative program for student mental health services and academic assistance for students. In 2008, she led UC to become the first U.S. medical school to adopt the Multiple Mini Interview system, a more holistic approach for medical student selection emphasizing humanistic skills and qualities. Dr. Wexler also served for 11 years as Cardiology Section Chief at the Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center, instituting many changes to improve access to specialty care and enhancing the cardiology fellowship and residency training programs. Dr. Wexler received her medical degree in 1971 from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She completed residency training with Harvard Medical School at Boston City Hospital and a cardiology fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital. After serving on the faculty at Boston University School of Medicine, Dr. Wexler joined the UC College of Medicine faculty in 1987.
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