Conquering diabetes. The pledge to eradicate this disease begins at the highest levels of the University of Virginia Health System and extends across the entire organization. This commitment has made UVa a national leader against a degenerative disease that affects one in three UVa Medical Center patients and 20 per-cent of the United States population.

Diabetes affects every cell and system in the body. Complications include heart disease, kidney fail-ure, stroke, eye problems and much more. Understanding, treating and curing this disease and its complica-tions requires doctors, nurses, dieti-cians, educators, lab technicians and other experts to work together – and it is the foundation for UVa’s leader-ship in the diabetes fight.

“Collaboration is the cornerstone of what our academic medical center has to offer. No one of us could do it without the others,” says Inpatient Transplant Coordinator, Carol Lawson, R.N., N.P., who joins a team of doctors, nurses, diabetic educators and nutritionists to help transplant patients manage diabetes. This team

also cares for diabetic patients who come to UVa’s transplantation pro-gram to be cured via full-organ pan-creas and islet cell transplants.

Thanks to the increasing indus-trialization of developing countries

and shifts to high-fat diets and less exercise, diabetes is poised to be the next worldwide epidemic.

More than 60 million people in the U.S. alone have diabetes or

It takes a team. at the forefront in the fight against diabetes is a team of specialists in patient care, transplantation and cellular research. team leaders include (L to R): kenneth Brayman, m.D., director, Center for Cellular transplantation and therapeutics; from the Division of endocrinology and metabolism: Professor of medicine eugene Barrett, m.D., Ph.D.; Chief Jerry Nadler, m.D.; Professor of medicine and Pharmacology Raghu mirmira, m.D., Ph.D.

Leading the Fight against DiabetesUVa collaborates on state-of-the-art treatments, cures

Low back pain

Employee discounts

Paginggoes personal

A U G U S T 2 0 0 6

LINKFOR&ABOUT: T h e H e a l t h S y s t e m C o m m u n i t y

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See “Diabetes” on page �

New UVa Health magazine Debuts

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NEWS&INFORMATION

Going for the Green

August marks the launch of Vim & Vigor, a new magazine that shares the expertise of UVa Health System faculty and staff with more than 50,000 households in our region. This free, quarterly consumer pub-lication will be placed in all UVa Health System clinics and mailed to

women in the wider community the Health System serves.

In addition to articles on treatment, prevention, nutrition, exercise and fit-ness, each issue will feature informa-tion from UVa Health System doctors, nurses, dietitians and other experts. The goal of Vim & Vigor is to build a relationship with consumers as a trusted resource for health informa-tion and preferred health provider.

Research shows that women make 70 percent of family healthcare deci-sions, spend nearly two-thirds of healthcare dollars and are frequent users of health services. Vim & Vigor targets the woman who considers herself the informed decision-maker regarding her family’s care.

“Women are routinely charged with many tasks, from deciding what the family is going to have for din-ner to helping parents sign up for their new Medicare prescription plan,” says Susan Kirk, M.D., associate professor, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism and associate dean for graduate medical education. “To make the day-to-day – and at times, life-altering – decisions, we have to take the time to educate ourselves on a wide variety of topics.

“Vim & Vigor is intended to pro-vide useful and timely information geared toward helping women make their lives and the lives of their fami-lies healthier and, hopefully, better balanced.”

For a free subscription, go to myuvahealthsource.com.

sss

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When it comes to creativity and protecting the environment, look no further than UVa’s Facilities Management, Health System Physical Plant (HSPP).

In early June, when employees in the West Complex discovered thousands of bees swarming on the roof, they requested assistance from HSPP. Investigation revealed honeybees searching for their dream home.

Rather than kill the bees, HSPP preserved this environmentally ben-eficial species. Bees pollinate more than 100 crops worth an estimated $10 billion in the U.S. alone each year. Bee population has declined

about 50 percent over the past 50 years, which has affected the food supply worldwide.

Sherwood Gibson, supervisor of the Mason/Plasterer Shop, and Plumber Supervisor Freddy Snoddy swept the bees into a cardboard box with an entrance hole simulating a hive. They then transported the bees to a manmade hive far from the Medical Center. In the process, Sherwood received only seven stings.

But bee rescue and hiving is not the only HSPP green initia-tive underway. At UVa Children’s Hospital Kluge Children’s Rehabilitation Center (KCRC), goats S’more and Nellie are clear-

ing weeds and invasive plants from the site of a future mobility trail. The trail will help children practice walking and/or wheeling over var-ied surfaces, as well as negotiating the higher challenges of curb cuts and stairs.

Instead of using pesticides, staff time and money to eliminate the poison ivy, Japanese honeysuckle, Asiatic bittersweet, pokeweed, black-berries and other invasive plants, HSPP borrowed S’more and Nellie from Trades Utility Senior Larry BeBout. In addition to saving man-hours, using the goats to clear veg-etation is easier on the environment.

While on duty, the goats live behind a fence in a KCRC site surrounding an old swimming pool. They get Goat Chow and all the vegetation they can eat. “We couldn’t have done this except in an enclosed area,” says Will Shaw, HSPP associate director. “This is goat heaven.”

Kluge’s young patients have enjoyed visiting the goats, says Laurie Sewell, certified therapeu-tic recreation specialist. “We’re so fortunate to be in a setting where nature can play a part in healing. The kids and families are drawn to the goats because of their connec-tion to home and pets and wildlife.”

Toiling since mid-June, S’more and Nellie will likely have the area cleared by Labor Day, says Shaw.

UVa’s Facilities management abuzz with eco-friendly Initiatives

a tIgHt FIt

this 30-ton lime silo

section arrived in June.

two sections attach to

form the storage silo

for the lime that is one

element of new air

pollution control

systems designed to

meet environmental

Protection agency

regulations. UVa

is engaged in a

$72 million project to

ensure availability of

reliable steam to the

Health system and the

rest of the University.

Instead of

using toxic

pesticides

and many

man-hours,

Facilities

management

borrowed

Nellie (left)

and s’more

to clear the

land for a new

children’s

mobility trail at

UVa Children’s

Hospital kluge

Children’s

Rehabilitation

Center.

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Walk through Radiology, Central Supply or Surgery these days and you’ll notice something new: It’s quiet. That is, the constant stream of over-head paging has disappeared.

Look around and you’ll see why: a wireless device around the neck or clipped to the clothing of many employees. The Vocera® “badge” is 4.5 inches long, with a call button, micro-phone, speaker and display that shows caller ID and text messages.

The pilot program began in those three departments in late spring. “We targeted pretty intense areas, where quick communication is key to manag-ing good and safe patient care,” says Jim McGowan, Ph.D., medical center administrator, Surgery. The results were dramatic. Staff estimated that within 24 hours overhead paging had declined by 90 percent.

Medical Center Manager Glenn Fielding serves as the project man-ager for implementation and ongoing program support. Sal Palumbo, R.N., clinician III, who specializes in clinical application of information technol-ogy for Vocera® and other systems in Perioperative Services, provided sup-port to all the staff and other users. Medical Center Manager Alan Oktay leads the Network Services group that installed the wireless network that Vocera® transmits on, and integrated the new network into the existing infrastructure and systems.

“Network Services played a pivotal role in this project’s success,” says Fielding. “Their flex-ibility, patience and commitment to our success went above and beyond. We are fortu-nate to have them as part of the team.”

McGowan says the days of searching for a phone to return a page are gone. Operating on a wireless local area net-work, Vocera® system software automatically finds people by name, function or group, then sends the message, eliminating the need to find phone numbers, too.

“If we need something quickly from Central Supply during a case, we just hit the button and ask for them and bring it up,” says McGowan, adding that about 500 people are actually on the system at any given time.

Vocera® also can send or receive phone calls from outside the Medical Center, which has greatly reduced “phone tag.” Headsets and voice activa-tion allow for hands-free communica-tion as well.

With the pilot project’s success, the Vocera® system soon will expand to Central Sterile and Neonatal Intensive Care.

Wireless Device Aids Communication

Prof. Bankole Johnson Receives aPa’s Highest award as educator, Researcher, Clinician

I Care

Our Commitment: To ensure that

patients and families have the best

possible experience at UVa

Our goal: To score higher in patient

satisfaction than three-quarters of our

regional peer group

“In Patient Access, we make the

process as stress-free as possible for

patients by ensuring that those things

needed for correct billing, such as insur-

ance verification, referrals and authoriza-

tions, are in place. That’s our way of

saying ‘I Care’ to our patients.”

Debra RappoldOutpatient Operations/

Insurance Verification

The American Psychiatric Association honored Bankole Johnson, M.D., Ph.D., chair of UVa’s Department of Psychiatric Medicine, with its Award for Distinguished Psychiatrist, the organization’s highest honor. Award recipients must have distinguished careers in three areas – education, research and clinical contributions. These criteria are also the three parts of the UVa Health System’s mission.

“Two of my other colleagues on our faculty also received awards there so it was superb for UVa,” says Johnson, who has devoted his career to treating addiction, partic-ularly alcohol and cocaine depen-dence. (See People & News.)

Johnson’s approach, which he began by studying alcoholism, is fundamentally innovative. “When I started in this field about 20 years ago, there wasn’t much out there for the treatment of alcohol

dependence beyond Alcoholics Anonymous and a drug that made you sick if you drank alcohol. Now, with a group of colleagues, we’ve identified alcoholism as a major brain disease and demon-strated that medicines targeted towards the underlying disease can make a difference.

“We’ve taken a field outside of medicine and put it on the fore-front of clinical neuroscience and psychiatry,” says Johnson, whose training includes degrees from Glasgow and Oxford Universities.

Johnson believes that these treatments will eventually become routine tools for physicians. He and his colleagues also are working with a chemist to develop patented medicines, putting UVa at the fore-front of a biotechnology industry.

As an educator, Johnson’s goal is to “bring new people into the field, and develop fellows in our program and the junior faculty so that they become the leaders of tomorrow.”

Johnson will soon serve as lead principal investigator on a $5 mil-lion National Institutes of Health-funded research study to curb methamphetamine dependence.

[People & News]

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Sign up now for UVA-WorkMed’s

free “No Sweat” course. Six con-secutive Thursdays, September 14 to October 26, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Dining Conference Rooms, University Hospital. The program focuses on improving health, strength, flexibility and cardiovascular endurance through regular 10-minute bursts of exercise and energy-fueling changes in eat-ing. Registration is required; call Mary Conlon at 243-0077.

Bradley Miller, M.D., Ph.D., research associate and clinical faculty in Pathology, Division of Neuropathology, received the College of American Pathologists Foundation Scholars Award. This national award enables young medical investigators to develop independent and productive research careers by providing $25,000 in salary support for one year of pure research, keeping talented young patholo-gists “in the pipeline for tomorrow’s discoveries,” the Foundation says.

On March 18, Wendy Trout, RTR, CRLS, successfully completed the renal lithotripsy exam in San Francisco, only the fourth certified lithotripsy technologist to join the Department of Urology since 1984, when lithotripsy was developed. Lithotripsy breaks up kidney stones that are too big to pass, eliminating pain and discomfort for patients. Many physicians refer patients to the UVa Health System for this specialized ser-vice. “Wendy displays such a helpful and positive attitude that is reflected in her work and with all staff,” says Lithotripter Coordinator Doug Sheffer,

RTR, CRLS.

The Medical Center Employee of the Month for June for is Ulygbek

Nazirov, a cater-ing associate for Nutrition Services. Even if it will mean he is late leaving work, he stays to

ensure that patients with last-minute diet changes receive what they need. For two weeks, when the icemaker on the floor was broken, he did not leave his shift until he had filled the ice container for both day and night shift – even though it was not part of his normal duties. “He really made sure we were able to care of our patients and make our lives much easier,” his

nomination reads. “His commitment to his job, the patients and UVa Hospital really shines through every day.”

Rose Powell is the School of Medicine Employee of the Month for July. An administrative and office spe-cialist in the Department of Neurology, Rose is recognized for her com-mitment to quality patient care and her excellent working relation-ship with residents, fellows and clinical faculty. A gifted problem-solver, Rose “always goes the extra mile” to ensure that clin-ical notes and letters are transcribed and that information is communicated to patients in an efficient manner. “Rose is a consistently reliable source of skill, personality and professional-ism in Neurology. She always has a smile on her face and is always willing to help others,” one nominator wrote.

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) Committee on Medical Student Education awarded the Nancy C.A. Roeske, M.D., Certificate of Recognition for Excellence in Medical Student Education to Gabrielle

Marzani-Nissen, M.D., assistant professor, Department of Psychiatric Medicine. The certificate is awarded annually to APA members and fellows who have made outstanding and sus-taining contributions to medical stu-dent education. Dr. Marzani-Nissen is also medical director for 5E, Inpatient Unit, medical coordinator for the Clinical Pharmacology Research Unit and the HIV psychiatrist for the Ryan White Program.

Ed Kantor, M.D., assistant profes-sor in the Department of Psychiatric Medicine, was awarded the Bruno Lima Award for Excellence in Disaster Psychiatry from the American Psychiatric Association. This award recognizes outstanding contribu-tions of District Branch members to the care and understanding of the victims of disasters, and supports professional values as well as encour-ages training among psychiatrists in the area of disaster psychiatry. Dr. Kantor directs the Division of Consult-Liaison, Emergency and Community

Psychiatry and serves as residency training director in psychiatry at UVa.

Dr. Mary Lee Vance, professor of internal medicine and neurosur-gery, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, has been elected presi-dent-elect of The Pituitary Society for the 2006–2007 term and will assume its presidency the following year. The Pituitary Society is an international organization of physicians and sci-entists, neurosurgeons, neuroendo-crinologists and neuropathologists dedicated to understanding pituitary gland diseases.

Free prostate cancer screenings

will be offered on Sept. 16, 7:45 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the Urology Department, West Complex, second floor, for men over 50, men over 40 with a family history of prostate cancer and African-American men over 40. Free parking. Questions: 924-2225.

UVa nurses are making a major impact in professional nursing publications nationwide. Chief Clinical Officer/

Chief Nursing Officer Pamela

Cipriano, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, was named editor-in-chief of the new American Nurses Association official journal, American Nurse Today. The first issue, published by HealthCom Media, premieres in October. School

of Nursing Dean Jeanette

Lancaster, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, has been named editor of the national interdisciplinary journal, Family and Community Health. Nursing student Justine Mize was elected to the board of the National Student Nurses’ Association where she serves as editor of their publication, Imprint.

Free Saturday Health ScreeningsStroke. Cancer. Heart Disease. Diabetes. No community is immune from these serious diseases, but regular checkups and education can go a long way in prevention. For this reason, UVa Health System is offering free health screen-ings on the first Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. to noon in the University Hospital’s pre-admis-sion suite located just off the lobby. UVa health professionals will check blood pressure, calculate BMIs (body mass indexes) and teach participants about their health risks. No appointment is necessary. This is a walk-in event with free parking. For more information, call 924-DOCS (3627).

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Everybody likes to save money. Health System staff now have the UVa Medical Center Employee Council and Human Resources to thank for creating a new employee perk that is especially valuable in this time of rising costs: the Health System Employee Discount Program.

Launched last fall, the Employee Discount Program’s participating local businesses offer discounts to any Health System employee who presents an ID badge or other form of verification, as specified on the Discount Program website.

Currently, 50 businesses are par-ticipating, with the council working at adding new ones all the time. Participants range from the Kroger grocery store to realtors and apart-ment complexes, restaurants, tax preparation agencies and many local retailers. Merchants provide dis-counts ranging from 5 to 25 percent

off products or services, or offer special promotions.

At this time of year, fam-ilies might find the theme park discounts especially welcome. Adventure Island, Busch Gardens, SeaWorld, Sesame Place and Water Country USA all offer perks for UVa Health System employees.

Another way to save money is through Southern Health, which provides dis-counts on health and well-ness products, fitness center memberships, smoking cessation programs, Weight Watchers, Lasik vision cor-rection and Vision One.

Medical Center Employee Council also has compiled a list of staff members who are notary publics and are

willing to make their services avail-able to colleagues at no cost.

“The Medical Center Employee Council is continuing to work to make cost-saving programs for employees a reality, and we’re always open to hearing from employees with ideas about how to make the Medical Center a better place to work,” says Melanie Evans, who chairs the Employee Council.

Address questions to your council representative or contact Melanie at 924-2938 or mae8n@virginia.edu.

For the most up-to-date infor-

mation on notaries and the

Employee Discount Program,

go to KnowledgeLink, then click

on “Managing Your Money” and

“Employee Perks!”

For Southern Health discounts visit:

http://www.southernhealth.com.

employee Discount Program keeps money in Your Pocket

Participating Employee Discount Program Merchants

• Automotive Volvo of Charlottesville

•Entertainment adventure Island Busch gardens seaWorld sesame Place Water Country Usa

•Food&Restaurants Casella’s High meadows Inn & Restaurant Jaberwocke Java Java kroger mario’s New York Pizza & Pasta take It away

•Health&Beauty american spirit Institute Healthy Inspirations Professional Optical service

•Home&Storage access Home mortgages Budget Blinds of Charlottesville Carriage Hill apartments Cleaning services Unlimited Jefferson Ridge kmX mobile security shredding Lakeside apartments mr. Handyman of Charlottesville Orkin Pest Control Prudential Charlotte Ramsey, Inc. sweetwater Country Home total entertainment solutions Virginia Business Interiors

•OtherDiscounts agape Florist allsorts Promotional Products Batteries Plus Birdwood golf Course Bright Beginnings Carys Camera Cavalier Wireless edible arrangements Huntington Learning Center emerald kBs equine Instruction and Boarding Liberty tax service mark setaro Nature’s New Hope Peoples Income tax Photoworks Creative group southern Health sprint student Book store Inc. the Boar’s Head Inn gift store Virginia Discovery museum

•Travel the Inn at Court square

Expanded Cable Brings Patients More Health InfoUVa Health System has expanded its cable television line-up, offer-ing new access to health infor-mation in patient rooms and at various sites in the Medical Center. Programming from Adelphia Cable

is supplemented with health-related offerings. Channel 97 offers HealthTV with health-related top-ics repeated throughout the day. Channel 98 offers the Newborn Channel with information for new parents repeated throughout the day; the Spanish version is on Channel 99.

For patients who are hearing-impaired, there is a button on the

pillow speaker for closed captioning. For patients who speak Spanish, Spanish subtitles are available by calling 4-2391 from the patient’s room. Channels 95 & 96 are video request channels. A wide range of titles in English and Spanish can be selected by calling 2-1600. Detailed Television Program Guides are avail-able on hospital units or by calling 4-5724.

Loch Ness monster, Busch gardens Williamsburg

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21

• When lifting, create a solid base by

making sure your feet are shoulder-

width or a little wider. Then, bend your

legs and lift with your legs while

keeping your head up and

back straight.

Keeping your low back and its supporting

muscles strong is important, but they should

be combined with safe lifting and control

techniques at work. Here are some ways to

avoid injury on the job:

• Warm up first. Your skeletal muscles are like

a sponge; at rest they do not have much

blood in them and are rigid. Many injuries

are caused by subjecting tight muscles to an

abrupt, heavy workload without any prepara-

tion. When you warm up, blood saturates

the muscles, making them more flexible,

substantially decreasing your chance

of injury.

bending movements, taken to the extreme, can contribute to low back injury. These actions can often irritate an existing injury, not allowing the area to heal.

Initial low back pain can be very severe and last for several hours, sev-eral days or even a couple of weeks. Most acute lower back pain is caused by muscle strain. When these muscles are damaged, the areas around them can become inflamed, causing the back to spasm, leading to both severe lower back pain and difficulty moving.

Persistent, or chronic, low back pain lasting for more than two weeks can lead to muscle weakness (since the muscles hurt, the tendency is to avoid using them). This process leads to muscle atrophy, or wasting away, causing more low back pain because weakened muscles are less able to support the spine.

keep Your Back safe & strong“Low back health should be a priority for everyone, but especially for those individuals whose livelihood depends upon their physical ability to work,” says Dr. David Rubendall, medical director of UVA-WorkMed, “What an individual may perceive to be a simple injury, if left untreated, can develop into a chronic problem.”

Low back injury is the leading result of accident in those under age 45. According to the 2004 Virginia Worker’s Compensation Commission Report, low back injury was respon-sible for more than $53 million in total costs.

The lower back is vulnerable to injury, partly because of its anatomical positioning in the middle of the body. Like most anything, if compressed at the ends, it bends in the middle.

Some movements we perform every day, such as twisting and

On the Job

3• Keep the object

you are lifting close

to your body for

greatest control.

4• Do not twist, reach across,

or behind your body to

move an object. Address

the object squarely.

thomas miller, medical center supervisor, UVa- Workmed, demonstrates proper lifting techniques.

Aerial view of the necessary equipment and many patient

cars at the Remote Area Medical (RAM) Clinic at the

Virginia-Kentucky Fairgrounds in Wise County in southwest

Virginia. The UVa Health System sent 135 volunteers to the free clinic, which provided

a record 7,917 patient services valued at nearly $1.3 million in

care from July 28 to July 30. “The selflessness and profes-

sionalism of our volunteers under strenuous circumstances

reflects the quality employees that make the UVa Health

System one of the nation’s top hospitals,” said Edward Howell,

vice president and CEO UVa Medical Center.

RAM 2006

Look for full coverage in the September LINK.

Avoid injury by strengthening the low back and the muscles that sup-port it: the extensors, the flexors and the obliques. Weak abdominal mus-cles also are often associated with low back problems. These muscles collectively are referred to as “core” muscles. Core training exercises are effective in conditioning this area and are particularly beneficial to low back health.

Low back injury can take many forms and only your doctor can assess the problem accurately. What may seem to be a minor injury may actu-ally be more serious than you think. Allowing an injury to persist and attempting to “tough it out” can lead to a chronic injury that will weaken the area further.

If you injure your lower back, seek medical attention as soon as possible.

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families more readily iden-tify their registered nurse,” says PNSO President Lisa Forsyth, R.N., MSN, clini-cian IV, clinical educator. “The RN is the go-to person for every aspect of the patient’s daily care. Making it as easy as possible for patients and families to know who to ask to get updates, convey information and make requests also relates to Joint Commission on Accrediation of Healthcare Organizations National Patient Safety Goals.”

prediabetes, and it is the only major disease whose death rate is rising.

“The need has never been more urgent,” says Jerry Nadler, M.D., chief of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, which consistently places in the top six on the prestigious “U.S. News & World Report” national rankings. “I came to UVa because it offered me the opportunity to build a world-class diabetes program. Our center attracts top-notch people from around the world and they’re study-ing diabetes from all angles.”

In healthy people, insulin-pro-ducing cells in the pancreas regu-late blood sugar, helping to send nutrients throughout the body. In people with diabetes, those cells, also called beta or islet cells, are either nonexistent (type 1 diabe-tes, typically found in children) or their body resists insulin (type 2 diabetes, traditionally found in the elderly but rapidly accelerating in children). A healthy diet and exer-cise prevent type 2 diabetes, but in countries where prepared foods and sedentary lifestyles reign, diabetes is rising at an alarming rate. UVa has seen its kidney transplant numbers alone double since 2002, and half of those patients have diabetes.

“Diabetes doesn’t stand still, it progresses over time,” says James M. Moss Professor of Diabetes Anthony McCall, M.D., Ph.D., who co-founded UVa’s diabetes and cardiovascular clinic. Cardiovascular disease (which can lead to heart attacks and stroke) is the primary cause of death among people with diabetes.

The clinic’s multidisciplinary team of cardiologists, cardiovas-

DiabetesContinued from page �

If you have

diabetes,

or want to

learn how

to decrease

your chance

of developing

diabetes,

sign up for

the free

“Diabetes

Health”

e-newsletter

and access

diabetes

health

information

online at

uvahealth.

com.

Now that the days of the white uni-form and cap are gone, patients can be confused about which of the many people who come to their room is actually their registered nurse (RN). After researching successful solutions by other hospitals experiencing the same issue, the Professional Nursing Staff Organization (PNSO) created the orange “RN” badge, which nurses are wearing attached to their name badges.

“The primary purpose of the RN badge is to help patients and

cular nurses, dieticians, exercise specialists and diabetes educators go beyond just treating the dis-ease – they also focus on teaching patients how to live with it success-fully. “Diabetes is a patient-managed disorder,” says McCall, who, like all UVa doctors, provides patient care, conducts research and teaches.

Transplantation can cure

UVa is one of few places in the nation to have cured diabetes in some patients through cellular and full-organ transplantation. “We have a high-level institutional com-mitment to being at the forefront of transplantation for the cure of diabetes,” says Kenneth Brayman, M.D., Ph.D., who directs UVa’s Center for Cellular Transplantation and Therapeutics.

The Center is a national leader in pancreas transplants, curing people with type 1 diabetes by provid-ing them with a healthy, insulin-producing gland. The Center is also among a small cadre of U.S. facilities to successfully perform pancreatic islet cell transplants, a procedure still considered experi-mental. “Early results show about 80 percent of people with this transplant will be off insulin one year after their treatments,” says Brayman.

Our era is marked by unprec-edented advances in diabetes care and research, and UVa is leading the way. “We are living in a time when there are many more tools available to fight diabetes than there were in the past,” says Barrett. “That’s great progress.”

New badge identifies RNs

The Endocrinology Division’s lab research

focuses on understanding how insulin-pro-

ducing cells are damaged and identifying

ways they can be protected or regenerated.

Division Chief Dr. Jerry Nadler’s research

could one day lead to treatments that protect

people with diabetes from cardiovascular

disease. His team has identified an enzyme

in blood vessels activated by diabetes’ high

blood sugar levels that contributes strongly

to heart disease.

Professor of Medicine Eugene Barrett,

M.D., Ph.D., has developed ultrasound imag-

ing techniques to study the extent to which

diabetic patients’ blood vessels can transport

insulin into muscle tissue, where insulin helps

store sugar (or glucose), a vital fuel. Because

this system is faulty in those with diabetes,

sugar remains in their blood and cannot sup-

port their bodies. Assistant Professor Zhenqi

Liu, M.D., uses similar techniques to study

the body’s most complex muscle, the heart,

which has defective glucose metabolism in

diabetic patients and may lead to their very

high risk of heart attacks.

Associate Professor of Medicine and

Pharmacology Raghu Mirmira, M.D., Ph.D.,

studies which proteins are necessary for a cell

to be insulin-producing and has discovered the

path to creating insulin-producing cells in the

lab. Eventually, Mirmira’s research could help

diabetic patients by turning hardier cells else-

where in the body into insulin-producing cells.

Nadler’s team has also discovered a two-

drug treatment that not only reversed type 1

diabetes in mice but kept them nondiabetic

after treatment ended. This research could

lead one day to restoring insulin-producing

cells in people with type 1 diabetes without

using toxic anti-rejection medications.

Nadler’s group has also identified a gene

in fat cells that kills off insulin-producing cells.

This research could lead to understanding why

obese people are more likely develop diabetes.

Breakthrough Research

Advancing health care through clinical trials

LINKth

e

Send trial submissions to linktrials@virginia.edu.

434-924-8053

to submit ideas or join our mailing list, email linkpub@virginia.edu or FaX 924-2969. LINK is published 12 times a year for the employees, faculty, students, volunteers, donors and patients and families of the University of Virginia Health System. Find archived copies at www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/link. ©2006 by the Rector and Visitors of University of Virginia.

Advancing health care through clinical trials

LINK

Send trial submissions to linktrials@virginia.edu.

How clinical trials benefit you

At the University of Virginia Health System,

clinical trials are taking place every day, mak-

ing available the best medical research in a

setting where learning, discovery and innova-

tion flourish. And it is our patients – today and

in the future – who reap the rewards, whether

or not they participate in a trial. Please call the

trial coordinator to enroll confidentially or for

additional information.

Adolescent Hormone Study

Healthy female volunteers ages eight to 17 are needed for a study investi-gating whether normal genetic varia-tions make some girls more likely to develop elevated levels of male hor-mones than other girls. Elevated male hormone levels in adolescence may lead to the development of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in adulthood. Participants will come to the General Clinical Research Center for a single outpatient visit. The appointment will last one hour and will involve a medical history, physical exam and blood draw. Study-related tests are provided at no charge. Compensation is a $25 gift card to Fashion Square Mall. Parental consent required. John C. Marshall, M.D., Ph.D., Principal Investigator. IRB-HSR #12183(L), Center for Research in Reproduction, Susan Blank, M.D.,

243-6911, pcos@virginia.edu

to submit ideas or join our mailing list, email linkpub@virginia.edu or FaX 924-2969. LINK is published 12 times a year for the employees, faculty, students, volunteers, donors and patients and families of the University of Virginia Health System. Find archived copies at www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/link. ©2006 by the Rector and Visitors of University of Virginia.

editor: Sally Ruth Bourrie art Director: Diane Butler Contributors: Dr. David Rubendall, D.O., Medical Director, UVA-WorkMed; Marian Gross, R.N., UVA-WorkMed; Thomas Miller, UVA-WorkMed Supervisor/Exercise Physiologist; Patient Education Workgroup Photography: Jack Mellott, cover-top, pp. 3-top and 6-bottom; Brian Hickey, p. 2-bottom; Vocera Communications, p. 3-top; Michael Bailey, p. 3-bottom; Busch Gardens Williamsburg, p. 5; Michaele White, Office of the Governor, p. 6-top; Health System Media Services

Genes, Salt & Blood Pressure

Generally healthy men and women, ages 18 to 70, normal to moderate weight, are needed for a study on genes and the response of blood pres-sure to dietary salt. Participants with low, normal or high blood pressure are selected according to their genet-ics and will receive: physical exam, EKG, chest X-ray, blood chemistries and urine tests. The study includes two weeks of prepared food (3x/week food pick-up) and $100 for study completion. HIC #11494 (L). UVa Endocrinology, Cindy Schoeffel, M.D.,

924-1634, cds2t@virginia.edu

Menopause Hot Flash Study

Volunteers, naturally or surgically meno-pausal, ages 45 to 65 with a minimum of seven moderate-to-severe hot flashes daily, are needed for a study. We want to see if an investigation medication can relieve the intensity and frequency of menopause symptoms safely. Participants will attend up to six study visits over a 20-week period and keep a daily record of symptoms using a touch-tone phone. Study-related tests and drugs are provided at no charge. Compensation is provided for time and travel. Joann Pinkerton, M.D., Principal Investigator. IRB-HSR #11996(L), UVa Women’s Midlife Health, Melissa Dean-McKinney,

243-4722, mdd3a@virginia.edu

Stress During Pregnancy StudyResearchers at UVa Health System are interested in how women experience and deal with stress during pregnancy. Six weeks of relaxation training will be provided to half of the participants. Researchers will also examine how cop-ing strategies affect the course of the pregnancy and the health of the infant. You may be eligible if, at the beginning of the second trimester, you feel stressed, and do not yet have any children. You will be paid for your participation. IRB HSR #12234(L), UVa Psychology, Andrea Chambers, 243-5243

Heart Disease and Abnormal Cholesterol Study

Adults ages 45 or older with a his-tory of heart disease, vascular disease or abnormal cholesterol levels are needed for a study looking at the effect of adding extended release niacin to simvastatin (Zocor®). Researchers what to know if this investigational drug combination is effective in reduc-ing the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other heart related complications. Participants will undergo a physical exam, EKG and blood tests. Study medication and study-related tests are provided at no charge. IRB-HSR #12130; Allan Simpson, M.D., Primary Investigator, UVa Cardiology, Linda

Bailes, 982-1058, lgs2m@virginia.edu

P.O. Box 800224 Charlottesville, VA 22908-0224

Nonprofit Org.U.s. Postage PaidCharlottesville, VaPermit #232

n e w s l e t t e r

Please call the trial coordinator to enroll confidentially or for additional information.