The GReport, March 20, 2013

7/29/2019 The GReport, March 20, 2013

1/20

Mr Isid:

Writrs Wkd | 3

Dta Sch Art Gar | 4

Hath Prspctivs | 9

Brai Gams | 12

Arts Schdu | 17Volume 1 - No. 4 Wednesday, March 20, 2013

GRprtOfc o Commucao & MarkgAugua, Gorga 30912

By SHARRon WAllSDuring their military careers,

Craig Norris and Wesley Vaughnprovided combat medical support,a job neither one had ever imagineddoing. Now, as civilians with a pas-sion for health care born of theirbattleeld experiences, they areovercoming obstacles with deter-

mination and help from GeorgiaRegents University faculty as theytrain to become physician assis-tants.

Early in the Iraq war, with med-ics not always available when andwhere they were needed, the Armybegan to train soldiers in smallerunits as combat lifesavers ableto stabilize the injured before themedevac choppers arrived.

We called it rst aid on steroids

and you had to volunteer for it, saidVaughn, a two-tour combat heavyengineer in one of the rst unitsdeployed. I always volunteered. I

volunteered for air assault school.I volunteered to be an underwaterdemolition guy. I just knew it wasgoing to happen anyway, so I g-ured Id just get it over with. Therewasnt a whole lot of thought to it, itwas as simple as raising my hand.Norris had a similar experience.

An Army infantryman in the 1990swho decided to reenlist in 2000,he was told he couldnt come backunless he became a combat medic.I never had any interest in thatwhatsoever, he recalled. I thinkthey just didnt want me to waste anopportunity.

During his rst posting, in Koso-vo, Norris trained with a physicianassistant who said he had a knackfor the job. Back in Germany, an-

other PA told him much the same.With that encouragement, he ap-

New PA program

focuses on veterans

See PA Program, page 6

By ADRIAn GReeRWeve all seen the statistics

and the health reports; weknow that tobacco is badfor us. But why is theuniversity emphasiz-ing a tobacco-freecampus now, whenthe policy goes intoeffect Aug. 1?

Tobacco is theleading preventablecause of death,Director of CancerInformation andAwareness ChristineOMeara said. Andbecause we care aboutour students, employeesand patients, we need toact now. We simply want ahealthy learning environment

and a safe work environment.Expanding the tobacco-free pol-icy across the GRU landscapeaffords all students, facultyand staff as well as the patientsin our care the opportunity tobreathe air untainted by tobaccosmoke.

Helping the GRU communitynot only understand the policyrequirements but the reasonsbehind the policy is where

OMearas Community Educa-tion and Outreach Workgroupcomes into play.

This is about addressing the

attitudes and providing supportto help people take action, be-cause from a public health per-spective, we know k nowledgealone doesnt change behavior,she said.

Nicotine is an addictive drugand use of tobacco can lead toa lifelong addiction, OMearasaid. But people do overcomeit and quit smoking. And we

will do what we can to help ourstudents and colleagues makethat change. Smoking-cessationprograms will be available for

students and employees whowant help quitting.

Also, to increase awareness,the group will host a Tobac-

co-Free Campus Kick-Offevent that coincides withthe National Kick ButtsDay, on March 20 fromnoon to 1 p.m. at the

Jaguar Student Activi-ties Center on the Sum-merville Campus. Theevent focuses on theconsequences of smok-

ing or chewing tobaccoand letting students and

staff know that help isavailable. Nursing students

Going tobacco-free in August:

GRU prepares to clear the airPhil JOnes PhOtO

onnie Dadig

Phil JOnes PhOtO

Craig Norris

Phil JOnes PhOtO

Wesley Vaughn

By the numbers

Nicotine is an addictive drug whether you smoke it, chew it orspit it.

Smoking causes an estimated90% of all lung cancer deaths inmen and 80 percent of all lungcancer deaths in women.

More deaths are caused eachyear by tobacco use than by all

deaths from HIV, illegal drug use,alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries,suicides and murders combined.

See Tobacco, page 5


2/20

Direct news correspondence to:

Adrian Greer, [email protected]

AD-1102, 706-721-4410

The GReport is published biweekly by Aiken Communications, a private rm in

no way connected with Georgia Regents University. Opinions expressed by the

writers herein are their own and are not considered an ofcial expression by

Georgia Regents University. The appearance o advertisements in this publication,

to include inserts, does not constitute an endorsement by Georgia Regents

University o the products or services advertised.

News and photos are provided by

Communications and Marketing

http://report.gru.edu/

Communications and Marketing

Georgia Regents University

Augusta, Georgia 30912

EMPLOYEE ADDRESS CHANGES & CORRECTIONS

should be made to Human Resources through

department managers.

Direct advertising inquiries to:

Dee Taylor, Advertising Director

AIKEN COMMUNICATIONSP.O. Box 456, Aiken, SC 29802

1-800-559-2311 ext. 2371

or [email protected]

Leading Georgia and the worldto better health by providing

excellence in biomedicaleducation, discovery, and service.

Georgia Regents UniversityDr. Ricardo Azziz, President

Christine Hurley Deriso, Publications Director

DEADLINESfor April 3 issue - Mar 26 at noon

for April 17 - April 9 at noon

GReport Georgia Regents UniversityWednesday, March 20, 20132

BriefsNews, events and more

Membership specialThe GRU Wellness Center March Spe-cial is a Personal Training Introductory

ackage for only $49. The Introductoryackage includes one comprehensive t-ess assessment and three half-hour ses-

sions with a certied personal trainer. Call21-6800 for more information.

Ribbon-cuttingA ribbon-cutting is slated for 2 p.m.

hursday, April 4 at Forest Hills Golf Clubor a grand re-opening of the recently ren-ovated club house. For more information,contact Forest Hills Golf Club at 706-733-001. Forest Hills Golf Club is home to theaguars mens and womens golf teams.

Research and ne artsconerence

Cultivate your knowledge is the themeof the 14th Annual Student Research and

ine Arts Conference at GRU on Wednes-day, March 27.The conference, sponsored by the Na-

ional Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi,ill be held from noon to 5 p.m. in the

aguar Student Activities Center. Theconference is free and open to the public.or more information or a complete con-erence schedule, visit www.aug.edu/pkp.

Brown Bag Seminar

The Student Research Brown Bag Semi-ar will be held on Friday, March 22 from1-2 p.m. in the JSAC Ballroom, Summer-ille campus.Topics will be Mexicans immigrationatterns to America and the effects of re-

sentment on African-American womenscaregiving.

Feel free to bring a brown bag lunch;izza and drinks will be served.

BANNER systems downDue to system consolidation efforts,ANNER, Document Manager (Xtender),ouchNet, and Marketplace will be view-

only from midnight on March 22 throughidnight on March 31, with full service

eturning on April 1. During this timehere will be no access to self-serviceANNER (Elroy/Pulse). The downtime is

equired to merge the Banner systems.

Patient Satisaction Reportnow available

The February 2013 Patient Satisfac-tion Report is now available. To reviewthe report, go to http://report.gru.edu/les/2013/03/patient_satisfaction_report_february_2013.pdf

Breast health screeningsA walk-in mammography clinic for

employees worth $100 toward health sav-ings accounts is held the rst Friday ofeach month from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in theBreast Health Center on the rst oor ofGeorgia Regents Medical Center.

Tuition assistanceA Tuition Assistance Program Training

Class will be held in the Summerville Stu-dent Center in the Butler Room from 9-10a.m. on March 21. For policy information

and applications, visithttp://www.usg.edu/hr/benets/tuition_assistance_program_tap/

The summer semester application periodis April 1-15. Apply in room 1142 of theHuman Resources Annex or via fax to706-434-7486. Application must precedeclass registration. For registration dead-lines of the 31 participating teaching insti-tutions, visit

http://usg.edu/hr/benets/tap_dates/.

VP and CMO positionThe Enterprise Search Team is accepting

recommendations for Vice President andChief Medical Ofcer of the Georgia Re-gents Health System. Condential reviewof materials will begin immediately andcontinue until the appointment is made.Send suggestions to Carolyn H. Burns at706-721-7224 or [email protected]

Earth Day volunteersThe Green Team is recruiting students,

staff and faculty to volunteer for GRUsEarth Day 2013 celebration. For moreinformation, contact Sharon Quick at 706-721-2619 or [email protected].

Blood DriveA Blood Drive will be held on March 27

and 28 in the Childrens Hospital of Geor-gia Lobby from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can

call ahead and make an appointment at706-721-3695 or walk in during our hoursof operation.

Bridge Conerence SeriesThe Bridge Conference Series, which

reviews evidence-based best practices,guidelines and protocols for glycemiamanagement, begins Thursday, March 21in three locations: at 7:30 a.m. in BI-4080,at 1 p.m. in BI-4080, and at 4:30 p.m. in

BT-1810. The conference will also previewthe Adult Subcutaneous Insulin ProtocolSubphase developed by a multidisciplinaryteam of physicians, nurses and pharma-cists.

Retirement counselingIndividual, condential counseling ses-

sions on retirement will be held on boththe Health Sciences Campus and Sum-merville Campus this spring. Fidelity

will offer sessions on the Health SciencesCampus in room 1107 of Annex 1 April 16and 17, May 28 and 29 and June 25 and 26from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Fidelity will offersessions on the Summerville Campus inthe Skinner Conference Room on April18 and June 6 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Toschedule an appointment, visit delity.com/reserve or call 800-642-7131.

TIAA-CREF will offer sessions on theHealth Sciences Campus in room 1107 ofAnnex 1 March 20, April 16, May 23 and

June 19 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. TIAA-CREF will offer sessions on the Summer-ville Campus in the Skinner ConferenceRoom on March 21, April 17, May 24, andJune 29 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call 800-732-8353 to schedule an appointment.

VALIC representatives are available oneach campus each day from 8 a.m. to 5p.m. to assist with retirement and completenancial planning needs. For more in-formation or to schedule an appointment,contact 706-722-4600 or erika.pracht@

valic.com.

Military and Veterans Servicesofce

The Ofce of Military and VeteransServices has moved to the second oor ofWashington Hall. The department assistsservice members, veterans and afliatedfamily members. The ofce hours areweekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For moreinformation, call 706-729-2255.

See Briefs, page 13


3/20

Georgia Regents University GReport 3Wednesday, March 20, 2013

By LaTina Emerson

The Georgia Regents Univer-sity Department of English andForeign Languages will presentthe 2013 Writers Weekend atSummerville from 1 to 10:30p.m. March 22 and from 9 a.m.to 5:45 p.m. March 23 at the Jag-uar Student Activities Center.

Aspiring writers will learnfrom award-winning authors

ho will discuss the elementsof the craft and share their

published childrens literature,creative nonction, ction andpoetry. Participants seekingfeedback on their own writingcan also register for individualcritiques with one of the authors.In addition, GRU Creative Writ-ing faculty will lead EmergingWriters Workshops for highschool students seeking indi-vidual or group feedback.

Participants can ear n one con-

tinuing education unit (CEU)through the GRU Division ofProfessional and CommunityEducation.

Writers Weekend at Sum-merville is the result of ex-tensive effort and planning togrow the GRU Creative Writingprogram and to revive Augustas

riting community, said AnnaHarris, Lecturer in EnglishStudies at GRU. This event

is designed to bring togetheremerging and established voicesho share a love of and passion

for reading and writing. We areespecially lucky to have tworising literary stars to help usin this endeavor: poet JerichoBrown, whom Claudia Rankinedescribed as a devastating ge-nius, and novelist Michel Stone,

hose work was likened to thatof John Steinbeck by LibraryJournal. We hope this yearsevent marks the beginning of anannual must do for Augustansand our friends in the surround-ing area.

Authors and writing instruc-tors participating in the Writ-ers Weekend at Summervilleinclude:

Jericho Browns rst collec-tion of poetr y, Please, won the2009 American Book Award andhas received praise since its re-

lease. Brown is currently work-

ing on his second collection ofpoet ry, The New Testament. Deno Trakas has published

ction and poetry in more thantwo dozen journals, includingthe Denver Quarterly, OxfordAmerican, and the LouisvilleReview. His most recent book,Because Memory Isnt Eternal:A Story of Greeks in UpstateSouth Carolina, was publishedin 2010.

Michel Stones debut novelThe Iguana Tree received astarred review from PublishersWeekly and an IPPY Award asone of the top novels publishedin 2012 by an independent pub-lisher. The book was also nameda spring 2012 Okra Pick fromthe Southern Independent Book-sellers Association.

Christine Hurley Deriso haswritten professionally for more

than 25 years. Her work includesher award-winning childrensbook, Dreams to Grow On,followed by tween novels Do-Over, The Right-Under Cluband Talia Talk; the young-adult novel, Then I Met MySister; and the self-help book,Green Tea and Beyond, co-written with GRU Cell BiologistStephen Hsu.

Wendy J. Turner is the author

of numerous peer-reviewed ar-ticles and chapters on medievalmental health, law and medicine,and law and alchemy. She alsowrites ct ion and was the 2011recipient of the Mark SerguraAustin Award for Best Fictionat the Harriette Austin WritersWorkshop at UGA for her novel,Falcon, Crow, Raven, Good-witch.

Jared Hegwoods ctioncan be seen in The YalobushaReview, The Adirondack Re-view, The Manifest Review,Juked, Keyhole Magazine,Night Train and others. Hisction has twice been nominatedfor The Pushcart Prize and hisrst collection of short ction,Marriages of Convenience,will be published by BurntBridge Press in Spring 2013. Heteaches writing at GRU.

f. Simon Grant is the co-

founder of the literary journalCollective Exile. His short

ction has been published inProse Axe. He teaches writingat GRU

Paul Sladky has contributedto several works, including Ref-erence Guide to Short Fiction,Language Quarterly and In-structor Resource Manual: TheSt. Martins Guide to Writing.He teaches wr iting at GRU.

Anna Caroline Harris writ-ing has appeared in Cellpo-

ems, Mikrokosmos, Poetryfor the Masses, and MetroSpirit and NakedCity maga-zines. She teaches compositionand creative writing, and advisesSand Hills magazine, at GRU.

Writers Weekend at Sum-merville is co-sponsored byGRU Student Activities and theDivision of Professional andCommunity Education. To reg-ister, visit https://aceweb.aug.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?~~132CDWW2013. Theregistration deadline is March22, and the cost varies. Registra-tion is free for GRU studentsand can be up to $80 for localresidents with a manuscript forreview.

Writers Weekend at Summervilleslated for March 22-23

SUbMitted Photo

Jericho Brown.

By Sharron Walls

A masters-level degree track atGeorgia Regents University designedto address environmental health con-cerns will soon enroll its rst students.

A Master of Public Health concen-tration in Environmental Health willbecome the third M.P.H. track offered

jointly by GRUs Colleges of AlliedHealth Sciences and Graduate Studies.Up to 20 students with clinical andnon-clinical backgrounds will beginthe two-year program this fall to learnmultidisciplinary skills needed tobecome qualied in the fast-growingenvironmental health eld.

This program focuses on environ-mental factors that affect communityhealth, said Dr. Andrew Balas, Deanof the College of Allied Health Sci-

ences. Graduates understand the bio-logical, physical and chemical agentspresent in environments, how theyaffect community health and how tocontrol exposure.

Environmental health profession-als may conduct data analysis; createdisease-prevention programs; educatehealth care providers; conduct researchto promote evidence-based quality im-provement; integrate preventive medi-

cine into clinical practice; and performcommunity wellness outreach efforts.They often hold leadership roles inenvironmental health agencies, healthcare organizations, research institutesand the pharmaceutical and informa-tion technology industries.

An M.P.H. from GRU offers a broad

interdisciplinary knowledge base andskill set, said Program Director PavaniRangachari. It enables a very differ-ent way of thinking. Environmentalhealth professionals use a livingenvironment perspective to promotepublic health and effectively inuencecommunities to improve health andwellness.

Core public health courses suchas health administration and policy,behavioral health, biostatistics and epi-

demiology are augmented with nichecourses in environmental toxicology,evidence-based quality improvement,data analysis, nancial management,health literacy and infectious diseases.

GRUs M.P.H. program also offersconcentrations in Health Managementand Health Informatics. Students areaccepted with backgrounds in such

New GRU degree track tofocus on environmental health

Phil JoneS Photo

Program Director Pavani Rangachari

See New Degree, page 16

4


4/20


By LaTina Emerson

As the states only dental school, the Georgia Re-gents University College of Dental Medicine now hasa new addition to its list of accomplishments: an artgallery.

To the best of our knowledge, ours is the onlydental school nationwide to house a large a rt gallery,said Dean Connie Drisko.

More than 175 pieces of art , including paintings,photography, wood work, blown glass and metalsculptures, line the walls of the dental buildings gal-

lery, named Transcendental: Works of Impression.The art was donated by alumni and dentists acrossthe state.

The seed was planted in my mind about 10 yearsago when I visited Eastman Dental Clin ics new den-tal building in London, Drisko said. They had beentold they must set aside a percentage of the cost of thebuilding to spend on ar t.

The college has been collecting art over the last18 months and has received some museum quality

pieces , as well as l imited edit ions, a rtist prints andautographed copies.We were particularly interested in dentists who

were art ists giving us an example of their work. Wehave two dozen or more pieces where the dentistswere actually the a rtists, some of whom have givenup dentistry and are doing their art now, Driskosaid. Thats not too surprising, because dentistryis very much an a rt and a science. Its about color,shape, aesthetics and dexterity. So people who havethat eye often also have artist ic ability, either in vi-sual arts or performing arts.

Two pieces of art in the building have won juriedcompetitions, including a 26-foot chandelier by Au-gusta artist Paul Pearman, and an eight-foot woodencarving of a ship by Dr. Travis Smith, GRU AssistantProfessor of General Dentistry.

Alumni and others are invited to visit the gallery at1430 John Wesley Gilbert Dr ive, Augusta, Ga. 30912.For more information, contact the Deans Ofce at706-721-2117.

Art gallery showcases talent oalumni, dentists statewide

Phil Jones Phot

More than 175 pieces o art line the walls o the dental buildingsgallery, named Transcendental: Works o Impression.

By Adrian Greer

When people think of audits, scary ideasoften come to mind about the IRS comingto your house, sifting through your recordsand trying to ne or penalize you. But theOfce of Internal Audit at Georgia Regentsis actually nothing like that.

In fact, the department functions more asa responsive business partner, according toClay Sprouse, the new Chief Audit Ofcer.Sprouse recognizes internal auditing canbe of most value while serving as a trustedadvisor, providing independent opinionand objective evaluation. He hopes to beapproachable and accessible to leadershipas well as other members of the GeorgiaRegents community.

We are at our best when collaboratingwith departments to facilitate improve-ments and manage change. We focus our ef-forts on departmental goals to help manage-ment take advantage of opportunities andavoid pitfalls, Sprouse explained. Werefocused on risk management and makingsure the university, the health system andthe employees can perform to their poten-tial.

The department stresses consulting andadvisory service.

If the department nds issues, they makerecommendations to management, butbecause of our independent relationship, it

is up to the leadership, the Board of Direc-tors and Board of Regents to decide on thecourse of action to be taken, Sprouse said.

In fact, according to Sprouse, departmentsshould feel free to contact the Ofce of In-ternal Audit for suggestions about improv-ing operations.

We want people to be open and work withour ofce to prevent small problems fromdeveloping into signicant issues, he said.We want people to be able to ask questionsand contact us for help.

The ofce works with departmentsthroughout the university and health sys-tem, encompassing a broad range of pos-sible risks.

For example, the risks for a radiology de-partment at the medical center vary widelyfrom the risks for an English department onthe Summerville Campus.

We help management look at all therisks and then focus our efforts to ensurethe critical issues are managed effectively,Sprouse emphasized.

The department has seven employeeswith various specialties who work on auditsacross the enterprise. The department alsoincludes a student intern from the Hull Col-lege of Business.

While specic audit engagements varyfrom year to year in response to identiedrisks and managements needs, there are afew areas of routine focus, including tech-nology, hospital systems and complianceissues.

Our ofce isnt out to pester people orpoint out where a department has minorfailures, Sprouse said. We want to workwith them to ensure that theyre operatingeffectively and efciently. In the end, weprefer working with departments rather thanagainst them.

Internal Audit Ofce may surprise you

sUbMitted Photo

Chie Audit Ocer Clay Sprouse works withhis team.

Its not all about the numbers

Clay Sprouse joined Georgia Regents as the new

Chie Audit Ocer in November; however, this was not

his rst time on this campus. He worked in the audit

department o the (then) Medical College o Georgia

rom 1986-89. Beore returning to campus in 2012, he

completed his MBA at Augusta College (now Georgia

Regents University) and became a Certied Public Ac-

countant, Certied Internal Auditor and Certied Inor-

mation Systems Auditor.

In my history, I have audited everything rom re

departments to telephone systems, and those diverse

experiences are why I love auditing, Sprouse said.

This wide range o experience gives him and his staf

a unique perspective. Beore coming here, he managed

an audit team at Savannah River Remediation, LLC, lead-

ing the department in a variety o complex initiatives.

Auditors get to learn about all o the areas o the

organization, and that allows them to see the orest and

not just the trees, he said.

I actually deal with people more than numbers,

Sprouse said about his new position o Chie Audit O-

cer. And Ive always ound it very interesting to be able

to learn more about all o the various departments and

processes and help people solve problems. This job

ofers a lot o opportunities to meet a variety o people

throughout the enterprise.

Being in a management position, Sprouse said he

also enjoys being able to help others reach their goals.

In act, Sprouse said that helping people just comes

naturally to him.

G i R U i i GR 5W d d M h 20 2013


5/20


By Adrian Greer

Are you looking for a challenge that

tests your mind and your physical abil-ity? If so, the MedWAR event may beust what youre looking for.MedWAR is an approximately

15-mile course at Fort Gordon whereteams solve medical emergency situa-tions while racing to the fnish.

This race combines canoeing, bik-ing and running through the wilder-ness at Fort Gordon, Event Coordina-tor Laura Simmons said. And thenthere are various wilderness emer-

gency medical scenarios throughoutthe course where a team will be testedon medical knowledge.

The race will be held on April 20.The event is quite popular and hasa limit on teams, so those interestedshould register as soon as possible tosecure a spot, according to Simmons.We have about 24 teams signed upalready and a maximum of about 30total teams. To register for the race orsee more information, visit www.med-

ar.org/southeast/. The charge is $280per four-person team.

There is a warning though to all who

enter.There will be some surprises, Sim-mons said. Some of our scenarios willbe pretty out there. Penalties may ap-ply to faulty choices, but we guaran-tee they will have fun, Simmons said.Thats really what this is all about.

Physicians and medical students arethe most common participants, butothers are welcome, too,

The daylong event is followed by adinner. Racers are also welcome tocamp out that night if they want to stayin the wilderness a little longer.

MedWAR puts wildernessskills to the test

SUbMitted photo

MedWAR 2013 is right aroundthe corner and there are only afew spots left.

Tobacco...from page 1

and faculty will take blood pressuremeasurements and the BreathEasyCoaltion will test lung function.

That evening at 6 p.m. in room 170of University Hall, a forum will beheld to discuss the policy and whythe campus is moving tobacco-free,to highlight effects of smoking andto celebrate one quitters success atbecoming a former smoker.

This change comes at a time whenmany universities, towns and coun-ties are also deciding to curtail theirconstituents exposure to tobaccosmoke and spit tobacco.

We have 21 Georgia universitiesthat are tobacco-free, and that posi-tively impacts over 127,000 students,OMeara said. Nationwide, thereare 1,130 colleges that have made thechange. And 600 of those campuseshave made the change in the pastyear.

GRU as a whole and specifcallyour Summerville and Forest Hillscampuses adopting the tobacco-freechange are becoming leaders in thisarea, according to OMeara.

Other universities and colleges willlearn from our experience, just as weare learning from neighboring uni-

versities like Emory and ArmstrongAtlantic University in Savannah, bothof which ushered in their tobacco-freeinitiatives in 2012, she said.

GReport Georgia Regents UniversityWednesday March 20 20136


6/20


Pa Program...from page 1

plied to and was accepted for theArmys PA school.

Then 9/11 happened andeverything changed. Norris be-came a soldier again, in Iraq.

Though Norris and Vaughnnever crossed paths during thewar, a decade later their resolve,despite injuries and setbacks, hasthem walking the same hallways,entering the same classrooms,pursuing the same dream.

Its a dream shared by Dr. Bon-nie Dadig, Chair of the PhysicianAssistant Department.

Weve always had one or twoveterans in the program each

year, Dadig said. Now werereaching out earlier, when theyreturn from overseas. Werelooking to eliminate enrollmentbarriers unique to veterans.

The department received an$834,000 Health Resources andServices Administration federalgrant last fall that will, amongother things, help former mili-tary service members transitionto civilian careers as PAs. TheGreen to Grad program aims toincrease the number of veteransenrolled to four or ve studentsper class, or about 10 percent.

Educating, mentoring andtraining our nations warriors asthey return to civilian life is veryimportant to us, Dadig said,noting that many faculty mem-bers have prior military aflia-tions and are well-versed in thespecial circumstances affectingformer service members. Westrongly support our veteranstudents. We know they have theattributes to serve our professionwell as they go on to providequality, compassionate healthcare in Georgia and throughoutthe nation.

A specialized set of admissioncriteria and transcript reviewincludes consideration of coursework started but not completeddue to deployments as well asevaluation of life skills often as-sociated with military members,such as composure in high-stressenvironments and exceptionallevels of responsibility.

Both Norris and Vaughn arecomfortable with the stress in-herent in the PA program. Yes,its high, said Norris. I recog-nize it, but Im not going to letthat stress beat me up as some ofmy classmates might. There are

some things more important thangetting an A.

As a combat lifesaver, Vaughnnoticed that when everythingwas going down the tube, I wasdoing OK. He could feed off

the stress and get the job done,a helpful characteristic in a pro-gram he says is equal to if notgreater than combat. I wouldrather do another tour in Iraqthan do this again.

Drawing on their extensivetrauma experiences, Norrisand Vaughn are able to assistin many of the labs. Putting inIVs, said Norris, thats like 101for a combat medic. I can help

my fellow students learn how todo that and other things such assplinting and injections. In PAschool, we pull from everyonesskill sets.

Its an intensive 27-month cur-riculum that culminates in aMaster of Physician Assistantdegree. While a bachelors de-gree is not mandatory, admissionrequires extensive prerequisitecoursework, which can often bea challenge for active and formermilitary members to acquire.

It took Vaughn, disabled froma back injury in Iraq, six years tocomplete his prerequisites whileworking full-time as a janitorand farm hand and raising a fam-ily. To go from being in chargeof a dozen soldiers to scrubbingurinals is a different dynamic.It didnt take me long to put twoand two together: Youve got toget an education.Norris, who also suffered a

back injury in the Ar my, cobbledtogether classes here and there,then completed a degree in biol-ogy at the University of SouthCarolina-Aiken. He workedclosely with h is Veterans Affairsvocational rehabilitation coun-selor to make sure hed meet therequirements for PA school andchose the GRU program for itsnational reputation.

This is about access and trans-fer credit, said Vice President ofMilitary and Global Affairs JeffFoley. Foley, a retired BrigadierGeneral and former Command-ing General of the U.S. ArmySignal Center and Fort Gordon,envisions the lessons learnedfrom this pilot program beingapplied to other academic areas.Helping veterans gain access tothe wonderful education oppor-

tunities here at GRU is the rightthing to do it is that simple.

Older, non-traditional studentswith prior military backgroundssuch Norris and Vaughn, at age40 and 34 respectively, bring life

experiences that Dadig considerspriceless to their education. Itis our expectation that they willalso impart this experience andcondence to their non-military,more t raditional classmates.

To support Green to Grad ob-jectives, Eisenhower Army Med-ical Center in Fort Gordon, theGeorgia War Veterans NursingHome and both Veterans Affairsmedical centers in Augusta have

agreed to serve in recruitment,advisory and clinical trainingroles. Dadig hopes to expand theprogram to members of the Na-tional Guard and Reserves.

Coincidentally, the rst physi-cian assistants had been militarymedics during the Vietnam War.In time, as the number of vet-erans declined, more civiliansand women were recruited intoPA programs. By reaching out

to military members again, saidDadig, the profession is return-ing to its roots.

Four days before his rst anato-my nal, Vaughn was diagnosedwith compartment syndromefrom his original injury and hadto medically withdraw, missingthe entire year.

They held one of those pre-cious 40 seats for me, he said.This department has a specialplace in their hearts for themilitary, and when they saytheyre going to do something,they see it through. They donttreat us any better than the otherstudents, but they work hard tomake sure were taken care of.Norris concurs and considers

himself blessed. The facultyand staff here, I love them todeath, I dont know how else tosay it. Theyve gone out of theirway to make sure I have what Ineed.

The emotion is strong on bothsides. Dadig sums it up: Its sortof like battle buddies; were notgoing to leave a man behind.

Georgia Regents University GReport 7Wednesday March 20 2013


7/20

By Toni Baker

Dr. Laura D. Carbone, Director ofhe Metabolic Bone Center and Rheu-atology Fellowship Program at theniversity of Tennessee Health Scienceenter, has been named Chief of theection of Rheumatology, Department

of Medicine, at the Medical College ofeorgia at Georgia Regents University.Carbone, also a Professor of Medi-

cine, is an expert in metabolic bone dis-ease with a special interest in fracturesn spinal cord injury patients. She joinshe MCG faculty in November.She is a member of the Expert Panel,steoporosis Practice Improvementodule of the American Board of In-

ernal Medicine.She is a grant reviewer for the U.S.epartment of Veterans Affairs ander research on fracture prevention in

spinal cord injury and disease is fundedy the VA. She also is a collaborator on

a Womens Health Initiative Extensionooking at osteoporosis in menopausalomen. She has published more than

100 peer-reviewed articles.Carbone received the UTs 2012

ames B. Lewis, Jr. Excellence ineaching Award for Top Residentducator as well as two Golden Apple

awards for excellence in medical stu-dent education. She is a graduate of the

edical College of Wisconsin whereshe received the Janet M. Glasgow

emorial Citation for excellence fromhe American Medical Womens As-sociation and was elected a memberof Alpha Omega Alpha medical honorsociety. She completed an internal

edicine residency at the Mayo Clinicn Rochester and a rheumatologyellowship at Robert Wood Johnsonniversity and UT before joining the

aculty in Tennessee. She has a masterof science degree in epidemiology fromhe UT Health Science Center.

arbone is MCGsew Chief ofheumatology

Dr. Laura D. Carbone




8/20


By LaTina Emerson

The Georgia Regents UniversityCollege of Nursing will host the2013 MEGAi Days, a two-daytraining event for Acute Care NursePractitioner students and faculty,March 21-22 on the universitysHealth Sciences Campus.

Keynote speakers include Lt. Col.Wes Sharpe, U.S. Marine Reservesand Target Leadership, and Dr.Ruth Kleinpell, Director of the Cen-ter for Clinical Research and Schol-arship at Rush University MedicalCenter.

Sharpe, a former F-18 pilot andcurrent international airline pilot,

ill discuss Creating a Culture ofOperational Excellence and Safetyin Your Organization at 11 a.m.March 21, and Kleinpell, a nation-ally recognized expert on advancednursing practice, will present Cur-rent Issues Related to Scope ofPractice for the APRN (AdvancedPractice Registered Nurse) at 11a.m. March 22.

We are excited to be able to bringthese experts to Augusta to sharethe latest developments in ACNP(Acute Care Nurse Practitioner)practice and organizational safety,said Dr. Beth McLear, Acute CareNurse Practitioner Coordinator atGRU College of Nursing and Coor-dinator for the MEGAi Days event.While the focus of MEGAi days is

student learning, we feel condentthat other nursing faculty and healthprofessionals will nd these discus-sions relevant and useful.

Guest presentations are free andopen to the public.

For more information, visit www.gru.edu/nursing or contact Dr. BethMcLear at [email protected] or706-389-6801.

GRU College of Nursing to hostNurse Practitioner training

SUbMitted photo

Lt. Col. Wes Sharpe, U.S. Marine Reserves and Target Leadership, willbe one of the speakers at the 2013 MEGAi Days.



9/20

g g y p 9y

By Dr. Lorraine Evans

Better healthcare through betterunderstanding is the tag line thatsays it all.

Healthy Perspectives (HP) is theprogram that seeks to build betterunderstandings through providingcultural competency education andtraining to everyone at GeorgiaHealth Sciences. All students,faculty, and staff across the enterpriseparticipate to connect the classroomto the conference room to the clinic.The ultimate goal is to provide thebest possible care for patients.

The goal of building a culturallycompetent enterprise makes GeorgiaHealth Science a pioneer organizationin the healthcare arena.

Culture is about values, beliefs,behaviors and languages. Cultureshapes how we look at, andunderstand, the world around us.This understanding is especiallycritical when it involves your health.Healthy Perspectives teaches aboutunderstanding your own perspectiveas well as the cultural inuence ofothers.

In order to provide the best care, weneed to develop partnerships with ourpatients, so by recognizing how we,personally, understand the world wecan begin to see how we might makeassumptions about others who aredifferent from us.

We live in an increasingly diverseorld and interact with people of

different cultural backgrounds ona daily basis. If we understandhow our family, community,education, region, religion, and soon inuenced us to think abouta topic then, hopefully, we canbegin to understand how a set ofdifferent circumstances could leadto a different perspective in others.Through building self-awareness wecan begin to forge relationships andbuild connections that ultimately leadto providing the best health care to allpatients.

Cultural competency is a process,not an end-point. Building theknowledge and skills to interacteffectively in a cross-culturalsituation is a life-long learningexperience. Cultures are not static,however, and the more we learn aboutthe subject, the more we realize wedont know!

Healthy Perspectives is housed inthe Ofce of Diversity and Inclusion.

There are two components to HP:student learning and professionaldevelopment.

The student learning portionis under construction but nearlycomplete. A pilot group of nearly90 students completed the learningmodules in the fall with excellentresults.

All four areas of culturalcompetency knowledge, attitude,skill and self-awareness reectedgrowth and were statisticallysignicant. Moreover nearlythree-quarters of the students agreethe course contributed to theirdevelopment as a future practitioner.

The initial professional development

training was completed earlier inthe spring and included nearly 8,000participants. All new employees alsocomplete an introduction to culturalcompetency during their orientationand refresher courses during annualcompliance training in November.

It is easy to focus on the differencesbetween people and sometimeswe forget how much we have incommon with others. We forget thatwhen we all come to GRU, we areworking toward the same goal; betterhealthcare.

The program has developed a videothat illustrates that while we havedifferences there are common bondsand links that we all share.

That is what this program is reallyabout in many ways. Recognizingthat cultural difference is notnecessarily a barrier and, throughcontinuous self-reection, we canappreciate the perspectives ofothers and provide better healthcareservices.

You can view the video at http://georgiahealth.edu/diversity/qep/

Dr. Lorraine Evans is faculty forthe Healthy Perspectives Program.Evans graduated from the Universityof Georgia with a PhD in Sociologyand a research focus on the impactof diversity in the workplace, onoccupational structures, and oneducation processes.

Working with a cultural perspective

Dr. Lorraine Evans

GReport Geogia regents UnivesityWednesday, Mach 20, 201310


10/20

Pig Out on the Boardwalk!

AdriAn Greer Photos

A

clbreezed

idnttp

thePigoutn

the

JaguarstudentActivityC

enter

Breezewayn

thesummerville

CampunM

arch6.studen

t

cameutand

atemehtd

g

andhadme

funatavarie

tyf

eventnhan

d.

Geogia regents Univesity GReport 11Wednesday, Mach 20, 2013


11/20

Match Day

Patricia Johnson Photos

Medl cllege f Geg fu ye

ude fud u wee ey wll lu

e edey Fdy, M 15. te eve

w eld Lee audum d d 1980

eme. cgul e 190 McG ude

med!



12/20

Georgia Regents University

Campus SafetyEditors note: Please contact GRU

Police at 706-721-2911 with anyinformation about the following incidentsor other crime- or safety-related issues.

Drug ViolationOn Feb. 28, while conducting a security

check at the University Village ApartmentComplex, located at 6000 Jaguar Way, GRUPolice observed two males standing on the third-oor breezeway of the 5000 building. Ofcers

made contact with the subjects and detectedthe odor of marijuana. A small clear plasticbag containing a green leafy substance and arolled marijuana cigarette were found in theleft jacket pocket of Tyran Teasley. The secondsubject was identied as Rueben Dean. The

substance found in Teasleys jacket pocket testepositive for marijuana and taken into evidence.Teasley was issued a Richmond CountyOrdinance citation for Possession of Marijuana.Both Teasley and Dean were issued CriminalTrespass Warnings and escorted off campus.



13/20

Weight loss seminar

The Georgia Regents WeightLoss Center offers free edu-cational seminars regardingmorbid obesity and weight losssurgery, including treatment op-tions, benets and risks. Visitgeorgiahealth.org/weightloss toregister.

Improve your smileGRU dental hygiene students

offer free cleaning and oral can-cer screenings to qualied pa-tients with heavy tartar buildupor who have not had a cleaningin 10 years or more. Please refersuch candidates to the Depart-ment of Dental Hygiene at 706-721-2938.

Patient ExperienceReport

Georgia Regents Health Sys-tems Patient Experience Reportcovering July 1 th rough Nov. 30is available. Contents include an

executive summary, unit/depart-ment drill-downs and a com-ments section with a global over-view of patient comments fromAvatar International surveys.

Orchestra acceptingnew members

The GRU Orchestra meetsTuesdays and Thursdays f rom3-5 p.m. All faculty, staff andstudents are welcome to join. Formore information, contact Dr.Martin David Jones at 706-667-4878 or [email protected].

University chorusesGRU faculty, staff, retirees

and students are welcome to joincampus choruses. Main chorusensembles practice Mondays atnoon and Tuesdays at 1 p.m. atthe Summerville Campus FineArts Center. Additional chorusesare available. Contact Bill Hob-bins at [email protected] orPatti Myers [email protected] forplacement.

BCIS trainingCertied instructors will of-

fer a self-defense course usingprinciples taught by the Nat ionalCrisis Prevention Institute,Verbal Defense and InuenceProgram and Superior Academy

techniques. Participants willlearn how to generate voluntarycompliance, defuse explosivebehavior and defend againstaggression. The course alsoteaches therapeutic physicalinterventions. Register throughMC Strategies.

Join EIIThe GRU Educational Inno-

vation Institute meets at noonon the second Wednesday ofeach month in the Terrace Din-ing Dogwood Room to discusshealth professions educationand educational research. Theinstitute provides refreshmentsand participants may bring theirlunch. For more information,contact [email protected].

Support Groups

Blood cancer/BMT support

A blood cancer support groupmeets on the third Wednesday ofevery month from 11:30 a.m. to 1p.m. in the Cancer Center Commu-nity Room. For more information,call 706-721-9134 or 706-721-1634 orvisit georgiahealth.org.

Trauma supportA support group for those impacted

by trauma meets the third Wednes-day of every month from noon to 1p.m. in the fourth-oor west confer-

ence room of the Georgia HealthSciences Health Center. For more in-formation, call 706-721-4633 or 706-721-3264 or visit georgiahealth.org.

Gyn cancer supportThe CSRA Gyn Cancer Support

Group meets the third Monday ofeach month from 6-7:30 p.m. atAugusta Oncology Associates, 3696Wheeler Road. Call 706-721-5557 formore information.

Autism supportA support group for loved

ones of children with autismspectrum disorders meets therst Tuesday of every month

from 6-7 p.m. in the Patient andFamily Resource Library on theeighth oor of Georgia HealthSciences Medical Center. Formore informat ion, call 706-721-6838 or email [email protected].

Briefs...from page 2

See More Briefs, page 16



14/20

By Toni Baker

Polycystic ovary syndrome, a conditionaffecting about 10 percent of women andcharacterized by excess male hormone andincreased risk of diabetes and heart disease,appears to cause a sort of double jeopardyfor those struggling the hardest to controlblood sugar levels, researchers report.

Humans use insulin and other non-insulinmechanisms to convert blood sugar, or glu-cose, into energy and control levels in theblood, where it becomes a destructive force.

A new study in the Journal of ClinicalEndocrinology & Metabolism comparing28 healthy women to 28 women with PCOSshowed the latter have declines in both ap-proaches, said Dr. Ricardo Azziz, reproduc-

tive endocrinologist and PCOS expert atGeorgia Regents University.

Most surprising was the nding that thePCOS women who had the most difcultycontrolling glucose via insulin were alsothe ones with declines in their ability touse non-insulin approaches. More typi-

cally, when insulin resistance increases, thebodys non-insulin dependent usage increas-es, apparently to help compensate. In thesewomen, non-insulin activity was essentiallyunchanged except in those with the most in-sulin resistance, where it dropped.

Women with PCOS who have the highestlevels of insulin resistance, the greatest dif-culty controlling their sugar and the high-est risk for diabetes, appear to have a doubledefect in how glucose is controlled, whichaffects both the mechanisms that use insulinand those that do not, Azziz said.

While the amount of fat around the inter-nal organs, called visceral fat, predicted thedegree to which insulin had difculty con-trolling glucose, the regulation of glucose by

non-insulin means was more closely associ-ated with the amount of fat under the skin,or subcutaneous fat.

If the fat is not as sensitive to insulin, thatobviously means blood sugar levels, andprobably fat and cholesterol levels as well,increase and the pancreas responds by pro-

ducing more insulin, Azziz said.Fat abnormalities can have a t remendous

impact on how we feel and how we func-tion.

The body uses insulin to convert sugar in-to energy for the cells in response to eat ing,stress or other acute causes of blood sugarincreases. Fat is a big user of this approach.However, some tissues, such as the brain,red blood cells and adrenal gland, dont re-quire insulin to convert glucose to energy.

Thats one reason why regulating onlyinsulin does not cure diabetes, said Azziz,noting that when fasting, about 80 percentof the bodys glucose usage occurs indepen-dent of insulin.Next steps include understanding the mo-

lecular mechanisms behind these signicantdifferences in how PCOS affects glucoseusage, Azziz said.

The study was funded by the National In-stitutes of Health and Helping Hand of LosAngeles Inc. Study participants, age 22-44,were from the Los Angeles area. Co-authors

include scientists from Cedars-Sinai Medi-cal Center and the University of California,Los Angeles.

Polycystic ovary syndrome puts glucose control in double jeopardy

Phil Jones Photo

Dr. Ricardo Azziz



15/20

By Adrian Greer

If you served in the military andyoure a member of the TeachersRetirement System of Georgiaretirement plan, then you may beable to purchase service creditthat would allow your previousmilitary service to count towardsyour Teachers Retirement Service.

All time served may not be eli-gible for purchase toward yourteacher retirement service, but tond out if your time is eligible,

you should contact the GRU Hu-man Resources Department at706-721-3770 or email CatherineHolmes, Benets & Data Admin-istration Supervisor at [email protected].

This credit shows the statesdedication to former solders backon the home front, according toVice President of Military AffairsRet. Gen. Jeff rey Foley.

This decision is another indica-

tor of the respect and admiration

that the State of Georgia has forveterans, Foley said.

You can nd out more about theprogram at the Teachers Retire-ment System website at trsga.com.

Eligible military service in-cludes:National Emergency: Military

service may be established duringthe following periods of nationalemergency:

Dec. 7, 1941 to December31, 1946 - World War II

June 27, 1950 to January31, 1955 - Korean Conict

Aug. 5, 1964 to May 7,1975 - Vietnam Era

Nov. 14, 1979 - PresentIf your current TRS membership

date is before March 28, 1974,certain military service may beestablished outside the periods ofnational emergency by paying theemployee contributions plus inter-

Previous military service may bepurchased as additional TeachersRetirement Service Credit

See Credit, page 19



16/20

Volunteers Needed

Psych study

Adults age 18-70 with either ahistory of or no history of mental

illness are needed for a psychia-try study. Participants will beinterviewed and give blood/urinesamples. Participants will bepaid. Contact Courtney Caulderat 706-721-3048.

Diabetes studyWomen age 18-50 with Type II

diabetes are needed for a GRUstudy. Participants will be askedto complete an anonymous ques-

tionnaire. Call 706-721-0084.

Moms connectionA support group for new moms

meets Tuesdays from 1-2 p.m. inBuilding 1010C at 1225 WaltonWay. For more in formation, callext. 1-9351 or visit georgiahealth.org.

Pressure studyAdults age 55 and older with

high blood pressure are neededfor a GRU study. Participants,who will be paid and receive freeblood pressure medication, willhave blood pressure readings andprovide blood samples. ContactHeather Anderson at 706-721-9684.

More Briefs 2...from page 13

diverse felds as medicine, nurs-ing, allied health, fnance, engi-neering and information systems.

The program is accredited bythe Council of Education in Pub-lic Health and may be completedpart-time. Seventy-fve percent

of classes are offered online. Apublic health internship and acapstone research project areincluded.

Internship opportunities areavailable through the GRUHealth System, the Charlie Nor-

ood Department of Veterans

Affairs Medical Center, Eisen-hower Army Medical Center,the East Central Public HealthDivision, the Georgia Preven-tion Center and Georgias AreaHealth Education Centers.

For more information, contact

Rangachari at 706-721-3436 orprangachar [email protected], or visitwww.gru.edu/alliedhealth/MPH/.

New Degree...from page 3



17/20

Arts ScheduleOf Mice and Men - Maxwell Theatre

Marc 21 - Marc 23, 7:30 m an Marc 24, 3:00 m

Writers Weekend at Summerville - Jaguar Student Activities Center

Marc 21, 1 m - 10 :30 m & Marc 23, 9 am - 5:45 m

Conservatory Wind Ensemble - Maxwell Theatre

Marc 25, 7:30 m

An Afternoon with Sara Paretsky - University Hall, Room 170,Public Reading & Book Signing. Summerville Campus (Reservations required. To reserve a seat,

visit http://afternoon-with-paretsky.eventbrite.com.)

Marc 29, 3 m

Golden Dragon Acrobats - Maxwell Theatre

Marc 30, 3:00 m an 7:30 m

The GRU Department of Musicheld auditions for the annual ConcertoCompetition on Wednesday, Feb. 13in the Maxwell Theater. From an out-standing pool of music majors, three

inners were selected: Tayler Kitlan,ute, Mi El Jang, piano, and LarissaRoman Rodriguez, soprano. TaylerKitlan, a senior music education major

ho was also the 2013 recipient for thePowers Baldwin Music Award, willcomplete her student teaching during

the fall semester of 2013 and gradu-ate in December. Mi El Jang, studentof Dr. Clara Park, is a senior pianoperformance major and will graduatein December of 2013. Larissa Ro-man Rodriguez, recently awarded theLucie Ruzicka Vocal Music Award for2013, will graduate in May with a BAdegree in music. In addition to a cashprize, each musician will be a featuredsoloist with the GRU Orchestra onThursday, April 25, at 7:30 pm in the

Maxwell Theater. Begun in 1997, theConcerto Competition has featuredoutstanding student musicians and fos-tered musical excellence for 17 years.

The GRU Department of Art is hold-ing its annual spring art exhibits for se-nior BFA and BA art majors. Betweennow and early May, 27 art students

ill exhibit projects at a variety ofvenues across the community, includ-

ing the Mary S. Byrd Gallery on theSummerville campus, the J.B. Whitesbuilding exhibit space, Tire City Pot-ters, Gertrude Herbert Institute ofArt, Arts & Heritage Center of NorthAugusta, Howard Johnson conferenceroom, Sutherland Mill, North AugustaMunicipal Building, and Local Artists1155.

GRU Theatre and the Departmentof Communications will host the 2014Patti Pace Performance Festival Jan.

31 and Feb. 1, 2014 at the MaxwellPerforming Arts Theatre. As con-ceived by the late Dr. Patricia Pacefourteen years ago, the conferencebrings together teachers, students,scholars, and artists in a community ofdiscovery. After her untimely death,the conference was organized by hercolleagues and friends across thesoutheast, rotating between the follow-ing host schools: Louisiana State Uni-versity, Southern Illinois University

Carbondale, and Georgia SouthernUniversity. Faculty and students fromtheatre and communication depart-ments across the country gather for thetwo-day conference which featuresa non-competitive learning environ-ment, where discovery, play, andexperimentation provide participantsa safe space to experiment with theproduct and process of theatre, perfor-

mance, and communication. As well,the student organization, The TheatreGuild, is planning ash mobs, com-munity outreach projects, and severalother activities for the fall semester.

Contributors are Dr. Angela Morgan,Dr. Kristin Casaletto, Dr. MelanieOMeara, and Dr. Karen Aubrey.

Concerto Competition set, spring exhibits on display

SUbMitted photo

This work by Rosalind Avrett iscalled Body Analysis. Rosalind is asenior, having one of those showsand this piece was the Philip Mors-

berger purchase award winner.

Artsexs, vns an mr



18/20

By Toni Baker

A signaling molecule that helpsstem cells survive in the naturally

low-oxygen environment inside thebone marrow may hold clues to help-ing the cells survive when the goinggets worse with age and disease,researchers report.

They hope the ndings, reportedin PLOS ONE, will result in bettertherapies to prevent bone loss in ag-ing and enhance success of stem celltransplants for a wide variety of con-ditions from heart disease to cerebralpalsy and cancer.

Theyve found that inside the usual,oxygen-poor niche of mesenchymalstem cells, stromal cell-derived fac-tor-1, or SDF-1, turns on a survivalpathway called autophagy that helpsthe cells stay in place and focused onmaking bone, said Dr. William D.Hill, stem cell researcher at the Medi-cal College of Georgia at GeorgiaRegents University and the studyscorresponding author.

Unfortunately with age or disease,

SDF-1 appears to change its tune,instead reducing stem cells ability tosurvive and stay in the bone marrow,said Samuel Herberg, GRU graduatestudent and the studys rst author.Additionally cells that do stay putmay be less likely to make bone andmore likely to turn into fat cells in themarrow.

The researchers believe its thechanges in the normal environmentthat come with age or illness, includ-

ing diminished nutrition, that promptSDF-1s shifting role.

You put new cells in there and,all of the sudden, you put them in aneighborhood where they are beingattacked, Hill said. If we can some-how precondition the transplantedcells or modify the environment theyare going into so they have higher

levels of autophagy, they will survivethat stress.

Autophagy is the consummate

green, survival pathway, where thecell perpetuates itself by essentiallyeating itself over and over again, inthe face of low food sources, otherstress or needing to eliminate dam-aged or toxic product buildup. Theresearchers believe autophagy slowswith age, so deadly trash starts pilingup in and around cells, Hill said.

Your cells normally have a re-minder to take out the trash, said Dr.Carlos Isales, MCG endocrinologist

and Clinical Director of the GRUInstitute of Regenerative and Re-

parative Medicine. That reminder,SDF-1, becomes inconsistent as youget older, so rather than being an ac-tivator of the trash signal, it becomesan inhibitor.

Herberg led efforts to geneticallymodify stem cells from mice to over-express SDF-1 in fact the research-ers were in the enviable position of

being able to adjust expression up

or down and control autophagy intheir novel cells. They found thatwhile SDF-1 didnt increase stem cellnumbers, it protected stem cells haz-ards related to low oxygen and more

by increasing autophagy while de-creasing its antithesis, programmedcell death, or apoptosis.

They get away with lower oxygenneeds and lower nutrient needs andstem cells are able to survive in a hos-tile environment as they are attacked

by damaging molecules like freeradicals, Hill said. In fact, the cellscan thrive.

The success of stem cell trans-plants is mixed and we think part ofthe problem is the environment thecells are put into, said Isales. Ul-timately we want to nd out what isthe triggering event for aging, what is

the chicken, what is the egg and whatinitiates this cascade. This new nd-ing gives us a piece of the puzzle that

helps us see the big picture.Theyve already begun looking at

what happens to SDF-1 in humanbone marrow stem cells and haveidentied a couple of drugs used totreat other conditions that increaseSDF-1 production and protection.They envision a collagen matrix,almost like a raft, that delivers SDF-1and stem cells or SDF-1 alone whereneeded, enabling targeted bone re-growth in the case of a bad fracture,

for example.It was already known that stem

cells secrete SDF-1 and that the cellsurvival pathway, autophagy, was up-regulated in stem cells. We startedthinking, if SDF-1 is secreted here inresponse to low oxygen, it must beimportant in cell survival, said Hilland the researchers became the rstto put the pieces together.

Cell survival and its antithesis,apoptosis, are both tightly regulated

and necessary, Herberg notes. And,in excess, both can be deadly. In fact,cancer therapies are under study that

block autophagy with the idea ofmaking cancer more vulnerable tochemotherapy. One of SDF-1s majorroles is helping the body properly as-semble during development. Its pro-duced by stem cells and found in highlevels in the lungs and bones. MCGresearchers are looking for othersources of SDF-1 production in the

body and how those might changewith age.

Bone formation tends to decrease atabout age 60, notes Isales, principalinvestigator on the $6.3 million Pro-gram Project Grant from the NationalInstitutes of Health that funded thestudy.

Signaling molecule may help stem cells

focus on making bone despite age, disease

GRU upcoming home gamesBaseball Mar. 20 - Newberry Mar. 27 - USCA Apr. 9 - Erskine

Mens Tennis Mar. 21 - Col. St. Mar. 29 - F.M.

Womens Tennis Mar. 21 - Col. St. Mar. 29 - F.M.

Softball Mar. 20 - Car.New. Mar. 24 - W. Ga. Apr. 5 - USCA

For more information, visit: http://www.jaguarsroar.com

SurinaWalker



19/20

credit...from page 15

est. To be eligible, yourcollege training or teach-ing service must have beeninterrupted by the militaryservice and you must havereturned to public teachingwithin ve years of yourrelease.

Military Draft: Militaryservice can be establishedfor active military duty

during a military draftperiod, if you were honor-ably discharged. The draftwas in effect from Sept. 16,1940 thru March 31, 1947and June 24, 1948 thru July1, 1973

Ordered Military: Mili-tary service can be estab-lished for ordered militaryduty for special events suchas Operation Enduring

Freedom, Desert Storm,etc. You must purchase theservice within 5 years ofthe termination date of theordered military duty.

Retired Military: If yourcurrent TRS membershipdate is on or after March28, 1974, you cannot re-ceive credit for militaryservice if your service is,or will be, used for retire-

ment benets from anotherstate or federal retirementprogram (excluding socialsecurity and U.S. CivilService). Therefore, if youare retired from the mili-tary and receive a militarypension based on this ser-vice, you cannot establishmilitary service with TRS.


lf k l l


20/20

Staf reports

Paced by four nishes in the top 24,the Augusta State Mens Golf teamregistered its second straight vic-tory on March 12 when the Jaguars

claimed the Cleveland Golf PalmettoIntercollegiate at historic PalmettoGolf Club.

The Jaguars, who were playingalongside South Carolina and NorthCarolina State in the nal round, com-bined for 2-over 282 and carded thelow round of the day by ve strokes.ASU overcame a four-shot decit to

overtake South Carolina and NorthCarolina State. At 856 (+16), the Jagsnished seven strokes ahead of theGamecocks and bested the Wolfpack

by eight shots.ASU freshman Maverick Antcliff,

playing in just his third event for theJags, red a 4-under 66 and notched athird-place nish at 1-under 209 (70-73-66). Junior Alex Wennstam cardedan even-par 70 and tied for sixth at2-over 212 (70-72-70).

Sophomore Robin Petersson and

senior Derek Chang each signed for a3-over 73 and tied for 19th and 24th,respectively. Sophomore Cody Shafertied for 76th.

USC Aiken standout Matt Atkinswon the individual title when he post-

ed an even-par 70 and a three-roundtotal of 4-over 206 (68-68-70). Vir-ginias Mac McLaughlin was second,two shots off the pace, while ASUs

Antcliff tied with South CarolinasMatt NeSmith for third.

The victory was the second in asmany events for the Jags and theirsecond win under second-year headcoach Kevin McPherson.

Mens golf team takes title at Palmetto

Staff photo

The team shows of the hardware ater the big win.

The GReport, March 20, 2013

Documents

Transcript of The GReport, March 20, 2013