document

Impacting Today, Transforming Tomorrow Continuum of Life Research at the University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences

Lori S. GonzalezPh.D., Dean

Judith Page Ph.D., Chair, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences

Charlotte A. PetersonPh.D., Associate Dean for Research

Karen SkaffPh.D., Chair, Department of Clinical Sciences

Sharon StewartEd.D., Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Impacting Today, Transforming Tomorrow: Continuum of Life Research at the University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences, Fall 2008.

Published by the Dean’s Office, University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences for distribution to alumni, donors, students, university personnel and friends. Copyright © 2008. No part of this publication, including photographs, design and text content, may be reproduced without prior permission from the UK College of Health Sciences.

Facts, figures and statistical data contained in this document are current at the time of publication and are subject to change at any time without notice.

University of Kentucky is committed to equal opportunity and nondiscrimination in all programs and services, and does not discriminate onthe basis of sex,race, color, religion, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, marital status, ancestry or age.

Written by: Allison Horseman, CHS Public Relations and Marketing Manager Gina Ehrhard, CHS Intern and University of Kentucky Student

Design by: Graham Allen of Annagram Studio and Design (www.annagramstudioanddesign.com) & Meridian Communications (www.meridiancomm.com)

4 | Committed to Research Associate Dean for Research

5 | Improving the Outlook: Discovering Options in Fertility and Cancer Treatment 7 | Unlocking the Secrets of Fertility 8 | What is PCOS?

10 | Natural Answers to Cancer Treatment 9 | Center of Excellence in Reproductive Sciences

11 | Transforming Tomorrow Through Today’s Youth 13 | We Did It! Self-Affirmation in Research

14 | Pediatric Physical Therapy: Improving Development in Children with Disabilities

Early Intervention Provides Babies with a Healthy Start to Life

15 | Getting the Most out of Today: Disability, Frailty and Speech Research 17 | Breaking the Communication Barrier: Ground-Breaking Research in Voice 18 | Dinaste’s Story

19 | Attacking Aging Why do some older persons become frail and forgetful while others remain strong and alert? 20 | Muscle Biology Research Center at the University of Kentucky

21 | Student Research at the College of Health Sciences 22 | Living Without Limbs: Finding Ways to Improve Lives After War

23 | Funded Research25 | About Us 26 | College Snapshot 26 | Donating to the College

Table of Contents

University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences 2

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Calendar Year

UK College ofHealth Sciences

Awards

UK College ofHealth Sciences

Awards

Average per Qualifying Institute

Ranking: 34th

Ranking: 18thRanking: 19th

Ranking:Unknown

Ranking: 44th

$0-

$200,000-

$400,000-

$600,000-

$800,000-

$1,000,000-

$1,200,000-

$1,400,000-

$1,600,000-

3 University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences

Committed to Research Associate Dean for ResearchGreat things are happening in research at the University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences. As part of the University of Kentucky’s desire to become a Top 20 public research university by 2020, the College of Health Sciences has strengthened our owncommitment to building an internationally recognized research enterprise.

Becoming a Top 20 university enables us to strengthen Kentucky communities and better the lives of Kentucky residents; however, we want our research to extend beyond the bounds of the state. At the College of Health Sciences, we are not only committed to improving the lives of those around us, but also the lives of those we may never see, talk with, or treat as patients.

In 2006 and 2007, the College of Health Sciences was ranked in the Top 20 in NIH research among colleges of allied health. Through cutting-edge research, we are working to continually increase the amount of funding our researchers receive in order to find better, more innovative ways to improve health.

At the College of Health Sciences, we are working to bridge our two departments – Clinical Sciences and Rehabilitation Sciences. We are finding creative ways to make a difference by utilizing the knowledge of our internationally renowned researchers and collaborating with our other health care partners. Our three major areas of research are:

• Reproductive Health • Voice and Language Disorders • Frailty and Disability Prevention

The long-term goal of the college is to develop areas of research excellence in reproductive health and functional independence, with the latter emphasizing both mobility and communication skills. Importantly, all of our projects have a strong translational component. Our research will lead to novel intervention and rehabilitation strategies that will improve health and function by reducing illness and disability.

Truly we are impacting today and transforming tomorrow by touching the entire continuum of life through our research.


Charlotte A. Peterson, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Research

Improving the Outlook: Discovering Options in Fertility and Cancer Treatment

7 | Unlocking the Secrets of Fertility 8 | What is PCOS?

10 | Natural Answers to Cancer Treatment 9 | Center of Excellence in Reproductive Sciences

CheMyong Jay Ko, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the College of Health Sciences Division of Clinical and Reproductive Laboratory Sciences.


Unlocking the Secrets of FertilityNearly 7.3 million women in the United States are affected by infertility, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For those trying desperately to conceive a child, struggling with infertility issues can be disheartening. That is why researchers in Dr. CheMyong Jay Ko’s lab at the University of Kentucky are seeking to find out more about the key factors that affect female reproduction.

According to Ko, female infertility is often caused by an incomplete ovulation cycle. The ovulatory process ends with the rupture of the follicle wall and expulsion of the egg from the ovary. When that rupture is hampered, not only does it become impossible for an egg to be released, but serious disorders such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), hemorrhagic cysts and hormonal imbalance may occur. These disorders often lead to infertility.

To discover more about the female ovulation cycle, Ko’s laboratory has been working to reveal the mechanism that governs the rupture of the follicle during the ovulatory process. Ko’s work is sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. His work is also part of the University of Kentucky’s National Institutes of Health funded Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) in reproductive health.

Recently, Ko’s laboratory has made significant findings. The most important discovery to date is that a malfunction of estrogen in the ovary may lead to the formation of multiple ovarian cysts, a symptom of PCOS.

By normalizing ovarian steroid function, Ko hopes to be able to prevent or cure PCOS in the future, thus eliminating infertility issues that affect so many of today’s women.

What is PCOS?Polycystic Ovary Syndrome affects an estimated 5-10 percent of women of childbearing age, and it is a leading cause of infertility. According to the International Council on Infertility Information Dissemination, as many as 30 percent of women have some characteristics of the syndrome.



Center of Excellence in Reproductive Sciences

A university-wide Center of Excellence in Reproductive Sciences is being established to build on existing strengths in the areas of research, education and service. The goal is to create a nationally-recognized program that promotes research and educational activities in reproductive science and women’s health.

The momentum for the center is based upon a long history of collaborative efforts in the reproductive sciences across the University of Kentucky campus. This momentum led

to a National Institutes of Health Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE)grant, as well as an NIH supported Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health and a recent proposal for a multi-disciplinary Ph.D. in Reproductive Sciences.Other efforts include a weekly reproductive seminar, an annual reproductive sciences and women’s health seminar, increased educational opportunities, degrees in the field and enhanced research opportunities. All of this has promoted a strong interdisciplinary program across the colleges of Medicine, Animal Sciences, Health Sciences and Pharmacy.

Damodaran Chendil, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the College of Health Sciences Division of Clinical and Reproductive Laboratory Sciences.

Natural Answers to Cancer TreatmentMore than 7.1 million deaths are caused by cancer annually. According to the World Health Organization, dietary factors account for about 30 percent of all cancers in Western countries. In Asian countries, however, the risk of developing certain cancers, specifically breast and prostate cancer, is significantly lower. One researcher at the College of Health Sciences is working to find out why. Dr. Damodaran Chendil’s lab is working to identify dietary compounds in natural products that may help treat or prevent certain cancers.

“In Japan, China, Taiwan and Middle Eastern countries, the people drink green tea, eat a lot of soy products and cook with spices,” Chendil said. “Unlike many people in Western countries, most of them eat a well-balanced diet based on fruits and vegetables. We are trying to see if compounds in these foods contribute to the decreased risk for breast and prostate cancer.”

By testing compounds that have never been tested before, but are based on diet, Chendil said the risk of toxicity is decreased. In fact, he and his team have identified one compound for a clinical trial. Although it is early in the process, the compound has been successful in treating cancer in animal models and has been non-toxic to all normal cells and organs. “There is no magic pill,” Chendil said. “But if we can identify a supplement that can be used as an alternative to conventional treatment, it might just be magic after all.”

Chendil has been collaborating with numerous other departments at the University of Kentucky, as well as other colleges and universities around the nation, on the project. Working in conjunction with the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, the biology and urology departments in UK HealthCare, and researchers at Case Western University, Miami University and Oklahoma University, has enabled his team to better identify compounds that may make their research successful.

Chendil is supported in his research by the Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the National Cancer Institute. His work is also part of the University of Kentucky’s National Institutes of Health funded Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) in reproductive health.

“We’re excited about the promise this research holds as we work with others around the globe to eventually prevent cancer altogether,” said Chendil.


The Center of Excellence in Reproductive Sciences will be co-directed by Tom Curry, Ph.D., Professor in the College of Medicine and Doris J. Baker, Ph.D., Professor in the College of Health Sciences. Curry is internationally recognized for his research on the mechanism of ovulation, and Baker is a leader in the ethical and clinical endeavors of assisted reproduction. Baker also developed the first curriculum-based education programs for assisted reproductive technology laboratories in the United States.

The center will provide support for basic and clinical research as well as a unique education model with basic research and clinical components. The combined expertise will support translational research, leading to further collaborations with international experts in the field and acknowledgement as a major academic participant in reproductive science and medicine.

Transforming Tomorrow Through Today’s Youth 13 | We Did It! Self-Affirmation in Research

14 | Pediatric Physical Therapy: Improving Development in Children with Disabilities

Early Intervention Provides Babies with a Healthy Start to Life


We Did It! Self-Affirmation in ResearchBeing able to count to 20. Finding a summer job. Being able to talk and communicate with friends. Learning how to count money. Learning to cook. Walking to the gym and back.

For most people, these tasks seem simple. For students in the Kentucky Youth Advocacy Project (KYAP), however, these goals represent much more. For those students, all of whom have a disability, accomplishing their goal is a reason to be proud and is a step toward independence and self-advocacy.

KYAP is a grant project funded by the Kentucky Council on Developmental Disabilities. It is in its third year and is led by Jane Kleinert, Ph.D. and Assistant Professor in the Division of Communication Sciences and Disorders. The program seeks to provide training and support to students with disabilities to help them develop self-advocacy skills at an early age and foster necessary communication skills to support their goals.

“The project gives students with disabilities a chance to become advocates for themselves,” said Tracy Fisher, a KYAP research assistant. “Many times those students are never asked what they want. Advocacy teaches them they have power over their own lives.”

Students start the process by selecting a personal goal and sharing that goal with friends, family, mentors and teachers at an “I CAN” Day. The“I CAN” Day is a large group activity which marks the start of a new beginning. It is the launching point for the students’ journey into the world of self-advocacy and self-determination.

Once the students determine their goals, they begin to develop a plan of action in order to reach them. In the end, students evaluate their own progress and share their successes at the “I DID IT” Day. On this special day, each participant presents his or her goal and explains the challenges which were overcome to reach that goal.

KYAP not only relies on teachers and parents, but mentors are another important component for the success of the project. These mentors are adults with disabilities who are experienced and successful self-advocates.

To date, approximately 127 students, more than 30 teachers and parents and 10 different school districts have participated in or attended KYAP training.

“The Kentucky Youth Advocacy Project (KYAP)gives students with disabilities a chance to become advocates for themselves,” said Tracy Fisher. “...Which teaches them they have power over their own lives.”

Two students show their success on an “I DID IT” day.

Percentage of goals met by year:

2006-2007: 64% 2007-2008: 73%


Pediatric Physical Therapy: Improving Development in Children with Disabilities

Premature babies, sick newborns and babies who go through a difficult delivery face developmental challenges from the start of their lives. Following discharge from the hospital, these children often become part of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) graduate clinic at the University of Kentucky to help improve their chances of growing mentally sharp and physically strong.

“A large percentage of these children have problems such as delayed language or cognitive development,” says Gilson Capilouto, Ph.D. and Associate Professor in the Division of Communication Sciences and Disorders. “It is important for our team to provide ongoing assessment of these babies so we can ensure they receive necessary early intervention services.”

Capilouto, a speech-language pathologist, works with a team of professionals that includes a neonatologist, nurse practitioner, social

worker, dietician and physical therapist to facilitate the enrollment of NICU babies into programs such as First Steps, which will further facilitate their development.

In addition to clinical work, Capilouto also focuses on researching ways to improve the lives of these babies. She is currently monitoring the effect of extended use of breathing tubes on speech development, as well as feeding issues that often arise with high-risk infants. She is also evaluating the factors that affect a family’s willingness to travel to the NICU clinic for care, such as rising gas prices.

For Capilouto, working with pediatric patients has always been a passion.

“I practiced clinically for more than 20 years before moving into academia,” she says. “For me, it’s always been about finding ways to provide better care. I feel the research we are conducting will help these children have the best possible start to life.”

Children with developmental disabilities often have problems with physical functioning. At the College of Health Sciences, researcher Susan Effgen, Ph.D. and Professor of Physical Therapy, is working to improve lives and find better ways to treat children with disabilities.

Effgen is currently researching the effectiveness of physical therapy on gross motor skill development in young children with disabilities. “It’s about efficiency,” she says. “We’re trying to find out when the most therapy makes the most difference.”

To do this, Effgen and her team are conducting an exploratory study that seeks to determine the most efficient and effective intensity, frequency and duration of physical therapy intervention that will assist a young child with disabilities to acquire new gross motor skills. At this point, research has shown significant improvements in motor assessment scores when therapy was given four times a week for four weeks.

In addition to physical therapy, Effgen and colleagues are also exploring the effectiveness of sensorimotor therapy on children with disabilities.

Early Intervention Provides Babies With a Healthy Start to Life

Getting the Most Out of Today: Disability, Frailty and Speech Research

17 | Breaking the Communication Barrier: Ground-Breaking Research in Voice 18 | Dinaste’s Story

19 | Attacking Aging Why do some older persons become frail and forgetful while others remain strong and alert? 20 | Muscle Biology Research Center at the University of Kentucky


Breaking the Communication Barrier: Ground-Breaking Research in VoiceJohn Powell, a famed composer, once said that “communication works for those who work at it.” At the College of Health Sciences, that is exactly what Joseph Stemple is doing. Stemple came to the university in 2005 to oversee the establishment of the University of Kentucky Voice Center of Excellence.

Some of the major research areas in the Voice Center of Excellence include:

• Quantity. One research project focuses on determining the number of people over age 65 affected by voice and swallowing problems. Stemple and his team are searching for risk factors in the identified population, as well as implications voice and swallowing disorders can have both physically and emotionally.

• Uniqueness. Researchers are studying the laryngeal, or voice, muscles to discover how they are different from other muscles in the body. “We know these muscles behave differently,” Stemple says. “But since they are unique, are they able to be rehabilitated and strengthened the same way as other muscles?”

• Mind. In collaboration with Richard D Andreatta, Ph.D., Associate ProfessorDivision of Communication Sciences & Disorders, studies are underway using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to see how the voice and muscles of the mouth are controlled in the brain.

• Quality. Stemple and his research team are working to develop a voice quality of life scale for the elderly. In the past, research has shown that those suffering from voice disorders may suffer from emotional, physical, social and functional stress. By further developing effective treatment for voice disorders, Stemple hopes to see scores improve and, in turn, improve the quality of life for aging adults.

• Projection. Through a collaborative effort with the University of Kentucky School of Music, Stemple and his team are working to determine whether vocal functional exercises enhance the physiologic aspect of the voice. In other words, is it possible to actually strengthen the physical capabilities of the voice? If so, those techniques can be used by everyone from opera singers, who may wish to enhance their performances, to the elderly, who may hope to speak more clearly in everyday conversations.

Joseph Stemple, Ph.D., is a professor in the College of Health Sciences Division of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

After suffering an asthma attack in 2004, 11-year-old Dinaste Allen could barely speak for two years. Her mother, Denise Allen, sought treatment for Dinaste. She was diagnosed withmuscle tension dysphonia, a conditionwhere the vocal cords are so tensethey will not vibrate. Dinaste was completely unresponsive to treatment. She was eventually referred to a psychiatrist. “They thought it was all in her mind,” Denise Allen said. After a frustrating year and a half, Dinaste was referred to Joseph Stemple, a communication disorders specialist at the University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences. Allen, a single mother of three children, was concerned for her daughter’s well-being and moved the family from Ohio to Lexington to be near Stemple and the University of Kentucky. “Dinaste didn’t think she was ever going to get better,” Allen said. After receiving six therapy sessions from Stemple and Bridgett Williams, a UK speech-language pathologist, Dinaste is now able to speak. But recovery did not come easily. “The voice box is a very complicated instrument,” Stemple said. “There are 13 phonation muscles in the voice box, and all muscles have to work together properly in order for the voice to be normal. Dinaste had been using her voice improperly for over two years and we had to break the pattern of inappropriate muscle patterns activity and reintroduce the appropriate muscle patterns.” For Dinaste, how it happened doesn’t really matter. What matters now is that she has regained her voice in the world.


To extend the practical implications the Voice Center of Excellence has to offer, the College of Health Sciences has teamed with otolaryngology to form the University of Kentucky Clinical Voice Center, a place where people from all over the area can come for evaluation and treatment of voice disorders. The center is being led by Rita Patel, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and director of the center. Once it is fully developed, Stemple and Patel hope to explore the possibilities of using telemedicine to extend the reach of the clinic. In addition, they hope to offer a certificate in voice therapy for therapists working in the state and region.

“We can extend the impact the clinic has by offering it to more people close to home,” Stemple says. “This region has many people who are affected by voice disorders that do not live close to metropolitan areas. We hope to be able to make a difference for those people by utilizing therapists throughout the region, as well as technology such as telemedicine.”

Dinaste’s Story

“This region has many people who are affected by voice disorders that do not live close to metropolitan areas.” Stemple says. “We hope to be able to make a difference for those people by utilizing therapists throughout the region, as well as technology such as telemedicine.”

Attacking Aging Why do some older persons become frail and forgetful while others remain strong and alert?Scientists in the College of Health Sciences are following several threads as they try to unravel this mystery through wide-reaching, collaborative projects.

Charlotte A. Peterson, Ph.D. and Associate Dean for Research in the College of Health Sciences, has found that adult stem cells in muscles tend to turn into fat cells, called adipocytes, in old animals. This phenomenon may contribute to frailty or weakness and reduced ability to recover from muscle injuries. Peterson is now extending her studies of the accumulation of fat in muscle to humans by collaborating with scientists throughout the UK campus, the UK Muscle Biology Research Center and other academic institutions around the country.

Similarly, Esther Dupont-Versteegden, Ph.D. and Associate Professor in the Division of Physical Therapy, is trying to understand how cell death may contribute to muscle loss with age and disuse, to develop strategies to maintain functional independence in the elderly after being confined to bed rest.

Recently Dupont-Versteegden has teamed up with Patrick Kitzman, Ph.D. and Associate Professor in the Division of Physical Therapy, who has been developing strategies to prevent spasticity following spinal cord injury. Collaboratively, Kitzman and Dupont-Versteegden will study multiple processes that must be addressed for effective rehabilitation following spinal cord injury. Kitzman is also actively working to build a collaborative team to investigate health and quality of life-related challenges for individuals with spinal cord injury living in medically underserved areas of Kentucky.

In a related project, Peterson has joined forces with Anne Harrison, Ph.D. and Director of the Division of Physical Therapy, to study the effects of specific exercise regimens on both physical and cognitive performance in the elderly, in collaboration with scientists from the Sanders Brown Center on Aging.

Harrison’s research has shown that a decline in some motor functions is predictive of loss in cognitive ability. “By focusing on approaches that will maintain both physical and cognitive performance, there is a greater chance to maintain functional independence throughout an individual’s lifespan,” says Peterson.


Muscle Biology Research Center at the University of Kentucky

The recently established University of Kentucky Center for Muscle Biology is designed to foster collaboration among clinical and basic scientists, catalyze translational research, stimulate educational activities and increase national recognition for the university in the field of muscle biology. The center will promote specific research and education-related initiatives by integrating the activities of investigators from five colleges and centers with funding from the National Institutes of Health. The center is directed by Michael B. Reid, Shih-Chun Wang Endowed Professor and Chair of the Department of Physiology in the UK College of Medicine, and is co-directed by Charlotte Peterson, Ph.D., Joseph Hamburg Endowed Professor and Associate Dean of Research in the College of Health Sciences. Peterson is an internationally-recognized authority on stem cell biology in skeletal muscle and the sarcopenia of aging. Her expertise in translational research strengthens the initiatives of the center and her knowledge of hospital-based activities will broaden opportunities for involvement. According to Peterson, the center will promote national recognition of the University by affiliating with external scientists in academe and industry, by bringing prominent U.S. and international scientists to campus and by sending university personnel abroad for research and study.

To further the study, participants with mild cognitive impairment will be recruited through the Center on Aging for testing and exercise training in the College of Health Sciences Musculoskeletal Research Lab, directed by Tim Uhl, Ph.D. and Associate Professor in the Division of Athletic Training. This will bring a new dimension to the athletic training research program which currently focuses on rehabilitation following sports related injuries.

Loss in the ability to communicate effectively also limits function in the elderly. Gilson Capilouto, Ph.D. and Associate Professor in the Division of Communication Sciences and Disorders, is determining whether age-related changes in discourse processing correspond to age-related changes in cognitive processes. Although claims have been made suggesting that age-related changes in language and cognition are related, Capilouto’s study, in collaboration with Arizona State University, is the first comprehensive analysis that considers the multiple components required to produce discourse. All of the joint research projects in the College of Health Sciences are underway thanks to private donations, foundation grants and grants from the National Institutes of Health.

“There is so much excitement and so much going on in aging research,” says Peterson. “The mechanisms and processes that underlie disability and frailty that become prevalent as we age are beginning to be identified so we can design new ways to intervene. It would be nice to think that if you lived to be 90, you’d have a full, independent and healthy life. That’s our goal: to improve the quality of life and help people maintain their functional independence for as long as possible.”

“There is so much excitement and so much going on in aging research,” says Peterson. “It would be nice to think that if you lived to be 90, you’d have a full, independent and healthy life. That’s our goal...”

4Student Research at the College of Health Sciences22 | Living Without Limbs: Finding Ways to Improve Lives After War


Living Without Limbs: Finding Ways to Improve Lives After WarWhether writing, typing, cooking, driving or even playing an instrument, our hands help us carry out simple, everyday tasks. More than 800 of today’s soldiers, however, must face each new challenge without the help of one or more of their limbs. Of those soldiers that lose a limb, more than half lose the use of an arm or hand on their dominant side, thus making everyday tasks such as writing extremely difficult.

To help soldiers through this difficult process, Katie Yancosek, an occupational therapist and doctoral student in the College of Health Sciences Rehabilitation Sciences program, has developed a hand writing program to bring the wounded soldiers one step closer to functioning normally. The Rehabilitation Sciences Doctoral program in the College of Health Sciences is an multidisciplinary inter-institutional program in collaboration with Eastern Kentucky University, Murray State University and Western Kentucky University.

According to Yancosek, writing is one of the main motor skills the injured soldiers need to regain in order to maintain independence, continue their education or enter the working world.

Yancosek, a Major in the United States Army and recipient of a prestigious Army Doctoral Fellowship, became interested in this topic while serving as the chief of amputee care in occupational therapy at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. There, she became inspired by her patients and wanted to help them rebuild their lives. Yancosek hopes that her research will help with a transition into a civilian life or a different military path, since most amputees do not return to combat.

Yancosek’s research is funded by a seed grant provided by the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) at the university. Yancosek is in the process of earning a certificate as a translational scientist. Her mentor on this research is David Mullineaux, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Education. In the end, Yancosek hopes to uncover the process of motor learning as related to writing and will also study stability over time in re-learned writing.

In addition, Yancosek recently published a book called “Handwriting for Heroes.” The book will be available for anyone with a permanent loss of hand function that needs to retrain fine motor skills and writing techniques, whether a military service member or a civilian.

“I really wanted to confront the psychological issues these men and women face,” she says. “Not being able to write is just another reminder of their permanent dysfunction. By giving them back this skill, we hope to also give them back hope for a better life.”

According to Katie Yancosek, writing is one of the main motor skills the injured soldiers need to regain in order to maintain independence, continue their education or enter the working world.

A soldier who lost the use of his dominant hand re-learns how to write thanks to the research of Katie Yancosek, a College of Health Sciences doctoral student.

Funded Research

5Gilson Capilouto, Ph.D., Division of Communication Sciences and Disorders


Phillip Bridges, Ph.D.Project Leader, Center of Biomedical Research Excellence in Women’s Health (COBRE); PI: Tom Curry, PhD, UK College of Medicine Sponsor: National Center for Research Resources

Geza Bruckner, Ph.D.Developing Health Sciences Students to Be Health Navigators for Diabetes Prevention and CareSponsor: Kentucky Diabetes Research Board

Gilson Capilouto, Ph.D.Discourse Processing in Healthy AgingSponsor: Arizona State University through an award from the National Institute on Aging; PI: Heather Wright, Ph.D.

Damodaran Chendil, Ph.D.A Novel Herbal Medicine for the Treatment of Breast CancerSponsor: Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation

Novel Herbal Medicine for the Treatment of Prostate CancerSponsor: National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine

Esther Dupont-Versteegden, Ph.D.Integrated Study of Musculoskeletal Loss and RestorationSponsor: National Institute on Aging

Anne Harrison, Ph.D., and Charlotte A. Peterson, Ph.D.Behavioral and physiological effects of a power training exercise program in individuals with mild cognitive impairmentSponsor: UK Alzheimer’s Disease Center funded by the National Institute on Aging

Patrick H. Kitzman, Ph.D.Role of Glutamatergic System in SCI-induced Spasticity in the AxialSponsor: Kentucky Spinal Cord and Head Injury Research Trust

Planning Grant for Establishing a Collaborative Team to Investigate: Health and Quality of Life Related Challenges for Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury, Living in Medically Underserved Areas of Kentucky, Receiving Rehabilitation Services Sponsor: EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, initiated by the National Science Foundation)

Jane O. Kleinert, Ph.D.Kentucky Youth Advocacy ProjectSponsor: Kentucky Health Services Cabinet

Chemyong Ko, Ph.D.Endothelin-2 in Ovarian Follicle RuptureSponsor: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Project Leader, Center of Biomedical Research Excellence in Women’s Health (COBRE); PI Tom Curry, Ph.D., UK College of MedicineSponsor: National Center for Research Resources

Charlotte A. Peterson, Ph.D.Mechanisms Underlying Metabolic Syndrome in ObesitySponsor: National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive Disorders & Kidney Disease

Changes in Myogenic Progenitor Potential with AgeSponsor: National Institute on Aging

Samuel Powdrill, M.PhilTargeted Training for Physician Assistant Students Caring for At Risk Populations in Kentucky Sponsor: Health Resources and Services Administration

Tim Uhl, Ph.D. / Kimberly Dolak, ATCComparison of Early Hip Strengthening to Early Quadriceps Strengthening in the Treatment of Females with Patellofemoral PainSponsor: National Athletic Trainers’ Association Research & Education Foundation

About Us

6Students conduct research in the Musculoskeletal laboratory in the College of Health Sciences.


College Snapshot• 123 undergraduate students and 427 graduates are enrolled in nine disciplines at the College of Health Sciences.

• The College of Health Sciences was ranked in the Top 20 of NIH research among colleges of allied health in 2006 and 2007.

• Of the undergraduate students that earned their degrees from the College of Health Sciences in May 2008, 76 percent graduated with honors.

• The number of alumni from the College of Health Sciences is more than 6,000.

• 64% of alumni remain in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

• Alumni from the college reside in 114 out of 120 counties in Kentucky.

• 406 community-based volunteer faculty members assist with clinical instruction throughout the state.

• Six programs in the college are the only one of their kind in Kentucky.

• The College of Health Sciences at the University of Kentucky was one of the first 12 allied health colleges in the United States.

Donating to the CollegeYou can be part of our commitment to a brighter tomorrow.

We invite you to play an integral role in our commitment to research, education and service. If you are interested in funding research opportunities at the College of Health Sciences, or enabling more students to excel through student scholarships, please contact us. Our development staff is ready to assist you with cash donations, endowments, planned giving through bequests and wills, scholarship funds, property, gifts of stock and much more.

To show your commitment to a brighter tomorrow, contact the Director of Advancement at (859) 323-1100 extension 80562.

You can also make your donation by mail:

College of Health Sciences900 S. Limestone StreetCharles T. Wethington Jr. Building, Rm. 123Lexington, KY 40536 - 0200

Checks should be made payable to the University of Kentucky.

Gifts may also be made online by visiting https://giveto.uky.edu/UK_p/uk.htm Be sure to designate your online gift to the College of Health Sciences and indicate your area of interest.

To find out more about our college, visit us online at www.mc.uky.edu/healthsciences.

Charles T. Wethington Jr. Building, Rm. 123900 South Limestone

Lexington, KY 40536-0200General Phone: (859) 323-1100 ext. 80480

www.mc.uky.edu/healthsciences

document

Documents

uk college of health

college snapshot

research associate dean

groundbreaking research

speech research

university personnel

university of kentuckys

muscle biology research