Research News 2021
10/21/21
Dr. Kim Anderson-Erisman Awarded Neilsen Visionary Prize
Kim Anderson-Erisman, PhD, a professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at MetroHealth Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, has received the 2021 Neilsen Visionary Prize awarded by the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation.
She is one of three people honored this year by the foundation, the largest private funder of spinal cord injury (SCI) research, education, clinical training and programmatic support in the U.S. and Canada.
The Neilsen Visionary Prize "celebrates influential voices who show great potential to expand or advocate for new ideas for those living with a disability," and its recipients reflect qualities "from being unafraid to take bold risks, to boundless determination and passion, to the ability to inspire others," the foundation said in its October 20 announcement.
The honor comes with a $1 million unrestricted prize.
"Pure shock," Dr. Anderson-Erisman said she felt when the foundation's leaders broke the news during a Zoom meeting earlier this month, then asked her to keep it confidential until the announcement was released.
"To be thought of a visionary in my field is very humbling to me," said Dr. Anderson-Erisman, who joined MetroHealth in 2018. She is Director of the Northeast Ohio Regional SCI System based at the MetroHealth Rehabilitation Institute.
"For the last 16 or 17 years of my research, a huge part of it has been about bringing the voice of people with SCI into that research and making it better. I wanted to continually shape the research field to do important and potentially impactful work."
The other two recipients of the 2021 Neilsen Visionary Prize are Wesley Hamilton, whose nonprofit Disabled But Not Really (DBNR) Foundation focuses on fitness and nutrition, support for adaptive athletes and community service programs that highlight the underserved "disabled" community; and Alice Sheppard, an internationally recognized dancer, award-winning choreographer and founder of the disability arts ensemble Kinetic Light.
"That's part of the wonderfulness of this prize," Dr. Anderson-Erisman said. "There are a lot of people in the SCI community who are doing such amazing work.
"I didn't do all of these things for the hope that someone would give me money," she said. "I did them because it's the right thing to do, it's so needed in the SCI community."
Dr. Anderson-Erisman was 17 years old when she sustained a spinal cord injury in a car accident. Her research has focused on translational investigations and bridging the gap between basic science, clinical science, and those living with spinal cord injury. And, it is informed with her own perspective of living with a spinal cord injury.
"It's not enough to just do research", she said. "Is it really going to make any difference in someone's life? That's the perspective I come from and why I go against the grain. My drive has been that, in my lifetime, I want to make things better for other people with SCI."
One such study is following veterans and civilians with SCI, and a family member or support person, in the first year after injury. The goal is to gain a better understanding of their experience — how they define recovery and success and the struggles they face. That study is a collaboration between researchers at MetroHealth, CWRU and the Veterans Affairs Northeast Ohio Health System.
Another study is looking into whether electrical stimulation is more effective than physical therapy in helping individuals with SCI gain use of their arms. Dr. Anderson-Erisman, in collaboration with Dr. James Wilson, is leading the trial at the MetroHealth Rehabilitation Institute (MRI). Other participating centers include Houston, Toronto and Vancouver.
In addition to supporting MetroHealth's SCI fellowship program for the past several years, the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation has provided financial support to MetroHealth's driver rehabilitation program. In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation's Emergency Relief Fund also helped MetroHealth address the needs of more than 200 people living with spinal cord injury at high risk for contracting COVID-19.
10/20/2021
Hulya Bukulmez, MD, awarded 2021 Case-Coulter Translational Research Partnership Award to develop stem cell based therapy to reduce inflammation causing organ damage
Hulya Bukulmez, MD, Director of Pediatric Rheumatology, has received a 2021 Case-Coulter Translational Research Partnership award supporting her promising novel engineered mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) based cellular therapy. Dr. Bukulmez and her team have been developing a novel cell therapy (HXB-319) based on bone marrow derived adult stem cells for the last 5 years. They have engineered MSCs that have enhanced immune responses to reduce inflammation and its resulting organ damage. The $145,000, one-year award will help advance HXB-319 cell therapy toward clinical use by targeting systemic autoimmune inflammatory diseases that cause end-stage organ damage such as pulmonary hemorrhage and end-stage kidney disease. The primary clinical target is Goodpasture Syndrome, an autoimmune disease that affect the lungs and kidneys. The funds will also enable Dr. Bukulmez to apply to the FDA with a pre-Investigational New Drug briefing package to discuss further steps to move the technology from research laboratories to clinical use.
The Case-Coulter Translational Research Partnership at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), with support from JobsOhio as part of the Cleveland Innovation District Initiative, announced more than $1.9 million in funding and support for 10 promising university-based biomedical technologies. The CWRU School of Medicine’s Council to Advance Human Health further supported two of these projects with an additional $300,000. “The infusion of resources from the JobsOhio program is part of a multiyear commitment from the State of Ohio and CWRU to grow the local innovation economy,” said Mitch Drumm, the university’s interim vice president for research and technology management. Full CWRU announcement can be accessed at:
Dr. Bukulmez is Associate Professor of Pediatrics at CWRU. Her co-investigator is John Chae, MD, Vice President for Research and Sponsored Programs at The MetroHealth System and Professor and Chair of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Professor of Biomedical Engineering at CWRU.
09/08/21
Spinal Cord Injury System receives $2.3 million grant
The Northeast Ohio Spinal Cord Injury System (NORSCIS) program was recently renewed as one of only 14 federally designated Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Model Systems Centers in the nation. This designation comes with a $2.3 million grant over five years from the National Institutes on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). MetroHealth's spinal cord injury program is the only one in Ohio to receive the designation.
NIDILRR awards SCI Model Systems Center grants to institutions that are national leaders in medical research and patient care. It continues to put MetroHealth on the map as a nationally recognized leader in SCI care and research.
The NORSCIS is operated with Case Western Reserve University. The program is led by Kim Anderson, PhD, and James Wilson, DO, faculty in the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) and the MetroHealth Center for Rehabilitation Research.
"For more than a half century, MetroHealth has been Northeast Ohio's leader in care for individuals with spinal cord injury," said John Chae, MD, MetroHealth Vice President of Research and Sponsored Programs and Chair of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation "We provide the highest level of comprehensive specialty services to patients with spinal cord injury, from the point of injury through rehabilitation and into the community as they regain quality of life."
MetroHealth's Rehabilitation Institute was recently recognized by U.S News & World Report as #24 in the nation and #1 in Ohio for the care of patients recovering from complex conditions such as SCI, stroke, traumatic brain injury and critical burns. Last year, Newsweek designated the MetroHealth Rehabilitation Institute as one of our nation's best rehabilitation hospitals.
The Northeast Ohio Regional Spinal Cord Injury System (NORSCIS) program at MetroHealth is focused on generating new knowledge to improve the lives of individuals with traumatic SCI. We accomplish this through research and treatment, drawing on more than 20 years' experience as a Level 1 Adult Trauma Center.
NORSCIS provides a comprehensive continuum of care for individuals with SCI that includes emergency medical services, acute care services, acute medical rehabilitation services, and post-acute services; conducts high quality research that is targeted at reducing the health burden of SCI by generating evidence-based interventions; and contributes significant numbers of under-represented minorities to the National SCI Database.
The site-specific research project will test the feasibility of early administration of gabapentin (a drug used to control seizures and pain) to enhance neurologic recovery. This multi-disciplinary grant includes co-investigators Drs. Christina Oleson (PM&R), Michael Kelly (Neurological Surgery), Nimitt Patel (Trauma), and Douglas Gunzler (Population Health).
Dr. Anderson is a Professor of PM&R and Dr. Wilson is an Assistant Professor of PM&R at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
9/1/2021
Dr. Schelling receives $3.4 million NIH award to study mechanisms leading to diabetes-induced kidney failure
Jeffrey Schelling, MD, Director of the Division of Nephrology of the Department of Medicine was awarded a $3.4 million NIH grant entitled “Mechanisms of Tubular Atrophy.” Over 30M people in the U.S. suffer from diabetes. Despite implementation of treatments to lower blood sugar and blood pressure, diabetes is still the responsible cause in half of the patients with end stage kidney disease. Dr. Jeff Schelling has been awarded an NIH R01 grant to explore the molecular mechanisms that lead to diabetes-induced kidney failure. The Schelling lab has been investigating the role of fat accumulation in kidney tubule cells. The NIH grant aims to determine whether inhibition of fat uptake by kidney tubules and/or sequestration of existing fat within tubules, halts the progression of diabetic kidney disease.
Dr. Schelling is Professor of Medicine at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
9/1/2021
Drs. Anderson and Wilson awarded prestigious Spinal Cord Injury Model System (SCIMS) grant from National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR)
Kim Anderson, PhD and James Wilson, DO, faculty in the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) and the MetroHealth Center for Rehabilitation Research, were awarded a 5-year, $2.3 million NIDILRR grant entitled, “Northeast Ohio Regional Spinal Cord Injury System (NORSCIS).” As one of only 14 federally-funded centers, NORSCIS provides a comprehensive continuum of care for individuals with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) that includes emergency medical services, acute care services, acute medical rehabilitation services, and post-acute services; conducts high quality research that is targeted at reducing the health burden of SCI by generating evidence-based interventions; and contributes significant numbers of under-represented minorities to the National SCI Database. The site-specific research project will test the feasibility of early administration of gabapentin to enhance neurologic recovery. This multi-disciplinary grant includes co-investigators Drs. Christina Oleson (PM&R), Michael Kelly (Neurological Surgery), Nimitt Patel (Trauma), and Douglas Gunzler (Population Health).
Dr. Anderson is Professor of PM&R and Dr. Wilson is Assistant Professor of PM&R at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
07/21/21
Dr. Kilgore awarded $2.6 million NIH grant to develop an implanted device to measure health status
Kevin Kilgore, PhD, staff scientist in the departments of Orthopaedics and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R), was awarded a $2.6M, 4-year grant from National Institutes of Health. The goal of the project is to develop an implanted device that can measure health status and predict disease states.
The proposed implanted device, called the "Lifeline", measures parameters such as body temperature, photoplethysmogram, electrocardiogram, audio, and acceleration. Taken together, these measures may be able to predict the early onset of autonomic dysreflexia (specific to spinal cord injury (SCI)), pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and pulmonary embolism.
These comorbidities are among the top causes of death in SCI. Early treatment may prevent them from progressing to life-threatening conditions. The Lifeline device will be incorporated into an existing modular implant system that Dr. Kilgore's team has previously developed, called the "Networked Neuroprosthesis."
Dr. Kilgore is the P. Hunter Peckham and George J. Picha Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the Dept. of Orthopaedics and PM&R, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU).
His co-investigators include Niloy Bhadra, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Dept. PM&R, CWRU; Michael Fu, PhD, Assistant Professor, Dept. Electrical, Computer & Systems Engineering and PM&R, CWRU; Pedram Mohseni, PhD, Professor of Electrical, Computer, & Systems Engineering, CWRU; Laleh Najafizadeh, PhD, Associate Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Rutgers University; and Brian Smith, BScHons, Director of Implant Development, Biomedical Engineering, CWRU.
5/24/2021
Dr. Whitehair awarded Case CTSC Pilot Grant to study acetylated – tau as a potential biomarker for mild traumatic brain injury
Victoria Whitehair, MD, Director of Brain Injury Rehabilitation and Associate Director of the Division of Neurological Rehabilitation in the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) was awarded a Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) Clinical and Translational Sciences Collaborative (CTSC) Pilot grant entitled, “Changes in plasma acetylated – tau during recovery from mild traumatic brain injury (TBI).” Prior work has shown that acetylated – tau protein accumulates in nerve cells after mild TBI and leaks into the blood within 24 hours. This $50,000, 12-month award will now monitor acetylated – tau blood levels over weeks after injury and correlate this with mild TBI symptom recovery scales to evaluate the scientific and clinical utility of blood acetylated – tau as a biomarker for mild TBI recovery. The establishment of such a relationship may inform medical and rehabilitation management and prognosis following mild TBI.
Dr. Whitehair is Assistant Professor of PM&R at CWRU. Her co-investigator is Andrew Pieper, MD, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Neurosciences at CWRU and attending physician in the department of Psychiatry at University Hospitals of Cleveland.
4/6/2021
Drs. Bhadra and Vrabec awarded $1.7 million NIH grant to study novel electrical stimulation technique for the treatment of spasticity
Niloy Bhadra, MD, PhD and Tina Vrabec, PhD, research faculty in the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) and the MetroHealth Center for Rehabilitation Research, was awarded a 4-year, $1.7 million NIH grant entitled, “Transcutaneous Direct Current Motor Nerve Block for Spasticity.” Spasticity, or abnormally increased muscle tone, is a significant complication of stroke, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury. Spasticity is associated with significant disability including loss of movement, contractures and chronic pain. Electrical nerve block in the form of a non-invasive direct current block has been recently shown to produce motor block, when applied through the skin. This block has the properties of rapidity, reversibility, gradeability, and repeatability. Drs. Bhadra and Vrabec propose an innovative direct current muscle block strategy delivered through the skin that will reduce spasticity and aid in the rehabilitation of limb movement. The proposal focuses on development and testing of commercial and newly designed surface electrodes to show the efficacy of motor nerve block and investigate the parameters that deliver the direct current safely to both the skin and the target nerve.
Dr. Bhadra is Associate Professor of PM&R and Dr. Vrabec is Assistant Professor of PM&R at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
4/5/2021
MetroHealth Maternal-Fetal-Medicine Unit Receives 5th Consecutive NIH Renewal
The MetroHealth System was awarded its 5th consecutive renewal to participate in the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development Maternal-Fetal-Medicine Units (NICHD-MFMU) Network. Jennifer Bailit, MD, MPH, Physician Executive, Provider Enterprise, and attending physician and investigator in The Women’s Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, will continue to serve as the Principal Investigator.
The NICHD – MFMU Network was established in 1986 to respond to the need for well-designed clinical trials in Maternal-Fetal-Medicine and obstetrics, particularly with respect to the problem of preterm birth. The $1.14 million, 4-yr award allows The MetroHealth System to remain in an elite group of investigators from the major obstetric research institutions in the US, including: UAB – Birmingham, Brown University, Columbia University, UTMB – Galveston, UT – Houston, Magee Women’s Hospital, UNC – Chapel Hill, Northwestern University, Ohio State University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Utah.
As co-authors of over 250 NICHD-MFMU research network publications that have identified effective treatments, put an end to ineffective practices, and studies that increase our understanding of pregnancy and its complications, Dr. Bailit and other ObGyn Faculty at MetroHealth will continue to conduct research that will change practice and improve pregnancy outcomes across the country. Examples of successful NICHD – MFMU Network studies include:
- Maternal antibiotic treatment to improve newborn outcomes after early preterm rupture of membranes
- Antenatal magnesium sulfate treatment to prevent cerebral palsy after early preterm birth
- Progesterone treatment during pregnancy to prevent repeated preterm birth
- Antenatal steroid treatment to improve newborn outcomes after late preterm birth
- Induction of labor at 39 weeks to improve pregnancy outcomes at term.
NICHD - MFMU Network publications this month include studies of:
- Outcomes of pregnant patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
- Obstetrics & Gynecology, April 2021.
- Association of breastfeeding and child IQ score at age 5 years.
- Obstetrics & Gynecology, April 2021.
- Dr. Bailit is Professor of Reproductive Biology at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
2/15/2021
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Ranked #3 in NIH Funding
The department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) at the MetroHealth System and Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) moved up one spot to number 3 in the nation in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding among PM&R departments in U.S. Medical Schools. The Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research rankings are based on data released by the NIH for all active awards during the 2020 fiscal year, which began on October 1, 2019 and ended September 30, 2020. The department of PM&R at CWRU is based at The MetroHealth System and is housed within the MetroHealth Rehabilitation Institute, whose mission is to restore function, societal participation and quality of life for persons with significant neurological and musculoskeletal impairments and functional limitations. The Institute is committed to a transdisciplinary approach that delivers outstanding rehabilitation care, trains the next generation of rehabilitation clinicians and scientists, and discovers new knowledge that translates to clinical practice.
The MetroHealth Rehabilitation Institute, led by two members of the National Academies, John Chae, MD of the National Academy of Medicine and P. Hunter Peckham of the National Academy of Engineering, is world renowned for the development and clinical implementation of sophisticated electrical stimulation systems that reanimate paralyzed muscles; restore limb, trunk, respiratory, bowel and bladder function; and facilitate neurological recovery following stroke, brain injury and spinal cord injury (SCI). More recent initiatives include interventions for the treatment of chronic pain and cardiac and pulmonary dysfunction in the non-neurologically impaired populations. Research programs within the Institute is led by transdisciplinary teams of biomedical engineers, electrical engineers, neuroscientists, neurosurgeons, occupational therapists, orthopedic surgeons, physiatrists, and physical therapists. The MetroHealth System recently invested $9 million to create new, state of the art clinical, research and education space for the Institute at its Old Brooklyn Health Center campus. The new facilities will open in spring of 2021. The MetroHealth Rehabilitation Institute is a major institutional partner in the world-renowned Cleveland Functional Electrical Stimulation Center, a research consortium of five nationally recognized institutions: Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, The MetroHealth System, Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals of Cleveland and the Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute.
The MetroHealth Rehabilitation Institute presently has over $50 million (total value of active grants through the life of the grant) in extramural research funding with two thirds awarded by the NIH. Independent Investigators in the Institute, defined as a Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-PI of a NIH R01 or equivalent award, include:
- Kimberly Anderson, PhD, Professor of PM&R: Perspectives of people living with SCI and electrical stimulation for motor recovery in SCI (DoD) and SCI Model Systems (NIDILRR)
- Niloy Bhadra, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of PM&R: Electrical nerve block (NIH)
- Dennis Bourbeau, PhD, Assistant Professor of PM&R: Electrical stimulation for bladder function in SCI (NIH, VA)
- Anthony DiMarco, MD, Professor of PM&R & Physiology/Biophysics: Respiratory neuroprosthesis for SCI (NIH)
- Michael Fu, PhD, Assistant Professor of Electrical, Computer and Systems Engineering and PM&R: Virtual reality and electrical stimulation for neurological recovery (NSF)
- Kevin Kilgore, PhD, Professor of Orthopedics, PM&R and BME: Upper limb neuroprosthesis for SCI and electrical nerve block (NIH, VA, FDA)
- Jayme Knutson, PhD, Associate Professor of PM&R: Electrical stimulation for hemiparesis (NIH, VA)
- P. Hunter Peckham, PhD, Professor Emeritus of BME, Orthopedics and PM&R: Upper limb neuroprosthesis for SCI (NIH)
- Tina Vrabec, PhD, Assistant Professor of PM&R: Electrical nerve block (NIH)
- Richard Wilson, MD, Associate Professor of PM&R: Peripheral nerve stimulation for musculoskeletal pain (NIH)
2/14/2021
Dr. Richard Wilson elected to Board of Trustees of the Association of Academic Physiatrist
Richard Wilson, MD, Vice Chair and Director of the Division of Neurological Rehabilitation of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R), was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Association of Academic Physiatrist (AAP) at the recently concluded Annual Meeting of the AAP. The AAP is the primary academic society for the medical specialty of PM&R, dedicated to improving patient care by advancing the specialty through research and education. The AAP’s mission is to create the future of academic physiatry through mentorship, leadership and discovery.
Dr. Wilson is a nationally renowned clinician scientist specializing in stroke rehabilitation. His area of research is the development and clinical implementation of percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation for the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain in the stroke and able-bodied populations. He serves as principal investigator on two NIH R01 grants, which places him on the elite echelon among clinician scientists nationally. Prior AAP services include membership on the Public Policy, Research and Membership Committees and reviewer for the Rehabilitation Research Experience for Medical Students Scholarship Program. He is Senior Editor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, the journal of the American Academy of PM&R, the primary practice society for the medical specialty of PM&R. Other prior national level services include membership on the Department of Veterans Affairs Innovation Initiative, HSR&D Scientific Merit Review Board; Special Emphasis Panel NIH-DoD-VA Pain Management Collaboratory – Pragmatic Clinical Trials Demonstration Projects; and the NIH Early Career Reviewer program at the Center for Scientific Review. At the international level, Dr. Wilson presently serves on the Clinical Sciences and Research Committee of the International Society for Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine and previously served on the Research Scientific Oversight Committee of the International Neuromodulation Society.
At the MetroHealth System, Dr. Wilson provides outstanding leadership in the Division of Neurological Rehabilitation. The acute inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) at the MetroHealth Old Brooklyn Health Center provides comprehensive care to the region’s most complex stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury and trauma patients. The MetroHealth IRF was recently selected by Newsweek as one of the best in the nation (top 15%). The US News and World Report also ranks MetroHealth IRF #2 in OH and #26 nationally. Dr. Wilson also has a major role in the education and training of our PM&R resident physicians. He contributes substantially to the Stroke Rehabilitation and Evidence-based Medicine didactic series. He is a consistent contributor to nearly all resident research projects in the department. As a reflection of his outstanding teaching abilities, the PM&R Residency class of 2018 awarded Dr. Wilson the Faculty Teaching Award.
Dr. Wilson is Associate Professor of PM&R at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
2/14/2021
Dr. Bryden Receives Neilsen Foundation Award to Study the Impact of Navigating Care Transitions on Caregivers of People with Spinal Cord Injury
Anne Bryden, PhD, OTR/L, Staff Scientist in the MetroHealth Rehabilitation Institute, was awarded a $200,000 grant from the Craig Neilsen Foundation entitled, “Psychosocial Impacts of Navigating Care Transitions on Caregivers of People with Spinal Cord Injury.” This two-year study starting on April 30, 2021, will investigate strain on caregivers as they assist persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) in finding necessary medical care, rehabilitation, and resources for community living. Caregivers play a central role in a person’s course of care by taking on responsibilities for securing important resources as the person with SCI necessarily concentrates on physical and emotional recovery. The first year after SCI can involve many transitions in medical and rehabilitative care, challenging caregivers to make decisions about interventions and resources in difficult circumstances. This study will investigate these experiences by interviewing and surveying people with SCI and their caregivers as they navigate health and social resources during the first year after injury. In addition to investigating associations between characteristics that contribute positively and negatively to resource navigation, this project will develop an online resource guide to educate and empower caregivers in their advocacy for their loved ones with SCI.
Dr. Bryden is Director of Clinical Trials and Research in the Institute of Functional Restoration, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). Her co-investigators include Kimberly Anderson, PhD, Staff Scientist in the MetroHealth Rehabilitation Institute and Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (CWRU), Brian Gran PhD, Professor of Sociology (CWRU), Susan Hinze, PhD, Associate Professor of Sociology (CWRU) and independent consultant Daniel Lopez, M.Ed.
1/25/2021
The MetroHealth Research Institute Appoints Bingcheng Wang, PhD, Director of Basic Sciences
Bingcheng Wang, PhD, Director of the Division of Cancer Biology within the Department of Medicine, was appointed MetroHealth Research Institute Director of Basic Sciences, effective January 4, 2021. As Director, Dr. Wang will further develop basic and translational sciences research at The MetroHealth System (MHS) and guide its continued growth in alignment with System mission and vision.
Dr. Wang received his PhD in Toxicology and Oncology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where his innovative research on breast cancer led to the award of one of the first three US biotechnology patents. Dr. Wang joined La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation for postdoctoral training where he honed his skills in small peptide-based cancer therapeutics. He joined MHS and Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine in 1997. Dr. Wang is an internationally-renowned cancer biologist who has many publications in the top journals including Cancer Cell, Nature Cell Biology and Science Signaling. His laboratory focuses on how a group of essential cell surface communication molecules called receptor tyrosine kinases controls malignant behavior of cancer cells. His team has made multiple seminal contributions to the field. His laboratory has been continuously funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH), DoD and a number of private foundations. He served as a program leader in the National Cancer Institute-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer for 10 years, first leading the Genitourinary Program and then the Molecular Oncology Program. Nationally he is a regular reviewer for many of the top journals and served for over 20 years on study sections of NIH, DoD, ACS and other agencies and foundations.
Dr. Wang has been the inaugural Director of the Division of Cancer Biology in the Department of Medicine since 2014. Under the new strategic vision of research at MHS, Dr. Wang had a major role in the successful recruitment of four new basic and translational cancer researchers, all of whom are nationally recognized and talented investigators with prestigious grants from NIH.
Dr. Wang is currently Professor in the Department of Medicine at CWRU and holds the John A. and Josephine B. Wootton Endowed Chair in Research. He also holds appointments in Departments of Pharmacology and Physiology and Biophysics and is a member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center.
1/16/2021
Drs. Bolen and Caron Receive $4.1 million AHRQ Award to Expand Ohio Cardiovascular Heart Collaborative.
Shari Bolen, MD, Director of the MetroHealth Population Health Research Institute (PHRI), and Aleece Caron, PhD, Co-Director of Education for the MetroHealth PHRI were awarded a 4-year, $4.1 million grant from The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) entitled “Achieving Outstanding Cardiovascular Health for All Ohioans: a Statewide Cardiovascular Health Collaborative (Cardio-OH). The primary goal of the grant is to improve cardiovascular health and reduce cardiovascular health disparities for all Ohioans. To do this, they will work with primary care teams, patients and families and many other statewide partners to develop a heart healthy intervention that primary care clinics in Ohio can use to improve care and reduce disparities for patients with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and who smoke. Drs. Bolen and Caron are Associate Professors of Medicine at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
1/16/2021
Dr. Caron Receives $450,000 AHRQ Award to Decrease the Risk of COVID-19 Spread in Congregant Living Facilities in OH
Aleece Caron, PhD, Co-Director of Education for the MetroHealth Population Health Research Institute, was awarded a $450,000 grant from Project ECHO via the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) ECHO National Nursing Home COVID-19 Action Network. The grant will provide training to 118 congregant living facilities in Ohio on critical and timely topics to decrease the risk of nursing home prevalence and spread of COVID-19. To do this, Dr. Caron and her team assembled clinicians and local experts in nursing home administration, infectious disease, geriatrics, and quality improvement to provide a 16-week training program. The program is currently offering four 90-minute sessions each week led by MetroHealth faculty, including Drs. James Campbell, Eileen Seeholzer, Ann Avery, Patricia Campbell, Lorella Luezas Shamakian, and Tiffany Leake, APRN. In addition, this grant creates a rapid response framework to provide urgent, immediate technical assistance, resources, and guidance to nursing homes that experience outbreaks and other emergencies. Dr. Caron is Associate Professor of Medicine at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
1/16/2021
MetroHealth Part of One of Eight Multi-center Sites Funded by NIH to Uncover Risk Factors for COVID-19 Related Inflammatory Syndromes in Children
The MetroHealth System’s Population Health Research Institute’s Center for Clinical Informatics Research and Education is part of one of eight multi-center NIH R61 grants awarded to investigate COVID-19 in the pediatric population. David Kaelber, MD, PhD, VP for Health Informatics, and Director of the Center for Clinical Informatics Research and Education, is site PI for MetroHealth on the grant entitled “COVID-19 Network of Networks Expanding Clinical and Translational approaches to Predict Severe Illness in Children (CONNECT to Predict Sick Children)”.
The primary goal of the grant is to develop robust predictive models in pediatric patients to predict who is likely and not likely to develop severe COVID-19 illness (short-term and long-term). Because COVID-19 appears relatively rare in children and severe short-term and long-term COVID-19 related illnesses are even rarer in children, large databases will be needed to develop these robust predictive models. MetroHealth’s primary role will be in providing access to and consultative expertise in using large electronic health record derived data sets including: Cosmos, IBM Watson Health Explorys, and TriNetX. Each of these large data sets now contains data on over 70 million patients, of which 10-20 million are pediatric patients.
Dr. Kaelber is Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Population and Quantitative Health Sciences at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
