the pursuit of parkinson's - The University of Alabama at Birmingham

News Briefs
related educational programs.
“The Cancer Resource Library will be an
invaluable tool for patients who want to become
proactive in their treatment and recovery,” says
Edward Partridge, M.D., associate director for
cancer control and population science at the cancer
center. “A visit may be helpful to the newly
diagnosed patient, or for those seeking follow-up
information during or after treatment.”
HUW THOMAS NAMED
DEAN OF DENTISTRY
Huw Francis Thomas, B.D.S., M.S., Ph.D.,
has been named dean of the School of Dentistry,
by acting provost Eli Capilouto. Thomas previously
was the chairman of the Department of
Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Texas
Health Science Center, San Antonio.
“Dr. Thomas has a strong commitment to patient
care, quality teaching, and community outreach programs,”
Capilouto says. “He also understands and
embraces the very important role a strong research
program plays in the enhancement and growth of the
school. He is nationally recognized for his leadership
in all of these areas, as well as his ability to develop
collaborative relationships to bring dental education
and better oral health to all facets of the population.”
Thomas earned his bachelor of dental surgery
degree from Guy’s Hospital at the University of
London, England. He earned a master’s degree in
dental research from the University of Rochester, a
certificate in pediatric dentistry from the Eastman
Dental Center, and a doctorate in biomedical sciences
from the University of Connecticut.
“The School of Dentistry at UAB has an excellent
reputation and is well situated to continue
providing high-quality education while serving its
patients and enhancing its research efforts,”
Thomas says. “I very much look forward to being
part of this bright future.”
FACULTY NEWS
NATIONAL NEUROFIBROMATOSIS
FOUNDATION NAMES BRUCE R. KORF
NEW CHAIRMAN OF MEDICAL
AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Bruce R. Korf, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the recently
created Department of Genetics and the Wayne
H. Finley and Sara Crews Finley Chair of Medical
Genetics, has been named as the new chairman of
the Medical Affairs Committee for the National
Neurofibromatosis Foundation (NNFF).
Korf is one of the leading clinical experts and
clinical researchers in the field of neurofibromatosis
and has worked with the NNFF for more than
15 years. He previously has served as chairman of
the foundation’s Clinical Care Advisory Board
and as chairman of the Foundation’s Medical
Policy Committee.
“Dr. Korf’s distinguished career as both scientist
and physician, combined with his long record
of service to NF, make him the ideal choice to lead
the foundation’s medical and research programs,”
says foundation president Peter Bellermann. “The
foundation has built its reputation by facilitating
collaboration among scientists and institutions
that are normally in competition for resources and
ideas; Dr. Korf’s outstanding credentials will lend
great weight to the foundation’s efforts to continue
this tradition.”
“As we learn more about the biology of the
neurofibromatoses, I look forward to working
closely with the National Neurofibromatosis
Foundation in its efforts to facilitate the translation
of this new knowledge to better methods of
diagnosis and treatment,” Korf says.
NF is a genetic disorder that causes tumors to
grow along nerves throughout the body. NF
affects 100,000 Americans: 1 in 4,000 have NF
Type 1, 1 in 40,000 have NF Type 2. The NNFF,
a nonprofit organization, is the leading resource
on NF. NNFF provides direct services to children
and adults with NF, as well as information and
resources to the public and medical professionals
via a toll-free number, 1-800-323-7938, and the
NF Web site, [www.nf.org].
ALVAREZ NAMED GYN ONC
DIVISION DIRECTOR
Ronald D. Alvarez, M.D., succeeded Edward
E. Partridge, M.D., as director of the Division of
Gynecologic Oncology in the Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology on October 1, 2003.
After 13 years as division director, Partridge
stepped down to devote more time to community-based
research and service, particularly ongoing
programs for the underserved in cancer care,
prevention, and control. He will continue to see
patients and serve as vice chairman of the
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and as
associate director for cancer prevention and control
in the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Alvarez also holds appointments as professor of
gynecologic oncology and senior scientist in the
Cancer Center, where he leads the Women’s
Cancer Program. He is also a senior scientist in
the UAB Gene Therapy Center and collaborates
on developing gene therapy strategies for reproductive
malignancies.
A native of New Orleans and graduate of LSU,
Alvarez received his M.D. degree from LSU
Medical Center in 1983. He completed his
internship (1984) and residency (1986) at UAB.
He was chief resident in OB/GYN before joining
the UAB faculty as an instructor and research fellow
in 1987. The recipient of numerous awards
and honors, he has been included several times in
The Best Doctors in America and on Good
Housekeeping’s list of best doctors for women. He
also received the 1994 American College of
OB/GYN Outstanding Professor Award.
On future plans for the Division of Gynecologic
Oncology, Alvarez comments, “We expect to build
upon the excellent foundation established under
Dr. Partridge’s superb leadership. We plan to do
this by enhancing our clinical services and continuing
our efforts to educate the practitioners of
today and tomorrow. Another major goal is to continue
the cutting-edge research that will improve
the lives of women at risk for or diagnosed with a
gynecologic cancer.”
WEISS RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS
JAVITS AWARD FOR BRAIN RESEARCH
David Weiss, Ph.D., professor of neurobiology,
has been selected to receive a Senator Jacob Javits
Award in the Neurosciences by the National
Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
(NINDS), one of the National Institutes of Health
(NIH). The award is for $2.4 million over seven
years to carry out fundamental studies on the
dynamics of the GABA receptor, the brain’s major
molecular detector for restraining or inhibiting electrical
activity. The receptor plays a role in such
actions as preventing epileptic seizures. Anxiety
and rage can occur due to ineffective function of the
GABA inhibition system, and the effects of alcohol
and actions of sedatives target the GABA system.
The prestigious Javits Investigator Awards were
established by the U.S. Congress in 1983 to honor
the late Senator Jacob Javits, who suffered from
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a degenerative
neurological disorder also known as Lou Gehrig’s
disease. Javits was a champion of research into a
wide variety of disorders of the brain. The awards
are intended to recognize and support the research
of distinguished investigators who are expected to
be highly productive over the next seven years.
Weiss pioneered the use of laboratory techniques
to allow for molecular manipulation of the
brain’s GABA receptors, as well as visualization of
the dynamics of GABA receptors interacting with
chemical signals from neighboring nerve cells in
the brain. This work forms the basis for extending
the understanding of a number of aspects of brain
function where the process of chemical inhibition
in the brain is essential.
“Weiss’s research into GABA’s interactions
within the brain has led to the development of
new ways of tracking those processes in the living
system in order to provide a precise view of the
GABA receptor in action,” says Michael
Friedlander, Ph.D., chair of the Department of
Neurobiology. “It is for these breakthroughs and
the promise of important discoveries to come
from his program that the NIH has made this
prestigious award to Dr. Weiss.”
Weiss received his Ph.D. in neuroscience from
Baylor College of Medicine in 1987 and carried out
a postdoctoral fellowship in physiology and biophysics
at the University of Miami School of
Medicine. He served on the faculty of the University
of South Florida before joining UAB in 1995.
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