April 2012 – The Impact Award recognizes and encourages graduate students whose research benefits North Carolina communities. Impact Awards are privately funded through generous contributions from the members of the Graduate Education Advancement Board (GEAB) of the Graduate School of UNC Chapel Hill.
April 2012 – GEAB Impact Awardees Sarah Bortvedt and Maggie McCormick were recognized on April 4, 2012, in the annual Graduate Student Recognition Celebration at the George Watts Hill Alumni Center.
Maggie’s project, “Mending a Broken Heart: Investigating Use of a Novel Biologic in Heart Attacks,” explores the use of a novel biologic compound in the treatment of myocardial infarction, or heart attack, that may prevent or reduce the scarring and inflammation that normally occur. Given the high rate of heart disease in North Carolina, these studies have the potential to greatly impact the overall health of North Carolina citizens. Maggie is conducting her research under the guidance of Dr. Ellie Tzima.
Sarah seeks to define the role of the insulin receptor (IR) in the intestine, its relationship to fat absorption, and its connections to obesity and type 2 diabetes in her project, “The Intestinal Insulin Receptor: Overlooked Fat Regulator?” Her research is highly relevant to public health, given the prevalence of obesity in North Carolina and nationwide. Sarah’s research mentor is Dr. Kay Lund.
Other physiology students who received Impact Awards are: Ivana Semova (Rawls lab) in 2011, Kathryn Hamilton (Lund lab) in 2010, Nicole Ramocki (Lund lab) in 2008 and Arianne Theiss (Lund lab) in 2005.