Medicine Grand Rounds, Nancy Allbritton "Organs-on-Chips"
2018-02-22 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | NC
Organ-on-chips are miniaturized devices that arrange living cells to simulate functional subunits of tissues and organs. These microdevices provide exquisite control of tissue microenviroment for the investigation of organ-level physiology and disease. Human organ-on-chips are expected to transform biomedical research providing platforms that accurately replicate human tissues, enable a better understanding of human-to-human physiologic variations and even permit patient-specific organ mimics. These human organ facsimiles will fundamentally alter drug discovery and development by providing human constructs for screening assays, toxicity measurements and investigation of molecular-level drug actions.
Nancy L. Allbritton is the Kenan Professor and Chair of the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at UNC and NC State, and Kenan Professor in the UNC Department of Chemistry. Her research focuses on the development of novel technologies for applications in single-cell analysis, micro-arrays and fluidics, and organ-on-chip. It has resulted in over 180 full-length journal publications and patents and led to 15 commercial products. Her research program has been well funded by the National Institutes of Health with nearly $60 million in grants since 1994.

Cardiovascular Grand Rounds: Dr. Faisal Syed, “Sudden Death in Mitral Valve Prolapse”
2018-02-26 12:00 - 13:00
Speaker: Faisal Syed, MBChB, Assistant Professor of Medicine, UNC CardiologyTopic: “Sudden Death in Mitral Valve Prolapse”

McAllister Heart Institute Seminar Series: Douglas A. Marchuk, PhD, “Cerebral Cavernous Malformations: The Path from Gene Discovery to Therapy”
2018-02-27 14:00 - 15:00
Speaker: Dr. Douglas A. Marchuk, PhD, James B. Duke Professor, Dept. of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at Duke University Topic: “Cerebral Cavernous Malformations: The Path from Gene Discovery to Therapy”

Medicine Grand Rounds, Ana Felix "A Rational Approach to the Painful Back"
2018-03-01 12:00 - 13:00
Busy clinicians need a focused clinical approach to both the diagnostic and imaging challenges of diagnosis in patients presenting with back pain and neurological symptoms.
Ana Felix is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology. She is an expert neurologist, seeing patients who have MS and a variety of other neurological conditions. Dr. Felix is particularly interested in stroke, TIA in adults and children, vascular neurology, vascular ultrasound, stroke in the young and in women, and hypercoagulable disorders associated with stroke.

McAllister Heart Institute Seminar Series: James F. Martin, MD, PhD, "Hippo Signaling in Heart Regeneration"
2018-03-06 14:00 - 15:00
Speaker: James F. Martin, MD, PhD, Vivian L. Smith Professor in Regenerative Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine; Director, Cardiomyocyte Renewal Lab, Texas Heart InstituteTopic: “Hippo Signaling in Heart Regeneration”
Seminar Synopsis: Dr. Martin is an internationally recognized developmental and regenerative biologist who has made fundamental contributions to our understanding of development, disease, and regeneration. He has authored more than 135 peer-reviewed papers in top journals such as Nature, Science, Cell, Developmental Cell, Plos Genetics, Development, and PNAS. His recent groundbreaking work on the Hippo pathway in heart size regulation is a landmark study that led to the insight that the Hippo pathway is an inhibitor of adult heart muscle regeneration. Dr. Martin’s insights revealed new avenues for treatment of human heart failure. Dr. Martin has made fundamental insights into the role of the transcription factor Pitx2 in atrial fibrillation, the most common sustained arrhythmia in the human population. He made use of the mouse model to investigate Pitx2 in atrial homeostasis but also in left right asymmetric morphogenesis that is essential for human development. Dr. Martin’s studies investigating Pitx2 function in craniofacial development provided insight into the molecular basis of Rieger syndrome. He uncovered a pivotal function for Bmp signaling in endothelial-mesenchymal transition and cardiac valve development. Dr. Martin’s studies uncovered a novel role for canonical Wnt signaling in cardiac progenitor cell diversification. He found the first microRNA implicated in orofacial clefting. Dr. Martin’s studies are highly cited and also reported on by the lay media.

42nd Annual Internal Medicine Conference
2018-03-07 00:00 - 2018-03-09 00:00

Medicine Grand Rounds, Anne Peery "Diverticulitis -- A Medical Perspective"
2018-03-08 12:00 - 13:00
Dr. Peery focuses on benign conditions of the colon, including diverticular disease and hemorrhoids. Despite the extremely common nature of these conditions, there is little scientifically-based evidence to guide the care of patients with these commonly-encountered conditions. Indeed, most of the algorithms of care for these diseases are governed by opinions and best guesses as to good practice rather than hard evidence. Dr. Peery’s research has challenged long-held beliefs about risk factors for uncomplicated diverticulosis and raised new questions about a long neglected disease. She recently served as a content expert and co-authored the guideline for the management of acute diverticulitis for the American Gastroenterological Association. She also co-authored a commentary that addressed a controversial recommendation generated by the guideline.
Dr. Peery recently received a career development award by the National Institutes of Health to study the effectiveness, benefits, and harms of antibiotics for acute diverticulitis. In addition, this award will allow her to develop a novel patient-reported outcome measure for acute diverticulitis. Her group is also studying the utilization of surgery for non-malignant colorectal diseases.

Integrated Care of Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: A Satellite Symposium
2018-03-10 07:00 - 12:15
Course Description – Integrated Care of Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: A Satellite Symposium – March 10, 2018 (7:00am – 12:15pm)Atrial Fibrillation is best managed by treating it as a “chronic disease” with episodic symptoms which can be successfully managed through a coordinated multidisciplinary model. This symposium will provide education to primary care providers and cardiologists on the importance of an integrated model of care for AF and strategies for implementing such an approach. This event will be held at the The Friday Center in Chapel Hill on March 10, 2018.
Agenda Highlights:
•Patient perspective: My life with Atrial Fibrillation – Marcia Van Riper, RN, PhD
•Integrated care of Atrial Fibrillation: What is it and how do we get there? Anil Gehi, MD
•The importance of shared decision-making in discussions about anticoagulation and stroke prophylaxis – Zack Deyo, PharmD
•Addressing obesity/physical inactivity – Sriram Machineni, MD

2018 McAllister Heart Institute/Integrative Vascular Biology Research Symposium
2018-03-13 09:00 - 17:00
UNC’s Integrative Vascular Biology (IVB) Training Program and the McAllister Heart Institute (MHI) jointly announce their Annual Research Symposium on Tuesday, March 13, 2018. This year’s event will be held from 9AM – 5PM at the George Watts Hill Alumni Center on the UNC campus (150 Stadium Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27514). The symposium highlights research from graduate students, postdocs, and medical fellows within the cardiovascular community at UNC and the greater Chapel Hill area and promotes multi-disciplinary collaborative research in this important field. This year’s keynote speakers will be Caroline and Geoffrey Burns (Harvard University) who will jointly present a talk entitled “New insights into zebrafish cardiovascular development and regeneration” and Karen Hirschi (Yale University) who will present a talk entitled “Regulation of endothelial cell specification”.
Abstract submission – For those who wish to present data at the symposium, the abstract submission deadline is Monday, February 26th. Abstracts should include a title and all authors and are limited to 250 words (not including the title, etc). Note that you will need to have your abstract on hand during the registration process, and please indicate whether you wish to be considered for a limited number of oral presentations. Poster board dimensions are 3ft high by 4ft wide. For more information please contact Hannah Perrin (hjperrin@email.unc.edu).
The registration deadline for those not presenting is March 8th.

Medicine Grand Rounds, Brad Drummond "Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease -- Where We Are in 2018"
2018-03-15 12:00 - 13:00
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the umbrella term for the group of tobacco-related lung diseases including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. COPD is the third leading cause of death in the United States, with an estimated 650,000 North Carolinians living with COPD. Recent guidelines have proposed a multidimensional assessment to define disease control and inform appropriate inhaler selection. With more than 18 FDA-approved maintenance inhalers available for COPD, including multiple delivery devices, selection of appropriate inhaler and device can be complex. Dr. Drummond will review the recent updates to the COPD management guidelines, as well as discuss emerging evidence regarding the role of peak inspiratory flow measurements to inform optimal inhaler selection for COPD patients.
Dr. Drummond is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine. He is the Director of the UNC Obstructive Lung Diseases Clinical and Translational Research Center located at the Meadowmont Facility. Dr. Drummond’s research interests include characterizing the mechanisms for development of chronic lung disease in individuals at-risk or with COPD, with a focus on high-risk populations including persons living with HIV or those in rural residences.

Cardiovascular Grand Rounds: Dr. Joshua Vega, “UNC Project Health for Leon: A Joint Mission for Global Health”
2018-03-19 12:00 - 13:00
Speaker: Joshua Vega, UNC Cardiology FellowTopic: “UNC Project Health for Leon: A Joint Mission for Global Health”

McAllister Heart Institute Seminar Series: James F. Martin, MD, PhD, “Hippo Signaling in Heart Regeneration”
2018-03-20 14:00 - 15:00
Speaker: Joan Taylor, PhD, Professor and Vice Chair for Research in Pathology and Lab Medicine, UNC School of MedicineTopic: “GRAFs mind the GAP between muscle fate and function”
Seminar Synopsis: The overall goal of our research is to characterize the intracellular signaling pathways that govern normal and aberrant growth responses in the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal system. For this seminar, I will focus on the role of GRAF family member RhoGAPs in muscle fate and function. We originally identified GRAF1 (GTPase-regulator for RhoA associated with FAK) in an un-biased screen for Focal Adhesion Kinase binding partners and over the past several years we have shown that GRAF1 (Arhgap26) and it’s family members GRAF2 (Arhgap10) and -3 (Arhgap42) are critical for limiting RhoA activity in muscle (cardiac, skeletal and smooth) wherein they play unique roles in co-regulating actin and membrane dynamics. In this seminar, I will highlight our latest studies on GRAF3 which indicate a critical role for this protein in the development and pathogenesis of human hypertension. Moreover, I will present new evidence to suggest that GRAF1 and GRAF2 may be equally as important for maintaining cardiac and skeletal muscle homeostasis respectively by novel mechanisms that involve mitochondrial quality control. Collectively, our findings support the possibility that targeting GRAFs might provide promising therapeutic strategies to limit hypertension and striated muscle degeneration.

Medicine Grand Rounds, Edwin Kim "Drug Allergies Affecting the Care of Inpatients"
2018-03-22 00:00 - 13:00
Drug allergies–in particular allergy to beta-lactam antibiotics–affects as many as 15% of all hospitalized patients. There is a growing pool of data demonstrating the significant effect a drug allergy diagnosis can have on morbidity and mortality of the hospitalized patient, as well as the immense cost it can add to the health care system. A simple skin-based testing procedure has been commercially available since 2009; data on its use has shown that the vast majority of penicillin-allergic patients are no longer allergic at the time of testing. However, far too few patients receive this testing. Dr. Kim will review data showing the scope of the drug allergy problem. This will include the diagnostic and therapeutic options for these patients, with a focus on the pilot UNC allergy and immunology inpatient penicillin allergy testing program.
Edwin Kim is specifically interested in the use of immunotherapy in the treatment of food allergy. He is the director of the UNC Allergy and Immunology Fellowship Training Program as well as of the UNC Food Allergy Initiative.

Cardiovascular Grand Rounds: Jason Doherty, PhD & Chris Morrison
2018-03-26 12:00 - 13:00
Speakers: Jason Doherty, PhD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Kenan-Flagler Business School and Chris Morrison from ViaVerus, LLC, Topic: “Tapping the Entrepreneurial Spirit”

McAllister Seminar Series: Kenneth Walsh, PhD
2018-03-27 14:00 - 15:00
Speaker: Kenneth Walsh, PhD, Lockhart B. McGuire Professor, Director of Hematovascular Biology Center, University of VirginiaTopic: “Clonal Hematopoiesis and Cardiovascular Disease: New Mechanisms, New Therapeutic Opportunities”

Medicine Grand Rounds, James Evans, "Precision Medicine in the Clinic and in Public Health -- A Genomic Perspective"
2018-03-29 12:00 - 13:00
Dr. Evans will discuss the realistic uses of massively parallel sequencing, including genome scale sequencing, in clinical medicine and public health.
Jim Evans, MD, PhD, is the Bryson Distinguished Professor of Genetics and Medicine at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He directs Adult and Cancer Genetics Services and is clinically active in Medical Genetics and General Internal Medicine. He is Editor in Chief of Genetics in Medicine, the preeminent clinically focused Medical Genetics Journal and the official journal of The American College of Genetics and Genomics.

McAllister Heart Institute Seminar Series: Xander Wehrens, MD, PhD, "Remodeling of calcium release unit proteins in Heart Failure"
2018-04-03 14:00 - 15:00
Speaker: Xander Wehrens, MD, PhD, Professor, Director of Cardiovascular Research Institute, Baylor University Topic: “Remodeling of calcium release unit proteins in Heart Failure”

Medicine Grand Rounds, Nigel Key "Hemophilia, A 100-Year Story"
2018-04-05 12:00 - 13:00
Although it’s been nearly a century since hemophilia was considered an early death sentence, treating it can be time-consuming and troublesome. Many people with the blood disease give themselves frequent drug infusions to keep their condition under control, sometimes as often as several times a week.
Several newly approved medications, while far from a cure, aim to lift some of that burden. Some will allow patients to go longer between treatments. Another drug in development aims to overcome a problem with current treatments, which can sometimes stop working for people whose bodies become resistant to them.
“There’s never been a time when the pipeline is as full as it is now,” says Nigel Key, MB, ChB, a hematologist and director of the UNC Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center. “I think it’s a reflection of the ability of biotechnology to bring these things forward.”
Dr. Key is Vice Chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology. His practice is limited to patients with non-malignant blood disorders. His particular interests are in bleeding and clotting disorders.

Cardiovascular Grand Rounds : Andrew Doorey, MD, "A Failure to Communicate: Safety Gaps in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab"
2018-04-09 12:00 - 13:00
Speaker: Andrew Doorey, MD, Cardiologist, Christiana Care Health System in Wilmington, DelawareTopic: “A Failure to Communicate: Safety Gaps in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab”

McAllister Heart Institute Seminar Series: Rong Tian, MD, PhD, “Metabolic Modulation of Cardiac Remodeling”
2018-04-10 14:00 - 15:00
Speaker: Rong Tian, MD, PhD, Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Director of the Mitochondria and Metabolism Center, University of WashingtonTopic: “Metabolic Modulation of Cardiac Remodeling”

Medicine Grand Rounds, Eric Edwards and Michael Craig, "Best of 2017: An Update in Hospital Medicine"
2018-04-12 12:00 - 13:00
Drs. Craig and Edwards will be reviewing the highlights of the latest medical literature pertaining to the practice of hospital medicine. Specific topics include updated guidelines on the treatment of C. difficile colitis, DOACs for cancer-associated VTE, and many more. The speakers note that the lecture will be fast-paced, interactive, and (hopefully) fun!
Eric Edwards is Associate Chief for Clinical Operations at Hillsborough, and Associate Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics.
Michael Craig is Associate Chief for Clinical Operations at Chapel Hill and Associate Professor of Medicine.

Medicine Grand Rounds Earley Lecture, Marschall Runge "Man vs. Machine: The Optimal Combination to Improve Health Care Outcomes"
2018-04-19 12:00 - 13:00
Dr. Runge is executive vice president for Medical Affairs at the University of Michigan, Dean of the Medical School, and CEO of Michigan Medicine. Prior to joining the University of Michigan in March 2015, he was executive dean and chair of the UNC Department of Medicine, where he was instrumental in guiding the academic and clinical leadership of the School of Medicine and the UNC Health Care System. He was also principal investigator and director of the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences (NC TraCS) Institute at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Dr. Runge has been a physician-scientist for his entire career, combining basic and translational research with the care of patients with cardiovascular diseases and education. He is the author of over 200 publications in the field and holds five patents for novel approaches to health care.
This is the inaugural Laurence E. Earley lecture, honoring Dr. Earley (1931-2012), an internationally known nephrologist who retired from UNC in 2000.

Cardiovascular Grand Rounds: Anil Gehi, MD, "An Integrated Approach to A-Fib Patient Care"
2018-04-23 12:00 - 13:00
Speaker: Anil Gehi, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Director, Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Service, UNCTopic: “An Integrated Approach to A-Fib Patient Care”

McAllister Heart Institute Seminar Series: Melina Kibbe, MD, "When Mice are Men: Sex Bias in Surgical Research"
2018-04-24 11:00 - 12:00
Speaker: Melina Kibbe, MD, Colin G. Thomas Jr. Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery, UNCTopic: “When Mice are Men: Sex Bias in Surgical Research”

Medicine Grand Rounds, Paul Hayashi "Liver Transplantation: Pre-Transplant Criteria and Long-Term Management"
2018-04-26 12:00 - 13:00
Dr. Hayashi is Associate Professor of Medicine and Medical Director of Liver Transplantation. UNC’s Liver Transplant Program opened in the Fall of 1991. From the beginning, UNC’s Transplant Team has been committed to providing patients with the highest quality care and access to the newest, most effective therapies. Located in UNOS Region 11, our transplant patients have come from around the nation.
Comprehensive care is provided to all transplant patients and recipients using a multi-disciplinary team approach. The UNC Liver Transplant Team includes transplant surgeons, hepatologists, nurse practitioners, nurse coordinators, social worker, psychologists, and financial counselors.
Dr. Hayashi is involved in clinical research regarding transplant outcomes, hepatocellular carcinoma screening, cirrhosis management, and drug-induced liver injury.

Medicine Grand Rounds Blythe Lecture, Mark Zeidel "Salt and Water, Not So Simple"
2018-05-03 12:00 - 13:00
Dr. Blythe was an expert in salt and water homeostasis. This lecture will use a case-based approach to review the overall principles of salt and water homeostasis, and will describe new paradigms in long term salt balance, the storage of salt in the tissues and the neural control of salt appetite and thirst. Future advances in salt and water homeostasis will enhance the therapy of hypertension and shock, as well as disorders of water metabolism.
Dr. Mark Zeidel is Herrman L. Blumgart Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Chair and Physician-in-Chief at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. His research has been recognized by the American Physiological Society, the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians. His research has received continuous funding by the NIH for more than 30 years.
Every one to three years, the Division of Nephrology and Kidney Center invites a lecturer to honor the memory of Dr. William Blythe, II. Dr. Blythe, the first Division Chief for Nephrology and Hypertension at UNC, was an outstanding physician-scientist and teacher who inspired many of us to pursue nephrology. He was also a gifted man of letters.

Cardiovascular Grand Rounds: Olga Bokeriya, MD, PhD, FACC, "The Russian National Center for Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery: Extensive Experience and Creative Innovations"
2018-05-07 12:00 - 13:00
Speaker: Olga Bokeriya, MD, PhD, FACC, Professor of Cardiology; Chief, Department of Cardiac Surgery; Chief Scientist and Physician for Bakoulev National Medical and Research Center for Cardiovascular Surgery and Ministry for Healthcare, Russian Federation in MoscowTopic: “The Russian National Center for Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery: Extensive Experience and Creative Innovations”

Medicine Grand Rounds, Steven Russell "The Bionic Pancreas"
2018-05-10 12:00 - 13:00
The bionic pancreas system proved better than either conventional or sensor-augmented insulin pump therapy at managing blood sugar levels in patients with type 1 diabetes living at home, with no restrictions, over 11 days. “For study participants living at home without limitations on their activity and diet, the bionic pancreas successfully reduced average blood glucose, while at the same time decreasing the risk of hypoglycemia,” says Steven Russell. “This system requires no information other than the patient’s body weight to start, so it will require much less time and effort by health care providers to initiate treatment. And since no carbohydrate counting is required, it significantly reduces the burden on patients associated with diabetes management.”
Since 2006 Steven Russell has collaborated on this project with Dr. Edward Damiano, a Biomedical Engineer at Boston University. The trials are scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Medicine Grand Rounds, Sascha Tuchman and Koyal Jain, "Amyloidosis, Cyanide, Myeloma and Ethanol: Conceptualizing Renal Diseases Caused by Monoclonal Gammopathies"
2018-05-17 12:00 - 13:00
Monoclonal gammopathies are a group of plasma cell or B-cell disorders including true cancers such as multiple myeloma or “sort-of cancers” such as light chain amyloidosis. These disorders in many cases cause no injury to a person (i.e., monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance [MGUS]) but when they do cause injury, the pattern of injury can be quite varied and often includes the kidneys. Monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance (MGRS) is a recently described category of nephrotroxic monoclonal gammopathies that arise in the absence of an overt hematologic malignancy. Monoclonal gammopathies overall have been increasingly recognized as a cause of renal failure. Over 660,000 Americans have kidney failure, and early recognition of the etiology of kidney disease can prevent progression to end-stage kidney disease through aggressive interventions, such as chemotherapy in proven cases of multiple myeloma or MGRS. The management of these patients requires close collaboration between nephrologists and oncologists. In this presentation, we will be focusing on the wide spectrum of diseases associated with nephrotoxic plasma cell disorders, with a focus on how to conceptualize them clinically.
Sascha Tuchman is a UNC Comprehensive Cancer Center member and Associate Professor of Medicine. Dr. Tuchman’s research has a special focus on amyloidosis and multiple myeloma.
Koyal Jain is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Nephrology division. She specializes in acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease, dialysis management, high blood pressure management, abnormalities of electrolytes like sodium, potassium, calcium, and glomerular diseases.

McAllister Heart Institute Seminar Series: David Zawieja, PhD, "Lymphatics: the link between the parenchyma, cardiovascular and immune systems"
2018-05-22 14:00 - 15:00
Speaker: David Zawieja, PhD, Regents Professor and Department Head of Medical Physiology, Texas A&M University College of MedicineTopic: Lymphatics: the link between the parenchyma, cardiovascular and immune systems
