Awards and Recognition

Katie Lingras is quoted in a Minnesota Public Radio story about the trauma of watching another black person die; Dan Myers is quoted in a Pew story showing that rural America is joining the Black Lives movement; Michael Osterholm is quoted in a New York Times article about coronavirus stumbles by the WHO; Andrena Seawood is quoted in a Huffington Post story about the Sweet Potato Comfort Pie projects; Keith Mayes was interviewed by KARE 11 about the history of racial covenants and housing discrimination in Minneapolis; Henry Balfour is quoted in the Discover Magazine story, “Why We're Still Waiting on a Vaccine for HIV and Other Deadly Viruses”; Beth Virnig is quoted in USA Today’s user’s guide to drive-in movie theaters; Danielle Kilgo is quoted at FiveThirtyEight about national media coverage of Black Lives matter; Yingling Fan is quoted in a Star Tribune story about her research identifying which Twin Cities roads make commuters happiest; Claudia Cohn is quoted in the Wall Street Journal about critically low blood supply reserves in the U.S.

Clinical professor Mary Chesney has received the Loretta C. Ford Distinguished Fellow Award from the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP). The lifetime achievement award is given biannually to a NAPNAP member who best exemplifies contributions to the expansion or improvement of pediatric health care and advancement of the profession of pediatric-focused APRNs at the local community, state or regional level. Chesney is a recognized regulatory expert for state legislators on issues of nurse practitioner and child health policy.

The World Association of Sarcoidosis and Other Granulomatous Disorders and the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research recently recognized a team of faculty at the U of M Medical School and staff at the M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center for their commitment to meeting the needs of sarcoidosis patients and their work toward new findings and treatments.

Garry Jenkins and Laura Bloomberg wrote an editorial in Minnpost, "To achieve justice, we need new legislation, new policies, new training, new organizational cultures”; Keith Mayes writes a commentary in the Washington Post, “Justice always eludes us in Minneapolis. Will George Floyd's case be different?”; Myron Orfield and Will Stancil co-author a commentary in the New York Times, “George Floyd and Derek Chauvin Might as Well Have Lived on Different Planets”; Ezra Golberstein is quoted in a BBC story about how Covid-19 is changing the world's children; Samuel Myers Jr. and Kirsten Delegard are quoted in a U.S. News and World Report story about the stark racial disparities in Minnesota; Chris Cramer is quoted in a Science Magazine story about federal support to keep labs afloat during the pandemic; William Doherty talked with Kare 11 about how to have hard but effective conversations about the killing of George Floyd; Michael Osterholm spoke with NBC News about a second wave of COVID-19; August Nimtz Jr., Larry Jacobs, and David Schultz are quoted in a VOX story about the political implications of the Minneapolis protests for Minnesota; Jane Kirtley is quoted in Associated Press News about journalists facing protest attacks; Samuel Myers Jr. is quoted in MarketWatch about how the only way to truly solve the race problem in America is to narrow the wealth gap; Brenda Child writes a commentary in the New York Times about Ojibwe culture, music, dance, and medicine as sources of healing.

A new $15 million Silvio O. Conte Center grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has given lead researchers the green light at the University of Minnesota Medical School to conduct a new type of research that could reveal better ways to treat one of the most mysterious mental health diagnoses—psychosis. The U joins only a handful of other Conte Centers across the country. This research, led by David Redish and Sophia Vinogradov, will combine basic, computational, and clinical science in a collaborative, five-year study to document changes in brain function that may indicate how people with psychosis understand the world differently. The information could prove useful in tailoring better treatments for one of the most mysterious mental health diagnoses.

Sarah Greising, School of Kinesiology, and Jarrod Call from the University of Georgia, received a $1.5 million multi-PI grant from the Department of Defense. The funding priority of the “Restoring Warfighters with Neuromusculoskeletal Injuries Research Award” (RESTORE) program supports research that will accelerate progress toward returning those injuries to combat readiness. This program is expected to benefit all patients with traumatic injuries.

Timothy O'Connell was recently awarded a five-year R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the mechanisms by which omega-3 fatty acids benefit heart health. Most people have heard, through one source or another, that ingesting omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and fish oil supplements improves heart health and prevents coronary heart disease. The recent success of clinical trials testing high-dose omega-3 supplementation, such as REDUCE-IT, has reignited scientific interest in researching omega-3 benefits in the heart. On the contrary, other recent trial studies, such as the VITAL trial, suggest that low-dose omega-3 supplementation produces no cardioprotective effects. These findings demonstrate that there are still important questions that linger regarding if and how omega-3 fatty acids protect the heart.

The Graduate School has announced the 2020-21 Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellows. The Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellowship provides a unique opportunity for outstanding PhD students who are engaged in interdisciplinary research to study with faculty at one of the University’s interdisciplinary research centers or institutes during the fellowship year. The award includes a stipend of $25,000 for the academic year, tuition for up to 14 thesis credits each semester, and subsidized health insurance through the Graduate Assistant Health Plan.

Kirsten Delegard and Keith Mayes are quoted in Time about George Floyd's death and the long history of racism in Minneapolis; Richard Frase is quoted in the New York Times about why Derek Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder; Michelle Phelps is quoted in the Washington Post about how Minneapolis has long struggled with police violence and has adopted reforms, but George Floyd is still dead; August Nimtz Jr. is quoted in Time about policing and racism as public health problems; Keith Mayes is quoted in Minnesota Monthly about how Minnesotans can fight for racial justice; Samuel Myers Jr. is quoted in the New York Times story, 'The Minnesota Paradox'; Myron Orfield is quoted in the New York Times about the calling in of the National Guard; President Joan Gabel was quoted in Inside Higher Ed and numerous media outlets in regards to reducing ties the MPD; Aaron Sojourner comments in Minnesota Reformer on data showing that women and Black Minnesotans are getting the worst of the pandemic economy.

This summer, the Hormel Institute will welcome a new leader to guide its world-class cancer research. Robert Clarke, an internationally recognized leader in breast cancer research, will assume his role as the sixth executive director of the University of Minnesota Hormel Institute on Aug. 31. In this role, Clarke will oversee efforts to advance knowledge around the mechanisms of cancer development and discover better ways to prevent, detect, and treat cancer in its many forms.