Research News
Harbor-UCLA Pediatrics Faculty Member Dr. Frans Walther Receives Prestigious Gates Foundation Grant - 05/17/2012
On May 9, Frans Walther, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Medical Genetics, received a $100,000 Grand Challenges Explorations Grant award from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Dr. Walther was one of 107 researchers to be awarded a new grant. The Grand Challenges Explorations initiative fosters projects that aim to improve the health of people in the developing world through innovative and unconventional ideas. If projects are successful in their first phase of research, they may receive additional funding of up to $1 million.
Dr. Charles S. Grob Featured in New York Times Story: Facing Death With the Help of Hallucinogens - 04/24/2012
On April 20, Harbor-UCLA Pediatrics faculty member Charles S. Grob, M.D., was featured in a five page New York Times Magazine story about the therapeutic use of psilocybin ("Magic Mushrooms") and other hallucinogens to treat various conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction, chronic pain, depression and terminal illness.
The article explains how Dr. Grob conducted his research and takes an in-depth look at the one of his patient's experience using psilocybin to help alleviate her symptoms of anxiety and depression as a result of end-stage cancer.
Harbor-UCLA Pediatrics Faculty Dr. Ruey Chang Designs Innovative Pulse Oximeter for Infants - 04/12/2012
Harbor-UCLA Pediatrics faculty member Ruey-Kang R. Chang, M.D., M.P.H., Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Division Chief of Pediatric Cardiology, has developed a new and improved pulse oximeter to help detect congenital heart disease in newborns. A pulse oximeter is a probe that is attached to the finger or the foot and measures oxygen in the blood. Low oxygen levels indicate the need for further testing to investigate possible heart-related problems.
The challenge with pulse oximeters currently in use lies in getting an infant to sit still long enough to properly attach the probe. Dr. Chang addressed this problem by designing a boot that can easily be slipped on. He says “Properly attaching the probe to an infant’s hand or foot takes a lot of time, and a lot of training. The pulse oximeter in the form of a boot can be easily attached over a baby’s foot – it’s trouble-free, and it saves time and money.”
Harbor-UCLA Pediatrics Faculty Dr. Lynne Smith's Landmark Study on Prenatal Meth Exposure Featured on ABC News & TIME - 04/05/2012
On March 19, Harbor-UCLA Pediatrics faculty member Lynne M. Smith, M.D, Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, co-authored an article titled "Prenatal Methamphetamine Exposure and Childhood Behavior Problems at 3 and 5 Years of Age" in the April issue of Pediatrics, the official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
In the first study of its kind, Dr. Smith, along with lead author Linda LaGasse, Ph.D., of Brown University, and other colleagues investigated behavior problems in children who were prenatally exposed to methamphetamine ("meth") at ages 3 and 5 years. The found that children whose mothers used meth during pregnancy were at higher risk for behavior problems such as anxiety, depression, and moodiness when compared to unexposed kids. At age 5 the exposed children had also developed more aggression and attention issues, they "acted out" and displayed symptoms of ADHD. This groundbreaking research was featured by several major news agencies — ABC News, TIME and USA TODAY.
Harbor-UCLA Pediatrics Presentations @ PAS 2012 - 04/02/2012
The 2012 Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) is being held in Boston, MA from April 28 to May 1. This year, Harbor-UCLA Pediatrics will again have a strong presence at the well attended annual conference. See below for the presentations by staff, faculty and fellows. A (*) indicates an award-winning presentation.
For the complete meeting schedule, download the program guide.
Division of General and Emergency Pediatrics Presentations
Division Chief, Carol Berkowitz, M.D.
Carol Berkowitz, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics
Co-Chair Child Abuse & Neglect Platform Session
Workshop speaker:
—Special Interest Group: Women in Medicine and Race in Medicine "Mid-Career: Plateau or Steppe to Success"
—"Women and Minorities in Academia: Not Just Surviving but Thriving"
Don't Miss the 9th Annual LA BioMed Legends Event on May 10 - 03/12/2012
The 9th Annual LA BioMed Legends 2012 event will take place on Thursday, May 10 at the Trump National Golf Club in Palos Verdes. For more information download the invitation.
For their distinguished service and contributions to LA BioMed, Harbor-UCLA and beyond this year’s honorees are:
John E. Buster, M.D.
Keh-Ming Lin, M.D., M.P.H
Albert F. Parlow, Ph.D.
2012 LA BioMed Young Investigator:
Michele Berk, Ph.D.
Hors d’oeuvre reception @ 6:30 p.m.
Dinner @ 7:30 p.m.
$175 per person
For information, please contact:
Lisa Bosnich @ lbosnich@labiomed.org / 310.222.4240
Harbor-UCLA Pediatrics Faculty Dr. John Torday: Trailblazer in Evolutionary Biology - 02/22/2012
Earlier this month, Dr. John Torday, Professor of Pediatrics and Obstetrics/Gynecology, spoke at the UCLA Department of Medicine Grand Rounds as part of "Evolutionary Medicine Month." For more details visit the UCLA CTSI.
Evolutionary medicine is an emerging field which combines the disciplines of evolutionary biology, anthropology, zoology and human medicine to create new paradigms for investigating and understanding human disease.
Dr. Torday's talk, "Exploiting Evolutionary Biology to Advance Medicine: Back to the Future," focused on the theme that an individual's health is not merely the absence of disease, but the active maintenance of evolutionarily-acquired and conserved cell–cell molecular communications, the failure of which denotes disease, and the maintenance or restoration of which constitutes health and healing. In particular, Dr. Torday used laboratory data to emphasize how evolutionary mechanisms and concepts can be exploited for the safe and effective prevention and treatment of chronic lung disease.
Harbor-UCLA Pediatrics Faculty Member Dr. Kalantar-Zadeh Receives UCLA CTSI Award - 02/13/2012
Last month, Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, was selected for a UCLA CTSI Recognition Award.
He was recognized for his article "Role of Nutritional Status and Inflammation in Higher Survival of African American and Hispanic Hemodialysis Patients" published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases in 2011. Dr. Kalantar-Zadeh will receive a plaque from the UCLA CTSI and an invitation to present his work in a public forum. Click here for article abstract.
LA BioMed and Harbor-UCLA are part of the UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). Many investigators participate in the CTSI, an academic-clinical-community partnership designed to accelerate scientific discoveries and clinical breakthroughs to improve health in Los Angeles County.
Harbor-UCLA Pediatrics Child Health Research Center Grand Opening Snapshots - 02/02/2012
The Child Health Research Center (CHRC), a joint project of the Department of Pediatrics at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and LA BioMed, had its Grand Opening Ceremony on Monday, January 30.
The ceremony included an informal building tour, refreshments and remarks by Dr. Adam J. Jonas, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics; David Meyer, President and CEO of LA BioMed; and May Vlaming, Project Manager for Shangri-LA Construction. In addition, the Daily Breeze featured a brief story on the opening.
Harbor-UCLA Pediatrics to Open Child Health Research Center on Jan. 30 - 01/19/2012
About a year ago, Dr. Adam J. Jonas, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, initiated the construction of a new facility at Harbor-UCLA that would emphasize advances in pediatric research. The Child Health Research Center, a joint project of the Department of Pediatrics at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and LA BioMed, is now complete.
The Child Health Research Center is an 8,000 square foot facility that will serve as a hub for translational science and community genetics services. It is the first phase of a Department of Pediatrics program to bring new research efforts to Harbor-UCLA that will integrate with other research programs already on campus. The second phase of the program has begun with the recruitment of new investigators whose research will enhance existing campus efforts and grow the UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) at LA BioMed. The new facility will also serve as home for the regional portion of the State of California Newborn Screening Program, bringing service to the community.