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WMED SPOTLIGHT

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
The medical school was recently awarded two grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that will fund important research in the Center for Immunobiology focused on B cells and the antibodies they produce.  From left to right: Nichol Holodick, PhD, Tom Rothstein, MD, PhD, and Momoko Yoshimoto, MD, PhD A research project led by WMed researchers Nichol Holodick, PhD, Tom Rothstein, MD, PhD, and Momoko Yoshimoto, MD, PhD, titled “The Role of Biological Sex in the Self-renewal of B1 Cells into Old Age in Mice and Humans,” is being supported by a five-year, $3.8 million R01 grant from the NIH.  A separate research project led by Dr. Rothstein, “Intermingling of Circulating B Cells and Cerebral Spinal Fluid B Cells with Advancing Age,” is being supported by a two-year, $418,000 R21 grant from the NIH.  The R01 award marks the first time Drs. Holodick, Rothstein, and Yoshimoto are leading a research project together as co-principal investigators.  Dr. Yoshimoto’s research path is motivated by her prior clinical experience as a pediatric hematology/oncologist in Japan and her ongoing study of the development of various hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in the mouse embryo. Drs. Holodick and Rothstein, meanwhile, have spent more than a decade researching and examining B cells to understand more about their immune response in the human body.  “Dr. Yoshimoto widens our developmental understanding,” Dr. Holodick explained.  “And by doing so we can connect the origin and the function together,” Dr. Yoshimoto added. “That’s a very cool thing.”  Dr. Holodick, an associate professor in the Department of Investigative Medicine, has shown B-1 cells and the natural antibody protection they afford deteriorates with advancing age in males but remains highly effective in females. Dr. Yoshimoto, a professor in the Department of Investigative Medicine, has shown that most B-1 cells originate from fetal progenitor cells, even in old mice. Dr. Rothstein, who serves as director of the Center for Immunobiology, and is professor and chair of the Department of Investigative Medicine, has shown that in humans, as in mice, B-1 cells decline with advancing age.   This research has raised an intriguing hypothesis that females can better maintain fetal-derived B-1 cells and thus produce more protective natural antibodies. As such, the combination of immunological and hematological approaches by Drs. Holodick, Rothstein, and Yoshimoto synergize and create an attractive new research direction. This latest NIH-funded research project will offer the opportunity to explore possible reasons for this sex-associated disparity.  “What we want to know is, particularly in old people, are the B-1 cells proliferating? Are they dividing? Or maybe they’ve never divided but are maintained long term in a 'ready' state,” Dr. Rothstein explained.  The three projects making up this research grant are designed to fill this gap in knowledge by determining how biological sex influences long-term persistence of mouse B-1 cells generated during different phases of life; examining sex-specific regulation of mouse B-1 cell functions with increasing age; and evaluating the role of sex in specifying human B-1 cell function in older, as opposed to younger, individuals.  “There are potentially a lot of therapeutic uses for these B-1 cell antibodies in the years to come” Dr. Rothstein said. “If we can show what’s happening to them, that may tell us what to do about them.  Maybe we don’t have to give antibodies to a patient, maybe we just have to give them a little hormone or a little tweak to activate and maintain the B-1 cells.  The work will tell us how to design the therapy.”  Importantly, the most exciting aspect of this NIH R01 proposal is that the work combines animal studies and human studies.  Drs. Holodick, Rothstein, and Yoshimoto are hopeful the knowledge gained from this research will help provide meaningful insight toward enhancing B-1 cell function into old age for all, male and female alike.  Separately, the R21 grant from the NIH will allow Dr. Rothstein to explore whether B cells in the peripheral blood gain entry to the brain in older individuals, a possible explanation for the neuroinflammation that initiates and exacerbates neurodegenerative illnesses like Alzheimer’s Disease.  In previous work, Dr. Rothstein and his team compared B cells in the peripheral blood and in the cerebral spinal fluid of the same individuals and found no similarity in their antibodies. This was consistent with the general notion that the brain is a privileged site, according to Dr. Rothstein.  “Notably, that work was done with young volunteers, but it is older humans, a group we did not study, that are at risk of disease,” Dr. Rothstein said in his research project abstract. “Our new project will support a fresh look at this issue, by examining old, as well as young, volunteers” to determine whether, in older individuals, B cells typically gain entry to the brain.  “Translocation of autoreactive B cells to the brain in older individuals would likely increase the risk for, or be directly responsible for, neurodegenerative illnesses,” Dr. Rothstein said. “If so, therapies already devised to affect B cells in autoimmune disorders may represent a new approach to preventing and/or treating Alzheimer’s Disease.”  Dr. Rothstein said the medical school’s success in securing these latest NIH grants is a direct result of the strong research environment that’s been cultivated at the institution.  “We’ve created an environment where cutting-edge, advanced scientific work can be done competitive to anywhere else in the country,” Dr. Rothstein said. “We were very successful in recruiting the very best investigators. We have the scientists who can do, and who currently do, the most advanced and competitive work.”
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RESIDENT SPOTLIGHT
More than 70 resident physicians and fellows were honored in June for completing their residency and fellowship training at WMed. WMed boasts 10 residency programs in the specialties of Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Medicine-Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Orthopaedic Surgery, Pediatrics, and Psychiatry. There also are five one-year fellowships for Emergency Medical Services, Forensic Pathology, Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Simulation, and Sports Medicine. Several programs celebrated their graduates in private ceremonies. The graduates have spent between one and five years training in Southwest Michigan. WMed boasts 10 residency programs in the specialties of Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Medicine-Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Orthopaedic Surgery, Pediatrics, and Psychiatry. There also are five one-year fellowships for Emergency Medical Services, Forensic Pathology, Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Simulation, and Sports Medicine. Of the 76 residents and fellows celebrated this year, 13 will remain and work in the Kalamazoo area. Meanwhile, an additional 15 residents will work in other cities in Michigan. Others will work throughout the nation, while many will go on to fellowship training. Here’s a complete list of this year’s resident and fellow graduates, as well as faculty who received awards: Emergency Medicine Alicia Nicole Anderson, DO (Chief) Baturay Aydemir, MD Kenneth Alan Bridgmon, DO Corbin Dean Donham, MD Edwin Lauritz Fundingsland, DO Eric Alden Hovda, DO Erik James Krueger, DO Nahal Massoudi, DO David Anthony Piscitelli, MD Joshua Robert Recknagel, MD (Chief) Kevin Rajiv Richardson, MD Michael Merle Samborn, DO John Linden Shinners, MD Mariah Christine Smith, DO Justin Myrick Winkler, MD (Chief) Emergency Medical Services Fellowship Stephen Andrew Godfrey, MD Family Medicine-Battle Creek Aron Thomas Chacko, MD Abbas Mokhtari, MD Priyanka Ajaysinh Rajput, MD Sojdeh Saber Hamishegi, MD (Chief) Suganiya Srikanthan, MD Layth Haitham Tumah, MD (Chief) Family Medicine-Kalamazoo Natan Harel, DO Syed Khairul Hussain, MD Lamiya Zehra Raghid, MD Jessel Lynton Ramdass, MD, MPH (Chief) Codi Alexis Sharp, DO (Chief) Mahsa Talebian, MD Wamidh Walid Tellow, MD Forensic Pathology Fellowship Haaris Iqbal, DO General Surgery Caitlyn Bo Cookenmaster, MD (Chief) Kyra Nicole Folkert, MD (Chief) Kent Matthew Grosh, MD (Chief) Sarah Ibrahim Khalil, MD (Chief) Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Colleen Elizabeth Howing, MD Alexandra Elizabeth Ortiz, MD Internal Medicine Syed Ibaad Ali, MD (Chief) Krishna Chaitanya Amerneni, MD Stephen Earl Ames, DO Matthew Ryan Belardo, MD (Chief) Benjamin Ingo Bizer, MD Alec Michael Johnson, DO (Chief) Harmanpreet Kaur, MD Andrew John Koelper, DO Brian Nohomovich, DO, PhD Alana Pinheiro Alves, MD Michael James Terrio, DO Medicine-Pediatrics Faisal Ansari, DO Taylor Joann Cable, MD (Chief) Ian Thomas Crumm, MD Blair Colleen Graham, DO Obstetrics and Gynecology Gina Marie Bravata, MD Emily Elizabeth Dempsey Brittany Darchelle Lett, MD (Chief) Diamond Nicole Stevens, MD Orthopaedic Surgery George James Borrelli, MD (Chief) Brandon Joseph Stradel, MD (Chief) Matthew Christopher Sweet, MD (Chief) Pediatrics Hanan Nayef Alhyari, MD Hannah Brooke Asebes, MD Bilal Samir Assi, MD Nourhan Gamal Shafik Bayoumy Shafeey, MD (Fourth-Year Chief) Lubaina Ehsan, MD (Chief) Janine Chun Yee Fung, MD Judy Jasser, MD Yahia Khanfar, MD Shekha Sherin Nelliadi, MD Mandeep Kaur Takhar, MD Psychiatry Salman Mohammad Abdul Majeed, DO Amar Wael Arafat, DO Drew Daniel Elson, DO (Chief) Jamil Alexander Khondker, MD Eric Allen Klomparens, MD (Chief) Kailin Hollenbeck Kuo, MD Linda Saju, MD Sports Medicine Fellowship Michael Joseph Matthews, DO 2024 Teaching Awards Emergency Medicine James Hull, DO Mohamed Mohamed, MD Josh Recknagel, MD Family and Community Medicine Steve Pollens, MD Holly Schmidt, MD Kari Beth Watts, MD General Surgery Christian Ertl, MD Katherine Kelley, MD Gitonga Munene, MD Internal Medicine Ridwaan Albeiruti, MD James Hull, DO Corey Lager, MD Medicine-Pediatrics Neil Hughes, MD Corey Lager, MD Katherine Scott, MD Obstetrics and Gynecology Jennifer Carman, MD Jordan Wroblewski, DO Orthopaedic Surgery Cameron J. Vanlaningham, MD Pediatrics Jocelyn Deleon, MD Joseph Fakhoury, MD Nourhan Boyoumy Shafeey, MD Erica VanderKooy, MD Psychiatry Simhadri Botta, MD Elmira Yessengaliyeva, MD
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SIMULATION CENTER SPOTLIGHT
The WMed Simulation Center has been granted full reaccreditation by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH) for the next five years. News of the important milestone came in August following a site visit in May from a two-person team that participated in a tour of the Simulation Center, conducted interviews with leadership, staff and users of the Simulation Center, reviewed handbooks, procedures, case and training materials, and program evaluations and processes. John Hoyle, MD “It’s important and it shows that we meet a really high standard that’s been verified by SSH, an organization with the sole purpose of assuring that simulation-based education is done well,” said John Hoyle, MD, assistant dean for Simulation. “It’s exciting and it’s a reflection of all of our hard work.” The Simulation Center first received full core accreditation and full accreditation in teaching and education from SSH in 2018. SSH is the largest healthcare simulation accrediting body in the world. Dr. Hoyle said the reaccreditation process was a collaborative effort that involved every team member in the Simulation Center, including Connie Worline, director of Clinical Simulation; Neil Hughes, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Medicine who is a WMed alumnus and former simulation fellow; Ryan Richards, manager of Simulation Operations; Standardized Patient Coordinator Havilah MacInnes; Administrative Assistant Linda Bunting, and simulation center specialists. At WMed, simulation is a key component of medical education and serves as a bridge for students between the classroom and clinical area. In addition to its integration into the undergraduate curriculum at WMed, the Simulation Center also supports simulation-based exercises for graduate medical education and regularly hosts training events for Kalamazoo’s two hospitals, Ascension Borgess Hospital and Bronson Methodist Hospital. Currently, first-year students at WMed complete more than 90 hours of simulation-based training as part of their Medical First Responder course, Dr. Hoyle said. In 2022 and 2023 combined, the Simulation Center hosted more than 14,000 learners who logged more than 67,000 hours of training. “We see and interact with every student and every resident in the institution,” Dr. Hoyle said. The Simulation Center is made up of more than 25,000 square feet of space between two locations – the W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus and Ascension Borgess Hospital – with a staff of 20, including two directors, two coordinators, simulation specialists and technicians, and more than 70 standardized patients. At the W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus, the Simulation Center boasts more than 24,000 square feet and includes a 13-bed virtual hospital with a large operating room and three debriefing rooms, a 12-room ambulatory clinic, two large control rooms, two procedure labs, two classrooms, an ultrasonography suite, and a virtual endoscopic surgery room. Additionally, the center is an American Heart Association authorized training center for Basic and Advanced Life Support an and an authorized training site for Pediatric Advanced Life Support. The Simulation Center is also authorized to provide remote testing for the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery. The Simulation Center at Ascension Borgess Hospital opened in 2016 and includes 4,100 square feet with a two-bed clinical room with advanced equipment and high-fidelity manikins, a procedure room, an FLS Surgery training room and classrooms. Dr. Hoyle said that as simulation-based learning at the medical school continues to expand, he and his team in the Simulation Center are working to provide the best learning experience possible. Over the last year, he said a number of adult and pediatric human patient simulators have been replaced and later this year, the audiovisual system in the facility at W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus will be overhauled and upgraded. “The more training we can do and the more high-risk cases we can simulate for our learners, the more we can help provide safer patient care,” he said.
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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
The medical school’s newest students wrapped up their Medical First Responder (MFR) training course in early October, putting their skills to the test during a capstone event at the Kalamazoo Regional Fire Training Center. The Medical First Responder capstone event consisted of several emergency scenarios, including a mass-casualty incident, a vehicle extrication, and rappelling down an elevator shaft. The all-day event was held on Thursday, October 3, 2024, and consisted of several emergency scenarios, including a mass-casualty incident, a vehicle extrication, and rappelling down an elevator shaft. “It was a lot of hard work, and we learned a lot really quickly, so having this capstone day to top it all off has been really rewarding,” M1 Erin Dowd said. “The team bonding opportunities from MFR have been the best. ... The chemistry of our class, the 2028 class, is beyond what I would ever expect.” WMed students spend several of their first weeks of medical school participating in MFR training. Their work culminates with the MFR capstone event, and the training qualifies students for national certification and state licensing as medical first responders. Students from the MD Class of 2028 participated in a mock mass-casualty incident as part of the MFR capstone event at the Kalamazoo Regional Fire Training Center. “We’re one of only a couple of medical schools in the country that do something quite like this,” explained William Fales, MD, professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine and division chief for the Division of EMS and Disaster Medicine at WMed. “We’re a little biased, but we think every physician should know how to handle the first five minutes of an emergency, regardless of what kind of specialty, and that’s what we really try to do in MFR, to get them so that they are as comfortable as they can be in responding to emergencies that can arise in their waiting room, in the hospital, (or) on the street as good Samaritans.” MFR training begins for first-year students during their first week at WMed as part of the medical school’s curriculum. The course equips students to respond when someone is ill or injured and provides them with instruction on basic procedures, including taking vital signs, CPR, bandaging and wound care and splinting, assisting in childbirth, among other things. Students from the MD Class of 2028 participated in the capstone event for the MFR training course on Thursday, October 3, 2024. The course is a fast-paced way for students to get hands-on training at the outset of medical school, so they have the knowledge to perform basic patient assessments, manage simple medical emergencies, and provide basic cardiac life support. “Truly learning something goes beyond just reading something from a book or being in a lecture, you need to have it in your hands, and you need to be put under pressure for things like that to actually stick,” M1 Jackson Goudreau said. “It’s good to be in those high-pressure environments because that’s what’s going to be (asked of us). ... It makes us stronger; it makes us stronger leaders.”
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LATEST NEWS & EVENTS

Vera Tarakanova, PhD

Vera Tarakanova, PhD, to visit WMed in March for Seminars in Investigative Medicine

Research Day 2025

43rd Annual Research Day set for April 3 at the W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus

Mahesh Shrestha

Mahesh Shrestha, MD, leading new pediatric obesity clinic at WMed

10:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Delta Hotels by Marriott Kalamazoo

Annual Developmental Disabilities Conference

8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center, East Lansing

Class of 2025 Commencement

4:00-6:30 p.m., Miller Auditorium

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