Spotlight
New Grants
Congratulations to Dr. James Collins of the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences on his new R01 grant. The NIH project title is “Molecular mechanisms of intestinal metal ion transport during iron-deficiency”. To read more about his project, please visit http://www.buffalo.edu/news/8760 .
The Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange (CIRRIE) has received a $2.5 million, five-year competitive renewal grant from the National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research.
Dr. Susan Nochajski of the Department of Rehabilitation Science was awarded a $538,081 three year grant from the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate school to work transition programs for students with disabilities. She and her team are working collaboratively with the Buffalo School district in this effort.
Dr. Machiko Tomita is a Principal Investigator on a new research grant from the National Institute on Aging, titled "Wellness Network for Patients with Congestive Heart Failure", a two year grant funded for $141,200.
Stephen M Bauer, PhD, of the Department of Rehabilitation Science will lead the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technology Transfer (T2RERC) as it begins its third 5-year grant cycle. The T2RERC is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, National Institute on Disability Rehabilitation Research. The T2RERC facilitates the introduction of assistive technology products into the marketplace that address important employment, educational, recreational and independent living needs of people with disabilities. The T2RERC also supports the technology transfer plans and activities of the entire NIDRR RERC Program which includes about twenty national centers.
Karl Kozlowski, Kathleen McCormick and Paula Maxwel received the 2005 NYSATA Research Grant of $1500 to support their proposal entitled "Aging, Inflammation and Muscle Healing." The goal of this project is to understand why older people do not recover from muscle injury as well as younger people.
Nadine Fisher received a three-year, $450,000 grant from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research from the US Dept. of Education entitled, "Effects of Cooling and Fitness on Exercise Performance in Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis." Dr. Carl Granger, Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine, is the Co-Investigator.
John Violanti was awarded a two-year $501,676 grant from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) entitled "Shift Work, Extended Hours, and Fatigue: A Retrospective Assessment of Health, Mortality and Personal Risk for Police Officers." The study will assess career-length work hour/shift work impact on health morbidity and mortality, stress, accidents, injuries, and personal outcomes of fatigue in police officers from 1950 - 2004.
The School of Public Health and Health Professions is home to the Western New York Wellness Works Initiative. Through this $1 million initiative, thirteen companies and organizations located in Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties have been selected to receive grants to implement employee wellness programs. The program, conceived by State Senator Mary Lou Rath, will allow employers and employees (a total of 20,790) to share in the "wellness divided". Joan M. Dorn, PhD, UB associate professor of social and preventive medicine, is principal investigator.
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Spotlight on Faculty and Staff
Donald Rowe, Ph.D., Public Health Liaison
Congratulations to Dr. Donald Rowe for being appointed to the Rural Area Health Education Center’s (AHEC) Board of Directors. In this role Dr. Rowe will work with the AHEC to find solutions to the drastic shortage and serious lack of diversity in the heath care workforce of New York State.
**Dr. Rowe also serves on the Board of Directors for the New York State Association for Rural Health (NYSRAH). NYSARH leads and collaborates on issues that affect the health, welfare, and well being of rural NY residents. Dr. Rowe was recently featured in NYSRAH’s newsletter, the Rural Health Reporter.
Christine Pelkman, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences
Congratulations to Dr. Christine L. Pelkman for receiving an award from the UB 2020 Scholars Fund. This award was used to study how satiety is affected by reproductive hormones in women. The study concluded that dietary protein has a greater effect on reducing food intake in the follicular compared to the luteal phase, possibly due to elevations in estrogen that occur during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. These results were presented at Experimental Biology in 2007 by Rachael Pohle as part of her dissertation research under Dr. Pelkman’s supervision.
Christine Pelkman, Ph.D, Assistant Professor, Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences
Dr. Pelkman was the scientific consultant on a new book being released by Reader's Digest, Magic Foods. This book is useful for anyone with high blood sugar (pre-diabetes, diabetes and metabolic syndrome). It features meal plans, meal makeovers, and lots of photography, making it a user-friendly guidebook. It is based on the latest scientific evidence and is useful just as a general nutrition guide for anyone concerned with their body weight.
Machiko Tomita, Department of Rehabilitation Science
Dr. Machiko Tomita of the Rehabilitation Science department is a co-author of an article which appeared in the Fall 2005 Occupational Therapy Journal of Research titled: "Barriers to the use of traditional telephones by older adults with chronic health conditions" (Occupational Therapy Journal of Research 25(4):160-166, 2005).
Jo Schweitzer, Susan Nochajski, and Linda Shriber
Clinical Assistant Professors, Department of Rehabilitation ScienceProfessor Schweitzer and Drs. Nochajski and Shriber received Certificates of Recognition from UB Career Services for "Positive Influence You Have Had on Students at the University at Buffalo" as described in the Year after Survey of 2003 graduates in Spring 2005.
Patricia Ohtake
Associate Professor, Department of Rehabilitation ScienceDr Ohtake was invited to become an Editorial Board member for the Evidence in Practice section of the Physical Therapy journal.
Diane Wrisley
Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation ScienceDr. Wrisley gave a presentation "Emerging Techniques in the Evaluation and Treatment of Balance Disorders" at the March 2005 New York Physical Therapy Association Western District meeting.
Susan Bennett
Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Rehabilitation ScienceDr. Bennett has been working collaboratively with the Jacobs Neurological Institute on Patient Education Programs for Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis.
Juli Wylegala
Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation ScienceDr. Wylegala, a recent doctoral graduate of the Department of Exercise Science and Nutrition, has joined the faculty in the Physical Therapy program.
MaryAnn Venezia
Department of Rehabilitation ScienceMrs. Venezia has joined the Department of Rehabilitation Science as professional staff, responsible for recruiting and student support services.
James Lenker
Department of Rehabilitation ScienceDr James Lenker has recently completed his Ph.D. and has been promoted to a tenure track position as an Assistant Professor in the Occupational Therapy program.
Susan Nochajski
Department of Rehabilitation ScienceDr. Nochajski and her research assistant, MaryAnn Kaputa, will be presenting at the National Rehabilitation Association Conference being held in Alexandria, Virginia in October 2005.
The following were among the top 100 faculty members at UB who have received the largest amounts of federal grant dollars and who were recognized for their efforts to obtain highly competitive federal funding for their research:
Dr. Maurizio Trevisan, John Stone, Joe Lane, Jo Freudenheim, John Vena and Jean Wactawski-Wende.
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Spotlight on Alumni 
Bethany J. Gilbert, 2004 JD; 2005 MPH
Ms. Gilbert, an attorney in the Health Law and Corporate & Securities Practice Groups with Hodgson Russ LLP, has been accepted to the Rising Leaders Program, part of the 2007 Leadership Buffalo Program. Leadership Buffalo is an organization whose mission is to unite existing and emerging leaders from diverse backgrounds and perspectives in order to increase their knowledge of community issues, broaden their vision, and enhance their ability to lead.
In the program Ms. Gilbert will help to bring together young and up-and-coming leaders from diverse backgrounds to prepare them to lead within the corporate, non-profit and public sectors and will help participants to gain important leadership skills, obtain knowledge of the complexities of community issues, and broaden their networks.
Susan E. McCann, Ph.D. ’98 Epidemiology
Dr. McCann was selected to receive the 2006 SPHHP Academic Service Award. This award recognizes the efforts of outstanding alum and their long-standing volunteer academic service to the School. Dr. McCann, who currently works as a cancer researcher in the Department of Epidemiology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, is also a voluntary faculty member of the SPM graduate program, and has provided an important service to the school as well as the students.
Susan Barr Black, BS ’71 Physical Therapy and Exercise Science, MS ’87 Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Ms. Black was selected to receive the 2006 SPHHP Academic Service Award. This award recognizes the efforts of outstanding alum and their long-standing volunteer academic service to the School. For the past two-three decades Ms. Black has proved to be a strong supporter of the Physical Therapy program. Her continued support and important contributions have helped to make the DPT program the success that it is today.
Mark Howard, BA '82 Biological Sciences, BS '86 Physical Therapy
Mark was selected to receive the 2005 SPHHP Academic Achievement Award. This award recognizes the efforts of outstanding alum and their long-standing volunteer academic service to the School. Mark has provided considerable service to the PT program over the past 12 years in both the classroom and clinical settings.
Andrew Hyland, BA '92 Mathematics, MA '95 Statistics, Ph.D. '98 Epidemiology
Andrew was selected to receive the 2005 SPHHP Academic Achievement Award. This award recognizes the efforts of outstanding alum and their long-standing volunteer academic service to the School. Dr. Hyland has served in a very active capacity, providing a bridge between the epidemiologists at Roswell Park Cancer Institute and those in the Dept. of Social and Preventive Medicine, thereby expanding the resources available to the dept. and particularly to the graduate students.
Amy S. Jukam, BS/MS '05 Occupational Science/Occupational Therapy
Amy received an award from the American Occupational Therapy Foundation. Amy received the NYSOTA award for $1,000 recognizing her for receiving a Professional Masters Degree in OT.
Ms. Lynn M. Vogel-Campbell, BS 1991 Occupational Therapy
Lynn, who graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1991, currently works for the Jamestown School District as an Occupational Therapist. Her career path began at the Lake Erie Institute of Rehabilitation head trauma unit and along the way she has found herself contributing much time and talent to many organizations such as the Episcopal Residential Health Care Facility, Olsten Health Services, and the WNY VNA. Because of these achievements, and her role as a parent, educator, church member, and good citizenship, Lynn was recently presented with the 2004 National Catholic Education Distinguished Graduate Award. Congratulations Lynn!
Congratulations to Joe Booth, Tim Kennedy and Lizelle Lubbe, 2005 Athletic Training graduates who successfully completed their national Board of Certification exam this summer. Tim and Lizelle are currently employed by University Sports Medicine at UB and serve as outreach athletic trainers to local high schools. Joe is employed at a high school in Long Island.
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Spotlight on Students
Biostatistics student, Carmen Tekwe, recently received an award from the Graduate Student Employees Union. This award was based on his academic progress toward his Ph.D. and his excellent work on his assistantship. Congratulations Carmen!
Fourteen students from the School of Public Health and Health Professions organized a myriad of activities for National Public Health Week, April 3-9, 2006. Students brought the National Public Health Week message to local residents through a lecture on proposals for universal health care, a presentation by New York State Department of Health epidemiologists on avian flu preparedness, a week-long public health film festival and a community health fair. The fair included body mass index and body composition calculations, a smoking and aging simulator, reaction time and grip strength measurements, rapid HIV testing and a student poster session. The students’ efforts were featured in the June/July 2006 issue of The Nation’s Health seen here.
Congratulations to SPHHP student, Carol Ann DeNysschen! Carol was recently selected to receive the CampusAlliedHealth Scholarship Fund.
Congratulations to Steven K. Trynosky, who completed dual degrees in law and public health in May 2006, for being one of 550 people chosen to become Presidential Management Fellows for 2006.
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