Master Educator Story
We are fortunate to have a cadre of recognized “master educators” at Brody School of Medicine. These are faculty members who have been recognized by their peers as outstanding educators in any of the following categories: Educational Leadership & Administration, Outstanding Teaching or Mentorship, Educational Innovation & Curriculum Development, Educational Evaluation & Research, Faculty Development in Education and Educational Contribution by a Community Physician.
The Master Educator Award winners for 2020 - 2021 announced at the February 18 Full Faculty meeting are Dr. Irma Corral and Dr. John Norbury.
Irma Corral, PhD, MPH:
Master Educator 2020 - 2021
Outstanding Teaching or Mentorship Contribution
Dr. Corral, associate professor, assistant dean for diversity and inclusion, and director, Division of Behavioral Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, was awarded the 2020 - 2021 Master Educator for Outstanding Teaching or Mentorship Contribution.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Professor and Chairman Dr. Sy Saeed notes:
“Dr. Corral has been a faculty member in my department since she joined the Brody School of Medicine in 2010. In that time, she has consistently demonstrated sustained quality, quantity, and diversity of direct instruction and mentorship activities.
Dr. Corral has demonstrated both breadth and depth in teaching across a spectrum of learner levels and across a spectrum of disciplines.”
Dr. Corral reflects on what this award means to her:
"This honor is deeply meaningful to me. It represents so many years of rewarding experiences with medical students, residents, and other learners. Teaching tomorrow’s healthcare workforce gives me so much hope for a better future, and I consider it a privilege to be part of shaping compassionate and inclusive providers.
"I am very grateful to the Office of Medical Education and to Academic Affairs for their support during my years as a course director. I also am deeply appreciative of the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine for its intentionality in cultivating a climate that develops skilled and dedicated educators.“
John W. Norbury, MD
Master Educator 2020 - 2021
Educational Innovation & Curriculum Development
Dr. Norbury, assistant professor, clerkship director, and EMG director in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, was awarded the 2020 - 2021 Master Educator Award in Educational Innovation and Curriculum Development.
PGY1 Resident Natalie Karr who provided the nomination for Dr. Norbury explains:
"Perhaps the most meaningful impact Dr. Norbury has made to my life as a resident and in the lives of others is his time spent as a mentor. Dr. Norbury has worked tirelessly to support his students in both research and mentorship."
Colleague Dr. David Eldridge, associate professor and clerkship director in the Department of Pediatrics, echoes Karr's sentiment:
John's thoughtfulness in regard to our students' overall educational experience [is] equally matched with his enthusiasm. His dedication and ability to innovate in order to capture the interest of his students is evident. John truly excels at engaging our medical school's learners."
Dr. Norbury responds to having joined the distinguished list of Master Educators:
"It's so humbling to be recognized with an award that so many of my mentors have received over the years. While I enjoy clinical work and research, I must say teaching is my passion.
I feel so fortunate to work at an institution which values faculty who take the time to make sure we train community physicians who will make us proud upon finishing residency or graduating medical school."
To see a list of all Master Educator Award winners, click here.
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2021 Brody Brothers Endowment Recipients
The 2021 Brody Endowment Fund, provided by the Dean of the Brody School of Medicine works in conjunction to fund enhancements within research, telemedicine and educational initiatives. The selection process includes a faculty review committee, NIH Biographical Sketches and multiple references. Since 2005, the Brody Brothers Endowment has provided over $1,742, 000 in funding for 53 grants. Below are some of this year's recipients:
Dr. Myon Hee Lee, Division of Hematology / Oncology-PUM2, "A Master Regulator of Stem Cell Fate Decision"
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have a wonderful potential to differentiate into many types of cells/tissues and can therefore be used for clinical trials of replacement for several disease states. However, their differentiation into unwanted lineages may generate potential problems, including induced obesity and osteoporosis.
Using multiple model systems (worms, zebrafish, and human MSCs), we have found that the PUM2 mRNA translational repressor enhances fatty tissue formation and represses bone tissue formation by its repressing target mRNAs. Dr. Lee remarks:
"In collaboration with multiple researchers (Dr. Brett Keiper, Dr. Yong Zhu, and Dr. Linda May), we will attempt to uncover the important targets to avert unwanted effects. The Brody Brothers’ endowment award will lead us to an understanding of MSC-related disorders such as obesity and osteoporosis."
Dr. Christopher Geyer, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, "State of the ART biomimetic sperm selection for in vitro fertilization (IVF) Collaboration between the Geyer and Neufer labs"
Approximately 1 in 10 couples experience fertility problems (clinically defined as no conception after 1-year of unprotected intercourse), and many will attempt to conceive a child using in vitro fertilization (IVF). IVF typically requires multiple cycles, which together cost more than the median yearly household income for families in eastern North Carolina (ENC).
On the male side of the equation, a significant factor limiting IVF success (thus increasing numbers of costly cycles) is the current lack of methods to reliably select the best sperm, which have normal morphology and low levels of oxidative damage and thus a pristine haploid genome. Following intercourse, the best sperm is naturally selected as the one that first successfully traverses the distinct biochemical microenvironments within the female reproductive tract. By mimicking these diverse biochemical microenvironments within the female reproductive tract and understanding how sperm motility should be accordingly modified, we can help clinicians identify the best sperm for IVF.
"A critical next step is to translate these findings to human sperm, and to this end, we have partnered with Dr. Jason Hildebrand (OB/GYN). Here, we seek financial support to continue this fruitful collaboration between Drs. Hale and Schmidt, who work in labs with distinct but highly synergistic expertise: Geyer (germ cell biology) and Neufer (cellular bioenergetics)."
Dr. Kelsey Fisher-Wellman, Department of Physiology, "Comprehensive bioenergetic phenotyping during T-cell activation and immune therapy"
Although immune therapy using immune checkpoint inhibitors is an emerging cancer treatment strategy with the potential for long-term cures, a significant proportion of patients fail to respond. A growing body of evidence suggests that alterations to the energy producing components of the cell (i.e., mitochondria) are critical to anti-tumor immunity.
The present application aims to lay the foundation for the eventual development of new therapeutics that are better able to bolster the metabolism of immune cells to fight cancer. This requires scientific experiments that can pinpoint unique characteristics of immune cell metabolism that fail in response to cancer immune therapy and cancer surveillance. The present proposal hypothesizes that specific metabolic dysregulation occurs within the energy-producing organelle of the immune cell referred to as the mitochondrion.
"The short-term goal of this application is to identify these metabolic targets that fail during anti-tumor immunity such that in the long-term patients diagnosed with cancer can be afforded better, more targeted therapies."
Dr. Suzanne Lea, Department of Public Health, "Pirates’ Prevention and COVID-19 Testing Study (Pirate PACT)"
Pirates’ Prevention and COVID-19 Testing Study (Pirate PACT) is a longitudinal study launched to track COVID-19 among students living on campus. Beginning in August 2020, alongside Lea, co-investigators on the study include Dr. Charleen McNeill of the College of Nursing and Drs. Kristina Simeonsson, Aaron Kipp and William Irish of the Brody School of Medicine.
By expanding the eligible participants from freshmen in the residence halls to any student remaining in Pitt County, the team was able to register 136 participants who were tested every two weeks during the fall semester. They had a nasal swab test every visit to detect the active virus and a blood draw every other visit to test for antibodies. They also completed a survey each time about their prevention behaviors over the two weeks prior.
Dr. Lea remarks on the factors that may impact students and COVID-19:
“We also collected data on many other factors, such as employment status, stress level, and their perceptions about COVID impact in their life,”
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NCFDD Post-Tenure Pathfinders Workshop attended by faculty from Main and Health Science Campuses
On February 10, the Office of Faculty Development sponsored a virtual workshop provided by the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD). Funding was provided by the BSOM's Dean's Office.
The presenter, Dr. Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha, is an associate professor in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. She is a Faculty Success Program Coach and a certified Campus Workshop Facilitator for the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity. She has published over 30 scholarly peer-reviewed journal articles or book chapters. Her current research interests include health disparities, reproductive health, infant mortality, and HIV/AIDS in ethnic minority populations. Currently, she is finishing a book manuscript on Black women in the academy.
Amutah-Onukagha addressed the challenges for post-tenured faculty, facilitated guided self-reflection and career mapping exercises and focused on how mentorship best aligns with career goals.
Advertisement for the virtual workshop was sent out to all ECU faculty:
In addition to virtual workshops, the NCFDD website offers online events, a library of webinars and courses and other resources to help faculty, postdocs and graduate students thrive.
Anyone with an ecu.edu email address is eligible for a FREE institutional membership to NCFDD.
To activate your free Institutional Membership, complete the following steps:
1) Go to http://www.FacultyDiversity.org/Join
2) Choose your institution from the drop-down menu.
3) Select “Activate my Membership”
4) Complete the registration form using your ecu.edu email address (i.e. @ecu.edu)
5) Go to your ecu.edu email to find a confirmation email. Click “Activate Account” in the confirmation email
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Faculty Research Grants
Dr. Michelle L. Ratliff, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, "Human Hematopoiesis and Aging: Roles for ARID3a and Inflammation"
Human hematopoiesis is a dynamic process requiring intricate regulation of multiple gene expression pathways involved in lineage commitment and resulting in the development of multiple blood cell types. This process is disrupted in old age, which results in decreased immunity against pathogens and impaired responses to vaccines, with an associated chronic low-grade inflammation.
Understanding the mechanisms that control and regulate human hematopoiesis and innate responses in elderly versus young individuals is necessary to alleviate defects in immune responses, particularly important as nearly a quarter of the US population will be over the age of 65 by 2060.
Dr. Ratliff explains:
"My primary research interest is in the age-related changes that occur in the hematopoietic progenitor cells, particularly in the hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Currently funded studies are focused on investigating the function of the DNA-binding protein ARID3a in HSCs from young and aged donors."
Dr. Lisandra E. de Castro Brás, Department of Physiology, "Collagen-Derived Peptides to Target Inflammation in Myocardial Infarction"
This project uses a novel peptide to modulate tissue degradation. Our data shows that this peptide has the potential to reduce inflammation and promote cardiac repair; however, its molecular and cellular mechanisms are still unknown. This proposal will identify both the peptide cellular targets and activated signaling mechanisms.
"Our lab investigates the healing cascade that is activated after myocardial infarction (a.k.a heart attack). Our goals include identifying new targets and therapies that can both reduce the inflammatory response, to diminish tissue degradation, and stimulate tissue regeneration and repair."
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Q1 Faculty Spotlights
Above and Beyond
Credits:
Photo credits: Cover photo, Master Educator photos and Faculty Spotlights: Nora Brooks; Ndidiamaka Amata-Onukagha provided her photo; Pathfinders flyer: Allison Flowers; All other photos courtesy of and used with permission by ECU Photos