Author: Crystal Guzman

  • When breast cancer runs in the family

    Julie Dutil, Ph.D.

    Associate Professor of Basic Sciences

    Cancer Biology Research Division

    Ponce Health Sciences University

    Ponce Research Institute

    Many of us know a relative or a close friend that has been diagnosed with a cancer. This is not surprising as cancers are common. It is estimated that around one in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Most breast cancers are caused by a combination of risk factors including age, body weight, hormonal exposure, reproductive and lifestyle factors. A small percentage of all breast cancers cluster in families and are thought to be hereditary, caused by abnormal genes passed from parent to child.

    Our genes contain the instructions for building proteins, which are controlling the structure and functions of our cells. We inherit two copies of each of our 21,000 genes, one from our mother and the other from the father. There are millions of variations in genes, which is the reason why no two persons are the same. While most of those changes are harmless, some are errors or mistakes, which can impede the function of a gene. Those changes are known as mutations.

    The majority of inherited cases of breast cancer are associated with mutations in two genes: BRCA1 and BRCA2. Everyone has BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, and their normal function in DNA repair is essential for cells to grow normally. When a person inherits a defective BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene from the mother or the father, it results in increased risk of breast, ovarian or other cancers. Having a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation doesn’t mean you will be diagnosed with breast cancer, but your chances are much higher. For example, women who have a BRCA1 mutation or BRCA2 mutation can have up to an 80% risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetimes. Today, we know more than 50 genes that are involved in determining cancer risk, each associated with different risk of cancers. In many families, the genetic changes associated with hereditary breast cancer are unknown. Identifying additional genetic risk factors for breast cancer is an active area of medical research.

    In order to determine if you and your family are carrier of a hereditary cancer mutation, a genetic test must be performed from a blood or saliva sample. Not everyone should be tested for hereditary cancer genes. If you or some of your close relatives have had breast or ovarian cancer, especially at young ages, in both breast, or a particular type of breast cancer known as triple-negative, or if there are other cancers in your family in addition to breast, such as prostate, melanoma, pancreatic, stomach, uterine, thyroid, colon, and/or sarcoma, you may consider hereditary cancer testing.

    Although it can cause anxiety to find out that you have a genetic predisposition to cancers, knowing about your genes can also empower you to take preventive actions, make positive changes to your lifestyle and keep an eye on certain cancers for which you are at higher risk through regular screening. It is also a process that involves the entire family. Before undergoing genetic testing, make sure you understand the risks, benefits and limitations by talking to your healthcare provider.

    Ponce Health Sciences University, before known as Ponce School of Medicine, is an institution focused on the disciplines of Medicine, Clinical Psychology, Biomedical Sciences, Public Health and Nursing. Since 1977 has developed highly trained professionals in health field. Now it has a university center in San Juan that offers a Masters in Medical Sciences and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.

     

    To learn more about Ponce Health Sciences University, interested persons can call 787-840-2575, ext. 5724 or visit www.psm.edu.

     

     

  • Instituto Nacional del Cáncer otorga $435,000 a Ponce Medical School Foundation

    Instituto Nacional del Cáncer otorga $435,000 a

    Ponce Medical School Foundation

    La subvención ayudará a fortalecer los trabajos en investigación sobre cáncer que lleva a cabo la fundación tras el paso del huracán María

    Un donativo de $435,000 por parte del Instituto Nacional del Cáncer, permitirá a Ponce Medical School Foundation, Inc., en conjunto al H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center (MCC) de Tampa, Florida, identificar las necesidades médicas, psicológicas y las barreras para recibir acceso a servicios en pacientes de cáncer en Puerto Rico luego del huracán María. También ayudará en el estudio de la relación entre niveles altos de estrés y el impacto que pueda tener en la progresión de cáncer en esta población.
    “Estamos sumamente orgullosos del equipo de investigadores de nuestras Divisiones de Cáncer y de Comunidad. Esta subvención es de suma importancia para poder identificar esas barreras en servicios de salud que enfrentaron pacientes de cáncer luego del huracán María.

    Esta información podrá ayudar a establecer medidas de preparación y resiliencia que provean un sistema de salud más eficiente para poblaciones necesitadas, ante cualquier evento futuro. El plan propuesto es cónsono con nuestra misión de buscar soluciones a los problemas de salud más apremiantes para la comunidad hispana”, dijo la Dra. Kenira Thompson, presidenta del Ponce Medical School Foundation, Inc.

    Este proyecto establece un paso importante para mejorar la educación, la investigación y la creación de empleos en Puerto Rico. “Ponce Health Sciences University” está en una posición única para abordar los problemas de salud existentes tanto local como mundialmente, y estamos comprometidos en proveer la infraestructura necesaria para avanzar en nuevos descubrimientos en cáncer, además de mejorar las oportunidades de salud y educación aquí en Puerto Rico y en la Florida”, dijo David Lenihan, presidente de Ponce Health Sciences University.
    Esta nueva subvención se une al nutrido grupo de investigaciones que surgen como parte de la alianza colaborativa entre Ponce Health Sciences University y MCC por más de 11 años. Los investigadores principales de esta nueva subvención son: Dra. Eida Castro (PHSU) y la Dra. Heather Jim (MCC). La doctora Castro es la investigadora principal de este proyecto. El equipo de investigación está compuesto por el Dr. Guillermo Armaiz (PHSU), Dra. Mary Rodríguez (PHSU) y la Dra. Idhaliz Flores (PHSU).

    Ponce Medical School Foundation, Inc. es una entidad sin fines de lucro (501 c.3) que provee la infraestructura de investigación a Ponce Health Sciences University. Su misión es llevar a cabo investigaciones de alto calibre que ayuden a disminuir las disparidades de salud que enfrentan los pacientes puertorriqueños.

    Ponce Health Sciences University, antes Escuela de Medicina de Ponce, es una institución universitaria con un enfoque en las disciplinas de Medicina, Psicología Clínica, Ciencias Biomédicas, Salud Pública y Enfermería. Desde 1977 ha desarrollado profesionales altamente capacitados en en el campo de la salud. Ahora cuenta con un centro educativo en Santurce que ofrece una Maestría en Ciencias Médicas y un Doctorado en Psicología Clínica.

  • Sociedad Americana de Fisiología otorga importante beca a joven ponceña

    Sociedad Americana de Fisiología otorga importante beca a joven ponceña para investigación sobre la cura de la endometriosis

     

    La estudiante de doctorado en Ciencias Biomédicas de Ponce Health Sciences University, Inevy Seguinot, recibió una importante beca de la Sociedad Americana de Fisiología con el fin de apoyar sus investigaciones relacionadas a la cura de la endometriosis. Actualmente, Seguinot lleva a cabo una investigación que le permita identificar medicamentos que ayuden a curar la endometriosis sin afectar la fertilidad de la paciente.

    “Aproximadamente 10 de cada 100 mujeres en edad reproductiva en Puerto Rico y Estados Unidos padecen de endometriosis y la mayoría de los medicamentos que están disponibles para tratar la enfermedad causan un efecto negativo en la fertilidad de la paciente. Esta investigación me da la oportunidad de continuar estudiando un nuevo medicamento para las pacientes, como también me ayuda a contribuir, aunque sea un granito de arena, a esta enfermedad tan dolorosa e incurable. Esta beca, además, es una herramienta bien importante que abre la puerta a mi desarrollo profesional y me anima a continuar participando en investigaciones que contribuyan a mejorar la calidad de vida de los pacientes”, expresó Seguinot.

    Inevy Seguinot cursa su último año en Ponce Health Sciences University con el fin de obtener un grado en Doctorado en Filosofía en Ciencias Biomédicas y aspira a continuar sus estudios en medicina.

    La Sociedad Americana de Fisiología promueve el estudio de fisiología en estudios graduados en el campo de la investigación y sirve de apoyo económico a los estudiantes que reciban la beca.

    El Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Biomédicas en PHSU es un programa integrado e interdepartamental que tiene como objetivo fomentar la preparación general en ciencias biomédicas, incluyendo Bioquímica, Microbiología, Anatomía, Fisiología y Farmacología mientras combinan las experiencias de investigación en áreas específicas como cáncer, enfermedades infecciosas, salud de la mujer y neurociencia.

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  • Presentan 175 nuevas investigaciones de salud en Puerto Rico

    Reveladores datos surgen sobre enfermedades como el cáncer, Alzheimer y salud mental.

     Sobre 175 investigaciones en las áreas de Salud Pública, Ciencias Médicas, Ciencias Básicas, Ciencias Biomédicas, Psicología y estudios de casos realizados por estudiantes y profesores de la Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU) y hospitales afiliados, fueron presentados en la 14ta. Conferencia Científica Anual que llevó a cabo el Instituto de Investigación de Ponce de la PHSU en el Complejo Ferial de Ponce.

    Entre la cantidad considerable de temas de investigación presentados figuran el Cáncer, Cáncer de Seno, Cáncer de Pulmón, Endometriosis, HIV, Alzheimer, Bullying, Salud Mental, Chikunguña, Neumonía, Fiebres, Enfermedades Crónicas, Diabetes, Obstetricia, Ginecología, Depresión, entre otros.

    “Nos sentimos sumamente complacidos de exponer la calidad de los trabajos de investigación de nuestra comunidad científica. Estamos comprometidos con estimular a nuestras estudiantes y profesores a continuar desarrollando trabajos que, además de fortalecer sus capacidades en el área de la investigación, redunden en aportar sus conocimientos para el beneficio de las ciencias que se hacen en el país. Presentar sobre 175 investigaciones científicas valida que nuestra educación es una de clase mundial”, expresó el Dr. David Lenihan, presidente y CEO de la PSHU.

    En una actividad en la que se dieron cita sobre 400 personas entre estudiantes, investigadores e importantes personalidades de la comunidad médica científica del país, los asistentes participaron de conferencias, presentaciones orales, presentaciones de afiches, oportunidades de “networking”, entre otros.

     

    “El propósito de este tipo de encuentro es aumentar la conciencia local e internacional sobre las investigaciones que se llevan a cabo en nuestra universidad y en hospitales afiliados y, de esta manera, estimular los esfuerzos de investigación, particularmente en las Ciencias Clínicas. Es una oportunidad que tienen nuestros estudiantes para compartir ideas y para sentirse orgullosos de sus trabajos. La ciencia es parte del prestigio de nuestra universidad”, expresó la Dra. Kenira J. Thompson, presidenta del Instituto de Investigación de Ponce y vicepresidenta de Investigación de la PHSU.

     

     

     

    Ponce Health Sciences University, antes Escuela de Medicina de Ponce, es una institución universitaria con un enfoque en las disciplinas de Medicina, Psicología Clínica, Ciencias Biomédicas y Salud Pública. Desde 1977 ha desarrollado profesionales altamente capacitados en en el campo de la salud. Ahora cuenta con un centro educativo en Santurce que ofrece una Maestría en Ciencias Médicas y un Doctorado en Psicología Clínica.

  • 242 Estudiantes obtienen diferentes grados en el campo de la salud

    242 estudiantes de la Ponce Health Sciences Universtiy (PHSU)

    Estudiantes graduandos incluyendo internacionales procedentes de Pakistán, Irán, México, República Dominicana, Cuba, Estados Unidos y Colombia, obtuvieron su diploma en la Trigésima Octava Colación de Grados de la PHSU que se llevaron a cabo en el Complejo Ferial de Ponce.

    Los grados otorgados fueron en Doctorado en Medicina, Maestría en Ciencias Médicas, PhD en Ciencias Biomédicas, Doctorado en Salud Pública, Maestría en Salud Pública, Doctorado en Psicología Clínica, PhD en Psicología Clínica, Certificado Profesional en Terapia de Familia y Pareja y Certificado Post graduado en Neurociencias del Aprendizaje.

    “En Ponce Health Sciences University nos honramos en continuar educando y preparando profesionales altamente competitivos en el campo de las ciencias de la salud. Felicitamos a todos los que hoy ven cumplidas sus metas de alcanzar una carrera en uno de los campos de mayor competencia mundial y los exhortamos a continuar expandiendo su profesión manteniendo la excelencia y el compromiso que los distingue”, expresó el Dr. David Lenihan, presidente y CEO de la PSHU.

     

    Durante la actividad se reconoció la trayectoria del reconocido pintor Antonio Martorell, a quien se le otorgó un grado Honoris Causa como “Doctor of Sciences (D.Sc)”.  Martorell se destaca, además, como dibujante, escultor, grabador, comunicador, teatrero, periodista de prensa, radio, televisión y escritor. El orador principal fue el Dr. Griffin Rodger de New Orleans, quien fue parte del equipo que desarrolló la primera y única terapia para anemia de células falsi-formes aprobado por la Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

    Ponce Health Sciences University, antes Escuela de Medicina de Ponce, es una institución universitaria con un enfoque en las disciplinas de Medicina, Psicología Clínica, Ciencias Biomédicas, Salud Pública y Enfermería. Desde 1977 ha desarrollado profesionales altamente capacitados en en el campo de la salud. Ahora cuenta con un centro educativo en Santurce que ofrece una Maestría en Ciencias Médicas y un Doctorado en Psicología Clínica.

  • Considerando una carrera en medicina: Mejora tus credenciales con una Maestría en Ciencias Médicas

    Cada vez son más las personas que optan por una carrera en medicina. Sin embargo, algunas personas con interés en realizar estudios graduados necesitan un poco más de tiempo para convencerse de hacer una carrera en alguna rama médica o no cuentan con algunos requisitos de admisión.  Pensando en dichas personas, Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU) estableció el Programa de Maestría en Ciencias Médicas que ofrece la oportunidad al estudiante de validar que, en efecto, lo que desea hacer es una carrera en esa área o fortalecer sus conocimientos en medicina, que a la vez lo coloca en una posición competitiva en su futuro profesional.

    Läkemedlen är som sagt baserade på verkan av sildenafil, som fungerar som den aktiva ingrediensen. Av denna anledning betraktas Kamagra ofta som ett alternativ till Viagra, som har miljontals nöjda användare världen över. Initialt agerade läkemedelsföretaget Pfizer som ensam ägare av rättigheterna att producera piller baserade på Viagra-formeln. Men när licensen gick ut kunde produktionen av läkemedlet baserat på den ursprungliga formeln startas av vem som helst som ville. Därför har Viagra, vars tabletter har motsvarande Pfizer-logotyp, nu ett antal analoger: Kamagra biverkningar.

    La Maestría en Ciencias Médicas de la PHSU es un programa interdepartamental integrado y multidisciplinario en los conceptos básicos de ciencias médicas. Esta provee a los alumnos un plan de estudios diseñado para mejorar sus credenciales académicas para la admisión a escuelas profesionales. Esta maestría consta de 40 créditos que pueden ser completados en tan sólo un año.

    Al completar esta maestría, los estudiantes pueden aspirar a ser considerados para iniciar un doctorado en medicina. Para la decana auxiliar en Ciencias Médicas, la Dra. Darah Fontánez Nuin, la Maestría en Ciencias Médicas le da al estudiante la oportunidad de competir para ser admitido al programa de Doctorado en Medicina de la PHSU mientras se adentra en el mismo ambiente de estudio junto a los que se preparan para ser médicos.  “Algunos estudiantes con aspiraciones a completar una carrera en medicina no cuentan con los requisitos de puntuaciones requeridas. Esta maestría se presenta como una oportunidad para que el estudiante mejore su puntuación y pueda ser considerado a un programa graduado. Ya contamos con un número alto de egresados del programa de maestría que han sido admitidos a escuelas de medicina, odontología y salud pública”, expresó Fontánez Nuin.

    Dra. Darah Fontanez Nuin – Decana Auxiliar, Maestria en Ciencias Medicas

    Este es el caso de Anthony Robateau quien gracias a haber completado la Maestría en Ciencias Médicas de PHSU, hoy se encuentra en su tercer año para alcanzar un doctorado en medicina de la misma universidad.

    Anthony vio en la maestría la oportunidad para lograr su sueño de convertirse en médico. “Todos tenemos circunstancias diferentes. Para alcanzar un sueño como el de ser médico hay que perseverar. Completar la Maestría en Ciencias Médicas me puso en una muy buena posición competitiva para ser aceptado en el Doctorado en Medicina.  Yo quería estudiar en Puerto Rico y la maestría fue la puerta que me permitió lograrlo. Ahora estoy en mi tercer año de medicina muy enfocado en completar mi carrera como médico internista”, manifestó Robateau quien fue parte de la clase pionera en la Maestría en Ciencias Médicas de PHSU.

    Las personas interesadas en iniciar una Maestría en Ciencias Médicas de la PHSU deben contar con un bachillerato de una universidad acreditada con unos cursos específicos en ciencias, ser bilingüe en inglés y español, GPA acumulativo y GPA de ciencia de ≥ 2.7 y someter resultados de MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) o pruebas equivalentes.

  • PHSU Inaugurates New San Juan Extension Center by Offering Eight Scholarships for PsyD Program

    Ponce Health Sciences University will award eight scholarships to its Doctorate in Clinical Psychology program at its new extension University Center in San Juan.

    Ponce, Puerto Rico (PRUnderground) November 17th, 2017

    Beginning on January 22, 2018, Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU) in Ponce, Puerto Rico will offer its Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) program at its new extension University Center, which will be located at Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in San Juan.  To celebrate the opening of the Center, PHSU will award scholarships to eight new PsyD students that will cover 50% of the students’ tuition for the five year program.

    “The PsyD scholarship initiative at our new University Center is part of our broad effort to help Puerto Rico’s next generation of clinical psychologists,” says Dr. David Lenihan, CEO of PHSU.  “We’ve seen how the devastating effects of Hurricane Maria have impacted the island, and we’re committed to helping its citizens recover as quickly as possible by making our excellent programs more accessible for deserving students.”

    The curriculum for the PsyD program that will be offered at PHSU’s University Center in San Juan will be the same as what is taught at PHSU’s Ponce campus, and classes will be led by equally qualified faculty.

    Of the eight scholarships that PHSU will award to students who are accepted into the new PsyD program, four will be merit based, and will be awarded to students who have demonstrated exceptional academic accomplishments in their undergraduate studies.  The other four scholarships will be need based, and will be awarded to qualified students who have demonstrated financial need.

    “We’re thrilled by the recent decision of Consejo de Educación de Puerto Rico to approve the launching of our University Center,” says Lenihan.  “Santurce, which is the region of San Juan that will be the setting for the Center, has become the home to innovative technology startups and promising young entrepreneurs.  Considering how PHSU’s academic programs are at the global forefront of tech-driven medical education, it makes perfect sense for us to be there.”

    For more information about applying to the PsyD program at PHSU’s University Center at Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in San Juan, contact Enid Gonzalez, Admissions Representative (787-840-2575, ext. 5782) or Orlando Torres, Senior Recruiter (787-840-2575, ext. 5744).

    For details about the scholarship opportunities for the PsyD program, visit the PHSU scholarship page.

     

  • USA Today Article: ‘A lot of panic attacks’: Mental health top concern in Maria-ravaged Puerto Rico

    Rick Jervis, USA Today
    Original story from: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/11/13/mental-health-increasingly-top-concern-puerto-rico-recovers-hurricane-maria/857851001/

    JAYUYA, Puerto Rico — People who visit a local community center here for bottled water or hot coffee often break down crying or shaking uncontrollably.

    Margie Vazquez, a community organizer who lost her home to Hurricane Maria seven weeks ago, often cries at home before heading to the center to help others. When members of the Federal Emergency Management Agency first showed up a few weeks ago with pallets of water, many people started crying, she said.

    “A lot of panic attacks, a lot of crying,” Vazquez said. “There’s a lot of suffering right now.”

    People in this storm-ravaged mountain town still need water, electricity, hot meals and new roofs. But increasingly they also need help managing the anxiety and trauma that have seeped into their lives since Maria tore through here Sept. 20, demolishing homes and upending lives. The storm destroyed 157 homes in Vazquez’s neighborhood alone, she said.

    Dealing with the long-term mental trauma of Puerto Ricans in the wake of Maria is becoming a growing concern for disaster officials in the island’s recovery. The storm killed at least 55 people, destroyed thousands of homes and left remote mountain towns like Jayuya even more cut off from the rest of the world. More than half of the island still doesn’t have power and around 10% don’t have clean running water.

    Stress often sets in as storm survivors transition from securing basic needs, like food and water, to longer-term thoughts of where to live and how to rebuild their homes, said Irwin Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health

    “People are extremely vulnerable right now” in Puerto Rico, he said. “Virtually everyone needs some assistance to get through this.”

    To help people in harder-to-reach communities, such as Jayuya, officials at Ponce Health Sciences University in nearby Ponce began deploying teams of doctors, psychologists and public health specialists into the mountains days after the storm. The private medical university has taken a leading role in recovery in the area and the teams have seen more than 6,000 patients since the storm.

    On a recent trip, a convoy of doctors, administrators and university students drove more than an hour through winding mountain roads still being cleared of storm debris and mudslides to reach the community center in the Mameyes neighborhood of Jayuya. The area has been without power or water since Maria.

    Inside the center, stacks of bottled water and untouched military Meals Ready to Eat sat at one end of the darkened building. At the other, a team of public health students urged locals to wear long pants and close-toed shoes if wading into a river to wash clothes, or add a few drops of unscented Clorox to water before drinking.

    At an intake table, university workers checked locals’ blood pressure and noted medical histories, then added a few extra questions: Are you sad? Trouble sleeping? Hand tremors? Anxiety? Those with signs of anxiety or stress were directed to a psychologist in the rear of the center.

    Helping locals overcome stress and trauma has become a key function of the school’s role in recovery, said Kenira Thompson, vice president of research at the university.

    “It’s essential. People need to have the mental health in order to regain some semblance of normalcy,” she said. “If you don’t get a grip on acute stress, that could spiral into other things that could become potentially incapacitating. We need to have a way to impact and help these people regain some hope.”

    Eva Medina, 34, who lost her home in the storm, visited the Jayuya center to treat debilitating back pain but was also hoping to talk to someone about the stress of losing her home.

    “I’m depressed,” said Medina, who along with her 13-year-old son moved in with her parents after the storm. “Each time (we) talk about this subject, it’s painful. You could see everything you had and now you have nothing.”

    After a few hours at the center, some members of the team drove further up the mountain to visit the family of Hector Vargas. Vargas and his brother lost their homes during Maria and the entire extended family — all 11 members — moved into a half-built home they were in the process of building for their elderly mother.

    The family members sleep on mattresses, five to a room, with a zinc roof and unplastered walls that leak during rainstorms. A strong mudslide could wipe the home off its mountaintop perch and send it crashing to the valley below. They desperately need help fixing the more permanent homes battered by Maria. The mental stress of living in such close and unsafe quarters is wearing on the family, Vargas said.

    Vargas and his brother applied for FEMA aid about a month ago but haven’t heard from the federal agency, he said.

    “We’re waiting to see if they can lend us a hand,” he said. “I hope to God they can help us.”

     

  • PHSU Medical Students/Faculty Have Been Sole Providers of Aid to Rural Towns in Southern Puerto Rico

    Students and faculty from Ponce Health Sciences University in Ponce, Puerto Rico have been a crucial lifeline for residents in southern and central Puerto Rico.

    Ponce, Puerto Rico (PRUnderground) October 30th, 2017

    Students and faculty from Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU) in Ponce, Puerto Rico have been the sole providers of aid for residents in southern and central Puerto Rico who hadn’t received assistance since Hurricane Maria landed five weeks ago.  Since the crisis began, the students/faculty have provided medical and psychological support services – and delivered privately donated goods and supplies – to the residents, most of whom lost their homes and all of their possessions in the hurricane.

    “Every day, PHSU students, doctors, psychologists, public health professionals, staff, and community volunteers have been tirelessly delivering privately donated medicine, water, and food – and providing critical care medical attention – to our neighbors in rural mountain towns,” says Dr. David Lenihan, CEO of PHSU.  “They’re clearing roads, wading through waterways, and going door-to-door to offer their help.  In many cases, they’ve been the first responders who have made contact with, and offered assistance to, these remote areas since Maria made impact.”

    Here’s an overview of PHSU’s relief efforts:

    • The school is coordinating daily deliveries of private donations of food, mosquito nets/repellant, baby formula/supplies, asthma medication, water, and hand sanitzer, which are brought to the island by a fleet of private planes and chartered jets.
    • To date, hundreds of thousands of pounds of these supplies have arrived at Mercedita Airport in Ponce and are distributed daily.
    • The donated supplies are picked up by PHSU’s volunteer teams and are distributed to the affected areas by the students/faculty/volunteers.
    • The school’s administration is overseeing the entire logistical implementation of the aid effort.
    • PHSU’s teams include millennial aged students along with faculty members who are experienced medical professionals.
    • PHSU restored operations and classes on October 9, and is one of only a few universities in Puerto Rico that have reopened since Maria hit.

    “Judging by their actions, their passion, and their readiness to assist island residents, it’s clear that PHSU medical students are cut from a different cloth and are responding to a higher calling in their quests to become doctors,” says Lenihan.  “Their desire to help their fellow citizens is a potent example of their exceptional moral core, and society will definitely benefit by having them as tomorrow’s trusted medical professionals.”

    Original link: http://www.prunderground.com/phsu-medical-studentsfaculty-have-been-sole-providers-of-aid-to-rural-towns-in-southern-puerto-rico/00108038/

  • Historic First for Puerto Rico and Women

    Dr. Kenira Thompson joins steering committee of AAMC’s group of research advancement and development

    Ponce, Puerto Rico — Dr. Kenira Thompson, the president of Ponce Research Institute and vice president of research at Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU), has been selected to serve a three year term on the National Steering Committee for the Group on Research Advancement and Development (GRAND) of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).  The mission of GRAND is to provide a national forum for the promotion, development and conduct of biomedical research in medical schools and teaching hospitals.

    “As the first Puerto Rican and first Hispanic woman to be selected to join GRAND’s Steering Committee, I’m honored to represent PHSU, as well as other Hispanic-serving medical schools,” said Thompson who is joining 13 other doctors and academic leaders from medical schools across the country on the Committee.  “One of my goals in this prestigious role will be to share news of the critical contributions that Ponce Research Institute is making towards reducing Hispanic health disparities in multiple therapeutic areas and how these findings impact and benefit patients in Puerto Rico, as well as the U.S. mainland.”

    Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Thompson received a B.A. in Psychology at Interamerican University-San German Campus in Puerto Rico.  She earned a Master of Science in Experimental Psychology and a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology/Behavioral Neuroscience from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and completed her Postdoctoral Training at Cajal Neuroscience Research Institute at the University of Texas at San Antonio.  Her research findings in such areas of drug addiction, stress, and learning and memory have been featured in a variety of publications – including “Reproductive Sciences,” “Pharmacology Biochemistry & Behavior,” “Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved,” “Ethnicity and Disease” and “Journal of Neurophysiology.”

    Since becoming president and research director at Ponce Research Institute in 2014, Thompson’s responsibilities have included:

    Leading all research operations for PHSU, as well as research oversight at six affiliated hospitals in south central Puerto Rico.

    Overseeing administration of the largest clinical trial unit in Puerto Rico, with participation in over 280 trials in multiple therapeutic areas during the last 15 years.

    Co-directing the Puerto Rico Clinical and Translational Research Consortium, which integrates and facilitates clinical and translational research activities among three medical schools, four hospitals and a network of Federally Qualified Health Centers in Puerto Rico.

    Increasing the number of R01 investigators in Puerto Rico by 33 percent.

    Managing over 70,000 square feet of research space.

    Overseeing an interdisciplinary research team that enhanced research funding in cancer from $50,000 yearly to more than $6 million in five years.

    Overseeing a team that developed the first tumor repository for Puerto Rican patients (PR Biobank), with accrual of over 2,000 biospecimens to date.

    Overseeing a team that executed an electronic medical record implementation plan in over 6,000 primary care practices in Puerto Rico.

    “GRAND is an important program for the Association of American Medical Colleges, bringing together the research leadership from medical schools across the country,” said Ross McKinney, M.D., chief scientific officer for the AAMC. “The challenges that institutions face vary, depending on where they are located, their size and the intensity of the research programs.  Dr. Thompson has a very broad and helpful perspective, having trained in Puerto Rico, Wisconsin and Texas, and she was selected for the steering committee on the basis of both her experience and her insights, as well as her commitment to developing and sustaining a vibrant pipeline of future biomedical researchers whose work will include fundamental discovery, minimizing health disparities and increasing community engagement.  We welcome her passion, perspectives and expertise.”  •

    Source Ponce Health Sciences University