Upstate researcher to be honored by American Diabetes Association

Paula M. Trief, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor, has received the Richard R. Rubin Award from the American Diabetes Association. The award recognizes outstanding scientific achievement in the understanding of behavioral aspects of diabetes. The award presentation will take place in June at the ADA’s 84th Scientific Sessions.

Trief, a member of the Upstate faculty since 1993, is a prolific researcher in the field of diabetes with nearly 100 peer-reviewed papers, dozens of worldwide presentations, in addition to serving as principal investigator or co-investigator for numerous research trials. These studies address the psychological (e.g. depression) and behavioral (e.g. taking one’s medications as prescribed) aspects of diabetes, which affects more than 12 percent of the U.S. population.

Paula M. Trief, PhD

Trief is currently co-investigator of a study investigating ways to improve the quality of life in families of youth and adults with Type 1 diabetes.

Trief has had a particular interest in how diabetes affects partner relationships and how relationships affect diabetes. In a 2016 study in Diabetes Care (coauthored by Upstate’s Ruth Weinstock, MD, PhD, and Donald A Cibula, PhD), Trief found that a collaborative couples intervention resulted in significant, lasting improvement in blood sugar control, obesity measures and some psychosocial outcomes.

Her recent work focuses on medication adherence in young adults with youth-onset type 2 diabetes, a group at very high risk for early, and serious, diabetes-related complications.

Trief’s previous honors include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Central New York Psychological Association, SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service, SUNY President’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service.

Mana recognized with Resident Exceptional Moments in Teacher honor

Gary Mana, MD, is a PGY-5 resident in the Department of Surgery at Upstate Medical University and the March 2024 recipient of the Resident Exceptional Moments in Teaching recognition.

Gary Mana, MD

The Norton College of Medicine recognizes exceptional teachers with the monthly “Exceptional Moments in Teaching” program. Honorees are selected via student assessments from courses and clerkships. Recognized teachers are those who challenge students and provide an exceptional learning experience.

COMMENTS FROM DR. MANA’S STUDENTS:

  • Gary was a phenomenal mentor and role model. He challenged me in the operating room to improve upon my surgical skills. He took the time to sit down and hold a mini-suture clinic when we had a few hours of free time. On rounds, he would take time to talk about the management of different patients who we were seeing and often asked me to come up with plans for our patients, thus expanding my clinical knowledge. He was respectful to patients, other staff members, faculty and students alike. He created a safe, comfortable learning environment for everyone on the team. Treats students with respect. Despite being out of medical school for several years now, he still remembers and understands the perspective of being a student and what would be beneficial for us. He creates a great environment both in and out of the OR. Has a lot of knowledge. Great teacher.
  • Gary was such a great role model and teacher to me during my transplant surgery clerkship! I looked forward every day to my transplant clerkship because Gary’s demeanor, humor, and overall good spirits made the clerkship fun for me. I’m also so grateful to Gary for taking the time to include me in different learning activities from rounds to in the OR. He took the time to get to know me and made me feel like my presence wasn’t an inconvenience. He also answered any questions I had in a clear and relatable way. I could tell he remembered being in my shoes as a third-year medical student, and I appreciated all the academic and life advice he gave me. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors!

Brown receives Exceptional Moments in Teaching honor

Amy Brown, MD, MSc, MSCS, is an associate professor of Bioethics and Humanities and Pediatrics at Upstate Medical University. She is the March 2024 recipient of the Faculty Exceptional Moments in Teaching Recognition.

Amy Caruso-Brown, MD, MSc, MSCS

The Norton College of Medicine recognizes exceptional teachers with the monthly “Exceptional Moments in Teaching” program. Honorees are selected via student assessments from courses and clerkships. Recognized teachers are those who challenge students and provide an exceptional learning experience.

COMMENTS FROM DR. BROWN’S STUDENTS:

  • I had many moments where I felt conflicted during a case. For example, when my culture values clashed with some things that my peers or most of Western medical culture would consider ethical or moral. I liked that the professor did not try to establish a right or wrong in our discussion but instead just created space for everyone to share their opinions, which highlighted the complexity of these ethical cases and for me personally, highlighted the importance of self-reflection (especially coming from another culture) and the importance of cultural competency.
  • Dr. Brown is fantastic, truly a pleasure to have her as a P2P facilitator. I have learned a lot through our various sessions and the classes consistently help bring awareness of issues I may not have thought about in depth. I think that Dr. Caruso-Brown asks great open-ended questions and gives us time to think about and work through these complex cases. I think she creates a low-stress environment conducive to discourse, which is what I enjoy most. I genuinely look forward to this class.
  • Dr. Amy Caruso-Brown was a fantastic facilitator; she was kind, highly skilled at navigating complex ethical situations, and fostered a low-stress learning environment. I learned a great deal about ethical situations and their implications.

Hedlund earns Resident Exceptional Moments in Teaching honor

Marc Hedlund, MD, a resident in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Upstate Medical University, is the February 2024 recipient of the Resident Exceptional Moments in Teaching recognition. 

 The Norton College of Medicine recognizes exceptional teachers with the monthly “Exceptional Moments in Teaching” program. Honorees are selected via student assessments from courses and clerkships. Recognized teachers—including medical faculty, residents, nurses and other educators—are those who challenge students and provide an exceptional learning experience. 

Marc Hedlund, MD

COMMENTS FROM DR. HEDLUND’S STUDENTS: 

“Dr. Hedlund went above and beyond in taking advantage of teaching opportunities during a busy shift in the Emergency Department, all with a calm demeanor and positive attitude. He drew diagrams to review differential diagnoses and took the time to explain the reasoning behind the questions he asked patients, the physical exams he performed, and the medical decision-making process. He even provided insight into different global approaches to healthcare. As a medical student, I am grateful for the opportunity to work with Dr. Hedlund.” 

“Dr. Hedlund went above and beyond to ensure an effective learning environment for medical students. He spent extensive time throughout the day teaching me a lot of very important concepts and made me feel welcomed. He allowed me to be hands on with his patients and always answered all of my questions without hesitance. He took the time to explain how he approached different situations in the emergency room. I learned so much from working alongside him. He was encouraging and kind to medical students but was also very kind with patients, which was really refreshing to see. I really appreciated how he made me feel a part of his team and took the time to ensure I learned a lot. I enjoyed watching him take care of patients!” 

Megna honored with Faculty Exceptional Moments in Teaching recognition

James Megna, MD, PhD, is a professor emeritus of Psychiatry and Behavior Sciences at Upstate Medical University and the February 2024 recipient of the Faculty Exceptional Moments in Teaching recognition. 

James Megna, MD, PhD

The Norton College of Medicine recognizes exceptional teachers with the monthly “Exceptional Moments in Teaching” program. Honorees are selected via student assessments from courses and clerkships. Recognized teachers—including medical faculty, residents, nurses and other educators—are those who challenge students and provide an exceptional learning experience. 

Comments from Dr. Megna’s students:

“Dr. Megna is a great teacher. He goes out of his way to sit with us and discuss after seeing patients or attending his group therapy session. This is much appreciated as he is very busy and it meant a lot that he would take the time to use each patient as a teaching point. He is very friendly and a great role model, in that his patients all love him and express this often. It was also nice to observe how he taught the residents in such a constructive manner, as they would discuss patients and come up with treatment plans together.”

  • “I am super thankful to have had the opportunity to learn alongside Dr. Megna. His ability to connect with his patients is second to none, and I could tell that his patients really felt comforted when in his presence. I learned a ton by watching him communicate with his patients and would consider him an excellent role model for anybody to have. He is very well-liked by his colleagues and goes above and beyond to make the work environment on 4B enjoyable — while still maintaining a strong sense of professionalism. As a medical student, he offered feedback that was clear and concise and actively invited me to participate in many situations when there was an opportunity to learn. I am very appreciative of this and feel as though I developed many useful skills through his mentoring.”

Residents launch mental health podcast, “Upstate Frame of Mind”

Two residents at SUNY Upstate Medical University have launched a podcast for anyone interested in psychiatry and mental health. “Upstate Frame of Mind,” features Faiz Kidwai, DO, MPH, and Gerson Nunes, B. Med.

In his fourth year as a resident in Upstate’s Psychiatry Department, Kidwai explained that the goal of the podcast is to deliver information about mental health that is “accessible to both practitioners and community members alike.”

Faiz Kidwai, DO, MPH

“We are interested in discussing any and all topics related to mental health that are germane,” he said. “For instance, some topics that we are hoping future guests can speak about are mass shootings, palliative care for mental health conditions, mental health needs of an ageing population and nutrition.”

In the first four podcasts the pair have released, topics have included Upstate Medical University’s Psychiatry High Risk Program. On that podcast, Robert Gregory, MD, professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and former chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Upstate, discusses Dynamic Deconstructive Psychotherapy, an approach he developed.

The podcast launched in 2023 looking at, “Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Care of Gender and Sexual Minorities.” That episode featured Eric McMaster, assistant professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and director of the Child Adolescent Psychiatry Fellows at Upstate. 

Gerson Nunes, B. Med

While so far the podcast has included interviews with Upstate faculty, Kidwai said that won’t necessarily be the case for future podcasts. “We have a bevy of great minds at Upstate whom we love to showcase, but we aren’t shy to extend ourselves to other institutions as well,” he said.

Gerson, a third-year resident, noted that creating and continuing the podcast has been a learning experience, beyond what they hear from their guests. “I think the most surprising part about producing a podcast is that it takes a team to get it done. After we agree on a certain topic, we need to reach out to the interviewee, come up with the questions, record and edit it, and promote the episode once is ready to be aired,” he said. “All these steps are much easier to accomplish when you have a group of people working together to make it happen.”

Among those at Upstate Kidwai and Nunes credited for the podcast’s success are Richard O’Neill, PhD, professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Vincent Wong, MD, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry fellow; Pratik Jain, MBBS, resident in Psychiatry; and medical student Madeline Lee. 

The podcast has allowed the two to hear from “health care professionals in our community trying to make a difference in their patient’s life through advocacy and empowerment,” Gerson said. The guests highlight resources available in the community. “In our fifth episode, which was released the first week of February, we discuss with our guests the work they have been doing with kids at the Upstate clinic. They are using ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ group therapy to help these kids to develop better social skills and coping mechanisms to deal with stress.”

“Upstate Frame of Mind,” is available on Spotify. 

SUNY chancellor honors Mahmud for dissertation

Jamil Mahmud, PhD, spent years researching a virus that infects thousands of newborns each year and is a leading cause of death among transplant patients. His work led to uncovering the mechanisms the virus uses to infect and hide within humans and, earned him a spot as one of  four finalists for the SUNY Chancellor’s Distinguished PhD Dissertation Award competition.

As a member of the lab of Gary Chan, PhD, Mahmud investigated human cytomegalovirus, known as HCMV. The virus is a member of the herpesvirus family and infects more than 70 percent of Americans, and is near universal in less-developed countries, Mahmud said.

Jamil Mahmud, PhD

For the vast majority of healthy people, the virus is not a problem. For those with an underdeveloped immune system, or one compromised by an illness or injury, HCMV can be deadly or debilitating. Mahmud said some 400 infants die from the virus each year in the United States. Other infants, perhaps as many as 9,000, suffer neurological damage, including blindness and loss of hearing.

In adults, HCMV has been linked to breast cancer and glioblastomas. “It’s not the cause,” he said, “but it can contribute to the progression of cancers.”

The only medication currently used to combat HCMV is only partially effective and has serious side effects.

HCMV has been a particularly challenging pathogen because it infects a person and then hides inside monocytes, a type of white blood cell, eventually moving into bone marrow where it awaits an opportunity to inflict illness on its host.

Mahmud’s work brought to light the way the virus works its way into monocytes, cells that usually help fight infections. The key, he explained is a protein called Akt. The virus uses Akt to get into the monocyte. Once inside the blood cell, it is virtually invisible to the body’s immune system. Worse, it turns the monocyte into a “zombie” cell, continuing to live long past the regular 24- 48-hour lifespan of a regular monocyte.

But Mahmud discovered a way to uncover the virus, which could expose it to the body’s defenses. When activated by an infectious threat, monocytes are converted to macrophages, the cells that actively combat infections. The conversion involves the same Akt protein, but the defense system activates the monocyte at two spots, while the HCMV slips in by activating at only one spot.

HCMV’s success depends on a gene, US28. If US28 can be blocked, Mahmud said, the virus can be kept from hiding inside the monocyte in the first place,  as the human immune system would be able to detect and kill the infected monocytes along with the viruses within. Mahmud recalled when it became clear what he had found. “This is how the virus hides. This is what we can utilize.” 

Success in blocking US28, he said, “could keep HCMV from ever happening.”

Now involved in post-doctoral work at Northwestern University, Mahmud praised his time at Upstate Medical University and Central New York. A native of Bangladesh, he came to Upstate with his wife and fellow PhD student, Farzana Tuli, in 2016. 

The two enjoyed life in the region, particularly camping in the Adirondacks. 

Mahmud said work in the Chan lab was very rewarding. He praised Chan for his mentorship and for the way he made work-life balance an integral part of the lab experience. “He’s my idol,” Mahmud said. 

College of Graduate Studies Dean Mark Schmitt, PhD, gave some context for the importance of the chancellor’s award. “This is a fantastic achievement considering SUNY granted 1,283 PhDs last year,” he said.

As one of four finalists for the Chancellor’s award, Mahmud received $1,000. First place went to Hamed Rahimi-Nasrabadi of SUNY Optometry for his dissertation on “Neural Mechanisms of Luminance Perception.

Des Jardin named Resident Exceptional Moments in Teaching honoree

Marcia Des Jardin, MD, is a chief resident in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Upstate Medical University and the January 2024 recipient of the Resident Exceptional Moments in Teaching recognition.

 The Norton College of Medicine recognizes exceptional teachers with the monthly “Exceptional Moments in Teaching” program. Starting this month, the college will name one honoree among residents and another among faculty.

Marcia Des Jardin, MD

Honorees are selected via student assessments from courses and clerkships. Recognized teachers—including medical faculty, residents, nurses and other educators—are those who challenge students and provide an exceptional learning experience.

Comments from Dr. Des Jardin’s students:

“I have an interest in endocrinology, so during the Ob Gyn clerkship I asked Dr. Des Jardin a question about progesterone. She was able to answer most of the question, but she seemed unsatisfied with the answer she was able to provide and told me that she would send me more information about it at a later date. Usually when doctors have told me something like this in the past, they forget about it and never send me a follow up. However, Dr. Des Jardin researched the question on her own time and sent me an email with a thorough explanation of the function of the hormone based on the most recent literature she could find. I appreciated her taking the time to research and answer my question. When I become a resident, I hope to be as hard-working and helpful to my students as Dr. Des Jardin.”

“Dr. Des Jardin is super encouraging and allowed me to gain more confidence with my patient care. She is an amazing provider, and it was clear that her patients felt happy and grateful to have her be part of their care. Despite some of the extremely busy nights that we worked together, she was always sure to teach me high-yield topics that have been extremely helpful to know throughout my shelf exam studying and OB GYN clerkship in general. Dr. Des Jardin is very inspiring and even has me considering OB GYN as a specialty now. I appreciate all of her hard work that she does for her team and patients and all that she does for us students as well!”

Bresnahan earns Faculty Exceptional Moments in Teaching honor

Sean Bresnahan is a clinical assistant professor of Family Medicine at Upstate Medical University and the January 2024 recipient of the Faculty Exceptional Moments in Teaching recognition.

 The Norton College of Medicine recognizes exceptional teachers with the monthly “Exceptional Moments in Teaching” program. Honorees are selected via student assessments from courses and clerkships. Recognized faculty are those who challenge students and provide an exceptional learning experience.

Comments from Dr. Bresnahan’s students:

Sean Bresnahan, DO

“Dr. Bresnahan went above and beyond to care for his patients and demonstrated many values that I hope to embody as a future physician. He sought to give us teaching moments whenever possible — including those beyond patient care such as the logistics of practicing as a physician. He has the best bedside manner, and he has a special knack for connecting with people and putting them at ease. He is also extremely efficient and timely on a daily basis and set a great example for how an efficient practice can be run. Thank you for a great five weeks, Dr. B!”

“The way Dr. Bresnahan speaks and interacts with his patients is incredible. You can tell he truly cares about each of his patients and their situations. A major strength of Dr. B is his ability to ask straightforward questions but also his ability to ask certain things in a more subtle and indirect manner. Dr. Bresnahan also related to so many of his patients with his own personal stories that really gave the patients a safe space. Another strength of Dr. Bresnahan is his ability to teach both me as the student and the patient. 

Upstate vision researcher lands four-year grant

By Kayla Richmond

Upstate Medical University’s Reyna I. Martinez-De Luna, PhD, has been awarded $1.6 million from the National Eye Institute (NEI) over the next four years to further the understanding of the role the extracellular matrix, the proteins surrounding cells, plays in guiding the nerve fibers of retinal ganglion cells to the appropriate side of the brain. This knowledge could help in efforts to restore vision after it’s been lost.

During the formation of the visual system the axons, or nerve fibers, exit the eye through the optic nerve and enter the brain at a point called the optic chiasm. The optic chiasm is a decision-making point for the ganglion cell nerve fibers; it is where they are routed to either the left or right side of the brain. The correct routing of axons is crucial for binocularity, the ability of our eyes to work together to create a single, cohesive 3D image.

Reyna I. Martinez-De Luna, PhD

The optic chiasm is lined by a specialized sheet-like structure of extracellular matrix called a basement membrane. The basement membrane is rich in proteins called beta-2 laminins, which researchers believe play a key role in guiding these axons. 

“When you eliminate beta-2 laminins in a mouse, you get more axons that stay on the same side of the brain. That tells us they have a role in the decision that the retinal ganglion cell nerve fibers make when they enter the brain,” Martinez-De Luna said. This project is focused on understanding how β2 laminins control the routing of the retinal ganglion cell nerve fibers to the brain.

“Currently we know very little about how the beta-2 laminins influence the direction that the ganglion cell nerve fibers take when the visual pathway is forming,” she said. “Correct routing is critical for visual information to reach the appropriate places in the brain and translate into vision as we know it.”

This knowledge could help in efforts to restore vision after retinal ganglion cells are lost; either because of disease or injury.

Understanding this routing process is crucial to developing strategies to guide new nerve fibers to the correct side of the adult brain. The traffic signals that direct these nerve fibers disappear after early development, and bringing these signals back is key to rejuvenating the optic chiasm in adults with vision loss.

 As researchers work to regenerate ganglion cells, either by activating the person’s own cells to produce new retinal ganglion cells or by transplanting new retinal ganglion cells derived from stem cells, Martinez-De Luna recognizes that a better understanding of the functions of the extracellular matrix will be crucial. “Even though we know the traffic signals produced by the cells of the optic chiasm guide the nerve fibers to the brain, my work says that we don’t know everything about what controls those signals.”

The results of this study could provide valuable insights into how we can manipulate the environment in the adult optic chiasm to make it receptive to the growth of new axons and achieve the goal of restoring vision.