In the News
March 20, 2013Upstate Announces the Appointment of Rosemary Rochford, PhD as Vice President for Research
Rosemary Rochford, PhD
Center Advisory Board Member
Vice President for Research
Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Rosemary Rochford, PhD has been named Vice President for Research. Dr. Rochford, a member of the Upstate faculty, previously served as Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. The appointment of Dr. Rochford as vice president for research elevates one of Upstate's key National Institutes of Health-funded researchers to oversee the university's research operations. Over the past decade, Rochford is a highly funded researcher for her studies on associated lymphomas, malaria and Epstein-Barr virus. Rochford is a noted expert in the field of endemic Burkitt's lymphoma, and the role the Epstein-Barr virus plays in the disease, which is the most common childhood cancer in sub-Saharan Africa. The NIH provides funding for Rochford's research in Kenya, where she has established the Equatorial Africa Children's Cancer Fund to help children being treated at the Nyanza Provincial Hospital. She also has developed a model to test hemolytic toxicity of anti-malaria drugs resulting funding from Medicines for Malaria Venture and Department of Defense. "Dr. Rochford's success as a NIH-funded researcher along with her interest and collaborative work in the area of global health will take Upstate's research mission to the next level as we seek new initiatives aimed at sustaining and growing research funding, in both basic and clinical research," Smith said. Rochford joined Upstate in 2003 as an associate professor. She was named a full professor and chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in 2007. Prior to joining Upstate, Rochford taught at the University of Michigan. Rochford's association with the NIH goes back more than a decade as an ad hoc reviewer on issues related to AIDS and cancer, pediatric cancers and infectious diseases. She serves on the editorial board of Experimental Biology and Medicine, and holds memberships in numerous associations, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, among others. Rochford earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland (1982), her doctorate in molecular biology from the University of California, Irvine, (1989) and held postdoctoral fellowships at the University of California, Irvine, (1989-1990) and the Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, Calif. (1990-1992)
Developments in Dengue Research
—June 28, 2012
Infectious disease expert Timothy Endy, MD, MPH, was included among a research team that found evidence of a role for neighborhood immunity in determining risk of dengue infection, demonstrating that local variation at spatial scales of just a few hundred meters can significantly alter the risk of infection, even in a highly mobile and dense urban population with significant immunity. The team published its findings in the May 28 edition of the journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America). Dr. Endy is division chief of Infectious Disease, professor of medicine, associate professor of microbiology and immunology and of public health and preventive medicine. Dengue is caused by any one of four related viruses transmitted by mosquitoes. Although it rarely occurs in the continental United States, it is endemic in Puerto Rico, and in many popular tourist destinations in Latin America and Southeast Asia; periodic outbreaks occur in Samoa and Guam..
Timothy Endy MD, MPH accepting the 2011 award from the International Center of Syracuse.
Developing Vaccines
—March 2, 2012
Infectious disease expert Timothy Endy MD, MPH received the CNY International Citizens Award for his work on dengue fever in Southeast and Central Asia. Dr. Endy is conducting clinical trialson vaccines and diagnostics to fight this potentially deadly tropical disease that is spread by mosquitoes and characterized by fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, and rash.
Infectious Disease Physicians participate in the creation of the Center for Global Health & Translational Science
—January 23, 2012
Our Infectious Disease Physicians join in the commitment of all Upstate Medical University Physicians to provide the best possible medical care and health education to our community. It is common to hear our Physicians being interviewed in the media regarding current health related events. Go to Center for Global Health & Translational Science.
How HIV/AIDS changed life in Central New York in big ways and small ways
—June 5, 2011
There used to be a stigma associated with buying condoms.
Former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop began erasing that stigma in 1987 when he declared that condoms offered the best protection from AIDS for those who “will not practice abstinence or monogamy.” He riled conservatives by calling for condom advertising on television.
Now Central New Yorkers can find condoms on supermarket shelves next to the toothpaste. And they are routinely given away free on college campuses, bars and at clinics. Planned Parenthood has its own line of condoms, called Proper Attire, that it markets directly to women.
Condom use had waned in the 1960s after the introduction of the birth control pill. But condom sales jumped 33 percent in 1987, the same year Koop began his condom campaign.
“The onset of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s changed perceptions on condoms and use rates climbed by double digit percentages for the first time in history,” said Bruce Weiss, a vice president of marketing at Trojan Brand Condoms.
The greater social acceptance of condoms is just one of many changes Central New Yorkers and others have seen since the emergence of AIDS 30 years ago. The legacy of AIDS is seen at the dentist office, when donating blood, at basketball games and even when babies are born.
AIDS has had a profound effect on society, according to Michael Crinnin, executive director of AIDS Community Resources, a nonprofit that works with Central New Yorkers affected by HIV and AIDS.
“The AIDS epidemic, for all its horror, forced America out of the closet,” he said. “Because it was first reported as affecting gay white men, a lot of these gay white men were forced out of the closet. Then families came out of the closet and had to confront the fact their sons were gay.”
Rick Bartell, director of education and outreach for Planned Parenthood of Rochester/Syracuse, said the epidemic forced many Americans to begin having serious conversations about sex. “In this country we tend to be uncomfortable talking about these issues,” he said. Parents are starting these conversations about sex much earlier than previous generations of parents did, said Bernard Alex, director of FACES, an HIV/AIDS outreach program in Syracuse. “It has caused children to grow up faster and lose their innocence a lot sooner,” he said.
HIV, which stands for human immunodeficiency virus, is an infection that attacks the body’s immune system. It is the virus that causes AIDS. AIDS, short for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, is the final stage of the HIV infection. Having AIDS means the virus has weakened the immune system to the point where the body has a difficult time fighting the infection. It can be transmitted through blood, semen, vaginal secretions and breast milk.
To protect themselves from infection, dentists and dental hygienists began using gloves, face shields and other protective devices after the emergence of AIDS.
When AIDS first appeared, hospitals worried about nurses and other clinicians getting accidentally stuck by needles contaminated with blood from HIV-positive patients, said Dr. Waleed Javaid, director of infection control at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse.
To minimize this risk, hospitals use safety devices that automatically cover the needle as soon as it’s withdrawn from a patient and place it in containers designed for the safe disposal of used needles, Javaid said.
AIDS also changed the way blood is collected.
HIV testing of all donated blood began in 1985, after some people were infected with HIV through blood transfusions. Organ donations also are tested for HIV. The Red Cross and other blood banks also adopted stringent donor selection practices.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration prohibits men who have ever had sex with another man since 1977, from donating blood. Since 2006, the Red Cross has recommended that the FDA change this controversial rule which it calls “medically and scientifically unwarranted.”
New York has required all newborns to be tested for HIV since 1997 because infected infants need special medical care. More recently, the state enacted a law requiring all health care providers to offer all patients between the ages of 13 and 64 a voluntary HIV test.
Athletic associations and schools began adopting sanitary procedures for handling open wounds and spilled blood in 1991, when former basketball player Earvin “Magic” Johnson announced he was infected with HIV. That policy calls for athletes to be taken out of games if they get a bloody nose or cut until the bleeding has stopped and the wound is cleaned and bandaged.
There are no documented cases of HIV being transmitted during participation in sports, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The epidemic also empowered patients. In the early days AIDs patients were shunned by many health care providers. That prompted AIDs patients to organize and take political action to improve access to health care and treatment.
“That patient advocacy spread,” said Rick Bartell of Planned Parenthood. “Now all kinds of patients are taking charge of their medical lives.”
World AIDS Day
—December 1, 2010
The Designated AIDS Center staff gave out over 1,000 red ribbons and over 3,000 condoms, in addition to educational materials.
Estearn Equine Encephalitis
—September 8, 2010
Dr. Waleed Javaid discusses topics related to Estearn Equine Encephalitis (EEE).
- CNYcentral.COM—Community concerned after local person dies from EEE
- 570WSRY.COM—Man dies of EEE, spraying expected Friday
Healthlink On Air—Dengue Fever Tracking & Research
—August 29, 2010
What is Dengue Fever and how does the disease and it's research impact our community here in Central New York? Listen to Dr. Endy's interview on Healthlink On Air.
National Influenza Vaccination Week
—December 5–11, 2010
National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) is a national observance that was established to highlight the importance of continuing influenza vaccination, as well as fostering greater use of flu vaccine after the holiday season into January and beyond. The 2010-2011 season's NIVW is scheduled for December 5–11, 2010.
