News

Welcome:
J. Ashot Kozak, Ph.D., accepted an appointment as assistant professor effective December 1, 2007. Dr. Kozak will engage in scholarly activities (primarily research) teaching medical and graduate students, and service to the department and university. Dr. Kozak was a senior research biologist in the Department of Pain Research-Neuroscience, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, Pennsylvania. He received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, C.U.N.Y., New York, New York.

Barbara J. Kraszpulska, Ph.D., joined our department as an assistant professor effective September 24, 2007. Dr. Kraszpulska will have active teaching roles in both medical and graduate student education and will engage in educational research activities. Dr. Kraszpulska comes to us from the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia, where she was a lecturer instructor. She received her Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Physical Education, Gdansk, Poland.

New Location:
The main faculty office is temporarily located in 127 Allyn Hall while Phase 1 of the Biological Sciences building is being renovated. Dr. Timothy Cope, chair, can be reached in this new location. Other moves to Bio Sci II are: Drs. Adrian Corbett and Nancy Bigley. Dr. Nick Ritucci has joined our group in the newly constructed area in White Hall.

Faculty News:
Chris Wyatt, Ph.D., has been awarded a beginning grant in aid for $130,000 over two years from the American Heart Association. The title of the grant is "The role of AMP-activated protein kinase in oxygen-sensing by the carotid body."

Timothy Cope, Ph.D., announced that this year’s Neuroscience Day held at Wright State University on Friday, May 16, hosted Barry Connors, Ph.D., professor and chair of neuroscience at Brown University, as the keynote speaker. Dr. Cope, president of the Ohio Miami Valley chapter of Society for Neuroscience (SfN), submitted a Grass Traveling Scientist Program application to SfN to support Dr. Connors' visit. More information about Neuroscience Day is available on the OMV-SfN web site.

James Olson, M.D., received the 2008 Outstanding Achievement in Medical Research and Education Award (Senior Faculty) from the WSU Academy of Medicine at it's annual dinner on April 16. Courtney Sulentic, Ph.D., was awarded the 2008 Excellence in Medical Education and Research Award (Junior Faculty).

Larry Ream, Ph.D., received an Excellence in Teaching Award from the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education.

Timothy C. Cope, Ph.D., and Robert E.W. Fyffe, Ph.D., participated in the Ohio Research Scholars Program (ORSP) review of the Ohio Neural Technologies Network partnering with Case Western Reserve University and the University of Cincinnati, et.al., on April 8 and 9, 2008.

J. Ashot Kozak, Ph.D., presented a poster at the Biophysical Society 52nd annual meeting in Long Beach, California, on January 31, 2008.

Gary L. Nieder, Ph.D., attended the Central Group on Educational Affairs (of the Association of American Medical Colleges) meeting in Columbus on April 11 and 12, 2008, where he was coauthor/presenter with Dean Parmelee, M.D., associate dean for academic affairs, of a workshop on team-based learning.

Recognition:
The WSU Center for Teaching and Learning held a Faculty Teaching Awards Luncheon on April 11, 2008, to recognize the following members of the department who have received recognition for teaching excellence over the past year:

• Francisco Alvarez, Ph.D., associate professor, winner of the 2007 Trustees’ Award for Faculty Excellence from the university board of trustees
• Adam Deardorff, GTA, winner of a 2006-2007 Graduate Teaching Assistant Award for Outstanding Teaching from the College of Science and Mathematics
• Dan Miska, instructor, winner of a 2006-2007 Faculty Award for Outstanding Teaching from the College of Science and Mathematics
• John C. Pearson, Ph.D., professor, winner of a 2006-2007 Faculty Award for Outstanding Teaching from the College of Science and Mathematics
• Larry J. Ream, Ph.D., associate professor, who was appointed Robert J. Kegerreis Distinguished Professor of Teaching for 2007-2010 by the WSU Board of Trustees and also won the 2007 Excellence in Medical Education Award and the 2007 Teaching Excellence Award from Boonshoft School of Medicine.