Essential hypertension is a common, complex disorder affecting as many as one billion adults globally. Blood pressure is a highly heritable trait, with as much as 50 percent of the variation between individuals accounted for by familial relationships. Despite this strong heritability, determining the genetic architecture of hypertension in humans has proved challenging.
Use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) among people with dementia is common. A multi-site team of investigators have assessed the patterns of medication use from 1-year before dementia diagnosis, to 1-year after dementia diagnosis, compared with patterns of medication use in people without dementia. Their results appear in The Journals of Gerontology.
The UK College of Public Health honored outstanding students and faculty at a reception and awards ceremony held May 4, 2018, in conjunction with University of Kentucky Commencement. The honorees are:
UK Commencement Speaker:
Esias Bedingar, BPHCollege of Public Health Awards Speakers:
Rachel Brase, BPH, CPH Awa Ethan Trey Cardwell, MPH Maria Dimitrios Politis, DrPHStudent Awards:
From 2002 to 2005, about 800 people in Minnesota and Utah drank more than 1,500 milkshakes, and they got to say they were doing it for science.
Donna Arnett, professor of Epidemiology and dean of the University of Kentucky College of Public Health, is principal investigator of the multi-site Genetics of Lipid-lowering Drugs and Diet Network (GOLDN) study. Some GOLDN participants have been enrolled for the past 25 years, in the name of helping researchers better understand cardiovascular risks. This time they were helping scientists determine how genes influence cholesterol levels after high-fat meals and how genes affect the response to a medication for lowering triglyceride and bad cholesterol.
Increased opioid analgesic prescribing (OAP) has been associated with increased risk of prescription opioid diversion, misuse, and abuse. A team including investigators at the University of Kentucky College of Public Health (CPH) studied regional and rural-urban variations in OAP trends in Kentucky, from 2012 to 2015, and examined potential county-level risk and protective factors.
Five student researchers and one faculty member earned awards at College of Public Health Research Day, held April 13 in conjunction with the UK Center for Clinical and Translational Science Conference. They are:
Oral Presentation Winner: Radmila Choate, PhD student in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, for “Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Impact on Severity of Bronchiectasis.”
Honorable Mention: Elizabeth Rhodus, PhD student in Gerontology, for “Behaviors Characteristic of Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Geriatric Cohort with Mild Cognitive Impairment of Early Dementia.”
On April 6, 2018, the Beta Gamma chapter of Delta Omega, the honorary in public health, welcomed 20 new members. Dr. Julia Costich, chapter president, presided as - for the first time ever - Beta Gamma welcomed undergraduate majors in Public Health alongside graduate students, faculty, and alumni. The 2018 inductees to Delta Omega are:
Undergraduates
Riley Krieg
Kathleen Roggemann
Alexa Sturgill
McKayla Hamlin
Joshua Musalia
Is there a genetic cause underlying the epidemic of obesity and metabolic syndrome, particularly among African Americans? An interdisciplinary team led by Dr.
A pair of reports from the Rural and Underserved Health Research Center at the University of Kentucky College of Public Health shed new light on the scope of practice of rural family physicians.
Alternative methods of pain management have been a topic of discussion as the United States grapples with the opioid and heroin epidemic. The legalization of cannabis has often been suggested as a possible alternative but little scientific research existed examining the relationship between cannabis laws and rates of opioid prescribing.