Research Highlights
Wake Forest University School of Medicine faculty received a total of $190 million in direct funding for research in the 2006-2007 fiscal year. The school ranks among the top third among American medical schools in total funding from the National Institutes of Health. The school’s research centers are listed below.
Aging: The J. Paul Sticht Center on Aging is the hub of a comprehensive effort to learn more about aging and to improve the health and independence of older adults. The heart of the research effort is the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center, one of the first three named by the National Institute on Aging. A major area of growth is research from the endowed Roena Kulynych Center for Memory and Cognition Research, which focuses on the relationship between chronic disease and memory impairment.
Alcohol: The Center for Neurobehavioral Study of Alcohol is one of 14 Alcohol Research Centers paid for by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Research projects range from studies of alcohol’s effects on liver function to brain mechanisms involved in the control of consumption.
Animal Research: The Wake Forest University Primate Center, a 200-acre facility in a rural setting, maintains a population of approximately 1,500 monkeys that are used primarily in research focused on the major chronic and degenerative diseases afflicting human populations; the Center is further distinguished by its emphasis on women’s health.
Biomolecular Imaging: The Center for Biomolecular Engineering provides state-of-the-art imaging modalities that until recently weren’t available to researchers. One goal of the Center is to go beyond imaging anatomy to focus on function and physiology. The Center is committed to keeping the Medical Center on the leading edge of imaging research and to fostering a team approach to research.
Brain Tumors: The goal of the Brain Tumor Center of Excellence, which was formed in 2003, is to find better treatments—and one day a cure—for malignant brain tumors. In addition to its focus on research, the Center provides a comprehensive program for patient care, and is the first center in the state to offer Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery, a knifeless approach to brain surgery and radiation therapy.
Cancer: The Comprehensive Cancer Center of Wake Forest University, one of only 39 designated as “comprehensive” by the National Cancer Institute, conducts biomedical research at the basic, clinical and population-studies levels across five states, offering participation in clinical trials to cancer patients. The Center includes more than 100 faculty, with programs in cell growth and survival, DNA damage, clinical research and cancer control. In addition, the Center has three “idea incubators,” or Centers of Excellence, that work to identify new treatments for breast cancer, prostate cancer and brain tumors.
Diabetes: The Wake Forest University School of Medicine Diabetes Center was founded in 2006 to expand research into diabetes. Its establishment is a reflection of the important role that diabetes research already plays at the Medical Center and the enormous impact that diabetes has on public health in our country. Research studies at the Medical Center cover the entire spectrum—from laboratory studies investigating basic cellular mechanisms leading to diabetes, to leadership of national prevention and treatment studies.
Drug Abuse: The Center for the Neurobiological Investigation of Drug Abuse is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. A major research effort of the Center examines the brain processes that mediate compulsive cocaine and opiate abuse. The medications development group is active in discovering compounds for potential future clinical use. In addition, the Center works to educate journalists about the scientific basis of addiction.
Education: The mission of the Center of Excellence for Research, Teaching and Learning (CERTL) is to advance the quality of public school education by enhancing teacher quality through professional development and enriching the curriculum for K-12 students. Overall goals are to sustain interest and increase learning in science and attract talented students, especially from underrepresented groups, to careers in science, mathematics, technology and the biomedical field.
General Clinical Research: The General Clinical Research Center helps investigators translate basic science knowledge into new or improved methods of patient care. It is one of 79 such centers in the United States. Studies are conducted in areas such as anesthesiology, heart disease, kidney disease, psychiatry, infectious diseases and women’s health.
Genomics: The Center for Human Genomics works to identify high-risk genes linked to common diseases, enabling improved treatment for these diseases. The multidisciplinary, multidepartmental Center encompasses nearly every major research effort at the Medical Center—heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, pulmonary diseases, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, women’s health and aging.
Heart Disease Prevention: The goal of the Epidemiological Cardiology Research Center (EPICARE) is to help prevent heart disease by providing expertise in electrocardiographic (ECG) testing for research studies. The Center not only processes and analyzes ECG studies that are conducted as part of research, but also trains technicians that are part of national and international research studies, including those conducted by the National Institutes of Health.
Hypertension: The Hypertension and Vascular Research Center explores the causes of high blood pressure and related diseases of the heart and blood vessels through investigation of the
genetic and molecular mechanisms of hypertension. Insights gained are applied in graduate medical educational activities and community-based awareness programs.
Minority Health: The Maya Angelou Center for Health Disparity was formed to close the health gap between minorities and the rest of the U.S. population. The mission of the Center is to enhance wellness, improve quality of life and reduce the burden of disease in minorities through education, research, increasing the number of minorities in the health care community, and disseminating new research findings.
Obstetrics and Gynecology: The ultimate mission for the Center for Research in Obstetrics and Gynecology is to advance and improve clinical care for female patients throughout their lives. The Center focuses on the areas of pregnancy/perinatology, gynecology, and reproductive medicine. Research spans a broad range of topics—from large-scale clinical trials testing new therapies for preventing premature labor, to the basic role of reproductive hormones in regulating uterine activity.
Public Health Sciences: This division includes three departments—Epidemiology & Prevention, Social Sciences & Health Policy, and Biostatistical Sciences—with world-class expertise in the areas of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, health related quality of life, women’s health, population genetics, cancer control, statistical methods and multi-center study coordination. The division has a substantial research portfolio and for several years has been ranked first or second in the nation in NIH funding among similar divisions of preventive medicine/public health sciences.
Regenerative Medicine: The Institute for Regenerative Medicine is working to use patients’ own cells to grow more than 20 different tissue types. Anthony Atala, M.D., director, announced in April 2006 the success of implanting the first laboratory grown organs (bladders) in human patients. He has also discovered a new source of stem cells—in placenta and amniotic fluid. Atala has also developed bioengineered urethras, the tube through which urine is excreted from the bladder, that have been successfully implanted in humans.
Translational Science: The Wake Forest University Translational Science Institute (TSI) has been created as a new academic home for translational research that transcends traditional departmental, administrative and academic boundaries. The TSI’s mission is to accelerate discovery and application of new knowledge to improve human health. TSI leaders believe that success comes with great partnerships and teamwork and team leadership is one of the key building blocks to achieve rapid and dramatic change.
Ultrasound: The Center for Medical Ultrasound at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center has been a pioneer in providing ultrasound education, clinical care and research since 1975. About 1,200 physicians, sonographers and other allied health professionals attend the Center’s courses and seminars annually. Tech Transfer
Women’s Health: The focus of the Women’s Health Center of Excellence for Research, Leadership and Education includes promoting basic science and clinical research in women’s health, educating the community and health care providers about women’s health issues and research, and providing professional development and advancement opportunities for women faculty. Wake Forest is part of the national Women’s Health Initiative.