Dear Friends and Colleagues,
We have been fortunate to host, with the support of the Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture Series endowment, world-class scholars whose research is global in scope. The work impacts us all and is of interest to our greater community.
The morning Zulfiqar Bhutta spoke at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, he was quoted in a Washington Post story on the hunger crisis in Gaza and the long-term effects of malnutrition on children: “At the simplest level, if you have impaired nutrition and growth, your brain stops growing,” Bhutta said.
That insight came from his experiences working in less-resourced countries, particularly in Africa and Asia. “One of the drivers of long-term development in any child or infant is how well-nourished were you at the time when you were born,” he shared with us in Roanoke on April 4. A child with low birth weight has a five-fold greater risk of chronic disease.
Bhutta is a professor at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, where he co-directs the Center for Global Child Health. His lecture was on “The Impact of Climate Change on Vulnerable Populations: What Can Be Done?” He also serves as a distinguished national professor of the Government of Pakistan, as founding director of the Institute for Global Health and Development and as director of the Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health at the Aga Khan University.
The following speaker in the series on April 11 brought their expertise and wisdom on another pressing topic to our community. In a lecture titled, “What is Alzheimer’s Disease and Can We Prevent It?”, we heard from National Academy of Medicine member Kristine Yaffe, a professor of psychiatry, neurology and epidemiology and director of the Center for Population Brain Health at the University of California in San Francisco.
So many of us are touched by Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, a critical area of research that a number of Fralin Biomedical Research Institute labs are investigating. Yaffe delivered a hopeful message that progress is finally starting to accelerate in Alzheimer’s research and care after years of fruitless attempts. It could not come at a better time. The global prevalence of dementia is expected to triple to 153 million individuals by 2050. Yaffe estimated the informal caregiving burden at 18.5 billion hours, with women representing two-thirds of caregivers.
We are honored to host these important presentations that connect the greater community with some of the most important and exciting things going on in science, medicine, and health. We close out this season’s lecture series on May 9 with Rick Woychik, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health on another important topic: Planning the Future of Environmental Health Sciences. We hope you can join the conversation.
This has also been an exciting month for the growth of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute’s cancer research programs.
On April 1, physician-scientist Chris Hourigan assumed his position as professor and director of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute’s Cancer Research Center – D.C. at our facility at the Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus. On that same date, Roberta Freitas-Lemos began in her role as assistant professor at the research institute's Center for Health Behaviors Research in Roanoke. Hourigan is one of the world’s most influential researchers on the development of precision medicine approaches to identify and treat relapse in cancer such as leukemia, and Freitas-Lemos is a leading innovator in the application of policy to the reduction in smoking and subsequent lung cancer.
Both of their research programs are supported by the National Institutes of Health. We are very fortunate to have these talented cancer scientists join the research institute.
Yours truly in the spirit of Ut Prosim,
Michael J. Friedlander, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Vice President for Health Sciences and Technology, Virginia Tech
Senior Dean for Research, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
Professor, Biological Sciences, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine and Affiliated Faculty, School of Biomedical Engineering and Science
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Sen. Mark Warner convenes biotech leaders in Roanoke and New River valleys
Key university and industry players gathered at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC to discuss research, economic development, and a vision for Virginia's proposed research triangle. Read Story
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Virginia Tech scientists unpack genetic mysteries related to childhood epilepsy
Associate Professor Matthew Weston will lead efforts to understand electrical activity in the brain as it relates to a gene linked to severe, treatment-resistant childhood epilepsy. Read Story
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Cancer researcher inducted into prestigious American Society for Clinical Investigation
New faculty member's pioneering contributions to cancer research underscore Virginia Tech's growing prominence. Read Story
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Making research accessible: The role of active participation in scientific inquiry in medical student education
Mike Friedlander shared Virginia Tech's integrated research model as part of a panel on medical education. Read Story
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Women's health: 'Maternal mental health problems are the No. 1 complication in preganancy'
Child and maternal health experts shared the challenge of providing wraparound care and extended research during a panel discussion on women's health. Read Story
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Eminent cancer physician-scientist joins Virginia Tech to lead research in Washington, D.C.
Christopher Hourigan will spearhead innovative cancer solutions at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Cancer Research Center in the nation's capital. Read Story
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Fralin Biomedical Research Institute's new research lab will take aim at tobacco use, cancer rates, and health disparities
Roberta Freitas-Lemos wants to provide policymakers with research-informed strategies to influence health behavior. Read Story
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The addition of a leading physician-scientist and globally important cancer researcher to the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Faculty — and his leadership of the institute's new Cancer Research Center in Washington, D.C. — was noted across multiple science publications. Meanwhile, locally and around Virginia, the institute's real and potential impact on the Roanoke Valley and state economies was fodder for several news outlets.
- Christopher Hourigan's appointment as professor and director of the institute's Cancer Research Center in Washington,D.C., was announced April 1, triggering pickups by several outlets, including The Cancer Letter, Technical.ly, Biohealth Innovation, and Bioengineer.
- U.S. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia used the research institute as a fitting backdrop to convene biotechnology leaders from around the commonwealth to discuss research, innovation, and economic development. The meeting included a featured presentation on the research institute's economic impact on the state and region by Executive Director Michael Friedlander. The Cardinal News, WFXR TV, WSLS TV, WFIR Radio, and other local and regional outlets covered the event.
- Governing, a national magazine for state and local government leaders, published a lengthy story on how Roanoke re-tooled itself from a railroad town to one with biotechnology at the foundation of its economic future. The article describes the central role the research institute plays in that turnaround.
View the full list of media mentions.
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Here's how you can support the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute in advancing human health through science:
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