Dear Friends and Colleagues,
In October 2010, Warren Bickel took a chance on a new biomedical research enterprise in Roanoke, Virginia. We had only been in operation for three months, and his decision to join us was one of the best things that could have happened.
He quickly established the Addiction Recovery Research Center and launched the International Quit and Recovery Registry, a research tool that authorities as esteemed as Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, laud as “pioneering and ahead of its time.”
Dr. Bickel has played a crucial role in understanding why some people are more successful at overcoming various forms of addiction. In addition, his research on opioid replacement therapies has helped countless people seeking medical help.
In recognition of these and so many other remarkable achievements, more than 100 of his colleagues gathered at the institute for a Festschrift symposium, an academic event during which his colleagues and protégés talked about how he has shaped the field and their lives.
We will report more about this event, but I want to immediately convey how Dr. Bickel’s creativity and leadership were in full view, including his research into the innovative application of delay discounting principles to help people overcome unhealthy behaviors. Leaders in the field who spoke at the Festschrift noted more than once that Dr. Bickel’s work not only laid the foundations for a revolutionary new understanding of the brain’s decision-making processes, but it has also already seen major translation and applications that have driven policy and saved lives.
His work has resulted in more than 500 publications and has been cited more than 50,000 times, putting him among the top 1 percent of the world’s most highly cited researchers.
While his scientific and scholarly impact is storied, he has also shaped the institute’s culture. His high scientific standards and pursuit of excellence inspire the same in the people around him.
His work continues to be a crucial part of the legacy of excellence and innovation at the research institute. Moreover, his personal and leadership qualities exemplify the very best principles to which we can all aspire — a true role model for all of our faculty and our students.
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
|
|
Why don’t people with diabetes respond as well to exercise?
New Fralin Biomedical Research Institute researcher Sarah Lessard hopes her research will help people with metabolic disease and chronic illnesses lead healthier lives. Read Story
|
|
|
Cancer researcher wants to make treatment better, more accessible
DaeYong Lee, assistant professor at the Cancer Research Center in Roanoke, aims to use biomaterials to improve cancer immunotherapy and reduce disparities in treatment outcomes. Read Story
|
|
|
Virginia Tech, Children’s National Hospital, and industry experts explore the impact of AI on health care
Leaders discussed the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in pediatric care and the power of strategic collaborations. Read Story
|
|
|
Scientist awarded National Institutes of Health grant to examine cancer-related enzyme
Kathleen Mulvaney, an assistant professor with FBRI's Cancer Research Center in D.C., will investigate the basic biology of an enzyme found in 15 percent of human cancers. Read Story
|
|
|
Virginia Tech award supports innovation in brain cancer treatment
Cairina Inc. co-founder Caleb Stine received a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship Award that puts the company a step closer to making its research available to surgeons and oncologists. Read Story
|
|
|
Summer students share findings at symposium
During the summer programs, high school and university undergraduate students tackle research questions in the biomedical and health sciences. Read Story
|
|
|
Associate professor James Smyth honored with university postdoctoral mentor award
Every year, the award is given to a Virginia Tech faculty member in recognition of service to the postdoctoral community. Read Story
|
|
|
Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture
5:30 p.m. Oct. 10: Mechanisms of Longevity: From Mice to Whales
Speaker: Vera Gorbunova, Ph.D., Doris Johns Cherry Professor of Biology, Co-director, Rochester Aging Research Center, University of Rochester
|
|
|
- The Molecular Diagnostics Lab, led by Carla Finkielstein, detected some of the country's first cases of XEC, a recent COVID-19 variant. She spoke with CBS about the data. In addition to national coverage in Dallas and Miami, Finkielstein also spoke with Roanoke-based WDBJ7.
- Doctors told peer navigator Julie Peck not to breastfeed during medication-assisted treatment for opioid use — advice not supported by research. Now, she works with expectant parents in Brittany Howell's lab. Peck told her story on WVTF.
- Cardinal News reported about a modular cleanroom pilot program. Spin-off companies Tiny Cargo and Acomhal Research are among those that will use the new cleanroom space at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC.
- The NIH's National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded a 5-year, $1.9 million grant to Kathleen Mulvaney to study PRMT5, an enzyme that can allow cancer to spread. Her research goals were outlined by News Medical and France's Ma Clinique.
- On a Virginia Tech podcast, Read Montague discussed his research, an encounter with a Nobel Prize winner, chess, and more. Listen to Curious Conversations on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
View the full list of media mentions.
|
|
Here's how you can support the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute in advancing human health through science:
|
|
|
|
|
|
