http://www.medicalpartnership.uga.edu/news/ en amccull@uga.edu Copyright 2013 2013-04-26T15:07:56+00:00 http://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/site/first_medical_partnership_students_inducted_into_aoa_and_ghhs http://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/site/first_medical_partnership_students_inducted_into_aoa_and_ghhs#When:15:07:56Z Eight students from the Medical Partnership were recently recognized as some of the newest members of Alpha Omega Alpha and Gold Humanism Honor Society. On Monday, April 22, 2013, eight students from the GRU/UGA Medical Partnership were recognized as some of the newest members of Alpha Omega Alpha and Gold Humanism Honor Society. Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) is the only national honor society for medicine in the United States.  Founded in 1902, AOA fosters honesty and higher ideals of scholastic achievement. Medical Partnership students who were inducted are: Paul Baker (Albany, GA) Erik Hanson (Marietta, GA) Dylan Lovin (Lawrenceville, GA) The Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) recognizes individuals practicing patient-centered medical care with integrity, excellence, compassion, altruism, respect, and empathy.  Students are nominated by their peers and by faculty. Medical Partnership students who were inducted are: Paul Baker (Albany, GA) Bree Berry (Marietta, GA) Cristina Elstad (Atlanta, GA) Peter Karempelis (Roswell, GA) Amy Martin (Columbus, GA) Rachel Taylor (Watkinsville, GA) This is the first class of students from the Medical Partnership to be inducted into AOA and GHHS. Press Releases, Athens, 2013-04-26T15:07:56+00:00 http://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/site/cohen_speaking http://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/site/cohen_speaking#When:20:09:20Z Jordan J. Cohen, MD, retired academician and former president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) will be speaking at the GRU/UGA Medical Partnership on Monday, April 22, 2013. Jordan J. Cohen, MD, will be visiting the GRU/UGA Medical Partnership on April 22, 2013 as part of a visiting professorship.  The public is invited to attend Dr. Cohen's keynote lecture, "Humanism's Essential Role in Healthcare Reform," in George Hall at 5:00 pm on April 22. A retired academician and former president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), Dr. Cohen earned a bachelor's degree from Yale University and a doctor of medicine from Harvard Medical School.  He completed his residency in internal medicine on the Harvard Service at Boston City Hospital.  Dr. Cohen completed a fellowship in nephrology at the Tufts-New England Medical Center.  He has authored more than 100 publications and is a former editor of the Kidney International Nephrology Forum. Prior to his leadership of the AAMC and joining George Washington University, Dr. Cohen served as dean of the medical school and professor of medicine at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and president of the medical staff at University Hospital.  Prior to that, Dr. Cohen was professor and associate chairman of Medicine at Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center.  He has also held medical faculty positions at Harvard, Brown, and Tufts Universities. Dr. Cohen is chair of the board of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation for Humanism in Medicine, is a member of the board of trustees of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, and is on the editorial board of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Press Releases, Athens, 2013-04-11T20:09:20+00:00 http://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/site/medical_partnership_and_college_of_nursing_students_come_together http://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/site/medical_partnership_and_college_of_nursing_students_come_together#When:13:35:51Z On a cool football Saturday in Athens, students from the GRU/UGA Medical Partnership and the GRU College of Nursing Athens Campus joined together to provide blood pressure and blood glucose screenings at a community event sponsored by the Athens Land Trust.  The Athens Land Trust is a non-profit agency that focuses on preserving land, affordable housing, and revitalizing communities.  Currently, the organization is working with the Broad Acres community and has established a community garden.  This garden serves as a food source for many in the community in addition to creating a sense of community.  On this particular Saturday, the community was gathered at the site of the community garden, the Old Broad Street School, for cooking demonstrations, children's activities, and a discussion about opening a farmers market. GRU/UGA Medical Partnership and College of Nurshing students were available to the participants for blood pressure screenings and blood sugar screenings.  The students also distributed information on diabetes prevention and breast cancer detection.  Partially sponsored by St. Mary's Health Care System, this event provided students with the opportunity to participate in interdisciplinary care within the community. "Collaboration within the colleges of nursing and medicine will result in stronger leadership and collaboration in the workforce," said Julia Behr, Assistant Dean for CONAT-Athens Campus.  "It is so refreshing to see these health care providers doing so much in our community." - By Missy Jackson, MS, WHNP-BC, an instructor at the GRU College of Nursing Athens Campus Press Releases, Athens, 2013-03-13T13:35:51+00:00 http://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/site/second_annual_research_symposium http://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/site/second_annual_research_symposium#When:13:09:22Z In October 2012, the GRU/UGA Medical Partnership hosted its second annual Research Symposium. On October 16, 2012, the GRU/UGA Medical Partnership hosted its second annual Research Symposium, which showcased the activities of students during the summer between their first and second year of medical studies.  Students were encouraged to engage in a scholarly activity which could include laboratory science or clinical research.  Students more interested in a participatory clinical experience were encouraged to also engage in “inquisitive observation and reflection” in order to derive a more complete understanding of the health problems within the context of the greater community. Over half of the current second-year class participated in a summer project, with 13 conducting research as part of the MCG Medical Scholars Program.  While many students stayed in Georgia, several traveled out-of-state to focus on research that was of particular interest to them.  Wes Bryson worked with Richard Caprioli, PhD, in the Mass Spectrometry Research Center at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.  “I had a wonderful time meeting and working with people from a wide range of educational backgrounds and cultures,” said Wes.  “It was an excellent experience to engage in the research process that helps to continually advance our understanding of medicine.  My research was the perfect opportunity to combine my previous experience in mass spectrometry with the knowledge I gained during the first year of medical school.” Alexandra Whitaker-Lea worked with Medical Partnership faculty member, Philip V. Holmes, PhD, and studied the effects of oral contraceptives on locus coeruleus galanin expression and anxiety-like behavior.  “My participation in the Summer Medical Scholars Program gave me the opportunity to participate in research, which I have never done before, in an area of science that I am particularly interested in,” said Alex.  “As medical students, I think it is easy to overlook the amount of work that goes into creating medications and technological advances that ultimately will improve and guide our future practice of medicine.” While the main goal of the Research Symposium is to showcase student research, the symposium also offers first year students with the chance to learn more about summer opportunities and to ask second year students about their experiences.  Applications are currently being prepared and submitted for summer 2013.  Student Quotes: "During my summer research experience I was able to do surgery (cannula placement) on rat subjects.  It not only gave me a chance to learn more about neuro anatomy and physiology, but allowed me to care for a pseudo patient with anesthesia as well as post-operative care.” – Brian Brewer  “Working at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center through the American Association of Thoracic Surgeons' Summer Intern Scholarship allowed me to gain many experiences in the surgical field normally reserved for those who are at least in their 3rd year surgery rotations or surgical residencies. Though I had only completed my first year of medical school, I was able to stand at the operating table and feel the beating hearts and expanding lungs of numerous patients, round with surgeons as they talked with patients postoperatively, and observe experimental surgical procedures for a rare form of lung cancer.” – Eric Wang  “I focused on a feasibility study for oblique lateral lumbar interbody fusion (OLLIF), a novel spinal fusion technique pioneered by Dr. William Tally, a spinal surgeon at Athens Orthopedic Clinic.  I enjoyed the chance to review a subset of the anatomy I had studied previously, as well as the opportunity to delve into more intricate aspects such as biomechanics and surgical techniques.  I was involved in gathering and analyzing data, and observing in the operating room. Furthermore, I contributed authorship to a book.  As my first experience submitting work for publication in scientific literature, this was truly an exercise in patience, insight, and sedulity.”  - Boris Kovalenko Press Releases, Athens, 2013-03-13T13:09:22+00:00 http://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/site/biochemist_amy_medlock_receives_grant_from_american_heart_association http://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/site/biochemist_amy_medlock_receives_grant_from_american_heart_association#When:15:04:17Z GRU/UGA Medical Partnership faculty member Amy Medlock recently received grant funding for a study addressing questions related to intercellular heme trafficking. GRU/UGA Medical Partnership faculty member Amy Medlock recently received grant funding for a study addressing questions related to intercellular heme trafficking. The work is being funded by the American Heart Association Greater Southeastern Affilliate Grant-In-Aid program.  Heme is an important component of hemoglobin and is involved in oxygen transport and tissue delivery. In addition, heme is involved in many other critical processes including drug metabolism and energy production and has recently been shown to be a key regulator of metabolism, circadian rhythm and development. The primary aim of the newly-funded work is to determine if heme can be transported between cells and utilized. While the current dogma in the field is that all heme that is moved between cells is sent to the liver for degradation, little evidence exists to support this idea. Several recent publications have led the Medlock laboratory to question this long-standing dogma. These studies suggest that heme transporters exist on the surface of many cell types and function in heme import and export and may be important in controlling the amount of free heme outside of cells. To address the movement of heme between cells for utilization, the Medlock laboratory will use zebrafish as a model organism. By observing the growth and development of zebrafish which can only make heme in certain cells or zebrafish with a decreased amount of cell surface heme importer or exporter, a clear picture of the importance heme trafficking for utilization in people will emerge. A better understanding of if and how heme is transported between cells for utilization may translate to treatments that will protect cells from damage that occurs following a stroke as well as provide alternative treatments for anemias. The AHA Greater Southeastern Affilliate Grant-In-Aid program reviewed 180 applications and funded 26 of these. The review panel stated “[Dr. Amy Medlock] is poised to test the dogma that every cell synthesizes heme, and the application has the potential to move the field forward in understanding how heme is synthesized and potentially transported between cell types.” Press Releases, Athens, 2012-11-16T15:04:17+00:00 http://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/site/the_first_md_mph_medical_partnership_candidate http://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/site/the_first_md_mph_medical_partnership_candidate#When:16:41:18Z Theodora Brandon has completed her first two years of school at the Medical Partnership and is currently immersed in her MPH curriculum at the UGA College of Public Health. This summer I had the incredible opportunity to spend six weeks in Haifa, Israel with the UGA Global Health Center as part of a pilot program.  I took a class in Comparative Global Health Systems alongside Israeli students at the University of Haifa.  It was a transatlantic course taught by UGA professor Dr. Richard Schuster with video conference to students back in Athens.  I also interned at the northern regional office of the Israeli Ministry of Health (MOH) in Nazareth.  My internship allowed me to get a sense of what it is like to work for a government public health organization through various site visits and guest lectures.  I observed inspections of a pharmacy, dentist office, restaurant, hotel, and nursing home.  I also learned about Israel’s significant water resource problem while touring the national water carrier and a wastewater treatment plant.  Along the way, I got to meet many of the talented and dedicated individuals who work at MOH. By far the most fascinating program run by MOH was the Tipat Halav (“Drop of Milk”) clinics.  Since the 1920’s, these neighborhood clinics, staffed primarily by nurses, have provided preventative care services to mothers and babies, including prenatal care, immunizations, assessment of childhood growth and development, safety and nutritional counseling, and referrals for sick care.  What impressed me the most was the rapport that the nurses had with their patients.  Many women came just for emotional support and trusted advice.  Distress was clearly visible in the eyes of one new mother who came in because of difficulty breastfeeding her newborn baby girl.  After about 30 minutes with the head nurse, Ety, the young mother was comfortably breastfeeding in the waiting room, a look of immense relief and contentment settling on her face. On the weekends, we traveled throughout the country.   A few highlights for me were the Dead Sea, the Baha’i gardens in Haifa, the Via Dolorosa and the Western Wall in Jerusalem.  Another image that will stick with me is the deserted underground bunker at Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariyya, which is near the Lebanon border.  The hospital was designed to accommodate all patients in the event of rocket fire, as occurred in 2006.  As we walked through those empty hallways, our tour guide hypothesized when the next strike will be, and I wondered what it would be like to grow up with the idea of war as an inevitability, not a possibility. We also visited several ancient cities uncovered in the last century by archaeological expeditions.  From a public health perspective, one of the most interesting of these sites was the public lavatories at Bet She’an—a large square room lined by channels for running water and slabs of stone jutting out of the walls every few feet on which men and women alike once sat to take care of their business.   It is just amazing to me that such advanced sanitation practice existed over 2,000 years ago! Israel is unlike any other country in the world, with its rich history and enormous sociopolitical complexity.  I learned a great deal about Jewish and Arab cultures and observed some of the effects of Israel’s complicated and generally tense relations with other Middle Eastern nations.  I also gained some valuable insight into the challenges of working within a bureaucracy.  I was reminded time and time again that we must first appreciate the values, beliefs, and customs of a population in order to tailor and effectively implement strategies for improving health practices. I saw firsthand the varying health education styles in the Tipat Halav clinics of the Jewish city of Afula, the Arab city of Nazareth, and the Ethiopian absorption center at Kibbutz Beit Alfa.  In the classroom, I also learned a great deal about the healthcare systems of many nations around the world.  Now more than ever, I understand the importance of analyzing the strengths and shortcomings of different health systems in order to find an appropriate solution to our own ailing system. As I begin my MPH, I hope to be able to apply my expanding knowledge of public health principles in doing more international work and in serving the Athens community.  I am confident that my medical background will give me a unique practical perspective as an epidemiologist.  I also believe that my MPH will make me a more compassionate and judicious MD.  I am excited to be pioneering the MD/MPH program at the GRU/UGA Medical Partnership and am incredibly grateful to have had this experience in Israel.  I look forward to whatever the future holds. Press Releases, Instructional, Athens, 2012-11-14T16:41:18+00:00 http://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/site/uga_health_sciences_campus_open_house_set_for_august_22 http://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/site/uga_health_sciences_campus_open_house_set_for_august_22#When:20:17:31Z The public is invited to attend an open house at the new University of Georgia Health Sciences Campus, which houses the GRU/UGA Medical Partnership. Athens, Ga. - The public is invited to attend an open house at the new University of Georgia Health Sciences Campus, located at the corner of Prince and Oglethorpe avenues, on Wednesday, Aug. 22. Guests are asked to enter the facility using Foster Road off of Oglethorpe Avenue. UGA President Michael F. Adams will host the event. The program begins at 10 a.m. in George Hall with remarks from Adams, Senator Johnny Isakson, Peter F. Buckley, Dean of the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University, Barbara Schuster, dean for the GRU/UGA Medical Partnership and Phillip L. Williams, dean of the College of Public Health. A reception and self-guided tours will follow the program. The event is scheduled to end at noon. The health sciences campus opened on Monday, Aug. 6 for fall classes. The UGA Health Sciences Campus will accommodate two primary occupants: the College of Public Health and the GRU/UGA Medical Partnership. "The health of the public is a key mission for any land-grant institution today, and the UGA Health Sciences Campus represents a clear commitment to this mission," said Adams. "The new campus enables us to expand our education, research and service efforts in the health sciences giving greater opportunities to tackle the health crises that affect our citizens. It was also a timely opportunity to repurpose a historic piece of property following the relocation of the Navy Supply Corps School." The 56-acre site, formerly the home of the U.S. Navy Supply Corps School, was deeded to the university by the U.S. Department of Education in spring 2011. After a $20 million investment to renovate buildings for classrooms and administrative office space, the campus is ready to host students. "We are projecting approximately 550 College of Public Health and 120 medical partnership students to be taking classes at the HSC this fall," said Kathy Pharr, UGA assistant vice president for finance and administration and director of Health Sciences Campus administration. "Coupled with academic faculty/staff estimates of another 140, we are projecting a total of 810 faculty, staff and students based at the HSC this fall." Students enrolled in public health have opportunities to study environmental health, global health, health promotion and behavior, health policy and management, epidemiology and biostatistics, gerontology, disaster management and toxicology. "Bringing our unique disciplines together on one campus, will facilitate the opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and will better enable us to address complex public health concerns in Georgia and around the world," said Williams. Faculty, staff and students from public health will transition from the six buildings on UGA's main campus and rented offices downtown to their permanent home on the new campus over the next two to three years, as renovated spaces are competed. Medical students at UGA, as part of the medical partnership, also will be housed at the new campus. The partnership began in 2009 and enabled the Georgia Regents University to expand its class size from 190 to 230, adding 40 students who are educated by GRU and UGA faculty in Athens. "The Medical Partnership brought together the significant instructional and research resources of UGA with the medical expertise of the GRU Medical College of Georgia" said Schuster. "With the move to the new Health Sciences Campus, the medical campus is close to the two Athens hospitals and readily accessible to multiple health care facilities. The new campus will stimulate collaboration with the College of Public Health and provide additional resources to continue the small group learning activities which help students integrate the medical science with clinical skills and diagnostic reasoning which are the foundation of excellence in medical care." The first class of students will graduate in 2014. The University Childcare Center, which opened in January, is also located on the new campus. The center currently enrolls 130 children from infant through four years of age but expects to accommodate its full capacity of 146 children by the end of 2012. The childcare center is located in the former Navy Exchange building and is operated by a third-party provider Prodigies Child Care Management. After the renovations are complete in fall 2015, approximately 1,400 faculty, staff and students will be based at the Health Sciences Campus. That number will grow to 1,650 once a new facility can be built for the department of environmental health science as no present buildings could be modified to accommodate the group. Additional UGA students housed in residence facilities on the campus will bring the total closer to 1,800. A map of the campus with preferred parking areas is available at http://multimedia.uga.edu/media/images/Open_house_map-small.jpg. Press Releases, Athens, 2012-08-15T20:17:31+00:00 http://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/site/campus_dean_barbara_schuster_quoted_in_the_wall_street_journal http://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/site/campus_dean_barbara_schuster_quoted_in_the_wall_street_journal#When:14:56:47Z Campus Dean Barbara Schuster, Chair of the American College of Physicians Foundation Board of Trustees, served as Co-Chair of the Foundation's Initiative on Atrial Fibrillation and Stroke Prevention. The Foundation recently debuted four interventions that will enhance the care and treatment of individuals with atrial fibrillation. Four interventions to enhance the care and treatment of individuals with atrial fibrillation (Afib) debuted today during a press briefing hosted by The American College of Physicians Foundation's Initiative on Atrial Fibrillation and Stroke Prevention. The goal of the interventions is to address the needs of health care providers, patients and their caregivers, leading to improved health outcomes and reduced risk of stroke. Afib, the most common type of arrhythmia, currently affects nearly 2.6 million Americans and more than 300,000 are diagnosed each year. The approximately 20 percent of strokes associated with Afib tend to be more severe, disabling, and fatal than other kinds of stroke. However, it is estimated that 60 percent of strokes associated with Afib are preventable. "Afib -- What You and Your Family Need to Know" is a booklet designed to enhance provider-patient communication around Afib and empower Afib patients and families with the knowledge to reduce stroke risk and live well with atrial fibrillation. Three patient videos geared toward empowering patients to actively engage in their care have been produced and will be available to healthcare providers and patients. "A Guide for the Quality Improvement Professional and Health System Leadership" is a compendium of information and tools to create awareness of the impact of poor management of Afib within health systems and empower leadership to take necessary action to improve the quality of care provided to the Afib patient population. "Background Information and Anticoagulation Decision Support" is to be distributed to clinicians to improve clinician knowledge, skills and attitudes around Afib and stroke risk reduction as well as assist in anticoagulation decision-making within their workflow in either the outpatient or inpatient setting. Dr. Barbara Schuster, MACP, Co-Chair of the Initiative emphasized a critical consideration in determining the appropriate course of treatment to reduce stroke risk in patients with Afib, "The patient with a few falls, who is at average falls risk and has a yearly stroke risk greater than or equal to 2 percent, would have to fall more than 300 times a year for the harm from falls to exceed the benefits of anticoagulation. Only 50 to 64 percent of eligible patients with atrial fibrillation receive anticoagulation therapy." The panel at today's briefing featured distinguished members of the Initiative on Atrial Fibrillation and Stroke Prevention, including Samuel Z. Goldhaber, MD, Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School and Director of the Brigham and Women's Hospital Venous Thromboembolism Research Group; Barbara L. Schuster, MD, MACP, Co-Chair, Afib Initiative National Steering Committee Chair, ACP Foundation Board of Trustees Campus Dean, Georgia Regents University, UGA Medical Partnership; and Doron Schneider, MD, FACP, Co-Chair, Afib Initiative National Steering Committee Medical Director, Center for Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality, Abington Memorial Hospital. These panel members discussed the development process for the interventions as well as dissemination and implementation strategies to maximize opportunities for adoption of the tool nationwide. Tools will be available in electronic and paper-format to suit the varied needs of patients and clinicians in the United States. Initial outcomes of the evaluation conducted with patients were presented by Dr. Doron Schneider. Nearly every patient who evaluated the booklet stated that it provided helpful information. A majority of patients (65 percent) feel that having read the Guide they are more confident in their ability to talk to their health care providers about the various medicines that are right for their Afib and are "very confident" that they can follow through on medical treatments they need to do at home. Dr. Samuel Z. Goldhaber emphasized the changing nature of this field, stating, "I predict that introduction of the novel oral anticoagulants will facilitate stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation. Ultimately, these new drugs will lead to lower stroke rates, better health, and an improved quality of life." In the coming weeks and months, the Initiative will be driving awareness and adoption of the interventions throughout the United States. Members of the National Steering Committee will be working to inform major stakeholder organizations and ensure these tools reach their intended recipients. SOURCE: The American College of Physicians Foundation Press Releases, Athens, 2012-01-11T14:56:47+00:00 http://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/site/medical_partnership_faculty_member_article_in_current_biology http://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/site/medical_partnership_faculty_member_article_in_current_biology#When:15:41:35Z Dr. Gregg Nagle, Professor of Cell Biology and Histology at the Medical Partnership, is co-author of an article recently published in Current Biology. Scientists have identified a pheromone produced by female squid that triggers immediate and dramatic fighting in male squid that come into contact with it.  The aggression-producing pheromone, believed to be the first of its kind discovered in any marine animal, belongs to a family of proteins found in vertebrates, including humans.  Results of the study appear in the February 10th issue of Current Biology. Male-male aggression is a complex process that involves neural, hormonal, physiological, and psychological stimuli and is widespread in the animal kingdom where it is associated with the acquisition or retention of shelter and food, and in sexual competition.  "The identification of this pheromone as a key component of this signaling system is highly unusual because the male squids need only to contact these protein molecules to initiate the complex cascade of behaviors that we term aggressive fighting," says Roger Hanlon, senior scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) and study co-author. Squid are highly advanced marine invertebrates with a complex mating system rivaling that of vertebrates.  Most mating and egg laying in the longfin squid Loligo pealeii, the focus of this study, occurs in the spring when the animals migrate deep offshore waters to shallower waters along the eastern seabord, from North Carolina to Maine.  Females mate multiple times with multiple males, who compete fiercely for females. In field studies, the scientists observed a visual attraction by male squid to eggs laid on the sea floor followed by an escalation from calm swimming to the highest level of aggressive fighting - even in the absence of females - when they physically contacted eggs.  Seeking to identify what was triggering the behavior, Hanlon and his colleagues, including Scott Cummins of The Univeristy of the Sunshine Coast, Australia, Bernard Degnan of Queensland University, Kendra Buresch of the MBL, Jean Boal and Johanna Holm of Millersville University, and Gregg Nagle of the Georgia Regents University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership, conducted laboratory experiments at the MBL. They discovered a protein pheromone produced in the female reproductive tract and embedded in the outer surface of eggs.  After purifying the pheromone and presenting it to male squid in the lab, they found the same extreme aggressive responses, even when the protein was "painted" translucently on a glass vial that contained squid eggs.  "The contact pheromone was incredibly resistant to degradation," says Nagle.  "It appears to remain intact for an extended period of time until the eggs are seen and contacted by male squid." "Our lab experiments show that the male squid that touches the eggs first becomes aggressive faster than other males who have not yet touched the eggs," says Hanlon.  "This leads to dominance by the males that encounter the pheromone.  Dominant males pair with the females and mate more often, and they gain greater fertilization success so the extremely competitive aggression has a payoff." "It was exciting to map an important behavior back to the molecular level," adds Boal.  "The research involved careful teamwork among people with very different backgrounds and skills.  It was great to be part of such a far-flung and interesting group of scientists." While there are multiple discoveries of pheromones that can elicit aggression in land-based animals, the scientists maintain that this discovery in squid will help them to understand the critical signaling beneath our oceans.  "Squid may have revealed a more direct way of stimulating aggression," says Hanlon.  "We doubt that many researchers have thought that contact with molecules in the external world could stimulate such complex and extreme aggressive behavior." Interestingly, the protein pheromone found in squid has some similarity with beta-microseminoproteins, a family of proteins found in humans and other animals.  "The functions of beta-microseminoproteins in vertebrates have not been determined, bur our findings in squids may inspire other researchers to consider similar functions in higher vertebrates," says Hanlon. The article can be found online with a Current Biology subscription here.   Press Releases, Athens, 2011-02-17T15:41:35+00:00 http://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/site/bensons_inc_provides_first_gift http://medicalpartnership.usg.edu/site/bensons_inc_provides_first_gift#When:16:55:18Z Athens-based Benson's Inc. has donated $50,000 to the Arch Foundation for the University of Georgia to support the Georgia Regents University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership. Athens-based Benson's Inc. has donated $50,000 to the Arch Foundation for the University of Georgia to support the Georgia Regents University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership. The gift is the first to the university for the Medical Partnership, which enrolled its first class of 40 students in August.  In 2012, the partnership is scheduled to move to a 58-acre campus in Athens that will be known as the UGA Health Sciences Campus and will house the UGA College of Public Health and other health-related programs. Pictured at the Nov. 2 signing of the fund agreement on campus are (left to right) Ed Benson and CEO Larry Benson of Benson's Inc., UGA President Michael F. Adams, and Arnett Mace, Jr., special assistant to the president. Note to Editors: A high-resolution photo is available at the following link: http://www.uga.edu/news/photos/UGA_Bensons_gift.jpg   Press Releases, Athens, 2010-11-09T16:55:18+00:00