FSU College of Medicine 2018 annual report 2018 Annual Report - FSU College of Medicine | Page 44

DISCOVERY
42
EMPHASIS ON
TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH
Flynn is also working to develop a statewide mental
health resource directory to provide physicians with referral
outlets to increase the likelihood of screening, diagnosis and
treatment.
In
, one of the medical school s newest faculty
members, Distinguished Endowed Professor in Behavioral
Health Sylvie Naar, established the
Center for Translational Behavioral
Science. The center will propel the
college s efforts in improving individual
and population health through behavioral
health research.
Naar has appointed five new faculty, a
postdoctoral fellow and several research assistants to help
lead the center. Upon her arrival, Naar brought
million
in funding for projects that involve working directly with
individuals at risk for a wide range of behavioral health issues.
Her research has focused heavily on developing and testing
interventions to reduce health disparities in children and
adolescents. She is targeting diseases disproportionately
affecting African-Americans such as obesity, obesity asthma,
diabetes and HIV.
Naar and her center are heavily focused on the Scale It Up
program an NIH-funded project designed to enhance self-
management of HIV among adolescents and young adults up
to age .
Associate Professor Angelina Sutin is
also at the forefront of the department s
research efforts, making headlines for
grants and numerous publications.
A recent . million grant from the
National Institute on Aging of the NIH will support Sutin s
look at why people with Latino backgrounds have a
percent greater risk of developing Alzheimer s disease than
non-Latino whites. The research has clear implications for a
broader understanding of how the disease works.
Given our model, we re well-poised to build national
prominence in behavioral health interventions in ways
other universities can t, Joyce said. We really have an
opportunity to do community-based, participatory research
that supports the college s educational mission and reinforces
our primary-care focus.
DEPARTMENT OF BEHAVORIAL
SCIENCES AND SOCIAL MEDICINE
FIVE-YEAR GROWTH IN AWARDS
Awards granted
In addition to Naar s arrival, the
college s uest for more translational
research includes the
arrival of
biological chemist Zucai Suo, who
brings added potential for developing
new biomedical technology and drug-
discovery opportunities. He is the
Eminent Professor and Dorian and John Blackmon
Endowed Chair in Translational Research.
He s an emerging star in his field who will complement a
number of our current faculty while also bringing significant
new technology and ideas to our program, Joyce said.
His arrival fits our strategy to develop novel platforms for
translational research. One of the things he ll do is help us
collaborate across many research strengths in other colleges
at FSU.
Suo focuses his research in three areas the kinetic
mechanisms of enzymes involved in DNA RNA replication,
lesion bypass and repair understanding gene-editing
enzymes and developing small or large molecules as antiviral
and anticancer drugs.
Earlier in his career, he helped the development of two
small molecules leading to an HIV treatment that has
generated more than
billion in revenue for the biotech
giant Gilead Sciences, and an anti-hepatitis C drug that has
generated about
billion for the biotech firm Vertex.
A near-term goal is the development of an FSU Drug
Discovery Institute. It is one of my dreams, he said.
Hopefully, we can make the next big discovery here.