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.