xt7sj38kh819 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7sj38kh819/data/mets.xml Lexington, Kentucky University of Kentucky Alumni Association 2016 journals  English University of Kentucky Alumni Association Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Kentucky alumnus Kentucky Alumni, vol. 87, no. 2, Summer 2016 text Kentucky Alumni, vol. 87, no. 2, Summer 2016 2016 2019 true xt7sj38kh819 section xt7sj38kh819 SUMMER 2016

Roula
ALLOUCH:
Defending rights
and liberties for all

* There’s only one place you can truly sleep
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Coach John Calipari with UK Grad and Sleep Outfitters Founder & CEO, Kim Knopf

To find out more about the exclusive UK Mattress and Pillow Collection,
visit sleepoutfitters.com/ukbed
A portion of the proceeds benefit the

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Athletics

* Summer 2016 • Volume 87 • Number 2

Roula Allouch received the UK College
of Law Community Service Alumni
Award for her volunteer work.
Cover: Jeremy Kramer

16

Roula Allouch: Defending rights and
liberties for all
Roula Allouch ’02 BE, LAW ’06 is a civil litigation
lawyer in Cincinnati and also serves the community,
advocating on behalf of Muslim Americans concerned
about civil rights.
By Andrew Faught

12

Stanley Pigman: seeing blue and making a
difference

20

Andy Green: From walk-on to San Diego
Padres manager

22
24
26

Photo : Alaa Maghathe

28
30
Roula Allouch

Departments
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7	
8	
11	
32	
37	

Pride In Blue
Presidential Conversation
UK News
Blue Horizons
Sports
Alumni Clubs

Born in Knott County, this UK grad achieved
entrepreneurial success and transforms the lives of
Kentucky engineering students.

Andy Green ’00 BE has a straightforward approach to
baseball and his insistence on knowing his players on a
personal level helps him in his role as manager.
By Robin Roenker

Maxwell Place: Home sweet home

The home to UK presidents began as a gift from
father to son in 1871 when Dennis Mulligan, a
Lexington grocer and politician, bought the land for a
villa for James Hillary Mulligan.
By Linda Perry

Wildcat Loyalty Rewards

Check out this list of valuable UK Alumni
Association benefits and services available to you
every day through membership.

Eugene Poole Jr. : Returning the Capitol
building to its original grandeur

Eugene Poole Jr. ’85 DES is the U.S. Capitol jurisdiction
executive and project manager for the $60 million dollar
restoration of the U.S. Capitol dome.
By Whitney Hale, Tina Bryson

DanceBlue 2016

DanceBlue has contributed $9.8 million to the Golden
Matrix Fund and the DanceBlue Kentucky Children’s
Hospital Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic.

Lyman T. Johnson paved the way for others

The UK Alumni Association released “They Came
Before: The Legacy of African-American Pioneers
and Trailblazers at the University of Kentucky,” about
African Americans who were “firsts.”
By Linda Perry

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52	
54	
55	
56	

Class Notes
In Memoriam
Creative Juices
Retrospect
Quick Take
www.ukalumni.net

1

* (800) 626-2250 • ThinkKentucky.com

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The Kentucky Office of Entrepreneurship has many programs
to help grow small businesses in Kentucky.
Services, assistance, and activities are available to all without regard to race, color, gender or national origin.

2

Summer 2016

* Board of Directors

Kentucky Alumni Magazine
Vol.87 No. 2
Kentucky Alumni (ISSN 732-6297) is
published quarterly by the University of
Kentucky Alumni Association, Lexington,
Kentucky for its dues-paying members.
© 2016 University of Kentucky Alumni
Association, except where noted. Views and
opinions expressed in Kentucky Alumni do
not necessarily represent the opinions of its
editors, the UK Alumni Association nor the
University of Kentucky.

How To Reach Us

Kentucky Alumni
UK Alumni Association
King Alumni House
Lexington, KY 40506-0119
Telephone: 859-257-8905
1-800-269-ALUM
Fax: 859-323-1063
Email: ukalumni@uky.edu

Update Your Record
UK Alumni Association
King Alumni House
Lexington, KY 40506-0119
Telephone: 859-257-8800
Fax: 859-323-1063
Email: ukalumni@uky.edu
Web: www.ukalumni.net
For duplicate mailings, please send both
mailing labels to the address above.
Member of the Council for Advancement
and Support of Education

Association Staff

Publisher/Executive Director: Stan Key ’72
Managing Editor: Linda Perry ’84
Graphic Designer: Laura Banik
Publications Production Assistant: Hal Morris
Brenda Bain ’15: Records Data Entry Operator
Linda Brumfield: Account Clerk III
Sara-Elizabeth Bush ’13: Program Coordinator
Nancy Culp: Administrative Services Assistant
Jenny Dreaden: Staff Support Associate I
Caroline Francis ’88, ’93, ’02: Alumni Career Counselor
Jack Gallt ’84: Program Coordinator
Leslie Hayes: Membership and Marketing Specialist
Kelly V. Hinkel ’11: Staff Support Associate I
John Hoagland ’89: Associate Director
Diana Horn ’70, ’71: Principal Accountant
Katie Jennings ’11: Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Albert Kalim ’03: Webmaster
WIlliam Raney ’14: House Support
Darlene Simpson: Senior Data Entry Operator
Jill Smith ’05, ’11: Associate Director
Frances White: Data Entry Operator

Officers
David B. Ratterman ’68 EN - President
Peggy S. Meszaros ’72 ED - President-elect
Susan V. Mustian ’84 BE - Treasurer
Stan R. Key ’72 ED - Secretary
District
Michelle Leigh Allen ’06 ’10 BE
Jeffrey L. Ashley ’89 CI
Lisa G. Atkinson ’92 CI
William G. Bacon Jr. ’82 ’85 MED
Trudy Webb Banta ’63 ’65 ED
Brian R. Bergman ’85 ’ 86 EN
Heath F. Bowling ’95 BE
Michael L. Brown ’72 BE
Erin Burkett ’01 EN
Emmett “Buzz” Burnam ’74 ED
John S. Cain ’86 BE
James E. Cantrell ’76 EN
Shane T. Carlin ’95 AFE
Rebecca F. Caudill ’72 ’76 ED
Dr. Michael A. Christian ’76 AS, ’80 DE
Judith G. Clabes ’67 AS
Shannon R. Corley ’98 BE
Elizabeth “Betsy” Coleman Cox ’69 AS
D. Michael Coyle ’62 BE, ’65 LAW
Bruce E. Danhauer ’77 AFE
Ruth C. Day ’85 BE
Eugene L. DuBow ’53 AS
Philip D. Elder ’86 AFE
Abra Endsley ’98 ’01 CI
Linda L. Frye ’60 AS
Robert Michael Gray ’80 ’81 BE
Austin H. Hays ’03 BE
Wallace E. Herndon Jr. ’67 BE
Derrick C. Hord ’83 CI
Ann Nelson Hurst ’80 BE
Lee A. Jackson ’70 SCC, ’73 AS
Dr. Frank Kendrick ’90 ’92 DE
Shelia M. Key ’91 PHA
Turner LaMaster ’73 BE
Thomas K. Mathews ’93 AS
James D. McCain ’81 BE
Herbert A. Miller Jr. ’72 AS, ’76 LAW
Ashley S. “Tip” Mixson III ’80 BE
Sherry R. Moak ’81 BE
Hannah M. Myers ’93 ED
Kimberly Parks ’01 BE
Abigail M. Payne ’05 CI
Quintissa S. Peake ’04 CI
Nicholas C. Phelps ’08 BE
James A. Richardson ’70 AS, ’72 ED
Charlene K. Rouse ’77 DES
Philip Schardein,’02 BE
Sharon Lee Sears ’80 CI
Marian Moore Sims ’72 ’76 ED
J. Fritz Skeen ’72 ’73 BE
George B. Spragens ’93 BE
Reese S. Terry Jr. ’64 ’66 EN
Peggy T. Tudor ’73 ’83 NUR, ’07 ED
Quentin R. Tyler ’02 ’05 AFE, ’11 AS
Craig M. Wallace ’79 EN
Lori E. Wells ’96 BE
Crystal M. Williams ’97 BE
Scott Wittich ’75 BE
At Large
Jo Hern Curris ’63 AS, ’75 LAW
Dr. Michael H. Huang ’89 AS, ’93 MED
Antoine Huffman ’05 CI
Matt Minner ’93 AS
Will Nash ’06 AS
Jane C. Pickering ’74 ED

College
Michelle McDonald ’84 AFE, ’92 ED
	
- Agriculture
Winn F. Williams ’71 AS - Arts & Sciences
James B. Bryant ’67 BE
- Business & Economics
Jeremy L. Jarvi ’02 CI
- Communication & Information
Dr. Clifford J. Lowdenback ’99 AS, ’03 DE
	
- Dentistry
Lu Ann Holmes ’79 DES - Design
Martha Elizabeth Randolph ’83 BE, ’87 ’92 ED 	
- Education
Taunya Phillips ’87 EN, ’04 BE - Engineering
Kimberly Baker ’92 FA - Fine Arts
Barbara R. Sanders ’72 AS, ’76 ED
	
- Health Sciences
Janis E. Clark ’78 GS, ’85 LAW - Law
Dr. Emery A. Wilson ’68 ’72 MED - Medicine
Patricia K. Howard ’83 ’90 ’04 NUR - Nursing
Lynn Harrelson ’73 PHA - Pharmacy
Vacant - Public Health
Willis K. Bright Jr. ’66 SW - Social Work
Alumni Trustees
Cammie DeShields Grant ’77 LCC, ’79 ED
Kelly Sullivan Holland ’93 AS, ’98 ED
Terry B. Mobley ’65 ED
Appointed
Katie Eiserman ’01 ED - Athletics
Thomas W. Harris ’85 AS
- University Relations
D. Michael Richey ’74 ’79 AFE
- Philanthropy
Bobby C. Whitaker ’58 CI - Honorary
Jenna M. Hollinden
- Student Government Association
Vacant - University Senate

	

	

Past Presidents
George L. Atkins Jr. ’63 BE
Richard A. Bean ’69 BE
Michael A. Burleson ’74 PHA
Bruce K. Davis ’71 LAW
Scott E. Davis ’73 BE
Marianne Smith Edge ’77 AFE
Franklin H. Farris Jr. ’72 BE
Dr. Paul E. Fenwick ’52 AFE
William G. Francis ’68 AS, ’73 LAW
W. P. Friedrich ’71 EN
Dan Gipson ’69 EN
Brenda B. Gosney ’70 HS, ’75 ED
Cammie DeShields Grant ’77 LCC, ’79 ED
John R. Guthrie ’63 CI
Ann B. Haney ’71 AS
Diane M. Massie ’79 CI
Robert E. Miller
John C. Nichols II ’53 BE
Dr. George A. Ochs IV ’74 DE
Sandra Bugie Patterson ’68 AS
Robert F. Pickard ’57 ’61 EN
Paula L. Pope ’73 ’75 ED
G. David Ravencraft ’59 BE
William Schuetze ’72 LAW
David L. Shelton ’66 BE
J. Tim Skinner ’80 DES
James W. Stuckert ’60 EN, ’61 BE
Julia K. Tackett ’68 AS, ’71 LAW
Hank B. Thompson Jr. ’71 CI
Myra L. Tobin ’62 AFE
J. Thomas Tucker ’56 BE
Henry Wilhoit Jr. ’60 LAW
Elaine A. Wilson ’68 SW
Richard M. Womack ’53 AFE

www.ukalumni.net

3

* Associate Director for Communications and Membership
April 17, 1969 –May 2, 2016

Memories of Kelli
“Kelli was one of the kindest and
most positive people I have ever had
the pleasure of knowing. There was
never a time that my phone calls to
her weren’t met with excitement and
positive energy.”
“Her infectious smile and kindness
lifted up the room.”
“She loved people and she loved
her Cats — saw her handle some
incredibly difficult situations with the
utmost class. I will miss seeing her
smile (however the game was going).”
“She was a bright, shining star to all
who knew her. We will remember
Kelli’s smile and generous spirit.”
“What a privilege it was to know this
beautiful, amazing, strong woman
who brought ideas, passion and
energy to our industry.”
“A true professional who had great
passion for her colleagues, friends,
and family. Kelli will be missed by all
who were fortunate to know her. May
her pleasant smile and warm heart
live on in each of us.”
“Kelli was a shining star that I looked
forward to seeing every time I was
at UK. She made the world a better,
brighter place.”
“A wonderful woman who will be
missed by so many. I will miss her
Facebook posts which always made
me smile on the darkest of days.”

4

Summer 2016

As this summer issue was going to press, we lost our friend, colleague and editor of
the Kentucky Alumni magazine, Kelli L. Elam, following her courageous 13-month
battle with pancreatic cancer. Kelli’s fight against this terrible disease began in March,
2015, while in Cleveland as her beloved Kentucky Wildcats came away with another
NCAA Regional Championship.
Many of you had the opportunity to meet Kelli personally, while others knew her
through her writing and contributions to Kentucky Alumni magazine and our social
media accounts. Kelli began her career with the association in 2004 as an advertising
and editorial assistant and was promoted to the associate director for communications
in 2010. In 2011, she also assumed responsibility for the association’s membership
program. Prior to her work with the association, she was a sports journalist for various
local Kentucky newspapers.
From the time of Kelli’s arrival on the association staff, she always brought to the
office a bright smile, an energetic spirit, respect for others, exceptional dedication to
her work and a professional approach to everything she did. She had a tremendous
loyalty to the University of Kentucky and the UK Alumni Association. And she always
accepted new challenges and responsibilities in her position with enthusiasm and took
them on with a determination to make them work. She was always willing to do more
for others and eager to lend a hand when and wherever necessary.
Kelli took tremendous pride in her professional position with the UK Alumni
Association, and she excelled in it. As editor of the Kentucky Alumni magazine, she
always produced a very engaging and informative letter on Page 4 of the magazine.
Through the magazine, the Wildcat Connection electronic newsletter, social media
posts, media releases and various public relations efforts, Kelli and her staff provided
opportunities for alumni and friends of UK to celebrate accomplishments, learn and
connect with their alma mater.
Under Kelli’s leadership, the association engaged alumni and friends through
the member benefits and services program and increased nondues revenue from
affinity program sponsors and advertising. She also served as the association’s media
representative with UK Athletics, and Kelli loved covering the Wildcats and sharing
their success with other Wildcat fans.
Her loyalty and passion for UK were unfailing and inspiring, and we continue to try
to follow her example in our work today. Kelli understood and shared the deep affinity
alumni feel for the University of Kentucky, and she had a tremendous respect for the
role they play in making UK a special place.
Kelli was a vibrant and energetic woman committed to her family and her career.
An avid UK Wildcats fan, Kelli leaves behind many friends and a legacy of loyalty and
community involvement. She was a respected and supportive colleague and friend to
both staff and alumni volunteers of the association.
Kelli is survived by her mother Carolyn Elam, sister Dana Elam (Jami), sister
Jonndrea Elam and brother John David Elam II.
It was a privilege and an honor to know and work with Kelli, and it goes without
saying that she will be missed in many ways. Both staff and alumni have mentioned
how much they will miss her “me and Mama” stories and her clicking stilettos on the
hardwood floor of the Helen G. King Alumni House.
A recognition, possibly a scholarship, in memory of Kelli is being planned by the UK
Alumni Association Board of Directors. Memorial contributions may be made payable
to the UK Alumni Association and mailed to the UK Alumni Association, 400 Rose
Street, King Alumni House, Lexington, KY 40506 or online at 			
www.ukalumni.net/KelliElamMemorialFund.

* As an alum of the University of
Kentucky, you could receive exclusive savings on
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Along with valuable savings, you’ll enjoy access to
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www.ukalumni.net

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Where Wildcats have been banking since 1937.

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Summer 2016

www.ukfcu.org

859.264.4200

* Presidential Conversation

University for Kentucky
Over the last several months, I’ve shared with our campus,
state lawmakers, community leaders and alumni, the stories
that capture our role as the University for Kentucky. It’s a
powerful message that illustrates the diverse ways — through
education, research, service and health care — that we serve
people within our Commonwealth and beyond its borders.
In one example, several major cancer groups in Kentucky
— with leadership from UK’s Markey Cancer Center —
worked collaboratively to reduce the Commonwealth’s startling
high colorectal cancer rates. Together, the Kentucky Cancer
Consortium nearly doubled the number of cancer screenings
over the last several years. At the same time, the incidence
rate for colorectal cancer is down nearly 25 percent and the
mortality rate has dropped by 30 percent.
Several UK faculty and clinicians were present at a threeday summit on heroin and opioid addiction in Atlanta. Their
participation on discussion panels and in plenary sessions
exemplifies UK’s expertise and capacity to address the scourge
of addiction in communities across our state and nation.
Our faculty’s work isn’t limited to health care.
One UK professor and his students are helping design
sustainable solutions for Appalachian communities rebuilding
after disasters. Beginning in the Morgan County community
of West Liberty, the prototypes and proposals are now helping
Johnson County respond to severe flooding.
Another is sharing her remarkable talent with the world.
From Lexington’s new 21c Museum and Hotel, to the Museum
of Arts and Design in New York City, and further still on
the nation’s television screen in the Fox hit drama, “Empire,”
Professor Ebony Patterson’s provocative work is in the
spotlight. Her artwork raises questions about larger social
constructs and perceptions of masculinity, beauty and gender
ideals.
These are just a few ways, among many, that the University
of Kentucky faculty discover, create and serve others. They are
artists, historians, economists, engineers and healers. They are
colleagues, teachers and mentors who shape young minds and
inspire them to serve and give back.
The impact of our faculty and staff is evident during
our Commencement activities. In early May, the University
conferred more than 4,800 degrees to our graduates and
welcomed them into the UK alumni family.
While here, they, too, contributed to the UK story. Among
them are participants who raised millions to fight pediatric
cancer. They collected textbooks for schoolchildren in
Cameroon. They competed and placed in entrepreneurial
competitions with students from universities across the nation.
They balanced academics with athletics, student organizations,

personal obligations
and friendships.
And in May they
left our campus
with a degree,
prepared to lead
lives of meaning
and purpose. More
than 60 percent of
our graduates will
be employed in
Kentucky next year,
many are employed
elsewhere, and 10 percent choose to pursue graduate degrees.
These are the professionals, civic leaders and taxpayers who
strengthen the economic and civic vibrancy of Kentucky and
communities beyond our borders.
The scope and scale of the UK story is profound. From our
students, to our faculty and staff, to alumni and friends who
invest in us to propel and ensure the story is alive for the next
generation of Wildcats, we are the University for Kentucky.

Eli Capilouto
President
On a personal note, I want to acknowledge a dear member of
the UK family. Kelli Elam, who for more than 11 years served
her alma mater and its alumni family, recently lost her battle
with cancer. Kelli was a special part of this place, and she was
an ardent storyteller and Wildcat fan. Kelli will be missed on
our campus, but the imprint she made on others throughout
her life will remain a part of us and will create a bright legacy
for those who follow.

www.ukalumni.net

7

* UK News

F. Joseph Halcomb and Joani Halcomb

UK Debate Team finishes
strong at nationals

Completing one of the most successful
years in the history of the UK Debate
Team, the team recently competed at the
70th National Debate Tournament at
the University of Binghamton, part of
the State University of New York system.
For the first time in school history,
three partnerships from the UK Debate Team — Donald Grasse and Theo
Noparstak; Ava Vargason and Jonathan
Geldof; and Marcel Roman and Holmes
Hampton — reached the elimination
rounds. Emory University was the only
other school to match that accomplishment.
Grasse and Noparstak reached the
elite eight after finishing the preliminary
rounds as the sixth seed at the tournament. It was UK’s first appearance in
the elite eight since 2009. The eventual
champion was Harvard.
“This year was about the seniors,”
said David Arnett, director of the UK
Debate Team. “This is a group who took
a chance on Kentucky when we were rebuilding from the ground up. Four years
later we’re a top five program. What can
you even say about that? I’m extremely
thankful to have been part of it and
couldn’t be more proud of the team.”

8

Summer 2016

UK received a $7 million gift from alumnus F. Joseph Halcomb and wife Joani
Halcomb to rename and transform the Department of Biomedical Engineering. The
F. Joseph Halcomb III, M.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering will be the first
named department in the College of Engineering. Established in 1985, the Center for
Biomedical Engineering resided within the Graduate School before joining the college
in 2010. In 2013, it became an official department.
The Halcombs’ $7 million naming gift will add one endowed chair and two endowed fellowships to a faculty of eight — a 27 percent increase. Additionally, the
Halcomb Family Graduate Fellowships in Biomedical Engineering will add fully-funded graduate fellowships to attract top graduate students and support their research.
“From implanted devices to prosthetics to regenerative tissue, biomedical engineers
improve the well-being of those with significant health care needs. The Halcombs’
naming gift will ensure we provide the best education and training opportunities available to the students in this flourishing program,” says Dean John Walz.
After 30 prosperous years in the medical device and biotechnology industries,
Halcomb knows the demands facing today’s graduates and what is required in order
to succeed. “There are only seven or eight schools in the U.S. where medicine, engineering, pharmacy, dentistry and a first-rate hospital are within walking distance of
each other, and UK is one of them,” he says. “The possibilities for interdisciplinary
research connected to biomedical engineering are unbelievable. There’s no excuse for
not collaborating!”
Halcomb was inducted into the College of Engineering Hall of Distinction in 2014.

UK-UofL Executive MBA
Program achieves Tier One
Global Ranking
With its first class graduating in
December 2015, the joint University
of Kentucky-University of Louisville
Executive MBA program is already
ranked in the top tier. The UK-UofL
EMBA became the only program in the
region ranked in CEO Magazine’s Tier
One Global EMBA programs for 2016.
CEO Magazine examines the nuts and
bolts of an MBA: the faculty, learning
environment, class sizes, tuition fees,
delivery methods, international diversity,
gender make-up and more. The objective
is simple: to identify schools that marry
exceptional quality with great ROI.
“We are pleased to be recognized
with a tier one executive MBA program
ranking,” said Joe Labianca, co-director
of the UK-UL Executive MBA program
at the UK Gatton College of Business
& Economics. “It is extremely gratifying
to be ranked as an outstanding program
that prepares seasoned professionals to
advance in their careers and achieve their
goals.”
This first-rate Executive MBA
program is aimed at rising executives
from regional organizations and

Photo: UK Public
Relations & Marketing

Photo: UK Public Relations & Marketing

$7 million gift to transform UK
Biomedical Engineering

UK-UofL Executive MBA students

maximizes the industry expertise of the
students in a dynamic, cohort-based
learning environment. With sessions split
between the UK campus in Lexington
and the UofL campus in Louisville, its
Friday and Saturday classes on every
other weekend allow students to keep
their existing jobs, while preparing for
more senior roles.
“This ranking is a wonderful
recognition of the unique partnership
forged between Kentucky’s two top
research universities to serve the
Commonwealth and our region,” said
T. Vernon Foster, executive director,
MBA Programs and Career Management
at the University of Louisville College
of Business. “Our EMBA faculty
members bring real-world experience
to the classroom, where students can
collaborate and develop effective
leadership, problem-solving and research
strategies.”

* Children at the UK Early Childhood Lab
test their new bench.

Effort by UK Dining leads to
100 percent recycled bench
Throughout February and March,
UK students and UK Dining collected
plastic lids and caps in a friendly competition between on-campus dining
units. Every dining unit across campus
participated and contributed to the reduction of UK Dining’s waste stream.
Then, Green Tree Plastics (GTP) transformed the recycled plastic into a recycled bench. The bench was presented to
the UK Early Childhood Lab in April.
According to UK Sustainability Coordinator Elizabeth Ferguson, UK has
redirected more than 400 pounds of
waste to be repurposed into durable
product by GTP since 2015. UK Dining
hopes to encourage more student participation with continuous contests and
events dedicated to reducing the university’s waste reduction rates through
2016. UK Dining has plans to continue
its partnership with GTP to create more
benches for campus.

UK HealthCare has achieved Magnet
Status, the highest institutional honor
awarded for nursing excellence from the
American Nurses Credentialing Center
(ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program.
Out of nearly 6,000 health care organizations in the United States, less than 7
percent have achieved Magnet designation.
“Magnet recognition is a mindset and
an approach in patient-centered care,”
said UK HealthCare Chief Nursing
UK HealthCare employs patient- and
Executive Colleen Swartz. “Our team
family-centered care.
has been extremely dedicated, focused
and committed in achieving this goal, and it shows in every interaction we have with
patients and their families.”
UK HealthCare has 4,473 nursing services employees including 2,006 full-time
registered nurses.
Achieving Magnet Status is a process that culminates in a rigorous review to
demonstrate the hospital’s commitment to sustaining nursing excellence and improving professional practice. The status represents a solid commitment to continuing
education and nursing specialty certification, a cultural transformation of the work
environment involving a shared governance model and laser focus on patient safety.
In 2001, UK HealthCare became just the 38th Magnet-recognized organization.
The hospital maintained its designation until it was up for renewal in 2009, when the
ANCC restructured the Magnet Recognition Program criteria. The fundamental shift
from a process-structured infrastructure to an outcomes-based infrastructure led to
UK HealthCare needing to make changes to regain its status.
From 2010 to 2013, UK HealthCare began an improvement process that signified
a cultural change toward patient- and family-centered care. That process included
evaluating the nursing strategic plan, identifying areas in need of quality improvement and developing strategies for improvement, measurement and accountability.
“While Magnet recognition is awarded by a nursing organization, it is truly an
honor resulting from the leadership of our nurses to demonstrate that it is all of our
caregivers who focus on meeting the needs of our patients, their families, and one
another each and every day in our hospitals and clinics,” said Bo Cofield, UK HealthCare
vice president and chief clinical operations officer.

Photo: UK Public Relations & Marketing

Photo: UK Dining

UK HealthCare regains Magnet Status for
excellence in patient care

Record number on UK Dean’s List
For the first time, more than 7,000 students have made the
UK Dean’s List for the fall 2015 semester.
A record high 7,189 students were recognized for their outstanding academic performance. That’s an increase of more
than 800 since fall 2014 and over 1,000 more than spring 2015.
To make a Dean’s List in one of the UK colleges, a student
must earn a GPA of 3.6 or higher and must have earned 12
credits or more in that semester, excluding credits earned in
pass-fail classes. Some UK colleges require a 3.5 GPA to make
the Dean’s List.
The full Dean’s List can be accessed by visiting
www.uky.edu/PR/News/DeansList/.

www.ukalumni.net

9

* “There is no vaccination against ignorance,
but there is us. There is this university.”
— Frank X Walker, UK professor and former Kentucky Poet Laureate

At the University of Kentucky, we are educating more
students, healing more patients, conducting more
research and working more closely with communities
than at any time in our 150-year history.
That’s because we are the University for Kentucky.
Service is our mission. It’s in our DNA. It is who we are
— a distinctive community with tremendous momentum.
An uncommon place united by a common purpose — to
change Kentucky, to change the world.
You can read more about our momentum and our work
as the University for Kentucky at uky.edu/uk4ky.

An Equal Opportunity University

10

Summer 2016

* Blue Horizons

Experimental drug may limit harmful effects of traumatic brain injury
A new report by UK researchers Linda
Van Eldik and Adam Bachstetter describes an experimental drug candidate
that may aid patients with traumatic brain
injury (TBI). The article appeared in the
journal PLoS One, the world’s largest
biology journal.
According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), falls,
motor vehicle collisions and assaults
make up the most common causes of
TBI. Symptoms of TBI, which include
impaired cognition, memory, and motor
control, may be temporary or permanent
depending on the severity of the injury.
“Following a head injury, the body
mobilizes immune cells to respond to
the trauma and jump-start the healing
process,” said Linda Van Eldik, who is
director of the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging. “Although these immune
cells help repair the injury, they also cause
inflammation that may damage the tissue
— a sort of double-edged sword.
“Our goal is to find ways to improve
the positive effects of the immune sys-

tem while thwarting the inflammation
process that damages tissues,” she said.
Van Eldik’s laboratory identified
and began testing the experimental
drug MW151 in 2007. In initial testing,
MW151 appeared to inhibit the release
of the “bad” chemicals that caused inflammation while preserving immune
cells’ repair capabilities in a form of TBI
known as a closed head injury. Further
evidence of MW151’s effectiveness was
manifested in reduced cognitive impairment.
The current work described in PLoS
One tested MW151 in a second, more
serious form of TBI known as mFPI.
“We were delighted to see that
MW151 is effective in more than one
model of TBI,” said Adam Bachstetter,
who is assistant professor in the Spinal
Cord and Brain Injury Research Center (SCoBIRC) and the Department of
Anatomy and Neurobiology and the
lead author for the PLoS One article.
“MW151 appears to dampen down the
detrimental inflammatory responses

without suppressing the normal functions that the cells need to maintain
health.”
According to Van Eldik, the potential
impact of this treatment is significant.
“Traumatic brain injury represents a
major unmet medical need, as there is
currently no effective therapy to prevent the increased risk of dementia and
other neurologic complications, such as
post-traumatic epilepsy, neuropsychiatric
disorders, and post concussive symptoms
such as headaches, sleep disturbances,
memory problems, dizziness and irritability,” she said. “MW151 represents an
important next step in the process to
help people with TBI, including soldiers,
athletes, car accident victims and others.”
Van Eldik hopes to move MW151
into clinical trials in the next few years.
Compiled from news reports
about research at UK.
For more information about
research taking place at UK,
visit www.research.uky.edu

Researcher to focus on improving
diets of teens

3-D models of spreading tumors
may help fight cancer

With a grant funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Alison Gustafson will study the food purchasing patterns of
teens in rural areas of Kentucky and North Carolina. The end
result will hopefully be improved overall health and well-being
of the participants.
“Teens purchase quite a bit of food themselves,” said Gustafson, an assistant professor in the UK Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition in the College of Agriculture, Food
and Environment. “They also have a huge influence on the
foods that their parents purchase.”
According to the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,