xt7tx921g80s https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7tx921g80s/data/mets.xml Lexington, Kentucky University of Kentucky Alumni Association 2015  journals  English  Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Kentucky alumnus Kentucky Alumni, vol. 86, no. 2, Summer 2015 text Kentucky Alumni, vol. 86, no. 2, Summer 2015 2015 2015 true xt7tx921g80s section xt7tx921g80s * Why not now?
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* Summer 2015 • Volume 86 • Number 2

’64:
Features Twenty-three UK Alumni Association Hall of 12 Terry Woodwardmaking a difference
seeing blue and
Distinguished Alumni Awards were bestowed
ON THE COVER
UK alumnus transformed
upon UK alumni during a gala event in April.
Photo: Shaun Ring

16 2015 Hall of Distinguished Alumni

his family’s music business
into a national brand and
invests in future generations
of UK students.

By Linda Perry

24 UK education — turbocharged

UK Alumni Association

In April, 23 alumni were honored for distinguishing
themselves in their professions and having a deep devotion
to UK — joining only 283 members previously selected for
the honor.

The Honors Program: Getting a quality

Freshman applicants vie for a spot in a UK program that
provides motivated students — those who excelled in high
school and want more rigorous challenges — with a
customized program that takes them to the next level.

By Linda Perry

26

Cannon capers
Federalista sits in front of
the Main Building, having
spent 112 years as a
backdrop for student
photos and pranks.
By Linda Perry

28

Wildcats’ historic season
e UK men’s basketball
team took fans on a special
journey this season, ending
just short of perfection.
By Kelli Elam

Departments
4 Pride In Blue
7 Presidential Conversation
8 UK News
11 Blue Horizons
32 Wildcat Sports
34 Alumni Clubs

37
40
52
54
55
56

College View
Class Notes
In Memoriam
Creative Juices
Retrospect
Quick Take

www.ukalumni.net

1

* Page

WILDCATS ON THE MOVE
Another member benefit from the
University of Kentucky Alumni Association

“Preferential Wildcat Treatment”
•
•
•
•
•

Minimum of 55% discount on all interstate moves
Free full value coverage up to $50,000 on relocations
Guaranteed on-time pick-up and delivery available
Personalized attention from start to finish
Sanitized Air-ride Vans

Contact Tom Larkins (The Wildcat Relocator)
for details on this program

1.800.899.2527
or email him at tom.larkins@atlanticrelocation.com

2

Summer 2015

U.S. DOT No. 125550

Atlantic Relocation Systems
Interstate Agent for

ATLAS VAN LINES
6314 31st Street East
Sarasota, FL 34243
A portion of the proceeds collected
from the transportation costs will be
paid to the UK Alumni Association.

* How To Reach Us

University of Kentucky
Alumni Magazine
Vol.86 No. 2
Kentucky Alumni (ISSN 732-6297) is
published quarterly by the University of
Kentucky Alumni Association, Lexington,
Kentucky for its dues-paying members.
© 2015 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.

Association Staff

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

Publisher/Executive Director: Stan Key ’72
Editor/Associate Director: Kelli Elam ’11
Managing Editor: Linda Perry ’84
Senior Graphic Designer: Jeff Hounshell
Publications Production Assistant: Hal Morris

Kelly R. Allgeier ’08: Alumni Career Counselor
Brenda Bain: Records Data Entry Operator
Linda Brumfield: Account Clerk III
Sara-Elizabeth Bush ’13: Program Coordinator
Nancy Culp: Administrative Services Assistant
Caroline Francis ’88, ’93, ’02: Alumni Career Counselor
Update Your Record
Leslie Hayes: Membership and Marketing Specialist
UK Alumni Association
Kelly V. Hinkel ’11: Staff Support Associate I
King Alumni House
John Hoagland ’89: Associate Director
Lexington, KY 40506-0119
Diana Horn ’70, ’71: Principal Accountant
Telephone: 859-257-8800
Albert Kalim ’03: Webmaster
Fax: 859-323-1063
Randall Morgan: IS Tech Support
E-mail: ukalumni@uky.edu
Katie Murphy: Membership Specialist
Brenda Riddle: Membership Specialist
Web: www.ukalumni.net
For duplicate mailings, please send both Ashley Ritchie: Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Darlene Simpson: Senior Data Entry Operator
mailing labels to the address above.
Jill Smith ’05, ’11: Associate Director
Alyssa ornton ’11: Program Coordinator
Member of the Council for Advancement
Frances White: Data Entry Operator
and Support of Education

Board of Directors
Officers
Elaine A. Wilson ’68 SW - President
David B. Ratterman ’68 EN - President-elect
Peggy S. Meszaros ’72 ED - 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 MED
Trudy Webb Banta ’63 ’65 ED
Brian R. Bergman ’85 ’ 86 EN
Heath F. Bowling ’95 BE
Jeffrey J. Brock ’83 SCC, ’84 BE
Michael L. Brown ’72 BE
Mark W. Browning ’80 AS, ’84 LAW
Emmett “Buzz” Burnam ’74 ED
John S. Cain, ’86 BE
Shane T. Carlin, ’95 AFE
Rebecca F. Caudill ’72 ’76 ED
Dr. Michael A. Christian ’76 AS, ’80 DE
Judith G. Clabes ’67 AS
Elizabeth 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
Wallace E. Herndon Jr. ’67 BE
Derrick C. Hord ’83 CI
Ann Nelson Hurst ’80 BE
Lee A. Jackson ’70 SCC, ’73 AS
Patricia Wykstra Johnson ’68 AS, ’70 ED
Jim Keenan ’90 BE, ’93 LAW
Shelia M. Key ’91 PHA
Turner LaMaster ’73 BE
omas 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
Susan P. Mountjoy ’72 ED
Susan V. Mustian ’84 BE

Hannah M. Myers ’93 ED
Kimberly Parks ’01 BE
Quintissa S. Peake ’04 CI
Nicholas C. Phelps, ’08 BE
Chad D. Polk ’94 DES
James A. Richardson ’70 AS, ’72 ED
David A. Rodgers ’80 EN
Charlene K. Rouse ’77 DES
Philip Schardein, ’02 BE
Mary L. Shelman ’81 EN
Marian Moore Sims ’72 ’76 ED
J. Fritz Skeen ’72 ’73 BE
George B. Spragens ’93 BE
Mary Kekee Szorcsik ’72 BE
Reese S. Terry Jr. ’64 ’66 EN
Craig M. Wallace ’79 EN
Rachel Watts Webb ’05 CI
Lori E. Wells ’96 BE
Crystal M. Williams ’97 BE
Amelia B. Wilson ’03 AFE, ’06 ’11 ED

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
omas W. Harris ’85 AS - University Relations
D. Michael Richey ’74 ’79 AFE - Development
Bobby C. Whitaker ’58 CI - Honorary
Mariel Bridges Jackson - Student Government Association
Vacant - University Senate

Past Presidents
George L. Atkins Jr. ’63 BE
eodore B. Bates ’52 AFE
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
At Large
Dr. Paul E. Fenwick ’52 AFE
R. Price Atkinson ’97 CI
William G. Francis ’68 AS, ’73 LAW
Jo Hern Curris ’63 AS, ’75 LAW
W. P. Friedrich ’71 EN
Antoine Huffman ’05 CI
Dan Gipson ’69 EN
Matt Minner ’93 AS
Brenda B. Gosney ’70 HS, ’75 ED
Will Nash ’06 AS
Cammie DeShields Grant ’77 LCC, ’79 ED
Jane C. Pickering, ’74 ED
John R. Guthrie ’63 CI
Ann B. Haney ’71 AS
College
Diane M. Massie ’79 CI
Michelle McDonald ’84 AFE, ’92 ED - Agriculture
Robert E. Miller
P. J. Williams ’91 AS - Arts & Sciences
John C. Nichols II ’53 BE
James B. Bryant ’67 BE - Business & Economics
Dr. George A. Ochs IV ’74 DE
Jeremy L. Jarvi ’02 CI - Communication & Information Sandra Bugie Patterson ’68 AS
Dr. Clifford J. Lowdenback ’99 AS, ’03 DE - Dentistry
Robert F. Pickard ’57 ’61 EN
Lu Ann Holmes ’79 DES - Design
Paula L. Pope ’73 ’75 ED
Martha Elizabeth Randolph ’83 BE, ’87 ’92 ED - Education G. David Ravencra ’59 BE
Taunya Phillips ’87 EN, ’04 BE - Engineering
William Schuetze ’72 LAW
Tony R. Rollins ’97 FA - Fine Arts
David L. Shelton ’66 BE
Barbara R. Sanders ’72 AS, ’76 ED - Health Sciences
J. Tim Skinner ’80 DES
Christy Trout ’02 LAW - Law
James W. Stuckert ’60 EN, ’61 BE
Dr. Emery R. Wilson ’68 ’72 MED - Medicine
Julia K. Tackett ’68 AS, ’71 LAW
Patricia K. Howard ’83 ’90 ’04 NUR - Nursing
Hank B. ompson Jr. ’71 CI
Lynn Harrelson ’73 PHA - Pharmacy
Myra L. Tobin ’62 AFE
Jennifer L. Knight ’03 ’10 PH - Public Health
J. omas Tucker ’56 BE
Willis K. Bright Jr. ’66 SW - Social Work
Henry Wilhoit Jr. ’60 LAW
Richard M. Womack ’53 AFE

www.ukalumni.net

3

* Pride In Blue

Our alumni really are special!
It’s with great pride that
we bring you the 2015
summer issue of Kentucky Alumni magazine.
ere is so much to
love in this issue. Let’s
get right to it, starting
with our cover story. We
recently inducted the
Class of 2015 into the
University of Kentucky Alumni Association Hall of Distinguished Alumni (HODA). is year marked the 50th anniversary of the first official recognition ceremony. is is
absolutely one of my favorite events. It’s incredible to get to
know and learn about some of our most distinguished alumni
that have made, and are continuing to make, profound contributions to the country and the world. e 2015 class brings
the total inductees to 306. It’s an elite group.
is year’s class certainly continues the tradition of inspiring “Wow, I did not
know a UK alum did
that!” comments and
admiration. Among
this year’s 23 inductees
is one of the founding
partners of the largest
network of independent public relations
companies in the
world, a Pulitzer Prize
winner, chairman and
CEO of Kroger, the
first woman to serve as
governor of North Carolina, and the first female board member of Rolls-Royce PLC in London,
England. e class also includes the first African American to
receive a degree at UK and the first female African American
to earn a Ph.D. from UK. I could go on and on. I encourage
you to read the bios of each new member of our Hall of Distinguished Alumni. To see a complete list of inductees, visit
www.ukalumni.net/HODA. Additionally, there is a new wall
décor in the King Alumni House. It features a photo of every
member of HODA. I think it looks fabulous. As a matter of
fact, it’s right outside my office. Next time you are back on
campus, stop in and take a look. Be sure to say hello.
Also in this issue, we take a look back at the NCAA Tournament and our Wildcats’ historical season. Obviously, the

4

Summer 2015

season didn’t end the way we wanted, but if you are like me, I
know you are still pretty darn proud of this group of Wildcats
— not just for the record-setting 38-1 season — but more importantly for how they conducted themselves on and off the
court. ey were, and will continue to be, great representatives of our university.
As has become a tradition of spring at UK, several Wildcats
declared for the
NBA Dra aer
the season ended.
is year, seven
players decided to
forgo their college
careers. Junior
Willie CauleyStein, sophomores
Aaron Harrison,
Andrew Harrison
and Dakari Johnson along with
freshmen Devin
Booker, Trey Lyles
and Karl-Anthony
Towns, elected to put their names in the upcoming dra,
which will be held June 25 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. I am going to miss these Wildcats! I wanted
to share one of my favorite photos I took during the season.
(Who doesn’t love confetti?)
Be sure to check out a neat item on page 26 by Linda Perry
about the history of the cannon located in the grassy area in
front of the Main Building on campus. I’m sure you’ve seen
the Spanish-American war cannon known as the “Federalista”
countless times, but do you know the history behind it? Also,
read about how students in UK’s Honors Program are getting
a great education — turbocharged. We introduce you to Rod
Hook, a 1996 engineering grad who has helped revolutionize
Internet marketing.
ere’s all this and so much more. I hope you enjoy this
issue of Kentucky Alumni magazine as much as I enjoy sharing it with you. As always, I welcome your feedback.
With Pride in Blue,

Kelli Elam ’11
Editor

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¡

* * Presidential Conversation
An exciting conclusion to the Spring Semester
The end of another academic year provides an opportunity
to reflect on all that the UK family has accomplished together. It’s been a successful year, and I’ve been sharing several
hallmarks of our progress with communities around our state.
We’re a university of choice for an increasing number of
students. Our enrollment passed 30,000 for the first time in
fall 2014. Among those students were 113 National Merit,
National Achievement and National Hispanic Scholars,
bringing the total to 289 in the last three years. This places us
in the Top 10 among public institutions with these scholars.
We are graduating a larger number of students than at any
point in our history. In May, the university awarded more
than 4,500 undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. This cohort of students is added to the more than
1,900 graduates who received their degree during the December Commencement.
Among them are students of extraordinary caliber who enjoyed unique and promising college experiences. One student, UK’s 13th Truman Scholar and a Sullivan Award
recipient, launched a nonprofit organization that provides
tennis lessons to disadvantaged children. The student-athlete
and Phi Beta Kappa graduate will go on to pursue her Masters of Public Administration degree with a focus on nonprofit management.
Another student left college in his freshman semester at
UK to serve his country in Afghanistan, and now, several
years later, finished with a degree from the College of Dentistry. He continues to serve his country after being commissioned as a captain in the U.S. Army Dental Corps stationed
at Fort Campbell.
Many of our graduates were the first to receive a college degree in their family, including the son of two parents who
came to America from Cambodia to give their son a better
future. The First Scholar graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering after several internships with Toyota and
Marathon. The Georgetown native plans to work for
Marathon Petroleum in Texas.
Exemplifying the statewide impact of our Cooperative Extension Service network, one graduate credits our Fine Arts
Extension agent with challenging her at an early age. The
Pikeville native was engaged in the Artists Collaborative Theatre, which inspired her passion and encouraged her to find
her niche.
These stories are a small fraction of the countless students
who join scores of UK alumni across the nation and world.
As we celebrate the accomplishments of the 23 new UK
Alumni Association Hall of Distinguished Alumni recipients
featured in this edition of Kentucky Alumni¸ you should be
confident in the young alumni following in their footsteps.
At the same time, we must focus on improving student retention and graduation rates across campus. While we are

deeply proud of what our
students accomplished
with the support of our
faculty and staff, we know
we can — and will — do
more to improve these
numbers. The forthcoming strategic plan will help
guide this work.
The university reached
another milestone in our
effort to redevelop and
rebuild Kentucky’s flagship campus. In the last four years, we’ve invested $1.71 billion in campus facilities related to quality of life, health care,
infrastructure, student success and academics. This scope represents 4.9 million square feet to rebuild our campus.
Still, work remains if we hope to position UK as a thriving
residential, research campus. We will continue to address
deficits in the accessibility of our campus facilities, improve
how people move across campus and create more shared
spaces for learning, discovery and community.
This spring, the Kentucky General Assembly authorized a
$265 million research building that we are financing with the
support of the state and self-generated funds. This was a
major priority for the institution during the legislative session
and will help advance our research enterprise.
This project has several moving parts, including — but not
limited to — how we will fit-out the space over time and develop multidisciplinary teams answering Kentucky questions.
How we foster a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment
for answering Kentucky questions that have a global impact
will be integral to a successful research enterprise.
We’ve made extraordinary progress, but there is more work
to do. The greatest markers of success are the concrete representations of others’ trust in us: the students who choose to
pursue their education at UK; the faculty who teach, mentor
and discover here; the staff who dedicate their time to operating our campus and supporting our students and this important work; and the many alumni, donors and friends who
represent and advocate for our university.
The 2014-15 academic year was a special time for the University of Kentucky, but there is still more work to do. With
your continued support, we look forward to an even
brighter future.
Sincerely,

Eli Capilouto
President

www.ukalumni.net

7

* UK News

Women and Philanthropy provides more than
$1 million in support of UK community
e Women and Philanthropy Network
at UK, now in its sixth year, has provided
more than $1 million in grants for scholarships, fellowships, education abroad, special programs and research at UK. e
network was founded in 2007 under the
leadership of former President Lee T.
Todd Jr. and his wife Patsy Todd. is effort recognizes the essential and continu-

ing role of women in the life and progress
of the university.
Women and Philanthropy brings together women of diverse talents and experiences who share the ambition of building
a better UK and a better Kentucky. e
same dedication, energy and faith that
have led to their individual successes are
summoned now to this common cause.

e organization’s members are passionate about UK, passionate about making
women’s collective voices heard and passionate about creating a culture of service
and philanthropy through their donations
of time, talent and resources.
For more information about
the organization, please visit
ww.uky.edu/womenandphilanthropy n

Engineering building soaks up sun’s power with 30-kilowatt array
Construction began on a new 30-kilowatt (kW) solar photovoltaic (PV) array at the Ralph G. Anderson Building on the
UK campus. e installation is located on the southwest-facing
roof of the building. e $91,000 installation was jointly
funded through a partnership between the UK Student Sustainability Council and Campus Physical Plant Division.
e newly installed array also has the capability to expand
into a 60-kW array by adding two additional 15-kW arrays to
remaining space on the Anderson roof. Not only does the installation allow for cleaner, more renewable energy use, but it
also provides a learning opportunity. An online solar production tracking system will be available to the public or for use in
the classroom.
e solar array is expected to produce 36,700 kilowatt-hours
(kWh) of energy in its first year and has an expected payback
of 23 years. e solar energy will be fed directly into Anderson
Hall for consumption and will produce 1.5 percent of the annual energy needs for the facility.
“A commonly used statistic in the solar industry is the cost
per installed watt of a solar array, which came in at $2.77/watt
installed for this project, well below the 2013 national average
of $4.30/watt,” said campus energy engineer Britney ompson. “According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

an installation of this size just 10 years ago would have cost
more than $8/watt installed.”
While this installation will be the university’s largest and
most visible to date, two other solar PV installations are already
generating power for the campus.
e Davis Marksbury Building is supported by a 26-kW
solar PV array, made up of both fixed panels and two dual-axis
solar tracker panels that follow the orientation of the sun. e
S.KY BLUE Solar Decathlon House, designed and constructed
by UK students, has a 13-kW array made up of both fixed and
single axis tracking panels. e solar house placed 9th in the
2009 Solar Decathlon and is currently located near Farm Road
on south campus. n

Legislature authorizes UK multidisciplinary research building
House Bill 298 provides for a state-of-the-art facility which
will house world-class research across health disciplines at UK.
Research will focus on the many health challenges facing the
Commonwealth, particularly those which contribute to preventable diseases and deaths. e project represents the potential to improve the lives of many, both within Kentucky and
beyond the Commonwealth.
e legislation authorizes bonds to support the construction
of the research building. e building will be funded with
$132.5 million in state bonds and $132.5 million in restricted
funds provided by the university, which it has said will come
through research contracts and private fundraising.

8

Summer 2015

“As Kentucky’s flagship, land-grant university, we have a
special mission and responsibility to serve this Commonwealth,” UK President Eli Capilouto said. “Because of the vision and commitment of Gov. Beshear and the Kentucky
General Assembly, UK will take another step forward in our
mission to work in partnership with communities to heal and
help in every corner of our state. World- renowned researchers will have facilities that match their intellect and
passion. They will work collaboratively with clinicians and
communities between and among disciplines to close the
stubborn gaps caused by health disparities that for too long
have plagued our state.” n

* UK News

UKIC launches communities of global specialists
to build UK’s international presence
e UK International Center is creating
Communities of Global Specialists for
seven geographic regions to establish
complex interdisciplinary teams that will
allow UK to have a strong global presence
at home and abroad. ose regions are:
• China
• Asia
• Latin America
• Europe/Australia/New Zealand
• Middle East/North Africa
• Sub-Saharan Africa
• Russia/Caucasus/Central Asia
According to Susan Carvalho, associate provost for internationalization, UK
has many campus experts who lead thriv-

ing international projects, but those projects may walk away if the faculty member moves to another institution.
“We hope that some of those projects
have the potential for turning into institutionally embedded programs rather than
being owned by a single faculty member,”
Carvalho said. “is will establish a
shared foundation that will help us be
more competitive when grant proposals
and RFPs (requests for proposals) cross
our desks and where external opportunities converge with our existing expertise.”
Carvalho identified three examples of
outcomes that could mark the success of
a strategic approach to partnerships.

ere are “Grand Challenge” grants,
which tackle critical and complex development challenges; successful and vibrant complex international partnerships
that can provide opportunities for hundreds of students on both sides of the
partnership; and a Title VI (National Resource Center) interdisciplinary center,
funded by the Department of Education
to create regional centers of expertise in
the language and culture of particular
countries or parts of the world.
“These are goals that no single college
can accomplish and that require interdisciplinary teams and expertise,” said
Carvalho. n

New dean of Health Sciences
Scott M. Lephart is the new dean of the UK College of
Health Sciences. He also serves as a professor and as Endowed
Chair of Orthopaedic Research.
Lephart formerly served as a distinguished professor and
chairman of the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition, as well as the founding director of the Neuromuscular Research Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh. He is the
principal and senior investigator leading the Department of

Defense Human Performance Research initiative. His research
interests include musculoskeletal sports and
military injury prevention and performance
optimization. n

UK gets credit rating upgrade reflecting financial strength and reputation
Standard & Poor’s, one of the country’s major credit ratings agencies, recently upgraded the university’s bond rating
from AA- to AA, reflecting the institution’s increasing enrollment, strong health care system and growing reputation.

The upgrade is occurring as many institutions across the
country have faced challenging financial circumstances and,
in some cases, a downgrade in ratings. n

Tuition rate of increase at lowest in more than a decade
Emphasizing a commitment to affordable education, the
UK Board of Trustees approved a tuition and mandatory fee
proposal that would bring the four-year average rate of increase for resident students to its lowest levels in nearly a
decade. The increase for resident undergraduates in fall 2015
will be 3 percent, or $158 per semester, bringing Kentucky
first-year tuition to $10,780. That tuition level will bring the
average rate of increase for the last four years to 4.25 percent
— well below the more than 10 percent rolling average annual increases of 2005 to 2008. n

www.ukalumni.net

9

* * Blue Horizons

Research tackles behavioral disorders in children
Children exhibiting disruptive behaviors are at a greater risk for antisocial behaviors, such as substance abuse
and criminal activity, later in life.
With the support of a grant from the
National Institute of Mental Health
(NIMH), UK College of Public
Health researcher Tina Studts is partnering with health departments in
rural Appalachia to increase parent’s
accessibility to programs to prevent
behavioral disorders in children.
Studts, an assistant professor in the
UK Department of Health Behavior,
was awarded a three-year, $450,000
grant from NIMH to improve the delivery of behavioral parent training
programs (BPT) in underserved communities. Studts is working with local
health departments in the Cumberland Valley district, the UK Center of
Excellence in Rural Health and Kentucky Homeplace to disseminate the
training to families.

BPT programs are effective in preventing negative outcomes and public health
consequences stemming from disruptive
childhood behaviors. In Appalachian
communities, limited access to BPT
programs and a lack of engagement
from parents in using these programs
pose significant challenges to implementing evidence-based interventions.
“Parents in the Appalachian region
frequently cite stigma as one of the barriers they navigate in seeking specialized care for their children suffering
from mental health issues,” Studts said.
Studts, who is completing her final
year as a KL2 scholar with the UK Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS), initiated her research in
BPT programs through a CCTS community-engaged pilot grant. Aims of the
pilot study were to establish a Community Advisory Board (CAB) in Perry
County focused on early childhood
mental health and to assess parent and

provider preferences regarding modality,
location and interventionist of BPT in
rural Appalachian communities. Studts
found parents preferred brief interventions delivered by local health workers,
and that child service providers recognized the needs but lacked resources and
staff to provide preventive BPT services
in the community.
Studts’ newly funded project will
adapt the delivery method of a BPT
program, the Family Check-Up, to be
administered to families by community
health workers instead of mental health
professionals. It’s a brief preventative
intervention to help parents address
young children’s challenging behaviors
before they become more serious.
In collaboration with the Center of
Excellence in Rural Health and the
Perry County Early Childhood CAB,
Studts and her team will adapt and
pilot-test the training and intervention
protocols of the Family Check-Up. n

Study translates genetic risk factor into Alzheimer’s
disease prevention strategy
A team at UK recently led an effort
to investigate whether a failed
leukemia drug could reduce the risk of
Alzheimer’s disease. Their results were
published in Human Molecular Genetics.
The UK researchers, led by Steve
Estus at the Sanders-Brown Center on
Aging, study a genetic variant in a
gene called CD33 that reduces the
risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The Estus
group recently published findings suggesting that this variant promotes production of a truncated form of the
CD33 protein that lacks a putative
functional domain. The CD33 protein is present on microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain. CD33
is thought to dull the microglial response and thereby inhibit clearance
of toxic debris that builds up in the
Alzheimer’s brain.

Based on their genetic data, Manasi
Malik of the Estus lab, hypothesized
that a CD33 inhibitor might activate
sluggish microglia to reduce the risk
of Alzheimer’s disease even beyond
the protection provided by the CD33
genetic variant. The group may have
found such an inhibitor in Lintuzumab, a CD33 antibody that was
tested in clinical trials for acute
myeloid leukemia.
Although the drug was ineffective at
killing leukemic cells and is currently
not on the market, the researchers
found that Lint