Lecture honors longtime leader in battle to improve the health of South Carolinians

A respected leader in the battle against cancer among minorities and the medically underserved will deliver the first James A. Clyburn Lecture at the University of South Carolina on April 25.

Dr. Lovell A. Jones, director of the Center for Research on Minority Health at the University of Texas, will speak at 9 a.m. in the auditorium of the Arnold School’s Public Health Research Center, 921 Assembly Street. The lecture is open to USC students, faculty, staff and the public.

The lecture series honors U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., who has served South Carolina's Sixth Congressional District since 1993. The Sumter native was an active member of the 1960s civil rights movement and was S.C. Human Affairs Commissioner from 1974-1992. He currently is House Majority Whip for the 110th Congress.

Dr. Saunda Glover, Arnold School associate dean for health disparities and social justice, said the lecture series is a "joint initiative between Claflin University and the Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities at the University of South Carolina. It will bring together researchers and public health professionals in an interactive forum to discuss ways and means to eliminate the public health disparities that continue to plague South Carolina and the rest of the nation."

Glover, who also is director of the Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities, said the continuing series will, in turn, touch on disparities facing South Carolina's minority residents including cancer, stroke, obesity, HIV/AIDS and high blood pressure.

Clyburn, along with Sen. Ernest F. Hollings, D-S.C., helped secure funding to establish the Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities in 2003.

"His commitment to the elimination of health disparities is long-standing. Hence, the naming of the lecture series in honor of his service to the health needs of the people of South Carolina, the Southeast and the nation," said Glover.

Jones' efforts in combating cancer in minorities complements "an area of research strength of the health sciences at USC and an area where we have made significant efforts to join with community stakeholders to begin to focus on solutions," Glover said.

Jones, whose research center is part of the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, is the founding co-chair of the Intercultural Cancer Council, the nation's largest multicultural health policy group focused on minorities, the medically underserved and cancer.

He has edited "Minorities & Cancer," one of the few comprehensive textbooks on this subject. He is the founding chair of "Minorities, the Medically Underserved and Cancer," the nation's largest multicultural conference which provides a forum for exchanging the latest scientific and treatment information.

This biennial conference brings together people from all ethnic communities and social strata to share strategies for reducing the incidence of cancer among these populations. Jones also has spearheaded regional hearings on cancer and the poor for the American Cancer Society.

In 2002, Jones, along with Dr. Armin Weinberg, the other cofounder of the Intercultural Cancer Council, received the Humanitarian Award from the American Cancer Society.

Between 1980 and 2007, Jones received more than $20 million in research funding for studies in which he was the principal investigator.

A question and answer period and a reception in the lobby of the PHRC will follow Jones' address at USC.

USC, Claflin University open new molecular virology laboratory in Orangeburg   Posted 04/16/2007

The University of South Carolina and Claflin University have opened a new molecular virology laboratory created to reduce HIV/AIDS and HPV/cervical cancer rates in the Orangeburg community and elsewhere.

The laboratory is part of Project EXPORT (Excellence in Partnership for Community Outreach, Research on Health Disparities, and Training), a research, education and public outreach collaboration between the two universities.

EXPORT is five-year effort supported by a $7.5 million grant from the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, part of the National Institutes of Health.

“We envision that this laboratory will be a site where breakthrough research is conducted. This lab will also expose students to new knowledge and allow them to gain skills necessary to conduct advanced scientific research,” said Dr. Saundra Glover, associate dean for health disparities and social justice at USC’s Arnold School of Public Health.

Glover is also principal investigator of the EXPORT project and serves as director of the USC Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities which has established research, training and outreach relationships between USC and the state’s historically black colleges and universities.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on April 19 at the new lab located at 898 Goff Ave. on the Claflin campus in Orangeburg.

Dr. Omar Bagasra, a Claflin professor and director of the school’s South Carolina Center for Biotechnology, said the laboratory is housed in a former residence that was renovated at a cost of about $200,000. It contains new, state of the art equipment valued at more than $1 million.

Bagasra said the lab will accommodate about ten graduate students and be available to visiting scientists from around the globe. Dr. Samina Hassanali will manage the lab.

Dr. Kim Creek, a professor at the USC School of Medicine who has coordinated cancer research programs between USC and Claflin, said training minority students in cancer research is also a major function of the lab.

Authorities at both universities say training health professionals from minority and underserved populations will advance the cause of reducing, eliminating or preventing health disparities in South Carolina.

Bagasra said that when the EXPORT Project is completed, the lab will be available to provide molecular diagnostic service for research and other uses.

The school also is working with the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety to do local forensics research, which will allow evidence to be studied without sending it to Columbia.
 

Press Release

The University of South Carolina and Claflin University Share
$7.5 Million Grant to Eliminate HIV/AIDS &
Cancer Health Disparities

Claflin University and the University of South Carolina will share a $7.5 million federal grant to eliminate health disparities in HIV/AIDS and Cancer in the Palmetto State. The funding agent, National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), promotes minority health and leads, coordinates, supports and assesses the NIH effort to reduce and ultimately eliminate health disparities. The collaborating institutions, the University of South Carolina (lead institution) will receive 60% ($4.57 million) and Claflin University will receive 40% ($2.93 million). The partnership will strengthen South Carolina's mission to boost the quality and quantity of research that is relevant to the needs of its citizens.

Dr. Henry N. Tisdale, president of Claflin University, said, "The USC-Claflin EXPORT partnership will offer an environment for stimulating exchange between Claflin's and USC's faculty and allow students to engage in undergraduate research. And, more importantly, the joint effort will lead to narrowing the gap among those affected by HIV/AIDS and Cancer in South Carolina."

The Community Partnerships and Outreach Core of the USC-Claflin EXPORT partnership will work with community leaders and public health agencies to develop and implement solutions to community health problems identified through the collaboration. The lead community partner is the Minority HIV/AIDS Council of Orangeburg, Bamberg and Calhoun Counties, Inc., an established community-based organization. The Community Advisory Group (CAG) will link the community to USC's and Claflin's resources while assisting investigators in learning about the needs and assets of the community.

USC President Andrew Sorensen said the grant represents the best of partnerships. "South Carolina has many health problems, and solving them is too big for just one institution. That is why I am delighted to be part of this announcement today because it represents the very best of partnerships, including one between two institutions deeply committed to research, outreach and teaching."

The Education and Training Core of the USC-Claflin EXPORT Partnership will address the need to train public health professionals for communities in South Carolina. Students will receive training on the campuses of USC and Claflin. The partnership will provide fellowships and research internships, undergraduate courses in pubic health, a public health research seminar series; and a post-baccalaureate program in public health at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina.

The Research Core consists of two major (five year) projects and one two-year pilot project. All of the projects focus on HIV/AIDS and cancer (in particular human papillomavirus and cervical cancer). The major aim of this project is to establish a Molecular Virology Laboratory (MVL) at Claflin University. This laboratory will serve as an important resource for all research activities of the Project Export Center.

Another study will involve female college students at USC and Claflin. Most women who test positive for human papillomaviruses (HPV) clear the HPV infection in a few months. Only a few women have persistent HPV infection: these women are at risk of developing the early precursors to cervical cancer and ultimately cervical cancer. This project will study immunological, environmental, and other factors that are related to the ability of a woman to clear or not to clear an HPV infection, with the goal of identifying specific determinants that cause HPV persistence.

HIV-infected people exhibit a high incidence of oral disease which is related to a reduction in oral immunity. The reduction in oral immunity may be the result of increased stress and stress hormone levels in the HIV infected individuals. Several studies indicate that acupuncture (ACU) can reduce stress and stimulate immune function. The goal of this study is to determine the efficacy of a standardized stress-reduction ACU regimen, administered in a group setting, in reducing oral immunosuppression in HIV-infected African American’s in Columbia and Orangeburg.

Claflin University is a comprehensive institution offering undergraduate degrees in 34 areas and two graduate programs, the Master of Business Administration and the Master of Science in Biotechnology. In its 2006 special edition, U. S. News and World Report on America's Best Colleges ranked Claflin University in the Top Ten for the fifth consecutive year, number one Best Value and in the South for students working toward bachelor's degrees. In the same publication, Claflin was ranked as number one Best Value and finished at the top with an impressive graduation rate.

The EXPORT grant is the second major grant announcement in the past week involving USC and Claflin. USC announced a $17.3 million grant to strengthen biomedical research with six other institutions, including Claflin.