This year, students from Atherton, Butler, Christian Academy of Louisville, Collegiate, Fern Creek, Jeffersontown, Kentucky Country Day, Male, Martha Layne Collins (Shelbyville), Manual, New Albany, (IN), Sacred Heart, Seneca and Waggener are taking part in the summer experience.

With support from the Humana Foundation and the Regional Cancer Center Corporation, for the first time in its 23-year history, the eight-week program was able to offer students an increased stipend of $4,000 to participate and gain valuable experience in medical research. Students interested in science but who may have needed to work summer jobs, now have the opportunity to follow their interests.

UofL News spoke with the BCC High School Summer Research Program Director, Robert Mitchell, professor in the Department of Surgery, UofL School of Medicine, and deputy director of basic and translational research at UofL Health��– Brown Cancer Center.

We also caught up with Erin Brock, Seneca High School science teacher and program coordinator, and participating Fern Creek High School student, Aliete Yanes-Medina.

UofL News: What is the main goal of the summer cancer research program?

Robert Mitchell: We want to give students who are passionate about science an opportunity to experience – firsthand – how a cancer research lab operates and how important it is for developing new and improved cancer therapies. I’ve heard of three or four students from this summer’s program who are now considering going into a graduate research program after finishing college. For us, that’s a huge victory.

UofL News: Each student has their own mentor and research project. How has that helped them develop as students and scientists?

Mitchell: Each student has the opportunity to present their own project at the end of the summer in poster form��– a project that they were forced to learn, understand and, most importantly, put into words how scientific problems are approached and completed. It’s a powerful thing to see a young student’s pride in describing something that they’ve accomplished on their own at the end of the summer.

One of the most popular things that was added this year is the weekly rotations through five different core laboratories that make up our Drug Discovery Platform (DDP). These rotations expose students to each step of the process involved in discovering new anti-cancer drugs. I’ve witnessed kids who are painfully shy or introverted become extremely animated and excited while they were doing their own enzyme inhibition experiment during one of the DDP rotations.

UofL News: Erin, this is your first year working with this summer program. How do you see this experience helping students define their future career goals?

Erin Brock: Our model is helping kids make connections to the community, and UofL has been a huge partner. When I was in high school, I knew I loved science, so I assumed I needed to be a medical doctor – but there are so many alternatives I wasn’t aware of, just like for these students. One of the best parts of this program is getting them exposed to scientific research and helping them to discover their own passion. I think they all got something meaningful out of it.

Aliete Yanes-Medina displays her project at the poster presentation

UofL News: Aliete, what has this summer’s research experience meant to you? What has been your biggest takeaway?

Aliete Yanes-Medina: I always wanted to get into medicine, and I thought I would be going straight into patient care, but when I saw this opportunity, I realized this was something I wanted to explore. Also, personally, a lot of people in my family have had cancer, so I was emotionally connected.

My takeaway has been the fact that I’ve been learning so much and how everybody in the lab is supportive. They’ve said, ‘Hey I found this article that you may like’ and then they send it to me, or ‘Hey, I found this resource that may help you to understand the articles’ and they send it to me. It has definitely opened my mind, and my plan now is to do research in the future. I was thinking about going to college out of state, maybe doing biology, but it has completely changed what I want to do now. I’m staying at UofL.

Mitchell: It’s so amazing seeing a student light up and become inspired by cancer research. Just reaching one student like this is reward enough.

Part of the growth in numbers comes as the result of major strides in the areas of affordability, access and equity, meaning Cardinals from a variety of backgrounds can take advantage of learning opportunities and experiences with reduced financial burden. This academic year, UofL announced the��expansion of its Border Benefit Award��that allows students from some neighboring states to attend UofL at in-state tuition rates, along with the investment of $2.4 million��toward the Cardinal Commitment Grant for in-state residents.

UofL jumped 15 places in the 2023-24 U.S. News and World Report����ranking, from No. 146 to No. 131, and also topped the list of “best values” among national universities in Kentucky.��In the past few years, Cardinals have graduated with the second-lowest student debt among all Kentucky four-year public universities.

New leadership helps guide the way

Taking the helm in early 2023, UofL’s 19^th president, Kim Schatzel, spent six months in some 40 listening sessions to learn what was important to UofL’s students, staff and faculty, as well as community and government leaders.

She outlined��her first eight priorities��in September, and those priorities became the basis for a new 2023-2025��. Schatzel was��officially inaugurated��on Sept. 29 in a joyous ceremony filled with music and tradition that was held on The Oval outside Grawemeyer Hall. The historic event took place during UofL’s yearlong celebration of its��225th anniversary.��In recognition of her leadership, Schatzel was named among Louisville��Business First’s Power 50��for 2024, which identifies the city’s most influential people in business and related communities. The Louisville Defender Newspaper also named Schatzel as one of the “Women Who Choose to Challenge” in the publication’s women’s history recognition edition.����

In spring 2024, the university chose Gerry Bradley as permanent executive vice president and university provost. No stranger to the Cardinal community, Bradley had served as dean of the����since 2016 and as interim provost since July 2023. He previously held that same role from January 2022 to February 2023.

Several other top leadership positions have been filled throughout 2023 and 2024, including: Karlis Kaugars, vice provost for information technology services and chief information officer; Dayna Touron, dean, ;��John W. Miller Jr., dean, ; and Kathryn (Katie) Cardarelli,����𲹲�, . This summer, Whitney Nash becomes dean of the , which celebrates 50 years of educating and preparing nurses for distinctive careers.

UofL also welcomed Pat Kelsey to lead the men’s basketball program, infusing excitement and enthusiasm into Card Nation.

Renovations, new infrastructure boost student success

The university is updating facilities and building new infrastructure to ensure students have the physical space to unleash their potential.

�ճ����Center for Military-Connected Students��debuted its newly renovated offices in Brodschi Hall on Belknap Campus. The center focuses on meeting the needs of the more than 2,300 military-connected students enrolled at UofL. At the , construction of a new four-story, $90 million student success hub is underway. It will help us produce the next generation of engineers.

And thanks to a tremendously successful legislative session, the state budget appropriated $260 million toward a new Health Sciences Center Campus simulation center and collaboration hub. That’s the largest amount of funding for a single project in UofL’s history. It also is the largest project being funded in Louisville and represents the most general fund support for any single project among Kentucky’s colleges and universities this session. UofL also received about $69 million for needed repairs on some existing facilities.

UofL’s research and innovation powerhouse flourishes

Research and innovation continued to soar to new heights in academic year 2023-24. Just a few highlights were:

• More than $22 million in funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration was awarded to the Schools of��Medicine ($16 million)���Ի���Nursing ($6.5 million)��for physician and nurse training to help increase Kentuckians’ access to health care, particularly in underserved rural and urban areas. ��
• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded four grants totaling $11.6 million to researchers affiliated with UofL’s��to study factors affecting heart health. Through these projects, they hope to better understand how environmental exposures and tobacco products can affect the cardiovascular system, as well as how remodeling takes place in the heart after a heart attack.
• UofL researcher Cheri Levinson has received an $11.5 million grant from the NIH to continue her work addressing��the devastating effects of eating disorders.
• UofL researchers Susan Harkema, Charles Hubscher and collaborators recently won a $1 million grant from the NIH aimed at helping spinal cord injury patients regain function. They are now among four teams exclusively invited to participate in another competition with a potential prize pool of $5 million.
• More than 100 UofL researchers are among the top 2% most-cited in the world, according to a new��compiled by Stanford University and Elsevier. Citations show the value other researchers around the globe place on UofL research.
• Research conducted in UofL’s Micro/Nano Technology Center is investigating whether the antibacterial properties of��cicada wings��can be turned into an antimicrobial for use in places like food service, health care facilities and medical devices.��
• More than 80 of UofL’s top researchers, scholars and artists��were honored��in October at the 2023 Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Awards ceremony.
• Four University of Louisville innovators have been selected by the prestigious National Academy of Inventors for its 2024 class of Senior��Members.��The four inventors selected from UofL–the only ones from Kentucky–are:��Thad Druffel, Nobuyuki Matoba, Thomas Roussel and Jagannadh Satyavolu.

Commitment to serve, transform the community��

Throughout the 2023-24 academic year, Cardinals have utilized knowledge and resources to advance the mutual needs of the university and the community. Earlier this spring, more than 400 students danced for 18 hours at the annual raiseRED ���������ٳ�Dz�.��

The students raised more than $516,000 for Norton Children’s Cancer Institute and the . This is UofL’s largest student philanthropic effort. It has raised more than $5 million in its 11-year history.

In the mean time, former firefighter James Cripps was awarded one of the ��for teaching firefighters throughout Kentucky about occupational cancer and mitigation strategies. A manufacturing administrator at the UofL Health��, he hopes to eliminate some of those risks.

, meanwhile, celebrated a milestone:��200 years��of compassionate care, medical innovation and serving the underserved. It was Kentucky’s first hospital, first admitting patients in a facility downtown in 1823. Now, to address a real need for citizens south and west of Louisville, UofL Health recently cut the ribbon on UofL Health – South Hospital in Bullitt County just off Interstate 65.

As part of UofL’s ongoing effort to collaborate with five K-12 schools in West Louisville, Central High School Pre-Medical Magnet Program students received white coats this spring, recognizing their hard work and encouraging them to stay focused on their goals. Students shadow UofL doctors and get to practice performing simpler procedures, like sutures, through this immersive curriculum.

Recently, UofL’s McConnell Scholars and others heard a presentation by Sen. Katie Britt, R-Alabama, who spoke about the importance of respect and trust in building relationships to address the country’s most pressing issues. A guest of the McConnell Center, Britt spoke as part of its Distinguished Speaker Series. Celebrating its 30th year, the center also brought��Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, to Belknap Campus Oct. 30. She gave a public talk and met separately with the McConnell Scholars.

Students begin their next chapter at commencement

On May 11, more than 2,000 of the approximately 3,100 students who applied for degrees and certificates, will go across the stage at the KFC Yum! Center signifying their academic success.

This Commencement holds particular significance for the high school class of 2020, which graduated at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. For some, it will be their first chance to celebrate their educational achievement by taking part in a complete traditional ceremony.

UofL President Kim Schatzel will preside at both the 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. ceremonies. �ճ������also will host a doctoral hooding and graduation ceremony for more than 100 graduates at 2 p.m. Friday, May 10, on Belknap Campus in the Swain Student Activities Center (SAC) Ballroom, second floor. All of these ceremonies will be broadcast live at��.

“I want to thank our state leaders for recognizing the importance of investing to improve access to innovative cancer care, education and research,” said, University of Louisville President. “Building this new regional site for our Brown Cancer Center extends opportunities to benefit from our expertise, research and innovative clinical trials. Kentuckians, particularly in our rural counties and mid-sized cities, need better access to those resources.”

Kentucky has the highest death rate of cancer in the U.S. (182.8 deaths per 100,000 total population), and almost 10,000 Kentuckians die of cancer each year. Twice as many Kentuckians died of cancer than of COVID-19 during the past three years, and cancer rates are expected to increase by 50% in the next 20 years. Cancer health care costs in Kentucky are $2.74 billion per year, while productivity losses from morbidity and early deaths in Kentucky cost an additional $3.1 billion per year.

“This will make a great addition to the newly opened hospital here in Bullitt County providing cancer research, training and treatment for the whole state,” said Kentucky Sen. Michael J. Nemes. “This location, along the I-65 corridor, will mean much easier access to quality cancer care for thousands of Kentucky residents. This is one of those transformational projects that will lead to better health outcomes, some that could mean the difference in life-or-death treatment.”

“As the new representative for the 26th District, I was extremely proud to vote on this budget which included $25 million for the cancer center on the UofL Health – South Hospital campus,” said Kentucky rep. Peyton Griffee. “Bringing the cancer center here is a game-changer for Bullitt County and so many more rural counties that will now have closer access to cancer treatment and research. The health and well-being of our citizens will continue to be a priority for me and our General Assembly.”

Subspecialty cancer care with comprehensive clinical trials programs and multidisciplinary clinics has been proved to reduce cancer deaths. Currently, there are no comprehensive cancer centers outside of Lexington and Louisville that offer multidisciplinary subspecialist care, clinical trials, access to state-of-the-art screening, and educational and support programs for cancer patients.

“Improving access to health care is our steadfast commitment to the commonwealth, especially in areas that are underserved,” said Tom Miller, UofL Health CEO. “I applaud our elected leaders for working with us to reduce barriers to cancer care for patients in our more rural communities.”

Patients from south, central and western Kentucky have relied on the Brown Cancer Center for a long time. In the last year alone, the Brown Cancer Center’s oncologists saw patients from nearly every Kentucky county, including more than 15,000 outpatient encounters from south, central and western Kentucky.

“The Brown Cancer Center has one unifying mission: To make cancer a disease of the past,” said��, director of the Brown Cancer Center. “We are getting closer to that goal and this new regional cancer center brings cutting-edge cancer care and lifesaving clinical trials closer to more Kentuckians.”

The new cancer center will serve as a network base for clinical trials, enhanced nursing/physician educational programs, cancer screening and outreach with partnering oncologists throughout the region. These academic pursuits will be integrated with the Brown Cancer Center’s comprehensive and multidisciplinary programs which attract cancer patients come from all over the United States for second opinions and innovative and highly effective treatment options that are not available at any other cancer centers in our region.

“After my diagnosis of a rare form of melanoma, my close-to-home treatment options were very limited,” said patient Chris Sutton, from Eddyville in rural western Kentucky. “My physician in Paducah referred me to Dr. Chesney. I was fortunate to be able to make the 400-mile round trip every three weeks, but other rural Kentuckians are not. This new center is an important first step to bringing the Brown Cancer Center’s world-class care to more Kentuckians. It will truly save lives.”

Initial plans include space for 20 infusion rooms, five exam rooms, oncology pharmacy and a diagnostic imaging suite. An education space will include a lecture hall, video conferencing space and conference rooms; training for oncology nurses and physicians in clinics; and offer rotations with community oncologists from south central and western Kentucky. A research laboratory for specimen processing and research space for data collection will support cancer clinical trials and translational research.

“For more than 30 years, the����has been UofL’s partner, the outreach and community screening arm of the Brown Cancer Center,” said����interim dean of the UofL School of Medicine and UofL Physicians head and neck cancer surgeon. “����ֱ��, screening and outreach have always been an important part of our mission to serve the underserved. This new Center for Rural Cancer ����ֱ�� and Research will put us closer to community oncologists and underserved patient populations.”

A patient wellness center, in collaboration with the Kentucky Cancer Program, and a cancer screening program connecting primary care providers to innovative screening technologies will provide additional cancer outreach and education to south, central and western Kentucky.

Final design work is underway on the new cancer center, with a groundbreaking expected in the next 12 months. The anticipated opening will be in early 2026.

For more information on UofL Health – Brown Cancer Center visit,��.

Their award-winning , named Paper of the Year by the American Journal of Physiology, sheds light on the heightened risk of kidney complications in cancer patients undergoing treatment. The study revealed that cancer itself may harm the kidneys, but that damage and scarring is intensified when patients take cisplatin, a commonly used chemotherapy drug.��

“Everything in your body is connected, from your internal systems to the medications we take,” said Andrew Orwick, lead author and recent doctoral graduate in pharmacology and toxicology.

Orwick’s doctoral research in the laboratory of researchers Leah Siskind and in collaboration with Levi Beverly, both from the and , examined the interplay of cisplatin and lung cancer, which is highly prevalent in Kentucky.

“By better understanding what those interactions are and how they happen,” he said, “we can take them into consideration and improve outcomes for the patient.”

Ultimately, that could lead to new diagnostics, more effective drugs and treatment plans that better consider the patient’s overall health and avoid or limit kidney damage.

Chronic damage to the kidneys can nausea, vomiting, fatigue, high blood pressure and even death, without transplant or dialysis. Because symptoms progress slowly, patients may not notice the condition until its advanced stages. Even so, current testing methods are difficult and invasive.

The UofL researchers think their work could help clinicians better predict not only which patients will react negatively to cisplatin and other chemotherapy drugs, but also identify potential kidney problems early. The goal is to better understand the underlying mechanisms and biomarkers, so clinicians can make more informed decisions.

“Obviously, addressing the cancer is first and foremost, but if we can do that while also preserving the patient’s overall health and feeling of health, that’s optimal,” said Siskind, a professor and senior author on the study. “The great news is that the fact that we’re even having this conversation means we’re making progress in solving cancer — we’re considering not only life, but the quality of that life.”

Siskind said the paper represents a paradigm shift in how researchers think about and treat both cancer and kidney disease. As it stands, no treatment for this form of kidney disease has made it past a phase 2 clinical trial or been approved for use in patients. This research could also help inform better drugs and experiments to fill that need.��

That innovative thinking and broad impact is likely part of why this work was selected as Paper of the Year, said Jon Klein, interim executive vice president for .

“Being selected for this honor is a massive accomplishment and underpins the immense value of the research being done by this team and across UofL,” Klein said. “This is work that truly can save and improve lives.”��

As of 2016, 70% of the line-of-duty deaths for career firefighters were caused by��UofL News caught up with Cripps to learn more about the classes he is teaching throughout Kentucky.��

UofL News: What made you want to raise awareness of occupational cancer?

James Cripps: When I was working as a career firefighter, another firefighter that came in as a high school student had gotten hired and been with our fire department for many years. After turning about 35, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and then died pretty quickly thereafter. The prevalence of cancer in firefighters is higher than your general population, but this is one of the first ones that really personally touched me and the department that I was working with at the time.

I talked to the chief at the time —��his name is Dave Goldsmith. He spurred me along to get this started because he thought my combination of being a firefighter and knowledge of cancer biology and how cancer works in the body would provide a good resource for firefighters.

UofL News: ��What should the general public know about occupational cancer?

Cripps: There are lots of different occupations that have higher risks of cancer than the general population, but I solely focus on firefighters. It is something that’s only recently been focused on in the past 10-plus years. Really, it comes about because of our increased use of petroleum-based materials — things that are derived from oil-based products of plastics and synthetics. Some of those are what they call “forever chemicals,” which are types of chemicals that get in your body and they’re there forever. These are the types of chemicals that penetrate the gear that firefighters wear, get inside their bodies, and really cause a lot of this havoc. It’s where we’re seeing increased rates of cancer, and firefighters dying earlier from very uncommon cancers.

UofL News: ��What topics do you cover in your trainings to firefighters?

Cripps: First of all, I explain to them what causes cancer, so they understand how these toxins cause cancer, and then we have mitigation strategies. So, we talk about different things, pretty much everything from what you would consider a decontamination procedure, which is something normally done when you’re exposed to hazardous materials. We also talk about limiting exposures by use of different types of new products or new types of gear that helps prevent a lot of these particles and toxins from getting to the firefighters themselves, and just some alterations of standard things that have always been done in the fire service.

Fire services is a lot like many professions, where we tend to do the same thing over and over, because that’s the way it’s always been done. Now, a lot of firefighters are seeing, a lot of younger firefighters are seeing that people are changing the way they’re doing things. Much of it is just changing behaviors.

UofL News:��What are some of the best ways to prevent occupational cancer?

Cripps: Awareness in general is probably the number one thing that helps. Being aware reinforces that they do the necessary mitigation strategies like decontamination after the fire where they try to remove as much contaminants from their skin as possible and wear the proper protective gear during the fire.

We also talk about making sure you’re having regular checkups with your doctor. I often suggest firefighters get a physical every six months. That way, if there’s any changes in bloodwork, it increases the chance of catching any type of potential issues that might be arising.

UofL News:��What does it mean to you to receive the Outstanding Community Engagement award?

Cripps: It’s a huge honor. The thing that really pushes me even more is that it gives me another opportunity to let people know of this problem because it’s not a widely known issue in the firefighter space, in general.

UofL student Nkechinyere Okorie, UofL Associate Professor of Social Work Jennifer Middleton and community engagement partner Redeemer Lutheran Church also received for their work throughout Louisville.

Any fire departments who are interested in a prevention training, can contact Cripps at james.cripps@louisville.edu or through the Colon Cancer Prevention Project

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are a promising form of cancer immunotherapy, treating cancer by activating the patient’s own immune system. While patients whose cancer responds to ICI treatment experience excellent results, a large percentage of patients fail to respond to the therapy. One of the causes of poor response is due to the presence of certain immune cells within the tumor that lead to elevated levels of adenosine, a compound found naturally in cells that causes immune suppression when present in high levels.

In the new study, the UofL researchers have enhanced the response to ICI therapy by combining it with PEGylated adenosine deaminase, a drug already approved by the FDA that reduces levels of adenosine. The study, led by Kavitha Yaddanapudi, associate professor in the Division of Immunotherapy, the Hiram C. Polk, Jr., MD Department of Surgery and researcher with the UofL Health – Brown Cancer Center, was published June 30 in . ��

Using lung, melanoma and breast cancer animal models and patient cell samples from the Brown Cancer Center biorepository, the team showed that when PEGylated adenosine deaminase is used in combination with ICI therapy, cancer-fighting T cells become more active, thereby attacking the tumor.

“This is a very exciting discovery. We found one particular mechanism by which the adenosine levels were going up in the tumors and what we can do to mitigate it,” Yaddanapudi said. “And when we combine this drug with immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, we get a very nice synergistic effect in the tumor control.”

PEGylated adenosine deaminase is FDA approved for lifelong use in children with immunodeficiency to increase their immune function.

“This is a drug that has been FDA approved for use in kids for a different disease and now we are repurposing it for cancer, so we hope it can quickly go into the clinic to confirm its ability to enhance immunotherapy in patients,” Yaddanapudi said.

“If it turns out to be an effective drug, it subverts both a natural defense mechanism against inflammation (elevated adenosine) and is an already approved agent (by the FDA),” said John Eaton, professor emeritus in UofL’s Departments of Medicine and Pharmacology & Toxicology and study team member and co-author.

The discovery has the potential to further reduce deaths from cancer, according to Jason Chesney, director of the UofL Health – Brown Cancer Center.

“ICIs have markedly improved the long-term survival of certain cancer patients and have reduced cancer death rates across the world,” Chesney said. “Many cancer patients do not respond to ICIs, but Dr. Yaddanapudi’s exciting discovery opens the door for human trials combining ICIs with PEGylated adenosine deaminase to overcome this resistance.”

This year, R!L presented 325 abstracts to a panel of more than 125 judges. Among the scientific poster competition participants represented were master’s degree and doctoral engineering students, NCI R25 undergraduate students, cancer and health disparity Summer Bridge Program students, Brown Cancer Center high school scholars, dental students, master’s degree and doctoral basic science students, medical students, distinction tract medical students, case reports, postdoctoral scholars, research associates, research staff, pharmDs, master’s degree and doctoral public health students, nursing students, medical residents, clinical fellows and faculty.

“UofL is true a research engine,” said Kevin Gardner, executive vice president for research and innovation. “This event is a unique opportunity to engage with UofL students, faculty and staff and showcase the full breadth of their work to produce groundbreaking discoveries and new innovations that save and improve lives.”

A full list of award winners and a slide presentation of the winners, including the names of their mentor(s), as well as photos/recording of the closing ceremony are available on the .

The closing ceremony included a keynote address by John D. Carpten, a renowned expert in translational genomics whose research spans multiple disciplines. Carpten is a pioneer in cancer disparities and is highly regarded for his superb leadership in the African American Hereditary Prostate Cancer Study Network. He serves as professor and chair of translational genomics, director of the Institute of Translational Genomics, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. Carpten’s lecture, “Closing the Gaps in Cancer Health Equity,” has inspired substantial scientific inquiry.

R!L’s symposium featured seminars, presentations and lectures on a variety of subjects, including nursing research, environmental health sciences, core facilities, anti-racism research, faculty development and more. Highlights included presentations by research scholars who received funding by the Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence, the Center for Integrative Environmental Health Sciences’ series of presentations, Research Integrity’s lecture by Jean Shin of the Scientific Workforce Diversity Office at the National Institutes of Health, a documentary film “Healing in the Valley” and the Kentucky Science Center’s half-day program for seventh to twelfth-grade students with a focus on biomedical sciences. The full schedule of events is on the .

Thomas Shober underwent brain tumor resection with GammaTile Therapy on Aug. 1��and is recovering well.

GammaTile Therapy is an FDA-cleared, Surgically Targeted Radiation Therapy (STaRT) that is designed to delay tumor regrowth for patients with brain tumors while protecting healthy brain tissue.

“This is just another example of our multidisciplinary approach to patient care. We knew we would have to think outside the box in order to attack the reoccurring and aggressive tumor around Mr. Shober’s brain,” said��, UofL Physicians – Restorative Neuroscience. “Through our collaboration with GammaTile, our team was able to accomplish this first-in-Kentucky procedure, proof of our commitment to innovative treatment for our patients.”

Over 200,000 patients are diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor in the U.S. each year.�� Aggressive brain tumors tend to be resistant to current treatments and have a high likelihood of recurrence. GammaTile is FDA-cleared for patients with newly diagnosed malignant brain tumors and recurrent brain tumors, including gliomas, glioblastomas, meningiomas and brain metastases.

The postage-stamp-sized GammaTile, which is embedded with small radiation sources, is implanted in the last 5 minutes of brain tumor removal surgery. The radiation immediately begins targeting tumor cells in the area where the tumor is most likely to recur. Over time and after the radiation has been delivered, the tile naturally resorbs. GammaTile Therapy is shown to improve local tumor control, which can extend a patient’s life.

“GammaTile is an efficient way of treating certain brain tumors because the tiles are placed against the tumor in the operating room immediately after the tumor is removed,” said��, UofL Health – Brown Cancer Center – Radiation Oncology. “We are pleased to bring this new standard of care to Kentucky for the first time.”

The previous standard of care for patients with operable brain tumors is the surgical removal of the tumor followed by adjuvant therapy, including radiation and chemotherapy.�� Traditional radiation is delivered in as many as 30 treatments extending over a period of several weeks. This causes a substantial burden of treatment for patients and their caregivers alike. With GammaTile, patients receive treatment as they go about their daily lives.

Additionally, GammaTile is a highly targeted therapy. While a therapeutic dose is delivered to the area most likely to have a recurrence, healthy tissue is spared. As a result, most patients avoid losing their hair during treatment.

“We are honored to be working with the brain tumor specialists at UofL Health to deploy GammaTile Therapy for the purpose of improving the lives of patients with brain tumors,” said Matt Likens, president and CEO of GT MedTech. “Patients deserve access to new treatments that can extend their lifespan while improving quality of life. We are excited to expand the availability of GammaTile Therapy to other leading brain tumor treatment centers across the U.S.”

When complete, UofL Hospital will offer more than 360 beds, each in a private room, 20 operating rooms, plus a new 24-bed observation unit. Alongside the increased clinical space, the expansion will include an enhanced visitor experience with a new lobby and waiting area, along with updates to the gift shop and coffee shop.

“This new tower is a demonstration of UofL Health’s commitment to transform the health of all the communities we serve, here in Louisville and across the Commonwealth,“ said Tom Miller, UofL Health CEO. “UofL Hospital is one of the anchors in our downtown academic medical center campus, a hub of specialized care, progressive academic research and innovative treatments. We are investing here to meet demand and increase access everywhere.”

The hospital expansion also will lead to an expansion of the UofL Health team, with approximately 325 new jobs being created. Positions will include nurses, plus clinical and non-clinical support. New hires and their dependents are immediately eligible for , funded by UofL Health, to the University of Louisville.

“By expanding UofL Hospital to meet today’s medical needs, we are also investing to grow the physicians, nurses and other allied health professionals of tomorrow,” said Lori Gonzalez, University of Louisville interim president. “Together, with UofL Health, our blended mission of healing, teaching and research is building a stronger health care workforce and healthier future for Kentucky.”

UofL Hospital is the primary teaching and research hospital for UofL Health, affiliated with the University of Louisville. Its Level 1 Trauma Center, one of only two adult trauma centers in the state, includes a comprehensive burn unit and admits more than 3,500 patients each year. The hospital is home to Kentucky’s first Comprehensive Stroke Center and includes UofL Health – . The cancer center specializes in treating cancers of the nervous system, breast, gastrointestinal and reproductive systems, head and neck, lungs and skin.

According to the ASHE, an association devoted to professionals who design, build, maintain and operate hospitals and other health care facilities, there are nearly 1,700 individual teaching hospitals in the United States.��Of these, roughly 300 are considered major teaching hospitals, including UofL Health.

“Academic medical centers offer significant advantages, especially in complex cases,” said Jason Smith, UofL Health chief medical officer. “The treatments of tomorrow are available today at UofL Health with the collective wisdom of expert researchers and clinicians. The new tower allows us to make that care available to more patients.”

The hospital is licensed to operate up to 404 beds, but the existing facility limited operating capacity to 340 over the past several years. The combined impact of the additional beds and the observation unit creates room for nearly 50 more patients and reduces wait times as patients transition between different levels of care. The seven-story tower expansion will also include the infrastructure to accommodate two more floors for future growth.

The investments at UofL Hospital are part of an overall commitment to increase access to care in the region, particularly in federally medically underserved areas (MUAs). Over the past two years, UofL Health has opened five Urgent Care Plus locations, added two new locations for the Brown Cancer Center and recruited more than 140 new physicians. Two of the urgent cares, a cancer center location and more than 100 physicians are specifically located to serve people living in MUAs.

More than 1.5 million patients seek care through UofL Health each year, with patients from each of Kentucky’s 120 counties and southern Indiana.

With construction now underway, the tower is expected to open to its first patients in early 2024.��

“The new tower will reduce capacity constraints and increase access to UofL Hospital’s specialized care, progressive academic research and innovative treatments,” said Tom Miller, UofL Health CEO. “As Kentucky’s largest academic health care system, UofL Health is building the future of health care, to transform the health of the communities we serve, the Commonwealth and the region.”

The hospital expansion also will lead to an expansion of the UofL Health team, with approximately 325 new jobs being created. Positions will include nurses, plus clinical and non-clinical support. New hires and their dependents are immediately eligible for����funded by UofL Health.

The investments at UofL Hospital are part of an overall commitment to increase access to care in the region, particularly in federally medically underserved areas (MUAs). Over the past two years, UofL Health has opened five Urgent Care Plus locations, added two new locations for the Brown Cancer Center and recruited more than 143 new physicians. Two of the urgent cares, a cancer center location and more than 100 physicians are specifically located to serve people living in MUAs. In addition, UofL Health recently announced the building of a new rehabilitation hospital called UofL Health – Frazier Rehabilitation Institute – Brownsboro, in partnership with Kindred Healthcare, and is evolving a medical center into a full-service hospital in Bullitt County.

“UofL Health has been an outstanding Team Kentucky partner in the fight against COVID-19, and this expansion is great news for Louisville and the commonwealth,” said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. “Increasing UofL Hospital’s staff and capacity will make it possible for more Kentuckians to get great care, alleviate the burden on other hospitals in busy times and help train the next generation of Kentucky physicians, nurses and other health care professionals. To develop our workforce, it’s important to make higher education more affordable. That’s why UofL Health’s commitment to providing free tuition to employees and their families is such a critical step and one that’s deeply appreciated.”

UofL Hospital is the primary teaching and research hospital for UofL Health, affiliated with the University of Louisville. Its Level 1 Trauma Center, one of only two adult trauma centers in the state, includes a comprehensive burn unit and admits more than 3,500 patients each year. The hospital is home to Kentucky’s first Comprehensive Stroke Center and includes UofL Health –��. The cancer center specializes in treating cancers of the nervous system, breast, gastrointestinal and reproductive systems, head and neck, lungs and skin. UofL Hospital is part of one of only 120 academic medical centers in the country.

“By expanding UofL Hospital to meet today’s medical needs, we are also investing to grow the physicians, nurses and other allied health professionals of tomorrow,” said Lori Gonzalez, University of Louisville interim president. “The updated facility will complement the renowned reputation of our academic physicians.”

The hospital is licensed to operate up to 404 beds, but the existing facility limited operating capacity to 340 over the last several years. The combined impact of the additional beds and the observation unit creates room for nearly 50 more patients and reduces wait times as patients transition between different levels of care. The seven-story tower expansion will also include the infrastructure to accommodate two more floors for future growth.

“I’m thrilled to see UofL Health make yet another exciting investment that will improve care, expand access, and further grow our city’s already outstanding health care workforce. This new seven-story tower will help ensure that state-of-the-art, patient-centered care will be the hallmark of UofL Hospital for years to come,” said Kentucky Rep. John Yarmuth. “As our state’s leading academic health care system and teaching hospital, I’m proud of the work being done here in Louisville to improve the lives of Kentuckians—whether they enter these doors as patients or as the medical professionals of tomorrow.”

“This expansion of vital health care resources, right here in our city’s core, is great news for people who need the kind of specialized services that UofL Health provides,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. “Thank you to the UofL Health leadership and team for all your hard work, your passion and your commitment to our city and its residents.”

More than 1.5 million patients seek care through UofL Health each year, with patients from each of Kentucky’s 120 counties.

“This expansion means we can better support both our community and hospitals in other communities,” said Ken Marshall, UofL Health chief operating officer. “When we are full, we can deliver the care to our patients that is expected of us. We are building to allow more patients to benefit from the expertise of UofL Physicians and our clinical teams.”

Construction is expected to begin this spring, with the tower opening to its first patients in early 2024.

Financing for the project will involve a mixture of internal capital investment, tax-free bond financing, hospital revenue bonds and private donations. Those interested in supporting the project are encouraged to visit��