Ammerman, a former UofL volleyball player and graduate of several UofL College of 成人直播 and Human Development (CEHD) programs, credits her career success to her years of academics and athletics at the university.听

鈥淯ofL has always felt like my second home,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 have developed lifetime friendships through each program, degree and certification that have been pivotal in my life and career,鈥� Ammerman said.听

Her next journey will start this fall, where she is excited to reinvent how a school can look and feel.

鈥淚 am thrilled to have this once in a lifetime experience to open a brand-new school and build a strong sense of belonging with our students and community,鈥� said Ammerman. 鈥淲e will be an ‘explore school,’ which gives students the opportunity to experience hands on learning in the following pathways: Engineering and Design, Business and Communications, and Consumer Sciences.鈥�

Ammerman began her academic and athletic career at UofL in 2003 as a volleyball recruit and garnered numerous accolades with her team, winning conference titles and advancing to the Sweet 16 twice. 听

As an educator and scholar, Ammerman obtained a bachelor of science degree in in 2007 and a in 2008. While working full-time in JCPS and starting her family, Ammerman also earned a with a concentration in principalship in 2013, and a in 2016. In May 2023, she completed her fifth credential from UofL鈥檚 College of 成人直播 and Human Development (CEHD) – a rare accomplishment for any student.

Ammerman has worked in various roles throughout JCPS for 15 years, most recently serving as principal of Crosby Middle School where she led during the year of non-traditional instruction (NTI) during the pandemic. In 2021, she was named JCPS Middle School Principal of the Year by the Jefferson County Association of School Administrators.

鈥淭hroughout my career as a UofL student, I have always been treated like a person. Relationships matter and UofL professors and advisors have always made that the number one priority,鈥� said Ammerman. 鈥淚 have always felt like they wanted me to be successful and were happy to engage with me outside of class.鈥�

By Tessa Chilton,

During the pandemic, health care providers worked tirelessly to treat patients who became seriously ill with COVID-19. Some of those patients developed severe lung disease known as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to an excessive response of the immune system often called cytokine storm.

As they treated these critically ill patients, physicians and other providers at UofL Health shared their clinical insights and patient samples with researchers at UofL to discover the cause of the immune system overresponse.

鈥淎t one time we had over 100 patients with COVID in the hospital. Once they were on a ventilator, mortality was about 50%. We were looking at this issue to see why some people would do well while some developed bad lung disease and did not do well or died,鈥� said Jiapeng Huang, anesthesiologist with UofL Health and professor and vice chair of the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine in the UofL School of Medicine.

The UofL researchers, led by immunologist Jun Yan, discovered that a specific type of immune cells, low-density inflammatory neutrophils, became highly elevated in some COVID-19 patients whose condition became very severe. This elevation signaled a clinical crisis point and increased likelihood of death within a few days due to lung inflammation, blood clotting and stroke. Their findings were published in 2021 in .

With the new NIH funding, Yan is leading research to build on this discovery with deeper understanding of what causes a patient鈥檚 immune system to respond to an infection in this way and develop methods to predict, prevent or control the response.

鈥淭hrough this fruitful collaboration, we now have acquired NIH funding for basic and translational studies and even progress toward commercialization of a potential therapy,鈥� Yan said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we do this research 鈥� eventually we want to benefit the patients.鈥�

Yan, chief of the UofL Division of Immunotherapy in the Department of Surgery, a professor of microbiology and immunology and a senior member of the Brown Cancer Center, will lead the new research, along with Huang and Silvia M. Uriarte, university scholar and professor in the Department of Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases in the UofL School of Dentistry.

鈥淐OVID-19 continues to spotlight the impactful synergy between the clinical and research teams at the University of Louisville,鈥� said Jason Smith, UofL Health chief medical officer. 鈥淚nnovation is in the DNA of academic medicine. We collaborate to provide each patient the best options for prevention and treatment today, while developing the even better options for tomorrow.鈥�

In addition to two research grants of $2.9 million each awarded directly to UofL, a $306,000 grant to a startup company will support early testing of a compound developed in the lab of UofL Professor of Medicine Kenneth McLeish that shows promise in preventing the dangerous cytokine storm while allowing the neutrophils to retain their ability to kill harmful bacteria and viruses. The compound, DGN-23, will be tested by UofL and Degranin Therapeutics, a startup operated by McLeish, Yan, Huang, Uriarte and Madhavi Rane, associate professor in the Department of Medicine.

鈥淭his is one more example of how UofL has led the charge in finding new and innovative ways to detect, contain and fight COVID-19 and other potential public health threats,鈥� said Kevin Gardner, UofL鈥檚 executive vice president for research and innovation. 鈥淭his team鈥檚 new research and technology could help keep people healthy and safe here and beyond.”

The knowledge gained through these studies may benefit not only COVID-19 patients, but those with other conditions in which immune dysregulation can occur, such as other types of viral and bacterial pneumonia and autoimmune diseases, and patients undergoing cancer immunotherapy and organ transplantation.

The grants

Grant 1 鈥� $2.9 million, four-year grant to UofL. Investigators will study the new subset of neutrophils Yan identified to better understand how they contribute to acute respiratory distress and clotting. They also will determine whether a novel compound will prevent these complications. They will use lab techniques and studies with animal models that allow for manipulation of certain conditions that cannot be done in human subjects.

Grant 2 鈥� $2.9 million, five-year grant to UofL. This work examines a more comprehensive landscape to characterize different subsets of neutrophils and measure their changes over the course of COVID-19 disease progression and how neutrophils contribute to immune dysfunction.

Grant 3 鈥� $306,000, one-year grant to Degranin Therapeutics and UofL for early testing of DGN-23, a compound developed at UofL, to determine its effectiveness in preventing or reducing immune dysregulation.

This research is supported by the National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute under award numbers R01HL158779 and R43HL169129 and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases under award number R01AI172873. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

The Top 4 SGA leaders, elected in March for the 2022-23 academic year, are made up of the student body president, executive vice president and two vice presidents (one for academics and one for service). Together, they lead the university鈥檚 student government network across eight schools and colleges.

Here鈥檚 what they had to say about the upcoming school year.

Dorian Brown, student body president

Brown, a junior majoring in communications in the College of Arts & Sciences, is a member of the Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity that has three ideals at its core: leading, learning and serving. He is also passionate about puppies.

鈥淢y favorite SGA activity is when we have puppies in the library during finals,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淚 feel as if that is a good way for students to decompress in the midst of finals stress and just get a chance to hang out with some puppies.鈥�

Brown said he hopes this year鈥檚 SGA can 鈥渞ebuild the Cardinal community, which has been trying to recover from the repercussions of Covid-19 for the past two years.鈥�

The Covid-19 lockdowns that forced the university community into remote learning struck in the spring semester of his freshman year.听鈥淪o I was able to enjoy most of my freshman year without the restrictions of Covid-19, but every year after that my college experience has been minimized due to the restrictions that Covid-19 has caused,鈥� he said.听听

He is also going to focus efforts in improving campus safety.听

Brown chose UofL early in his college search — 鈥淯ofL was the second university that I toured and following my tour, something immediately clicked here and I just knew this is where I belonged.鈥�

Katie Hayden, executive vice president

Junior Katie Hayden, who is part of the ULEAD program that guarantees admittance to the UofL School of Dentistry if academic conditions are met, also emphasized the Top 4鈥檚 commitment to rebuilding 鈥渙ur campus鈥� sense of community. We are extremely excited to welcome all Cards back to campus with a full Cardinal experience.鈥�

Hayden, who is looking forward to SGA’s Homecoming activities Oct. 17-22, is enthusiastic about SGA and what it can do for students.

鈥淪GA is designed to be a vehicle for every student鈥檚 voice on campus, so it is so important that students get involved to ensure they are using their voice to create the change they want to see,鈥� she said. 鈥淣ot only is it a great way to stay involved with change on campus but also a way to make new friends, find new opportunities, learn how to work on a team, and make a true difference!鈥�

She chose UofL after careful consideration that included opportunities for student involvement. 鈥淯ltimately, I wanted to attend a school I knew would provide me with the best set of skills to succeed in my future endeavors.鈥澨�

Alex Reynolds, services vice president

Reynolds, a junior majoring in political science in the College of Arts & Sciences, said he is focused on improving campus safety. He plans to advocate for investments in lighting and security cameras as well as for the expansion of the Cardinal Cruiser service that provides free night transportation for students on Belknap Campus.

Another subject of his efforts will be to expand on-campus student dining options. 鈥淚 plan on advocating for longer hours, greater meal plan packages, and both quality and healthy dining venues on campus,鈥� he said.

Reynolds also said he hopes the UofL community can start to recover from the years of Covid-19 isolation and lockdowns.听

鈥淭his year, I hope we can all move past this, start rebuilding our campus culture, and welcome the incoming class,” he said.

Among the SGA-sponsored activities he is looking forward to are the free late-night breakfast events during finals and new plans to host SGA-sponsored tailgates for some home football games this season.

Reynolds, who plans to go to law school, encouraged his fellow Cardinals to play a role in student government.

鈥淓ven if a student is unable to directly be involved in SGA, all students have the opportunity to vote in SGA elections and express their ideas and concerns,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to recognize that SGA has an important seat at the table for many discussions regarding the direction of the university.鈥�

Bryson Sebastian, academic vice president

Sebastian, a McConnell Scholar and Sigma Chi Fraternity member, is a junior majoring in political science in the College of Arts & Sciences.听

As the 2022-2023 academic vice president, his main goal is to 鈥渞e-engage the student body on campus.鈥�

He hopes to do that by increasing student interactions with the many academic services at UofL, such as the career centers, REACH and Student Success centers, Ekstrom Library鈥檚 Writing Center and Digital Media Suite, the new Center for Engaged Learning and the Digital Transformation Center.

鈥淥verall,听 I just want our students to be informed about the support system they have on campus and have our students take full advantage of them,鈥� he said.

Sebastian said the Covid-19 pandemic took away some of the 鈥済reatest parts of college,鈥� but this year鈥檚 Top 4 wants to get past what was taken away and focus on rebuilding.

鈥淲e are hopeful that we will have a full year of full-capacity events where our students are once again able to cultivate lifelong friendships and connections to both their peers and the Louisville community,鈥� he said.

Sebastian, a native of Louisville, describes himself as 鈥渁 huge Cards fan from the womb.鈥� His favorite SGA-sponsored event is also the finals week breakfasts in the libraries.听He plans to pursue a graduate degree in policy or law.听

He encouraged students to visit the SGA office on the 3rd floor of the SAC. 鈥淲e will always have someone in the office, snacks, drinks, etc., and we are really looking forward to students popping in to talk with us, share their stories, and keep us well informed.鈥�

The latest variants of COVID-19, BA.4 and BA.5, are spreading quickly and broadly throughout the country. Jefferson County and much of Kentucky have been placed at a , signaling that our area is experiencing high rates of transmission and hospitalization. The CDC strongly recommends red level areas to mask indoors.听听

We have been closely monitoring this situation over the last few weeks and we are frequently meeting to discuss the latest information. At this time, there is no change to our policies, but we strongly encourage all Cardinals to mask indoors for the duration of this surge.

This is a fluid situation. Next week, we’ll send out听another update and provide information on where you can pick up a free KN95 mask on campus soon. 听

As a Community of Care, it is important that we all act with extra vigilance during this time and follow the seven 听to the best of our ability. If you have questions or concerns, reach out to a member of the .听We鈥檝e met every challenge the pandemic has posed to our university community听thus far, and 鈥斕齮ogether鈥� we will continue to meet these challenges.

To better understand the psychological factors underlying this commitment to individual prevention measures, a team of psychology researchers led by Michael Cunningham at the University of Louisville surveyed several groups of people about their attitudes and responses. The studies, published in in April, revealed associations between individuals鈥� response to prevention measures and their belief in the credibility of science, control and coping mechanisms and political orientation.

Cunningham and colleagues at UofL, York College in Pennsylvania and FifthTheory, a digital assessment and survey solutions company in Chicago, conducted a series of three online surveys to delve deeper into the psychological determinants of COVID-19 prevention behaviors.

The first study of the series surveyed students, faculty and staff at two higher education institutions in the U.S. The researchers compared respondents鈥� assessments on the a measure of acceptance of responsibility and adherence to prevention measures, with additional questions to determine respondents鈥� belief in the credibility of science, political orientation and beliefs about the virus and the degree to which preventing an infection was within an individual鈥檚 control.

It showed that those who attributed COVID-19 safety to personal effort rather than inherent ability or outside forces, who had a progressive political orientation and who believed in the credibility of science were more likely to embrace COVID-19 prevention actions such as wearing masks, social distancing and vaccination.

The study began before the COVID-19 vaccine was available, but once the Pfizer vaccine received Emergency Use Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration in December 2020, the team added questions to the survey about willingness to take the vaccine. This gave them insight into attitudes both before and after respondents were confident a vaccine would be a reality.

鈥淭he attitudes about the pandemic may differ depending on what you think the solutions are going to be, so issues of sensitization and denial and repression may come in to play slightly differently when you think there is a solution versus when you don鈥檛,鈥� Cunningham said. 鈥淲e were thinking a vaccine would come but we didn鈥檛 all know when it was going to hit, so when it did in December of 2020, that changed the equation quite a bit.鈥�

After the vaccine received authorization, responses to the survey shifted slightly, showing that individuals had become less committed to personal carefulness and health-consciousness to avoid the illness and less likely to believe that becoming ill from the virus was due to fate or luck.

The second study in the series addressed work-related attitudes related to the pandemic. The researchers surveyed adults across the U.S. and found that an intention to be vaccinated corresponded to a willingness to work, less emotional distress and greater focus on customer experience.

The third study documented the personal attributes and motives of individuals who volunteered to help administer vaccines in Kentucky. Nearly 60% of those individuals were motivated by a desire to help others, whereas almost 40% said they volunteered so they could receive the vaccine themselves. Compared to the general population, the survey found the volunteers more likely to be older, to have higher levels of education, to believe in the credibility of science, vote liberal and attribute COVID-19 protection to personal effort.

The results of these studies led the researchers to propose a COVID-19 mindset hierarchy model that ranks individuals in terms of their response to pandemic. The model goes from the most basic level 1, acceptance vs. denial of COVID-19, to the most mature level 5, in which individuals become involved in community-based eradication efforts. The knowledge base incorporated in the model is useful in shaping health safety messaging going forward, not only with COVID, but with monkeypox and other plagues that have not yet emerged.

Cunningham and his team are planning additional research to further understand the psychological impact of the pandemic and related losses, to validate the COVID-19 mindset hierarchy and to examine the relation of COVID behaviors to more general health care related topics, such as support for a single-payer system.

The Pandemic-Related Product Acceleration & Responsive Entrepreneurship Program, or , partners UofL researchers with companies and members of the community to scale up innovative ideas. The end goal is to grow existing companies or spin up new ones to bring those ideas to market.听

PRePARE announced its first round of projects in December 2021, each of which received project management, entrepreneurial support and up to $50,000 in direct costs to fund product development at UofL. In its second round, the program selected three new projects, and awarded additional funding to two existing ones.听听

The new projects are:听

• Data-driven personalized treatment for eating disorders: Researchers Cheri Levinson and Christina Ralph-Nearman (both from the College of Arts and Sciences) working with Awaken Digital Health Solutions;听
• Development of evidence-informed mental health for student athletes: Researcher Becky Antle (Kent School of Social Work) working with UofL Health; and听
• A virtual reality software for listening with hearing aids in realistic environments: Researcher Matthew Neal (School of Medicine) working with Heuser Hearing Institute.听

The two projects receiving additional funding are:听

• OxyCART: An efficient and durable oxygen concentrator for COVID-19 and beyond: Researcher Gautum Gupta (J.B. Speed School of Engineering) working with medical equipment company, , and non-profit, ; and听
• Wicked Smart Pad: Washable bedding with sensors for the detection and mitigation of moisture events: Researcher Cindy Harnett (J.B. Speed School of Engineering) working with tech startup, .听

鈥�These are truly innovative ideas, and each one addresses an important social, economic, health or other challenge presented by the COVID-19 pandemic,鈥� said Paula Bates, a professor of medicine who leads the program with the Office of Research and Innovation鈥檚 Will Metcalf, Sara Price and Jessica Sharon. 鈥�These products, backed by UofL researchers and community partners, have the potential to make a real impact that could help us recover faster from this pandemic and become more resilient against future ones.鈥�听

PRePARE is part of the UofL Office of Research and Innovation鈥檚 office, which works to launch and grow startups built on UofL intellectual property and helps to manage a suite of aimed at turning research into viable commercial products. UofL is one of only a handful of universities in the U.S. to receive each of these innovation-associated awards, and it鈥檚 the only one to receive all of them.鈥�听

鈥�PRePARE and UofL鈥檚 other translational programs create important connectivity between industry and our campus,鈥� said Metcalf, an associate vice president for research and innovation who heads UofL New Ventures and helps lead the PRePARE grant. 鈥�That connectivity is critical to economic development, and I encourage researchers and industry who want to be involved to reach out to our staff at ventures@louisville.edu. By working together, we can build innovative companies and products that solve problems, like those related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and make a positive impact on our world.鈥�听

Starting March 14, 2022, masking will only be required in classrooms and clinical areas.听In all other areas, masks will be optional.

Here are additional things to note about the mask requirement modification:

• Masks are still required when riding campus shuttles due to TARC鈥檚 continued mask requirement.
• Units that operate patient care activities may determine how to make their policies consistent with health agency recommendations.
• The university still encourages individuals with health concerns to consider wearing masks while indoors.听
• The university will continue to monitor CDC guidance and may have to make more changes to masking or take other measures if circumstances change.听

Beginning April 1, 2022, the university will also no longer require testing of unvaccinated individuals as asymptomatic testing has now shown to have little to no effect on the spread of COVID-19. If you feel ill, stay home and .

As we relax some of these requirements that have been in place since the start of the pandemic, please keep in mind that this may be a difficult transition for some. Please be thoughtful and considerate with each other as we make this transition.

The study, published Jan. 20 in , found CBD showed a significant negative association with SARS-CoV-2 positive tests in a national sample of medical records of patients taking the FDA-approved drug for treating epilepsy. The researchers now say that clinical trials should be done to determine whether CBD could eventually be used as a preventative or early treatment for COVID-19.

They caution, however, that the COVID-blocking effects of CBD come only from a high purity, specially formulated dose taken in specific situations. The study鈥檚 findings do not suggest that consuming commercially available products with CBD additives that vary in potency and quality can prevent COVID-19.

Scientists have been looking for new therapies for people infected by the coronavirus and emerging variants, especially those who lack access to vaccines, as the pandemic continues across the country and world and as breakthrough infections become more common.

鈥淭he Commonwealth of Kentucky has a robust hemp agriculture, so we were pleased to find that pharmaceutical grade CBD is worth testing in future human clinical studies,鈥� said Kenneth Palmer, study coauthor who headed the UofL research team. 鈥淚n response to the COVID-19 pandemic, our team developed expertise in SARS-CoV-2 infection models and we welcomed the opportunity to collaborate with the University of Chicago team to confirm the efficacy of CBD treatment against SARS-CoV-2.鈥�

Palmer is director of the Center for Predictive Medicine for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust Endowed Chair in Plant-based Pharmaceutical Research at UofL. The center houses the Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, one of only 12 regional and two national biocontainment labs in the United States and the only one in Kentucky. Established with support from the NIH to conduct research with infectious agents, the lab includes Biosafety Level 3 facilities built to the most exacting federal safety and security standards.

Researchers from the University of Louisville co-authoring the study with Palmer are Divayasha Saxena, Jon D. Gabbard, Jennifer K. Demarco, William E. Severson and Charles D. Anderson. The research was directed by the University of Chicago and other scientists involved are from the National Argonne Laboratory, the University of Illinois at Chicago and the National COVID Cohort Collaborative Consortium.

For more detail on how medical-grade CBD shows promise as a treatment for COVID-19, check out the full story here.听

“As we gear up for the spring semester, we want you to know the university remains committed to conducting in-person instruction. We will keep our current health and safety protocols in place, and we will continue monitoring the impact of the COVID-19 Omicron variant and hospitalization rates. For our new and returning Cardinals, please remember the following key aspects of our COVID-19 response:

• are still required in public, indoor settings on campus. The university will be providing up to two masks (KN95/N95 or equivalent) to all Cardinals who would like to have them. Masks will be made available in high-traffic areas around campus by Monday, Jan. 10.听 More information will soon follow.
• Regular testing is still mandatory for unvaccinated Cardinals. The next required testing period begins Jan. 10. Click to schedule a testing appointment. Anyone who would like to get tested, not just those who are required to do so, may make an appointment.
• Quarantine and isolation protocols are required when Cardinals are exposed or test positive for COVID-19. We have implemented the CDC鈥檚 newly published guidelines that shortened the number of days required for quarantine and isolation depending on vaccination type and booster status. The updated protocols can be found .
• Booster and vaccination clinics will continue to be offered by Campus Health. Click for time and location details.
• For questions and concerns about the university鈥檚 COVID-19 response, review the on the COVID-19 website or contact the .
• Lastly, university leadership continues to monitor all federal and state regulations and related litigation concerning COVID-19 vaccination and testing mandates. As decisions are made that impact our university, we will inform you.

We are pleased to be entering the spring 2022 semester with of 91%. We strongly encourage all Cardinals to get vaccinated and boosted. We thank you for all you have done and what you continue to do to keep our community safe and thriving.”