Klein, who has served in the role as an interim since January 2024, will officially take the position on Feb. 13.

In his new leadership role, Klein will oversee the university’s research enterprise, including research development and administration, industry engagement, innovation, entrepreneurship and the translation of university discoveries to commercialization and societal impact.

“Dr. Klein has a wealth of experience at UofL and clearly understands our research mission and its importance as one of only 146 R-1 universities in the nation that are leaders in innovation and discovery,” said UofL President Kim Schatzel. “He will extend and strengthen the university’s reputation for world-class research, scholarship and creative work.”

Klein is a professor of medicine who joined UofL in 1985 and holds the university’s James Graham Brown Foundation Endowed Chair in Proteomics—the first such chair in America dedicated to the rapidly expanding field. He is the founding director of UofL’s Core Proteomics Laboratory and Clinical Proteomics Program. His research group was part of an international team that discovered the first blood test able to diagnose a specific kidney disease. He practiced nephrology care for patients with kidney disease for 39 years.

In 2013, Klein was appointed vice dean for research at the UofL School of Medicine.

He earned his M.D. at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center. He completed a fellowship in nephrology and earned his Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from UofL.

“I’m honored and excited to lead the Office of Research and Innovation team and to help UofL faculty and staff continue to perform their outstanding scholarly work,” Klein said.

With this funding, UofL will launch the Louisville Clinical and Translational Research Center (LCTRC) — a statewide effort that will transform the university’s clinical research infrastructure and find meaningful solutions to combat chronic conditions like cardiac disease, stroke and cancer that disproportionately affect Kentuckians in urban and rural areas alike. The goal is to foster the seamless transition of research findings from the laboratory to patient care.

“UofL has a long-standing commitment to improving the lives of Kentuckians,” said UofL President Kim Schatzel. “This grant represents significant progress toward that commitment, engaging researchers and community members in developing new treatments and training the next generation of experts who will improve lives for years to come.”

LTCRC is funded through the , meant to help institutions build research expertise and infrastructure to support research on diseases and health challenges faced by the populations they serve. CTR-D grants are considered highly competitive.

“CTR grants are a unique resource that are awarded to only a small number of institutions,” said Jon Klein, UofL’s interim executive vice president for research and innovation, a Bucks for Brains endowed researcher and LCTRC’s principal investigator. “UofL’s success in securing this award shows our strength as a research institution and academic medical center, and will drive significant, positive impact throughout the Commonwealth.”

That impact will be far-reaching. LCTRC will enable UofL to launch a series of $75,000 to $125,000 research grants aimed at kickstarting new research projects that help early career and established researchers gather the data needed to secure more NIH or other agency investment.

To train highly competitive, next generation clinical and translational researchers, LCTRC will develop two key programs: Dean’s Scholars, which will pay medical students to spend a full year doing research, and Presidential Scholars, which buys six months of faculty members’ time to do research. These programs will also provide them with additional professional development opportunities, including partnering those researchers with experienced mentors who can help them take their work to the next level.

“The work that this funding will allow us to do is truly transformative,” said Jiapeng Huang, a professor of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine and deputy director for the LCTRC. “LCTRC will develop top notch clinical and translational researchers who cannot only secure more NIH funding, but also develop new therapies and technologies which will benefit our patients and communities in Kentucky. They will shape the future of Kentucky in a very meaningful way. “

LCTRC will also work to expand clinical and translational research infrastructures and develop essential research tools. This includes enhanced research relationships with major health systems, including UofL Health in Louisville and Owensboro Health in western Kentucky. UofL has a long-standing academic partnership with the latter, including a ACGME accelerated family medicine residency program based at Owensboro Health, and an Accelerated Second-Degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, where UofL resident physicians and students engage in hands-on clinical experiences in Owensboro.

The new LCTRC funding will double UofL’s clinical trials staff, enabling the university to support more clinical trials at UofL Health, its Owensboro Health rural affiliate, the Louisville Robley Rex VA Medical Center and Norton Healthcare. It also will support ‘citizen science’ projects, giving regular people an opportunity to engage in research backed by grant funding and with mentorship from academic experts.

“Just because you’re not in a lab doesn’t mean you’re not a scientist,” Klein said. “By working collaboratively with our neighbors — with the people who actually live and experience the health problems we’re trying to solve — we can build a bright new future for everyone.”

While the LCTRC builds a bright future for Kentucky, Klein said it wouldn’t be possible without a strong foundation. UofL has been working to secure clinical translational research center funding since 2008, with efforts first being led by Craig McClain, associate vice president for health affairs and research, who worked with Klein to submit this successful proposal. Both are endowed through the Bucks for Brains program, which brings world-class researchers to UofL.��

“The conditions for this grant had to be just right — we had to have an outstanding academic medical center, experience translating research into medical treatments and the talented people who could bring this to life,” McClain said. “With LCTRC, we want to pass the torch. We will use this funding to build the infrastructure and next generation of talent that will help bring even more success to Kentucky researchers and drive new technologies that will save and improve lives.”��

In the keynote address, Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, presented “,” followed by a rigorous Q&A. Volkow’s talk provided a current overview of the drug overdose epidemic, a top concern in Kentuckiana, and drew interest from UofL research scholars, community health, academic and clinical experts.��As a research psychiatrist, Volkow pioneered the use of brain imaging to investigate how substance use affects brain functions.

Event co-chairs J. Christopher States and Amanda Jo LeBlanc led a steering committee with a mission to raise awareness about research, engage in fundraising for research initiatives and address health equity, to name a few of its goals.

“Research!Louisville’s mission seeks to provide excellence in education, training and career development through interdisciplinary research collaborations designed to bring trainees and young and established research scientists together to work on finding solutions to the world’s complex problems,” said LeBlanc, interim associate dean for research in the UofL School of Medicine. “We engage with the most acclaimed research scientists to address our goals to achieve health equity, provide insight into the crucial topics of our time and advance translational and clinical research to improve human health.”

R!L 2024, held Sept. 16-20 at the Kosair for Kids Clinical and Translational Research Building on the UofL Health Sciences Center, marked the 29^th year of showcasing health sciences research at the Louisville Medical Center.

The schedule of events during the week featured experts in a variety of disciplines. The week began with an inaugural symposium which highlighted breakthroughs in clinical and translational research. Other events included presentations by grant awardees funded by the Jewish Heritage Fund, a School of Nursing lecture about advancing equity in maternal and child health, the health equity keynote, “Disabusing Disability: Demonstrating Disability doesn’t mean Inability,” three mentoring training sessions, a series of presentations by the Center for Integrative Environmental Health Sciences and four days of research scholar poster sessions. The IRB featured workshops on human subjects mentoring and IRB protocol writing, as well as panels on navigating investigator initiated human subjects research.

In honor of National Postdoctoral Week, R!L hosted a postdoctoral research event spotlighting postdocs as the “unsung heroes of research.” Among first-time events were a session that featured experts on the topics of animal welfare, science, government relations and public outreach and another that demonstrated the use of virtual reality for biomedical sciences.

The poster sessions showcased research by engineering graduate students, medical residents/clinical fellows, science graduate students, case reports, medical students, medical students in distinction tracks, postdoctoral associates/scholars, research associates and staff, public health graduate students, dental students, nursing graduate students and faculty, including faculty in the . Awardees are listed below.��

“Research!Louisville offers a window into UofL research and how it positively impacts our daily lives — from creating groundbreaking treatments to launching new companies,” said Jon Klein, interim executive vice president for research and innovation. “I’m excited to see so many community members, researchers and aspiring researchers engage, learn and share those activities with the world.”

R!L is a proud co-sponsor of the Kentucky Science Center’s program for 8^th-12^th grade students in STEM programs. The KSC holds a half-day program including a real-time, open-heart surgery and sessions with health care research and medical professionals focusing on career options.

Recordings of the event sessions and a slide presentation of the award winners, as well as photographs have been posted on the

RESEARCH!LOUISVILLE AWARDEES

Masters Basic Science Graduate Student Award
Morgann Delnicki 3rd Place
Dianet Sanchez Vega 2nd Place
Sayra Moni 1st Place

Doctoral Basic Science Graduate Student Award
Dana Hammouri 3rd Place
Katarina Mayer 2nd Place
Idoia Meaza Isusi 1st Place

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Award
Natural & Physical Sciences
Mustafizur Rahman 1st Place
Isaiah Burciaga 1st Place

Engineering Co-op Student Award
Ahmed Badr 3rd Place
Miriam Ismail 2nd Place
Rana Zayed 1st Place

Master Engineering Student Award
Kirsten Waits 3rd Place
Israa Sharaby 2nd Place
Mostafa Abdelrahim 1st Place

Doctoral Engineering Student Award
Ahmed Aboudessouki 3rd Place
Hossam Magdy Balaha 2nd Place
Mohamed Azam 1st Place

School of Dentistry Basic Sciences Student Award
Abigail Hacker 3rd Place
Samrat Tanwani 2nd Place
Jared Williams 1st Place

School of Dentistry Clinical Sciences Student Award
Jung-Woo Hong 3rd Place
Holland Bakker 2nd Place
Amanda Dilliha 1st Place

Rhonda A.Hoffman Medical Student Award
Idil Tuncali 2nd Place

Postdoctoral Fellow Award
Belinda Petri 2nd Place

Research Associate/Research Scientist Award
Jingjing Zhao 2nd Place
Yiqun Mo 1st Place

Research Staff Award
Harshini Sarojini Winner

Clinical Fellow Research Award – School of Medicine
Zaraq Khan Winner

Masters Program Student Award – School of Public Health & Information Sciences
Chandrima Chatterjee 1st Place

Doctoral Student Award – School of Public Health & Information Sciences
Irina Kondaurova Winner

Basic Research Award– School of Public Health & Information Sciences
Yiqun Mo 1st Place

Research & Practice Award– School of Public Health & Information Sciences
Carly Middleton 1st Place

Nursing Graduate Student Award – School of Nursing
Shubha Sapkota Winner

Faculty Basic Science Award
Sophia Sears Winner

Faculty Clinical Science Award
Nicole Herring Winner

Ruth Greenberg Award for Medical ����ֱ�� Research
Ellee Grosser 3rd Place
Ragan Howard 2nd Place
Nada Kaissich 1st Place

Leslie Martin Medical ����ֱ�� Student Award
Ally Render Winner
Sydney Wichmann Winner

Professional & ����ֱ��al Development Award
Hannah Turner Winner
Raleigh Boulware Winner

Excellence in Health Disparities Research Award
Joy Adeleye 3rd Place
Shorye Durrett 1st Place

Postdoctoral Symposium: Unsung Heroes of Research Oral Presentation
Mohamed Shehata 2nd Place
Chase Hellner 1st Place

Suspended in a pediatric therapy harness, the boy’s feet moved across the treadmill. Each foot strike represented new hope for kids living with neurological conditions – to regain motor function, improve trunk control and even take steps on their own.������

That technology, invented by UofL researchers, is helping patients thanks to UofL’s unique suite of programs aimed at moving biomedical research from lab to market as products that can save and improve lives. Now, via a new partnership called the MidSouth Hub, UofL is offering its expertise to researchers across the four-state region of Kentucky, Virginia, Mississippi and Tennessee.����

“Seeing how the technology we’d worked so hard to support could impact that boy’s life was one of the proudest moments of my career,” said Jessica Sharon, senior director of innovation programs and new ventures at UofL. “That’s when I knew we were building something special here at UofL. With the MidSouth Hub, we can expand that impact and ensure even more potentially life-changing technologies make it out of universities and help patients.”��

PROOF OF CONCEPT��

UofL’s focus on innovation begins with the belief that good ideas shouldn’t stay in the lab — they belong out in the world, where they can make a positive impact as new diagnostics, treatments and therapeutics. To that end, the university has spent the past decade aggressively growing its support for biomedical innovation, helping researchers develop, test and refine their ideas before launch.��

UofL secured its first biomedical product innovation grant, the Wallace H. Coulter Translational Partnership, in 2011. Building on that success, UofL landed two more programs a few years later: Kentucky’s first NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) site and NIH Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (REACH), led by now retired professor, Paula Bates.����

Those were quickly followed by another award, then another, then another, and today, UofL holds a robust suite of programs unique from its peers across the country.�� With each new round of funding UofL forged�� new partnerships that expanded the impact first across the Commonwealth, and now, to the four-state region. The result is the MidSouth Hub, a multi-institution partnership led by Vanderbilt University, with UofL providing its original programming and leading efforts in Kentucky.��

“UofL has developed strategies that can help anyone to create healthcare solutions, whether you are a professor at a large university or a student at a technical college,” said Matt McMahon, Director of the NIH’s SEED (Small business ����ֱ�� and Entrepreneurial Development) Office, which supports REACH. UofL is the only university to succeed in all three rounds of REACH funding.��

“And in the end,” he said, “it’s patients and communities that benefit. We’re very excited to see UofL offer their leadership and expertise in scaling their approach across a broader part of the country.”��

That approach is key to developing technologies like the pediatric therapy harness, which provides partial body weight support as therapists help the kids move their feet over the treadmill. The idea is to slowly and safely turn on muscles and gain control. Designed by researchers Andrea Behrman and Tommy Roussel, that technology has since been licensed and units are in-place or on their way to facilities in Pennsylvania, Texas and New York, as well as Kentucky.��

“I don’t know a university that supports faculty more for innovation and biomedical design than UofL,” said Behrman, a professor of neurological surgery and director of the Kosair for Kids Center for Pediatric NeuroRecovery. “It’s a massive help in moving good ideas down the path, and getting them out where they can actually help patients.”��

THE RIGHT STUFF��

When it comes to good ideas, UofL has plenty to choose from. A Carnegie Research-1 university with a robust academic medical center and affiliated health system, UofL’s clinicians and researchers work to discover, invent, test and implement cutting-edge medical innovations that ultimately are commercialized.����

“This kind of direct impact just isn’t possible without those ingredients,” said Jon Klein, UofL’s interim executive vice president of research and innovation and vice dean for research at its School of Medicine. “That intersection of medicine, research and our suite of innovation programs — that mix is driving positive patient outcomes here and beyond.”��

Those positive outcomes cover a range of potentially devastating diagnoses. Take the�� cancer-fighting technology invented by researchers Geoffrey Clark, Joe Burlison and John Trent, which works by targeting the RAS protein. When mutated, RAS turns into a stuck accelerator pedal, with cells suddenly growing very fast and penetrating other tissue, just like a tumor cell.������

Stopping that process has long been considered a ‘holy grail’ that could shut down at least a third of human tumors. Thanks in part to support from UofL’s innovation programs, that technology is now in development with Qualigen Therapeutics, Inc., a publicly traded California-based biomedical company, and moving down the long pathway to FDA approval.����

“UofL is in a unique position to develop technologies like this because you not only have actual clinicians and cutting-edge research, but programs to assist industry partners to drive the resulting innovations to market,” said Michael Poirier, the company’s Chairman and CEO. “We look forward to continuing work with UofL and to advancing these important clinical technologies with the goal of developing an effective treatment for this unmet need.”��

READY TO LAUNCH��

Over the past decade, UofL’s I-Corps and REACH programs have supported hundreds of innovators, dozens of new products and licensing agreements, millions in follow-on funding and the launch of at least 16 new companies.��

One of those companies is led by School of Medicine researcher Matthew Neal, who participated in UofL’s Economic Development Administration-backed PRePARE program for developing pandemic-related technologies, along with the I-Corps site before going on to the prestigious national NSF program to develop his VR technology for patients with hearing deficiencies.��

Neal’s technology aims to help patients program their hearing aids and test out different models in realistic virtual environments, such as a noisy restaurant, all without leaving the comfort of the clinical setting.��

That led to a startup, Immersive Hearing Technologies, which Neal co-founded with former university entrepreneur-in-residence, Jeff Cummins. Together, they’ve already secured non-dilutive follow-on funding and are on their way to improving the clinical processes behind a widespread problem – hearing loss – affecting one in eight Americans over the age of 12.����

“The innovation programs were invaluable in understanding who our customers are, what they needed and how we might get this technology to market,” Neal said. “It’s no good if an idea like this just sits on a shelf. This is a technology that can help people, and it needs to be out in the world to do that.”����

And that’s the goal, Sharon said.����

“We don’t want good ideas to stay on our campus or any campus,” Sharon said. “With these programs, we’re going to keep growing, keep pushing, to move these innovations from lab to market. And with this new MidSouth Hub, I know we can do that on an even bigger scale.”��

The new funding, a gift from the Jewish Heritage Fund (JHF), will go to support and strengthen UofL’s��core research facilities — shared labs that provide researchers with access to advanced equipment, specialized scientific techniques and skilled personnel that can help accelerate discovery and innovation. Across UofL, researchers are using core facilities to develop everything from new diagnostics and treatments to advanced manufacturing of novel materials and devices.��

“UofL is a hub for cutting-edge research, and these labs are the backbone of that work,” said Kim Schatzel, UofL’s president. “We are very grateful for JHF’s continued partnership and most recent gift, which will help grow these critical facilities and empower researchers to push the boundaries of knowledge and deliver high-impact results that benefit everyone.”

This gift marks a total of more than $40 million in combined funding and in-kind donations by JHF to UofL in a decade-long partnership focused on advancing health. At UofL, JHF’s investments have resulted in new medical breakthroughs, direct support for 52 researchers thus far and more than $165 million in new external research funding.

“We are proud to partner with UofL and leverage its biomedical expertise and strength as a Research-1 institution,” said Jeff Polson, JHF’s president and CEO. “Together, we have advanced adolescent health, funded groundbreaking research, and supported community partners to overcome obstacles and strive for new heights.”

Jon Klein, UofL’s interim executive vice president for research and innovation, said collaboration with community organizations is critical to UofL’s groundbreaking research. UofL is one of just 84 universities in the country to receive both the Research-1 and Community Engaged designations from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher ����ֱ��. The latter recognizes institutions that work with community partners to exchange knowledge and resources for public benefit.

“UofL is a premier, community engaged research institution, and this partnership is an excellent example of what that means,” Klein said. “Great community partners like JHF are vital to UofL’s work to create and apply knowledge that improves lives.”

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.”��

are active faculty, scientists and administrators who have demonstrated remarkable innovation producing technologies that have brought, or aspire to bring, real impact on the welfare of society. They also have growing success in patents, licensing and commercialization, while educating and mentoring the next generation of inventors.

“Recognition from NAI is a tremendous accomplishment, and we are extremely proud of these UofL innovators,” said Jon Klein, interim executive vice president for research and innovation. “The research-backed technologies they are developing have the potential to diagnose, treat and cure disease and improve the way we live and work. I look forward to seeing them continue to develop these innovations into practical solutions to real world problems.”

The four inventors selected from UofL, the only ones from Kentucky, are:��

• Thad Druffel, and the . Druffel’s work focuses on solar power, including via his startup, ��which is commercializing a technology meant to make solar power more accessible.��
• Nobuyuki Matoba, . Matoba’s work focuses on tackling devastating diseases, inflammatory bowel disease and cancer, through new vaccines, immunotherapeutics and treatments that leverage protein engineering and plant-based biotechnology.��For his work, Matoba was named UofL’s 2023 Innovator of the Year.��
• Thomas Roussel, Speed School. Roussel focuses on microfabricated/COTS sensor technologies and custom instrumentation, all in support of the development of analytical techniques for environmental studies, orthopedic and rehabilitation platforms, as well as biomedical diagnostic applications.��
• Jagannadh Satyavolu, Speed School and the Conn Center. Satyavolu has a way to leverage spent bourbon stillage to make greener energy solutions and other products, including through his startup, BioProducts LLC.��

UofL and its provide robust support for inventors working to develop and commercialize the technologies emerging from their research, including intellectual property protection, entrepreneurial coaching and product development grants and training. The goal is to translate academic research into products that can save and improve lives.��

In the past fiscal year, UofL was awarded 38 new patents, secured 11 licenses, launched three new startups and brought in a total of $1.4 million in innovation income, including patent royalties and licensing. Over its 25-year history of commercializing research, UofL has been awarded more than 350 U.S. patents, formed nearly 50 startups still in operation and has created countless new products and services positively impacting people here and beyond. For those successes, UofL ranks among the for patents awarded.��

“This year’s class of Senior Members is truly a testament to…what happens when the academic space encourages and celebrates invention and commercialization,” said Paul R. Sanberg, President of NAI. “We are proud to welcome these outstanding academic inventors to the Academy and look forward to supporting and celebrating them as they continue in their innovation journeys.”

UofL researchers can begin their inventor journey , and industry interested in licensing UofL IP can find a full listing of available technologies . ��

The list includes researchers whose work was the most cited — that is, referenced by another researcher — in either calendar year 2022 or over the course of their career. The list spans 22 disciplines, from business to engineering to medicine.

“Each and every day, UofL researchers are breaking ground by discovering new knowledge,” said Jon Klein, UofL’s interim executive vice president for research and innovation. “The citation of a scholar’s work is essentially a stamp of approval that the work is important and worthwhile. The fact that so many of our researchers are listed among the most cited shows that knowledge is truly groundbreaking and has impact. It shows UofL research is being used to help to improve lives and expand our understanding of the world and our place in it.”

Citations are an important measure of success for academics. Typically, citations mean the researcher made a meaningful and original contribution to the world’s knowledge — and that their peers agree.

The 119 current UofL researchers, representing eight UofL schools and colleges, included on list are below.

• Thomas Abell,
• Yousef Abu-Kwaik, School of Medicine
• David Adamkin, School of Medicine
• Manju Ahuja,
• Bahaaldin Alsoufi, School of Medicine
• Farrukh Aqil, School of Medicine
• Richard Baldwin,
• Charles Barr, School of Medicine
• Richard Baumgartner,
• Aruni Bhatnagar, School of Medicine
• Roberto Bolli, School of Medicine
• Douglas Borchman, School of Medicine
• Konrad Bresin, College of Arts & Sciences
• Lu Cai, School of Medicine
• Jeffrey Callen, School of Medicine
• David Casey, School of Medicine
• Matthew Cave, School of Medicine
• William Cheadle, School of Medicine
• Yanyu Chen,
• Jason Chesney, School of Medicine
• Kevin Chou, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Barbara Clark, School of Medicine
• Daniel Conklin, School of Medicine
• Michael Cunningham, College of Arts & Sciences
• Douglas Dean, School of Medicine
• Gill Diamond,
• Lee Dugatkin, College of Arts & Sciences
• John Eaton, School of Medicine
• Ayman El-Baz, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Rif El-Mallakh, School of Medicine
• Ronald Elin, School of Medicine
• Adel Elmaghraby, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Paul Ewald, College of Arts & Sciences
• Mary Fallat, School of Medicine
• Aly Farag, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Wenke Feng, School of Medicine
• James Fiet, College of Business
• Eugene Fletcher, School of Medicine
• Joseph Fowler, School of Medicine
• Per Fredriksson, College of Business
• Robert Friedland, School of Medicine
• Hichem Frigui, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Susan Galandiuk, School of Medicine
• Yury Gerasimenko, School of Medicine
• Mahesh Gupta, College of Business
• Ramesh Gupta, School of Medicine
• Lynne Hall,
• Gerald Hammond, College of Arts & Sciences
• Brian Harbrecht, School of Medicine
• Susan Harkema, School of Medicine
• Peter Hedera, School of Medicine
• David Hein, School of Medicine
• George Higgins, College of Arts & Sciences
• Thomas Higgins, School of Medicine
• Bradford Hill, School of Medicine
• Joshua Hood, School of Medicine
• Suzanne Ildstad, School of Medicine
• Steven Jones, School of Medicine
• Sham Kakar, School of Medicine
• Mehmed Kantardzic, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Carolyn Klinge, School of Medicine
• Charles Kodner, School of Medicine
• Richard Lamont, School of Dentistry
• Gerald Larson, School of Medicine
• Rainer Lenhardt, School of Medicine
• Cheri Levinson, College of Arts & Sciences
• Stanley Levinson, School of Medicine
• Yongsheng Lian, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Mark Linder, School of Medicine
• Bertis Little, School of Public Health and Information Sciences
• Yiyan Liu, School of Medicine
• M. Cynthia Logsdon, School of Nursing
• Frederick Luzzio, College of Arts & Sciences
• Arthur Malkani, School of Medicine
• Gary Marshall, School of Medicine
• Robert Martin, School of Medicine
• Craig McClain, School of Medicine
• Stephen McClave, School of Medicine
• William Paul McKinney, School of Public Health and Information sciences
• Kelly McMasters, School of Medicine
• Madhu Menon, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Michael Merchant, School of Medicine
• Carolyn Mervis, College of Arts & Sciences
• Donald Miller, School of Medicine
• Hiram Polk, School of Medicine
• Jan Potempa, School of Dentistry
• Julio Ramirez, School of Medicine
• Janina Ratajczak, School of Medicine
• Mariusz Ratajczak, School of Medicine
• Brad Rodu, School of Medicine
• William Scarfe, School of Dentistry
• Arnold Schecter, School of Medicine
• Charles Scoggins, School of Medicine
• David Seligson, School of Medicine
• Brad Shuck,
• Leah Siskind, School of Medicine
• Mark Slaughter, School of Medicine
• Joshua Spurgeon, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Thomas Starr, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• J. Christopher States, School of Medicine
• Yi Tan, School of Medicine
• Sucheta Telang, School of Medicine
• Kenneth Thomson, School of Medicine
• Gordon Tobin, School of Medicine
• Suresh Tyagi, School of Medicine
• Neetu Tyagi, School of Medicine
• Roland Valdes, School of Medicine
• Jeffrey Valentine, College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development
• Banrida Wahlang, School of Medicine
• Hui Wang, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Scott Whittemore, School of Medicine
• Kim Williams, School of Medicine
• Stephen Winters, School of Medicine
• Richard Wittebort, College of Arts & Sciences
• Roman Yampolskiy, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Jun Yan, School of Medicine
• Li Yang, J.B. Speed School of Engineering
• Pavel Zahorik, School of Medicine
• Jacek Zurada, J.B. Speed School of Engineering

Jon Klein, vice dean for research at the UofL School of Medicine, is a participant in the Pfizer trial.

“While we must wait for the safety data, the news from Pfizer this morning about the effectiveness of their COVID-19 vaccine exceeds all expectations. From my own perspective as a participant in the trial, the two-injection vaccine was not a bad experience and my own adverse effects were mild,” Klein said.��

While he is encouraged by the very high effectiveness of the potential vaccine shown in this this early report, he cautions that the data have not been published and the study has not been peer reviewed. Klein expects the data will be made public within the next 7 to 14 days.

“Today’s news will not change the course of the pandemic over the next 12 weeks, which could be some of the worst we have seen,” Klein said. “It is still up to the public to limit activities, wear masks and continue diligent hand washing, to keep the numbers in check for the next several months.”

Klein has also been participating in the fight against COVID-19 as a medical professional. At the invitation of Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, Klein has provided medical information to the community in the mayor’s regularly scheduled livestreams each week.

“My advocacy efforts have focused on explaining science and public health to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March, I have appeared weekly with Mayor Fischer on his Facebook Live video broadcast where I answer questions about all aspects of COVID-19,” Klein said.

He is also a weekly guest on WLCL-FM and WBCE-AM radio.

“While these are ESPN sports radio stations, the hosts have taken the lead in bringing COVID-19 information to the Kentucky-Indiana audience,” he said.����