FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday March 13, 2014
Contact: Leah C. Payne, Director of Public Affairs, Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy, (304) 696-7153

Marshall School of Medicine researchers and students to present their findings at national orthopaedics meeting

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Researchers with the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine will present their findings at the national Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) meeting in New Orleans that begins Saturday.

Dr. Maria A. Serrat, assistant professor in the department of anatomy at the school of medicine and a clinical assistant professor in the department of orthopaedics, will present her team's research model on the effects of temperature on the acceleration of bone growth in mice.

"We developed a model to study how the application of heat on the body's surface can stimulate bone elongation," Serrat said.  "By validating this model, we are looking at future possible clinical treatments to lengthen bones in children with growth issues or orthopaedic trauma using non-invasive methods."

Serrat's team includes Dr. Franklin D. Shuler, a professor in the department of orthopaedics, vice chair of research for the department of orthopaedics, and medical director for the Senior Fracture Program at Cabell Huntington Hospital. He says the opportunity to present on this national platform speaks highly of Marshall's program.

"To have a podium presentation at this high-level meeting truly indicates that the faculty at Marshall are participating in leading-edge musculoskeletal research that has the capability of transforming patient care," Shuler said.

Along with Serrat and Shuler, the following students participated in the research:

-  Justin M. Godby, first-year medical student
-  Thomas J. Schlierf, fourth-year medical student
-  Laura M. Stanko, second-year medical student
-  Holly L. Tamski, biomedical sciences doctoral student

Morgan L. Efaw, former biomedical sciences student at Marshall, also was a member of the team.

Also presenting a poster at the ORS meeting is third-year medical student Alexander H. Slocum, Jr., Ph.D. who, along with collaborators from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will showcase their findings, "Enhancing Orthopaedic Joint Lubrication using Synovial Fluid Impregnated Super-Wetting Porous Coatings," an investigation reviewing ways of improving the use of prosthetic implants.

Date Posted: Friday, March 14, 2014