Section News
As originally published in The
Physiologist
Volume 45, Number 5, October 2002, page 396-398
Introducing Bruce Pitt
Introducing Matthew Grisham
Effective April 2002, Bruce R. Pitt succeeds Michael Matthay as Chair of the Respiration Section of the APS. As a member of APS since 1983, Pitt has served the past three years as Chairman-elect of the Respiration Section and member of the review committee for the Giles F. Filley Award in respiration. Pitt is currently an associate editor of
Am. J. Physiol.: Lung Cell Mol. Physiol. He has served on the NIH Lung Biology Pathology study section where he was chair (2000-2002), VA Merit Review Respiration, American Heart
Association Lung and Development Study Section and American Lung Association Research and Fellowship review committees. He is currently chair of the State of California Tobacco Related Disease Program Pulmonary Study Section. Pitt is also active in the American Thoracic Society and has been chair of the Program Committee for the Pulmonary Circulation Assembly (1991) and the Respiratory Cell Molecular Biology Assembly (1998).
Pitt was appointed as the Professor and Chairman, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health in 2000. He is also Professor of Pharmacology and Bioengineering in the School of Medicine and Engineering, respectively. Previous to his appointment, he was Professor and Vice-chairman of Pharmacology at the University of Pittsburgh School Medicine (1987-present) and on the faculty at Yale University School of Medicine (1981-1987). Pitt completed his undergraduate degree at Brown University in Providence, RI and received his PhD in environmental physiology from The Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health (1976). Pitt?s research focuses on the molecular pharmacology of the pulmonary vasculature, including the effects of nitric oxide on pulmonary endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cell function and the role of pulmonary endothelium in acute and chronic lung disease. Current efforts are directed towards studies on zinc homeostasis in vascular endothelium including: roles of the metal binding protein, metallothionein, in sensitivity to acute lung injury and vascular dysfunction in hemorrhagic shock; and S-nitrosation of zinc-sulfur clusters in NO signaling. Experimental murine models including the use of contemporary imaging approaches and non-viral mediated endothelial cell directed somatic gene transfer are used to test these hypotheses. This work has been supported in part by an Established Investigatorship from the American Heart Association and a MERIT award from the NIH Heart Lung Blood Institute.
Pitt notes that as a result of highly productive interactions between our two major groups, e.g., Regulation of Respiration and the rest of us (lung cell biology and physiology), a vital role for the Respiration Section is apparent in FASEB, APS and the Experimental Biology meeting. The concept of ?a small meeting within a large meeting,? the opportunity to participate in state of the art extrapulmonary science, the active platform for graduate and postdoctoral students, the close interactions between neuronal and non-neuronal respiratory scientists and the access to advanced technologies via seminars and exhibits have assured our expanding effort in spite of strong competition via the American Thoracic Society.
Accordingly, the Respiration Section has an extraordinary opportunity to take advantage of the momentum that was so well established by the former chairman, Michael Matthay, and a number of highly dedicated colleagues including Usha Raj, Jahar Bhattacharya, Jerry Dempsey and Robb Glenny. This section?s recent accomplishments as well as future goals are include the following.
The most critical need for our section is recruitment and expanded involvement of young respiratory scientists. To achieve this goal, we have: a) initiated the Julius Comroe Jr. Travel Award to four young investigators who submitted abstracts to the Respiration Section; b) continued scientific management of the generous and significant Giles F. Filley Memorial Awards for Excellence in Respiratory Physiology and Medicine to assist two junior investigators in their transition to faculty positions; c) reduced ticket prices for fellows and students to the annual dinner; and d) established an unopposed evening poster symposium for postgraduate and graduate student. Current efforts are underway to: a) establish mechanisms to increase the number of travel awards via private donations to the Respiration Section; b) identify positions within FASEB so that junior investigators can be involved in our governance and scientific endeavors; and c) increase opportunities in oral presentations and symposia for junior investigators. It is noteworthy that APS has just approved complimentary advanced registration to add to the value of young investigator awards.
The annual Experimental Biology meeting and programming for members of the Respiration Section remains our highest priority. In this regard, we continue to assure equal representation of important symposia for our two major groups, attempt to cross list symposia with other sections and participate in workshops and other specialized platforms (featured topics, minisymposium). Because of the importance of this endeavor and in recognition of the significant extra programming work in preparation for the next international physiological meeting, we have: a) elected for the first time, two program co-representatives (Ralph Fregosi and Troy Stevens); and b) recruited Usha Raj as our representative on the international programming committee.
Coordinated social and scientific activities remain vital to the meeting and it is delightful to acknowledge the longstanding success of the Respiration Dinner (thanks to Robb Glenny for organizing it and Wiltz Wagner for providing the entertainment) and the 35th Non Annual Control of Respiration Mixer (organized by Jerry Bisgard and Jerrry Dempsey), as well as continued success of the recently introduced evening Postgraduate-Young Investigator Poster session.
Exchange of information is a major benefit of association with the Respiration Section. In this regard, Robb Glenny has edited a vital source of such information via the Respiration Section newsletter that can be accessed readily via the APS website
(http://www.the-aps.org).
Representation by the Respiration Section in important endeavors in pulmonary re-search and education remains a high priority. In this regard, we have: a) participated in beginning of coordinated approaches for medical physiology education with colleagues in the American Thoracic Society; b) been involved in suggesting representatives to the NIH Center for Scientific Review to serve on a panel to reorganize study sections that review pulmonary science; and c) serve as an administrative base for
J. Appl. Physiol and Am. J. Physiol: Lung Cell Mol. Physiol.
Pitt and the newly elected officers in the Respiration Section, including Gary Sieck, Chair-elect; Kurt Albertine, Treasurer; Robb Glenny, secretary; and Troy Stevens and Ralph Fregosi, Program Committee, urge members to contact officers (listed in the Winter 2002 Newsletter via the APS website) with interest in serving on committees, suggestions for programming and/or other concerns.
Matthew B. Grisham was elected Chair of the Gastrointestinal/Liver Section and assumed duties in April 2002, succeeding Helen Raybould. Grisham has previously served the Gastrointestinal/Liver Section as Chair of the Programming Committee and as the Section?s representative on the Joint Programming Committee for the APS from 1999-2002. He has also served on the editorial board of the
American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal/Liver Section. In addition to his involvement in the APS, Grisham is currently President of the Oxygen Society and serves as an associate editor for its journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine. He has also served on the editorial boards of
Inflammatory Bowel Disease and the Journal of Immunology. Grisham remains actively involved in the American Gastroenterological
Association (AGA) where he recently completed his three-year tenure on their Publications Committee and continues to serve as a member of the Immunology, Microbiology and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IMIBD) Section of the AGA.
Grisham is currently professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Associate Director of the Arthritis Center of Excellence at LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, LA. Grisham received his PhD degree in Biochemistry from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in 1982 and obtained his postdoctoral training at St. Jude Children?s Research Hospital from 1982-84. In 1984 Grisham moved to the Department of Biochemistry at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine where he assumed the position of assistant professor until his move to LSU Health Sciences Center in 1987.
Grisham?s research focuses on the immunology and pathophysiology of chronic gut inflammation. Chronic inflammatory disorders such as the inflammatory bowel diseases are characterized by the sustained overproduction of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, up-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines, infiltration of large numbers of leukocytes into the interstitium and tissue injury and dysfunction. Grisham?s laboratory is investigating the mechanisms by which reactive metabolites of oxygen (e.g. superoxide, hydrogen peroxide) and nitrogen (e.g. nitric oxide) modulate transcriptional activation of different genes (e.g., cytokines, antioxidants, adhesion molecules) thought to play important roles in regulating inflammatory tissue injury. In addition, Grisham maintains an active interest in the pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for post-ischemic liver injury. These areas of research have necessitated the utilization of molecular, immunological and physiological approaches.
As the newly elected chair of the Gastrointestinal/Liver Section, Grisham has identified two major areas of section interest that will receive increased attention over the next three years. First and foremost is to improve the quality of programming for the Section for the Experimental Biology meeting. For the past few years, the Gastrointestinal/Liver Section has had to compete with the AGA for submission of abstracts as meeting times for EB and the AGA are approximately one month apart. This situation has resulted in a decline in EB attendance of investigators who actively work in the fields of gastrointestial/liver physiology and pathophysiology. In order to reverse this trend, Grisham and the programming committee plan to actively recruit the participation of the leaders in the gastrointestinal and hepatology fields in state-of-the-art symposia and featured topics for upcoming EB meetings. In keeping with the emphasis of the APS on translational research, Grisham will also encourage more programming with the ?bench to bedside? concept. Indeed, Grisham has taken advantage of his involvement in the AGA and Oxygen Society to actively promote the APS and the concept that gastrointestinal/liver physiology represents the foundation for translational research in the gastroenterology and hepatology.
Another major area of emphasis for the section will be to continue to encourage the participation of students and young investigators as well as women in the Gastrointestinal/Liver Section. Under the leadership of the past chair Helen Raybould, the section made remarkable strides in promoting the participation of young people and women in the section. This type of commitment will be expanded over the next three years with the help of the energetic investigators who sit on the committee. Helen
Raybould will remain as Past Chair with Hugh Nellens acting as both the section Secretary/Treasurer and as the section representative to the Liaison with Industry Committee. Both Raybould and Nellens deserve special thanks for their leadership and innovative ideas on programming over the past three years. Councillors Linda Samuelson and Nigel Bunnett will also be involved in planning upcoming section functions and reporting to the APS. Mrinalini Rao is currently the section representative on Committee on Committees and been invaluable in society and section integration. The section is particularly fortunate to have Chris Cheeseman assume the position of Chair of the section?s Programming Committee and section representative to the Joint Program Committee. He is currently finalizing the section program for EB 2003. Last but not least, the Gastrointestinal/Liver section is happy to welcome new Councilors Ron Ferraris and Curtis Okamoto.
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