APS News

As originally published in The Physiologist
Volume 45, Number 2, April 2002, page 100

2001 IUPS Travel Award Program
Introducing Carole M. Liedtke

2001 IUPS Travel Award Program
    The American Physiological Society once again administered a travel award program for attendees to the XXXIV IUPS Congress in Christchurch, New Zealand. The US National Committee (USNC) of the IUPS, an organization comprised of representatives from the APS, Society for Neurosciences, Society of General Physiologist, Biomedical Engineering Society, Microcirculatory Society, and the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, offered the travel program to US physiologists. Funds for the program were derived from an account established from the profits associated with the 1968 IUPS Congress held in Washington, DC. In addition, APS received $31,000 from NIH and $20,000 from NSF. APS members also contributed to the program through voluntary donations made while paying their dues.
    A subcommittee of the USNC was charged with reviewing all the travel applications and selecting the awardees. A total of 142 applications were received and 90 awards were made. An additional 22 individuals were offered awards but because of personal reasons, the awards were rejected. Thirty-six applications (25.4%) were received from female scientists and 30 received awards. Applications were received from 14 scientists from underrepresented minority groups and 12 awards were made. The societal affiliations of the applicants and awardees are listed in Table 1.
    The awardees were provided with a $1,000 travel award to partially defray the expenses associated with their attendance at the Congress. Many of the awardees used the Christchurch Congress as an opportunity to visit research laboratories and to develop collaborative research projects. Of those completing the travel award questionnaire, 84.4% (76 of 90) used the meeting as an opportunity to develop collaborative research projects with colleagues, 37.8% (34 of 90) recruited future graduate students or postdoctoral students, and 37.8% (34 of 90) visited research laboratories in conjunction with their visit to Christ-church. In addition, 64.4% (58 of 90) visited other countries in conjunction with the Congress, presumably to attend satellite meetings or to visit laboratories in Australia.
    The median year for receipt of the doctorate for the awardees was 1992 (Table 2). The median year of birth for the awardees was 1964 and for the applicants it was 1959 (Table 3). The awardees were asked to rank the Congress (with 10 being best). More than 83.3% of the awardees gave the Congress a ranking of seven or higher (Table 4). Overall, the attendees were supportive of the Congress, its scientific aspects, and the hospitality of the New Zealand organizing committee. 

Introducing Carole M. Liedtke
    On January 1, 2002, Carole M. Liedtke succeeded Susan M. Barman as Chair of the APS Women in Physiology Committee. Liedtke has served on this Committee for two years before becoming Chair. As Chair of the Women in Physiology Committee, Liedtke will be an ex officio member of the APS Awards Committee and a member of the FASEB Excellence in Science Award Committee.
    Liedtke is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. She received her doctoral degree in Anatomy from Case Western Reserve University in 1980. Her graduate work on mechanisms of chloride transport in the brush border membrane of intestinal epithelial cells was completed under the direction of Ulrich Hopfer. As a postdoctoral fellow in a pediatric pulmonary training program, she began her studies of regulation of electrolyte transporters in airway epithelium under Thomas Boat, Department of Pediatrics, and Stephen Rudolph, Department of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University. In 1982, Liedtke was awarded a NIH grant to continue these studies and joined the faculty of the Department of Pediatrics as an Instructor.
    Liedtke’s research centers on epithelial electrolyte transporters and their regulation by intracellular signaling events. Of particular interest are a Na-K-Cl cotransport which delivers Cl for secretion and CFTR, a Cl channel through which Cl exits from epithelial cells. The research focuses on acute events leading to rapid secretion of fluid and electrolytes in airway epithelial cells. Her work has revealed a critical role for lipid mediators and protein kinase C acting through stimulation of hormone receptors or through hyperosmotic stress. She discovered the identity of specific protein kinase C isotypes involved in the regulation of the Cl transporters as well as the intracellular signalling mechanism linked to activity of protein kinase C. Recent exciting findings from her laboratory reveal distinct protein-protein interactions between the protein kinase C isotypes with Cl transporter and other associated proteins.
    In addition to her research, Liedtke is an active participant in the Federal Demonstration Partnership, (FDP) having represented Case Western Reserve University for the past five years. The FDP brings together university and federal agency representatives as partners in an ongoing process to increase research productivity and decrease administrative burden.
    One of the functions of the Women in Physiology Committee is to coordinate activities with other comparable committees within the FASEB organization. Liedtke plans to continue the interaction with the ASPET Commit-tee on Women in Pharmacology that Barman established and is eager to interact with member societies, such as ASBMB. For the second year, the Women in Physiology Committee and the ASPET committee will jointly sponsor a session at Experimental Biology (EB). This year the topic deals with mentoring issues. Liedtke also looks forward to working with Melinda Lowy, the Higher Education Programs Coordinator for APS, on the Mentoring Program for junior physiologists. The Mentoring website has been revised and updated through the efforts of Lowy and the Women in Physiology Committee. A Mentoring Breakfast at EB meetings has been a very successful forum for young scientists to meet established scientists to discuss education, employment, and professional opportunities for physiologists today. Liedtke will also work toward identifying new participants (both mentees and mentors) for the Mentoring Program that was developed to encourage and support women physiologists who are still in training or beginning new positions in academia or industry. Experienced mentors can provide valuable advice on how to make the most of graduate and professional experiences.
    The Women in Physiology Committee is also responsible for selecting the recipients of the Caroline tum Suden/Frances A. Hellebrandt Professional Opportunity Awards. Council has approved funding for 36 predoctoral students and postdoctoral fellows for participation at EB meetings. The selection process involves a critical review of the scientific merit of the abstracts and a supporting letter written by the applicant. In addition to serving as Chair of the Women in Physiology Committee, Liedtke also is a member of the Epithelial Transport Group Steering Committee. She has also served on the Editorial Boards of AJP: Cell Physiology and AJP:Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology and she has frequently reviewed for other APS journals.
    Anyone who is interested in assisting the Women in Physiology Committee in promoting the discipline of physiology as a rewarding career to young women and in encouraging their active participation in the society should contact Liedtke or any other member of the Committee. A list of members and their contact information can be found on the Web at http://www.the-aps.org/committees/women.htm.