| Published on March 29, 2005
Pittsburgh Physician Selected for College of American
Pathologists Foundation 2005-06 Scholars Program
Northfield, IL.—The College of
American Pathologists Foundation (CAPF) has awarded Kenichi Tamama, MD,
PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, a $25,000 fellowship
as part of CAPF 2005-06 Scholars Award Program.
Dr. Tamama will receive one of three awards from this
national scholarship program. Omar Hameed, MBChB, of Washington University
School of Medicine in St. Louis, and Neil MacDonald Renwick, MD, PhD,
of Columbia University in New York are the other award recipients. The
Scholars Award Program provides fellowships for advanced training in the
science of pathology.
The CAPF Scholars Award enables young medical investigators to develop
independent and productive research careers by providing $25,000 in salary
support for one year of pure research. Research and educational advances
supported by the CAPF Scholars Award benefit both the research and clinical
communities by keeping talented investigators and practicing pathologists
in the "pipeline" for tomorrow's discoveries. The program promotes
talent in pathology, advances productive investigation, and encourages
young pathologists to pursue academic medicine.
Dr. Tamama received the award based on his research project titled: "Epidermal
growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling in cell migration, proliferation
and differentiation in bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSC)."
Tissue engineering for repair and replacement of injured organs requires
an accessible and expandable source of cell progenitors, a kind of adult
stem cells. Dr. Tamama’s project provides the solid basis for expansion
of BMMSC in large-culture settings with the hope that this may lead to
the application of tissue regeneration therapies to organs such as the
brain or the heart. His research is likely to have important consequences
for unique ways to repair and replace injured cells and organs.
"I am very excited about the potential therapies this research project
may bring," Dr. Tamama said. "I am honored the College’s
foundation agreed it had merit."
Dr. Tamama received his medical degree from Gumna University School of
Medicine in Japan. He completed internships at the U.S. Naval Hospital
in Okinawa and Beth Israel Medical Center in New York. Dr. Tamama currently
is serving a residency in clinical pathology at the University of Pittsburgh
Medical Center.
Through annual conferences, publications and special events, the CAPF
promotes science and education in an effort to improve the delivery of
pathology services to patients, to expand medical research and funding
of individual research projects through sponsorship of the Scholars Program,
and to encourage leadership through sponsorship of the annual Herbert
Lansky Memorial Award and the CAP Foundation Young Leader Awards.
The College of American Pathologists (CAP)
is a medical society that serves nearly 16,000 physician members and the
laboratory community throughout the world. It is the world’s largest
association composed exclusively of pathologists and is widely considered
the leader in laboratory quality assurance. The CAP is an advocate for
high quality and cost-effective patient care.
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