Wayne State University’s PR team compiles a list of university experts that can speak about trending topics and significant milestones each month.

To reach an expert, contact:

Ted Montgomery, 313-577-5699, tedmontgomery@wayne.edu

Tom Reynolds, 313-577-8093, treynolds@wayne.edu

COLORECTAL CANCER MONTH - MARCH

Hayley Thompson, associate professor of oncology, can discuss colorectal cancer, the fourth most common cancer in the U.S. and the second leading cause of death from cancer. Colorectal cancer affects people in all racial and ethnic groups and is most often found in people age 50 and older. If everyone age 50 and older were screened regularly, 6 out of 10 deaths from colorectal cancer could be prevented. Communities, health professionals, and families can work together to encourage people to get screened.

Ziad Kanaan, a second-year gastroenterology fellow in the Department of Internal Medicine, is ready to talk about the higher incidence and risk of colorectal cancer in African Americans. Colorectal cancer is nearly twice as common in African Americans younger than 50 than their white counterparts.

ENDOMETRIOSIS WEEK – MARCH 3-9

Elizabeth Puscheck, M.D., professor of obstetrics and gynecology and professor and division director – reproductive endocrinology and infertility. Puscheck is prepared to talk about endometriosis, a painful, chronic disease that affects at least 6.3 million women and girls in the U.S., and millions more worldwide. 

SLEEP AWARENESS WEEK – MARCH 5-11

Sleep deprivation, and poor sleeping habits are often cited as a growing problem in today’s fast-paced and ever-changing society. How important is the 8-hours of sleep formula? Do we really need structured sleep times in terms of when, how and where we sleep?

M. Safwan Badr, M.D., M.B.A., founding director of the Wayne State University Sleep Medicine Fellowship program, is prepared to talk about the significance of sleep deprivation and how the interruption of sleep patterns may affect a person’s health. Badr is an internationally known sleep disorders researcher and research mentor and past president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE WEEK – MARCH 5-11

Mark Greenwald, professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences and associate chair for research, is ready to discuss alcohol and drug abuse – a national problem that continues to challenge researchers. Recently Greenwald, who also directs the department’s substance abuse research division, was awarded a four-year grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health to explore whether the opioid addiction treatment medication buprenorphine can decrease the magnitude and/or duration of responses to stressors faced by recovering addicts. The results of the study could reveal a new therapeutic feature of the drug, possibly helping drug-abstinent individuals avoid relapse.

WORLD KIDNEY DAY – MARCH 9

Noreen Rossi, M.D., professor of internal medicine, nephrology division, is prepared to talk about kidney disease, a chronic problem estimated to affect about 26 million adults, up from 20 million just a few years ago. If you have diabetes, high blood pressure and a family history of kidney failure you are at increased risk for kidney disease and should be tested.

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME – MARCH 12

Moving our clocks forward one hour on March 12 may seem like a minor adjustment to our day. After all, it’s just one hour we’re losing over the next eight months until we turn our clocks back an hour on Nov. 5.

• Why do we have daylight savings time?
• Are there specific economic reasons to observe daylight savings time?
• Are there potential health repercussions?
• Are our physical bodies really affected by changing our sleep patterns a bit?

Dr. M. Safwan Badr is prepared to discuss if, and how, daylight savings time affects our physical bodies and our ability to function at an optimal level.

Allen Goodman, professor of economics, can address the economic factors involved in observing daylight savings time, and why it is observed.

STEM DAY @ WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY – MARCH 14

The Wayne State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, College of Education, and College of Engineering will co-host the university's first annual STEM Day on Tuesday, March 14 on WSU’s campus. STEM focuses on science, technology, engineering and math and seeks to create new pathways for students to work toward careers in those key areas. Sixth- through ninth-grade students are invited to participate in two hands-on interactive sessions covering a range of STEM studies.

Julie Hasse, WSU’s manager of student outreach and content strategy, can discuss the genesis of STEM Day and how it will help chart pathways to student success.

NATIONAL BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK – MARCH 14-20

National Brain Awareness week provides an opportunity to focus attention on the organ that is a key to good mental health. Knowledge about the brain and neuroscience are ever changing as new discoveries through research have been revealed. What is new in the field of neuroscience? What steps can we take to keep our brain healthy and sharp?

Tom Fischer, associate professor of psychology, can discuss neuroscience focusing on neuroscientists in Detroit and how their research benefits the public at large. Fischer also is the event planner for "Brain Day in Detroit,” an annual event organized by students and faculty at Wayne State University and the University of Detroit-Mercy. This year’s event is being held on March 4 at the Michigan Science Center. 

Vaibhav Diwadkar, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences, and co-director of the brain imaging research division. Diwadkar can talk about understanding the relevance of brain network dysfunction for psychiatric illnesses and its precursors. His research interests include schizophrenia, mood disorders, adolescent risk for psychiatric disease, borderline personality disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and brain network function.

NATIONAL EPILEPSY AWARENESS DAY – MARCH 19

Aashit Shah, M.D., interim chair of neurology, is a specialist in the treatment of epilepsy. His primary areas of research and clinical interests are in epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology, including medically intractable epilepsy, epilepsy surgery, quantitative electrophysiology, and EEG monitoring in the ICU. His clinical interest also focuses on women's issues in neurology and neurological disorders and their management during pregnancy, specifically eclampsia.

CERTIFIED NURSES DAY – MARCH 19

Leanne M. Nantais-Smith, assistant professor clinical, director of advanced practice and graduate certificate programs, coordinator neonatal nurse practitioner specialty. Certified Nurses Day is a national day of recognition honoring the important achievement of nursing specialty, subspecialty and advanced practice certification – and provides a perfect opportunity to acknowledge and thank certified nurses for their hard work, dedication and commitment to excellence.

2017 ANNUAL BIG DATA & BUSINESS ANALYTICS SYMPOSIUM – MARCH 23-24

The 2017 annual symposium on Big Data & Business Analytics will be held at the Student Center Building at Wayne State University. The symposium focuses on pragmatic issues faced while deploying big data strategies to drive business success. It has a special focus on managing and analyzing the data captured through marketing, product development, manufacturing, distribution, sales, and service in a global setting.

Ratna Babu Chinnam, professor of industrial and systems engineering, can discuss the importance of the symposium and how it can help solve business challenges.

AMERICAN DIABETES DAY – MARCH 28

Berhane Seyoum, M.D., associate professor, is prepared to talk about various aspects of diabetes including the importance of early detection and treatment.