The Impact of UC Research: International Headlines, Real-World Change

For the past year (and even longer), there is hardly a major news outlet in the United States – as well as many abroad – that has not provided coverage to the University of Cincinnati’s research achievements and impact.

In the past month alone, UC has earned research headlines in

• Associated Press 
• Chicago Tribune 
• Forbes 
• Los Angeles Times 
• Miami Herald 
• MIT Technology Review 
• National Public Radio
• New Scientist 
• Newsday
• Philadelphia Inquirer 
• San Francisco Chronicle 
• U.S. News & World Report

These headlines represent important health and safety issues for today. The research receiving attention in international headlines in the last month alone includes the following:

• Just in time for the holidays, UC researchers working with colleagues at Yale University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have released new findings regarding a molecule in the body that shuts down food intake and turns on “siesta mode.” Fatty foods prompt the body to produce the molecule which arrives to the brain via the blood stream, where the molecule tells the brain to shut down the appetite. The research was published in the journal Cell and picked up by NPR, MIT Technology Review, Innovations Report in Germany, News-Medical.net in Australia, Eureka! Science News in Canada and the New Scientist in the United Kingdom, as well as other international outlets.

• A UC researcher found that women hospitalized with heart attacks still don’t get the treatment they need and are more likely to die than men if they suffer a massive heart attack. News media from throughout the United States as well as press in Canada, Asia and Europe also reported on this new study.

• In an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, UC researchers reported that the presence of zinc is crucial in the formation of infection-causing biofilms. This UC research finding holds important promise because deadly hospital-inquired infections that are resistant to traditional antibiotic treatment are increasingly common, affecting millions. The new findings could lead to the development of zinc-resistant coatings for implanted medical devices or rinses surgeons could use to clear an area. News media throughout the United States and Canada as well as Asia and Europe featured these latest findings from UC.

• The journal Neurosurgery published a new spinal deformity classification system spearheaded by a UC neurosurgeon. The new precise classifications allow for optimal treatment. Specialty and international news media around the world reported on the new system.  

• National media reported on a just-published study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine wherein UC researchers found that adolescent girls with symptoms of depression and anxiety may have greater risk of poor bone health.

In November, UC announced a record-setting $353 million in annual research funding. UC is designated a “very high research activity” university by the Carnegie Commission and is listed by the National Science Foundation as a top public institution for federal research expenditures.
This high-level of research impact means more than headlines, however. It also means real-world change. A few examples:

• A UC-led study indicated exposure to a chemical commonly found in plastic food containers may interfere with cancer treatments (and has other adverse health affects related to heart disease, diabetes and stunted growth). This research has recently been used to guide policy in Canada regarding the use of baby bottles containing this chemical, which is linked to heart disease, diabetes, stunted growth and other adverse health affects. In addition, Brown University made the decision to replace plastic cups in the university’s dining facilities.

• UC research by the university’s law students regarding land-ownership laws from the Jim Crow era that are still on the books in four states led to a November  ballot measure to repeal those laws in Florida.

• UC research indicating a higher risk for certain cancers by firefighters has prompted the city council of Portland, Ore., to consider an extension of work-related benefits to firefighters diagnosed with as many as 12 specific cancers.

• View headlines earned by UC research in November.
• View headlines earned by UC research in the past year.
• View UC’s research funding report released in November.