Goldman Lab touts cardiovascular student research for Pfeiffer foundation visit

A special visit by the board of directors of the Gustavus and Louise Pfeiffer Research Foundation, which supports graduate medical scholarship programs and university medical/pharmacy-related research projects, underscored the importance of institutional support to foster ingenuity and innovation for health care solutions at the University of Arizona.

The Pfeiffer foundation board members toured the Sarver Heart Center on Oct. 22. In addition to seeing the Goldman Lab of Steven Goldman, MD, a professor in the Department of Medicine’s Division of Cardiology, they were given several presentations of research underway in the lab by researchers including PhD candidates, medical students and undergraduate students at the College of Medicine – Tucson and College of Engineering’s Biomedical Engineering program.

“They came to visit our lab because I hold the C. Leonard Pfeiffer Endowed Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine here at the college,” noted Dr. Goldman. “We showed them the research we do by focusing largely on having the young people in the lab present their work. Our focus in the lab includes getting young people interested in research because they are the future of research in our country. They all presented because as Warren Buffett says, ‘It is important for young people to be able to communicate well no matter what they end up doing in life.’”  

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Before the presentations, James K. Liao, MD, a cardiovascular disease specialist and Department of Medicine chair, welcomed the Pfeiffer foundation visitors, noting their endowed chair at the U of A was launched in 1972 and Dr. Goldman has held it for the past seven years. He added that Dr. Goldman’s work embodied the ideals espoused by the Pfeiffer foundation with his student-supported research accomplishments earning him two DOM awards in the past year: Excellence in Research Mentorship Award at the SOAR in the DOM Forum in April and Outstanding Senior Faculty Research Award at the Department of Medicine Faculty Awards in June.

“Both of these accomplishments will serve well to preserve and enhance the legacy of C. Leonard Pfeiffer and the Pfeiffer Endowed Chair in Department of Medicine,” Dr. Liao said.

Among presentations, researchers and presenters were:

• “Clinical Problem: Heart Failure” – Daniel Benson, MEng, PhD student
• “Novel Therapy: Immunomodulating Biologic” – Deirdre O’Donnell, Physiology & Medical Sciences undergraduate student
• “Chronic Ischemic Heart Failure” – Allison Tulino, PhD candidate, and Jacob Ref, MD, former medical student now a UC Irvine resident (presented by Benson)
• “Atrial Fibrillation (AFIB): Disease Model for Development of New Treatments” – Mary K. Pierce, NP, senior research specialist, Electrophysiology, and Fox Bravo, MD/MPH medical student (presented by Pierce)
• “Large Animal Model for AFIB Treatment” – Rey Mendoza, PhD candidate; Jesse Riemenschneider, Biomedical Engineering undergraduate student researcher; and Fox Bravo, MD/MPH medical student (presented by Riemenschneider)
• “Biologic Therapy Shows Improved Muscle Regeneration in Culture” – Eli Lefkowitz, medical student, and Pranjal Pawar, Physiology & Medical Sciences undergraduate student researcher (presented by Lefkowitz)
• “Biologic Application to Volumetric Muscle Loss” – Joaquin Lopez Rosales, MS, PhD student, and Lizetta Zozobrado, Physiology & Medical Sciences undergraduate student researcher (presented by Lopez)
• “Warfighter/Military Connection” – Lt. Colton Buchanan, U.S. Navy/U of A Navy ROTC

Dr. Goldman added that, in conversation during the visit, he found a commonality he shared with his endowed chair’s namesake.

“As a connection with C. Leonard Pfeiffer, he graduated from Cornell University in 1918, served in WWI and WWII, and returned to school at the U of A in 1948 to get his master’s degree. He used the GI Bill to continue his education. When I came back from Vietnam, I used the GI Bill to support my cardiology fellowship training, too,” Dr. Goldman said.

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