PHYSIOLOGY NEWS PHYSIOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOLOGY FACULTY Zhongjie Sun, MD, PhD, FAHA Professor and Chair Thomas A. Gerwin Chair of Excellence in Physiology Adebowale Adebiyi, PhD Professor Julio Cordero-Morales, PhD Associate Professor Ioannis Dragatsis, PhD Professor Zheng Fan, PhD Professor Jonathan H. Jaggar, PhD Maury W. Bronstein Professor Salvatore Mancarella, PhD Associate Professor Elena Parfenova, PhD Professor Kaushik Parthasarathi, PhD Associate Professor Gadiparthi N. Rao, PhD George and Elizabeth Malloy Professor Radhakrishna Rao, PhD Professor Donald B. Thomason, PhD Professor Dean, College of Graduate Health Sciences Gabor J. Tigyi, MD, PhD Van Vleet Professor Valeria Vásquez, PhD Associate Professor Junwang Xu, PhD Associate Professor Modar Kassan, PhD Assistant Professor Djamel Lebeche, PhD Professor Ki-Suk Kim, PhD Assistant Professor The University of Tennessee is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/ Section 504/ADA/ADEA/V institution in the provision of its education and employment programs and services.
JANUARY-MAY 2022
WELCOMING DR. KI-SUK KIM ASSISTANT PROFESSOR The department is pleased to introduce our newest assistant professor, Dr. Ki-Suk Kim. Kim initially presented his seminar titled, “Bariatric Surgery Induces Intestinal Stemness via Bile Acid Signaling” in January 2022. He visited our department in-person in March, after which he was selected for the role. He began his role officially at the start of June. Dr. Kim is a pioneer of the intestinal GPCR nutrient sensors, and an expert in the field of incretin system that regulates energy balance and glucose homeostasis. His current research is focused on the role of intestinal stem cell differentiation in the metabolic success of bariatric surgery. He has also developed and utilized both in vivo (using bariatric surgery-operated, pharmacological, and genetic rodent models) and in vitro (intestinal organoid and cell lines) studies. Dr. Kim has over two dozen grant writing experiences including an awarded NIDDK-K01. He has also given a number of awarded presentations at international conferences including the Obesity Week and Keystone Symposia. He has authored papers in over 40 peer-reviewed publications. Prior to joining our department, he served as a Research Instructor within the Department of Pediatrics, Section of Nutrition at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He also held a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship within the Department of Sugery at the University of Michigan. He completed his bachelor’s degree in molecular and life science at the Hanyang University. He followed this with a master’s and doctorate in biochemistry from Kyung Hee University. When he’s not researching, he enjoys spending time with his family.
IN-PERSON SEMINARS ARE BACK After a nearly two-year hiatus, the Department of Physiology has resumed its in-person seminar series. The return of these meetings often also marks the first time in two years that faculty have been present in the same room. “Being able to see each other and interact in person is not taken for granted – community is central to our mission as a department and university, and we’re grateful to have this opportunity,” adds seminar coordinator, MC Mullins. Keeping in the theme of community, Dr. Alex Dopico, chair of the UTHSC Department of Pharmacology, Addiction Science, and Toxicology and hosted by Dr. Sal Mancarella, gave the first in-person seminar of 2022. He was followed by Dr. Jon Jaggar’s guest from the University of Maryland, Dr. Thomas Longden. The department has also had the pleasure of virtually hosting Dr. Leonard Tsiokas, guest of Dr. Jaggar, and Dr. Alicia McDonough, guest of Dr. Zhongjie Sun, this year. The department looks forward to hosting more in-person seminar guests, in addition to virtual guests, as the year progresses.