Robert E. McGehee of UAMS elected to NSBRI Board of Directors

By todd

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LITTLE ROCK – Robert E. McGehee, Jr., Ph.D., dean of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Graduate School, has been elected to the Board of Directors for the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI).


 


The NSBRI, funded by NASA, is a consortium of institutions led by Baylor College of Medicine that study the health risks related to long-duration space flight and develop countermeasures to mitigate the risks. The Institute’s research and education projects take place at more than 70 institutions across the United States.


 


“Dr. McGehee’s leadership of his institution’s graduate and science programs combined with his extensive research in genetics, nutrition, biochemistry and endocrinology make him a welcome addition to the board,” said Dr. Bobby R. Alford, NSBRI board chairman and chief executive officer.


 


McGehee is director of basic science research in the Department of Pediatrics Division of Neonatology at UAMS and for the Bioinformatics Interdisciplinary Graduate Program. He is program director of the Arkansas Cancer Research Center’s Cell Differentiation and Signaling Program. 


 


For the last ten years, McGehee served UAMS as associate professor in the Departments of Pathology, Pediatrics, Physiology and Biophysics.  He has memberships in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, The Endocrine Society, the American Federation of Clinical Research, the American Diabetes Association and the Society of Pediatric Research, among others.


 


A Pine Bluff native, McGehee received his bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and his doctoral degree in physiology and biophysics from UAMS.  He completed a fellowship in molecular endocrinology at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital.


 


McGehee’s research interests focus on cellular differentiation through evaluation of genetics, aging, birth defects and obesity. His research addresses specific proteins, how they regulate the formation of fat tissue, and how understanding the molecular events that trigger their development may help ameliorate cancers.  He lives in Little Rock with his wife, Kay, of 20 years and their son.


 


NSBRI projects address space flight health concerns such as radiation exposure; bone and muscle loss; cardiovascular changes; immune alterations; anemia; infection; balance problems; sleep disturbances, nutrition requirements; fitness maintenance; rehabilitation; remote-medical treatment systems; and, neurobehavioral and psychosocial factors.


 


UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a medical center, five centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has about 2,170 students and 650 residents and is the state’s largest public employer with almost 9,000 employees. UAMS and its affiliates have an economic impact in Arkansas of about $3.8 billion a year.


 


UAMS centers of excellence are the Arkansas Cancer Research Center, Harvey and Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Center on Aging, Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy and Jackson T. Stephens Spine and Neurosciences Institute.