University of New England

High School Teacher Gets Grant to Work with Medical School Researcher

A high school chemistry teacher from Connecticut will have the opportunity to work in the research laboratory of a University of New England medical school scientist thanks to a grant from the American Physiological Society (APS).

Kenneth O'Konis of South Windsor High School has been awarded one of the APS's Frontiers in Physiology Professional Development Fellowships, giving him the chance to do hands-on research in physiology with Dr. Edward Bilsky, associate professor of pharmacology in UNE's College of Osteopathic Medicine. The fellowship lasts for an entire year, starting with an intensive research experience this summer.

Opioid Physiology/Pharmacology
Dr. Bilsky's principal research focus is on opioid physiology/pharmacology and applying current knowledge of these systems to the development of novel treatments for chronic pain and drug addition. He is investigating a new family of safe, non-addictive drugs that could replace morphine for treatment of severe pain, help reduce certain drug addictions and treat related drug overdoses.

According to the APS, this experience is designed to acquaint public school teachers with modern research tools and techniques and help them bring the excitement of research into their classrooms. An additional goal of the fellowship is to establish a long-term association between science teachers and the region's research community.

In his grant application, O'Konis wrote, " I look forward to learning more about how basic science research advances our understanding of human physiology and how this can be applied to advance our ability to prevent and treat human disease. I will also be able to use some of the experiences in Dr. Bilsky's laboratory in my own classroom, relating the concepts of chemistry, physiology and pharmacology to real-world clinical problems that the students will be interested in."

UNECOM
The University of New England's College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNECOM) is Maine's only medical school and New England's only osteopathic college. The medical school emphasizes the education of primary care physicians and has graduated nearly 1,800 osteopathic physicians. The College has strengthened and expanded its research capacity in recent years, and is raising funds to build a biomedical research center.

(Press release issued March 17, 2005)