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Dr. Sylvia Daunert Named Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Sylvia Daunert, Ph.D., Pharm.D., M.S.
A brilliant educator and biochemist internationally renowned for her work in bioanalytical chemistry, and her focus on developing outstanding new molecular devices to help detect or treat health and environmental disorders, has been named chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Sylvia Daunert, Ph.D., Pharm.D., M.S., most recently a Distinguished Professor and the Gill Eminent Professor of Analytical and Biological Chemistry at the University of Kentucky, began her new Miller School post on July 1.

"One of my most important responsibilities as Dean is to attract leaders who are world-class scientists to our faculty, and Sylvia Daunert is a world-class luminary joining our Miller School family," said Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean of the Miller School, and CEO of University of Miami Health System - UHealth. "Dr. Daunert's cutting-edge work will be an inspiration for us all, and I particularly admire her commitment to achieving real-world applications useful to humankind. She is joining a department that has an admirable history of top-tier chairs, including interim chair Louis "Skip" Elsas, and her talents as a premier scientist and educator will help propel the Miller School to new heights."

Daunert, who has made several visits to the Miller School and met with faculty members in biochemistry and other departments, says she was impressed with the high-caliber faculty and the direction in which Dean Goldschmidt is leading the medical school.

"The Miller School and the University of Miami have made significant strides over the years, and becoming part of the institution means joining a team that is destined for greatness," Daunert said. "I was extremely excited when I spoke with Dean Goldschmidt and saw the teams he put together. He has enormous enthusiasm for the interface of biotechnology and bioengineering and I see unlimited opportunity to help create new programs to educate students and explore new scientific discoveries. "

Daunert and her Kentucky team focused on recombinant DNA technology to develop new bioanalytical techniques. The group has genetically altered proteins and cells to develop new biosensors, biomaterials and devices. Bionanotechnology, new devices and methods of drug delivery are important aspects of her group's scientific endeavors.

The Daunert group designs photoproteins and bacteria genetically engineered to glow and produce different colors to help detect levels of certain target molecules important in the clinic as well as in the environment. For example, using protein-based biosensors, Daunert is working on a responsive drug delivery system or "smart pill," a tiny device that could be placed in the abdomen to help control diabetes by sensing levels of glucose and in response delivering appropriate amounts of medication. In another configuration and in collaboration with iGlyko Inc., her team is developing catheters capable of continuous monitoring of glucose in patients in the ICU. Daunert has several patents covering the different areas of the discoveries of her group.

Daunert believes in extensive interdisciplinary collaboration and plans to work not only among departments at the Miller School but also across the Coral Gables and Rosenstiel campuses. In Kentucky, she worked closely with faculty in engineering, jointly designing devices, and with physicians who are testing the devices in their clinics.

As she did in Kentucky, Daunert hopes to have Miller School students work with students in partner universities abroad. For one program, Daunert's Kentucky students worked with students at a university in Spain to design a biomedical device that could be used to help patients. The program, she says, was enormously successful and resulted in students embracing a new language, culture and method of attacking scientific problems.

"We live in an increasingly global environment and I want students to communicate and integrate with their peers around the world," Daunert said. "Miami is already a cultural melting pot and I hope to introduce similar global research projects at the Miller School."

Mentoring and teaching others how to mentor are part of Daunert's teaching philosophy. She has directed a National Science Foundation-backed summer research program for undergraduates. In addition to 21 Ph.D. candidates and five post-doctoral and senior research associates, her research group at the University of Kentucky included two medical students, three undergraduates-and two high school students.

Daunert is a native of Barcelona, Spain. She earned two doctorate degrees, a Pharm.D. and a Ph.D. in bioanalytical chemistry, both from the University of Barcelona, and a master of science in medicinal chemistry from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Daunert, who was a Fulbright Scholar, also serves on several scientific advisory boards and has been part of National Institutes of Health special review panels.

Currently, Daunert, whose publications include more than 200 journal articles, books and book chapters, is editor of Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, executive editor of Analytical Biochemistry, and a member of the editorial advisory board of Bioconjugate Chemistry. She has also been honored with numerous awards from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the American Chemical Society, and other professional and private institutions.

Daunert has moved to Miami with her husband, Leonidas G. Bachas, Ph.D., fomerly the Frank J. Derbyshire Professor of Chemistry at the University of Kentucky who has been named dean of UM's College of Arts and Sciences. Daunert and Bachas have three children: a daughter, Stephanie, a Princeton graduate who starts this summer in the environmental engineering Ph.D. program at Stanford University; a son, Philip, a sophomore at Georgetown University; and an 8-year-old daughter, Sophie, who is looking forward to living in Miami.

Grand Rounds
Tuesday, December 01, 2009 8 a.m.
Pediatric Grand Rounds: “Update on Inflammatory Bowel Disease”
Tuesday, December 01, 2009 12 p.m.
Cardiovascular Grand Rounds: “Predicting and Preventing Stroke”
Wednesday, December 02, 2009 7:30 a.m.
Plastic Surgery Grand Rounds: “Minimizing Scars and Keloids – Update”
Wednesday, December 02, 2009 11:45 a.m.
Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery Grand Rounds: "Catalyzing Health Care Transformation Via TeleHealth"
Thursday, December 03, 2009 6:45 a.m.
Anesthesiology Grand Rounds: "Controversies in Perioperative Pacemaker and Defibrillator Management"
Thursday, December 03, 2009 7 a.m.
Neurological Surgery Grand Rounds
Thursday, December 03, 2009 7 a.m.
Orthopaedic Grand Rounds: “Mobile Bearing Total Knee Replacement”
Thursday, December 03, 2009 7:30 a.m.
Surgical Grand Rounds/Barbara B. Williams Lecture: “Laparoscopic Liver Resection for Cancer”
Thursday, December 03, 2009 8 a.m.
Otolaryngology Grand Rounds: “Facial Reanimation”
Thursday, December 03, 2009 12 p.m.
Pathology Grand Rounds: “On Social Entrepreneurship – There is Life Outside of Pathology”
Friday, December 04, 2009 10 a.m.
Neurology Grand Rounds
Friday, December 04, 2009 12 p.m.
Psychiatry Grand Rounds: “Medical Errors Prevention, Part One”
Tuesday, December 08, 2009 8 a.m.
Pediatric Grand Rounds: “Facial Clefting and Reconstruction”
Tuesday, December 08, 2009 12 p.m.
Cardiovascular Grand Rounds
Thursday, December 10, 2009 7 a.m.
Orthopaedic Grand Rounds: "Proximal Opening Wedge Osteotomy of the First Metatarsal with Plate Fixation for Hallux Valgus"
Thursday, December 10, 2009 7:30 a.m.
Surgical Grand Rounds: “Malpractice Lawsuit Prevention”
Thursday, December 10, 2009 8 a.m.
Neurological Surgery Grand Rounds: “Neuropathology Review Conference”
Thursday, December 10, 2009 8 a.m.
Otolaryngology Grand Rounds: “Allergic Rhinitis”
Thursday, December 10, 2009 12 p.m.
Hospital Medicine Grand Rounds: “Understanding Enteral/Parenteral Nutrition - 2009”
Friday, December 11, 2009 10 a.m.
Neurology Grand Rounds: “Searching for New Approaches to Prevent Stroke”
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 8 a.m.
Pediatric Grand Rounds: "The Pathogenesis of Staphylococcus Aureus Pneumonia and the Role of Immunity"
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 12 p.m.
Cardiovascular Grand Rounds: “Chronic Kidney Disease: Can We Reduce Cardiovascular Risk?”
Thursday, December 17, 2009 7 a.m.
Orthopaedic Grand Rounds: “Thumb Carpometacarpal Joint Arthritis”
Thursday, December 17, 2009 7:30 a.m.
Surgical Grand Rounds: “Percutaneous Treatment of Aortic Valve Disease”
Thursday, December 17, 2009 8 a.m.
Neurological Surgery Grand Rounds: “Neuropathology”
Friday, December 18, 2009 10 a.m.
Neurology Grand Rounds: “Movement Disorders of Childhood”
Friday, December 18, 2009 12 p.m.
Psychiatry Grand Rounds: “Culturally-Informed Therapy for Schizophrenia”
Friday, December 18, 2009 3 p.m.
Medicine Grand Rounds: “Clinical Pharmacogenomics in Clinical Practice”
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 8 a.m.
Pediatric Grand Rounds: “TB 2009: A Perspective From Chile”
Thursday, December 31, 2009 12 p.m.
Hospital Medicine Grand Rounds: “Thrombocytopenia in the Clinical Setting - 2009”
Events
Tuesday, December 01, 2009 11 a.m. Student Members of Physicians for Human Rights Commemorate World AIDS Day with Awareness Campaign
Tuesday, December 01, 2009 12 p.m. Cell Biology and Anatomy Seminar: “Probing Mitochondrial DNA Structure with Mitochondria-Targeted DNA Methyltransferases"
Tuesday, December 01, 2009 4 p.m. Genetics and Genomics Seminar: “miRNAs, Morphology and Metastasis”
Wednesday, December 02, 2009 11:59 a.m. Gail F. Beach Memorial Visiting Lectureship: “Applications of Recurrent Brain-Computer Interfaces”
Thursday, December 03, 2009 7 a.m. Continuing Medical Education Course: "An Update in the Management of Pediatric Growth Hormone Deficiency"
Thursday, December 03, 2009 12 p.m. Microbiology and Immunology Seminar: "Hyperoxic Reversal of Hypoxia-Adenosinergic Immunosuppression in Lung Metastases"
Friday, December 04, 2009 12 p.m. Friday Noon Interdisciplinary Lecture Series/First Fridays Talks on Autism: "Toilet Training Individuals with Autism"
Friday, December 04, 2009 12 p.m. Neuroscience Center Seminar: "Control of Ion Channel Modulation, Synaptic Plasticity and Neuronal Circuits by Light"
Friday, December 04, 2009 12 p.m. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Seminar: “Nucleosome Dynamics During DNA Replication and Repair”
Saturday, December 05, 2009 7 a.m. Bascom Palmer Presents: “Retinal and Glaucoma Imaging 2010”
Saturday, December 05, 2009 7:29 a.m. Advances in Flexible Endoscopy Course
Monday, December 07, 2009 12 p.m. Microbiology and Immunology Seminar: "TNFRSF25 Robustly Expands CD4+Foxp3+ Regulatory T Cells In Vivo"
Tuesday, December 08, 2009 9 a.m. DMAS/FRS Training Scheduled for December
Wednesday, December 09, 2009 9 a.m. The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis Seminar
Wednesday, December 09, 2009 12 p.m. Microbiology and Immunology Dissertation Seminar: “APRIL (TNFSF13) in Th1, Th2 and Th17 Responses”
Wednesday, December 09, 2009 12 p.m. Pediatric Clinical Research Forum: “Viral Time Bomb: Pediatric HCV in the State of Florida”
Thursday, December 10, 2009 10 a.m. The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis Hosts First Holiday Bazaar
Thursday, December 10, 2009 11:30 a.m. Israeli Health Care Reform Symposium
Thursday, December 10, 2009 12 p.m. Microbiology and Immunology Seminar: "Immunoglobulin Class Switch DNA Recombination and Somatic Hypermutation"
Thursday, December 10, 2009 12 p.m. Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology Seminar: “Stem Cells and Cardiomyogenesis”
Thursday, December 10, 2009 12 p.m. NIH Update Meeting
Thursday, December 10, 2009 3 p.m. Department of Medicine Seminar
Thursday, December 10, 2009 4 p.m. Miller School Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., to Present the 10th Biennial Gross Lecture
Friday, December 11, 2009 12 p.m. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Seminar: "Recognition and Repair of UV-Induced DNA Damage in the Context of Chromatin"
Sunday, December 13, 2009 8:30 a.m. Walk/Run to Benefit the Diabetes Research Institute
Monday, December 14, 2009 12 p.m. Microbiology and Immunology Seminar: “Unraveling Confused CTL”
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 9 a.m. Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology Dissertation Seminar: "Vav3 Potentiation of Androgen Receptor Activity in Prostate Cancer"
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 12 p.m. Cell Biology and Anatomy Seminar: "New Perspective for ORF Phage Display as an Efficient Versatile Technology of Functional Proteomics"
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 1 p.m. Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology Special Seminar: "Androgen Receptor Corepressor NCoR is a Key Regulator of Androgen Receptor Action in Prostate Cancer"
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 4 p.m. Genetics and Genomics Seminar: "Next-Generation Sequencing: Novel Applications for Molecular Genetics"
Thursday, December 17, 2009 12 p.m. Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology Seminar: “Early Detection of Melanoma by Olfactory Receptors”
Thursday, December 17, 2009 1:15 p.m. Department of Medicine Seminar: “HIV Persistence in the Face of HAART”
Friday, December 18, 2009 11 a.m. Neurology Clinicopathological Conference
Friday, December 18, 2009 12 p.m. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Seminar: "Common Variants in Innate Immunity Genes Influence Susceptibility to Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Three Populations"
Friday, December 18, 2009 1 p.m. Neuroscience Center Seminar: "Calcium, Selective Neurodegeneration and Protection in Parkinson's Disease"
Friday, December 18, 2009 3 p.m. Liberty City Toy Drive
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Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
CEO, University of Miami Health System
Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D.

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Associate Vice President for Communications
Christine Morris

Editor
Jenny Prather

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Maya Bell
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Jeanne Antol Krull
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