Dr. Rocky Tuan, Co-Director of the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine (AFIRM), the Department of Defense funded national, multi-institutional consortium, recently hosted a visit of the Department of Defense Regenerative Medicine Traveling Exchange program (TEP) to the University of Pittsburgh. This one day visit consisted of an overview of active AFIRM research projects being conducted at Pitt as well as presentations by Dr. Arthur Levine and Dr. Steven Shapiro representing the School of Medicine and UPMC, respectively. The TEP aims to enhance the interaction between research-minded military physicians and researchers of leading academic health centers of the nation involved in AFIRM in areas that are of relevance to military medicine. AFIRM presenters included Dr. Stephen Badylak, Dr. William Wagner, Dr. Peter Rubin, Dr. Kacey Marra and Dr. Rocky Tuan. Dr. Yoram Vodovotz and Dr. Vijay Gorantla presented on trauma-related research, including collaborative projects with the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMC) and the Army Institute for Surgical Research (AISR). Drs. Tuan and Wagner also introduced the TEP visitors to the activities of Pitt’s Center for Military Medicine Research and the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. TEP Fellows attending included: LCDR Matthew Bradley (Assistant Professor, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences); Lt. Col Megan Burgess (San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC) Center); LCDR Daniel Grabo (Navy Trauma Training Center, LAC+USC Medical Center); COL Booker King (Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, TX); and LTC John Oh (Chief, General Surgery Services, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center). Representing the DoD: Dr. Wendy Dean, John Getz and Lt Col Melinda Eaton.
