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Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV News

The Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV is becoming a world-class center for medical education, patient care, and research. We aim to prepare Nevada's doctors with the most innovative and technologically advanced forms of medical training while also forming community partnerships to serve the healthcare needs of our diverse and urban population.

Current Medicine News

spring flowers
Campus News |

The rosiest headlines and highlights featuring the students and faculty of UNLV.

Winn Chatham, MD
Research |

Dr. Winn Chatham and his team are forging ahead with their research, bolstered by the promise of more rheumatologists practicing in Southern Nevada thanks to the new fellowship program.

Lori Porter in red and black outfit sitting on a large stone
People |

UNLV’s first director of Interprofessional Education and Practice will play a critical role in developing the Academic Health Center.

From left to right: Dean Marc J. Kahn, Dr. Jefferson Kinney, Dr. Kate Zhong, Dr. Jeffrey Cummings, and Dr. Mark Guadagnoli at the “Brain Health Frontiers: Tackling Alzheimer's Together” panel discussion.
Campus News |

The 'Brain Health Frontiers: Tackling Alzheimer's Together' panel discussion highlighted the revolutionary research the Department of Brain Health is conducting to fight Alzheimer’s disease.

volunteers at donation drive on UNLV campus
Business and Community |

Nearly 30 student volunteers collected 15 pallets and delivered them to the Weingart East Los Angeles YMCA.

Dr. Corrin Sullivan and Angie Sioco standing in front of the medical education building.
People |

The primary focus for the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine's continuous improvement program is to make sure there is a robust system in place for improvement processes and for accreditation.

Medicine In The News

Managed Healthcare Executive

An immunotherapy produced complete remission in more than 60% of patients with advanced squamous cell skin cancer, according to a new study showing better outcomes than previously reported in clinical trials. The research, published in Cancers, followed 36 patients in a community practice setting who received Libtayo (cemiplimab), Regeneron’s checkpoint inhibitor that blocks the PD-1 pathway. Led by Tina Fung, a medical student at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the study found more than 61% of patients achieved complete remission, while about 28% experienced partial responses.

Alzforum

BACE1, aka β-secretase, is infamous for its fateful snip of amyloid precursor protein that leads to the production of Aβ peptides. Yet this might not be the only way BACE1 eggs on Alzheimer’s pathogenesis. According to a study published February 26 in Neuron, the enzyme also cleaves protein subunits off GABAAR, a receptor that transmits inhibitory currents responsible for reining in neuronal activity.

KTNV-TV: ABC 13

Your next meal at home or in a restaurant might come with an unintended ingredient that could make you sick, they're called microplastics. Joshua Khorsandi is a first-year medical student at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine. He's focused on raising awareness about these tiny particles and their long-term health effects.

Nevada Business

Dr. Marc J. Kahn, Dean: “My finest moment was watching our first class graduate. Seeing 60 students, 30 percent of whom are first generation college students, receive their MD degrees was truly an inspiration and something I’ll never forget.”

KSNV-TV: News 3

Health officials in West Texas are urging the community to remain vigilant following the death of a child from complications related to measles amid an outbreak in the area.

KSNV-TV: News 3

Mounting research over the last few years has found microplastics in nearly every organ in the body, as well as in the bloodstream and in plaque that clogs arteries.

Medicine Experts

A renowned expert on Alzheimer's Disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. 
An expert in solution-focused brief therapy, substance abuse, communication in psychotherapy, and microanalysis.
An expert on health literacy.
An experienced clinical social work professional and expert on mental health and caregiving, anxiety, trauma, and depression. 
An expert in hematology, medical education, and the business of medicine. 
A brain injury researcher exploring the use of stem cells and other methods to regenerate blood vessels after strokes.

Recent Medicine Accomplishments

Rakshitha Mohankumar, Katie T. Singsank, Brenna N. Renn (all Psychology) and Samantha E. John (Brain Health) recently published a chapter entitled "Mental Status Examination" in the text "Diagnostic Interviewing (6th Edition)." This guide for emerging and seasoned clinicians centers on clinical description and the pragmatics of “how to” conduct…
Dr. Jeffrey Cummings (Brain Health) co-authored a recently published article titled, "Human herpesvirus-associated transposable element activation in human aging brains with Alzheimer's disease." Previous evidence has indicated a role for the herpes virus in Alzheimer's, and this article reveals new evidence for this relationship using advanced…
Kavita Batra (Medicine) co-authored a study "Changing life expectancy in European countries 1990-2021: a sub-analysis of causes and risk factors from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021," recently published in the Lancet Public Health. The study found that countries like Norway, Iceland, Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden maintained life…
Kavita Batra (Medicine) and Ravi Batra (Public Health) co-authored a study, "Global, Regional, and National Burden of Suicide, 1990–2021," published in Lancet Public Health. The study highlights the highest rates of Suicides in Eastern Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. The average age of suicide deaths has increased over time, and suicide attempts…
Manoj Sharma (Social and Behavioral Health; Internal Medicine) and graduate students, Mohammad Sohail Akhter, Sharmistha Roy, and Refat Srejon (all Social and Behavioral Health), published a paper titled, “Future Issues in Global Health: Challenges and Conundrums,” in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (Cite…
Gregory Brown, Kavita Batra, Emily Dorin, Andrew Han, Arianna Palermini, Robert Sottile, and Sherine Khanbijian (all Medicine) presented their study titled, "Six-Month Follow-Up Comparing AIT and EFT in the Reduction of Negative Emotions Associated with a Past Memory," at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the American College of Psychiatrists in…