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Print Version
During the month of February every year, we celebrate MUSC accomplishments in children's research. On February 12-13, 2009 we held the 4th Annual DCRI Children's Research Event with Visiting Professor Dr. Barry Byrne from the University of Florida.
Dr. Byrne is a pediatric cardiologist and molecular geneticist that has worked out the mechanisms of disease in Pompe's using sophisticated genetic animal models. The findings have been translated into clinical trials that have transformed the disease from lethality to survivability. Dr. Byrne addressed an audience of investigators at the Forum on February 12 and then an audience of clinicians at Pediatric Grand Rounds on February 13. In addition, he attended the DCRI Open house where posters were presented by authors on the children's research conducted in our laboratories and clinics across campus.
The 4th Annual Children's Research Event set a new record for numbers of discoveries reported, from 72 in 2006, 86 in 2007, 98 in 2008 and 118 in 2009! In the last year, over $27,000,000 of extramurally funded research was conducted in the DCRI which was also designated as an official "MUSC Research Center." The DCRI has an ongoing pilot research grant program as well as a young investigator training award. We were very pleased to welcome Dr. Charlie Darby back to the DCRI where he attended Dr. Byrne's presentations and the Open House.
One humorous moment had to do with something that happened at dinner with Dr. Byrne on February 12. Mid-way through dinner, the table next to us was ablaze because a candle had spilled onto the table.
As Drs. Darby, Key, Singh, Saul and I pondered calling 911, our guest Dr. Byrne rapidly jumped up and personally extinguished the fire by smothering it repeatedly with his cloth napkin. He received a restaurant standing ovation! On our way out of the restaurant, Dr. Key quipped that "we had had visiting professors before but that Dr. Byrne was our first visiting fireman!" At Grand Rounds on February 23rd, Dr. Byrne was given an Alachua county fire hat (Gainesville, Florida is in Alachua County) that was autographed by his grateful hosts.
Dr. Byrne will be remembered as the DCRI's Honorary Fireman.
Mr. Dave Kreber, a father and grateful benefactor whose golf tournament has raised over $350,000 for pedatric cancer research, spoke about his children and how beyond state-of-the-art care at the Children's Hospital made a tremendous difference to their family and to the lives of his beautiful children.
