VCURES Participates in Undergraduate and Secondary Education

Ivo Torres Filho, MD, PhD, was chosen to lead an Honors Seminar course for VCU undergraduate students. Dr. Torres who is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Physiology, and Emergency Medicine and director of the VCURES Microcirculation Laboratory, chose as the course topic “How Light Can Save Your Life” ( http://www.vcu.edu/honors/howlightcan.html ). This program is part of the VCU's University Honors Program ( http://www.vcu.edu/honors/index.html ). Dr. Torres has a career of “firsts” in using light to delve into the world of the microcirculation and how tissues are oxygenated and this serves as one of the central research themes for VCURES.

Dr. Torres states that “It is important to introduce students at the earliest time to the bridge between basic science and health care. Another fundamental message in this Honors module is that multidisciplinary team effort produces the best results.” Therefore, other VCURES Fellows and leading physicians of the VCU Medical Center provided lectures for Dr. Torres' course.

VCURES also once again participated in VCU's Virginia Governor's School for Life Sciences and Medicine ( http://www.vcu.edu/lifesci/centers/cen_lse_governors.html ) hosting two students. These students spend a total of four weeks at Virginia Commonwealth University discovering the newly emerging fields and advancements that will revolutionize health care and life sciences in the 21st century. Students were exposed to the rigors of Emergency Medicine and the research challenges that exist in developing new technologies to save lives.

For more information contact Dr. Ivo Torres Filho at itorres@vcu.edu