Page 21 - COM Outlook - Spring 2013

21 COM Outlook . Spring 2013
Dr. Klimas, who was born in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, and raised in northern Virginia,
came to Florida to attend the University of
Southern Florida, where she pursued a double
major in microbiology and English and earned
her M.D. degree at the University of Miami
(UM). She is a diplomate of the American
Board of Internal Medicine, a diplomate in
diagnostic laboratory immunology, and director
of clinical immunology research at the Veter-
ans Administration Medical Center in Miami.
Her commitment to easing the suffering of
others comes from several life experiences,
including her father’s battle with brain cancer.
During his illness, she observed what doctors
did to support patients and families in crisis.
Two colleagues from UM’s Miller School of
Medicine also served as major influencers in
Dr. Klimas’ noble pursuit of conquering neuro-
logical challenges: Mary Ann Fletcher, Ph.D.,
professor of medicine, microbiology/immunol-
ogy, and psychology, who hooked Dr. Klimas
on immunology when they worked together in
the 1980s, and Janet Canterbury, Ph.D., pro-
fessor of medicine and deputy dean emeritus,
who instilled the importance of including and
supporting women in the field.
The commitment of Drs. Fletcher and
Canterbury personified “a way of imbuing
you with responsibility to the next genera-
tion,” Dr. Klimas said. There were only 12
women in Dr. Klimas’ class at UM; conse-
quently, she has tried very hard in her years
of practice to acknowledge her “sensitivity to
the privilege of having the access to certain
advantages and the responsibility to pass
down the lesson that we do not open doors
alone.” Essentially, those who win success
have the obligation to recognize people who
have helped them to succeed and to keep
the doors open for others.
An expert in immune disorders, Dr. Klimas
will treat patients at two sites: the institute on
the main campus in Davie and at the existing
Chronic Fatigue Center in Kendall, where
Dr. Klimas is the director. The institute will
use the integration of research, training, and
clinical care to answer the needs of patients
suffering from CFS/ME and GWI. By bringing
together some of the best scientific minds in
the world, the facility will act as a think tank
and working institute for the research, as a
training center for new clinicians, and provide
diagnostic and therapeutic clinical care.
The institute, which houses research lab-
oratories, a patient clinic, a clinical research
unit, faculty offices, and conference facili-
ties, is designed to bring together multiple
core medical and scientific disciplines in one
place. This includes clinicians, educators,
and researchers in the areas of genomics,
virology, immunology, cellular biology, compu-
tational biology, and therapeutic modeling.
Neuro-immune diseases such as human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV/AIDS), fibromy-
algia, autism spectrum disorder, Lyme dis-
ease, and Gulf War syndromes are some of
the illnesses that are treated at the institute.
Patients seek treatment for myriad ailments,
including mild-to-severe cognitive impairment,
disordered sleep, severe headache, swollen
lymph nodes, sore throat, malaise, postural
orthostatic tachycardia, painful nerves, joints,
and/or muscles, abdominal pain, nausea,
and unusual fatigue. Unfortunately, standard
medical treatment is not successful in resolv-
ing these disorders. Research conducted at
the institute will examine the immune system
and monitor infections, major life stresses, or
exposure to toxins that can trigger a severe
relapse or worsening of existing symptoms.
Inflammation is a common problem, but dif-
ferent illnesses manifest in divergent ways.
What makes the institute different is
the way it combines computer models with
patient care and treatment development, Dr.
Klimas explained. For instance, the institute’s
researchers can study the way a patient’s
genes react during exercise while experienc-
ing chronic fatigue syndrome and plug that
data into a computer model to calculate the
ways this reaction could be blocked off. The
computer would then run through all the pre-
“There is a lot of work to do to make NSU the major research institution President Hanbury
envisions,” Dr. Klimas explained. “It’s completely plausible and doable, but it’s only going to
happen with the passion, belief, and commitment of the leadership. Building a building is the
start, but building a culture of scientific advancement and scholarship is what is going to take
NSU where it wants to be in 2020.”
Members of the Institute for
Neuro-Immune Medicine team
enjoy a moment of levity.