McDougle receives Gold Foundation's 2026 National Humanism in Medicine Medal
Leon McDougle, MD, professor of Family and Community Medicine at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, received the 2026 National Humanism in Medicine Medal from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation. McDougle was recognized for his transformative leadership in advancing humanism in health care, expanding opportunities in biomedical and behavioral science careers and improving health care access and outcomes for all people. He will be honored at the foundation's Gold Standard Gala in June.
Rovin honored by National Kidney Foundation
Brad Rovin, MD, Lee A. Hebert Professor of Nephrology and director of the Division of Nephrology at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, is recipient of the National Kidney Foundation's 2026 Donald W. Seldin Award. The award recognizes excellence in clinical nephrology. The foundation said Rovin's work has "transformed the understanding of lupus nephritis and advanced new therapeutic approaches for glomerular diseases." Rovin will be honored in May during the foundation's meeting.
Ohio State long COVID study finds multimodal treatment helps patients with quality of life
A study conducted in the Post-COVID Recovery Program at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center is the first to look at the health outcomes of patients receiving multimodal treatment in an academic long COVID clinic. Multimodal treatment consists of patient education on behavioral management of long COVID, rehabilitation (physical therapy and cognitive rehabilitation) and symptom targeted drug treatment.
In the study, 150 patients completed a survey that detailed their quality-of-life assessment at their first clinic visit and then after six months of treatment. Researchers found statistically and clinically significant improvement in all quality-of-life domains: physical functioning, ability to participate in social roles, depression, sleep disturbance, anxiety, pain and fatigue. The study, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, was led by Ohio State Internal Medicine Physicians Andrew Schamess, MD, and Aaron Friedberg, MD.
Rhodes receives obesity care grant from American College of Physicians
Allison Rhodes, MD, an obesity medicine specialist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, is one of 12 grantees to receive funding from the American College of Physicians (ACP) to support regional programs advancing equitable obesity care. The $280,000 in total ACP funding nationwide will help leverage partnerships across health systems, community organizations and training programs to expand access to evidence-based education and care. Rhodes' project is "From Evidence to Execution: Building a Digital Obesity Care Implementation Toolkit for Primary Care."
12 Ohio State University College of Medicine departments in top 30 Blue Ridge rankings
Twelve departments within The Ohio State University College of Medicine earned top 30 spots in the annual Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research rankings of National Institutes of Health funding. The Blue Ridge standings are widely regarded as a measure of scientific vitality and research standards among medical and health sciences schools. Total NIH funding awarded to Ohio State increased to $209.6 million. The Ohio State departments listed are:
• No. 4 – Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• No. 6 – Physiology and Cell Biology
• No. 9 – Surgery
• No. 11 – Psychiatry and Behavioral Health
• No. 12 – Emergency Medicine
• No. 16 – Neurosurgery
• No. 18 – Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
• No. 21 – Microbial Infection and Immunity
• No. 24 – Family and Community Medicine
• No. 26 – Neuroscience
• No. 27 – Radiology
• No. 30 – Pathology
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