Shriners Hospitals for Children - Tampa
Volume 1, Issue 6 - Winter/Spring 2000 - Page 2

Grant Benefits Research 
at Shriners Hospital
By Alicia Argiz, Director of Public Relations & Volunteers

By the year 2020, one of every five Americans are expected to suffer from a form of joint disease commonly called arthritis. Various types of research are targeting joint problems, hoping to make new treatments and medicines available to improve the quality of life for patients with these prolonged and painful diseases.

John Sandy, PhD (third from left) with his research team (L to R) Jennifer Westling,PhD, Vivian Thompson, Charlene McPherson, Christie Verscharen

The Arthritis Foundation awarded a $269,000 biomedical science grant to Shriners Hospital for Children in Tampa for such research. The President of the Florida Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation Peter Corrado, awarded the grant to research scientist John Sandy, PhD.

Sandy and his team pioneered research on an enzyme, aggrecanase, which plays a central role in the destruction of cartilage, occuring in all forms of joint disease.

A recent article in the journal Science followed recent major advances in the research area and quoted Sandy, "Everyone looking for arthritis targets is very excited because understanding cartilage destruction had been on hold until the 'aggrecanase' activity was identified. This should set the stage for targeted development of treatments in the near future."

Shriners Hospital Tampa Director of Research John Hassell, PhD said, "Aggrecanase and related enzymes also likely play important roles in the turnover of cartilage matrix that occurs during normal limb development and bone formation."

 Researchers at Shriners Hospital in Tampa have been studying basic biology of cartilage, bone and other limb tissues, and Sandy's research over the past two decades has been directed toward understanding conditions which maintain healthy cartilage in human joints. His research at Shriners Hospital since 1989 has focused on control of activity of cartilage enzymes which are a problem in joint diseases of children and adults resulting from conditions such as inherited growth abnormalities, sports injury and hip dysplasia.

He states, "The award from the Arthritis Foundation has allowed us to expand these studies with the hiring of additional staff which will enable us to more rapidly describe this problem at the cellular and molecular level."

Sandy presented findings of his latest research and discussed the recent growth of interest in alternative therapies for joint pain at a community awareness luncheon sponsored by the Arthritis Foundation in January at the Wyndham Westshore Hotel in Tampa.

The arthritis research forms part of the larger research program at Shriners Hospital in Tampa. The Center for Research in Skeletal Development and Pediatric Orthopaedics has a staff of 30, including six PhD researchers and one MD research scientist. This team covers expertise in molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology and genetics as well as tissue engineering. The program is nationally recognized to be at the forefront of biomedical research into the development, growth and maturation of tissues such as cartilage, bone and tendon, which are compromised in a wide range of orthopaedic diseases and limb defects.

About
Dr. Harry Kim
By Tami Smith, Administrative Assistant

Dr. Harry Kim was born in Kwang-ju, South Korea. His father was a chemical engineer and his mother a teacher. When Dr. Kim was 10 the family relocated to Montreal, Canada to begin a new phase of their lives. The Kim family operated a grocery store in Montreal and his parents' strong work ethic served as a living example to both Dr. Kim and his older brother, Peter. With the support of their parents, determination and dedication, Dr. Kim and his brother both pursued medical careers. His brother is a pediatric general surgeon at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

Dr Harry Kim treats 5-year-old Shriners patient Beau Ashcraft during his clinic visit.

Dr. Kim completed his internship and orthopaedic residency at the University of Toronto and his pediatric orthopaedic fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He attended the 5-year medical program leading to his M.D. Degree at McGill University in Montreal where he graduated with honors.

Dr. Kim is married to Anna, a pediatric dentist and they have a 3 year old daughter named Audrey that Dr. Kim describes as "the absolute joy" of his life. His two favorite past times away from Shriners are spending time with his family and "fly-fishing" (he is still in the learning stage!)

Shriners Hospital held great appeal for Dr. Kim because it allows him to combine his pediatric orthopaedic training with the opportunity to conduct research. Dr. Kim serves a dual role at the hospital as an attending pediatric orthopaedic surgeon and a research section chief. His research involves the study of hip development and the effects of disrupted blood supply to the hip bone that is caused by injury or Legg-Perthes disease, a common pediatric hip disorder.

Dr. Kim enjoys working with children. He appreciates that any treatment must take into consideration the long-term effects of the treatment on the growth and development of the child. With his Christian upbringing and medical background in the Canadian healthcare system, Shriners philosophy of accessible healthcare is a good match for Dr. Kim. We are very lucky to have found such a perfect fit for our Shriners family with Dr. Kim.

Buccaneers & 
Beef O'Brady's
Bring In The Bucks!
By Jessica Keene, Public Relations & Volunteer Coordinator

Martin Gramatica visits with Shriners patient Dylan Archey at the Buccaneers One-on-One Fundraising event.

Tampa Bay Buccaneer defensive tackle Brad Culpepper provides support for Shriners Hospital for Children both on and off the football field. For the last two years, he teamed up with Beef O' Brady's Family Sports Pubs to raise money for Shriners Hospital in Tampa during football season. This year, their combined efforts resulted in a $24,000 donation!

Culpepper and his wife, Monica, who previously worked in the rehabilitation department at the Tampa Hospital, promoted the fundraiser and encouraged local sports fans to participate. The wait staff at 34 Beef O' Brady's locations in Florida furthered efforts by encouraging patrons to donate $1, $5 and $10 for paper footballs. Donors' names were written on the footballs and displayed on the wall. Beef O' Brady's also donated additional funds for every sack made by Culpepper during the 1999 season.

Supporting Shriners Hospital is a family affair for Tampa Bay Buccaneer kicker Martin Gramatica. After playing in the 1998 East-West Shrine Bowl, Martin visited the Tampa hospital with his father, Bill, and younger brothers, Bill (a kicker at the University of South Florida) and Santiago (a kicker at LaBelle High School).

It was during this visit that Martin met and developed a friendship with 6-year-old Shriners patient Dylan Archey. Martin made arrangements for Dylan and his parents to attend Buccaneer practice sessions during Dylan's treatment at Shriners Hospital.

In December, Martin selected Shriners Hospital as his charity for the Buccaneers One-On-One fundraising event held at Raymond James Stadium. In an interactive soccer booth, Martin offered kicking tips and signed autographs for fans to raise money for Shriners Hospital. Bill and Santiago also helped out in the booth, and even signed a few autographs themselves!

The Buccaneers One-On-One fundraising event is held each December. Last year, Warrick Dunn, Mike Alstott, John Lynch, Dave Moore, Paul Gruber, Karl Williams and Jerry Wunsch also participated. It gave fans a great opportunity to meet their favorite Buccaneer players while raising money for local charities.

Serving Up 
Football Fun!
By Jessica Keene, Public Relations & Volunteer Coordinator

Thanks to WQYK-FM 99.5, ABC Channel 28 and Fantastic Sams, over $7,700 was raised for Shriners Hospitals for Children at Tampa Bay Buccaneer tailgate parties before every home game. WYQK organized and promoted the event, ABC Channel 28 provided their parking lot across the street from Raymond James Stadium, and Fantastic Sams added to the pre-game excitement by accepting donations to decorate fans' hair and faces with outrageous Buccaneer colors and designs!

For only $3, tailgaters were treated to delicious bar-b-que chicken, baked beans, potato salad, hot dog, soft drink and ice cream. It was the best deal around the stadium, and as the season wore on, more and more fans stopped by to listen to live bands provided by WQYK and to support Shriners Hospital for Children.

WQYK staff selected Shriners Hospital as the recipient of their fundraising efforts because several employees have first-hand experience with the hospital. Morning host, Skip Mahaffey, and marketing director, Mike Culotta, both have family members who are patients at Shriners Hospital. They were so pleased at how well staff members cared for their loved ones they wanted to give back to Shriners Hospital.

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