Mr. Ray W. Totman, a businessman from Malone, NY, became a friend of UVM when the University learned of his intention to establish a foundation that would benefit medical schools in the New England area, particularly UVM.  Mr. Totman initiated the establishment of his foundation in the mid-80s with net assets of $2-$3M.  Mr. Totman was an oil distributor and owned several gas stations in Malone.  He and his wife had no children; he wanted his estate to be used to further medical research and to find solutions for health problems.  He did not believe that medical research was making much progress at that time.

Mr. Totman died in 1988, and in the fall of that same year, UVM learned that $150,000 was bequeathed to the College of Medicine with the possibility of additional funds with proper proposals.  All gifts were to be earmarked for clinical research in areas such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease.  In his will, Mr. Totman singled out UVM as one of four institutions that would benefit from his foundation.

The first gift to UVM was received in August 1989 in the amount of $250,000.  At that time, UVM established the "Ray W. Totman and Ildah Totman Medical Research Fund".  The money was used to "construct, equip and operate a laboratory for scientific and medical research concerning Ischemic Cerebrovascular Disease".  Since 1989, the College of Medicine has received annual gifts from the Totman Foundation.  The size of the gifts awarded ranges from $120,000 to over $200,000 per year.  The Totman Lab was established in the Department of Pharmacology where it still resides under the supervision of Dr. Mark T. Nelson.

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A premier research center on brain blood vessels, the Totman Medical Research Trust supports an interdepartmental, highly interactive research group focused on key aspects of brain artery function from molecules to clinical applications.

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Trustees

Ms. Arlene Howard - Malone NY
Mr. Donald Stone - Naples FL
Mr. Jeffrey Stone - Albany, NY 

Advisory Board

W. Jonathan Lederer, M.D., Ph.D.  Professor and Director, Medical Biotechnology Center, University of Maryland; Visiting Professor, Department of Pharmacology, University of Vermont

Robert W. Hamill, M.D.
Professor and Chair, Department of Neurology

Bruce I. Tranmer, M.D.
Professor and Chairman, Department of Surgery (Division of Neurosurgery); Program Director of Neurosurgery ResidencyInstitutional Leadership

Frances E. Carr, Ph.D.
Vice-President for Research and Graduate Studies; Professor, Department of Pharmacology

Fredrick C. Morin III, M.D.
Dean, College of Medicine

Russell P. Tracy, Ph.D.
Senior Associate Dean for Research and Academic Affairs, College of Medicine; Professor, Departments of Pathology and Biochemistry

Brian Cote
Associate Dean for Finance and Administration, College of Medicine

Rick Blount
Assistant Dean for Development and Alumni Affairs, College of Medicine

Faculty

Mark T. Nelson, Ph.D. Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology; Professor, Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics

George C. Wellman, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Departments of Pharmacologyand Surgery (Division of Neurosurgery)

Joseph E. Brayden, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Pharmacology

Marilyn J. Cipolla, Ph.D. Professor, Departments of Neurology, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Pharmacology

Wolfgang R. Dostmann, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Departments of Pharmacology and Molecular Physiology & Biophysics

Karen M. Lounsbury, Ph. D. Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology

Alan S. Segal, M.D. Associate Professor, Departments of Medicine, Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, and Pharmacology

David M. Warshaw, Ph.D. Professor and Chair, Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics

Adrian D. Bonev, Ph.D. Research Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology

Thomas Heppner, Ph.D. Research Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology

David Hill-Eubanks, Ph.D. Research Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology

Kentaro Murakami, Ph.D. Research Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology

Paul L. Penar, M.D. Professor, Departments of Surgery (Division of Neurosurgery) and Pharmacology

Research Technical Support

Kevin O'Connor
Research Technician, Wellman Laboratory

Jessica Pearson
Research Technician, Nelson Laboratory

Matthew Tavares
Research Technician, Brayden Laboratory

Christian Nickl
Research Technician, Dostmann Laboratory

Lisa Bullinger
Senior Research Technician, Cipolla Laboratory

Julie Godfrey
Research Technician, Cipolla Laboratory

Jeremiah Smith
Research Technician, Cipolla Laboratory

Theresa Wellman
Senior Research Technician, Lounsbury Laboratory

Post-Doctoral Trainees

Masayo Koide, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, Wellman Laboratory

Gayathri Krishnamoorthy, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, Nelson Laboratory

Jeff Layne, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, Nelson Laboratory

Patricia Rose, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, Lounsbury Laboratory

Rachael Baylie, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, Nelson Laboratory

Student Trainees

Kara Held
Graduate Dissertation Student in Pharmacology, Dostmann Laboratory


Phani Garimella
Graduate Dissertation Student in Pharmacology, Lounsbury Laboratory

Rachael Hannah
Graduate Dissertation Student in Neuroscience, Nelson Laboratory

Bernhard Nausch
Graduate Dissertation Student in Pharmacology, Nelson Laboratory

Matthew Nystoriak
Graduate Dissertation Student in Pharmacology, Wellman Laboratory

Brent Osborne
Graduate Dissertation Student in Cell & Molecular Biology, Dostmann Laboratory

Shivkumar Raidas
Graduate Dissertation Student in Pharmacology, Dostmann Laboratory
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2007 Totman Lecturer

Robert S. Kass, Ph. D. 
Chairman and Alumni and David Hosak Professor, Pharmacology, Columbia University

Nicholas B. Standen, Ph.D
Professor of Cell Physiology & Pharmacology, University of Leicester

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Mark T. Nelson, Ph.D.

1. Wilkerson, M.K., Heppner, T.J., Bonev, A.D., & Nelson, M.T..  Inositol Trisphosphate Receptor Calcium Release is Required for Cerebral Artery Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation.  Am. J. Physiol. 290:240-247, 2006.

2. Mandala, M, Heppner, T.J., Bonev, A.D., & Nelson, M.T.  Effect of endogenous and exogenous nitric oxide on calcium sparks as targets for vasodilation in rat cerebral artery.  Nitric Oxide. 2006 Jul 1; [Epub ahead of print]

3. Filosa, J.A.,  Bonev, A.D.,  Straub, S.V., Meredith, A.L.,  Wilkerson, M.K.,  Aldrich R.W., & Nelson, M.T.  Local potassium signaling couples neuronal activity to vasodilation in the brain.  Nat. Neurosci. 9:1397-1403, 2006.

4. Werner, M.E.,  Knorn, A-M, Meredith , AL., Aldrich, R.W., & Mark T. Nelson.  Frequency encoding of cholinergic- and purinergic-mediated signaling to mouse urinary bladder smooth muscle: Modulation by BK channels. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2007 Jan; 292(1): R616-24. 

5. Straub, S.V., A.D. Bonev, M.K. Wilkerson, and M.T. Nelson.    Dynamic Inositol Trisphosphate-Mediated Calcium Signals within Astrocytic Endfeet Underlie Vasodilation of Cerebral Arterioles. Journal of General Physiol 2006 128(6):659-69.

6. Lavoie B, Balemba OB, Nelson MT, Ward SM, Mawe GM.  Morphological and physiological evidence for interstitial cell of Cajal-like cells in the guinea pig gallbladder.  J Physiol.  2007 Mar 1;579(Pt 2):487-501.

7. Morita H, Honda A, Inoue R, Ito Y, Abe K, Nelson MT, Brayden JE.  Membrane stretch-induced activation of a TRPM4-like nonselective cation channel in cerebral artery myocytes.  J Pharmacol Sci. 2007 Apr; 103(4):417-26.

George C. Wellman, Ph.D.

1. Ishiguro, M., Anthony D. Morielli, Katarina Zvarova, Bruce I. Tranmer, Paul L. Penar and Wellman, G.C.  Oxyhemoglobin-Induced Suppression of Voltage-Dependent K+ Channels in Cerebral Arteries by Enhanced Tyrosine Kinase Activity.  Circ. Res.; 2006; 99; 1252 – 1260.  October 26, 2006. 

2. Wellman, G. C.  Alterations in ion channels and calcium signaling in cerebral artery myocytes following subarachnoid hemorrhage.  Neurological Research 28:690-702.  2006.

3. Koide, M., Penar P.L., Tranmer B.I., Wellman G.C.  Heparin-binding epidermal growth factor mediates oxyhemoglobin-induced suppression of voltage-dependent potassium channels in rabbit cerebral artery myocytes.  Submitted to American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology.  April 11, 2007.

Joseph E. Brayden, Ph.D.

1. Reading  S, Brayden JE  Central role of TRPM4 channels in cerebral blood flow regulation. Stroke (in press).  2007.

2. Earley S, Straub SV, Brayden J.  Protein Kinase C Regulates Vascular Myogenic Tone Through Activation of TRPM4.  Amercan Journal of  Physiology: Heart & Circulatory Physiology (In press) [Epub ahead of print on 02/09/2007].

3. Morita H, Honda A, Inoue R, Ito Y, Abe K, Nelson MT, Brayden JE.  Membrane stretch-induced activation of a TRPM4-like nonselective cation channel in cerebral artery myocytes.  Journal of Pharmacological Sciences 103(4):417-26.  2007.

Marilyn J. Cipolla, Ph.D.

1. Hallene KL., Oby E., Lee B.J., Santaguida S., Bassanini S., Cipolla M.J., Marchi N., Hossain M., Battaglia G., Janigro D.  Pre-natal exposure to Thalidamide, altered angiogenesis, and central nervous system malformations.  Neuroscience 142(1); 267-83.  2006.

2. Aukes A.M., Vitullo L., Zeeman G., Cipolla M.J.  Pregnancy prevents hypertension-induced remodeling and diminishes myogenic reactivity of posterior cerebral arteries in Dahl Salt Sensitive rate: Role in eclampsia?  AM J Physiol 292(2); H 1071-6.  2007.

3. Maneen M.J., and Cipolla M.J.  Peroxynitrite and myogenic tone of cerebral arteries: Effect of nitrosylation and F-actin.  Am J Physiol 292(2): H 1042-50.  2007.

4. Euser A.G., and Cipolla M.J.  Cerebral blood flow autoregulation and edema formation during pregnancy in anesthetized rats.  Hypertension 49(2): 334-40.  2007.

Wolfgang R. Dostmann, Ph.D.

1. Hou Y, Wong E, Martin J, Schoenlein P, Dostmann WR and Browning DD.  A Role for cyclic-GMP dependent protein kinase in Anoikis.  J Cell Signal, 18:882-888.  2006.

2. Mongillo M, Tocchetti CG, Terrin A, Lissandron V, Cheung YF, Dostmann WR, Pozzan T, Kass DA, Paolocci N, Houslay MD, Zaccolo M. Compartmentalized phosphodi-esterase-2 activity blunts beta-adrenergic cardiac inotropy via an NO/cGMP-dependent pathway. Circ Res, 98:226-234.  2006.

3. Bove PF, Wesley UV, Greul AK, Hristova M, Dostmann WR, van der Vliet A. Nitric oxide promotes airway epithelial wound repair through enhanced activation of MMP-9.  Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 36:138-146.  2007.

4. Scholten A, Fuss H, Heck AJ, Dostmann WR, The hinge region operates as a stability switch in cGMP-dependent protein kinase Iá. FEBS J, 274:2274-2286.  2007.

Karen M. Lounsbury, Ph.D.

1. Hale S.A., Wong C., and Lounsbury K.M.  Erythropoietin disrupts hypoxia-inducible factor signaling in ovarian cancer cells.  Gynecol.  Oncol., 100:14-19.  2006.

2. Pulver-Kaste, R.A,. Barlow, C.A., Bond, J., Watson, A., Penar, P.L., Tranmer, B., and Lounsbury, K.M.  Ca2+ source-dependent transcription of CRE-containing genes in vascular smooth muscle.  Am. J. Physiol., Heart Circ. Physiol., 291(1):H97-H105, 2006.

*Totman Medical Research Fund Acknowledged