Meet Dr. Elizabeth Razdolsky Michalczyk
Some resounding congratulations to Dr. an Razdolsky and Anna as their daughter, Elizabeth defended her thesis in February at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Dentistry. Funded by the National Institute of Heath, National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), her dissertation defense for PhD in Oral Sciences focused on Regulation of Angiogenesis in Healing Wounds. A culmination of her collaborative work under mentor Luisa A. DiPietro, DDS, professor of Periodontics, Director of the Center for Wound Healing and Tissue Regeneration, and an Associate Vice Chancellor for Research at UIC, Elizabeth’s studies afforded her an opportunity for interdisciplinary partnership between numerous clinical and academic departments for the study of injury, wound healing and regeneration of tissues to better understand and help develop therapeutic strategies.
“As wounds heal, certain factors ensure a balanced resolution to the repair process by controlling the number of blood vessels formed as well as connective tissue remodeling,” said Elizabeth Razdolsky Michalczyk in her thesis. “One such factor is Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor (PEDF), and this study aims to explore the mechanisms by which PEDF influences wound vasculature and scar formation.”
In Elizabeth’s NIDCR Individual Predoctoral Dental Scientist Fellowship she states that although the hemostatic, inflammatory, and to some extent the proliferative phases of wound healing have been well studied, the regulation of the remodeling phase has received less attention. She believes that understanding PEDF’s function in healing wounds will help shed light on therapeutic options to decrease scarring and promote regeneration. Moreover, these and further studies will spur advances in regenerative medicine and more effective therapies against the effects of fibrosis and tumorigenesis in healing wounds.
Similar in the way Dr. Razdolsky is always looking to improve the treatment and outcomes for his patients, Elizabeth’s passion for helping to discover new therapies in wound regeneration is her contribution to the quality of care for future patients. We are so very proud of her. Way to go Elizabeth!
