UW News

October 14, 1999

Wade named University of Washington Science in Medicine WWAMI lecturer

Dr. Paul R. Wade, professor of zoology and physiology and of human medicine at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, has been named the UW School of Medicine?s 15th Science in Medicine WWAMI lecturer. He will give a presentation, “Serotonin in the Second Brain: Functions of Serotonin in the Enteric Nervous System,” in Seattle on Oct. 20.

Wade?s research suggests that serotonin, a neurotransmitter, communicates between neurons up and down the colon so that a coordinated constriction and relaxation occurs to move waste down. By altering serotonin levels in colon specimens in his lab, he and colleagues have recorded changes in the rate of motility.

Evidence that further suggests serotonin is important in the colon, Wade explains, is that patients who take Prozac — a drug that increases serotonin levels in the central nervous system — frequently experience gastrointestinal dysfunction, such as diarrhea or constipation.

In 1997, Wade moved from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City to become the founding instructor in human anatomy and embryology for the University of Wyoming’s WWAMI Program.

WWAMI is the regional medical education program of the UW School of Medicine. It is named for the participating states of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho.

The medical school established the Science in Medicine WWAMI Lecture in 1985 to honor a regional faculty member and provide an opportunity for the speaker to interact with colleagues in Seattle.