James P. Bruzik

James P. Bruzik, PhD received his undergraduate degree from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) with majors in Biochemistry and Chemistry as well as minors in Anthropology and Literature. He then studied at Yale University as a graduate student in Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry working in the laboratory of Dr. Joan Steitz. There, he completed his PhD, leading to the discovery of the mechanism of trans-splicing; a gene expression pathway utilized in many lower eukaryotes, including human parasites. Dr. Bruzik was then awarded a post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard University working with Dr. Tom Maniatis as a Jane Coffin Childs Fellow furthering his study of trans-splicing, including demonstration of this novel reaction in human cells. His graduate and post-doctoral research led to numerous publications, including two research papers in Nature. Subsequently, he moved to CWRU School of Medicine (SOM) as a founding member of the Center for RNA Molecular Biology. There he established his laboratory garnering a New Investigator Award from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund as well as awards from the American Cancer Society and National Institutes of Health (R01 funding).

In addition to research, Dr. Bruzik taught undergraduate, graduate and medical students and chaired numerous committees that developed new, degree-granting programs. He became involved in the educational revision project at CWRU SOM and was the leader of a large block of the first-year curriculum. In addition to scientific publications, he has presented education-related projects at numerous meetings and has served on editorial boards, grant review panels and as the Chief Financial Officer of the RNA Society (international scientific society). He also served as Dean for Medical Student Research at CWRU SOM. Currently, Dr. Bruzik is Vice President, Medical Education at GUS Medical and Associate Dean, Medical Education as well as Professor of Biochemistry at Saba University School of Medicine.

• Medical education
• Gene expression
• RNA molecular biology

• 2013: WR2 Foundational Science Education Travel Award
  • CWRU School of Medicine
  • Present at the 2013 IAMSE meeting – St. Andrews, Scotland
• 2010-2013: International Assn. of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE)
  •  Selected as CWRU School of Medicine Institutional Member
• 2012: Scholarship in Teaching Award – CWRU School of Medicine
  • Externally peer reviewed award – contribution to medical education
  • Project: “IQ+ Assessment – Student-Generated Teaching Cases”
• 2012: Scholarship in Teaching Award – CWRU School of Medicine
  • Externally peer reviewed award – contribution to medical education
  • Project: “Review of Primary Scientific Literature in the Western Reserve 2 Curriculum: The Role of Collaborative Critical Discourse in a Medium-Size Group Format”
• 2011: CWRU Mentor Fellow
  • University Center for Innovation in Teaching & Education (UCITE)
• 2010: Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA) – Honor Medical Society
  • Faculty Inductee
  • Nominated by CWRU School of Medicine AΩA student inductees for Excellence in Medical Education
  • Exceptional Service to the School of Medicine
• 2010: Faculty Scholar
  • Scholars Collaboration in Teaching and Learning Program
  • CWRU School of Medicine
  • Project: “Establishing a Longitudinal Curriculum in Research & Scholarship at CWRU SOM”
• 2009: Harvard Macy Institute Scholar
  • Program for Educators in Healthcare Professions
  • Project: “Student Assessment for IQ+:  Integrating Basic Science With Clinical Skills during Core Clinical Rotations”
  • Harvard University, Jan. 18th-28th and May 17th-22nd
• 2009: CWRU Learning Fellow
  • University Center for Innovation in Teaching and Education (UCITE)
• 1995-1999: Burroughs Wellcome Fund New Investigator Award in Molecular Parasitology
• 1991-1993: Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship
• 1988-1989: Yale University – Bass Foundation Scientific Writing Tutor
• 1988: Yale University – John F. Enders Research Award
• 1986: B.A. Magna Cum Laude
  • Case Western Reserve University Western Reserve Scholar
• 1985: American Cancer Society – Joseph S. Silber Fellowship

• L. A. Boukis, N. Liu, S. Furuyama and J.P. Bruzik (2004). Ser/Arg-rich protein-mediated communication between U1 and U2 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles. J. Biol. Chem. 279, 29647-29653.
• S. Furuyama and J.P. Bruzik (2002). Multiple roles for SR proteins in trans-splicing. Mol. Cell. Biol. 22, 5337-5346.
• J.R. Sanford and J.P. Bruzik (2001). Regulation of SR protein localization during development. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 98, 10184-10189.
• L. A. Boukis and J.P. Bruzik (2001). Functional selection of splicing enhancers that activate trans-splicing in vitro. RNA 7, 793-805.
• J.R. Sanford and J.P. Bruzik (1999). Developmental regulation of SR protein phosphorylation and activity. Genes & Development 13, 1513-1518.
• J.R. Sanford and J.P. Bruzik (1999). SR proteins are required for nematode trans-splicing in vitro. RNA 5, 918-928.
• J.P. Bruzik (1996). Splicing glue: A role for SR proteins in trans splicing? Microbial Pathogenesis 21, 149-155.
• J.P. Bruzik and T. Maniatis (1995). Enhancer-dependent interaction between 5′ and 3′ splice sites in trans. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92, 7056-7059.
• J.P. Bruzik and T. Maniatis (1992). Spliced leader RNAs from lower eukaryotes are trans-spliced in mammalian cells. Nature 360, 692-695.
• J.P. Bruzik and J.A. Steitz (1990). Spliced leader RNA sequences can substitute for the essential 5′ end of U1 RNA during splicing in a mammalian in vitro system. Cell 62, 889-899.
• J.A. Steitz, J.P. Bruzik, K. Tyc, S. Kass, and B. Sollner-Webb (1990). Molecular analyses of the functions of the SL and U3 snRNPs. Molecular Biology Reports 14, 123.
• P.A. Martello, J.P. Bruzik, P.L. deHaseth, R.S. Youngquist, and P.B. Dervan (1989). Specific activation of open complex formation at an Escherichia coli promoter by oligo (N-methylpyrrolecarboxamide)s: Effects of peptide length and identification of DNA target sites. Biochemistry 28, 4455-4461.
• K.A. Parker, J.P. Bruzik, and J.A. Steitz (1988). An in vitro interaction between the human U3 snRNP and 28S rRNA sequences near the α-sarcin site. Nucleic Acids Research 16, 10493-10509.
• J.P. Bruzik, K. Van Doren, D. Hirsh, and J.A. Steitz (1988). Trans-splicing involves a novel form of small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles. Nature 335, 559-562.
• J.P. Bruzik, D.T. Auble, and P.L. deHaseth (1987). Specific activation of transcription initiation by the sequence-specific DNA-binding agents Distamycin A and Netropsin. Biochemistry 26, 950-956.
• Invited Book Chapter: S. Furuyama and J.P. Bruzik (2003). Trans-splicing, In D.N. Cooper (ed.) Encyclopedia of the Human Genome 5, 623-628. Nature Publishing Group, London.

• Alternative pre-mRNA splicing and disease
• mRNA vaccines
• Medical education research

Last 15 years

Ongoing – Faculty Development Sessions (Basic Science & Clinical) – Presenter / Content Expert

• “Mentoring Research”
• “Presenting Research”
• “Curriculum Development”
• “Incorporation of Research Projects into Curricula”
• “Preparation of Review Articles as an Educational Tool”

• 2/18 Innovations in Medical Education Conference
  • Annual Meeting – Keck School of Medicine of USC – San Gabriel, CA
  • 1) Poster Presentation – “Interprofessional Education: Dialogue, reflections and actions” with – G.Green and M. Clifton.
• 2/17 Innovations in Medical Education Conference
  • Annual Meeting – Keck School of Medicine of USC – San Gabriel, CA
  • 3 Presentations:
    • 1) Poster Presentation – “Foundational / Applied Clinical Correlates: Real- Time Integration of Curricular Components” with – G.Green and M. Clifton.
    • 2) Poster Presentation – “Clinical Reasoning: Making the Invisible Visible” with – M. Clifton and G. Green
    • 3) Poster Presentation – “Interprofessional Education: Conquering Time, Distance, and Disciplines” with – G. Green and M. Clifton
• 11/13 Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
  • Annual Meeting – Philadelphia, PA
  • “Using the “New” PBL to Introduce Students to Evidence-Based Medicine” with Megan McNamara, Terry Wolpaw & Amy Wilson-Delfosse
• 8/13 Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE)
  • Annual Meeting – Prague, Czech Republic
  • “Using the “New” PBL to Introduce Students to Evidence-Based Medicine” with Megan McNamara, Terry Wolpaw & Amy Wilson-Delfosse
• 6/13 International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE)
  • 17th Annual Meeting – St. Andrews, Scotland
  • 3 Presentations:
    • 1) Oral Presentation – “Assessing Student Achievement in a Course Designed to Integrate Basic Science into Clinical Training,” with – T. Wolpaw, A. Wilson-Delfosse, K. Cole-Kelly, S. Wish-Baratz & D. Wolpaw
    • 2) Poster Presentation – “Critical Appraisal of Primary Literature Employing Collaborative Critical Discourse in Small Groups” with – C. Curtis, E. Flanagin & M. McNamara
    • 3) Poster Presentation – “Longitudinal Integration of Ethics into a Medical School Curriculum in Research and Scholarship” with – N. Deming
• 6/11 International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE)
  • 15th Annual Meeting – St. Petersburg, FL – Conference Workshop
  • “Integrating Basic Science into Clinical Training: How to Develop a Curriculum” with – A. Wilson-Delfosse, D. Wolpaw & T. Wolpaw
• 7/10 International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE)
  • 14th Annual Meeting – New Orleans, LA – Poster Presentation
  • “Integrating Basic Sciences into the Clerkship Years: Development of an Assessment Method” with – T. Wolpaw, A. Wilson-Delfosse, K. Cole-Kelly, D. Wolpaw
• 5/09 Harvard Macy Institute Scholar, Harvard University
  • Program for Educators in Healthcare Professions – Poster Presentation
  • “Student Assessment for IQ+:  Integrating Basic Science with Clinical Skills During Core Clinical Rotations”
•  4/09 American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
  • Pharmacology Education Division, New Orleans, LA – Invited Speaker
  • “Integrating Basic Sciences and Patient Care in a Core Clerkship Curriculum” with – A. Wilson-Delfosse, F. Stevenson, L. Crespo
• 11/08 Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) – 2008 Annual Meeting
  • San Antonio, TX – Panel Discussant
  • “IQ+: Integrating Medical Sciences and Patient Care in a Core Clerkship Curriculum” with – P. Scoles, D. Wolpaw, T. Wolpaw, A. Wilson-Delfosse
• 7/08 International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE)
  • 12th Annual Meeting – Salt Lake City, UT – Poster co-author
  • “WR2 IQ+ – A Recipe for Integrating Basic Science Curriculum into Core Clerkships” with – A. Wilson-Delfosse, D. Wolpaw, M.J. Esber, K. Cole-Kelly, R. Stern, M. Cappaert, T. Wolpaw
• 2/08 CWRU Medical Education Retreat
  • Breakout Session Speaker
  • New 3rd year Friday curriculum – IQ+ – Core Block 1 and 2
• 2/08 CWRU Medical Education Retreat
  • Poster Presentation
  • Block 2: The Human Blueprintwith – G. Wiesner, J. Bokar, R. Conlon, A. Gangestead, S. Krishnamurthi, J. Liu, K. Molyneaux, T. Murphy, D. Neilsen