SMHS New Awards

Congratulations to our investigators on these new research awards! This list currently includes federal and foundation funding. The awards appropriately reflect the endless hours spent securing funding and negotiating contracts. SMHS looks forward to seeing the results of this work and wishes investigators every success. Please take a moment to celebrate our colleagues.

November 2024

Investigator	Title	Award Type	Funder
Howard Straker Director of the Physician Assistant/MPH Program Associate Professor of Physician Assistant Studies	Para Salud	Grant	NCCPA Health Foundation

October 2024

Investigator	Title	Award Type	Funder
Brandon Kohrt, MD, PhD, RESD ’13 Charles and Sonia Akman Professor of Global Psychiatry Director of the Center for Global Mental Health Equity	A Community-Based System of Care Providing Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) for Conflict-Affected Children and Caregivers in DRC and Uganda	Contract	WAR CHILD
Vsevolod Polotsky, MD, PhD Vice Chair for research, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine	Testing compounds to treat sleep apnea	Grant	Shionogi-Apnimed Sleep Sciences, LLC
Edward Seto, PhD King Fahd Professor of Cancer Biology Associate Center Director for Basic Sciences, GW Cancer Center	ACS-GW DICR Summer Program Advancing Research on Cancer	Grant	American Cancer Society
Lisa Schwartz, EdD ’10 Associate Professor of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences	Easing the Flow Out of the Leaky Pipeline: Supporting Pre-Medical Students towards Meaningful Alternative Career Paths	Grant	National Academic Advising Association

September 2024

Investigator	Title	Award Type	Funder
Paul Brindley Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine	Anti-Cancer Vaccine Targeting the Host-Parasite Interface During Liver Fluke Infection	Grant	HHS/NIH/National Institutes of Health
Brandon Kohrt Director of the Center for Global Mental Health Equity Charles and Sonia Akman Professor of Global Psychiatry	Ensuring Quality in Psychological Support‚ A Service User Quality Assessment (EQUIP-SU)	Grant	HHS/NIH/National Institutes of Health
Michael Bukrinsky Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine	Epigenetic Mechanisms of HAND Pathogenesis NLRP3 Inhibitors for HIV-associated Neurocognitive Disorders (HAND)	Grant Grant	HHS/NIH/National Institutes of Health University Of Texas at El Paso
David Diemert Professor of Medicine and Clinical Director of the GW SMHS Vaccine Research Unit	Center of Excellence for Serology Development and Emergency Preparedness (CESDEP Program)	Contract	Leidos Biomedical Research Inc.
John Hawdon Associate Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine	Effect of Novel Animol Anthelmintic Compounds on Larval Hookworms: Trial 1	Grant	Animol Discovery, Inc
Raja Mazumder Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine	Enhancing and Making Biomarker Knowledge FAIR Using Contextual CFDE Data	Grant	HHS/NIH/National Institutes of Health
John Bethea King Fahd II Chair of Anatomy and Cell Biology, and Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology	Soluble TNF in the Development of Autonomic Dysreflexia After SCI	Grant	Drexel University

August 2024

Investigator	Title	Award Type	Funder
Matthew Colonnese IBS Director Professor of Pharmacology and Physiology	Circuit Specializations of Developing Visual Networks	Grant	HHS/NIH/National Institutes of Health
Paul Marvar Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Physiology	Establishing a Pre-clinical Model of Autonomic Flexibility for Alzheimer’s Disease	Grant	University of Rochester
Robert Turner II Associate Professor of Clinical Research and Leadership	Black Men’s Brain Health and Aging, Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias: Life Course Perspectives	Grant	HHS/NIH/National Institutes of Health

July 2024

Investigator	Title	Award Type	Funder
Michael Bukrinsky Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine	The Effects of cART and HIV-1 Infection on Neural Circuitry	Grant	Stony Brook University
Katherine Chiappinelli Associate Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine	A Novel T-Cell Therapy Towards Ovarian Cancer Cure	Grant	Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Greater Cincinnati
Adam Friedman Chair, Department of Dermatology	Abbvie CFG Dermatology 2024	Grant	Abbvie
Brandon Kohrt Director of the Center for Global Mental Health Equity Charles and Sonia Akman Professor of Global Psychiatry	Child-Mind Institute \| CAMHI	Contract	Child Mind Institute
Marco Mercader Professor of Medicine and Director of Electrophysiology Research	George Washington University Fellowship Grant Electrophysiology Fellowship Medtronic Cardiac Rhythm Management	Grant Grant	Abbott Laboratories Medtronic
Vsevolod Polotsky Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine	Melanocortin 4 Receptor Agonists to Treat Sleep Disordered Breathing in Obesity	Grant	HHS/NIH/National Institutes of Health
Shazia Samanani Assistant Professor of Medicine	Exploring Academic Hospitalists’ Professional Identity Formation: A Grounded Theory Approach	Grant	Northeast Group on Educational Affairs

June 2024

Investigator	Title	Award Type	Funder
Elizabeth Cobbs Professor of Medicine	GW Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowships	Grant	The Washington Home
Brandon Kohrt Director of the Center for Global Mental Health Equity Charles and Sonia Akman Professor of Global Psychiatry	Measuring Mental Health for Adolescents and Young People at the Population Level \| 2024–25	Contract	UNICEF-The United Nations Children’s Fund
Mohamad Koubeissi Interim Chair of the Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine Professor of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine	Epilepsy Grand Rounds 2024	Grant	Livanova
Linda Kusner Research Professor of Pharmacology and Physiology	Therapeutic Efficacy of CSL303 in Mouse Experimental Autoimmune Myasthenia Gravis (EAMG) Model	Contract	CSL Behring LLC
Jie Luo Assistant Research Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine	The Efficacy of CNP-106 in Rodent Experimental Autoimmune Myasthenia Gravis Antigen-Specific Immunosuppression of Myasthenia Gravis by CAR-Engineered Tregs	Grant Grant	Cour Pharmaceuticals Development Co Inc. HHS/NIH/National Institutes of Health
Sarah Wright Assistant Professor of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine	A Qualitative Study of Family Perceptions and Comprehension of Gene Therapy in the Treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy	Grant	American Academy of Neurology Institute

May 2024

Investigator	Title	Award Type	Funder
Brandon Kohrt Director of the Center for Global Mental Health Equity Charles and Sonia Akman Professor of Global Psychiatry	Reducing Stress via Social Protection in Senegal (RESTORE)	Contract	World Bank
Mohamad Koubeissi Interim Chair of the Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine Professor of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine	GW Epilepsy Grand Rounds 2024	Grant	LIVANOVA
Manaswi Sangraula Assistant Research Professor with the GW Center for Global Mental Health	Human Rights Defender \| Peer To Peer Program	Grant	Columbia University

April 2024

Investigator	Title	Award Type	Funder
John Bethea King Fahd II Chair of Anatomy and Cell Biology Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology	SCI-Induced Deficits in Antiviral Immunity: The Role of sTNF	Grant	HHS/NIH/National Institutes of Health
Rohan Fernandes Associate Professor of Medicine	Photothermal Nanoparticles Immune Engineer Tumor-Specific T-cells for Adoptive Cell Therapy	Grant	HHS/NIH/National Institutes of Health
Mateus Ramos Amorim Assistant Research Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine	Targeting Melanocortin 4 Receptor in Sleep-Disordered Breathing	Grant	American Heart Association
Qing Zeng Professor of Clinical Research and Leadership	Efficient and Accurate Quality Control in Data Abstraction Through Ethical Data Science For NVDRS	Grant	American Public Health Association

March 2024

Investigator	Title	Award Type	Funder
Mandi Chapman Associate Center Director for Community Outreach, Engagement, and Equity at the GW Cancer Center Associate Professor of Medicine	Collection of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Oncology Practice	Grant	University of Rochester
Nicole Chappell Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology	A Phase II/III Study of Paclitaxel/Carboplatin Alone or Combined with Either Trastuzumab or Trastuzumab/Pertuzumab in HER2 Positive, Stage I-IV Endometrial Serous Carcinoma or Carcinosarcoma	Contract	NRG Oncology Foundation, Inc
Katherine Chiappinelli Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine	Immunological Consequences of Line-1 Expression in Cancer Targeting Transposable Elements for Ovarian Cancer Early Detection	Grant Grant	HHS/NIH/National Institutes of Health Foundation for Women’s Cancer
Rong Li Chair, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine Ross Professor of Basic Science Research, and Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine	A Novel Regulator of Antitumor Immunity and Immunotherapy	Grant	HHS/NIH/National Institutes of Health

February 2024

Investigator	Title	Award Type	Funder
John Bethea King Fahd II Chair of Anatomy and Cell Biology	Preclinical research to support clinical development of ARTOS / ARTOS Multipronged approach to diminish sympathetic hyperreflexia and ensuing cardiovascular and immune dysfunction after spinal cord injury	Contract Grant	BIONTECH Drexel University
Jesus Trevino Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine	Raising awareness of aggressive driving via a TikTok social media campaign	Grant	District of Columbia Department of Transportation
Faysal Haroun Assistant Professor of Medicine GW Cancer Center	A Phase II/III Randomized Study of Maintenance Nivolumab Versus Observation in Patients with Locally Advanced, Intermediate Risk HPV Positive OPCA	Contract	Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
Qing Zeng Professor of Clinical Research and Leadership	Trustworthy AI to Address Health Disparities in Under-resourced Communities	Grant	University of Maryland, Eastern Shore
Neal Sikka Professor of emergency medicine Co-chief, Section of Innovative Practice	Increase Health Equity by Improving Digital Health Literacy and Telehealth Access for Residents in Washington, D.C., Wards 7/8	Contract	Sibley Memorial Hospital
Dominic Raj Bert B. Brooks Chair in the Medical School	Maryland Mid-Atlantic Apollo Network Maryland Mid-Atlantic Apollo Network	Grant Grant	University of Maryland University of Maryland
Adam Friedman Chair of the Department of Dermatology	GW SMHS Dermatology Rheumatology Fellowship 2024 GW SMHS Dermatology Rheumatology Fellowship 2024	Grant Grant	Janssen Scientific Affairs LLC Janssen Scientific Affairs LLC

January 2024

Investigator	Title	Award Type	Funder
Maria Elena Ruiz Associate Professor of Medicine	Impact of Behavior Modification Interventions and Lung Cancer Screening on Smoking Cessation in People Living with HIV: A Feasibility Study	Contract	The Emmes Company, LLC

December 2023

Investigator	Title	Award Type	Funder
John Bethea King Fahd II Chair of Anatomy and Cell Biology	TNFR2 Sex Differences in EAE TNF in Injury and Repair Processes Following Traumatic SCI Investigating Mechanisms and Therapies for Chronic Neuropathic Pain: The Role of TNFR2	Grant	HHS/NIH/National Institutes of Health HHS/NIH/National Institutes of Health Department of Defense
Marco Mercader Professor of Medicine Director of Electrophysiology Research	GW Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship Training Program	Grant	Abbott Laboratories Medtronic
Pavani Chalasani Professor of Medicine	Nano2 Enhances Immunotherapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancers	Grant	Department of Defense
Linda Kusner Research Professor of Pharmacology and Physiology	Gro Biosciences Study Consulting	Contract	Gro Biosciences
Brandon Kohrt Charles and Sonia Akman Professor of Global Psychiatry, Director of the Center for Global Mental Health Equity	EQUIP \| 2023–24	Contract	UNICEF – The United Nations Children’s Fund

November 2023

Investigator	Title	Award Type	Funder
Michael Bukrinsky Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine	The Effect of Antiretrovirals on Cognitive Flexibility and Neurogenesis in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease Models: Relevance to HIV Therapy and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis	Grant	Stony Brook University

October 2023

Investigator	Title	Award Type	Funder
Galadriel Hovel-Miner Associate Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine	Generation and Validation of a Novel Inducible Overexpression Library for Genome-Scale Genetic Screens in Leishmania	Grant	Oregon Health & Science University
Yijun Shao Associate Research Professor of Clinical Research and Leadership	DCVA IPA 2023	Grant	Veterans Affairs Medical Center of Washington DC
Ray-Chang Wu Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine	Regulation of Type I Interferon Pro-tumor Effects in Breast Cancer	Grant	University of Maryland Baltimore

September 2023

Investigator	Title	Award Type	Funder
Homa Ahmadzia Clinical Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and of Global Health	OPTIMUM OB-TXA: Optimal Timing, Route and Dose of Tranexamic Acid Prior to Umbilical Cord Clamp for Postpartum Hemorrhage Prevention	Grant	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/National Institutes of Health
Alberto Bosque-Pardos Associate Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine	REACH: Research Enterprise to Advance a Cure for HIV	Grant	Cornell University
Shawneequa Callier Associate Professor of Clinical Research and Leadership	Precision Medicine Policy and Treatment (PreEMPT) Model II	Grant	Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Shawneequa Callier Associate Professor of Clinical Research and Leadership	Just Inclusion and Equity: Negotiating Community-Research Partnerships in Genomics Research	Grant	Columbia University Medical Center
Aileen Chang Associate Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine and of Medicine	Zanamivir Treatment of Vascular Permeability in Dengue (ZAP-DENGUE)	Grant	New York Academy of Medicine
Yan Cheng Assistant Research Professor of Clinical Research and Leadership	DCVA IPA	Grant	Veterans Affairs Medical Center of Washington DC
David Diemert Professor of Medicine and of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine	Next Generation COVID-19 Vaccine Development Program	Contract	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/National Institutes of Health
Sarah Doerrer Assistant Professor of Health, Human Function, and Rehabilitation Sciences	The Impact of Early ADL participation on Functional Outcomes Post Distal Radius Fracture	Grant	American Hand Therapy Foundation
John Hawdon Associate Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine	Development of a Rodent Model for Anthelmintic Testing Against Multidrug Resistant Hookworms	Grant	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/National Institutes of Health
Brandon Kohrt Charles and Sonia Akman Professor of Global Psychiatry, Director of the Center for Global Mental Health Equity, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral sciences, and of Global Health	Shared Problems, Shared Solutions: A Community-Based Approach to Strengthening Mental Health in Minnesota	Grant	Miller-Dwan Foundation
Rebecca Lynch Associate Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine	Defining HIV Env Protein Expression in Latently Infected Cells	Grant	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/National Institutes of Health-LOC
Andrew Meltzer Professor of Emergency Medicine	Network for Emergency Care Clinical Trials: Strategies to Innovate Emergency Care Clinical Trials Network (SIREN)	Grant	Johns Hopkins University
Marc Siegel Professor of Medicine	HPTN101	Grant	FHI 360
Allen Solomon Director, Cardiology Fellowship Program, and Professor of Medicine	The Rhythm Evaluation for Anticoagulation with Continuous Monitoring of Atrial Fibrillation Trial (REACT-AF)	Grant	Northwestern University
Elizabeth Sweeney Assistant Research Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine	Personalized Nanoparticle-Mediated T-Cell Therapy for Glioblastoma	Grant	American Brain Tumor Association
Xiaoyan Zheng Associate Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology	Regulation of the Hedgehog pathway and Medulloblastoma response to radiochemotherapy	Grant	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/National Institutes of Health
Xiaoyan Zheng Associate Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology	Functional Dissection of a Novel Causative Gene for Kallmann Syndrome	Grant	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/National Institutes of Health

August 2023

Investigator	Title	Award Type	Funder
Galadriel Hovel-Miner Associate Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine	Fexinidazole Survival Genes Implicate a Novel Redox-Based Mechanism in Drug Resistance	Grant	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/National Institutes of Health-LOC
Robert Turner II Assistant Professor of Clinical Research and Leadership and of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine	The Contribution of Repetitive Head Impacts and Social Determinants of Health to Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia in Older Adult Black Men	Grant	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/National Institutes of Health-LOC
Qing Zeng Professor of Clinical Research and Leadership	Imputation of Missing Data to Reduce Bias in NVDRS Through Ethical Data Science	Grant	American Public Health Association

July 2023

Investigator	Title	Award Type	Funder
Elham Bayat Associate Professor of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine	An Expanded Access Protocol of Intravenous Trehalose Injection 90 mg/ml Treatment of Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis	Grant	Massachusetts General Hospital
Maya Bitar Associate Professor of Ophthalmology	Efficacy of Oral Sunflower Lecithin Supplementation in the Treatment of Dry Eye in Adults with Dry Eye Disease	Grant	Virginia Lions Eye Foundation Institute
Adam Friedman Professor and Chair, Department of Dermatology	GW Dermatology-Rheumatology Connective Tissues Disease Fellowship	Grant	Janssen Scientific Affairs LLC
Susannah Jenkins Assistant Professor of Physician Assistant Studies	Pediatric PA Barriers and Facilitators	Grant	Physician Assistant Education Association
Rong Li Ross Professor of Basic Science Research, and Professor and Chair, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine	T-Cell-Specific BRCA1 Function in Antitumor Immunity and Immunotherapy	Grant	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/National Institutes of Health-LOC
Hui Lu Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Physiology	3D Scanning Two-photon Fiberscope Technology for Simultaneous Multi-region Multi-cell-type Imaging in Freely-moving Rodents	Grant	Johns Hopkins University
Anvesha Srivastava Postdoctoral Fellow in the lab of Dominic Raj, MD, Bert B. Brooks Chair in the Medical School, and Professor of Medicine	Integrated miRome and GWAS to Predict Progression of CKD	Grant	National Kidney Foundation of the National Capital Area
Leah Steckler Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine	Geriatric Emergency Department	Grant	The Washington Home