Grant Recipients & Recognitions

Congratulations to all the award recipients! Their selfless dedication to research is truly admirable. We are excited to see how all of our researchers continue to push the boundaries of science with the mission of improving human health and serving society.

2020 Grant Recipients & Recognitions

Deborah Perry, PhD

Subaward Agreement

Awarded by: Children’s National Medical Center

Joseph Verbalis, MD & Thomas Mellman

UL1 Supplement: Maternal Morbidity and Mortality: Risk Factors, Early Detection and Personalized Intervention

Awarded by: NCATS

Mark Dybul, MD

Awarded by: Center for Clinical Care & Clinical Research

Joshua Mccall

F30: Investigating the Neurocognitive Mechanisms of Error Monitoring in Aphasia

Awarded by: NIDCD

Maryam Ghaleh, PhD

F32: Disruption of verbal working memory brain network in aphasia

Awarded by: NIDCD

Daniel Merenstein, MD

R33: Exploratory Pilot Studies to Demonstrate Mechanisms of Preventing Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea and the Role for Probiotics

Awarded by: NCCIH

Matthew Edwardson, MD

R61: Plasma MicroRNA Biomarkers to Guide Rehabilitation Therapy After Stroke

Awarded by: NINDS

Lucile Adams-Campbell, PhD

UG1 Supplement: National Capital Area (NCA) Minority/Underserved NCORP

Awarded by: NCI

Beth Peshkin, MS, & Kenneth Tercyak, PhD

R01 Supplement: Improving Genetic Counseling for BRCA+ Mothers

Awarded by: NHLBI

Seble Kassaye, MD, & Daniel Merenstein, MD

U01 Supplement: Surviving the HIV Epidemic (S/HE) in metropolitan Washington DC – Advancing knowledge through cohort studies

Awarded by: NHLBI

Daniel Pak, PhD

R21: Plasticity and vulnerability of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons in Alzheimer’s Disease

Awarded by: NIA

Erin Sorrell, PhD, & Claire Standley, PhD

Awarded by: US Department of State

Aykut Uren, MD

2020 Scholar Hope Grant: Molecular Mechanism of Metastasis in Ewing Sarcoma

Awarded by: Hyundai Hope on Wheels

Toby Long, PhD

Awarded by: Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority

Colin Carlson, PhD

NSF Award: BII-Design: Exploring the ecology and evolution of the global virome with big data and machine learning

Awarded by: National Science Foundation

Patrick Forcelli, PhD

R01 Supplement: Optogenetic control of seizures via the basal ganglia

Awarded by: NINDS

Charbel Moussa, MBBS, PhD

R01 Supplement: A randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the impact of Nilotinib treatment on safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and biomarkers in Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB)

Awarded by: NIA

Andrei Medvedev, PhD

RF1: Cross-frequency coupling: its role in brain function and dysfunction

Awarded by: NIMH

Dan Wang, MD

R21: Placental Microvasculature in Pregnancies Complicated by HIV

Awarded by: NICHD

Megan Barefoot

Awarded by: Achievement Rewards for College Scholars Foundation

Lucile Adams-Campbell, PhD

Awarded by: George E. Richmond Foundation

Rebecca Katz, PhD, MPH

Awarded by: US Department of State

Moshe Levi, MD

R13: 2020 Kern Lipid Conference – Therapeutic Aspects of Adipose Tissue Organ Crosstalk

Awarded by: NIDDK

Alexey Ostroumov, PhD

K01: Dysregulation of midbrain GABAergic circuitry contributes to the motivational properties of cocaine

Awarded by: NIDA

Nahdia Jones

F99: The effects of high fat diet on metabolism and inflammation in the periphery and CNS of APOE mouse models

Awarded by: NINDS

Seble Kassaye, MD

R01 Subaward: Women HIV Cohort Study: HIV infection and treatment among women of reproductive age

Awarded by: University of Miami

Kenneth Kellar, PhD

R01 Subaward: Comparative neurobehavioral pharmacology of combusted and non-combusted tobacco products

Awarded by: Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute

Josef Rauschecker, PhD

R01 Supplement: Sensory-motor integration in the auditory dorsal stream

Awarded by: NIDCD

Kathryn Taylor, PhD

Lung Cancer Discovery Award: Testing Methods to Increase Lung Cancer Screening Among Quitline Callers

Awarded by: American Lung Associaton

Jeffrey Toretsky, MD

R01: Dissection of EWS-FLI1 oncogenic mechanisms and small molecule targeting

Awarded by: NCI

Ludise Malkova, PhD, & Patrick Forcelli, PhD

R01: Limbic-Midbrain interactions in defense and emotional arousal

Awarded by: NIMH

Dean Rosenthal, PhD

R41: Optimization of the uvalidate platform to measure genotoxicity associated with current problematic UV chemical blockers

Awarded by: NIEHS

Jeff Weinfeld, MD

Million Hearts Award: Georgetown/MedStar DC Million Hearts Project

Awarded by: Government of District Columbia, Department of Health

Charles Holmes, MD, MPH

Sexual Reproductive Health landscape review to inform the Blantyre Prevention Strategy

Awarded by: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Laura Anderko, PhD, RN

Subaward Agreement: Pediatric Environmental Health Speciality Unit Program

Awarded by: American Academy of Pediatrics

Princy Kumar, MD

Subaward Agreement: Terry Beirn CPCRA Clinical Trials Unit

Awarded by: Georgetown Washington

Aykut Uren, MD

R21: Screening small molecules for rhabdomyosarcoma fusion proteins

Awarded by: NCI

Jennifer Ng, PhD

Grant Award: Research on HLA Typing to support military contingency

Awarded by: ONR

John L. Casey, PhD

R21: Initiation and elongation of HDV RNAs

Awarded by: NIAID

Beth N. Peshkin, MS, & Kenneth Tercyak, PhD

R01: Improving Genetic Counseling for BRCA+ Mothers

Awarded by: NCI

2019 Grant Recipients & Recognitions

Dean Rosenthal, PhD

R42: Immuno-CometChip for human skin basal cell genotoxicity testing

Awarded by NIEHS

Sandra M. Swain, MD

Breast Cancer Research Foundation Grant: Implementation of Pharmacogenetics in Breast Cancer Survivors (IPBCS)

Awarded by Breast Cancer Research Foundation

Suzanne C. O’Neill, PhD, & Kenneth Tercyak, PhD

R01: Peer Support for Young Adult Women with High Breast Cancer Risk

Awarded by NCI

Carole Gresenz, PhD

R56: Accessing the Early Vulnerability of Individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease to Adverse Financial Outcomes

Awarded by NIA

Lilianna Phan, PhD

Prevent Cancer Foundation Award: Optimizing Risk Communication about JUUL use for Young Adults

Awarded by Prevent Cancer Foundation

Chan Nguyen, MS

F31: Epigenetic mechanisms of gemcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer

Awarded by NCI

Chiranjeev Dash, MBBS, PhD, MPH

Quality Improvement Agreement: Achieving Cancer Equity through Identification, Testing, and Screening (ACE-HITS)

Awarded by Pfizer Medical Center of Excellence

Phyllis Magrab, MD

Grant Agreement

Awarded by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation

Alexandra Phelan, SJD, LLM, LLB

Purchase Order

Awarded by World Health Organization

Joanna Kitlinska, PhD, & Sung Hyeok Hong, PhD

Research Grant Award

Awarded by Children Cancer Foundation

Yuichiro Suzuki, PhD

R21: New mechanism of cellular protein oxidation

Awarded by NIAID

Christopher Loffredo, PhD

Howard University Research Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities

Awarded by Howard University

Evagelia Laiakis, PhD

Center for high-throughput minimally-invasive radiation biodosimetry

Awarded by Columbia University

Nicholas S. Ialongo, PhD

Subaward Agreement: Evaluating an Online System of Supports for the Good Behavior Game

Awarded by Johns Hopkins University

Sandberg Kathryn, PhD

AHA Award: Reversing Cardio-Metabolic Disease Risk Associated with Very Low Food Security

Awarded by American Heart Association

Patricia Foley, DVM

Subaward Agreement: SBIR Phase II FastTrack, “A Rodent Physiologic Analysis and Recording System”

Awarded by Barron Associates, Inc

Marc Lippman, MD

BCRF Grant: The Role of RAGE, CAFs, and the Tumor Microenvironment in Breast Cancer Metastasis

Awarded by Breast Cancer Research Foundation

Elizabeth Hoge, MD

NIH Grant

Awarded by NIDA

Elizabeth Hoge, MD

NIH Grant

Awarded by NIDA

Albert Fornace, MD

NASA Grant: Space radiation and gastrointestinal cancer: A comprehensive strategy for risk assessment and model development

Awarded by NASA

Anna Tate Riegel, PhD

T32: Training Grant In Tumor Biology

Awarded by NCI

Seble Kassaye, MD, & Daniel Merenstein, MD

U01: Surviving the HIV Epidemic (S/HE) in metropolitan Washington DC – Advancing knowledge through cohort studies

Awarded by NHLBI

Toby Long, PhD

Grant: Graduate Education of Related Service Providers at Georgetown and George Washington Universities in Early Intervention

Awarded by US Department of Education

Mark Dybul, MD

Gates Foundation Award: International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA)

Awarded by Gates Foundation

Rebecca Katz, PhD, MPH

Awarded by Good Ventures/Open Philanthropy

Hong Ji, MD, & Kathryn Sandberg, PhD

R21: Ovarian Hormone Loss and Perivascular Fat

Awarded by NIH

Guinevere Eden, PhD

NSF Award: The Neural Basis of Math and Reading for Children with Learning Disability

Awarded by National Science Foundation

Jon Von Meter, PhD

Bear Grant: Rare Diseases Clinical Research Consortia (RDCRC) for RDCRC Network

Awarded by Children’s National Hospital

Seble Kassaye, MD, & Daniel Merenstein, MD

U01: Surviving the HIV Epidemic (S/HE) in metropolitan Washington DC – Advancing knowledge through cohort studies

Awarded by NHLBI

Yun-Ling Zheng, MD

U01: Standardizing Q-PCR and developing and testing a new DNA-FISH method for high-throughput assessment of telomere length using genomic DNA

Awarded by NCI

Erin Sorrell

Federal Assistance Award: Formalizing Biohazardous Waste Management at Key Health Facilities in Libya

Awarded by Department of State

Jill Smith, MD

R21: Phase 1 study to test safety and dose of proglumide as an anti-fibrotic agent

Awarded by NCI

Deus Bazira,DrPH, MPH, MBA, BPharm, & Mark Dybul, MD

Non-Research and Cooperative Agreement: Translating Data and Evidence into Impact (TIDE)

Awarded by CDC

Alexandra Phelan, SJD, LLM, LLB

Awarded by World Health Organization

Nathan Edwards, PhD

U01: LC-MS Analysis of Site Specific Protein Glycoforms

Awarded by NCI

Pamela Biernacki, PhD, GNP-BC

Subaward Agreement: Primary Care Improved Outcomes with Nurses in Evolving and Expanding Roles (PIONEER)

Awarded by Virginia Commonwealth University

Toby Long, PhD

GU-UDCCC Partnership Award

Awarded by DHHS Administration for Community Living

Tawara Goode, MA

Diversity Community of Practice Award

Awarded by DHHS Administration for Community Living

Lucile Lauren Adams-Campbell, PhD

P20: 2/2 Howard-Georgetown Collaborative Partnership in Cancer Research

Awarded by NCI

Cameron Mckay, BS

F31: Gray Matter Structure Changes Following Intervention in Children with RD or MD

Awarded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver NICHD

Marc Lippman, MD

BCRF Precision Prevention Initiative: Targeting RAGE as a novel approach in breast cancer preventionAwarded by NINDS

Awarded by Breast Cancer Research Foundation

Safwan Hyder, MS

F30: Optogenetic and chemogenetic manipulations of striatal output pathways for seizure control

Awarded by NINDS

Julie Fischer, PhD

SubContract: Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) IndoPACOM

Awarded by Watermark Risk Management International

Lucile Lauren Adams-Campbell, PhD

UG1: National Capital Area (NCA) Minority/Underserved NCORP

Awarded by NCI

Peter Ethan Turkeltaub, MD

R01: Contributions of spared brain structures and connections to aphasia recovery

Awarded by NIDCD

Victoria Jennings, PhD

USAID Award

Awarded by Catholic Relief Services

Habtom Ressom, PhD

R21: Elucidating Olfactory Mechanisms of PTSD Vulnerability and Trauma Resilience

Awarded by NIMH

Jesse J.K. Szeto

NSF Grant: Collaborative Research: Stochastic Models for Gene-based Association Analysis of Longitudinal Phenotypes with Sequence Data

Awarded by NSF

Jian-Young Wu, PhD

R03: Pacing hippocampus sharp waves

Awarded by NIA

Jian-Young Wu, PhD

R03: Pacing hippocampus sharp waves

Awarded by NIA

Kathryn L Taylor, PhD

R01: Integrating Evidence-Based Smoking Cessation Interventions into Lung Cancer Screening Programs: A Randomized Trial

Awarded by NCI

Michael Plankey, PhD

R01: Understanding Patterns of Healthy Aging among Men Who Have Sex with Men

Awarded by NIH

Christopher Albanese, PhD

S10: Preclinical Imaging – Bruker 70/30USR BioSpec Magnet

Awarded by NIH

Patrick Forcelli, PhD

DC CFAR Research Award: Impact of SIV/HIV Infection and ART therapy on brain structure and connectivity in infants

Awarded by George Washington University

Jesse Goodman, MD

Global Mapping of Antimicrobial Resistance Tool

Awarded by Department of Defense, Defense Health Agency

Chunling Yi, PhD

Neurofibromatosis Research Program Investigator – Initiated Research Award: Combination Strategies for Selective Elimination of NF2 Tumors.

Awarded by USAMRAA

Sikoya Ashburn

F99: The Cerebellum’s Involvement in Reading and Math Disabilities

Awarded by NCI

Shady El Damaty

Mistletoe Unfettered Research Grant

Awarded by Mistletoe Foundation

Italo Mocchetti, PhD

R01: Role of proBNDF and p75NTR in HIV-mediated Axonal/Dendritic Degeneration

Awarded by NINDS

Louis M. Weiner, MD

P30: Georgetown University Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center Support Grant

Awarded by NCI

Alexandra Taraboletti

Mistletoe Unfettered Research Grant

Awarded by Mistletoe Foundation

Charbel Moussa, MBBS

R01: A randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the impact of Nilotinib treatment on safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and biomarkers in Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB)

Awarded by NIA

Daniel Marchalik, MD

NEH Award: Creating a Collaborative Medical Humanities Major

Awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities

Susan C. Kim, JD, MPH, MBA

Subcontract between African Field Epidemiology Network and Georgetown University

Awarded by Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

Katherine E Conant, MD

R21: MMPs as mediators of anti-depressant associated hippocampal plasticity

Awarded by NIMH

Karen Ross, PhD

Subaward Agreement: A data analytics framework for mining the dark kinome

Awarded by University of Georgia

Douglas Varner, MS

Subaward Agreement: Southeastern/Atlantic Regional Medical Library

Awarded by NIH

Richard Schlegel, MD, PhD

R33: A High Throughput Human Tumor Modeling Technology for Cancer Drug Discovery

Awarded by The University of Akron

Jeffrey Toretsky, MD

2019 Scholar Hope Grant: Inhibition of Ewing sarcoma metastases through alteration in mRNA splicing

Awarded by Hyundai Hope on Wheels

Ladan Eshkevari, CRNA

A22: Nurse Anesthetist Traineeships

Awarded by HRSA

Arnold Potosky, MHS, PhD

Subaward Agreement: A Role of Multilevel Healthcare Access Dimensions in Ovarian Cancer Disparities

Awarded by NIH

Marta L. Catalfamo, PhD

R01: The impact of HIV driven T cell immune activation in angiogenic CD8 T cell function: the role of PAR1 signaling

Awarded by NIAID

Chunling Yi, PhD

Drug Discovery Initiative Registered Report Award: Evaluate Novel Hippo-Yap/Taz Inhibitors in Overcoming Therapy Resistance in NF2

Awarded by Children’s Tumor Foundation

Matthew Mason, PhD

Evidence-Based Home Visiting Grant: Home Visiting Services

Awarded by DC Department of Health

Kamal Datta, PhD

NASA Award: NASA Research and Technology Development to Support Crew Health and Performance in Space Exploration Missions

Awarded by NASA, Johnson Space Center

Subha Madhavan, PhD

Subaward Agreement: Standardized and Genome-Wide Clinical Interpretation of Complex Genotypes for Cancer Precision Medic

Awarded by the Washington University

Tadahisa Teramoto, PhD

R21: Genome Recognition by Zika Virus NS5

Awarded by the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

Louis M. Weiner, MD

P30: Georgetown University Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center Support Grant

Awarded by NCI

Radoslav Goldman, PhD

F01: O-glycoproteins in the progression of liver disease

Awarded by NCI

Dorinda Williams

Prenatal Services Study Grant: Perinatal Health Needs Assessment

Awarded by DC Department of Health

Neal Marshall Horen, PhD

H79: National Center of Excellence for Infant and Childhood Mental Health Consultation

Awarded by Center for Mental Health Services

Jonathan Dickens

F30: Mapping the Neurocognitive Architecture of Reading

Awarded by NIDCD

Allison O’Connell

F30: The Potential Role of Firboblast Activation Protein as a Natural Killer Cell Immune Checkpoint in Pancreatic Cancer

Awarded by NCI

Adam Caccavano, MS

F31: Determining mechanisms underlying hippocampal network disruption in early amyloid pathology: the role of PV basket cells on sharp wave ripples

Awarded by NIA

Harold Feldman, PhD

Subaward Agreement: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Biomarkers Consortium Data Coordinating Center

Awarded by NIDDK

Prosper N’Gouemo, PhD

R01: Na+/Ca2+ exchanger remodeling in alcohol withdrawal seizures

Awarded by NIAAA