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Tuesday, March 11, 2025Research Initiative Announces Third Round of Funding
The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix announced its latest round of funding that supports collaborative research in Phoenix.
“The goal of this initiative is to promote collaborative research between investigators at the College of Medicine – Phoenix and our clinical partners,” said Paul Boehmer, PhD, interim associate dean of research. “I’m extremely impressed with the grant proposals received in this round of funding. We awarded several collaborative research projects that support our academic goals and improve the education and health care of our community.”
The Initiative funded 13 research projects including nine $10,000 grants, one $25,000 grant and three $80,000 grants.
Members of the initiative include the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix, Dignity Health-St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix Children’s Hospital and Maricopa Integrated Health System.
Media Contact:
Teresa Joseph
Phone: 602-827-2657
Round Three Awardees
| Investigator Names | Type | Title of the Project | Funding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rayna Gonzales, PhD – UA College of Medicine –Phoenix, Associate Professor of Basic Medical Sciences Mei So– UA College of Medicine – Phoenix, Medical Student |
P1 |
Role of doxorubicin on inflammation in human brain vascular cell function |
$10,000 |
| Taben Hale, PhD – UA College of Medicine –Phoenix, Associate Professor of Basic Medical Sciences Bradley Hammond, PhD – UA College of Medicine – Phoenix, Postdoctoral Fellow |
P1 |
The impact of prenatal glucocorticoids on central renin-angiotensin system signaling |
$10,000 |
| Karen Taraszka Hastings, PhD – UA College of Medicine –Phoenix, Associate Professor of Basic Medical Sciences Lydia Meador, PhD – UA College of Medicine –Phoenix, Postdoctoral Fellow |
P1 | GILT as a novel regulator of oxidative stress and proliferation in human melanoma | $10,000 |
| Brian Kelly, PhD – Dignity Health, Assistant Professor Jakub Godzik, MD – Barrow Neurological Institute, Neurosurgery Resident |
P1 | Biomechanical Evaluation of Stability and Strain Distribution in Hybrid Transvertebral Screw versus Traditional Pedicle Screw Fixation in Long Segment Thoracic Fusion | $10,000 |
| Michael Kruer, MD, PhD – UA College of Medicine – Phoenix, Associate Professor of Child Health Somayeh Bakhtiari, PhD – UA College of Medicine – Phoenix, Postdoctoral Fellow |
P1 | Identification of the genetic basis of spastic ataxia in consanguineous families | $10,000 |
| Jonathan Lifshitz, PhD – UA College of Medicine – Phoenix, Associate Professor of Child Health Show-Ridgway, GRI – ASU, Graduate Student |
P1 | Transition of microglia to activated morphologies after brain injury | $10,000 |
| Alexander Ngqube, MD – Phoenix Children's Hospital, Assistant Professor Jessica Bodea, MD – Phoenix Children's Hospital, Pediatric Resident
|
P1 | Single high dose oral vitamin D3 in pediatric patients undergoing HSCT: a proposed solution to Vitamin D deficiency during transplant | $10,000 |
| Rachel Rowe, PhD – UA College of Medicine – Phoenix, Assistant Professor of Child Health Katharine Giordano – UA, Clinical Translational Sciences Graduate Student |
P1 | Cleaning up after intracerebral hemorrhage: the role of microglia morphology and function in hematoma clearance | $10,000 |
| Zebulon Timmons, MD – Phoenix Children's Hospital, Faculty Attending Physician Karen Yeager, DO – Phoenix Children's Hospital, Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellow |
P1 | Use of an Electronic Emergency Information Form for Children with Special Health Care Needs | $10,000 |
| William Cance, MD – UA College of Medicine – Phoenix, Professor of Interdisciplinary Oncology Timothy Whitsett, Jr., PhD – St. Joseph's, Assistant Professor |
P2 | Therapeutic use of FAK inhibition against KRAS-driven lung cancer | $80,000 |
| Rayna Gonzales, PhD – UA College of Medicine – Phoenix, Associate Professor of Basic Medical Sciences Fu-Dong Shi, MD, PhD – Dignity Health, Associate Professor |
P2 | Selective S1PR1 modulation as a novel treatment of acute ischemic stroke | $80,000 |
| Jian Gu, PhD – UA College of Medicine –Phoenix, Associate Professor of Basic Medical Sciences Pooja Hingorani, MD – Phoenix Children's Hospital, Associate Professor |
P2 | Modeling pulmonary micrometastasis of osteosarcoma in real time on chip | $80,000 |
| Shenfeng Qiu, PhD – UA College of Medicine – Phoenix, Assistant Professor of Basic Medical Sciences Qiang Liu, MD, PhD – Barrow Neurological Institute, Research Assistant Professor |
P2 | Role of Microglia in Synapse Pruning and Cortical Circuit Development | $25,000 |
About the College
Founded in 2007, the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix inspires and trains exemplary physicians, scientists and leaders to optimize health and health care in Arizona and beyond. By cultivating collaborative research locally and globally, the college accelerates discovery in a number of critical areas — including cancer, stroke, traumatic brain injury and cardiovascular disease. Championed as a student-centric campus, the college has graduated more than 900 physicians, all of whom received exceptional training from nine clinical partners and more than 2,700 diverse faculty members. As the anchor to the Phoenix Bioscience Core, which is projected to have an economic impact of $3.1 billion by 2025, the college prides itself on engaging with the community, fostering education, inclusion, access and advocacy.