Research Initiative Announces Third Round of Funding

More than $350,000 Allocated to Support Collaborative Research across the Phoenix Area

The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix announced its latest round of funding that supports collaborative research in Phoenix.

Paul Boehmer, PhD
Paul Boehmer, PhD
The Valley Research Partnership Initiative’s third round of funding allocated approximately $350,000 to enhance research training, career development and prepare awardees for extramural research funding.

“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.