Dr. Shirin Doroudgar Earns Health Sciences Career Development Award

The University of Arizona Health Sciences Career Development Awards (CDA) program recently selected Shirin Doroudgar, PhD, assistant professor in Internal Medicine at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, as one of its four 2022 recipients.

“I’m extremely pleased and honored to have been selected from a group of very accomplished colleagues to receive the Health Sciences Career Development Award,” said Dr. Doroudgar. “This will allow focused time for me to carry out pilot studies that will provide data and training necessary to assure success as a multidisciplinary translational research scientist.”

CDA scholars must complete an independent research project, which is expected to generate sufficient pilot findings to enable the submission of an NIH K-series or R01 grant (or equivalent) by the second year of the program. Each scholar also must choose a lead mentor, or mentors if the project is multidisciplinary.

Dr. Doroudgar received a CDA for her research on the molecular changes in the heart that are produced as a result of cardiovascular pathologies that develop over a person’s lifetime. She explained that some of these changes are the heart’s attempt to adapt to the disease and preserve cardiac function.

“Our research focuses on identifying the naturally occurring adaptive molecular pathways in the heart, and understanding their functions during the course of cardiac disease and how we can boost their adaptive effects,” she said. “Discovering the adaptive cardiac responses and finding ways to therapeutically enhance these intrinsic protective processes will fortify the heart so it can better survive the challenges to cardiovascular function that take place throughout a person’s lifetime.”

“We are so proud of Dr. Doroudgar’s recognition in the form of this CDA,” said Christopher Glembotski, PhD — director of the Translational Cardiovascular Research Center (TCRC), professor in department of Internal Medicine, associate dean for Research and Dr. Doroudgar’s mentor. “She is the first CDA awardee at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, and we are excited that her research in the TCRC has been recognized by our colleagues at U of A Health Sciences.”

The CDA program was established by the Office of the Senior Vice President for Health Sciences in 2014 to provide research training and funding for early-career faculty members and foster academic careers in clinical and translational research. Each year, the four recipients of the two-year award receive 75% protected time for research, plus salary support and funding for research-related activities and travel.

Other recipients of the 2022 CDA are:

• Asmaa AbuMaziad, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at the College of Medicine – Tucson.
• Matthew Dodson, PhD, assistant research professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy.
• Allison J. Huff, DHEd, assistant professor of family and community medicine at the College of Medicine – Tucson.

This story originally appeared on the Health Sciences Connect website.