Pilot Project Recipients
Pilot Project Awardee Testimonials
"This is an excellent program and it truly encourages junior investigators to submit projects which cross institutions and disciplines."
"This program is very useful for fostering new collaboration among peers and also has been helpful to start a new research project under that collaboration."
"I really appreciate the pilot support from the ACTSI program, it is important to bring new and young investigators into the Translational and Clinical Research Programs. The innovative support of discovery and development and the collaborative partners will help to rapidly translate scientific discoveries and new technology to impact the patient care of the Atlanta community."
Emory University SOM (among 19 submitted applications)
Fernando Holguin, MD (Medicine, Pulmonary/Critical Care), Airway Adipokines and the Alveolar Macrophage
Debra Houry, MD (Emergency Medicine), Early Intervention Following Severe Trauma (NIH Funded)
Claudia Testa, MD (Neurology), Essential Tremor Disease Mechanisms
Morehouse SOM (among 5 submitted applications)
Yuan-Xiang Meng, MD, PhD, MSCR (Family Medicine), Association of Variants in SLC308A8 and TCF7L2 Genes with Insulin Secretion in Overweight/Obese African Americans
Lilly Cheng Immergluck, MD (Pediatrics), Community Associated MRSA in Children: Surveillance and Treatment Outcomes in the Ambulatory Setting
MSM Round #2 (11/07). Three additional $30,000 one-year awards funded:
Morehouse SOM (among 5 completed applications)
Aurelian Bidulescu, MD, PhD, MPH (Community Health and Preventive Medicine), Left Ventricular Hypertrophy and Heart Failure in Obese African Americans: Developing Predictive Adipokine Biomarkers
Cinnamon Bradley, MD (Medicine), Vitamin D Metabolite Loss into Urine Limits Optimization of Vitamin D Status during Vitamin D Supplementation
Xuebiao Yao, PhD (Physiology/Medicine), Multi-color Quantum Dot Imaging for Predicting Breast Cancer Outcome and Designing Personalized Medicine
URC Round #3 (12/07). Seven $30,000 one-year awards funded:
Emory University SOM (among 72 submitted applications)
Lora Bean, PhD (Genetics), Imprinting Establishment in Down Syndrome
Michael Compton, MD, MPH (Psychiatry), Recruiting Urban, Low-Income, African American Adolescents to Participate in Research
Marian Evatt, MD (Neurology), Vitamin D Repletion for Optimal Health in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease
Greg Martin, MD (Medicine), Characterization of Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Clinical Sepsis: A Novel Prognostic Strategy
Seth Norrholm, PhD (Psychiatry), Conditioned Fear Extinction in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Arlene Stecenko, MD (Pediatrics), Epidemiology of Epstein-Barr Virus in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Paul Terry, PhD (Epidemiology), Effects of Supplemental Antioxidants on Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation
URC Round #4 (04/08). Six $30,000 one-year awards funded:
Emory SOM and Georgia Tech (from 71 submitted applications)
Beth Shaz, MD (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine), Investigating the Pathophysiology of Early Trauma Induced Coagulopathy
Nana Gletsu Miller, PhD (Surgery), Human Visceral Adipose Tissue and Mechanisms Affecting Insulin Action
Qiang Cai, MD, PhD (Medicine ), Intradudodenal Acid Infusion for Facilitation of Cannulation of the Dorsal Pancreatic Duct at Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatogram
Linda Cendales, MD (Surgery), Hand Transplantation as a Therapy for Limb Loss
Anne Fitzpatrick, PhD (Pediatrics), Role of TGF Beta-Induced Alveolar Macrophage Dysfunction in Poorly Controlled Asthma
Page Pennell, MD (Neurology), Neuroactive Steroids and Seizure Control during Pregnancy in Women with Epilepsy (NINDS, NIH Funded)
GTEC Round #5 (10/08). Five $100,000 one-year awards funded:
Georgia Tech/Emory Center (GTEC) for the Engineering of Living Tissues (from 7 submitted applications)
Todd McDevitt, PhD (Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech and Emory University), Stem Cell-Mediated Ischemia Repair
Gang Bao, PhD (Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech and Emory University), Developing Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells for Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine
Young-sup Yoon, MD, PhD (Medicine, Emory University), Patient-derived Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, Endothelial Differentiation and Vascular Regeneration
Andrés Garcia, PhD (Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Tech), Dynamic Anti-Inflammatory Biomaterials
Stephen Traynelis, PhD (Pharmacology, Emory University), The Role of NMDA Receptors in Motor Learning in Humans Recovering from Stroke and Brain Injury
URC Round #6 (12/08). Nine $30,000 one-year awards funded:
Emory University SOM (among 15 submitted applications)
Anthony Chan, DVM, PhD (Genetics & Molecular Medicine, Emory University), Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells of Rhesus Monkey
Haiying Cheng, PhD (Yerkes - Neuroscience, Emory University), Innovative Physiological Imaging technology and its Application to Retinal Degeneration
William Manson, MD (Emergency Medicine, Emory University), Emergency Physician-Performed Thoracic Ultrasound Rapidly Identifies CHF
Rita Nahta, PhD (Pharmacology), Modulation of BRACI by Curcumin in Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Charles D. Searles, Jr., MD (Cardiology), MicroRNAs and Regulation of Endothelial Genes in Response to Shear Stress
Haimanot Wasse, MD, MPH (Nephrology), Impact of Vitamin D on Arteriovenous Fistula Maturation in ESRD Patients
Elizabeth Wright, PhD (Pediatrics), Investigation of HIV-1 Assembly by Cryo-EM and Fluorescence Microscopy
Tianwei Yu, PhD (Rollins School of Public Health, Biostatistics), Developing Bioinformatics Tools for Large Scale LC-MS Data
Maziar Zafari, MD, PhD (Cardiology), Human Nox I Promoter Polymorphisms are Associated with CAD and MI
URC Round #7 (05/09). Five $30,000 one-year awards funded:
Emory SOM (from 69 submitted applications)
Abhinav Goyal, MD, MHS (Public Health, Epidemiology), Achievement and Knowledge of Vascular Risk Factor Goals in Type 1 Diabetes
Kreton Mavromatis, MD (Medicine, Cardiology), HIV and Endothelial Progenitor Cells
Martin Moore, PhD (Medicine, Pediatrics), Respiratory Syncytial Virus Strains: Impact on Disease and Immunity
Nadine Rouphael, MD (Medicine, Infectious Diseases), Correlation Between Human Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses to T Cell Independent and Dependent Meningococcal Vaccines
Habib Samady, MD (Medicine, Cardiology), Evaluation of Ischemic Postconditioning in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction
MSM Round #8 (06/09). Two $50,000 one-year awards funded:
Morehouse SOM (among 9 completed applications)
Iris Buchanan, MD, MSc (Pediatrics), Nalbuphine versus Morphine: A Randomized Double Blind Pilot Study Comparing the Rates of Acute Chest Syndrome (ACS) and Efficacy in Pain Control for Sickle Cell Vaso-occulusive Crisis (VOC)
Lilly Immergluck, MD (Pediatrics), Community Associated MRSA in Children- Defining the Virulent Factors which Link MRSA Colonization and Recurrence of Infection
GTEC Round #9 (07/09). Three $100,000 one-year awards funded:
Emory SOM and Georgia Tech (from 5 submitted applications)
Andres J. Garcia, PhD, MSE, (Mechanical Engineering) Dynamic Anti-Inflammatory Biomaterials
Todd C. McDevitt, PhD, (Biomedical Engineering) Stem Cell-mediated Ischemia Repair (continuation)
Young-sup Yoon, MD, PhD, (Cardiology) Patient-derived Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, Endothelial Differentation...
GTEC Round #10 (07/09). Three $100,000 one-year awards funded:
Emory SOM (from 8 submitted applications)
Robert Gross, MD, PhD, (Neurosurgery) C3 transferase gene therapy to improve regeneration and recovery after injury and degeneration of the CNS
Susan A. Safley PhD, PhD, (Surgery) A stem cell-based approach to enhance performance of islet cell transplantation
Stephen Traynelis, PhD, (Pharmacology) Role of NMDA receptors in motor learning in humans recovering from stroke and brain injury
URC Round #11 (12/09). Seven $30,000 one-year awards funded:
Emory SOM (from 61 submitted applications)
Lisa C. Flowers, MD, (Medicine, OBGYN) A Phase I Trial on the Safety and PK of Curcumin in Pap Test Negative Women
Elvira Gosmanova, MD (Medicine, Nephrology) Hemodialysis and Oxidative Susceptibility of Lipoproteins Study
Taylor Harrison, MD (Medicine, Neurology) Nutritional & Genetic Risk Factors for Polyneuropathy in HIV (+) South Africans
Michael Lloyd, MD (Medicine, Cardiology) Real Time Intracardiac Impedograms of Left Ventricular Leads to Locate Sites of Mechanical Delay in Cardiac Resynchronization
Ramkumar Menon, PhD (Medicine, Epidemiology, OBGYN) Isoprostanes: Alternate Mediators of Labor Process
Lesley Miller, MD (Medicine, General Medicine) Cutting Losses: Low Liver Clinic Appointment Adherence and Strategies to Improve Patient Attendance
Anne Dunlop, MD, MPH (Preventative Medicine) Exploration of Nutritional Risks for Spontaneous Preterm Birth for Black and White Women
URC Round #12 (05/10). Five $29,000 one-year awards funded:
Emory SOM (from 39 submitted applications)
Felicia Goldstein, PhD (Neurology) Racial Disparities in Assessment of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living
Hinh Ly, PhD (Pathology) Characterization of Cellular Determinants for in vitro XMRV Infection
Ross Molinaro, PhD (Pathology) Characterization of Xenotropic Murine Leukemia Virus-related Virus
Nawazish Naqvi, PhD (Cardiology) In vivo Expansion of Cardiac Stem Cells for Cardiomyogenesis
Xiaodong Zhang, PhD (Yerkes, Neuroscience) Tissue Fate Evaluation of Ischemic Stroke with High-Resolution MRI at 3T
TTR Round #13 (05/10). Two $50,000 one-year awards funded:
Emory SOM and Georgia Tech (from 8 submitted applications)
John Oshinski, PhD (Radiology, Biomedical Engineering) A Dual-labeled Magnetic-Optical Imaging Probe for M2 Macrophages
Anthony Chan, PhD (Yerkes, Radiology) Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Approach for Evaluating Therapeutic Impact of shRNA in Huntington's Disease
ADRC Round #14 (05/10). One $20,000 one-year award funded:
Emory SOM (from 6 submitted applications)
Thomas Wingo, MD (Medicine, Neurology) Rare Variants in Early-onset Alzheimer's Disease
MSM Round #15 (06/10). Two $50,000 one-year awards funded:
MSM (from 16 submitted applications)
Jiali Ye, PhD (Community Health and Preventive Medicine) Feasibility and Efficacy of Telepsychiatry for non-English Speaking Korean Immigrants in Atlanta
Morris Benveniste, PhD (Neuroscience) The Effects of D-Cycloserine of Aynaptic Transmission and Plasticity in the Cerebellum: A Model for Improving Motor Learning Outcome after Stroke
GTEC Round #16 (07/10). Three one-year awards totaling $261,388 funded:
Emory SOM and Georgia Tech (from 10 submitted applications)
Robert Gross, MD, PhD, (Neurosurgery) C3 Transferase Gene Therapy for Improving Regeneration and Recovery following CNS Injury
Collin Weber, MD (Surgery) Engineering Autologous Cell Therapy for Diabetes
Edmund Waller, MD, PhD (Hematology / Medical Oncology) Regulating Immune Reconstitution Through Graft Engineering Donor Dendritic Cells
Dystonia Research Round #17 (08/10). One $25,000 one-year award funded:
Emory University SOM (among 4 submitted applications)
Michael M. Johns, MD (Otolaryngology), Autoimmune, Neurologic, and Psychiatric Disease in the Focal Dystonias
