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2021 Researcher Appreciation Day

In recognition of Researcher Appreciation Day, the Recognitions Committee at Emory School of Medicine sent out a call for nominations for researchers across the school who are advancing the knowledge base in their field. Emory researchers were nominated by their peers and colleagues for their groundbreaking research, development of new technologies, and continued pursuit of novel and innovative ideas. Read more about the amazing research happening at Emory below and join us in congratulating these faculty!

Department of Hematology & Medical Oncology Pamela Allen Research Focus: T-cell lymphoma

Dr. Allen has developed a robust program in T-cell lymphoma research at Winship, leveraging grant support to develop tissue repositories and clinical databases, and developing her own innovative trials to help patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

Department of Pediatrics Evan Anderson Research Focus: COVID-19 and other pediatric vaccines

Dr. Anderson's research has had significant impact on the childhood vaccine trials including COVID-19 vaccine and rotavirus vaccine, an understudied area. He is the PI of multiple industry and non-industry funded trials in addition to being an amazing mentor and teacher.

Department of Urology Rebecca Arnold

Dr. Arnold has led implementing process changes in Urology Research Labs as response to the COVID pandemic. She has provided the faculty leadership for biorepositories of Prostate and GU Cancers in Winship Cancer Institute, and in doing so oversees a resource that has been pivotal to numerous new federal and foundation grants to that program over the past 5 years. She has been a valued mentor for medical students, undergraduate students, and high school students alike, who have broadened the perspective of innovation and learning at Emory Urology.

Department of Medicine Siva Bhavani Research focus: Sepsis

Dr. Bhavani's research applies machine learning algorithms to universally available bedside measurements like body temperature to identify distinct sepsis subgroups that could respond to different treatments - paving the way to a precision medicine approach to sepsis. In his first year on faculty, Dr. Bhavani received a society grant from the American Thoracic Society, had his research featured in the ATS innovation competition, and received a fundable score on his K23 submission.

Department of Emergency Medicine Joseph Carpenter Research focus: Opioid Use Disorder and Addiction Medicine

Dr. Carpenter is performing clinical research as a medical toxicologist and addiction medicine specialist in the field of opioid use disorder. This disease disproportionately affects the under represented communities that we frequently treat at Grady. He is selflessly working to improve medication assisted therapies and access to care.

Department of Gynecology & Obstetrics Suchi Chandrasekaran Research focus: Mechanisms of gestational weight gain and the pathophysiology underlying development of gestational metabolic disease

In her first year at Emory, Dr. Chandrasekaran has established herself as an asset to our clinical, education, and research activities. She was awarded a Woodruff Foundation Grant and established interdisciplinary collaborations leading to submission of multiple NIH grants. She actively mentors Gyn/OB trainees in clinical research and has designed research curricula. She co-directs our Department Resident Research program and directs research education for our MFM fellowship.

Department of Neurology Daniel Drane Research focus: Epilepsy

He advances neurocognitive assessment of epilepsy surgery patients with determining the underlying structure-function relationships that pose risks for cognitive and emotional functions. He works to provide assessment and psychotherapy. Within the Atlanta community he has established relationships with researchers from Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University to emphasize healthcare disparities.

Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Christina Gavegnano Research focus: virology (HIV and SARS-CoV-2) and immunology

Dr. Gavegnano's path breaking work on JAK inhibitors led to a patent on the use of baricitinib for COVID-19 patients. This technology has been licensed and is now a first line treatment for hospitalized patients. A great example of a success story in bench to bedside translation of research to the betterment of human health.

Department of Medicine Eliver Ghosn Research focus: Immunology including B cells

Dr. Ghosn's work is dramatically changing the field of immunology. He is developing novel immunological assay techniques.

Department of Otolaryngology Steve Goudy Research focus: craniofacial biology

Dr. Goudy is involved in ground breaking research regarding pediatric craniofacial biology and tissue regeneration. He collaborates intensively and forms multidisciplinary research teams to research regenerative solutions for pediatric craniofacial skeleton.

Department of Ophthalmology Hans Grossniklaus Research focus: Ocular melanoma

Dr. Grossniklaus studies the basic science of treatment of small choroidal melanomas and is involved in a national clinical trial for patients with small melanomas. He has investigated a compound to treat uveal melanoma metastasis that is now a start up company.

Department of Medicine Madeleine Hackney Research focus: neurodegenerative conditions affecting older adults, including Parkinson's disease and cognitive impairment

Dr. Hackney studies the efficacy and mechanisms of innovative dance-based exercise interventions for improving motor, cognitive, and psychosocial impairment. During the pandemic, as site PI for CDC's STEADI initiative to reduce falls in older adults, she developed 3 new trials including "TeleSTEADI" and a virtual "Walk" intervention for remote delivery.

Department of Medicine Peijian He Research focus: Diabetes and the role of Iron Metabolism

Dr. He has demonstrated that hyperglycemia promotes dietary iron absorption and systemic iron loading. He studies the role of PKCα–mediated up-regulation of iron import and export in the intestine. This iron loading in the liver triggers ferroptotic death of the hepatocytes exacerbating diabetic liver injury.

Department of Family & Preventive Medicine Dio Kavalieratos Research focus: Palliative Care

Dio is involved in highest-level national palliative care research through multicenter RCT's and qualitative research. He has assembled an amazing research team and created opportunities for mentoring, funding and education that have empowered clinicians in our Department with the tools to embark on groundbreaking research.

Department of Gynecology & Obstetrics Jennifer Kawwass Research focus: National Assisted Reproductive Technology Outcomes

Dr. Kawwass has played a key national role in evaluating the safety of, and advocating for, improvements in reproductive technology, including in-vitro fertilization. Her work, focused on reproductive treatments for HIV discordant partners and treatments using donor gametes, has increased access for fertility care to underserved populations.

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Trisha Kesar Research focus: stroke

Dr. Kesar currently leads 2 NIH-funded grants investigating biomechanical, neural, and clinical effects of novel treatments to enhance walking function in stroke survivors. Building upon her lab’s impactful publications on real-time gait biofeedback, she led a collaborative team (Georgia Tech, SCAD, Emory) to develop an innovative custom game-based gait training interface.

Department of Urology Haydn Kissick Research focus: Tumor immunology

Dr. Kissick's work is transforming the understanding of how cancers evade immune responses by inducing T cell exhaustion.

Department of Medicine Janet Klein Research focus: Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus (NDI)

Dr. Klein is developing novel AMPK activators as a therapeutic option for congenital nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI). She showed that NDI-5033 can improve urine concentration and reduce urine volume in animal models of X-linked NDI and holds promise as a potential therapy for patients with congenital NDI due to V2R mutations.

Department of Medicine Rebecca Levit Research focus: Immunology, inflammation and cardiovascular disease

Dr. Levit researches biomaterials to treat heart diseases, such as hydrogels to modulate innate inflammation, deliver stem and progenitor cells, and augment tissue adenosine levels. She invented a medical device to deliver biomaterials to the heart in a minimally invasive procedure suitable for cath lab use. This device has been used to deliver therapeutic hydrogels to treat atrial fibrillation and is currently pending a first in human clinical trial.

Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Abigail Powers Lott Trauma-Related Treatment Access and Outcomes in Underserved Urban Communities

She has numerous active treatment studies that are aimed at identifying feasibility, acceptability, and mechanisms of action for trauma informed and culturally responsive mindfulness-based interventions for Black adults with PTSD and depression.

Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Cheryl Maier Research focus: coagulopathy and clotting

Cheryl has been a true pioneer and leader during the COVID-19 pandemic and has brought her unique expertise in coagulopathy to bear in a multidisciplinary manner. Her initial observation of hyperviscosity in critically ill patients with COVID-19 led to changes in clinical management and a randomized trial to explore treatment efficacy, in addition to raising global awareness of this phenomenon.

Department of Pediatrics Jordan Gilleland Marchak Research focus: pediatric cancer survivorship

Dr. Marchak's innovative work is leading the field in leveraging technological solutions to implement a systematic electronic screening program to promote evidence-based psychosocial assessment in pediatric oncology. Her work helps efficiently identify and link patients and families to appropriate mental health services and preventative psychosocial care.

Department of Gynecology & Obstetrics Stacy McAllister Research focus: Endometriosis

Dr. McAllister represents Emory at an international level as a rising leader in the field of endometriosis research, with appointment to prominent working groups of the World Endometriosis Research Foundation, such as the Mentoring Programme Committee of the World Endometriosis Society (WES). In 2021, Dr. McAllister delivered an international lecture on models of endometriosis-associated pain, and her recent article published in Pain was selected as an Editor’s Choice. Dr. McAllister is committed to mentoring students and junior researchers.

Department of Medicine Puja Mehta Research focus: Micro vascular coronary disease in women

Dr. Mehta's research focuses on women and cardiovascular disease, and diagnosis and treatment of coronary microvascular dysfunction and ischemic heart disease. Her research is NIH funded and includes the role of mental stress in heart disease, exploring the brain-heart connection and new approaches to treating persistent chest pain.

Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Vasiliki Michopoulos Research focus: Stress/Trauma Effects on Adverse Health Outcomes

She has multiple R01s and other studies focused on understanding biological mechanisms underlying increased risk for adverse stress/trauma-related outcomes in women and individuals suffering from health inequities. She also strives to increase representation of women and historically excluded individuals in biomedical-research workforce.

Department of Surgery Chrystal Paulos Research focus: Melanoma, Adoptive Cell Therapy

Dr. Paulos has been an inspiring leader and great addition to the melanoma and skin cancer program at Winship Cancer Institute. Despite starting in the Pandemic, she has been able to motivate the entire team, applied for numerous grants and has led the effort for a team science award.

Department of Medicine Arshed Quyyumi Research focus: stem cells

Manages a gene bank helping to identify cardiac disease risk factors as well as their evaluation and prevention.

Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Sheila Rauch Research focus: PTSD and pain

Her work significantly enhances the ability for veterans suffering from PTSD to access immediate and appropriate care. Dr. Rauch also studies the intersection of pain and PTSD in order to better aid the veteran population.

Department of Medicine Nadine Rouphael Research focus: HIV, innate immunity, and immune aging

Dr. Rouphael is the Director of the Hope clinic and the co-PI of the Vaccine Treatment and Evaluation (VTEU) and investigator for HIV clinical trials and most recently COVID-19 vaccine trials. In addition, she has done research on innate immunity and immune aging and has mentored students and residents in her lab.

Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Mar Sanchez Research focus: Cognitive decline with aging, autism, substance abuse

Dr. Sanchez has two new R01’s: 1) Susceptibility to Early-life stress and age-related cognitive decline; 2) Early-life stress risk to substance abuse. She is co-investigator on multiple grants related to autism, social behavior and Zika. She is involved in Capitol Hill visits to promote research.

Department of Radiology David Schuster Research focus: prostate cancer

Dr. Schuster is a pioneer in developing novel molecular imaging and targeted radiotherapy therapy agents to advance the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. He was a key investigator in the development and FDA approval of a novel molecular imaging agent, F-18 Fluciclovine (Axumin), that was developed at Emory.

Department of Medicine Anandi Sheth Research focus: HIV and HIV prevention in women

She works closely with community organizations/ family practitioners and other womens' health providers to improve HIV prevention and treatment for women, a group that is underrepresented in HIV research.

Department of Pediatrics Soumitri Sil Research focus: Chronic pain in youth with Sickle Cell Disease

Dr. Sil's research focuses on developing effective behavioral interventions for children and adolescents with sickle cell disease and chronic pain. She uses participatory-research methods to engage and collaborate with patients and their parents to design interventions that are culturally relevant and responsive to individual family needs.

Department of Anesthesiology Vinita Singh Research focus: Cancer pain, Chronic neuropathic pain

Dr. Singh's impressive research related to ketamine and cancer pain has potential to revolutionize the use of this medication in that context. She seeks to offer additional options to those who are suffering greatly from often life-threatening disease processes and to advance our understanding of pain medicine as a whole.

Department of Human Genetics Steven Sloan Research focus: Brain development

Dr. Sloan uses brain organoids to understand fundamental questions of how different neural cells cooperate during development to form a functional brain

Department of Radiology Philip Sun Research focus: Diagnostic imaging; Stroke; Brain diseases

Dr. Sun is an innovator in imaging technology, specialized in magnetic resonance imaging. He is a leader in developing and implementing novel MRI methods for stroke imaging with potential practice-changing impact. He also leads the Emory National Primate Research Imaging Center that supports many investigators from various departments and institutions of the biomedical research community in Atlanta.

Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Yilang Tang Research focus: Psychiatry, substance abuse

Dr. Tang has been committed to advancing the field of Psychiatry and substance abuse treatment through many ongoing studies. He is simultaneously a fantastic clinician as well. Dr. Tang is certainly an asset to the field of Psychiatry and to the practice of medicine in general.

Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Sanne van Rooij Research focus: PTSD

Dr. van Rooij is developing cutting-edge personalized neuromodulation approaches to treat PTSD. The goal is to boost emotion regulation to improve symptoms by targeting prefrontal-amygdala circuits. Her work was recently funded with an NIMH K01 and NARSAD awards.

Department of Medicine Jesse Waggoner Research focus: infectious diseases - arboviruses and COVID-19

Jesse Waggoner has worked to advance an existing arbovirus research program while pivoting to meet the needs of the COVID pandemic both in the United States and abroad. His group is currently evaluating novel serological methods to identify risk factors for severe dengue and developing economical protocols for molecular detection of RNA viruses. Over the past year, Dr. Waggoner developed a molecular test to detect active viral replication in respiratory samples, and most recently, they have designed and evaluated a readily modifiable real-time RT-PCR for the detection of specific mutations associated with SARS-CoV-2 variants. This test will be implemented at international sites in Paraguay, Nicaragua, Ecuador, and Sri Lanka to assist with SARS-CoV-2 surveillance.

Department of Pediatrics Chia-shi Wang Research focus: Childhood Nephrotic Syndrome

Dr. Wang is testing the effectiveness of technology (APPs and text messaging) to improve the care of children with nephrotic syndrome via an NIH-sponsored multicenter clinical trial. She is also testing innovative treatments, and has recently comprehensively described the epidemiology of this disorder.

Department of Anesthesiology Anna Woodbury Research focus: Complimentary therapies to treat pain

She has carved a path of research in an area where little is known, alternative medicine for pain. She has federal funding for research on percutaneous electrical field simulation for fibromyalgia in veterans using neuroimaging as a biomarker. She also studies transcranial magnetic stimulation for gulf war illness.

Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Larry Young Research focus: social neuroscience

Dr. Young has made critical discoveries on the neural circuits, biological signals (oxytocin) and molecular biology regulating social behavior. He has made major contributions to shift paradigms in social neurobiology.