A total of 59 applications were received, of those 14 were awarded a combined total of $423,311. The BU CTSI congratulates all of these outstanding researchers for their efforts in developing novel solutions focused on clinical and translational research.

Astraea Augsberger, PhD
Asst. Prof. of Clinical Practice (BUSSW)
Katherine Gergen Barnett, MD
Asst. Prof. of Family Medicine
(BUSM)
Data Driven Youth Led Health Promotion Strategy for a Safety Net Accountable Care Organization

The research will be guided by a youth advisory board consisting of six to eight youth of color who will be trained in the principles of youth participatory action research (YPAR), health equity, the social determinants of health, health promotion practice, and data driven planning.
Matthew Jones, PhD
Assoc. Prof. of Medicine (BUSM)
Alan Fine, MD
Professor of Medicine (BUSM)
Influenza Induced Lymphangiogenesis

This project identifies lymphatic-centered strategies to contain viral lung infections. To achieve this goal, the PIs use a mouse influenza model that allows for deciphering the functional, therapeutic properties and origins of the markedly expanded pulmonary lymphatic system that the PIs found accompanies influenza.
Anna L. Goldman MD, MPA, MPH
Asst. Prof. of Internal Medicine (BUSM)
Sarah Gordon, PhD
Asst. Prof., Dept of Health Law, Policy & Management (BUSPH)
Primary Care Connection in Maine

This project is to design and pilot test an intervention to increase engagement with primary care services among newly enrolled Medicaid beneficiaries in the state of Maine, in partnership with the Office of Member Services (OMS) at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. 

Sabrina A. Assoumou, MD, MPH
Asst. Prof. of Medicine (BUSM)
Peer Recovery Coaching for HCV
and Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
The goal of this study is to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a peer intervention to improve linkage to HCV care, treatment initiation, and cure among individuals with a history of opioid use disorder. The findings will serve as pilot data for a planned NIH R01 proposal.
Nahid Bhadelia, MD, MA
Assoc. Prof. of Medicine (BUSM)
Immune Response and mEdical Complications of coVid-19 suRvivors (I-RECOVR) study
The study will follow a cohort of recovered patients to evaluate if those who survive acute illness with COVID-19 are at risk for continued physical disabilities or new medical sequalae, and whether these presentations are determined by initial disease severity or patient characteristics.
Paola Divieti Pajevic,
MD, PhD
Assoc. Prof. of Translational Dental Medicine (BUSDM)
PTH/PTHrP Receptor Signaling
in Osteocytes during Aging
This research is focused on studying the effects of hormones, such as parathyroid hormone, and mechanical forces, on bone and teeth. Dr. Divieti Pajevic will use a combination of genetically modified mice and cell lines to investigate if PTH signaling in osteocytes alters skeletal progenitors and protects these cells from senescence. 
Hans Dooms, PhD
Asst. Prof. of Medicine & Microbiology
(BUSM)
Lionoleic Acid Promotes Pathogenic
T Cells in Type 1 Diabetes
The goal is to test whether autoreactive
T cells exposed to linoleic acid have an increased capacity to cause diabetes in vivo, and whether feeding diabetes-susceptible NOD mice a linoleic acid-rich diet will accelerate diabetes development, potentially to identify a dietary factor that is increasingly present in Western diets as a driver for increased Type 1 Diabetes susceptibility.
Neil J. Ganem, PhD
Assoc. Prof. of Pharmacology & Medicine (BUSM)
Defining the Role of Hippo Pathway Inactivation in Melanomagenesis
Dr. Ganem’s CTSI award is focused on testing the hypothesis that inactivation of the Hippo tumor suppressor pathway plays an important role in melanoma development.
Scott Hadland,
MD, MS, MPH
Asst. Prof. of Pediatrics (BUSM)
A Tool to Identify PrEP Eligible Youth
in Primary Care
The objective of this proposal is to conduct mixed methods, translational research to develop and conduct a pilot study of a HIV risk assessment tool that pediatricians can integrate into their current primary care practice to identify PrEP-eligible youth.
Naomi Ko, MD, MPH, AM
Asst. Prof. of Medicine, Hematology & Medical Oncology (BUSM)
Clinical Pipeline for Single Cell Profiling of Triple Negative Breast Cancer
This research will recruit, consent, and invite BMC patients with breast cancer to participate in translational research, by providing biopsy specimens for single-cell RNA sequencing to answer cutting-edge research questions on the behavior of tumor cells and the immune environment.
Gareth Morgan, PhD
Research Asst. Prof., Hematology & Medical Oncology (BUSM)
Single-Cell Analysis of AL Amyloidosis Plasma Cells
This research focuses on measuring single-cell gene expression profiles of primary cells isolated from patient bone marrow aspirates, brings together the clinical work of the BU Amyloidosis Center with the cutting-edge instrumentation in the Department of Medicine Single Cell Sequencing Core Facility. 
Charlene Ong, MD, MPHS Asst. Prof. of Neurology & Neurosurgery (BUSM)
Machine Learning Risk Stratification
of Stroke in Patients with AF
This research aims to develop a clinically-oriented risk prediction model of stroke in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation using novel, clinically-oriented machine learning methods and data from Boston Medical Center and the UK Biobank.

Sheila Russo, PhD
Asst. Prof. of (ME, MSE)(BUSPH)
Soft Robotic Platform for Restoring Haptic Feedback in Robotic Surgery
This project aims to restore haptic feedback
in minimally invasive robotic surgery, by developing a soft robotic platform consisting of a soft sensing unit, to monitor forces exerted during surgical tasks and transduce this information to a soft actuation unit, and map tactile information back to the surgeon.
Kim Vanuytsel, PhD
Research Asst. Prof., Hematology & Medical Oncology (BUSM)
Pre-Clinical Validation of Novel Gene Editing Approaches for Sickle Cell Disease
Dr. Vanuytsel will further develop the sickle cell disease (SCD)-specific iPSC platform as a pre-clinical tool to validate the efficacy of novel therapeutic gene editing strategies across a diverse SCD patient population.
For information about our awardees and their Integrated Pilot Grant Award Projects
Boston University Clinical & Translational Science Institute
Accelerating Discoveries Towards Better Health 
b u.edu/ctsi | ncats.nih.gov