Department of Medicine Faculty Awarded K Grants in Support of Career Development
Congratulations to our faculty who have recently been awarded career development grants! Awardees include Khanh-Van Tran, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Nisha Fahey, DO, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and faculty in the Program in Digital Medicine, and Lara Kovell, MD, Assistant Professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. Learn more about their projects below.
We would also like to extend our congratulations to Laurel O’Connor, MD, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and faculty in the Program in Digital Medicine, who was awarded a KL2 as well. Her project will be featured in an upcoming DOMCOMM.
Khanh-Van Tran, MD, PhD, Cardiovascular Medicine
NIH Career Development Award - K23
Title: “The Role of Highly Inflamed Epicardial Adipose Tissue in the Development of Atrial Fibrillation”
Atrial fibrillation (AF) occurs in 30-50% of patients undergoing cardiac surgery and is associated with prolonged hospital stay, hemodynamic instability, increased risk of stroke, and increased mortality. There are significant associations between epicardial adipose tissue, inflammation, and AF. With this K23 Career Development Award, Dr. Tran will conduct a prospective clinical study to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which epicardial adipocytes increase inflammation to cause adverse cardiac remodeling. She will test the hypothesis that epicardial adipocytes are recruiting innate immune cells to the myocardium, to increase vulnerability for postoperative AF. Dr. Tran hopes that this award will also allow her to develop the skills to become an independent physician-scientist, leading a research program to advance therapies for postoperative AF.
Nisha Fahey, DO, Program in Digital Medicine
Mentored Career Development Award – KL2
Title: “Enabling Community-Based Kangaroo Mother Care to Mitigate Health Inequities Among Preterm Infants"
As a primary care pediatrician in Worcester, Dr. Fahey is committed to improving maternal-child health outcomes and reducing health inequities in the community. Her KL2 research will focus on creating a multifaceted intervention to promote the practice of Kangaroo Care, which features skin-to-skin care between mother and infant, in the community setting, specifically among preterm infants during the transition period from the NICU to home.
Lara Kovell, MD, Cardiovascular Medicine
Mentored Career Development Award – KL2
Title: "Development of a Mobile Health Intervention for Blood Pressure Management in Pregnancy"
Hypertension in pregnancy is widespread and increasing in the United States, and 40% of maternal deaths are due to hypertension. Hypertension is two-fold more prevalent and leads to higher rates of preeclampsia and stroke in Black, Indigenous, and people of color. The time required for frequent in-person visits, inadequate counseling rates, and the asymptomatic nature of hypertension are major barriers to blood pressure (BP) control in pregnant women. All of these issues can be addressed by home BP monitoring (HBPM). In this Mentored Career Development Award (KL2) proposal, Dr. Kovell aims to develop Moms@Home, a digital health approach to support HBPM in pregnant women with gestational and chronic hypertension using an innovative digital health and storytelling approach.
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