Dear Colleagues,
It’s been more than two years since we’ve been able to host an in-person meeting or conference. As the COVID climate continues to improve, we’re looking forward to transitioning to more in-person opportunities – beginning with this year’s Department of Medicine’s Research Day on Monday, April 4. Join us in Krugman Hall in RC2 beginning at 10am, and please note a Zoom option is still available for the entire program.
We have an outstanding lineup of research talks from our Outstanding Early Career Scholars, Drs. Traci Lyons and Kristine Erlandson, along with lunch (yes, we will be serving lunch again!). Our keynote speaker, Dr. Clifford Rosen from Tufts University School of Medicine, will deliver what I expect will be a thought-provoking lecture about science, mentorship and his journey. And although this year’s poster session is still virtual, we have built a dynamic program to ensure our investigators can showcase their work and interact directly with attendees. See the full agenda here.
On the research front, I continue to be laser-focused on raising our extramural funding portfolio, developing and encouraging thematic and programmatic science, and refining a mentorship program that ensures the success of our junior faculty investigators.
Our state of our research portfolio is strong, and I’m encouraged by our most recent increase in Blue Ridge rankings. As a snapshot of our success:
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DOM is ranked #24 in NIH funding by BRIMR for 2021, up from #27 in 2020.
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Our investigators have brought in $77 million in NIH funding (directs and indirects) this past year.
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Thanks to smart investments and support from prior and current leadership, our NIH support has increased by 60% over the last 10 years.
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In the last fiscal year, DOM investigators published 2,555 peer-reviewed articles.
I also want to highlight our world-class faculty investigators across the DOM who received recent grant awards:
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Kristen Demoruelle, MD, PhD (Rheumatology) R01 for ‘’Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in the Lung and Development of Rheumatoid Arthritis-Related Autoimmunity and Arthritis”
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Paul Maclean, PhD (Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes) R01 for “Novel dietary interventions for reducing obesity-associated breast cancer”
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Mamuka Kvaratskhelia, PhD (Infectious Diseases) R01 for “Roles of HIV-1 capsid-binding FG-motif containing cellular cofactors in infection”
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Mary Weiser-Evans, PhD (Renal Diseases and Hypertension) R01 for “Reprogramming of mature smooth muscle cells to vascular progenitor cells”
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V. Michael Holers, MD (Rheumatology) P30 for “Center for Mucosal Immunobiology and Rheumatic Disease Pathogenesis”
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Matthew DeCamp, MD (General Internal Medicine) awarded an R01 this week for “A mixed-methods study of the nature, extent and consequences of artificial intelligence (AI) for individualized treatment planning in end-of-life and palliative care (EOLPC)”
As we continue to grow and expand our research enterprise, I will continue to ensure our current programmatic offerings meets the needs of our investigators now and well into the future. We are actively recruiting new talent with new skills that will not only help individual investigators, but build intersectional and team science in the DOM. And finally, I am ever mindful that there may be other opportunities to advance our research goals. If you have ideas, thoughts or suggestions, I encourage you to reach out – my mailbox is always open.
In the meantime, I look forward to seeing many of you on April 4.
Onwards,
Vineet
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Vineet Chopra, MD, MSc
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September 15, 2023