The Hartwell Foundation
 

2023 Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Awards

Memphis, TN, April 01, 2024 - The Hartwell Foundation officially announced today the recipients of the 2023 Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Awards. Each Award provides support for three years at $100,000 direct cost per year. Ten individuals representing eight institutions received recognition as Hartwell Investigators:

  • Tiffany Amariuta, Ph.D.,Assistant Professor Biomedical Informatics, University of California, San Diego for "Neonatal Asthma Risk Prediction with Genetic Models to Improve Detection, Monitoring, and Treatment."
  • Nina Brodsky, MD, Assistant Professor Pediatrics, Yale University "Targeted Immunotherapies for Bronchiolitis Caused by RSV."
  • Erin G. Brown, MD, Associate Professor Pediatric Surgery, University of California, Davis for "Mesenchymal Stem Cells Engineered to Express miRNA for Targeted Treatment of Neuroblastoma."
  • Melanie C. Dispenza, MD, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Medicine, Johns Hopkins University for "Circulating Microvesicles as Biomarkers for Diagnosing Acute Food-Induced Anaphylaxis."
  • Amy Erbe, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor Human Oncology, University Wisconsin-Madison for "Inhibitors to Epigenetic Modifiers Improve the Efficacy of Immunotherapy Against High-Risk Neuroblastoma."
  • Ashley Nelson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Pediatrics, Cornell University for "IgE-Mediated Processes as Potential Therapeutic Targets for Respiratory Virus Disease Progression in Asthma."
  • Michelle Teplensky, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Biomedical Engineering, Boston University for "Improving Vaccine-Induced Protection Against Streptococcus Pneumoniae by Harnessing Nanoscale Structure."
  • Kyle H. Vining, DDS, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Preventive and Restorative Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania for "Targeting Bone Marrow Fibrosis in Cellular Immunotherapy for Acute Leukemia."
  • Julia T. Warren, MD, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania for "Mitochondrial Function and Homeostasis as Targets to Promote Neutrophil Production for Transfusion."
  • Rong Yang, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University for "Neutrophil-Mediated Drug Delivery to Minimize Antibiotic Exposure in Treatment of Ear Infection."

The 2023 award-winning proposals represent early-stage, innovative and cutting-edge technology in Medicine and Biomedical Engineering, covering research areas that include Cancer, Medical Diagnostics, Infectious Disease, and Tissue Engineering. The Hartwell Foundation is pleased to provide financial support to these exceptional scientists who are pursuing biomedical research to advance children’s health.

Each year The Hartwell Foundation invites a limited number of institutions in the United States to hold an internal open competition to nominate candidates from their faculty who are involved in early stage, innovative, and cutting-edge biomedical research that has not yet qualified for significant funding from outside sources and with the potential to benefit children of the United States. In the 2023 competition that began September 15, fifteen institutions were invited to participate. Based upon the Nominees submitted, the Foundation selected 10 researchers from eight different institutions to receive a Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Award. Notably, Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania each received two Individual Awards.

"In our 18th year supporting innovative, early-stage biomedical research with the potential to benefit children, the 2023 competition for Individual Biomedical Research Awards once again proved to be exceptional. Nominees who received an Award leveraged internal support and guidance from their participating institution, as well as the experience of previous Hartwell Investigators," said Fred Dombrose, President of The Hartwell Foundation.

While significant early-stage funding benefits the individual researcher, participating Hartwell institutions are eligible to receive recognition in the form of a Hartwell Fellowship. For each Nominee selected for an Individual Biomedical Research Award the sponsoring participating institution receives one Hartwell Fellowship that they are asked to designate to a qualified postdoctoral researcher in the early stage of their career. Each Fellowship provides support for two years at $50,000 direct cost per year to enable specialized training in biomedical research.

"The Hartwell Foundation seeks to inspire innovation and achievement by offering individual researchers an opportunity to realize their professional goals. Our approach is to be unique, selective, thorough, and accountable. We provide an opportunity for those we support to make a difference and to realize their hopes and dreams," said Fred Dombrose, President of The Hartwell Foundation.

In selecting awardees, the Foundation takes into account the compelling and transformative nature of the proposed innovation, the extent to which a strategic or translational approach might accelerate the clinical application of research results to benefit children of the United States, the extent of collaboration in the proposed research, the institutional commitment to provide encouragement and technical support to the investigator, and the extent to which funding the investigator will make a difference.

For additional information, see
www.thehartwellfoundation.org.

  

2023 Hartwell Investigator Tiffany Amariuta, Ph.D., University of California, San Diego

2023 Hartwell Investigator Tiffany Amariuta, Ph.D., University of California, San Diego


2023 Hartwell Investigator Ashley Nelson, Ph.D., Cornell University

2023 Hartwell Investigator Ashley Nelson, Ph.D., Cornell University


2023 Hartwell Investigator Michelle Teplensky, Ph.D., Boston University

2023 Hartwell Investigator Michelle Teplensky, Ph.D., Boston University


2023 Hartwell Investigator Julia Warren, MD, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania

2023 Hartwell Investigator Julia Warren, MD, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania


2023 Hartwell Investigator Rong Yang, Ph.D., Cornell University

2023 Hartwell Investigator Rong Yang, Ph.D., Cornell University


2023 Hartwell Investigator Erin Brown, MD, University of California, Davis

2023 Hartwell Investigator Erin Brown, MD, University of California, Davis


2023 Hartwell Investigator Amy Erbe, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison

2023 Hartwell Investigator Amy Erbe, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison


2023 Hartwell Investigator Kyle Vining, DDS, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania

2023 Hartwell Investigator Kyle Vining, DDS, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania


2023 Hartwell Investigator Melanie Dispenza, MD, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University

2023 Hartwell Investigator Melanie Dispenza, MD, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University


2023 Hartwell Investigator Nina Brodsky, MD, Yale University

2023 Hartwell Investigator Nina Brodsky, MD, Yale University


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