2024 Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Awards
April 01, 2025 - The Hartwell Foundation officially announced today the recipients of 2024 Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Awards. Each Award provides support for three years at $100,000 direct cost per year. Ten individuals representing ten institutions received recognition as Hartwell Investigators:
- Samagya Banskota, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, for "Precise Genome Editing to Correct DNA Mutations and Restore Gene Expression in Neurodegenerative Disease"
- Lauren Covert, MD, Assistant Professor Pediatrics, Duke University, for "Bioengineered Human Muscle as a Platform for Drug Discovery and a Cure for Juvenile Dermatomyositis."
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Hojun Li, MD, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, for "Epigenetic Engineering to Treat Inherited Bone Marrow Failure."
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Andrew Loza, MD, Ph.D., Instructor Biomedical Informatics and Data Science, Yale University, for "Deep Learning Model to Improve Critical Event Prediction in Hospitalized Children."
- Kazlin Mason, Ph.D., SLP Assistant Professor Human Services, University of Virginia, for "Applying Precision Medicine to Treat Velopharyngeal Dysfunction."
- Noor Momin, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, for "Characterizing Autoantibodies Underlying the Late Effects of Cancer Treatment on the Heart."
- Rebecca Richards, MD, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, for "Optimizing the Cytokine Microenvironment for CAR T Cell Therapy in Acute Myeloid Leukemia."
- Cameron Sadegh, MD, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Neurological Surgery, University of California, Davis, for "Targeted Gene Therapy for Treatment of Hemorrhagic Hydrocephalus."
- Marissa A. Scavuzzo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, for "Targeting Gastrointestinal Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorder."
- Lisa R. Volpatti, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University for "Targeted Immunotherapies to Prevent Solid Organ Transplant Rejection."
The 2024 award-winning proposals represent early-stage, innovative and cutting-edge technology in Medicine and Biomedical Engineering, covering research areas that include Cancer, Medical Diagnostics, Physiology, and Neurobiology. The Hartwell Foundation is pleased to provide financial support to these early career 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 2024 competition that began September 15, fifteen institutions were invited to participate. Based upon the Nominees submitted, the Foundation selected 10 researchers from ten different institutions to receive a Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Award.
"In our 19th year supporting innovative, early-stage biomedical research with the potential to benefit children, the 2024 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 Award recipient, those participating Hartwell institutions that supported winning proposals receive additional 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.
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2024 Hartwell Investigator Marissa A. Scavuzzo, Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University
2024 Hartwell Investigator Kazlin Mason, Ph.D., SLP, University of Virginia
2024 Hartwell Investigator Samagya Banskota, Ph.D., Boston University
2024 Hartwell Investigator Hojun Li, MD, Ph.D., University of California, San Diego
2024 Hartwell Investigator Cameron Sadegh, MD, Ph.D., University of California, Davis
2024 Hartwell Investigator Rebecca Richards, MD, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison
2024 Hartwell Investigator Lauren Covert, MD, Duke University
2024 Hartwell Investigator Lisa Volpatti, Ph.D., Northwestern University
2024 Hartwell Investigator Andrew Loza, MD, Ph.D., Yale University
2024 Hartwell Investigator Noor Momin, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
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