The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Research Foundation has announced its 2012 research scholars. Three outstanding young gastroenterologists who promise to make significant strides in the field of gastrointestinal research received the awards.
"We are extremely proud of the work and discoveries of these gifted scholars who are paving the way for promising research developments and new therapies," said Dr. Nicholas F. LaRusso, AGAF, chair of the AGA Research Foundation. "AGA remains committed to supporting and advancing the careers of young researchers by providing the critical funding they need to shape the future of gastroenterology."
The 2012 AGA research scholars are:
• Kara Gross Margolis, M.D., Columbia University, New York, NY: The role of enteric neuronal density in intestinal inflammation.
• Robert E. Schwartz, M.D., Ph.D., Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA: Induced pluripotent stem cells, a new paradigm in the study of liver disease.
• Shehzad Z. Sheikh, M.D., Ph.D., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill: Epigenetic regulation of cytokines in inflammatory bowel disease.
The prestigious Research Scholar Awards offer each scientist $60,000 for 2 years to help support his or her research. The goal of the Research Scholar Awards is to guarantee the perpetuation of strong science through the encouragement of young physician investigators and, ultimately, to improve patient care through digestive diseases research. These extremely competitive awards ensure that bright, young scientists devote their careers to advancing the field of digestive health through research.
Dr. Robert E. Schwartz
Awards are based on the qualifications of the candidate, the quality of the candidate’s research proposal, and the commitment of the candidate’s institution to protect 70% of his or her time for research.
The Research Scholar Awards program was launched in 1984 to provide crucial early support to investigators who show promise in academic gastroenterological research. The program’s premise recognized that resources awarded early on could provide a stable platform from which future research funding would be derived.
During and after their time as an AGA research scholar, recipients have made important contributions to the field of gastroenterology, and many former award recipients have gone on to hold distinguished appointments inat major medical institutions in the U.S.United States and Canada.
The recipients of the 2012 Research Scholar Awards were chosen by a distinguished, 13-person national advisory committee that is chaired by Dr. M. Bishr Omary, professor and chair of the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor.
Members of the committee include leading gastroenterologists from the University of Sheerbrooke, Canada; the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston; the University of California, San Diego; the University of California, San Francisco; the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City; Stanford University, CA; Duke University, Durham, NC; Yale University, New Haven, CT; the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas; and Washington University, St. Louis, MO.
Dr. Shehzad Z. Sheikh
The AGA Research Scholar Awards program addresses the critical problem of a lack of funding for entry-level researchers in gastroenterology. At a time of unparalleled scientific and clinical opportunity, the field of gastroenterology faces a significant decline in the number of gastroenterologists entering academic research careers. Although the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funds a significant amount of gastroenterology research, it rarely funds young investigators working independently without a research track record. Additionally, NIH gastroenterology research funding is proportionately much smaller than that for diseases with more or similar health impact (such as HIV/AIDS or breast cancer).
The AGA Research Foundation, formerly known as the Foundation for Digestive Health and Nutrition, is the cornerstone of AGA’s effort to expand digestive disease research funding. Since 1984, the AGA, through its foundations, has provided more than $40 million in research grants to more than 670 scientists.
The AGA Research Foundation serves as a bridge to the future of research in gastroenterology and hepatology by providing critical funding to advance the careers of young researchers between the end of training and the establishment of credentials that earn NIH grants.
To learn more about the AGA Research Foundation or to make a contribution, visit www.gastro.org/ aga-foundation.
