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Celebrate our Researchers

In health care, research is the foundation for everything we do. SUNY Downstate faculty and staff contribute daily to knowledge that shapes our world.

Whether our researchers peer through a microscope or put a microscope on the practice of healthcare itself, our work changes the world.

Research at SUNY Downstate has yielded decades of innovation. Ongoing work in the basic sciences, translational research and clinical trials continue that legacy. And we continue to make advances, in public health studies, health information technology and evidence-based research on nursing.

The result: Medicine and healthcare as equitable as it is advanced.

New Awards Received in 2022

Submitting grant proposals is not easy, nor is the work itself. Therefore, we want to congratulate the following researchers for their hard work in achieving this - no small feat!  

Congratulations to the following researchers that have received a new award or competitive renewal in 2022. For more information on clinical trials open to enrollment, please visit our Clinical Trials website.

 

Christopher Hellen, PhD / Tatyana Pestova, PhD

"Mechanisms of SARS-CoV2 translation initiation and shut-off of cellular protein synthesis"

Sponsor: National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Disease
April 14, 2022 - March 31, 2024

Aimee Afable, PhD / Christina Pardo, MD

"Brooklyn Digital Community Care Intervention to Address Unmet Social Needs and Optimize Engagement in Maternal Health Care"

Sponsor: National Institute for Nursing Research
September 22, 2022 - July 31, 2024

Tracey Wilson, PhD / Jacquelyn Meyers, PhD

"Social connections, risk for COVID-era psychiatric and substance use disorders, and HIV control"

Sponsor: National Institute of Mental Health
January 1, 2022 - October 31, 2026

Carla Boutin-Foster, MD

"Centers of Excellence"

Sponsor: Health Resources and Services Administration
July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2027

Jeannette Jakus, MD

Clinical Trial
Sponsor: Galderma Research and Development
February 7, 2022 - study end

Clinical Trial - Phase III
Sponsor: Arcutis Incorporated
February 15, 2022 - study end

Clinical Trial - Phase III
Sponsor: Dermavant Sciences Incorporated
March 2, 2022 - study end

Clinical Trial 
Sponsor: Dermavant Sciences Incorporated
March 2, 2022 - study end

Clinical Trial 
Sponsor: Incyte Corporation
March 7, 2022 - study end

Clinical Trial - Phase III
Sponsor: Arcutis Incorporated
June 16, 2022 - study end

Clinical Trial - Phase III
Sponsor: Arcutis Incorporated
June 17, 2022 - study end

Anika Daniels-Osaze, Ed.D.

"Public Health Scholarship Program"

Sponsor: Health Resources and Services Administration
September 30, 2022 - September 29, 2025

David Kaufman, PhD / Aimee Afable, PhD

"A Randomized Pilot Trial of a Digital Health Platform To Control BP To Address Stroke Disparities"

Sponsor: National Institute on Minority Health & Health Disparities
May 18, 2022 - February 28, 2024

Erik Anderson, MD

Detection of circulating tumor DNA from colorectal cancer patient sera using primer extension PCR

Sponsor: American College of Gastroenterology
July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023

Carolyn McKenzie Andrews / Carla Boutin-Foster, MD

Fellowship: "COVID-19's Impact on Continuity of Care with Use of Telemedicine in the Brooklyn Free Clinic Population"

Sponsor: New York Academy of Medicine
June 13, 2022 - August 29, 2022

Carla Boutin-Foster, MD / Carlene Camacho DSC/ Marcus Lambert PhD

"Clinical Research Scholars Training (CREST) Program"

Sponsor: National Institute on Minority Health & Health Disparities
July 1, 2022 - February 28, 2027

Jose Diaz, MD

"Ending HIV/AIDS among People Who Use Drugs: Overcoming Challenges"

Sponsor: New York University
January 20, 2022 - January 31, 2023

Robert Foronjy, MD

"The Role of HuR in HIV related COPD"

Sponsor: National Heart Lung and Blood Institute
September 1, 2022 - June 30, 2026

Grace Shadid / Ellen Ginzler, MD

Fellowship: "Measuring the Prevalence of Food Insecurity Among Patients with Autoimmune Diseases in the Arthritis"

Sponsor: New York Academy of Medicine
June 1, 2022 - August 24, 2022

Rauno Joks, MD

Clinical Trial
Sponsor: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
January 24, 2022 - study end

Tasmia Promi / Jason Lazar, MD

Fellowship: "Conventional Brachial Artery and Central Aortic Blood Pressures as a Predictor of Nocturia in Adolescents"

Sponsor: New York Academy of Medicine
June 15, 2022 - August 30, 2022

Michelle Melendez, MS, LCSW

"Stop the Stigma Project (STS)"

Sponsor: NYS Office of Mental Health
June 1, 2022 - May 31, 2023

"STAR Health Center Integrated Care Project"

Sponsor: Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration
September 30, 2022 - September 29, 2026

Subodh Saggi, MD

Clinical Trial - Phase II/III
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
April 7, 2022 - study end

Clinical Trial - Phase II
Angion Biomedical Corporation
August 15, 2022 - study end

Jessica Yager, MD, MPH

"Gilead FOCUS Project"

Sponsor: Gilead Sciences Incorporated
January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2022

"Playsure Network 2.0"

Sponsor: Public Health Solutions
March 1, 2022 - August 31, 2025

Alison Baird, PhD

"mRNA Expression Profiling from Extracellular Vesicles (EVs): Generating a Rapid Diagnostic for Stroke"

Sponsor: University of Kansas Center for Research Incorporated (federal flow-through)
July 1, 2022 - March 31, 2026

Richard Rubenstein, PhD

"Gap-Based Milieu Biomarkers for Traumatic Brain Injury (GAMBIT-TBI)"

Sponsor: US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (DOD)
September 30, 2022 - September 29, 2026

Jeffrey Birnbaum, MD

"PrEP Aware Week Collaboration"

Sponsor: Health Research Incorporated
April 1, 2022 - November 30, 2022

"Using Innovative Intervention Strategies to Improve Health Outcomes among People with HIV - Coordinating Center for Technical Assistance"

Sponsor: AIDS United
July 1, 2022 - March 31, 2025

Vivian Chin, MD

Clinical Trial
Sponsor: Lilly USA LLC
August 19, 2022 - study end

Stephan Kohlhoff, MD

"Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS) Data and Operations Center (DOC) - Maternal Mental Health Study"

Sponsor: Harvard University (federal flow-through)
August 1, 2022 - July 31, 2023

Ellen Hsu, PhD

"Expressing a novel class of heavy chain antibodies"

Sponsor: National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Disease
January 25, 2022 - December 31, 2023

Rena Orman, PhD

"Neurobiology of aging in the bat"

Sponsor: National Institute on Aging
August 1, 2022 - July 31, 2024

Peter Barr, MD

"Using the Genetic Architecture of Substance Use Disorders to Advance Gene Identification and Understanding of Pathways of Risk"

Sponsor: Rutgers University
August 1, 2022 - April 30, 2023

Sivan Kinreich, PhD

"Predicting AUD development, risk and resilience phenotypes through integration of multi-modal COGA data"

Sponsor: National Institute for Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism
July 15, 2022 - June 30, 2026

Jacquelyn Meyers, PhD

"Genetic relationships between PTSD and Alcohol Use Disorder: Integrating GWAS and Deeply Phenotyped Longitudinal data"

Sponsor: National Institute for Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism
August 1, 2022 - July 31, 2027

Michael Reinhardt, MD

"Centers of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease (CEAD)"

Sponsor: NYS Department of Health
June 1, 2022 - May 31, 2027

Scott Bunnell, PhD

"Modern On-Site High Performance Computing System"

Sponsor: National Institutes of Health Office of the Director
July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023

Lulu Wei / Bethany Desroches, MD

Fellowship: "Urological cancer incidence trends among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander populations in the United States, 1990-2014"

Sponsor: New York Academy of Medicine
June 26, 2022 - September 4, 2022

Susan Gong / Jeffrey Weiss, MD

Fellowship: "Phenotyping Nocturia in Hypertensives According to 24-hour Urine Composition, Free Water Clearance, and Volume Status in a Racially Diverse Primary Care Population"