$1.31 Million from ACG Institute Supports Promising Investigators
The ACG Institute for Clinical Research and Education is pleased to announce the award of $1,319,969 in support of outstanding clinical research in gastroenterology. In a year when the Institute increased the amount of key awards, overall funding hit a new all-time high.
For 2017, the ACG Institute will support three Junior Faculty Development Grants, at an overall level of $900,000 – an investment in career development which recognizes and supports promising clinical researchers.
The 2017 Clinical Research Awards will go to 13 investigators for a total of $384,969. Included among this group is one award under the “Smaller Programs” Clinical Research Award established in 2011.
Founded in 1994, the Institute has provided funding to 612 investigators for research directly relating to the clinical gastrointestinal practice with funding of over $18.8 million. Thanks to generous support of ACG members and from industry, the ACG Institute has a dedicated source of funds to support clinical research and education priorities.
2017 ACG Junior Faculty Development Grants ($300,000)
The ACG Junior Faculty Development Grant is a three-year award designed to support a junior faculty member or mid-career clinical investigator of outstanding promise to establish an independent, productive career in gastroenterology or hepatology. This award of $100,000 per year for each of three years provides salary support for protected time to young investigators at critical points in their career development.
The ACG Board of Trustees approved the three awards recommended by the ACG Research Committee from their review of an excellent field of applicants:
Alina Allen, MD, Mayo Clinic
Non-invasive Diagnosis of NASH by Magnetic Resonance Elastogram (MRE)
Renumathy Dhanasekaran, MD, Stanford University
Plasma Glycoproteomic Biomarkers for Invasive Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)
Reena Khanna, MD, University of Western Ontario
Efficient Early Drug Development in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
2017 ACG Clinical Research Awards (Up to $50,000)
This year, the ACG Institute increased funding for the Clinical Research Awards up to $50,000 for original clinical research. The mission of the ACG Clinical Research Awards program is to fund innovative research that is patient-care oriented. The Committee also considers proposals for pilot awards of up to $15,000 within this category.
Selected for funding for 2017:
Gobind Anand, MD, University of California, San Diego
Natural History of Asymptomatic Pancreatic Cysts and Determination of Risk Factors for Development of Pancreatic Cancer Utilizing a Large National Historical Cohort
Amit Joshi, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital
Metabolomic Determinants of Cholecystectomy Outcomes
Somashekar Krishna MD, MPH, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy as an Imaging Biomarker (CLIMB Study) for the Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cystic Lesions
Udayakumar Navaneethan, MD, FACG, Center for Interventional Endoscopy, Florida Hospital
Evaluation of Lipidomics, Proteomics and Volatile Organic Compounds in Plasma and Bile for Diagnosis of Biliary Strictures
Heiko Pohl, MD, VA Medical Center Whiter River Junction
Adenoma Recurrence after Endoscopic Mucosal Resection of Large Colorectal Polyps
Ju Dong Yang MD, MSc, Mayo Clinic
Discovery and Validation of Novel DNA Methylation Markers for the Detection of Perihilar Cholangiocarcinoma
2017 ACG Clinical Research Awards
Pilot Grants up to $15,000
Freddy Caldera, DO, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Identifying Young Immunosuppressed Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients at Risk for Herpes Zoster
Amelia Johnson, MPH, PhD-C, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Development of Functional
Gastrointestinal Disorders Related to Systemic Host Responses and Travel Exposures
Gautam Mankaney, MD, Cleveland Clinic
Evaluating the Role of Virtual and Dye-Based Chromoendoscopy to Identify High Risk Gastric Lesions in Familial Adenomatous Polyposis
Anish Patel, DO, Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center
A Patient Toolkit for the Transition of Care of Active Duty Patients with IBD to the Veterans Administration Healthcare System
Gengqing Song, MD, PhD, Cleveland Clinic
Anti-inflammatory Effects of Self-Administrated Needleless Transcutaneous Electroacupuncture for Treatment of Active Ulcerative Colitis: A Randomized, Double Blind, Crossover Clinical Trial
Kali Zhou, MD, University of California, San Francisco
Advanced MR Elastography Techniques to Evaluate Liver Fibrosis and Necroinflammation in Patients with Indeterminate Chronic Hepatitis B Infection
ACG 2017 “Smaller Programs” Clinical Research Award
Given the ACG Institute’s aims to stimulate and support excellent clinical GI research, while at the same time maintaining an ongoing commitment to fund the best science, the “Smaller Programs” Clinical Research Award, established in 2011, is intended to make the promise of a research career more broadly available by targeting investigators at smaller GI training programs. The recipient for 2017 is:
Amol Sharma, MD, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University
Home Versus Office Biofeedback Therapy for Fecal Incontinence